Now, for not so good news, but it may work out?:
Kingdom Hearts 3 Being Developed By Square Enix’s Osaka Studio
by IshaanJune 11, 2013
Kingdom Hearts 3 isn’t being worked on by the original Kingdom Hearts team. Series creator Tetsuya Nomura himself is busy on Final Fantasy XV.
Instead, Kingdom Hearts 3 is being developed by Square Enix’s Osaka studio, the publisher revealed this morning at a Q&A. The Osaka studio worked on Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 3D, and are also working on Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix.
Square Enix also confirmed that, like Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts 3 makes use of Direct X 11.
Kingdom Hearts III
|
Kingdom Hearts III
Kingdom Hearts III is Coming to PS4 and Xbox One, Story Details Revealed
by Jason DunningJune 11, 2013 After knocking our socks off at the Sony Press Conference yesterday, Square Enix is now ready to offer up some details about their upcoming line-up of next-gen titles, starting with Kingdom Hearts III. First off, it won’t be a PS4 exclusive title, as it will also be available on the Xbox One. While no release window was given, Square Enix did give us an overview of what we can expect from the story, which features “a mature Sora…who sets forth on an adventure with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy through new and legendary Disney worlds:”
Sadly, no mention was made of Final Fantasy worlds or characters being included within Kingdom Hearts III, so we’ll have to wait and see if they’re completely missing from the game. If you want to play some Kingdom Hearts this year, the 1.5 Remix is out this September, which will help drive sales for a franchise that has already shipped 19 million units worldwide. I personally think this is bad news:
Online Multiplayer “Under Consideration” for Kingdom Hearts III by Chad AwkermanJun 11th 2013 During a Square-Enix Presents E3 Live segment, Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura was asked about the possibility of multiplayer being added to the latest iteration of the title, Kingdom Hearts III. Through a translator, he said:
This one isn't so much news as much as it's pulling at strings that may or may not be there:
Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III PC Version Hinted by Tetsuya Nomura by Giuseppe NelvaJun 11th 2013 Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III Director Tetsuya Nomura just dropped a bomb at the end of his interview on the Square Enix Presents E3 livestream. When asked by the interviewer for a confirmation on the release of the two games on PS4 and Xbox One, he was quick to point out:
That’s a pretty obvious hint to the possibility of a PC release for the two upcoming Square Enix flagship titles, especially considering that PC is the only remaining platform capable of supporting DirectX 11. It’s also interesting that Nomura-san wasn’t directly asked about other platforms by the interviewer, but touched the topic on its own initiative. PC gamers might not be getting Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, but there might be better things coming their way sometimes in the future. Kingdom Hearts 3 Announced with More Details Released Today
by Chris PenwellJune 11th, 2013 REJOICE KINGDOM HEARTS FANS! Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally coming and is currently in development! Kingdom Hearts 3 will be available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Wii U is currently not planned at this moment. Even though that information may be enough for some, Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura have been able to provide us with more details including the battle system, story and which developer is working on the game. According to Square Enix’s press release, “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.” In addition to that, “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.” The plot of Kingdom Hearts III revolves around Master Xehenort trying to keep balance between light and darkness by sparking a war against the “tyranny of light.” Throughout the game, Sora, Donald and Goofy look for the remaining seven guardians of light and the “Key to Return Hearts.” Meanwhile, King Mickey and Riku will search for previous Keyblade wielders. During the Future of Final Fantasy conference at E3, it was also announced that the Osaka studio who created Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance is working on the project (as I previous predicted) while the initial Kingdom Hearts team is working on Final Fantasy XV. This may cause some fans to worry but Dream Drop Distance, in my opinion, is one of the best in the series and helped evolve the series’ battle system with the new Flowmotion mechanic. Flowmotion allowed Sora to bounce off walls and jump off enemies which leads to believe the Osaka team have the next generation creativity that the franchise needs to move forward. Unlike the previous portable iterations of the game, Kingdom Hearts III will return to a party based format and what seems like the drive system if the initial gameplay teaser is to be believed. Nomura during an interview on the Square’s Event YouTube channel, however, has stated that he believes the gameplay system is sticking to what the core games are known for but may add some inclusions from the experimental gameplay mechanics within the portable titles as well. This is an Opinion post, not news:
Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV Should Have Remained Exclusive by TreezyJune 12, 2013 With the recent news that both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV will be arriving on the Xbox One, it has me wondering exactly what happened between Sony and Square Enix? First let me start off by going into both games and explaining a little bit about them. I would like to clarify that this piece is not saying that the game would better perform on one console in any way, but these titles would have highly benefited the PlayStation 4 if they were to remain exclusive. Let's start with Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II were groundbreaking titles that rocked the PlayStation 2 over a decade ago. Multiple handheld titles have graced both Nintendo and Sony's handhelds, but the console games have always been Sony exclusive until now. The news that Kingdom Hearts III will also be hitting the Xbox One is slightly confusing to me. Why on earth would Square Enix want to carry the main franchise of Kingdom Hearts over to a company with absolutely no Kingdom Hearts' history? Another confusing aspect is that there are currently no plans for a Wii U version of Kingdom Hearts III, which is odd considering the history Nintendo has with the Kingdom Hearts brand. You would think that if the series were going multiplatform it would at least show support to a company that has history with it. "In the end it's all about the money". While this may be true and the most likely case, it still doesn't make sense. Square Enix currently has the opportunity to spread the Kingdom Hearts series to even more gamers, but have chosen to release their upcoming Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix exclusively on the PlayStation 3. It's weird that Square Enix would choose to release an HD collection on one console and release Kingdom Hearts III on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I'm not saying that this is wrong, I'm happy more gamers will be able to play what is sure to be a great game, I just do not understand the logic behind SE's decision other than money, money, money. Let's talk about Final Fantasy XV (previously known as Final Fantasy Versus XIII). Production for Final Fantasy XV began in early 2006 and for seven long years it has been under wraps and marketed as a "PlayStation 3 Exclusive". Several years ago remarks were made that hinted at an Xbox 360 release, which caused major backlash with fans. Fans were then "re-assured" that Final Fantasy XV would be releasing exclusively for the PlayStation 3 only and that there were no plans for a 360 release. Now that the game has been re-branded it's alright for Square-Enix to announce that it's going multiplatform on next gen systems? When I really think about it, this is probably the reason why we have heard so little about Final Fantasy XV in the last few years. If that happens to be the case, then SE should have saved everyone the trouble of worrying about the game's development. SE should have confirmed that they had intentions of going multiplatform when it was first slightly mentioned years ago. If SE would have acknowledged that, we would more than likely have gotten more updates on the game's development, and would have been spared from numerous rumors saying that the game was doomed and likely to be canceled. The big question popping through my mind is how did Sony not retain exclusivity for this title? Every hardcore gamer knows the hype surrounding this game and it has been building for years. You would think Sony would have approached Square-Enix and try to negotiate a deal to keep Final Fantasy XV exclusive to their console, especially a next gen console. It leads to my same conclusion with Kingdom Hearts III, except I sort of expected Final Fantasy XV to go multiplatform, I just wish SE would have confirmed it ages ago. Regardless of why Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy Versus… crap… XV (I have to get used to saying that now) are going multiplatform, they would have been killer titles for the PlayStation 4 if they would have remained exclusive. Sony would have had two more games to add to their line up of awesome exclusives and would have shown that they were clearly ready to dominate the next generation of console gaming. Sony's E3 press conference clearly displayed success when both these games were unveiled, it appeared that Sony would dominate the next gen without competition. Obviously two games can not dictate the entire success of a console, but a popular series can. How many times have you heard someone say they purchased a console because they just had to play an exclusive game? It happens all the time and with these two games in particular it would have benefited Sony a lot if these titles were to remain exclusive to the PlayStation 4. Sony still has a load of great exclusives and will likely impress us with future exclusives. Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV will more than likely be heavily promoted for the PlayStation 4, sort of like Call of Duty is promoted to look like it's for the Xbox only. In the end gamers who enjoy all aspects of gaming will get two games from Tetsuya Nomur that will more than likely be great. Kingdom Hearts’ Creator Speaks on Disney’s Recent Acquisitions
