II.8 Final Chapter Prologue

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Tai Yasue Talks KH HD 2.8 FCP and KH3 with GamesBeat

Posted by Meilin Lee : Jul 16, 2016 at 8:29 PM ( 0 , 1,825 )

While it's been around a month since E3, Kingdom Hearts co-director Tai Yasue is still discussing the series' upcoming titles, this time talking to GamesBeat, where he talks about the evolution of the series' combat, how important Aqua's story in 0.2 BBS in connecting to Sora's story in KH3, and that we should be expecting 2.8 to arrive early in December, just in time for the holiday season. Full interview can be read below:

GamesBeat: One of the things I find interesting about Kingdom Hearts is the combat system. It’s gotten a bit flashier and more complex as the series goes along. Is that a challenge when designing the Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts III? Is it something that you felt the need to rein in, or did you want to make more complex?

Tai Yasue: With our handheld games, we did a lot of experimentation with new systems. With 0.2 and 2.8 we’re coming back to the basics, I guess, but at the same time, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 is sort of a continuation of Birth By Sleep. So we wanted to incorporate a lot of the moves from Birth By Sleep. Aqua’s magical spells, for example, and her style changes. We wanted to change toward an enhanced version of that. The moves look a lot flashier, but at the same time not too difficult. We have the same sort of command menu as the numbered titles, II and III. That’s very similar in 0.2. It’s sort of a mixture between Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts III, both aspects of that coming together.

GamesBeat: Kingdom Hearts II came out in America in 2006. Since then, the series has seen a number of games on handhelds, and they’re still important to overarching story. Do these compilations make it easier for players to catch up?

Yasue: Definitely. The story is very complex. There’s a lot of threads. Right now we’re sort of depicted the Dark Seeker side, and all the portables as well. We wanted - when we were planning for Kingdom Hearts III, we wanted all of our previous Kingdom Hearts titles in HD so everyone could play them again, and new players could be introduced to the Kingdom Hearts series story.

GamesBeat: Kingdom Hearts II.8 was at E3, but Kingdom Hearts III hasn’t made much of an appearance at the show. Is a reason to hold it back from E3?

Yasue: It was a difficult decision for us. We want to share as much as possible. We’re excited about Kingdom Hearts III. But II.8 we’re releasing globally at the beginning of December. We wanted to concentrate on that first. We want what’s best for the moment. We’re currently making III and 2.8 at the same time, but we wanted to concentrate on 2.8 right now.

GamesBeat: You talked about experiments with the battle system. It’s seen a lot of variety. It had a mana system, like in the first game, and cooldowns in some of the recent games. What works best for Kingdom Hearts?

Yasue: Each has its own fun aspects, but I think the magical points system, using MP, is very accessible. That’s worked well. But we don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. In Kingdom Hearts III and 0.2 we wanted to enhance this system for the next generation. Using magical spells, we wanted the environments and enemies to react in a meaningful way. It doesn’t just explode. It lingers on afterward. If you shoot a Blizzard, for example, it creates a place where you can skate on the ground. We wanted the magic to dynamically interact with the environments.

GamesBeat: When the series started, the Final Fantasy element was very important — not just in story, but in gameplay. The magic came directly from Final Fantasy, as did the summons. A lot of those aspects seem less prominent now that Kingdom Hearts has developed more of its own identity. Is it fair to say you’re doing more things that are unique to Kingdom Hearts?

Yasue: As a whole, the story and the worlds and the gameplay — everything we incorporate, we want aspects of the Disney world throughout. For the combat systems as well, we don’t have that much for 0.2, but having Disney aspects combined with Sora’s aspects is important. Obviously the worlds, for example, we don’t want them all to be Kingdom Hearts original worlds. We want the rich Disney worlds as well as the original worlds.

GamesBeat: At this point we’ve had a lot of playable Keyblade users. First Sora, then Riku, and many more. How do you differentiate all these characters from a gameplay standpoint?

Yasue: When we first come up with ideas for the characters, we have an easy sort of concept. For 0.2 Aqua, she’s a female character, she’s related to water, and she’s very strong with magic. She’s also very strong and elegant. You have these keywords for each character, enemies and player characters alike, to define them. That’s very much linked up to the story. We want to integrate those keywords into her movement and her abilities. Aqua uses powerful magic in a flashy way because she’s a magical character.

