KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep

Q. Why does Maleficent know about "Kingdom Hearts"?

A. She is influenced by contact with a certain person. It's a main part of the story to look forward to.

Q. Sora and company appear too!?

A. Though he is unrelated directly, please wait to see how the story leads to where Sora and company follow it up.

Q. The person wearing the full-faced helmet, have they appeared in the previous games?

A. Have they appeared... Have they not appeared... I can't yet reveal their true character.

KINGDOM HEARTS coded

Q. It's a matter of concern whether or not it'll be released on a platform other than the mobile phone.

A. There are no plans to release it off the mobile at this stage. Since I want to continue introducing this specialized system on the mobile phones more in the future, I think that's something to consider after the distribution of this title is finished.

Q. It look like it'd be fun even if you haven't played Kingdom Hearts...

A. With this game as a start, people will become interested in the other Kingdom Hearts games.

Q. Isn't it difficult to play an action game on the mobile phone?

A. It's been tuned to be played by a simpler input method compared to the that of the normal Kingdom Hearts games. Additionally, this game comes preinstalled on the P-01A mobile phone, which can connect to a television with the appropriate cable, so it can be enjoyed on the big screen as well.

Q. Like with Before Crisis FFVII, can you communicate and play with other people?

A. This is different from BC, there are plans to play by an interesting communication.

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days

Q. I've never played a Kingdom Hearts game before, so it'd be best to start from the first game?

A. This time it's a new main character in a new story. If you're not familiar with Kingdom Hearts, I think you can enjoy it from this main character's point of view. Additionally, it's full of content fans of the series will enjoy.

Q. I was interested in the system introduced in the demos.

A. I regret I can't reveal all the details of it yet. Please expect more information to be revealed about it in the future.

Q. What kind of mode is multiplayer?

A. The multipart is basically pulled out of standalone gameplay and become missions on a higher degree of difficulty. Even playing on your own, you could choose whatever character you wanted and play.

Q. When playing as the various characters, do you gain experience points?

A. It's not the sort of system where what you do in one play mode only influences that mode, but it's the sort which shares levels and items mutually.

Q. Since it covers only a year of Roxas's time, I worry that the volume of the single player mode will be small.

A. Most of the time the plot is taking place between the previous games. Since this story is independent and is elaborating from the time of Kingdom Hearts II, I think that after clearing all the missions you won't feel that the contents were short lived.

How do you express "KH: Birth by Sleep" in a word?

Nomura: It's Kingdom Hearts, evolved.

Yasue: It's like a wonderful course made up of unexpected spices. To take in everything, from the unprecedented game system, presentation, and every little bit of technology; it combines to complete a three star game.

Yoshimoto: It's gonna be fun for the PSP.

What does "KH Birth by Sleep" mean for you?

Nomura: Since the concept was "inevitable fate", I wonder now if making this game was inevitable?

Yasue: Working on this thing was like competing in an Olympic event with a mix of an 100m race, an obstacle competition, a marathon, and wrestling! I ran my hardest at full speed, flew over the obstacles, used pinning techniques, made decisions, became annoyed, and after it all, I couldn't even decide on a guts pose.

Yoshimoto: It was a mountain with invisible giants atop it. The climb is steep and difficult.

How is "KH Birth by Sleep" different than other games?

Nomura: There probably isn't another portable game with the same volume and feeling of variety as this.

Yasue: Times three is a big characteristic! There is three main characters, three stories to follow, and three game systems that are directionally totally different from each other. That's three times the excitement!

Yoshimoto: The scenarios of the three main characters is the main feature! The image display challenges the limits of the PSP, it's gritty but gorgeous! And the Disney characters are surprisingly luxurious! This is KH Birth by Sleep, it's what everyone is anticipating.

How do you express "KH: Coded" in a word?

Nomura: The components were carefully selected simply throughout it.

Tabata: Anyone can play it at their own pace, it's the Kingdom Hearts game that continues and expands on the story people are looking forward to.

What does "KH: Coded" mean for you?

Nomura: Including the portal site, it's a compilation of information on the mobile phone.

Tabata: The portal site becomes a compilation of know how through the mobile game.

How is "KH: Coded" different than other games?

Nomura: It's the front for linking to the Mobile portal site. Also, I want to hype it up as a place for communication for fans of Kingdom Hearts.

Tabata: Linking not only through KH coded, but also through the Mobile portal site, all the players of Kingdom Hearts can come together in the Mobile world and enjoy it together.

--If 358/2 Days was emphasizing Xion, then was Birth by Sleep emphasizing Aqua?

Nomura: Aqua's battle scenes were exhibited for the first time to the public, her movement is fast and easy to overlook. So that you don't lose sight of her, concentrate and try to keep your eyes on her. Frankly speaking, since its hard to see clearly, she is teleporting in the battle scenes. Because the teleportation occurs instantaneously, it's hard to catch sight of. (Laughs)

--This promotional video seems to take a different direction from the previous ones.

Nomura: In the promotional videos until now, we wanted to explain what kind of a game it is, but this time we wanted to focus on the development of the story line. To everyone who watches it, I hope that you have gained interest in the story. The demo is available at the NTT DoCoMo booth, so stop by it if you can. The file in the demo is clear, so you can play from the beginning.

--What kind of theme is drawn up in the story of KH Birth by Sleep (BbS below)?

Nomura: The theme seems to revolves between "connections of the heart" and "fate." When it is played last, the player will understand that the KH story that take place afterwards is one "not of chance, but a story that becomes inevitable." Unlike the tender atmosphere of the older games, this one is serious. Because it is a very sad story, people have asked "how do you manage it?" when involving Disney works. (Smiles) A painful story unfolds. Though KH "isn't that kind of thing", this time we'll try to progress the story in that direction.

--Terra, Ventus, and Aqua appear as the main three characters, but what kind of characters are each of them?

Nomura: Terra is the type who makes his goal's his highest priority. But he's not a bad fellow, though his stress on obtaining his goals causes conflict. The story of Ventus seems to feel closer to the ones of KH seen so far. He is able to make friends with the dwellers of the worlds he visits and is the type to blend into a world naturally. Aqua is a serious character, she has a steady mind and often worries about the other two. She is eyewitness to the recent events, therefore she takes that sort of a standpoint.

--How does the story of these three advance?

Nomura: They advance by taking separate actions on the same time axis. For example, when Terra visits a certain world and the other two people have not been there yet. There by naturally the connection to the particular world changes too. Such story development will really be the charm of BbS.

--As for the play order of each character, can the player decide?

Nomura: I assume that it's being developed right now. Therefore depending on the order chosen by the player, if they have not played as Terra yet, and they choose Aqua and start visiting worlds with her, they'll understand the actions of Terra early. (Smiles) That might not be what was expected or hoped for, but I think it will be a little interesting.

--If all 3 characters come together in the ending, will the entire image of the story become clear?

Nomura: Indeed. For instance, the mysteries of Terra are revealed in Ventus's story. Overall, it'll have this type of composition.

--Terra is power based, and the from the demo it's obvious Ventus is based on combo + speed, but what type of character is Aqua?

Nomura: Aqua is special. As for the type, she is magic based, though it is considerably tricky. Fight while rotating like a spinning object, doing cartwheels, that sort of thing. (Smiles)

--After grasping the feel of the game play, the combat system seems considerably based on powering up.

Nomura: Seems like it, with locking on to multiple enemies using the Shoot Lock System to attack and customizing the deck of skills. At the demo the deck of skills was already pre set, but in the actual game you'll be able to edit it freely. At first BbS was expected to have a fighting system closest to the older games, but now it seems that KH 358/2 Days is and BbS's system has evolved. The feeling is more like, "you can't fight like Sora with this system," therefore a real taste of managing the keyblade is shown.

--Of the stories heard in these three titles, it seems BbS will probably be the last to release, are you thinking about future titles after these?

Nomura: Considering the nature the KH series, I do not intend to end it here. Even as BbS is being made, I am thinking about the future and how it connects. Thus, please continue to support the KH series.

--KH Coded is the direct sequel of KHII, could you tells about it's highlights?

Nomura: The content of KH Coded is similar to that of KH Chain of Memories (COM below). Even for players who aren't aware of the previous story, everyone will be able to deepen their understanding of the KH series. Therefore people who already fans of KH will really want to play this game by all means.

--What kind of concrete development will it have?

Nomura: The story investigates the mystery message left inside Jiminy's Journal, so like in COM the characters travel through the past. But like the case of COM, a new drama following KH unfolds, those intervals will enter as original episodes. In the case of KH Coded, they visit the same Traverse Town but something is different. Why is that? Examining those kind of parts close up becomes the content of this game.

--A very deep story seems to unfold.

Nomura: It's breadth is not so vast, but the inner part of the story becomes deep. At the private event last month the keywords "the forbidden secret" were compiled in the trailer, so generally speaking that becomes the image of this title.

--In recent screenshots, depictions of arrows on the screen are shown, are these instructions for attacking?

Nomura: The arrows indicate the order of input for the direction keys. The system works by inputting the keys in order which results in a simple combo of attacks. Since it's operations are suited to work on the mobile phone, it becomes similar to ordinary mobile phone operations.

--Will KH Coded also be released via mobile delivery format?

Nomura: That's right, but it won't be released in it's entirety. Because the KH series is based on moving through the worlds while advancing the story, I'm thinking that the new worlds for the title will be distributed gradually.

How is the development status of each of the KH titles?

Nomura: About the mobile game, Kingdom Hearts coded, it's development is progressing steadily. It's being tuned for operations suitable for the mobile phone, it's easily held in one hand and invigorating to play.

As for the scenarios, what kind of development is going on?