“Woah…they’ve done it again” by Marty SlivaJune 12, 2013 There’ve been a handful of mornings over the past few years where Tetsuya Nomura, creator of the Kingdom Hearts series and director of Final Fantasy XV, woke up to some pretty interesting news. It turns out, these were the mornings where he awoke to hear word that Disney had purchased another in a litany of interesting companies. From Pixar and Marvel Entertainment to Lucasfilm, Disney has been quickly evolving into an entertainment Goliath. With news that Disney now owns the rights do these various companies and their respective properties, of course Nomura would get interested and begin imagining the possibilities for those new characters and worlds inside of the Kingdom Hearts universe. In an E3 interview with IGN, he explained, “Whenever I hear of the news, I always say, ‘woah…they’ve done it again.’” “The first thing I do when I find out this news is contact Disney and see if it’s something I can use [in Kingdom Hearts].” We followed up by asking him if Disney had ever answered with a yes, to which he replied, “Disney’s companies are all very different. Sometimes the answer is ‘absolutely no,’ and sometimes the answer is, ‘…hmm, we don’t know...’” Nomura was obviously a bit coy about specific details regarding specific Disney properties, especially considering that Kingdom Hearts III was just announced at Sony’s press conference a few days ago, followed by word that it's coming to Xbox One as well. But he was willing to elaborate a bit more on his relationship with the media giant, saying that, “Disney’s pretty honest. If the situation is really difficult, they’ll say, it’s really difficult. If it’s impossible, they’ll say it’s impossible. Kingdom Hearts III Director Nomura Talks About The Game’s Current Progress
By SatoJune 12, 2013 After releasing Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance last year for Nintendo 3DS and more recently revealing the latest trailer for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, it came as a big surprise to see Square Enix announce Kingdom Hearts III for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Director Tetsuya Nomura talked about the game’s development in an interview with Famitsu. Nomura started out by talking about the recent reveal:
On this note, Famitsu pointed out that the game’s visuals are already looking solid. Nomura replies, “We call these visuals the ‘Kingdom Shader’, within the development crew. The characters will look like in the original worlds. The shader will adjust according to each world, so Disney’s worlds will have their own fitting visuals.” The next-generation Luminous Studio engine was first introduced by Square Enix during last year’s E3 showing of the Agnis Philosophy tech demo, which is also being used for Final Fantasy XV. Nomura and his team are currently using the Luminous as the base and developing in an “overspec” environment. We assume this means PC, as FFXV is being developed on PC, and both it and Kingdom Hearts III use DirectX 11.) The battle parts that were shown in the trailer actually weren’t recorded while running on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, Nomura shares, but are representative of the level of quality he hopes to achieve. Nomura says the footage in the trailer is very close to what it will look like running in real-time. (The demo was running in the overspec development environment.) Famitsu then asked about how Kingdom Hearts III’s action has evolved:
In concluding, Nomura leaves the following message for fans:
Kingdom Hearts III is currently in development for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Kingdom Hearts 3 Announced 'Too Early' Says Nomura
by Darryl KayeJun 13th, 2013 Square Enix managed to recapture the imaginations of a whole horde of Kingdom Hearts fans during the Sony press conference, as they announced that Kingdom Hearts 3 was in development. However, the series' creator Tetsuya Nomura had some words of warning. In an interview with Famitsu, Nomura stated that he feels the game has been announced too soon, but understands why it needed to be done. "Since the release of Kingdom Hearts II, I believe that many fans were feeling impatient due to our continuous releases of spin-off titles, so we decided to announce it at the same time as Final Fantasy XV. However, looking at the current development status, I think we may have announced it a little too early." This doesn't bode all that well, as Square Enix don't have a fantastic track record for releasing games too close to their announcements. Could this mean a release in 2015-2016? Nomura stated that more information about Kingdom Hearts 3 would be revealed at Disney's D23 Expo Japan in October, as well as this year's Tokyo Game Show in September. Kalila said: » I personally think this is bad news: Online Multiplayer “Under Consideration” for Kingdom Hearts III by Chad AwkermanJun 11th 2013 During a Square-Enix Presents E3 Live segment, Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura was asked about the possibility of multiplayer being added to the latest iteration of the title, Kingdom Hearts III. Through a translator, he said:
 Well at least we'll see it on the PS5...
but seriously, I don't see how multiplayer could work. Maybe story multiplayer where a friend can join your game and play as Donald, Goofy, Mickey, or whoever. Anything beyond that (like mini games...) I don't agree with. Plus it would add months on development and the project is already going to take 1.5-3 years to finish ~.~ Kalila said: » Well at least we'll see it on the PS5... but seriously, I don't see how multiplayer could work. Maybe story multiplayer where a friend can join your game and play as Donald, Goofy, Mickey, or whoever. Anything beyond that (like mini games...) I don't agree with. Plus it would add months on development and the project is already going to take 1.5-3 years to finish ~.~ While I don't really want an online mode they could add a tournament thing where you can make your own keyblade wielder and challenge other people and rank up or something
[+]
Well, to add my two cents, Nomura said that the Osaka team is working on KH3. Since they're known for 358/2, BBS and 3D I feel like they may include co-op missions or an arena like in BBS.