GamesBeat: Why focus on Aqua for 0.2?

Yasue: For 0.2, that was sort of the untold story that we hadn’t shown our users yet. At the end of Birth By Sleep, she was trapped in the dark world. We felt we had to explain her story. When you have a good story, it makes you care about each character. Sora’s adventure is intertwined with Aqua’s story as well. We wanted to give players a reason to care about Aqua and her adventure. That way, when you play Kingdom Hearts III, you understand Aqua’s standpoint, and that makes Sora’s experience richer as well.

GamesBeat: With Kingdom Hearts III tying up all these plot threads and being the last installment in this series of Kingdom Hearts, would you say there’s a lot of pressure on that game specifically?

Yasue: Definitely. There’s a lot of strings and a lot of strands in the previous Kingdom Hearts. They all come together. Right now we’re depicting the Dark Seeker saga, with Xehanort and his group that Sora’s battling. Them and the other Keyblade masters will have a sort of showdown. And so I think all the — everything is going to come together at the conclusion of the Dark Seeker saga in part III.

GamesBeat: A lot of people want to know what’s the next Disney thing for Kingdom Hearts III. Has it been stressful to keep so many secrets about development?

Yasue: Like I said about not showing much of Kingdom Hearts III at this time, there’s always a right time for everything. We want each announcement to be special. We want to exceed our fans’ expectations and we want to do it in a good way. We want to plan things out, the way we announce things. It’s not that stressful, at least for me.

GamesBeat: Do you think there’s a chance that I.5, II.5, and 2.8 could ever be bundled together into one package?

Yasue: We haven’t really decided on bundles or how we’ll set up things for how we’ll sell those. No decision or announcement has been made.

GamesBeat: 2.8, is that just PlayStation 4, or is it also Xbox One?

Yasue: It’s PlayStation 4 only.

GamesBeat: But Kingdom Hearts III is multiplatform.

Yasue: Right.

GamesBeat: Is there any fear of Xbox One owners feeling left out?

Yasue: Kingdom Hearts III is very much — it’s a game that will be better if you understand all the other stories. But at the same time, you can enjoy it without following the whole arc. As you know, all the Kingdom Hearts stories have a conclusion at the end of each Disney world. You can still enjoy that as well. For the whole arc, it might help to understand, but there’s still a lot of fun in each Disney world.

GamesBeat: What would you say makes up the Kingdom Hearts fanbase? Is it Square Enix fans, or Disney fans, or this unique combination of the two?

Yasue: We have great fans. They’re very passionate, very warm, very supportive. They’re very special. For me, I think they’re the reason why we’re doing this, more than anything. Compared to other games — it’s hard to compare. But I feel they’re warmer, nicer on the whole. That’s my honest opinion. They seem a lot nicer than some others.

GamesBeat: They’ve got a bit of Disney in them.

Yasue: I guess! They’re wonderful. Today I talked to a lot of people, and they’ve been very supportive
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Foreteller Gula Voiced by Kevin G. Quinn

Posted by Meilin Lee : Jun 27, 2016 at 11:39 PM ( 1 , 2,675 )

Shortly after the confirmation of Karissa Lee Staples voicing Foreteller Invi, we have yet another confirmation for a Foreteller voice actor in 'χ[chi] Back Cover'. The next lucky Foreteller in this case is Foreteller Gula, and he'll be voiced by current Disney Channel star, Kevin G. Quinn, who confirmed the news on Twitter:

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Foreteller Invi Voiced by Karissa Lee Staples

Posted by Meilin Lee : Jun 27, 2016 at 10:16 PM ( 0 , 2,214 )

In addition to one confirmed voice actor for 'χ[chi] Back Cover' in 'Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue', another voice actor confirmation has been made for the entry, with former Miss America contestant Karissa Lee Staples voicing Foreteller Invi. What's interesting is that Staples apparently confirmed it on Twitter before 2.8's E3 trailer was even released:

If you look closely at the blurry screen image from the Tweeted photo, you can see a scene that Staples recorded involving Invi speaking with Aced.

