1 Year Anniversary of Kingdom Hearts III!

[Chaser]

 

It’s been a wild year for Kingdom Hearts fans across the globe. Almost one year ago Kingdom Hearts III shocked audiences everywhere with a surprise announcement at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Since then, bits and pieces have been revealed about the plot of Kingdom Hearts III, where the characters are now, and new gameplay features. Let’s recap this last year as we lead up to E3.

The Sony conference started as any other. About halfway through the conference a video started to play and Tetsuya Nomura appeared on screen and started talking about Final Fantasy XV. After the trailer had finished playing Tetsuya Nomura came back onto the screen and announced that Kingdom Hearts III had officially been announced for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. The next day, Square Enix held a Future of Final Fantasy conference where they discussed Kingdom Hearts III in a bit more detail. 

During this conference, they announced that Sora will be more mature than he had been in previous games. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey, who were absent in the announcement trailer, will be featured and there will be brand new Disney worlds.
The Osaka team, who have now worked on a number of Kingdom Hearts games, will be developing Kingdom Hearts III. Along with this, a synopsis of the game was revealed; 

"Believing light and darkness must remain in balance, Master Xehanort seeks to spark war against the tyranny of light to restore equilibrium. In an effort to undermine Xehanort's plot, Sora, Donald and Goofy search for seven guardians of light and the Key to Return Hearts, while King Mickey and Riku search for previous Keyblade wielders. KINGDOM HEARTS III features a mature Sora as the main protagonist who sets forth on an adventure with Mickey, Donald and Goofy through new and legendary Disney worlds. KINGDOM HEARTS III will make full use of next generation console technologies to showcase a stunning universe packed full of worlds based on Disney properties."

A lot more information was revealed over the next few days from interviews with Nomura and his team. While it was said that the game was announced too early, they were still excited to share a number of ideas they were currently testing. 

Speaking with Game Informer, Tetsuya Nomura confirmed that Kingdom Hearts III’s main story concludes Xehanort’s arc and reinforces that it picks up immediately after the events of Dream Drop Distance. He also talked about some of the plot points some of the game will cover;

"The process of the wielders coming together will be the main storyline, but one of the highlights of the climax is going to be who is part of the seven lights and thirteen darkness when they get to the final battle. Would it be as everyone expected, or will there be unexpected members added to the mix? That is something to look forward to.”

In October of 2013, Kingdom Hearts III made a second official appearance this time showcasing more of the gameplay and abilities Sora will possess. This trailer revealed Sora will be able to manipulate his weapons, changing them into guns and other objects, just like what the three protagonists of Birth by Sleep could do.

Another major reveal was the ability to summon boats and trains in order to scale large enemies and take them down. This will surely be a major factor into the new gameplay of Kingdom Hearts III.

Tetsuya Nomura expanded on this in his Conversation with Creators on October 16th 2013. When asked about the ability to jump as high as you want, he responded saying;

“In the actual game there will be some sort of limit, but this time we are adopting the "free run" style like in current action games, where you can run around, climb, etc. Additionally, your aerial ability and jump ability rise rapidly, so it feels like the action elements are really extravagant. I think people who have played KH2 might understand it easily, it already has greater mobility than Sora's Final Form from that game.”

When asked about Donald and Goofy and their AI, Nomura revealed that;

“Their AI is also being powered up considerably. Since Disney characters have concrete personalities, I want them to act according to their own thoughts instead of just giving them an order and having them obey like in the Final Fantasy series. Relating to their AI, we're configuring it so Donald and Goofy act more like themselves.”

 

Months went by without a word on Kingdom Hearts III. On the 9th of January 2014 Zap2it asked Haley Joel Osment, the voice of Sora, about Kingdom Hearts III. 

“I saw the announcement and then talked a little bit with them on the phone, because the process is, I started doing Kingdom Hearts in 2001, and there's the main series and there's the Gameboy one... I feel like I've done seven or eight installments, which is awesome. But with this, they're making it now and the recording of the dialogue is one of the last parts of the process, so probably this summer or later is the soonest.”

And now we’re almost at the one year anniversary of the announcement of Kingdom Hearts III. Many fans are hoping that Kingdom Hearts III will be shown at either the Sony or Microsoft conference, while many others will be content with celebrating the anniversary of a game they’ve yearned many years for.

Kingdom Hearts Insider will be at E3 this year. You can Tweet questions to us at KHInsider on Twitter or follow us on Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest E3 and Kingdom Hearts news.

 

 

[Chaser]

I apologise for the way I pronounced "Tetsuya Nomura".

 

[Gexus]

I like the editing skillz.

 

[Launchpad]

What're some other things that weren't included here? Let me think..

There was the comment about microphone interaction with the AI partners..

Nomura said at one point that he's making destructible environments that can be picked up by enemies..

Larger exploration overall..

It'll be good to see if any news at E3 lives up to this stuff.

 

[Chaser]

What're some other things that weren't included here? Let me think..

There was the comment about microphone interaction with the AI partners..

Nomura said at one point that he's making destructible environments that can be picked up by enemies..

Larger exploration overall..

