GameSpot: Nomura on expectations, Final Fantasy, what Kingdom Hearts means to him
- Details
- Published on June 21, 2018 @ 05:10 pm
- Written by Arielle
The flood of interviews does not end even though E3 2018 ended last week. GameSpot has released a brand new interview with Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura, giving us an insight into the expectations surrounding Kingdom Hearts 3, his feelings as the lead of a development team, Final Fantasy in Kingdom Hearts 3, and more!
In the past fan expectations didn't affect Nomura at all because he always felt confident that he was creating a game that would be fun for fans. With Kingdom Hearts 3, the excitement from fans has been overwhelming so Nomura began to feel some pressure, but has been able to push through it because he realized that Kingdom Hearts 3 will be a great game for fans.
Nomura also mentions how these expectations have affected te development staff working on the game:
"I also have experience working on Final Fantasy titles as well, but Kingdom Hearts is a very unique one where a lot of people that are on the title really love Kingdom Hearts 3. They're overflowing with love. They're just like our fans as well. So because their love towards the title is so high, they've been creating the game with that much love and so I think that we are able to push out a game that meets expectations or even more than what you might expect."
As a developer and as a person, Nomura has seen a lot of personal growth over the years. Where he once was aggressive and trying to pull everybody around him forward, he now feels that he is the sage of the group while everybody around him is more energetic and aggressive.
"The Kingdom Hearts series has become a huge title nowadays and back then it was more like I was making it secretively in the corner, but now that a lot more people are involved I do feel that it's not my title anymore, it's everyone's title. And just talking about all this … It actually kind of makes me really sad."
Nomura feels that these changes as he's gotten older have helped him to become more mature, making him able to decide on things and realize his limits. At the same time, he does not feel like he is teaching the staff what the best way to make a game is, or dictating to them what should be done. Instead, he feels that the people around him believe he expects a lot out of them, so they automatically push themselves to go above and beyond what is necessary to create high-quality work.
"The staff that I have, they actually have this image of me that, "Oh, Nomura-san won't approve if it's like this. It needs to be better." They just have high expectations for themselves or they think that I have really high expectations for them. So when I actually go ask to see something early in development, they say, "Oh, I can't show it to you yet. It's not finished at all." So what they usually tend to do is that they would take whatever order I give them and just create something that's of a higher quality than what I've asked them to do. So if you look at the trailer, I think it's pretty apparent, but they have been pushing out things that are really high quality. I'm very grateful for that."
When it comes to Final Fantasy characters, Nomura has said it in previous interviews over the years that he feels that the main characters of the series have a lot of issues that need resolving, and it doesn't leave much room for Final Fantasy characters to appear. Despite that, Nomura has seen a lot of demand for Final Fantasy characters to appear in Kingdom Hearts 3:
"Actually, in interviews throughout E3, I think every single interviewee has asked me about Final Fantasy characters and so I realize that that probably means that everyone's actually looking forward to them. There weren't that many titles out in the world that had all these Final Fantasy [characters] comes together in one [place], but nowadays there's just so many games out there that incorporates all these different Final Fantasy characters together, so I actually felt that it might not even be necessary to have another one of those in my game. But now that I've been talking with everyone, I've realized that maybe it is necessary, so I'm a little surprised by that."
All of these things leads people to wonder just what Kingdom Hearts represents to Nomura:
"It's probably the title that represents who I am. When I was a starting as a developer, like I wasn't an industry veteran yet, when I was creating Final Fantasy titles with Mr. Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy, and at that time, he said that Final Fantasy is a game that has everything in it. I don't think that there are that many people left in Square Enix that have actually worked with him on Final Fantasy. Of course, Final Fantasy is still continuing on--they still are committing to push out titles. But when I started creating Kingdom Hearts, that was when I kind of had this time away from Final Fantasy. And of course, I am working on a Final Fantasy title right now, but it was at a time when I was not working on a Final Fantasy title, and I really wanted to realize what Sakaguchi-san said about Final Fantasy, that it is a game that incorporates everything, to Kingdom Hearts. So I brought that idea to Kingdom Hearts. Currently looking at the newer Final Fantasy titles, to be honest, I don't think it really incorporates that idea of having everything. So I think that Kingdom Hearts, to me, is a game that has everything in it."
Read the full interview on GameSpot.
Thanks to forum user Silver_Soul for the tip!