Source: KHInsider

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Nomura Talks Unchained χ[chi], 2.8 FCP, and KH3 with Famitsu

Posted by Meilin Lee : Jun 19, 2016 at 12:37 PM ( 2 , 4,269 )

In addition to speaking with Dengeki, KH director, Tetsuya Nomura, also got to speak with Famitsu, discussing various topics, such as the three entries in '2.8 Final Chapter Prologue', how big he feels KH3 will be, and a future expansion to Unchained χ[chi] he dubs "Season 2". The fully translated interview (translations courtesy of goldpanner from KHInsider) can be read below:

We were able to play the 0.2 demo, and what a wonderful workmanship! First, the graphics dazzled our eyes. It doesn't look simply realistic, it's a new kind of KH-ness.

Nomura: I'm so glad. 0.2 BBS is the first title in the series that adopts lighting, and we adjust things from start to finish since the way it looks changes considerably depending on the light, but I still wondered whether the direction we'd taken would show. We are also working very closely with the developers of Unreal Engine 4.

That's reassuring. Is what we were able to see in the demo the opening part of the full title?

Nomura: Yes. We isolated the playable section of the opening. It's set in the town around Cinderella's castle

We really enjoyed the sense of actual exploration we got from the complicated high and low platforms.

Nomura: They're maps with gimmicks to find, and those who get lost easily in complicated parts can go to a high place to get a view of the whole thing and understand the connections between points. We're also making the movement work so that you automatically climb small levels and such, so just like KH3, it's possible to parkour around.

It seemed a though time had stopped in that town. Is the whole Realm of Darkness like that?

Nomura: It's only on that map. If you continue to different areas, there are different things to play with. I know so far you have had no idea what sort of adventures Aqua had in the Realm of Darkness, but here, many worlds… worlds that had been swallowed by the darkness are fused together. After the part you played in the demo, you enter Cinderella's castle and find yourself in a different world, and leaving that brings you to yet another world, that's how it is.

So we aren't going to just explore Cinderella's castle, then. At the end of the demo, Terra appeared. Was that some sort of illusion?

Nomura: I wonder (laughs). When it comes to that sort of thing, I'd like you to play the full game.

In the town around the castle we went along rewinding time by operating gear gimmicks. More and more abilities unlocked every time we set off a mechanism, and we thought it was quite high tempo. Will this be the same in the full game, too?

Nomura: Yes, that's right. 0.2 is not the full sized of other titles in the series so far, which means you can unlock various gameplay elements in the early stages. Battles don't use the deck commands from BBS, but a system based on KH3.

There are also elements from BBS like Style Changes (Command Style) and Shotlocks.

Nomura: Those two will also be adopted in KH3, but 0.2 is actually a little different from both KH3 and BBS. In KH3, too, triggering them will be optional, but Style Changes will be fundamentally dependent on the Keyblade. In 0.2 they are dependent on Aqua herself, so it's like a BBS hybrid. With Shotlocks, there are more things you can do with them in KH3, and in 0.2 they're closer to BBS.

I see. One more element that has evolved remarkably is magic. It's more flashy and, moreover, more useful.

Nomura: It does not just simply deal damage, with blizzard you can freeze enemies and the field and slide on it, with thunder you can make things stiff from the shock, and such. The trait is that you can use it tactically.

There are also original small-fry enemies now, about three new types in addition to Shadows. The enemy made of a mass of Shadows left a particularly strong impression. The slippery way it moved… it was pretty gross (laughs).

Nomura: When Shadows do that, it's called a Devil's Wave, the thing that appeared in the first trailer for KH3. It wasn't at full power yet, though.

"Yet"?

Nomura: That was just the beginning, in the demo. They're amazing at full power (laughs).

That doesn't sound very good (laughs). In order for Aqua to stand up to those, will she be able to get stronger or be enhanced?

Nomura: The growth system works by leveling up, which brings up stats.

What about new Keyblades?

Nomura: The only Keyblade she will have is the Master's Defender that she inherited from Eraqus.

So that means battle variation will be brought out through changes in style, rather than Keyblades, in 0.2. By the way, will there be any features for completionists?