It'll be good to see if any news at E3 lives up to this stuff.

There wasn't enough footage of KH3 to cover everything

 

[Gexus]

What're some other things that weren't included here? Let me think..

There was the comment about microphone interaction with the AI partners..

Nomura said at one point that he's making destructible environments that can be picked up by enemies..

Larger exploration overall..

It'll be good to see if any news at E3 lives up to this stuff.

I'm looking forward to your own video where you fill in those gaps

 

[Launchpad]

I'm looking forward to your own video where you fill in those gaps

I'm not gonna make people listen to me! I sound like a dork!

Maybe I'll just make a spiritual successor to Chaser's video.. KHIII: Shit you aren't concerned about edition

 

[Nazo]

Honestly, I'm not expecting much from E3 as far as KH3 goes. The emphasis is going to be on 2.5 (or at least it SHOULD be) and I'm sure the game is still a far ways away from completion. Frankly, I won't if surprised be KH3 is a complete no-show at E3.

But, I encourage Square to prove otherwise

 

[Lnds500]

Honestly, I'm not expecting much from E3 as far as KH3 goes. The emphasis is going to be on 2.5 (or at least it SHOULD be) and I'm sure the game is still a far ways away from completion. Frankly, I won't if surprised be KH3 is a complete no-show at E3.

But, I encourage Square to prove otherwise

It's Square, so no one will be surprised if we don't see it.

But the emphasis shouldn't be on KH 2.5, far from it - at least not if we are talking about big announcements and stage demos. Square will look even more ridiculous than they do now if they show a 7-year-old game after something like the Order. They should have been shown more before E3.

Remasters have no business at E3 at all for that matter.

 

[Launchpad]

It's Square, so no one will be surprised if we don't see it.

But the emphasis shouldn't be on KH 2.5, far from it - at least not if we are talking about big announcements and stage demos. Square will look even more ridiculous than they do now if they show a 7-year-old game after something like the Order. They should have been shown more before E3.

Remasters have no business at E3 at all for that matter.

Agreed so hard. You are right! No need to waste time

 

[Gram]

Honestly, I'm not expecting much from E3 as far as KH3 goes.

Tbh I hope we don't. I'm more interested in 2.5 and related info. After so many years I just won't care about KH3 to an actual release date appears. (probably sometime around my yet born grandchildren's birthday)

Any info on KH3 would make me worry that they are rushing it, I don't want rushing.

 

[Lnds500]

Tbh I hope we don't. I'm more interested in 2.5 and related info. After so many years I just won't care about KH3 to an actual release date appears. (probably sometime around my yet born grandchildren's birthday)

Any info on KH3 would make me worry that they are rushing it, I don't want rushing.

Actually some info is good (progression, ideas, renders), nothing is bad. Some means that the overall development is progressing nicely and they haven't hit a snag like they did with XV.

Plus, they have a TON of things to try, do, update and then communicate to us. In reality we've seen close to nothing about this game. All we have are vague scenario and gameplay ideas that could change at any minute.

 

[Taochan]

But the emphasis shouldn't be on KH 2.5, far from it - at least not if we are talking about big announcements and stage demos. Square will look even more ridiculous than they do now if they show a 7-year-old game after something like the Order. They should have been shown more before E3.

Remasters have no business at E3 at all for that matter.

What? Of course the emphasis should be on 2.5. KH has a much wider audience in North America than it does in Japan so it absolutely belongs at E3 regardless of if it's a new title or a remastered edition of older games. Even more than that, the game that is actually coming out next should have more emphasis than a game that was prematurely announced.

Agreed so hard. You are right! No need to waste time

How is it wasting time?

Actually some info is good (progression, ideas, renders), nothing is bad. Some means that the overall development is progressing nicely and they haven't hit a snag like they did with XV.

Plus, they have a TON of things to try, do, update and then communicate to us. In reality we've seen close to nothing about this game. All we have are vague scenario and gameplay ideas that could change at any minute.

We've seen close to nothing because there was close to nothing done for it when they showed it last year. Nomura himself said that it was announced too early because he and his main team would still be working on XV and wouldn't be joining the KH3 team until they were done. This leaves Osaka to start up, which means it's definitely in good hands, but Nomura still has to oversee the project and divide his time.

Don't expect KH3 to be far along enough for them to show you anything that you're hoping for. At best I would expect another snippet like we've seen thus far and nothing of the actual in game renders.

 

[Launchpad]

What? Of course the emphasis should be on 2.5. KH has a much wider audience in North America than it does in Japan so it absolutely belongs at E3 regardless of if it's a new title or a remastered edition of older games. Even more than that, the game that is actually coming out next should have more emphasis than a game that was prematurely announced.


How is it wasting time?

It's a huge waste of time because there's nothing to show. KH2 footage? BBS footage? Cutscenes from Coded? Nobody cares. E3 is an expo meant to show off something NEW. There's absolutely nothing new about 2.5.. It's just a waste of conference time. If they talk about it in interviews, sure, that's great, but not DURING the conference. Sony handled it perfectly at E3 2013, KHIII trailer with a little 1.5 info at the end. I THINK the same will happen this year, but with 2.5 at the end of a new trailer.. I could be horribly wrong, but I'm sure they wouldn't spend time talking about 2.5 or showing it off.