EDIT: Or am I wrong? Was 358/2 developed by the Osaka Division? Dont know why people are worrying about the release date, based on what they showed, KH3 is a long way off. 2015 at the earliest. XV looks much further along.
It damn well should be lol
Kalila said: » Well at least we'll see it on the PS5... but seriously, I don't see how multiplayer could work. Maybe story multiplayer where a friend can join your game and play as Donald, Goofy, Mickey, or whoever. Anything beyond that (like mini games...) I don't agree with. Plus it would add months on development and the project is already going to take 1.5-3 years to finish ~.~ Man im really losing all hope in KH... The wait has been long enough for 3 and now it's STILL "too early" it's ridiculous
I hope they dont just throw in Lightning and go "LOOK! FINAL FANTASY CHARACTERS!" ._.' (Although i would be intrigued if we could get her sword in a keyblade form >_>')
I missed one :<
Tetsuya Nomura Talks Disney, Kingdom Hearts 3 & Final Fantasy XV by DenisJune 11, 2013 Square Enix and Disney are at it again! Sony came prepared during their Press Conference with a surprise announcement from Tetsuya Nomura showing of Final Fantasy XV and a small look at Kingdom Hearts 3, which is still in development. If you missed the trailers, we have you covered here. Square Enix Presents sat down with Tetsuya Nomura today during E3 and he discussed the origin of Kingdom Hearts and how it came to be, Nomura explains it was a long process but the outcome at the end was well worth the hard work. Tetsuya Nomura On Disney & Kingdom Hearts: Square Enix presents started their interview talking about where the name “Kingdom Hearts” came from, how it originated and the problems they faced with it. Nomura responded with… ” Originally I wanted to find a title that fits Disney because its a Disney video game and when I first thought of this game I thought of Amusement parks, I wanted to create something that you can imagine through Disney land, I knew of the name animal kingdom at that time so Kingdom became the first name in my mind. The development team was calling the game ” Kingdom ” itself but I couldn’t get IP for that so I thought of ” Heart ” as a core part of the story, we just combined those together and were satisfied with the name Kingdom Hearts. ” The host of Square Enix Presents followed that question with how the collaboration with Disney came about. Nomura’s response…. ” Originally our producer, Shinji Hashimoto became friends with a Disney employee, we had offices in the same building so he chatted with the people of Disney and both parties agreed that a game between the two companies would be great. Later on he came back to me and asked if this was something that would be successful, that is how ultimately the franchise begun. Our relationship with Disney has been great, we have been working with Disney for 10 years. ” Nomura On Kingdom Hearts 3: The host asked about the battle system of Kingdom Hearts 3 and if it was anything that we experienced in the past games. Nomura’s reply… ” For the previous titles, especially Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, they were core games and I wanted to make sure I had appropriate involvement in the games, and for the spin off titles I wanted to experiment with new challenges and new styles. Since this is a core game, I feel like it is appropriate to have a core style. Kingdom Hearts 2 had a lot of praise for the battle system and Kingdom Hearts 3 will take some of that and implement it, the experiments we did do on the spin off titles were very well received and we would also like to include some of those into Kingdom Hearts 3. ” The host also asked if there will be any Final Fantasy characters in KH3 and will we get to play as King Mickey… Nomura’s response, ” Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts 3 is something that is definitely under consideration. I definitely think it is time to include some real Final Fantasy characters. As far as playing as King Mickey, I know a lot of fans want to play as King Mickey so I am taking that into consideration as well. Sora is the main characters and it would be nice to have other playable characters and that again is under consideration. ” Regarding the worlds, Nomura said he definitely wants to have some stable worlds and some surprises. He actually wants to definitely implement a number of surprising worlds this time to KH3, so we should definitely anticipate them. Star Wars anyone? Nomura was also asked about multiplayer in KH3 and if it was possible, he did say it was also in consideration especially during this time where multiplayer is popular. More things he said…
Final Fantasy XV, Nomura’s Take During the interview a battle was shown between Noctis and a huge monster, the gaming is visually stunning and the battle system looks like what the fans have been asking for. We even saw glimpses of battles on walls, that’s right WALLS! The host asked why the name change in which Nomura responded, ” 1 to 2 years after Versus was announced we had long discussions of changing it to Final Fantasy XV because of the scale of Versus and the concept of the game so it was only appropriate to have it as Final Fantasy XV. About two years ago after still discussing it, we heard reports about new generation consoles so at this point it was only right to rename it. ” The host asked Nomura to tell us a bit about Noctis, Nomura’s response… ” Noctis is a very cocky guy and through the story you learn that really hes not as cool as he thinks he is. ” Not a lot was revealed about XV but Nomura said hang in tight because news will start coming in fast! Kingdom Hearts 3 - E3 Trailer Analysis (Secrets & Hidden Details)
YouTube Video Placeholder
[+]
:O I dunno if I could control my excitement if they added D-links to Sora, Riku and possibly Kairi!