COMMENTS
Lol not sure if shade or bias cause KH is hid baby. I agree with him though.
Nomura is a salty human being, so I think it is mad shade on FFXV lol
If there is a chance for him to throw it under a bus, he will 8D
Nomura is a salty human being, so I think it is mad shade on FFXV lol
If there is a chance for him to throw it under a bus, he will 8D
Lol you go Nomura-San
I'm also legitely happy that a lot of the people working on this series are fans and love the game! We're all in this together <3
Just keep on throwin that shade Nomura. Seems we should be getting quite the game cause of it.
Lol you go Nomura-San
I'm also legitely happy that a lot of the people working on this series are fans and love the game! We're all in this together <3
It really is touching to see that they love this game so much. It shows in just how amazing KH3 looks.
Just keep on throwin that shade Nomura. Seems we should be getting quite the game cause of it.
Nomura is taking ass and kicking names with KH3 <3
I'm afraid this could be Nomura throwing shade towards FFXV. FF15 has a lot in it, so I disagree with him on that. That the game is an incomplete mess in terms of story, sure, but it has a lot of stuff in it.
Responding to this quote here since this is the main topic now.
I don't agree. There is stuff to do in FFXV, but I don't think it is near the same level of stuff we were able to do in previous FF games. FFVII itself is just crammed full of little things to do and discover. And a lot of what we are able to really do now in XV is only after a million patches, DLC episodes, and content updates. The game didn't start off that way.
I admit that I am one of the fans that want more FF characters in the game. After all, looking at the number of characters, there's what, a dozen cameos, maybe as many as 20? Excluding the originals from khverse.
Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Cid, Squall(Leon), Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, Seifer, Fuu, Rai, Vivi, Setzer... am I missing any? Compared to the hundreds of Disney characters.
Well and moogles I guess.
I admit that I am one of the fans that want more FF characters in the game. After all, looking at the number of characters, there's what, a dozen cameos, maybe as many as 20? Excluding the originals from khverse.
Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Cid, Squall(Leon), Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, Seifer, Fuu, Rai, Vivi, Setzer... am I missing any? Compared to the hundreds of Disney characters.
Well and moogles I guess.
Only missing best boy of FF: Zack Fair. I would give anything for Sora to meet him.
Final Fantasy was a damaged brand starting with XIII. It's yet to reach the peak that the PS1 Final Fantasy games provided. I can survive without them for Kingdom Hearts III.
Final Fantasy was a damaged brand starting with XIII. It's yet to reach the peak that the PS1 Final Fantasy games provided. I can survive without them for Kingdom Hearts III.
But...the Radiant Garden gang...Zack's storyline...
But...the Radiant Garden gang...Zack's storyline...
If Nomura wants to do something Final Fantasy that hasn’t been in other crossovers, he should give us Sora, Cloud, and Zack taking on Sephiroth and Genesis. Or just Zack and Genesis. Or just Genesis. Just gimme Genesis as a superboss, Nomura.
Beautiful interview by Nomura. You can tell how much he truly loves this franchise, it's very heartwarming and I love his final words cause it showcases why many of us love the series as well.
Also he once again confirms FF characters will be in the game and i think the reason they have not bbeen revealed yet is cause Radiant Garden has not bbeen shown yet aside from Ienzo's appearance nor has any original worlds which is traditionally aside from Olympus where those characters are at.
I have a feeling absed on what Nomura said we will see FF characters old and new in the next trailer at TGS.
Final Fantasy was a damaged brand starting with XIII. It's yet to reach the peak that the PS1 Final Fantasy games provided. I can survive without them for Kingdom Hearts III.
Nomura literally said they will be in KH3 but he can't reveal any details. The same thing the two people working for SE said at E3. FF characters will be in the game.
I just don't expect Noctis and crew anymore.
I admit that I am one of the fans that want more FF characters in the game. After all, looking at the number of characters, there's what, a dozen cameos, maybe as many as 20? Excluding the originals from khverse.
Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Cid, Squall(Leon), Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, Seifer, Fuu, Rai, Vivi, Setzer... am I missing any? Compared to the hundreds of Disney characters.
Well and moogles I guess.
Oh yeah Zack. Still that puts it at a mere 17 if moogle are included.