 

[Taochan]

It's a huge waste of time because there's nothing to show. KH2 footage? BBS footage? Cutscenes from Coded? Nobody cares. E3 is an expo meant to show off something NEW. There's absolutely nothing new about 2.5.. It's just a waste of conference time. If they talk about it in interviews, sure, that's great, but not DURING the conference. Sony handled it perfectly at E3 2013, KHIII trailer with a little 1.5 info at the end. I THINK the same will happen this year, but with 2.5 at the end of a new trailer.. I could be horribly wrong, but I'm sure they wouldn't spend time talking about 2.5 or showing it off.

It is going to be NEW to a lot of people though. Most people have literally no experience with BBS or Coded OR the Final Mix content in KH2, which is the most important FM content to any installment. You may not care but you're not going to be their target audience if they showcase 2.5, which with all of the screens finally surfacing online just weeks before E3 suggests that they absolutely will showcase it in some form.

Also, 1.5 was present all over the show floor at E3 2013 so there was far more exposure for it then you're thinking there was. No one is asking for a huge announcement for 2.5, a release date and English trailer would be optimal with a playable demo on the floor. But it's silly to pretend this isn't the perfect place for 2.5 considering the fanbase here.

 

[Lnds500]

What? Of course the emphasis should be on 2.5. KH has a much wider audience in North America than it does in Japan so it absolutely belongs at E3 regardless of if it's a new title or a remastered edition of older games. Even more than that, the game that is actually coming out next should have more emphasis than a game that was prematurely announced.

As I said, it would be ridiculous to show a game, not only 7 years only (and that's for final mix), but also 2 generations past. they'd be wise to show it at their own conference (didn't they do something similar last year?).

unless of course both collections come out on the ps4 (hopefully with 3D) and they tie it all in to 3 somehow. That would be acceptable.

Don't expect KH3 to be far along enough for them to show you anything that you're hoping for. At best I would expect another snippet like we've seen thus far and nothing of the actual in game renders.

I'm hoping for very basic stuff, nothing extreme. "A snippet like we've seen thus far" includes renders of some of the main cast, and that's what ai am expecting mostly.

It's a huge waste of time because there's nothing to show. KH2 footage? BBS footage? Cutscenes from Coded? Nobody cares. E3 is an expo meant to show off something NEW. There's absolutely nothing new about 2.5.. It's just a waste of conference time. If they talk about it in interviews, sure, that's great, but not DURING the conference. Sony handled it perfectly at E3 2013, KHIII trailer with a little 1.5 info at the end. I THINK the same will happen this year, but with 2.5 at the end of a new trailer.. I could be horribly wrong, but I'm sure they wouldn't spend time talking about 2.5 or showing it off.

+1

 

[Taochan]

As I said, it would be ridiculous to show a game, not only 7 years only (and that's for final mix), but also 2 generations past. they'd be wise to show it at their own conference (didn't they do something similar last year?).

1.5 had a fairly big presence last year so I would expect the same from 2.5. Once again I will say that it's not ridiculous considering the audience for KH here.

unless of course both collections come out on the ps4 (hopefully with 3D) and they tie it all in to 3 somehow. That would be acceptable.

That might happen after KH3 is out and they do a final "Xehanort" collection which would be a smart marketing strategy but I wouldn't expect anything until after then.

I'm hoping for very basic stuff, nothing extreme. "A snippet like we've seen thus far" includes renders of some of the main cast, and that's what ai am expecting mostly.

And I still think you're expecting too much. If we get anything like that, fantastic. But I doubt we'll see more than a demo trailer if we even get that. The game was announced too early.

+1

o k

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

It's been a year already? Man, time flies.
How did ya'll react when you first heard the announcement? I remember first seeing the trailer on Cheezburger. At first I was thinking "Yeah right, ha ha." Then I watched it. It took me about the very end when I realized it was real. Then HYPE!

 

[Lnds500]

1.5 had a fairly big presence last year so I would expect the same from 2.5. Once again I will say that it's not ridiculous considering the audience for KH here.

It should be at E3. It's imperative that it is. Just not on the actually conference, but at the show floor and whatever Square decides to do there

That might happen after KH3 is out and they do a final "Xehanort" collection which would be a smart marketing strategy but I wouldn't expect anything until after then.

Yes but that doesn't cover the "we need everyone to play the previous games before kh3" plan. A "complete collection" makes sense after kh3 yes, but what I'm saying is KH remixes + 3d for the ps4 are the best way to ensure that the saga is available to all.

And I still think you're expecting too much. If we get anything like that, fantastic. But I doubt we'll see more than a demo trailer if we even get that. The game was announced too early.

Well we got more than that last year and it was earlier in development.

 

[Gram]

Well we got more than that last year and it was earlier in development.

Yeah but that doesnt mean we will or should this year. Nomura pointed out last time it was very early in development and if I remember right he wasnt the one who decided or seemingly wanted to show it.
Taochan is right in that your expecting to much.