Nomura: Of the 3 titles, it is the only story taking place after Kingdom Hearts II, so in that way it becomes the most enigmatic of them. Will it feel close to Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories in that sense? Those who are familiar with the story will have a deeper understanding of the world of Kingdom Hearts.

In conjunction with coded, Kingdom Hearts Mobile will begin this fall shortly. Content for it will be added on a regular basis. The portal site is intended to be something Kingdom Hearts fans won't want to miss.

What about the stories of the three main characters prepared for the PSP title, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep?

Nomura: As for them, their stories begin at the same point on the time axis, but they take separate actions. The worlds they go to are generally the same places, but how they relate with the worlds is what really differs.

For example, after Terra has visited a world that no one has been to yet, afterwards when Ven comes to it, there is a trace of Terra having been there...... That's the feeling of it. The circumstance and information gained for each character is different.

--In the recent trailer, their are lines alluding to Master Xehanort aiming for those with hearts of pure light. Is Master Xehanort's goal also to take over the world?

Nomura: It certainly indicates what he's interested in, but that's the first of Master Xehanort's intentions.

--The story follows the viewpoints of the three characters individually, but what happens when the three characters interact together?

Nomura: The three characters will start out together, and then afterwards each of their stories will begin respectively. Within the story, the main characters may encounter one another. The three share the main goal of chasing after Master Xehanort who has disappeared, though each character's exact goal is subtly different.

--As for original masters, they who teach the methods of wielding the keyblade to their pupils, do they exist?

Nomura: Not just that, but also the role of keyblade users, since the thoughts of each master differs, it's their spirit being taught. The reason why a master must train others to use the keyblade is explained in this game.

--The voice of Snow White is very quiet.

Nomura: Actually, we choice a voice that matched the old version of "Snow White" that was released in Japan (1950), so it's the original one, so to speak.

--The changes to the style of battling are an interesting idea.

Nomura: Some players might have wanted a change in strategy. Initially, the player was free to rearrange the commands, as proposed by the team in Osaka, now such a form has been expanded upon. They said, "We want a system different than the form changes of Kingdom Hearts II".

--How about the Shoot Lock System?

Nomura: I asked, "is it difficult to implement?" when the system was being worked on, it was also written into the first planning stages. But for Birth by Sleep, there is still a lot hidden within the system.

--What of the enemies called "unbirths"?

Nomura: There is meaning in various ways, adding "un" creates the opposite meaning of "birth" thus the "unbirth". With this, the "unborn" is given real meaning. Unbirths designate the feeling of this game's motif. The kind of existence they have will be revealed soon.

--During a battle, there are various circumstances indicating commands.

Nomura: It's the developed system of the 'reaction command'. At first, the Birth by Sleep system was designed to be closer to the original series, but it has evolved a lot. Because it is considerably high speed, the first time players may be a bit surprised.

--Even the boss battles have been elaborated compared to the previous ones.

Nomura: The Osaka team has a lot of affection for the enemies. It was handed over to the staff and they were asked to please try it out. They were watched over as they played it. When the player had to be more offensive, they said things like, "It's different! I really can be more of a kid!!" or "Ah, it's strange..." (Smiles)

--Their affection is contagious. (Smiles)

Nomura: Anyways, I think that the testing of various things for the battle system is being finished.

--About the line, "their torment has been lessened"; whenever a mission is completed, does that wound heal?

Tabata: It's not as simple as that.

Nomura: When you advance to the next stage, a movie event is shown. I think the beginning of the latest trailer reflected it, the lines "A forbidden secret――" are connected to it. Though it is on the mobile phone, it's not to be taken lightly. The contents of it's story draw near to the conviction of the series.

--Are it's contents connected to the future of the Kingdom Hearts series?

Nomura: That's right. It's in a position similar to how Chain of Memories was. I think if you can play it, you'll recognize it draws upon the mysteries of the entire series.

--What kind of story will it become?

Nomura: "Their torment has been lessened" is the foundation of the story, and the "forbidden secret" is connected to it.

--Being made from the data of Jiminy's Journal, will it relive the first Kingdom Hearts?

Nomura: Even though it advances according to the story of Kingdom Hearts, the stages are different and each one slowly approaches the "forbidden secret". Why did someone leave a message in the Jiminy Journal? The story will solve this mystery.

--Is there a connection to 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep?

Nomura: Yes, they link in various ways.

--The arrow commands were revealed publicly, it seems the game could be played with only one hand?

Tabata: Now one can enjoy Kingdom Hearts quality gaming with the input buttons of their mobile phone, this will lead to other elements.

Nomura: Since the contents of mobile phone software has become outstanding, please anticipate this game.

--This time there is high quality graphics, but do you think it will be a success on the mobile phone?

Tabata: I don’t know yet, though it’s development specs are very close to Final Fantasy XIII Agito’s.

--About the game’s concept?

Nomura: It is not a concept limited to this game, but we wanted to create a fun playground. Though Tabata mentioned he wanted to make it like Disneyland. There are various attractions (contents), that’s the image of this game.

Tabata: The very beginning of it started late one night, Nomura was explaining the contents of the mobile phone on a white board and the idea arose.

Nomura: At that point, I wasn’t thinking about continuing the Kingdom Hearts series. But I had this concept… And it began from that sort of talk…

Tabata: That concept was really interesting. Though it’d take great effort, we said let’s do it with Kingdom Hearts, so it came to be.

Nomura: This title will be distributed in a format that will spread the story, but we’re thinking of various components that will adapt to these circumstances. Like with Before Crisis -FFVII- and Monotone, various battle systems and episodes were implemented. Incorporating the know how gained from those games plus new experiments, I think this mobile game will be a compilation of these features.

--This game sounds like a great idea. As for the setting, is it taking place after Kingdom Hearts II?

Nomura: Yes. But because the stages of the story are made mainly of data from Jiminy’s Journal, Sora appears as he did in the first Kingdom Hearts. This Sora is not the genuine Sora, it is made out of data. Even so, it’s organic existence is not a matter of concern, the data version contains Sora’s memories of the adventures up to now and it will solve the truths of the past.

--So it seems with the sensation of a genuine Sora, we’ll be able to enjoy the adventures with the unchanged Sora. Will the story in the real world develop too?

Nomura: I think there might be some development in the real world. There is story hypothesizing, but how far it will spread from there depends on how much the fans play.

--In Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories we adventured around the worlds of the first Kingdom Hearts. If the story revolves around the worlds made of data that are created from the same adventures written in Jiminy’s Journal, how will this game greatly differ from it?

Nomura: It’s different from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories where the contents were reliving the worlds from Sora’s memories. This game tells a new side of the story in the data world that is eroded by bugs. By this process, the mysteries about where the King was and what Riku was doing during the Kingdom Hearts time frame is explained.

--Considering the lines “free them from their torment”, have the people being referred to appeared in the series before?

Nomura: As expected, I can’t answer that right now. An appearing enemies will be heartless made from data, but who could the real enemy be? Matching those parts together, I can’t say anymore about it yet.

--How will the battles be?

Tabata: The battles are characteristic of the Kingdom Hearts series, but I sense the button operations on the mobile phone will be simple. A new element will also be implemented. An example being Debugging Mode, it uses a system with a certain sense of trickery in order to exterminate the bugs.

--What kind of elements that make use of the communication functions were you thinking of?

Tabata: The intention is to be able to go back and forth in the worlds between players. For example, Player A eradicates the bugs in their world, and then even if they could not go ahead earlier, they can solve a problem from Player B’s world, and then return back to their world. This sort of system where people meet mutually is under development.

--The erosion of the bugs spreading day by day, is that the sort of image we’ll see?

Tabata: Perhaps it’ll be something like that. One of the concepts was to have it so the player could check once a day on the state of things.

--Please say any last statements.

Tabata: Out of the series, this game can be played very casually. I think the people experiencing Kingdom Hearts for the first time can enjoy it too.

Nomura: Including this title, the intention is to prepare a fun playground everyone can enjoy. I think it’ll be available a little earlier, so there’s always the opening day to look forward to.

--Whereabouts do you believe the quality of the cellphone game will be? Will it be the same as the other two games?

Tabata: We plan on getting the game in par with Final Fantasy Agito XIII, however that’s still being thought on.

What is the concept of this game?

Nomura: I wanted to make this like a playground for fans. Like Disneyland where there are many attractions for people. I wish to do the same, but with content instead.

Tabata: Actually to start it off, Nomura was drunk at midnight and began to explain the idea, with the help of the whiteboard and it’s contents for the mobile phone. There was a lot of planning going on for that midnight.

Nomura: It wasn’t even thought about being part of the Kingdom Hearts series then, however whenever there’s a plan for the game it’s best to start from story.

Tabata: At first the plan seemed terrible, but at the same time interesting, after all Kingdom Hearts is special.

Nomura: We thought about various elements, that could be added into the story, to help extend the game. Such as in Before Crisis FFVII, and Monotone there was a new battle system, as well as chapters to help work the system, and the game. We might make it the same for Kingdom Hearts Coded.

--Is there big plans for this game? Since the setting of it takes place after Kingdom Hearts II.

Nomura: Yes, however I should point out that Sora from Kingdom Hearts, is only appearing in those clothes because of the Jiminy Journal is taking data from the very beginning. Therefore the Sora is not the original, but a data copy. The memory is also erased from Sora, and he has to go through his adventures again to solve the mystery of the Data bugs.

--Then this means they can enjoy adventuring with Sora, without worrying about a change in personality from the original Sora. Will there be a developing story in the real world too?

Nomura: At first I wasn’t sure, but I believe events in the real world will be talked about as well. There is also a story in development about the real world as well, which will be done for the user.