Nomura: There's a collecting element, or perhaps I should say a customizing element separate from the progression of the game.

I see. I get the impression that there are way more things to do than expected. Volume-wise, how big would you say this game is?

Nomura: At first I was saying it will be the length of one world, but when I did a playthrough from start to finish to check it, I thought, this is actually pretty substantial (laughs). I know there are some out there expecting it to be over in 30 minutes like a demo, but that's absolutely not the case. There's story advancement and lots of cutscenes, so even though there aren't that many words, I believe you will be able to fully enjoy the new KH.

So it's that much like a regular title!

Nomura: Story-wise, this title is situated at rather an important point. The scenarios of KH3D and 0.2 can essentially be thought of as the prologue to KH3, you see. When considering the titles to be included in 2.8, I wanted people to play previous-gen-console KH before KH3, and I decided to work on 0.2. The story connects from KH3D to 0.2 to KH3. In my own head, KH3 begins at KH3D. That's why I put that subtitle on 2.8.

Does spreading the story from not only KH3D but also 0.2 mean that KH3 will be smaller in size?

Nomura: It's not that I've spread the story out, perhaps it's more that I've separated the parts that would have ruined KH3's tempo if they were told then. In fact, KH3 is overwhelmingly big, so it's not that content has been shaved off, and it's something I've worried over how to handle. And then, to me, I've made a lot of RPGs so far, and I think rather than listening to long explanations at the start of the game, we want to enjoy the adventure right away, so I decided to try and keep the opening exposition part of KH3 as short as possible. Because of that, maybe people will be like, "why is Sora here?", feeling like KH3 begins comparatively abruptly. Of course, if you keep playing, you'll work out the minimum about the situation.

Hm? So if you think we will have questions about where Sora is in KH3, does Sora appear in the story directly before it, 0.2…?

Nomura: Yeah (laughs). By the way, KH3's intro is short, and it begins straight away, but I am thinking very precisely about how to make sure both those who have been with the series for a long time and those for whom this will be the first KH title will be able to follow along. However, the details and particulars will be told in KH3D and 0.2, so please play 2.8 while you are waiting for KH3, it will make the flow of the story easy to grasp. For those who want to know everything in detail as they have up until now before the journey begins, I think it is best to play 2.8 in preparation.

We were also able to play the HD version of KH3D, which is intimately connected to KH3, and… there was a tanuki-looking Meow Wow-type Dream Eater!

Nomura: That's Catnuki (laughs). We had the actual Osaka team and everything, so I had them add it in for me. There are more new Dream Eaters, and you'll be able to get in-game all the friends you made through AR cards in KH3D.

You've said that it will support the PS4 trophy feature, and there are even more additional features, aren't there?

Nomura: Yes. In addition to PS4 trophies, the trophies from the original game are also there as a separate feature. Other than that, drop times have been extended, and some enemy reactions are currently undergoing adjustment. And, as a series-first experiment, KH3D will be in 60fps. There, it differs fundamentally from the original.

The movements were certainly smooth, and it was refreshing to play on a big screen. And then, our interest was piqued by the fact that the original KH3D made use of the lower screen. Have you adjusted completely for that?

Nomura: Yes. Reality Shift is now triggered through the buttons, as you were able to try in the demo, and everything can now be achieved on one screen. Flick Rush, where Dream Eaters can battle, has also been condensed to one screen, and it now takes the form of selecting cards to use with a cursor.

I see.

Nomura: With Spirit Training, there are now several completely new minigames, and we have added adjustments that make it work on PS4 controls.

Changing Spirits and link attacks are now executed through changing commands with a cursor key, too. It felt a little difficult, since I wasn't used to it.

Nomura: It wasn't included in the demo version, but in the full version we plan to make it possible to select Spirits with a shortcut. In battle you don't control just one character like in 0.2, you manage the Dream Eaters fighting alongside you to some extent, which can get a little complex on occasion. But, that's an important part of the feel of the battle gameplay in KH3D, and I think having it be a little tough is what makes it so exhilarating when you get the hang of it.

It was extremely fresh seeing Ephemera and the Foretellers in CG with voice acting in 'Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Back Cover'.