Opinion:
Why You Shouldn’t Get TOO Excited About Kingdom Hearts III by Ryan BrownJune 14, 2013 When Kingdom Hearts came out in 2002, my little 11-year-old mind was blown. Having grown up on hack-and-slashes, RPGs and action-adventure games (as well as platformers and horrors, though that’s irrelevant), it was a perfect combination of everything that I loved about gaming at the time. At that young age, I didn’t follow video game news – I just impulse purchased games that looked good by the box and I’d liked previous Square-Enix titles, so I picked it up a year after its release. I played the game and loved every minute of it. At the time, its story felt humongously epic, the graphics colourful and charming, its gameplay perfect for my tastes, the characters (the original characters, anyway) iconic and, for the first and only time in my life, I enriched myself in a game’s fandom. I recall reaching the Maleficent battle and thinking ‘this is probably my favourite game of all time’ and pre-ordered a game for the first time when the sequel was announced. Though I somehow missed Chain of Memories at the time, I even enjoyed 358/2 Days on the DS — in short, I was a fan. It’s surprised me then that, having been such a large fan and still regarding the series quite highly, I’m not quite as excited by the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3 as I once thought I would be by the news – and here’s why. My interest in the series has been dimmed by many factors but first and foremost, Square-Enix really underestimated how damaging excessive spin-offs can be, especially when they’re spread out over a spectrum of platforms. When there’s more spin-offs of a franchise than primary titles, you know you’ve gotten off track a fair bit. The problem with this is that, barring perhaps Kingdom Hearts Coded for the mobile and Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded on the Nintendo DS, each title is integral to the running plot of the series. This means that in order to follow the game’s storyline and own every title, you’d have to purchase a PlayStation 2, a Game Boy Advance, a Nintendo DS, a Nintendo 3DS, a PSP and soon a PlayStation 3 (for the HD re-release). This means that the series’ plot convolution and over-complexity that began with Organization XIII’s first appearance (bringing with it an attempt to shake off much of the Disney vibe) has continued from platform to platform, bringing with it the typical RPG-esque flaw of an insane Lost-like plot structure. I specifically remember explaining the entire plot of 365/2 Days and its significance to the first two titles to a friend one day and realising just how unnecessarily complicated it all was. I worry that if I still haven’t played Birth by Sleep or Dream Drop Distance by the time Kingdom Hearts III is released that I’ll be slightly out-of-the-loop. It should be kept in mind that what has now become the upcoming next-gen title Final Fantasy XV has been in development for seven years since it was announced. Honestly, don’t be shocked if Kingdom Hearts III suffers the same fate — it was announced much earlier than it should have been and you’ll most definitely be waiting for years still before you see this game. Don’t take much notice of tentative 2014 dates buzzing around the internet as that estimate it’s simply false – the game’s going to take a while, so don’t get too excited yet. Let’s hope that they don’t introduce yet another monster type in the next game. The way they explained Nobodies sort-of made sense, but they’re seemingly clutching at straws now and I’m more than happy enough with just the Heartless and Nobody archetypes. Let’s also hope that Kingdom Hearts III sticks to classic Disney worlds (even Tron and Pirates of the Carribean worlds were pushing it), seeing as Star Wars and Marvel properties are now possibilities. To make a game out of this that will live up to the first two numerical titles’ standards will be a miracle. I’d be lying if I said it’s not still one of my most desired upcoming games; perhaps I’m just being cynical with age, perhaps I have legitimate concerns. Either way, it’ll be years before we get to see what they come out with. Final Fantasy XV Director Tetsuya Nomura Impressed by Titanfall, Watch_Dogs, Battlefield 4, Metal Gear Solid V
by Giuseppe NelvaJune 17, 2013 Legendary Director Tetsuya Nomura Inpressed many at E3 with Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III, but what games impressed Tetsuya Nomura himself? Quite a few, as he said during an interview for the Japanese gaming site Dengeki Online. Interestingly, none of the titles he mentioned was a RPG:
If you’re surprised about the JRPG legend Nomura-san mentioning a bunch of shooters, you probably shouldn’t be. In the past he went on record several times stating his appreciation for first and third person shooter games, mentioning that he tried to implement shooter-like mechanics in Kingdom Hearts games. Some of what we’ve seen of Final Fantasy XV also resembles cover-based shooters. Kingdom Hearts III all but ruled out for Wii U
by BrianJune 18, 2013 Square Enix made a surprise announcement during Sony’s E3 2013 press conference last week. Kingdom Hearts III, a title fans of the series have been dying to see for many years, was finally revealed. It was later confirmed that an Xbox One version is in the works as well. Sadly, Square Enix’s tradition of not releasing Kingdom Hearts games on Nintendo home consoles will likely continue. Tetsuya Nomura all but ruled out a Wii U version of Kingdom Hearts III at Square Enix’s Future of Final Fantasy E3 event a few days ago. When asked about the title possibly coming to Wii U, Nomura explained that the team is developing it using DirectX 11. Square Enix can only bring the game to hardware that is “appropriate” for Kingdom Hearts III. The Wii U’s inability to properly support DirectX 11 is apparently one of the major reasons third-parties pointed to when asked why their PlayStation 4/Xbox One games aren’t planned for Wii U. That could be a significant problem for the console and Nintendo going forward. Kingdom Hearts 3 detailed by game director Tetsuya Nomura
by Kevin GiffordJune 19, 2013 Kingdom Hearts 3 had its first trailer unveiled at last week's E3, but other than the fact it's a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game, we don't know much about it beyond the rumors of the past few years. Famitsu magazine attempted to get some solid answers out of director Tetsuya Nomura in this week's issue, and here are the results: Nomura confirmed that KH3's story begins where Dream Drop Distance's left off. "We're proceeding along with which worlds we'll be selecting for the game," he said. "It's the final episode in the 'Dark Seeker' saga that began with the original KH, and it'll depict the final battle with Xehanort." The new visual style seen in the trailer reflects the results of a long trial-and-error effort. "We spent a while figuring out what direction to take KH's visuals in the next generation," Nomura said. "Should we go for a more realistic look like in recent projects, or try something else? Along the way, we remembered that these KH characters were originally paintbrush art from Disney productions, a texture that was one of our original aims, and that it was time to return to that. So [chief creative director Takeshi] Nozue went through a series of tests, and the results are the visuals that we refer to in the team as the Kingdom Shader. It may look like a pretty drastic change, but I see it as a rich evolution of everything we've shown you up to now." How is KH's gameplay evolving? "We have a demo version running on the actual hardware, but the action's pretty frantic. The really bold action we've always had is getting even crazier. KH3 has three-person parties, but NPCs and other characters join the fight in each individual world, and the resulting action is really flashy and exciting. The enemy AI is a lot more intricate, too, and I think the gameplay will reflect that new dynamic balance. For example, there's a foe that's shaped like a vehicle, and Sora may jump on it and fly around; that's already implemented." It'll still be a while before KH3 comes out, but Nomura promised that it'll be back in the public spotlight soon, either at the Tokyo Game Show this fall, the Disney-oriented D23 Expo Japan event in October, or both. "The FF15 and KH3 teams are aware of each other," he said. "They're constantly honing their work at this point in development. Even though KH3 is still pretty early in development, it's already producing some great scenes in Square Enix's internal conferences. We're discussing new developments never seen in any KH before, so keep an eye on further updates." Quiznor said: » Possible pc version.....  |
All FFXIV and FFXI content and images © 2002-2024 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
FINAL FANTASY is a registered trademark of Square Enix Co., Ltd.