--There was an adventure in Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, in the Kingdom Hearts series, will the Data World be following Kingdom Hearts series as well?

Nomura: Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, was created to relive the worlds created by Sora’s Memory. This game differs from Chain of Memories, as there will be a brand new story, since the bug has corrupted the data. Questions will be answered to, such as where the King had gone, and also what Riku has been doing.

--In the Jiminy Journal it’s said “We must return to free them from their Torment” who is ‘Them’? Are they characters we’ve seen before in previous Kingdom Hearts games.

Nomura: I can not tell you now. Actually it’s not even possible to really explain it yet as it is about the true enemy of the game. Even though there are heartless in the game that are made out of data, they are not the real cause.

How does the battle work?

Tabata: Kingdom Hearts series button layout makes it simple to recreate it for the cellphone, and it will have that same combat feel, however at the same time I will be putting in new elements. One example is the “Debugging Mode” which was created to eliminate the bug.

Will you be using any other elements that might make use of the telecommunication facility?

Tabata: I will, such as being able to go in the world of the player. What I mean is that, it’s possible to intefere with other players, as they all share the world together. An example being that if there is trouble in the world of Player B, I can go there and help them solve the bug, and then return to the world of Player A.

--The invasion do the bug is one thing, where there be other problems within the game?

Tabata: It is likely to be the first aspect of the problem, and is also one of the concepts of the game. there may be other problems as well, but you’ll have to wait to find out what they are.

--Will just about anyone be able to enjoy this?

Tabata: The Kingdom Hearts series became a game for people who played the series before can understand the next one. I believe people who haven’t even touched Kingdom Hearts can play this game for the first time, and enjoy it.

Nomura: I will be preparing the playground for people to enjoy the game. I think everyone should look forward to the day it is released. (Laughs)

--Development team from Kingdom Hearts RE:Chain of Memories, therefore the team in Osaka is handling the game as well.

Tetsuya Nomura: Development started earlier, however due to RE:COM needed to be improved a lot, the production of BbS was interrupted.

--Then we can consider it possible that the secret movie of KH2FM+ will play an important role in BBS?

Tetsuya Nomura: Yes.

--So does this take place before the first Kingdom Hearts game?

Tetsuya Nomura: Yes, however it does nott start immediately before Kingdom Hearts.

--Is there a representation to the name of Terra, and the other characters?

Tetsuya Nomura: In the origin of the names Earth is Terra, as Wind is Ven. However the real name of Ven is loner, this is just an alias.

--The figure and age of the old man who is called Master Xehanort, is different from the Xehanort of Kingdom Hearts II. Also what is the relationship with the person who looks just like Roxas?

Tetsuya Nomura: There is a mystery to who each character is in the story, which I can not reveal right now.

Is the master who taught the three from the current series?

Tetsuya Nomura: I can’t say.

--The story will advance around these three people?

Tetsuya Nomura: Yes, it is also pretty complex in this game, and can become very series. Watanabe who took care of the scenarios is skillful in this. Also he is supervising some of the scenarios of the other two titles. This game will also be a bit challenging since the game will be featuring the aspect of three people.

--So what about the development of Birth by Sleep?

Nomura: The developer of re:COM will be working on KH:BBS. During Development, the production of KH:BBS was stopped, for the production of re:COM. At first it felt a bit weird starting the project again. I believe this project started before the other two, of the three Kingdom Hearts games, and I also believe it will be the last to hit the market.

--It still relates to Birth of Sleep?

Nomura: The Secret Ending, is an image for a scene in BBS, therefore the title of the game is also the same. However because it is difficult to express a violent battle as a playable content, The Secret Ending, is an image to the end.

--How much talk was put into it, for this, as it seems to be the past to the “KH” Series.

Nomura: The game is the farthest in the past timeline of Kingdom Hearts, and will take 10 years ago from the KH series. There is a screenshot of two children playing on the beach, and I believe the fans can understand what that means.

--In the Story it’s said that “Three Scenarios spelt by Three Heroes”. Is there a relation between each scenario?

Nomura: There are three Heroes, Terra, Ven, and another character in KHBBS. A story is already prepared for all three of them. Therefore in a way you can say three games were made at the same time. (Laughs) It’s difficult to zap through the explanation right now due to Scenario creating. However the beginning will be a bit hard to understand, but by completing all three Scenarios you will understand the entire story.

--Do the names of the three heroes represent something?

Nomura: In Kingdom Hearts, Sora meant Sky, Riku meant Land, and Kairi meant Sea. In this game, the three meanings make a large impact on the game.

--Are all three Scenarios happening around the same time?

Nomura: All of the Scenarios do take around the same time, however there are also some gaps between the timelines. Also there are times when all three heroes will meet.

--Is the playing order decided yet?

Nomura: I believe it would be better if we gave the players a freedom of choice. However this is still being talked about, but I believe it would be better to choose whoever you want out of the three.

--What place is the story’s viewpoint from?

Nomura: To bring a point. The word that comes up in Kingdom Hearts 2, is Xehanort. The game will bring up answers to several things though like. “Why is the Elderly person who appears in BBS bring up the same name?” and “Why is he wearing the same clothes as Ansem in KH1?” Another thing I want to bring up is that Ven has the same hairstyle, face, clothes, and voice to Roxas who appears in the Kingdom Hearts series.

--Is the voice actor of Ven the same as Roxas?

Nomuea: Yes, it is the same actor. Therefore the person who played, will only look at Ven as Roxas from KH2.

--However, is Roxas and Ven really the same character? Moreover, what’s the mystery for the existence of Ven, and Roxas?

Nomura: These are keys that can be fully understandable, when playing KH:BBS. You will be able to seperate Ven from Roxas with ease, I will hint though by connecting the Story between Roxas and Sora, you will understand who Ven is.

--May I believe that the one you fight in KH2FM+, and Terra are the same person? Because they both use a very similar kind of Keyblade.

Nomura: If they really are the same person, or not is uncertain, though it doesn’t matter if you think they are the same person.

In BBS, after all three are divided, the king appears?

Nomura: It may be deeply related to the story, however I cannot tell rather or not that is a “King” from that current age. This is because the development of BBS will be a very serious story.

--In BBS is the gameplay done by choosing action commands lined up in command list?

Nomura: I believe it is neccessary to say first. The Command Menu that was shown to the public (A.K.A scans, and video) has now changed. A system close to that of re:COM has been created successfully feeling like a command deck. However the present screenshots show it was a bit too close to the idea of re:COM. The battle screens you see in the images now, have already been changed. However the operating sense is similar to that of the Kingdom Hearts series. The gameplay has a slight influence from the DS game “It’s a Wonderful World”.

--Are there any features for the Growth System?

Nomura: A new Growth System has been added into the game, it is when you have to match four obligations with the scenario. We tried this variously because it was a bit hard with the PSP. However we made the best use of it’s Analog.

--Are there new enemies you can confirm that are not shown in the screens?

Nomura: The new enemy is not a Heartless, or a Nobody. Because the story takes place before even they appear. I can give out more information little by little as time passes, an example being like the Shadow enemies that are heartless, and the Dusk enemies that are nobodies.

--With the PSP will it be possible for two people to Communicate by any connection method?

Nomura: It’s too early to answer that however, there will be some features that will be taking advantage of the PSP.

Nomura Interview - Kingdom Hearts: Coded (Mobile Phones):

--The gane is played on a horizontal screen, even though the game is for mobile phones, why is this?"

Nomura: This is not just the length screen but also a model screen specification for the most recent cellphones. It is what we assume the game to look like when it's released to the public. The method for the horizontal screen has already been talked about, it is a basic horizontal screen size.

--Are the graphics 3D or 2D?

Nomura: The background is 3D, and the characters are 2D. The development of this game is still in progress, and we plan to have the game both 3D and 2D. The reason is so that we can have the game available to a range of cellphones. The reason we developed this idea is because we wish to send this game overseas.

--How exactly will the game be executed?

Nomura: Unlike larger games in development, we always thought the world of Kingdom Hearts could be made mobile. For instance, there is a huge amusement park, and the main attraction is KHc (Kingdom Hearts Coded). It can be like an entrance to an amusement park, free of charge, allowing you to visit each world. That is the delivery plan of KHc. We plan on taking full advantage for the mobile phone.

--Will the storyline be based on Sora's adventures in Kingdom Hearts?

Nomura: The timeline is based after Kingdom Hearts II. Jiminy is analyzing his journal through a computer simulation, and the adventure will take place in that. Therefore the player is not playing as Sora himself, but Data of Sora. The world that was shown was a stage, though this was through the time of COM, and re:COM over the memory of Sora.

--What gameplay elements are there?

Nomura: This is going to be a puzzle game, mixed with action. After analyzing Jiminy's Journal, many bugs are found. The area (worlds? levels?) must be analyzed in order to find the bug that is violating the data, and then you need to remove the bug. However some (levels?) may get a bit more confusing as there will be ladders Sora will use to get to higher areas.

--When do you think this game will be released?

Nomura: You may have to wait a while, as there are still some problems with the specs of cellphones for now. (Meaning, at this time, cellphones cannot handle these graphics.) However we are not asking you to wait for 2, or 3 years. (Possibly this means around a year or so)

--Will these works be connected with the "New" Kingdom Hearts game?

Nomura: KHc features Sora. However, the DS and PSP are both completely different stories, though I cannot say what they are yet. I can say these titles are not the last of the series, and all three will connect to a New Kingdom Hearts Game sooner or later.

Nomura Interview - Birth By Sleep (PSP):

--Can you tell us a bit about the development of Birth By Sleep?