There's so many more ff characters that could be included. And I disagree about FF being 'damaged', the games are still enjoyable. And there was plenty to do in 15 even with just the base game. That world is HUGE. I can't count how many little sidequests I've stumbled upon just walking/driving/flying(re: crashing >_>) around. Heck, I recently found a treasure map and discovered that was a whole new sidequest, no dlc required.
But getting derailed a bit, this is still a fusion of Disney and Final Fantasy. If there's so few FF elements, it makes it one-sided. It was a relief in both numbered titles when we got past the Disney story rehashes and got into the original story.
The main reason I want more FF characters is mainly because aside from the kiddified versions in the starting areas, the FF characters belong in the original plot. Disney, they're kept to their worlds and that's it aside from the Disney Castle folks, a few exceptions like Jiminy, and the PoHs.
Oh yeah Zack. Still that puts it at a mere 17 if moogle are included.
There's so many more ff characters that could be included. And I disagree about FF being 'damaged', the games are still enjoyable. And there was plenty to do in 15 even with just the base game. That world is HUGE. I can't count how many little sidequests I've stumbled upon just walking/driving/flying(re: crashing >_>) around. Heck, I recently found a treasure map and discovered that was a whole new sidequest, no dlc required.
But getting derailed a bit, this is still a fusion of Disney and Final Fantasy. If there's so few FF elements, it makes it one-sided. It was a relief in both numbered titles when we got past the Disney story rehashes and got into the original story.
The main reason I want more FF characters is mainly because aside from the kiddified versions in the starting areas, the FF characters belong in the original plot. Disney, they're kept to their world's and that's it aside from the PoHs.
Based on what they said at E3 there will be Final Fantasy characters in KH3. Nomura is just not revealing them yet probably cause he hasn't shown anything of any of the original worlds which aside from Olympus is where the majority of the FF characters are located.
I've been playing FFXV Royal Edition, and it most certainly does not do everything. Confusing story beats and frustratingly weightless combat, yes, it does. Not a lot else.
Meanwhile, KH3 is looking to be a game for the fans. It has been a very long time since SE put a vigorous effort into the mechanics of a Kingdom Hearts game... KH3 looks like it's following up on game qualities set up very long ago, such as KH1's scale and world integration, and KH2's combat depth and polish; not to mention an onslaught of edgy wacky villains to fight.
It really does feel like everything has finally come together correctly, and if we needed to wait 13+ years for a quality sequel, then I guess that's fine with me.
Sorry for the rant, recent showings of this game have gotten me actually excited in what the game is.
This was very heartwarming. It felt very personal and you always think about how we've aged up with the series and how long it has been but he and the rest of the team have grown with it in their own ways. I appreciate his interpretation of the series of it being a game that he feels has everything, just as Sakaguchi felt that the Final Fantasies he made had everything. I'm glad he's confident that this game is a game we as fans will love just as their team loves. This is a wholesome ass interview xD
I don't fault him for not thinking about including many FF characters or those character mashes like in KH1. Like he said, back in the day that might have been new and different but nowadays you've got FF characters interacting with other universes both FF and otherwise all over the place. It might have been a major draw back in the day but KH can stand on its own two feet without that selling point, and in my personal opinion just having the KH original characters interacting with Disney characters gets a rush outta me.
Sidenote: That shaaade though. I mean he ain't wrong, Final Fantasy as of late has been experimenting and developing new ideas and that means leaving some of the older attributes and charm behind in favor of new territory. FFXV had loads of new stuff to the series while missing some of the magic FF is usually known for (in favor of its own brand of magic of course).
Oh yeah Zack. Still that puts it at a mere 17 if moogle are included.
There's so many more ff characters that could be included. And I disagree about FF being 'damaged', the games are still enjoyable. And there was plenty to do in 15 even with just the base game. That world is HUGE. I can't count how many little sidequests I've stumbled upon just walking/driving/flying(re: crashing >_>) around. Heck, I recently found a treasure map and discovered that was a whole new sidequest, no dlc required.
But getting derailed a bit, this is still a fusion of Disney and Final Fantasy. If there's so few FF elements, it makes it one-sided. It was a relief in both numbered titles when we got past the Disney story rehashes and got into the original story.
The main reason I want more FF characters is mainly because aside from the kiddified versions in the starting areas, the FF characters belong in the original plot. Disney, they're kept to their worlds and that's it aside from the Disney Castle folks, a few exceptions like Jiminy, and the PoHs.