Nomura: Just like 0.2, it uses techniques from KH3. You can go ahead and think of KH3's cutscenes as looking pretty much like that.

Was the black coated figure the Master of the Foretellers?

Nomura: Yes, that's right. He's a figure with a characteristic mood, and he calls Master Ira of Unicornis "Iracchi*", and Master Aced of Ursus "Acedon*" (laughs).

[*Translator note: very cutesy suffixes, something like Iwa and Acie]

Iracchi and Acedon... goodbye, Foreteller image (laughs). The other day, the smartphone version Unchained χ[chi] hit four million downloads across Japan and North America, didn't it

Nomura: It is especially popular overseas, it seems. When the North American version was released, there was a huge response from Europeans wanting a supported release in Europe, so I'm as happy as can be.

That's because there are KH fans all over the world, isn't it? On the other hand, you announced termination of the PC version of 'Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]'.

Nomura: I've just finished writing the scenario. After a mad scramble every day (dry laugh). Up until now, what amounts to one scenario has been being released divided into two.The final chapter will be composed of two separate installments, a first and second half, and has been from the start. The split with Unchained χ[chi] is coming soon, too.

A distinct split...!?

Nomura: I expect the servers will close in September, about a month after the final story update has been released. It's fairly easy to play χ[chi] now, so I'd like you to take this chance to push forward in the story.

What's going to happen with Unchained χ[chi], I wonder.

Nomura: We are focusing on managing it for a long time, so we are considering new worlds, and a story plan is coming along. The story of χ[chi] will conclude, but in Unchained χ[chi] there will be new developments… the beginning of the story of 'season two', so to speak.

Does that mean that Unchained χ[chi], the one that will continue longer, will be the more 'official' history?

Nomura: The nature of the connection between the two worlds is something I can't talk about in specifics yet.

We are interested in what will happen to the characters Ephemera and Skuld, and whether they will appear in future titles in the series.

Nomura: I wonder (laughs). First of all, as for χ[chi] and Unchained χ[chi] Season 1, the actions of the Foretellers are important. I really hope you see it for yourself.

In the trailer, you announced a December worldwide simultaneous release, and that the next information on KH3 would be in winter.

Nomura: It's likely that Japan will get it a few days earlier, but it will be basically simultaneous. 2.8 is in the final stages of production, and as you may expect from the announcement of a worldwide simultaneous release, the English voicing has finished recording, and even though the timing of the deadline is a little tighter than usual, everything is progressing nicely. The reason we were able to prepare a demo version on such short notice was because we took it from the actual game. You will all be able to play in under half a year. Work on KH3 is progressing too, but as I said recently, I'd like you to first pay attention to 2.8, which has an important position, so I am going to update you all with information on KH3 around when 2.8 releases. Please look forward to both games.

By the way, next year is the KH series' 15th anniversary. You're starting concerts this year, will you be planning anything else?

Nomura: Let me see… Next year is also the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy, but it does look as though there will be plenty of things happening for KH's fifteenth year.

That's all we can do! In any case, before FF7 Remake, we have KH2.8 this year, don't we? This is also your 25th anniversary as a creator, do you think it is a turning point for you?

Nomura: Actually, on the day of my 25th anniversary, I'd thought of having a big celebration with my friends, but I got so busy and forgot all about it until a few days had already passed (laughs). They say 25 years is special because it's a quarter of a century, but next year is KH's 15th anniversary and FF7's 20th anniversary, and I think I'll jazz things up for them. At the next information releases, which will be this coming August at the KH concert and the Dissidia Final Fantasy tournament, I plan to start bringing more to light little by little, so I thank you in advance for your continued support.
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New Kingdom Hearts II.8 Screenshots

Posted by libregkd : Jun 18, 2016 at 11:45 PM ( 6 , 2,659 )

The hustle and bustle of E3 may have subsided but Square Enix has released a new batch of screenshots for Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The screenshots focus on each game in the collection; Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts Unchained X [Chi], and Birth By Sleep 0.2 Fragmentary Passage. The collection is set to launch worldwide on Playstation 4 this December.

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II.8 Final Chapter Prologue

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II.8 Final Chapter Prologue