Nomura: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is being worked on by the same team that created re: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep's development had originally started before the development of re: CoM, but production was stopped to complete re: CoM. At first it felt a bit weird starting the project again. I believe this project started before the other two of the Kingdom Hearts games, and I also believe it will be the last to hit the market.

--The game still relates to Birth By Sleep? [KH2: FM+'s secret ending]

Nomura: The secret ending [from KH2: FM+] is actually a scene from Birth By Sleep, therefore the title of the game is also the same. However, because it is difficult to express such a violent battle as playable content, the secret ending [from KH2: FM+] is an image (scene?) of the end.(Is he hinting that this is how Birth by Sleep will end or something else?)

--How much talk was put into it, as it seems to be a game taking place in the past.

Nomura: This game goes the farthest back in the Kingdom Hearts timeline, about ten years before the original Kingdom Hearts. There is a screenshot of two children playing on the beach, and I believe the fans can understand what that means. [Sora and Riku as children?]

--In the story it's said that there are "Three Scenarios by Three Heroes". Is there a relation between each scenario?

Nomura: There are three Heroes: Terra, Ven, and another character in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. We have already prepared a story for each of them. Therefore, in a way you can say three games were made at the same time. (Laughs) It's difficult to zap through the explanation right now, as we are still creating all of the scenarios. However, the beginning will be a bit hard to understand, but by completing all three scenarios, the player will understand the entire story.

--Do the names of the three heroes represent something?

Nomura: In Kingdom Hearts, Sora meant Sky, Riku meant Land, and Kairi meant Sea. In this game, the three meanings make a large impact on the game.

--Do all of the scenarios take place at the same time?

Nomura: All of the scenarios do take place around the same time, however there are also some gaps between the timelines. Also there are times when all three heroes will meet.

--Is the playing order [for the scenarios] decided yet?

Nomura: I believe it would be better if we gave the players a freedom of choice. However this is still being talked about, but I believe it would be better to choose whoever you want out of the three.

--What is the importance of story?

Nomura: For example, the name Xehanort is bought up in Kingdom Hearts 2. The game will answer several things like, "Why is the elderly person who appears in Birth by Sleep bringing up the same name?" and ,"Why is he wearing the same clothes as Ansem in the original Kingdom Hearts?" Another thing I want to bring up, is ,"Ven has the same hairstyle, face, clothes, and voice of Roxas, but just who is he?

--Is the voice actor of Ven the same as Roxas?

Nomura: Yes, it is the same actor. Therefore the player will only look at Ven as Roxas from Kingdom Hearts 2.

--However, are Roxas and Ven really the same character?

--Moreover, what about the mystery surrounding the existence of Ven and Roxas?

Nomura: These are keys that will be revealed from playing Birth By Sleep. You will be able to separate Ven from Roxas with ease; I will hint though by connecting the story between Roxas and Sora, you will understand who Ven is.

--May I believe that the one you fight in KH2FM+, and Terra are the same person? Because they both use a very similar kind of Keyblade.

Nomura: If they really are the same person or not is uncertain, though it doesn't matter if you think they are the same person.

--In Birth by Sleep, after all three are divided, the king appears?

Nomura: It may be deeply related to the story, however I cannot tell whether or not that he is a"King" at that current age. This is because the development of Birth by Sleep will contain a very serious story.

--In Birth by Sleep, is the gameplay done by choosing action commands lined up in command list?

Nomura: I believe it is necessary to say first, The Command Menu that was shown to the public [A.K.A scans, and video] has now changed. A system close to that of re:COM has been created, feeling like a command deck. However, the present screen shots show it was a bit too close to the idea of re:COM. The battle screens you see in the images now, have already been changed. However the operating sense is similar to that of the Kingdom Hearts series. The gameplay has slight influence from the DS game "It's a Wonderful World".

--Are there any features for the Growth System? (Leveling System)

Nomura: A new Growth System has been added into the game, in which you have to match four obligations with the scenario (?). We tried this variously because it was a bit hard with the PSP. However we made the best use of its Analog.

--Are there new enemies you can confirm that are not shown in the screens?

Nomura: The new enemy is not a Heartless, or a Nobody, because the story takes place before even they appear. I can only give out more information, little by little, as time passes: an example being like the Shadow enemies that are heartless, and the Dusk enemies that are nobodies.

--With the PSP, will it be possible for two people to communicate through a connection method?

Nomura: It's too early to answer that, however, there will be some features that will be taking advantage of the PSP. [.

Nomura Interview - 358/2 Days (DS):

--Is the beginning of 358/2 Days going to focus on Roxas' birth?

Nomura: Roxas' birth will be covered in the game's prologue, however the game really begins at the time in which Roxas enters the Organization XIII.

--Will this game have an ending that has already occurred, like Crisis Core had?

Nomura: Where do you think the end is? The point is, how did it get to the point where Roxas to left the Organization? The details of that will be discussed game. (Basically, we may already know the end, we just don't know how it got to that point, like Crisis Core).

--Will we be going through Disney worlds in this story, like previous Kingdom Hearts games?

Nomura: The story does not entirely progress going from world to world, but there is a [form of?] progression in story.

--Is the 14th Organization Member [Newly Revealed] a new character in the Kingdom Hearts Series? It appears as though the character is...a woman?

Nomura: I should bring it up now, that the XIV member is not Namine, since some people believed it to be Namine by seeing the trailer. However it will be explained as to why there's no pillar for this character, as well as why she never appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2.

--In the trailer, four characters are shown playing simultaneously. Is this possible in game?

Nomura: Multiplayer can be played with up to four people [or less if desired]. Not only that, multiplayer gives a sense of freedom, as this mode has no effect on the story. But it is possible to choose less then four, for the multiplayer content.

--How does the multiplayer mode progress?

Nomura: The point is to basically complete given missions. For instance, defeating an enemy or whatever the goal of the mission is. There are various goals, both big and small. There is a constant feeling of competition in multiplayer, so sometimes the player may forget just what the goal is!

--Is multiplayer mode possible for one player only?

Nomura: Multiplayer mode is rather complicated ; we had to design a growth (leveling) system. For example, when Axel is used in Multiplayer mode, Roxas will gain some extra experience from this as well. Also, you are able to customize your character freely. (He does not go into detail about the customization part, so it is unsure what).

--About the new KH title that will be announced after summer this year (2007), will that be a direct sequel?

Nomura: Hmm…I’m not sure how much I can say (laughs). I’ll start of by saying that it’s not Kingdom Hearts 3.

--So this game will be a side story?

Nomura: That’s right. My own feelings are that I would like to give Sora a break from large adventures for a little while. So I’m thinking of making the next game’s story focus on other characters.

--So by a little while, do you mean that Sora’s journey from Kingdom Hearts 2 hasn’t finished?

Nomura: Yes. If you’re talking about the mysteries that started from Kingdom Hearts 1, then those were all revealed. In the ending of Kingdom Hearts II, there was a scene where Sora received a letter from the King; for Sora, I would like you to consider this as a new beginning. The truth is, until the very end, I was considering whether or not to include a scene showing them setting off on a journey after reading the letter.

--So, let’s talk about this new story, which doesn’t have Sora as the main character. What sort of story will it be?

Nomura: Well, I need to start with the story depicted in a Birth by Sleep. Aside from that, there’s the story of how the King found his keyblade in the world of darkness and other things like that. Myself, one of the things I most want to do is to give Roxas more of a role to play. I think it would be interesting to flesh out more of the year he spent between his birth and disappearance. Or making Riku the main character, and writing about his desperate fight while Sora was asleep, and things like that. You get the impression that Riku summoned Roxas to a place of shadows, and that Riku is a master of shadows, so I would like to give him more exploration in the game.

--Will there be anything different in the game system?

Nomura: I’d like to try something a little different to the previous games in the KH series. I’m not just talking about the next game, more about the next project, so I can’t say that it will just be one game (laughs). For the Kingdom Hearts series, being made with our company and Disney, both companies have things in mind that we would like to make reality, so there’s always at least two things we want to do.

--What platform does it look like the next game will be released on?

Nomura: Hmm… Probably a hand-held platform. Right now we’re working on titles for the PSP (FFVII Crisis Core), Nintendo DS (This Wonderful World) and for mobile phones (MONOTONE), so I wouldn’t be surprised if it were on any of those platforms.

--Is there any chance that this game may be released on multiple platforms?

Nomura: We haven’t considered that in the development. If possible, I would like to make a system that suits the platform. But in contrast, in terms of ideas, I would want ideas that could be released on any platform.

--The more I hear about the next game, the more exciting it sounds, but for the fans the first thing to do is to see KH2 Final Mix’s secret movie isn’t it?

Nomura: Yes. I’m worried that we made the conditions for getting the secret movie too hard, but through reading this guide, I hope the readers will be able to see the secret movie. Finding a way to defeat (the new boss) is tough, but I’ve seen it done, so I know it’s not impossible (laughs). If you’re able to see the new secret movie and turn your thoughts to the next Kingdom Hearts, I’d be very happy.

Part 1 - About the KH Worlds

I - Until now in the Kingdom Hearts (hereafter KH) Series, there have been 2 types of "Kingdom Hearts" referring to the Heart of Worlds and the Heart of Men, could you explain the mechanics of this?

Think of the basic setting of KH as "All life has a heart". The heart of a world can be considered the things of nature; for example, the trees in a forest, a sea or river, a flower and so forth. When they all come together to form a world a large heart will come into existence. And concerning the hearts designated to men, all the hearts of humans and animals living in the world are integrated. As for Kingdom Hearts, think of it as if the heart is essentially the culmination of an invisible "Proof of Life".

II - Worlds appear in KH, could you please give an explanation of the means of coming and going between them?