I mean, there is a lot of content in FFXV but it doesn't mean it isn't damaged. The plot is probably the biggest hit, as it makes little sense in the way its presented and is barely a skeleton of an actual interesting plot to boot. FFXIII basically had the opposite issue, where the gameplay sucked but the story was large and expansive and actually explained lol. The reality is they didn't really need to make those sacrifices though. Like, even if it would take an extra year or more of development...the games would have come out even better for it.
I liked both of them btw. But yeah I feel like stuff like this is why I like KH more.
Best girl Rinoa is a must.
If Nomura wants to do something Final Fantasy that hasn’t been in other crossovers, he should give us Sora, Cloud, and Zack taking on Sephiroth and Genesis. Or just Zack and Genesis. Or just Genesis. Just gimme Genesis as a superboss, Nomura.
Seconded. I'd love some Gackt in my Kingdom Hearts III.
Nomura on current Final Fantasy games:
Dude needs to finish making one Final Fantasy game before he shades other FF games
But now that I've been talking with everyone, I've realized that maybe it is necessary, so I'm a little surprised by that." |
Nomura, you literally said years ago that FF characters would make a comeback in this game, what the heck are you even saying now!?
But...the Radiant Garden gang...Zack's storyline...
D:
I refuse to be denied closure to the shenanigans of the RGRC
Nomura, you literally said years ago that FF characters would make a comeback in this game, what the heck are you even saying now!?
He probably forgot lol
Honestly, I really don't care about the final fantasy characters appearing or not, I feel like I'm one of the only people that doesn't care about them though. All I really care about is the game having a Sephiroth secret boss again.
I really don't want to have to wait another 7 months to play the game but oh well, he better keep pumping out information, they did say that it would be "overwhelming" and that it would be "hard to keep up", so I'm still waiting to be overwhelmed! :tongue:
He probably forgot lol
They said at E3 that FF characters would be in the game. He's probably playing dumb because the FF characters are in a world that has not been revealed. Confirmed through Ienzo but that's another story.
He probably forgot lol
I'm glad people reminded him....
They said at E3 that FF characters would be in the game. He's probably playing dumb because the FF characters are in a world that has not been revealed. Confirmed through Ienzo but that's another story.
I know that. I was at E3 and was around when the news dropped, thanks.
We are joking about how Nomura is being so silly.
I'm glad people reminded him....
I feel a multitude of ways about all the XV stuff. I liked XV unlike a lot of people. At the same time, I would've liked to have got the trilogy that Nomura originally planned for it and if anyone has the right to throw shade at XV, it's Nomura. On the other hand, I can't help being glad Nomura was removed from XV because the huge amount of time between KH2 and KH3 was uncalled for, imo. KH3 probably would've pushed off for 2 or 3 more years.
I wouldn't be upset if FF characters get the shaft in KH3 (aside from the ones already in KH, like Seifer in TT, Squall and co. in RG, etc.), just for the fact that there is so much that needs to happen in KH3. But the FF characters do need to make a comeback in KH. The original premise was a combo of Disney and FF. Unfortunately the series has lost most of its identity over the years, with both the Disney worlds/characters becoming window dressing and the FF roles being reduced to almost nothing.
I just want Zack to come back in Olympus.
| Nomura has said it in previous interviews over the years that he feels that the main characters of the series have a lot of issues that need resolving, and it doesn't leave much room for Final Fantasy characters to appear. Despite that, Nomura has seen a lot of demand for Final Fantasy characters to appear in Kingdom Hearts 3. |
The Final Fantasy cameos were part of the magic. As a fan of both series, it was a unique opportunity for their inclusion. He is right to say many games nowadays cater to this service, but not many made it as special as Kingdom Hearts.
I think we're all surprised that your surprised.
*interest piques*
This was very heartwarming. It felt very personal...
Yeah, this was a more personal interview with Nomura that I've seen in awhile..
He probably forgot lol
I liked XV unlike a lot of people.
Same. I mean sure, it went through development hell however, I found it to be a solid ARPG that was very refreshing from the years of turn based RPGs. The open world, the next gen graphics, and the friendship between the chocobros just made it a experience that I ended up really enjoying.
Honest question... Why do you lot care so much about Final Fantasy characters in a Kingdom Hearts game? Seriously, I need to know... Am I missing something? These characters are not vital in the story and most people new to the game would not know who they are, why is their inclusion important? I'm not saying this to be quarrelsome, I just don't get it... At all. I need someone to explain it to me.