Concerning the structure of worlds, first Sora and the Disney characters, and where ever we dwell, these so-called normal worlds are attached to the Realm of Light. If all of these exist at the same level and you imagine them all sitting on top of a plane, there is also a plane of existence on the other side where the Realm of Darkness exists.

At present, there are 4 worlds in-between these planes that have appeared: A) Castle Oblivion, B) Twilight Town, C) Yen Sid's Tower, and D) The World That Never Was. Constructed in this manner, Light < C < B > A > D > Darkness, you can imagine 2 planes with stairs ranging between the worlds. There are 2 means of transfer between these worlds, first being the Gummi Ship Sora uses in what is called the "Sea of Outer Space". In this way they can come and go between the worlds dotted through space. There is an invisible shell covering these worlds, so as to preserve the original world from interference from other worlds. By opening the hearts of each of these worlds this shell is broken and will become a group of shooting stars pouring down. Once settled, these shooting stars will become the Gummi Parts of the Gummi Ship. Because they were originally from the shell covering this world, it becomes possible to interfere into each world.

There is one more method, the use of the "Dark Corridor". There are those who are on a fallen path, essentially not being on the path they should be. Only those who can be said to have a Dark existence or an In-between existence can make these doorways. On rare occasion those with particularly strong feelings or hatred, such as the case with Beast and DiZ and perhaps others like them can open these paths. However you must be careful when coming into contact with such darkness. As such, if you use these paths too often you will be completely swallowed by darkness. Sora has used these paths several times before, but the degree of frequency hasn't allowed the darkness to stain his heart, so you can think of the influential power of darkness as being dependent upon the strength of the persons heart.

As for the Nobodies who have no heart and the King and Riku, using these paths many times doesn't concern them. Why doesn't the darkness progressively swallow them you ask? There are secret similarities between the two that are talked about in the game.

III - About the World of Darkness and such, you haven't gone into detail. Could you possibly talk about some of these things? Does the beach at the beginning and end of KH [II] have some connection to the World of Darkness?

Presently there are 4 main untold stories to consider: "the period of the King's absence", "the period of Riku's absence", "Roxas's time in Organization XIII" and "Xehanort's past". In this case, the story of "the period of the King's absence" is set in the realm of darkness. I am examining a way to tell these 4 stories so I might be able to find a way to tell them soon.

What can be called the dark coastline seen at the beginning and end of KHII is the tip of a world. It is not strictly part of the realm of darkness but rather what serves as the boundary line in between the dark and the in-between. In the ending, Sora and Riku were on the coast on the in-between side and were looking at the sea of the realm of darkness. The door visible in the dark sea is a scene that symbolizes "Deep within the darkness, there is light", as Sora said in the previous KH.

IV - There are still many mysteries surrounding Castle Oblivion. Was the castle itself constructed by the Organization and was Naminé originally a subject of the experiments going on there? Please tell us about the details of the Organization's experiments. Also, was the pod Sora entered somehow related to the experiments done by the Organization? Was the pod in Twilight Town the same sort of thing?

In the end, the Organization's goal is to obtain the Kingdom Heart's of people's hearts and to fully exist. These Nobodies are called "the Non-Existent Ones". In order to assume a new existence, information about their own personal circumstances must first be gathered. A Nobody's main characteristic is that without a heart they use memories to form the parts of a personality and emotions. For them, memories have become an essential element. The birth of Castle Oblivion itself is still a mystery but before the Organization was born into this world it was there. The Organization discovered this castle. You should be able to make some guesses from the additional scenes this time, and fairly quickly be able to think of the next stage.

At the same time Roxas awoke in Twilight Town, Naminé awoke in Castle Oblivion. Afterwards, the Organization discovered Naminé. The organization thought of Naminé's gift to manipulate memories as a way to resolve the actual circumstances surrounding each of their abilities and attributes. The memories of those who enter were used in the experiments on memories going on there. Above all else, the Organization's leader Xemnas was investigating the importance of memories. During these experiments, in order for these memories to be broken and then regenerated, those pods were made by the Organization. The pod Sora awoke from in Twilight Town and the pod DiZ moved from Castle Oblivion to keep away from the Organization's pursuit are the same thing. Also, there is an additional scene where Xigbar talks about the "true goal of Castle Oblivion" and when this particular scene appears, I think all mystery surrounding Castle Oblivion should become clear.

Part 2 - About the Keyblades

V - There is still a lot of mystery about the Keyblades I think. The "Light side, heart of worlds Keyblade" that Sora wields, the "Keyblade of people's hearts" made from the Seven Princesses' hearts for Riku, and the "Dark side, heart of worlds Keyblade" that the king obtained in the realm of darkness, presently these 3 types can be confirmed. Could you please explain things a little further?

Keyblades have 2 different constitutions, either from the Light side or the Dark side. This is merely the exterior key, the inner key can act from either side and its abilities won't change. There is no clear division between good and evil. Usually the door to each world is closed and the keyhole itself is not visible. By bringing a Keyblade nearby, the Keyhole appears. But the lock is not actually closed itself. Indeed, the Heartless were able to find the door and easily open it and in this way steal hearts. In the previous game, Sora turned the locks and closed these doors. Furthermore, about the opened door of the integrated heart of worlds "Kingdom Hearts" itself, to prevent the outflow of the darkness within hearts the intent and reasons were different so the Keyblade was used for a different purpose. In order to work, the door needs to be closed from both the Dark side and the Light side and both a dark and light realm Keyblade are needed. The King needed a Keyblade opposite from the realm of light Keyblade that Sora had, so he went to the realm of darkness to obtain one.

The Keyblade constructed from the Seven Princesses' hearts that Riku obtained in the previous game allowed for the Keyhole in Hollow Bastion to appear. For the plan to cause darkness to overflow from hearts, the special hearts held by the Princesses were used to artificially make this Keyblade. So it is different from a proper Keyblade. There are further suggestions that this Keyblade is artificial as well.

VI - Could you please give an explanation for the new Keyblade "Way to the Dawn" that Riku obtained and the Keyblade Kairi has as well as what the conditions for using a Keyblade are?

There isn't necessarily one Keyblade for the dark side and one for the light side, just as many as there exist people with qualified hearts. Concerning the conditions to wield one, at this stage, "Those with strong hearts" is the only obvious one. However, less obvious conditions still exist and there are still plans for an opportunity to reveal those. Riku's "Way to the Dawn" and Kairi's Keyblade are naturally the same type of Keyblade as Sora's. However there is no particular explanation for the Soul Eater's transfer and occurrence, as well as Riku's handing it to Kairi. When there isn't a normal process of acquisition, I think its OK to think there is some deeper meaning there.

VII - In KH, at the same time Sora became a Heartless Roxas was born and entered the Organization. So if that's the case, at that point in time at Castle Oblivion Sora used a Keyblade while at the same time Roxas would have been using a Keyblade. Was this Sora's Keyblade? Within the Organization I think we particularly saw Roxas using a Keyblade. And similar to Roxas, Sora served as another Keyblade Master conveniently gathering hearts. So why was the Organization defeated?

The Keyblade that Roxas used and the thing that Sora once lost in Castle Oblivion are the same thing. Furthermore, these two both used the Keyblade at the same time. This is can be explained by the relationship between Roxas and Sora. Thus, that both can wield two Keyblades in fact has an important meaning. This is also related to Xehanort's memories, but this point can't be touched on just yet.

Furthermore, from the time that the two were both using the Keyblade at the same time, the Organization itself was using Sora for their ultimate goal. Soon enough, each of the Organization's expectations differed. By changing Sora and Roxas's movements, eventually they became unable to use Sora for their true meaning. As a result, Sora became an obstacle to the movements of the Organization itself and he had to be defeated. But even if Sora were to be defeated, you could say there are other things to think about in making that sacrifice.

Part 3 - About the Characters

VIII - When the Heartless are defeated, what becomes of the stolen hearts? Also, when members of Organization XIII and other Nobodies are defeated, do they return to their original form?

When Heartless are defeated, essentially the owner's hearts are rejoined with their once extinguished body, whichever world it may be on. As for the whereabouts of hearts in KHII that turn up, this time they remarkably went to the Organization (there is a foot note here that says "In Kingdom Hearts II after Heartless were defeated, the many hearts were absorbed by the Kingdom Hearts of "people's hearts"). However, in the rare case that the body changed into a Nobody, when there is no container for the heart it resorts to a state of suspension.

In the case of a Nobody being defeated, it's a little more complicated. If the above mentioned hearts are liberated, they return to their original form. However, if the heart is still stolen by the Heartless, the Nobody's body is swallowed by darkness. If somewhere in the world their hearts are taken back, perhaps they might be able to return to their original human form.

IX - Could you please gather some information about the main characters? The reason Sora becomes Anti Form, the reason Riku is able to be selected by a Keyblade, Kairi's memories of Radiant Garden, Roxas and Naminé's differences from other Nobodies, the absence of Sora and them, their parents and friends, and what about school?

Concerning Sora's Anti Form, you could think that the reason is related to his changing into a Heartless once before. In fact, beyond Sora's Nobody, it is natural to assume that Sora is influenced by the Heartless. Riku's Dark Mode is similar. By using such a strong power too much, he may have ended up approaching too close to darkness. There should be a hint about Riku being a chosen wielder hidden discreetly somewhere in the additions to the game, so certainly try and find it. As for Kairi's memories, there's nothing particularly special about them. If I personally regained memories from before I was 5, I think I wouldn't remember many details about them. That is to say on a general level, there are things I would remember and things I would forget.

Because there is already a detailed explanation of Roxas and Naminé being special Nobodies in this volume, please read the specific details there. I'll summarize it so its easy to understand. Essentially when a strong hearted person has their heart stolen, they change into a Heartless, and on rare occasions their body changes into a Nobody. But in the case for these 2, for Kairi's heart to be hidden within Sora, it took a special shape. Moreover, when Sora himself was changed into a heartless he was purified by Kairi. In order for Sora to be revived without following the essential course, the special way Roxas and Naminé were born from these types, special Nobodies ended up being left behind. Still, I get the feeling from the story so far that Xemnas might also be a special Nobody.

Finally, about the people on Destiny Island, at the time of Sora and groups disappearance, on the night of the storm from the previous game, Destiny Island itself ended up disappearing and for the people of that world time is stopped. Afterwards, Sora slept for 1 year, and then everyone's memories of Sora himself were no longer there. As such the memory actually became "On the night of the storm, Riku's body disappeared". Once Sora awoke, the memories of him returned. Eventually the memories of Sora, just as Riku was no longer there after the storm that night, were that both of them had disappeared. (footnote: However, Kairi alone was once assimilated into Sora's heart. In this edition "Kingdom Hearts II" I strongly feel that he was influenced by this.

X - KH's Ansem (Xehanort) seems to have thoroughly gotten rid of his own heart, but Xemnas (Xehanort) commanding Organization XIII is seeking a fresh heart. If I understand that in becoming a heartless and a nobody, they became 2 different people, would their minds then as well become separate? Also, the original Xehanort should have some memory loss but in the additional scenes this time there seem to be some questionable parts. Have his memories returned, or perhaps the memory loss itself was a lie?

In essence, the two are the same. However, they function under separate minds. Xehanort most certainly got rid of his heart, and at that time it's assumed a Nobody was born. The means of obtaining their goal is different due to the nature of Heartless and Nobodies. However. I think for both of them the desire "to become a complete existence" is the same. This time the new mysterious keyword "Xehanort's memories" is left behind. In the "Secret Ansem Report" that Ansem the Wise wrote and mysteriously left behind, there is a hidden secret that will have a big influence on KH. As for the contents of his memories and the present condition of them, I cannot reveal that just yet.

Part 4 - About the Keyblade War, and other further developments of KH

XI - Concerning the keyword Keyblade War, could you be a little more specific about that? Could it be related to the "Fairytale of Children and Light" that Kairi's Grandmother told? (footnote: In Kingdom Hearts, Sora experienced Kairi's memories. It was the scene when Kairi's Grandmother told her an old story when she was still young. It was about when worlds were swallowed by darkness, children used the power of fragments of light to rebuild worlds.)

To tell the story about the Keyblade War we need the capacity of hi-spec hardware and we need to accumulate all of our knowledge on this hardware. And in telling this story, we will need to tell it in separate episodes, and how specifically to tell it has yet to be figured out.

As for the fairytale that Kairi heard, for everyone to feel like such an old fairytale is real, I think we need a little more time. That is to say, to talk specifically about either this soon might perhaps be irrelevant.

XII - Of the people that appear in the new secret movie "Birth By Sleep" that was added to KHII:FM, several names and figures are recognizable and must be extremely meaningful. Giving specifics is likely impossible, but could you give us a hint? Furthermore, do the 3 armored figures that appear there and the similar looking armored figure in the Last Battle have some relation to Xemnas?

For the recognizable figures and the recognizable faces, reaching the secret this time is extremely difficult, but I think the video is fairly spectacular and will stir your imaginations. The armored figures have a connection to Xemnas but after all I can't give any specifics at the present stage. But, the video this time has a foreboding opening and please think of the figures ahead as having reason and a hinting connection.

XIII - Lastly, has Sora's journey come to an end this time? Before you told us "I have the end of Kingdom Hearts in my head", but does this mean that Sora won't be there? There seem to be new developments with the Kingdom Hearts Series, so can you please tell us within the present limits any hints?

Without recalling too much about the mysteries and problems of the outline remaining for KH series thus far, I don't think that Sora's journey is over. If you get to see the ending of KHII I think you will be able to sense some new premonitions. About what I said about the "end" of KH, of course I won't be able to say anything about that yet, but if the numbering of KH were to go to "III", I doubt that Sora would have no relation to it. And even if I wrap up Kingdom Hearts, I don't think that Sora will be irrelevant.

Also, there are many new developments. I think that the news will be able to satisfy the widely supportive KH fans everywhere. Because there is still more to say about this "new" thing, please dare to think with a different flow, rather than just going with what's mainstream. I will give you a hint about the contents of one of the numerous developments. In the freshly added secret movie a phrase comes out, "Fate doesn't happen by accident, there is necessity".

In the near future, when you experience the new Kingdom Hearts, please see about opening this book. I think surely some of these points will tie together. And also at that time, it would be very fortunate if all the fans everywhere have a good time with it. Until an announcement comes, please have your fill of fun with this game and look forward to the next.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

--Anyway, let’s start with the news of this “new project” which appeared at the end of the latest trailer. Boy, were we surprised!

Nomura: Thanks to everyone Kingdom Hearts has gained phenomenal popularity worldwide. That is why next year the series will be taking a new step… although for the moment I can’t be any more concrete.

--If only you could do something about that (laugh). Is it something Disney specializes in? Or is a game?

Nomura: It’s complicated. It is one thing but “project” doesn’t quite encompass it. Right now we’re in the midst of talks with Disney’s side and while there is something they have contributed there is also something we [Square-Enix] have contributed. At the moment we’re talking about how to realise it. Please be patient until we can be more precise.

--Will there be a hint in KHII FM’s secret movie?

Nomura: Well… there will be… a little. But also something else…

--Something else?!

Square-Enix’s PR Department: It’s probably something you have never would have imagined. (laugh)

Nomura: So a lot’s going on but please look forward to it.

--We will! Now, regarding the new information that’s been released, first there’s that new costume for Sora. Is it for Halloween Town?

Nomura: Actually it’s something for Christmas Town. It was suggested in an interview so I thought that since I had the chance…

--So there’s no difference in Halloween Town but when in Christmas Town it will change?

Nomura: Yes. There are basically two costumes for that world.

--Will these new changes in costumes also mean changes in the story?

Nomura: No, the story won’t change so there will only be a difference in the visuals. I thought that might be fun. The reason it isn’t red is because it would then be the same colour as Jack’s and so the story would get complicated. By the way, Donald and Goofy’s appearances will also change.

--What is the new Drive Form looking like?

Nomura: The colours are very similar to Sora’s KH costume.

--Speaking of the latest trailer, it seems there was a new stage… one where there were battles with Marluxia and Lexaeus. They disappear in CoM right? So…

Nomura: In KHII FM you will be able to fight all the members of Organization XIII. To do that we had to create a new place. Those members who aren’t related to the story will be very difficult to defeat.

--More than Sephiroth?

Nomura: Yes. This is a special edition so they’ll be very hard indeed.

--We also saw that the fight against Roxas that was a cut scene in KHII is now playable.

Nomura: Yes. We’re doing our best to make it great.

--In the latest releases it also seemed like he had a very small number of HP bars. (laugh)

Nomura: Well he is also a Keyblade Wielder so he packs quite a punch. However, unlike Sephiroth, his is a fight that is compulsory to the story so we couldn’t make him too powerful either. It was all about finding the correct balance.

--There were quite a few screens where he was in the air but will this be a mostly airborne battle?

Nomura: Not really, but it will definitely be a very lively battle.

--There seems to be a Reaction Command called Duel Bout. Wasn’t this one that could be used with the Samurai Nobodies?

Nomura: Yes. Samurai Nobodies are supposed to be under Roxas’ command so it makes sense that Roxas can use the Command as well. Of course, Roxas’ is a lot better.

--As well as these new fights against Organization XIII and Roxas, fights against new mushroom Heartless were also shown.

Nomura: I actually don’t like shiitake (it’s a popular edible mushroom in Japan) but came to like mushroom Heartless. (laugh) I had thought of great gimmicks to put them into KHII but it didn’t make it. I had to insist a bit but they finally are included. This time they’re quite strong.

--There was a screen where mushroom Heartless were striking a pose. What was that about?!

Nomura: It means there are several of them. (laugh)

--Several?!

Nomura: They each have their own specialities and are of different sizes as well.

--Will we be able to tell them apart?

Nomura: They are all ranked and you can tell what their number is.

--In recent screens there was a score counter as well as a timer. Are they going to be fought like minigames?

Nomura: Yes. They come up as challenges and, as before, each have their own way of being solved.

--We’re looking forward to it. Also, in the latest trailer there was a character who said “It’s been a while, my friend.”. Who was this being said to?

Nomura: At present I cannot say.

--You said that none of the iron-clad characters of the secret movie were Roxas or Sora.

Nomura: That is correct. However they are related to one or more characters we have already introduced. Please speculate and look forward to it as well as the new project.

Kingdom Hearts – Re:Chain of Memories

--With the addition of voice acted scenes, it is like seeing some members of the Organization anew.

Nomura: Individuals worlds will only have text but all the scenes within the Castle with the Organization will be voiced.

--The quality of it is also amazing.

Nomura: The Organization of KHII was done so accurately and well that we were determined to do just as good with KH: Re:CoM. They stick perfectly with their image.

--In a screen where we fight with Riku, we see Zexion holding a Soul Eater. Does that mean he has the ability to imitate others’ weapons?

Nomura: Yes. However, each and every member of Organization XIII has both a special attribute and a specific weapon. Zexion also has his own weapon.

--And what seems like the ability to clone himself?

Nomura: Zexion’s element is that of illusion so he will make use of it in battle.

--What are the changes to the battle system?