Honest question... Why do you lot care so much about Final Fantasy characters in a Kingdom Hearts game? Seriously, I need to know... Am I missing something? These characters are not vital in the story and most people new to the game would not know who they are, why is their inclusion important? I'm not saying this to be quarrelsome, I just don't get it... At all. I need someone to explain it to me.
Kingdom Hearts began as a crossover between Disney and Final Fantasy. While it has outgrown that definition, it is still a part of the game’s history that some people love it for. To me, those characters allowed more maturity into the series, keeping it from being seen as something more like Disney Infinity. Plus, it was just fun to see how the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy collided.
Robot; Okay. Partly it relates to the history; also in KH1, they actually played a part in the story. (Leon whupping your butt, Cloud in Olympus) Their importance has gone down, but people want to see that the FF part of KH is remembered, mainly b/c there was no real FF in DDD.
As for history; when KH was first came up with, Square and Disney.Japan were in the same office building, hence why the crossover started, so it's always had FF charas as well as Disney. People haven't seen one FF chara yet, so they have been asking about it, since KH has always been Disney + FF from its birth. Also, almost all the FF charas in KH are Nomura designs; Nomura likes to use his own charas. Tho I have been seriously doubting any XV charas are going to show up in KH3; maybe later once Nomura cools off from being ripped off XV.
Honest question... Why do you lot care so much about Final Fantasy characters in a Kingdom Hearts game? Seriously, I need to know... Am I missing something? These characters are not vital in the story and most people new to the game would not know who they are, why is their inclusion important? I'm not saying this to be quarrelsome, I just don't get it... At all. I need someone to explain it to me.
The Traverse Town gang were Sora, Donald, and Goofy's major group of off-world friends and allies throughout the first two games, with Leon in particular having effectively served as the primary leader and mentor to the anti-Heartless faction. They're who Sora goes to when he's stuck and needs help. Given that history, it would look odd to have Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid never show up again.
Kingdom Hearts began as a crossover between Disney and Final Fantasy. While it has outgrown that definition, it is still a part of the game’s history that some people love it for. To me, those characters allowed more maturity into the series, keeping it from being seen as something more like Disney Infinity. Plus, it was just fun to see how the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy collided.
I get that but that was KH1... There hasn't been a connection since then, we had a light connection in KH2 but that was mostly for the secret boss (Sephiroth) or minor characters that didn't add anything to the story, their inclusion now would not add anything. Also the game really mainly started out as a combination of Disney characters and original characters, not Final Fantasy characters, they were ALWAYS, minor.
Robot; Okay. Partly it relates to the history; also in KH1, they actually played a part in the story. (Leon whupping your butt, Cloud in Olympus) Their importance has gone down, but people want to see that the FF part of KH is remembered, mainly b/c there was no real FF in DDD.
As for history; when KH was first came up with, Square and Disney.Japan were in the same office building, hence why the crossover started, so it's always had FF charas as well as Disney. People haven't seen one FF chara yet, so they have been asking about it, since KH has always been Disney + FF from its birth. Also, almost all the FF charas in KH are Nomura designs; Nomura likes to use his own charas. Tho I have been seriously doubting any XV charas are going to show up in KH3; maybe later once Nomura cools off from being ripped off XV.
I understand people wanting to see their beloved Final Fantasy characters appear but honestly, it doesn't mean anything if they don't. They will probably be NPC in Radiant Garden but their inclusion is overall pointless in the overarching story of KH3. They mean nothing to the plot.
The Traverse Town gang were Sora, Donald, and Goofy's major group of off-world friends and allies throughout the first two games, with Leon in particular having effectively served as the primary leader and mentor to the anti-Heartless faction. They're who Sora goes to when he's stuck and needs help. Given that history, it would look odd to have Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid never show up again.
That's ridiculously old news though, they reappeared in KH2 when you were defending Radiant Garden and they helped you along your battle to that epic 1000 heartless part of the game. They were also included in the Cup battles in the Hercules world. They don't actually add anything to the story.
I see why people would want them to be minor characters but the way people are talking about their inclusion is totally nauseating to me. Maybe I just don't get it lol.
The Traverse Town gang were Sora, Donald, and Goofy's major group of off-world friends and allies throughout the first two games, with Leon in particular having effectively served as the primary leader and mentor to the anti-Heartless faction. They're who Sora goes to when he's stuck and needs help. Given that history, it would look odd to have Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid never show up again.
I mean I definitely want the Radiant Garden gang to appear again, but not having played a lot of FF games, I also wouldn't be exactly mad if there weren't lots of new characters ^^" As long as they don't take the focus away from the dozens of original characters that need resolution, I'm pretty fine I guess.
I don't understand where people take his statement to mean no FF characters in KH3? Nowhere in there did he say that, he literally said there's more to be revealed at a later date while talking about FF in KH3.
Wait till TGS in September. He never said no FF, in fact SE execs said FF characters old and new will be in KH3 at E3.
Why is everyone ignoring that the world the FF characters are in has not been officially revealed for KH3?
I do wonder though if his statement at the end about being shocked by the demand of FF will make him add a couple of FF surprises in the game now? Like how Yuripa were added in post production for KH2 or something.
They still have 6 months, they could add some more FF characters which could happen based on Nomura's statement. We shall see but I expect news of FF in KH3 to be revealed at TGS.
I see why people would want them to be minor characters but the way people are talking about their inclusion is totally nauseating to me. Maybe I just don't get it lol.
Try being less nauseated then. It's not a big dEel.
I get that but that was KH1... There hasn't been a connection since then, we had a light connection in KH2 but that was mostly for the secret boss (Sephiroth) or minor characters that didn't add anything to the story, their inclusion now would not add anything.
Honest question... Why do you lot care so much about Final Fantasy characters in a Kingdom Hearts game? Seriously, I need to know... Am I missing something? These characters are not vital in the story and most people new to the game would not know who they are, why is their inclusion important? I'm not saying this to be quarrelsome, I just don't get it... At all. I need someone to explain it to me.
I never watched any of the Disney movies featured in Kingdom Hearts besides The Nightmare before Christmas and Pirates. As more of a gamer than a Disney fan growing up I didn't care at all about the worlds but really got into the Final Fantasy series because of their inclusion. I'd rather they take all the Disney out before they take all the Final Fantasy out. The best thing about these games are that they are the best of both worlds. There's Square reps, Disney reps and the OCs - who I'd say are right in the middle.
It would be a kii if we end up seeing Notics with his FF Versus XIII design lol
Hey staff, here’s another interview with The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/features/kingdom-hearts-3-tetsuya-nomura-working-disney-catering-fans/
It seems Nomura won’t be holding back on the story to cater to new fans and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit seems to be in a situation like Star Wars and Marvel.
Hey staff, here’s another interview with The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/features/kingdom-hearts-3-tetsuya-nomura-working-disney-catering-fans/
It seems Nomura won’t be holding back on the story to cater to new fans and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit seems to be in a situation like Star Wars and Marvel.
Thanks, I’ll get an article up ASAP
*stares at all of these interviews and weeps*
I could understand not wanting Star Wars or Marvel but why Oswald? There was a lot of potential to involve him in the KH series.
Though I can't read the full interview so hopefully he provides some context in the KH insider article
But...the Radiant Garden gang...Zack's storyline...
Lol, Zack was only decided because it was either him or Laguna. One was going to be in Dissidia 012 and the other for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. And Zack was just confined to Olympus as the Final Fantasy cameo of that world.
The Radiant Garden gang became irrelevant after 2. The best we got was Goofy referencing Leon in Re:Coded HD. Final Fantasy may still be Square's flagship franchise but it just doesn't have the quality factor it once used to have. The franchise's transition to HD did the games dirty.
I could understand not wanting Star Wars or Marvel but why Oswald? There was a lot of potential to involve him in the KH series.
Though I can't read the full interview so hopefully he provides some context in the KH insider article
I can't read the full interview either, but I'm guessing it's because Oswald is a legacy character and Disney themselves have yet to decide on how to use him again. The last major media featuring him was Epic Mickey 2 and that was a commercial flop.
Sad how Oswald faded away after Epic Mickey 1 & 2 weren't big enough successes.
Lol, Zack was only decided because it was either him or Laguna. One was going to be in Dissidia 012 and the other for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. And Zack was just confined to Olympus as the Final Fantasy cameo of that world.