Nomura: There a lot more Stock techniques. There are many new combinations that produce techniques than previously. There also some techniques that are connected to the Reaction Command brought over from KHII. However, the input of the Reaction Commands is a bit more difficult than in KHII.

--Button mashing won’t do?

Nomura: Indeed. In Re:CoM you get to use them during Stock techniques so that would have been too easy. That’s why we’ve tried to make the timing more severe.

--There has been talks that you were thinking about giving a nice bonus if the saves of KHII: FM and KH Re:CoM were to be transferred around.

Nomura: Yes I’m making it so that they will affect one another, something if KHII: FM data can be found when playing Re:CoM and vice versa. Transferring that of Re: CoM to KHII: FM will have a great effect I included thinking of all the fans so please look forward to it.

--When did KHII’s development officially start?

Nomura: In the previous game, I inserted a secret movie in hopes of creating a sequel, but to actually pull it off, KHII had a number of hurdles that I had to clear first. Like our wish “to give Mickey more spotlight”, we had to wait until Disney allowed that and once it’s settled, then we could finally talk about KHII’s development.

--Once the project started, did you have an image of how you wanted KHII to be like?

Nomura: One of (our goals) was to recover all the foreshadowing from the previous game. Then we took all the complaints we heard from it and fixed it to bring satisfaction. At the same time, we also thought of adding more into direction and increase choices in the battle system. Like this, the development was going towards the path of increasing the volume of the game from the start, so we thought “There are a lot of things that need to be done, but let’s do all of them” and stuck to that thinking.

--So is the finished game’s volume just like what you expected, Nomura?

Nomura: No, I didn’t expect it to go this far. My staff just wouldn’t stop working. (laugh) I thought we would start cutting back some things if we ever run out of time, but many of the staff just wouldn’t stop. I asked them “Are you alright with this?” and they would simply answer “Yeah, I can do this.” I’ve always been nervous all the time but in the end they accomplished and I was moved. “Wow, you all really did it.”

--In the huge battle where we have to go through 1000 Heartless, all the staff thought they couldn’t pull it off but in the end they could, eh?

Nomura: Yes. I always estimated that “If we have to drop something, it’ll have to be this part” but instead the staff demand for something higher. When it came to “No, we can’t do that but if we go a little lower, that should be okay,” I thought we would leave it at that but the staff would still make something of a higher level. (laugh) That is why I didn’t think that huge battle would actually materialize to that point in the end.

--Compared to its prequel, there are a lot of impressions on how there are less Jump actions, more user-friendly help menus and the difficulty level is lower; did you put that into thought?

Nomura: Yes. Last time we made a lot of things less user-friendly and we end up really being told it’s “not friendly”. (laugh) So that’s why this time we added information, navigation maps and so on, and created it to be very user-friendly.

--Did you have troubles because this is a sequel?

Nomura: The game’s story is a direct sequel of the first game so yes, there was that fear. Initially I didn’t bear it in my mind as “a sequel”. But, as I sat down and thought calmly before the game’s release, I thought “How will those who didn’t know about the previous game think of KHII? I wonder if they won’t buy it. Maybe this isn’t good.” But still many people accepted it so I’m glad.

--3 days after the game’s release 1 million copies of it got shipped out, after all. Do you think there’s a reason on why the fanbase has widen?

Nomura: I get the feeling it’s because we made something that has a wide ‘frontage’, something that doesn’t have age or gender as its threshold. I hear things like “My 6-year-old son is playing this” and “People in their 40′s and 50′s also play this” quite often. I guess that means it’s because the game has a ‘wide frontage’.

--What’s the theme that you most wanted to express this time?

Nomura: Not just this time; “Kingdom Hearts” always have something like “a person’s heart” and “connection of hearts” as its theme. Like the strength of an invisible “heart” or what’s the most important thing to you, that’s what I was thinking while drawing the story.

--One of the surprises of playing KHII is that the scenes and lines foreshadowed in the “deep dive” secret movie in KH:FM were actually cleared. On solving the under plots, how much was hypothesized back in the first KH?

Nomura: I think half was thought up back in the first game, another half was thought up once we started working on KHII. Even so, that doesn’t mean we didn’t think of them at all in the first place, but more like a rough “maybe we should do this.” We also changed somethings we thought up at that time so that’s what I mean by half-half.

--For example, the heart-shaped moon in the previous game’s key visual showed up this time as the Kingdom Hearts. Did you think of doing this right from the start?

Nomura: No, I didn’t. I asked Nojima (Nojima Kazushige) to write KHII’s scenario and in his scenario it was written that the Kingdom Hearts Xemnas created is “like a moon that floats in the World that Never Was.” When I read that, I thought “Oh, this can be connected!” (laugh) so I made it to look like the moon in the previous game’s key visual. The World that Never Was has the “Dark City” right from the beginning of the game’s development and since then its background is night. That’s why when Nojima-san wrote that Xemnas was creating Kingdom Hearts in the sky, coincidentally he wrote “it looks like a moon” but I thought it got connected by destiny.

--If KHII was never released, what would happen to the mysteries left in the first game?

Nomura: I guess they’ll just stay untold. (laugh) I have a severe opinion about that but I think a game that doesn’t sell just shouldn’t have a sequel. If many people want a sequel, I’ll have to answer to that but if not, I have to bravely give up. Thank goodness we had a lot of fans saying they want a continuation so we were able to make it, but if KH was a game that nobody wants a sequel of, then it’s not that bad for the unsolved mysteries to stay that way, anyway. Besides, even if KHII was not released now, the fans can still have fun with the underplots in the previous game and make their own speculations. In that way, although the game gets old, people can still continue being happy with it so I think it’s possible to draw the curtain like how the previous game did.

--A game sure needs elements where people can discuss and make speculation.

Nomura: When we were kids, we always thought “there’s not enough things to imagine from this” when reading manga, watching anime or playing games, and I thought that is strange. Whether it’s game, anime or manga, there should be a place where you can speculate things. I have that feeling so I wanted to make a game that gives space for your imagination. That’s why I don’t like revealing everything and say “This is the answer.” Just like when I was a kid, I want to make something that can allow people to let loose their imagination with.

--How did you choose the worlds that get inserted into KHII?

Nomura: Just like in the first KH, we make sure we don’t overlay each world’s outlooks. In abstract, we make world categories like “lots of greens”, “gothic”, “near future” and so on, and then think which world fits those categories. For example, in the first game there was the “Tarzan” world and at the same time there’s an idea for a “Jungle Book” world, too. But both worlds’ appearances look almost the same so I took some opinions from the staff and make a choice between those two. KHII’s worlds were chosen one-by-one like that, too, but at that time I was at Disney’s HQ in Los Angeles to make contract negotiations. On the day we had an appointment with the Disney HQ on requesting which worlds we wanted to use, I sent emails (through handphone) to the staff asking “This world got the OK sign, so what do you think?” and so on and made the choices at real-time.

--Half of the worlds in the first game were major Disney titles so did you have a hard time choosing new worlds?

Nomura: Before choosing a world I certainly wondered if the choice was okay or not. But when I thought of “Tron”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Steamboat Willie” and so on, I got the feeling those are good choices. Half of the worlds overlayed with the previous game’s but the new worlds give great impact so I thought they would be alright. Besides, this is still a sequel so people might want to re-visit some old worlds. In that way, both old and new worlds are inserted at the right ratio.

--I heard it was you who suggested to insert the Seasalt Ice-cream in the game.

Nomura: Yes, I did. When the Tokyo Disney Sea opened and I went there by invitation, they were selling Seasalt Ice-creams at the time. You would think a “salty ice-cream” seems a pretty weird idea, right? I was like “What is this?” so I tried it out and it turned out to be very tasty. My impression of it back then was so strong that I overlapped Disney’s image with seasalt ice-cream. Besides that, Roxas’ story is set in summer break and I wondered what did I eat back in summer breaks when I was a kid and I remembered “Ah, of course, ice-cream.” Although I was the one who said I wanted to use it, Nojima-san was was the one who actually made it show up that much. Even I was surprised; “You’re using it this often!?” (laugh) I think that shows the playful-ness of Nojima-san’s scenarios.

--The text that’s written on the photos in Jiminy Memo’s Album is written by you, right?

Nomura: Yes. The project and menu leader came to my booth and said hesitantly “I want the text in the Album to be hand-written.” I answered “I think that’s okay” and he replied “No, I want you to write them down, Nomura-san.” At that time there weren’t that many sheets of paper so I said, “sure, I can write it” but just as I finished writing and gave back those sheets, more and more sheets kept coming in to the point of making me wonder when exactly they would stop coming in, and that’s when I thought, “Oh, shoot.” (laugh)

Since those writings were ‘written by Sora’, that means Sora’s handwriting is the same as your handwriting, right? (laugh)

Nomura: Yeah, I suppose so. (laugh) My handwritings have been used in websites and advertisements so when I asked “Wouldn’t people recognize it’s my handwriting?”, they just answered “That’ll be okay.” By the way, those text will be erased in the international version and just be something limited to the Japanese version. I asked them “You’re not saying I should write English for the NA version or French or German in the UK version, right?” and they answered “No, we’re not inserting the text in the international versions” so I was saved by that. (laugh)

--On what kind of basis did you choose the FF characters?

Nomura:I n a way, we selected characters that are on demand. We considered from both fans and the staff’s opinions and it all ends with just characters that are highly on demand.

--And Tifa from FFVII showed up.