The Radiant Garden gang became irrelevant after 2. The best we got was Goofy referencing Leon in Re:Coded HD. Final Fantasy may still be Square's flagship franchise but it just doesn't have the quality factor it once used to have. The franchise's transition to HD did the games dirty.
I can't read the full interview either, but I'm guessing it's because Oswald is a legacy character and Disney themselves have yet to decide on how to use him again. The last major media featuring him was Epic Mickey 2 and that was a commercial flop.
Which is a shame if that's true. KH3 could have pushed him back into the spotlight.
Which is a shame if that's true. KH3 could have pushed him back into the spotlight.
I think the bigger problem with adding Oswald is that Disney never created a modern Oswald look, he's always been retro. And I really don't think that Disney would have been generous to have a modern Oswald debut in Kingdom Hearts out of all media. There's just so many complications with narrative and legality that I can see the issues with trying to add him. What's he supposed to do? how big is his relevance? etc.
Oswald could easily be incorporated into KH in my opinion. He could either be picked up by the villains or be rouge and you stumble across him on the journey. That or Wasteland being a world I would love for that to happen. I can dream.
It can be debated whether they want to keep the character Epic Mickey established by having Oswald bitter towards Mickey for some odd reason.
I could understand not wanting Star Wars or Marvel but why Oswald? There was a lot of potential to involve him in the KH series.
Though I can't read the full interview so hopefully he provides some context in the KH insider article
Nomura inquired about Oswald and Disney told him it would be difficult to do with no other reasons given. It does seem weird given his appearance in Epic Mickey. But there could still be restrictions on what they can do with the character after getting him back from Universal.
Lol, Zack was only decided because it was either him or Laguna. One was going to be in Dissidia 012 and the other for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. And Zack was just confined to Olympus as the Final Fantasy cameo of that world.
The Radiant Garden gang became irrelevant after 2. The best we got was Goofy referencing Leon in Re:Coded HD. Final Fantasy may still be Square's flagship franchise but it just doesn't have the quality factor it once used to have. The franchise's transition to HD did the games dirty.
I can't read the full interview either, but I'm guessing it's because Oswald is a legacy character and Disney themselves have yet to decide on how to use him again. The last major media featuring him was Epic Mickey 2 and that was a commercial flop.
Cid was also a character in Re:Coded. The Radiant Garden gang haven’t been a main feature since KH2 because Sora and friends haven’t gone to a Radiant Garden since that game. In BBS, they weren’t shown due to hardware limitations and a desire to focus on the past lives of the Apprentices. KH3 will not have those hardware limitations and it is the perfect time for Sora to reunite with his old friends who helped him start his journey to defeating Xehanort.
As above, Zack was the only FF character because of hardware limitations and they wanted him to stand out in that game. He and Cloud both have cliffhangers in their stories that should be resolved. With the scale the worlds of KH3 have, there isn’t much of a reason to not feature at least the established characters in some capacity. Ienzo, Aeleus, Even, and Dilan aren’t going to populate Radiant Garden by themselves.
I would love to see Oswald Rabbit show up as a Darkness.
Xehanort: "Look now, Mickey. We got our own keyblade wielding rodent to do our dirty work."
Oswald: "Yeah, sucks to be you mouse. Next time you should pick your friends wisely!"
Okay, back onto the Final Fantasy note since that's still relevant to this thread... I do think that the current plot threads with the Radiant Garden crew need to be wrapped up in KH3 or its DLC. Rinoa was teased in KHII's credits as making an appearance in the future; we still need closure on the Cloud and Sephiroth conflict and what exactly Tifa is; and of course there's Zack who, while was present in Olympus Coliseum, was not from that world.
The weird thing with Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts is that he was both his own person and now the representation of Cloud's inner darkness. One can assume that he survived losing his physical body by linking himself to Cloud somehow, but then we have Tifa. Seeing as Aerith is very much not dead, though... Yeah. One last hurrah for that plot point until the next trilogy.
Anyway, I'm not expecting that many "new" Final Fantasy characters to show up in Kingdom Hearts III outside of the pool Nomura's drawn from that includes characters he originally designed; although I'm not 100% sure if even Lightning and crew will show up. However, Dissidia has gotten him out of that comfort zone he had for cameos in the past, so my hope is that we'll see a much wider variety of them after the Xehanort Saga: my own best girl Terra Branford of FFVI being among them.
Oracle Spockanort
June 21, 2018 @ 05:15 pmOffline