Nomura: In fact, back when we were working on KH:FM, some of the staff members wanted to have Tifa show up. They said “Battling with Tifa would be fun, in a melee sense” and originally wanted to add both Sephiroth and Tifa (into KH:FM) but due to tight schedules, we could only go with one character so we inserted Sephiroth into KH:FM. Because of that, we decided to let Tifa show up in this game. When we were recording the voices for KHII, coincidentally they were also doing the recording for FFVII:AC so somehow we end up doing “Today we record FFVII:AC, tomorrow KHII”… (laugh) The voices were recorded in the same flow so I’m glad about that. Speaking of Tifa, there’s an event where she talked to Cloud after beating Sephiroth.

--In Nojima-san’s scenario, it explained Cloud and Tifa’s connection more in-depth but I deleted it away. I thought it would be more interesting to let the gamers think about it. For example, “If Cloud’s darkness is Sephiroth, then Tifa is light”; in that sense you can take it that Tifa isn’t really human. The reason Tifa doesn’t talk to anyone else besides Sora and co. may be because she doesn’t exist as a human. Of course, I also presented her in a way that she could also be a resident of Hollow Bastion, so I think you can feely think for yourself about her.

--So Yuna, Rikku and Paine showed up as faeries this time.

Nomura: I’ve always wanted to have a FF character showing up as “something that looks human but isn’t human” at least once. Since “Kingdom Hearts” is a deformed world, I wanted to have a little fun with that. And as a plus, if all three showed up in their normal human size, I was kind of worried that the screen might get a bit too crowded. At least I’ve aways thought that if I were to make them appear in the game, having them as faeries would make them as very interesting beings. I wasn’t deeply involved with FFX-2 but from the impression I got of looking at them as an audience, their positions in this game is how I see them.

--Were you planning to insert FFVII:AC characters into KHII initially?

Nomura: No. I didn’t want to insert too many things from my newer works and FFVII:AC’s world is very serious and has a little madness mixed into it so it was quite difficult to familiarize it to KHII’s mood. I wasn’t thinking of forcing to insert something that wouldn’t fit in.

On the subject of characters, all the mysterious XIII Organization members finally appeared in KHII. Was it you who thought up of their settings?

Nomura: No, I didn’t completely decide on everything; a few people were also part of it. But Xemnas as #1 and Roxas as #13 has always been in the initial settings of the creation of the XIII Organization.

--Was there any mentioning of making the members that disappeared in KH:COM to show up as guests in the Coliseum?

Nomura: I did want to do that but I never said it out loud. If the members that died in KH:COM showed up, I would have to think of the details on why they’re there, prepare the events and we’ll need more work on creating the battles. Some of the staff said “It’s kind of a waste since we already have CG models (of them) for the movies” but because of the schedule, nobody would go ahead to do something reckless.I actually like the XIII Organization a lot. Especially Luxord, I like how he’s stylish and strangely has a glossy demeanor.

--Looks like Zexion has a lot of fans.

Nomura: Probably because he’s quite enigmatic. He’s the only member who showed up with no weapons but it’s not because he doesn’t have his own weapon, it’s more of because he died without fighting so nobody knows what’s his weapon. I have an idea on what his weapon is and I might have a chance of showing it in the near future so I’ll keep it as a secret for now. That reminds me, in the World that Never Was, each XIII Organization member had a gravestone for them and each of those have a picture of their weapons and that’s when Zexion became a problem for us. “Eh, we’re gonna put a spoiler on Zexion’s weapon there!?” (laugh) That’s a bit too much so we decided to destroy the gravestone so that his weapon couldn’t be seen.

--Previously you said “The members of the XIII Organization have something hidden in their names”, can you reveal the answer to us now?

Nomura: Before this I’ve mentioned that when their names are spelt in Roman alphabets, there will surely be an “X”, right? The truth is that when the “X” is taken away, the alphabets that are left behind is an anagram of the members’ real names when they were humans. I actually wanted to insert an event scene showing how Roxas got his name. First the word “SORA” popped up and those letters were rearranged into “ROAS” and BAM, suddenly the “X” got inserted in the middle and he was told “Take this name….” Well, I had an image like that but it was something difficult to do time-wise so I gave up.

--Following the previous game, Utada Hikaru also sang the theme song for this game, “Passion.”

Nomura: Many fans seem to have the image Kingdom Hearts = Utada Hikaru so I didn’t think of changing that at all. This time I wrote a story explanation for her that’s longer than the previous game’s. We decided to have it played at the last scene, so for me the theme was “Sora and Riku’s reunion.” I wrote stuff like “An image of a reunion, a happy moment in a way” and “Like a Hikari 2″ in there.

--In the single version, there are phrases like “Seems like a child will be born in winter” and “The New Year’s card has a photo attached to it” in it…

Nomura: After getting the finished song, we worked on the movie to make it synchronize with the song, and when we were almost finishing, suddenly I was told “we’ve made a single version” so I tried listening to it and noticed those phrases were added into the lyrics, so we didn’t know about it initially. Come to think about it, if those phrases were added earlier, we would have been brainstorming how to make the movie fit that part of the song. (laugh) I guess it’s because Utada-san understood that “Kingdom Hearts” won’t be using that part of the song.

--It was amazing on how the ending synchronized well with the song and movie.

Nomura: The first KH’s ending also stuck well with the theme song, but this time it was a bit more difficult because the song started with soft piano keys. Before, the scene that synchronized with the start of the song was Sora letting go of Kairi’s hand but this time this two would hold each other’s hands. In the editting process, we were arguing on how many seconds we should show them holding hands. Someone said “Shouldn’t it look better if we show it longer?” but I said “No, we’re going to show it for just a split second” so we cut it short enough to just show them holding hands. The external editors told me “you’re a really cold person”, though. (laugh)

--In the last scene in the ending, they received a letter from the king. I’m quite curious to what’s written in it.

Nomura: I was troubled for a very long time on whether I should show the letter’s contents or not, and in the end I decided to let people speculate it themselves. You can guess what’s in the letter by looking at those three’s facial expressions: Sora looking at it blankly, Riku smirking and Kairi looking slightly worried. If it was just a “Hello, it’s been awhile”, they would be smiling instead so at least it’s hinted it is not that kind of simple letter. Actually, it was planned to have a little more scene to it and by watching it you could tell what’s in the letter. I might be able to show that scene when I get the chance to.

--After the ending, there’s a secret movie this time, too. What exactly is the movie trying to tell?

Nomura: I actually have a solid idea on what the movie’s setting will be in my head. In the previous game’s secret movie, I wasn’t even sure if I would be making a sequel or not, so some parts of it were quite vague. But this time I already have an idea my head where I think “This is it.”

--Did that scene happen in the future or in the past?

Nomura: I would at least say it’s an episode in the past, but…. Hmm, how should I say this? It’s in the past but you can also think it’s in the future, something like that.

Who are the 3 armoured people?

Nomura: Those 3 are completely new people who haven’t shown up at all. In fact, I’ve already thought of their names. Back when I was making that movie, I only had their settings but now I’ve even drawn their faces to give myself a clearer image of them.

--The king, Sora and Riku’s keyblades were there, too.

Nomura: It’s to show that those three armoured people aren’t them but that doesn’t mean they don’t have connections. The words “Keyblade War” that showed up in the middle were to implicate that there were fights between Keyblades. Most of the puzzles in the first KH have been solved in KHII but there are many things about the Keyblade that haven’t been revealed yet. A line from the previous game’s Ansem Report #8 appeared in the movie but that is to say “It means this but it’s not explained yet.”

--Does that mean you already have a plot for KHIII?

Nomura: Hmm… I have an idea but it can’t be helped because my team are planning to work on our next different title. So we’re not working on KHIII now and we’re not planning to work on it for some time, too. I have a plot in my head but I’m not sure if it’ll be released to the world or just stay in there.

--Well then, is there a possibility for a Final Mix version to be released like the previous game’s?

Nomura: Actually, I wasn’t planning for KHII to have a Final Mix. In beginning of the project, I wanted to have the English voices inserted, too, but the disc space was almost full and the recording of the English voices got delayed so that plan couldn’t be realized. Compared to FF, there’s a high demand for the English version of “Kingdom Hearts”. I assume it’s because there are many fans who came in through KH:FM so it felt quite weird to play KHII in Japanese when they played the previous game in English. Thanks to KH:FM selling very well, many fans think the English voices are meant for “Kingdom Hearts” so right now I’m in the middle of wondering what to do about Final Mix.

--Seems like many gamers are hoping there will be many extras besides the English voices if Final Mix is ever released.

Nomura: If I were to make it, I’ll have to answer to that demand and I shouldn’t put it at the same level as the previous game’s. But more things have been done for KHII compared to the first KH so I’m troubled on how to make the ‘tuning’ for Final Mix. We still have to think how to solve the disc space problem, too.

--Since it’s you after all, Nomura-san, you probably already started thinking of some plans for Final Mix, right?

Nomura: In fact, I’ve prepared a very big trump card for it but I can’t say what it is yet. It’s something to look forward to if I’m able to make it. (laugh) Besides that, I regret not putting the mushroom Heartless in KHII. In the beginning of the project, I had new ideas that I wanted to use for the mushroom Heartless but it was too grand that it would take a lot of time to make so it got cut out. And the result is that not even one mushroom got inserted. A staff kept saying “Something’s missing. Something’s missing. Oh yeah, there’s no mushroom!” (laugh) If we can make a Final Mix, I would like to add the mushrooms in.

--By the way, you seem to be working on the international version now; are you adding anything extra in that?

Nomura: Nope, not much. We’re making the North American version in 3 months so localizing(translating) it is pretty much the only thing we can do. After that there’s the European version, so if I were to work on Final Mix, it’ll have to be after that.

--If that really happens, then that means the different title you’re planning to work on will be slightly delayed to be worked on.

Nomura: Well, there are ways to go around it. I already started thinking on that title’s plot and character by myself. That title is hidden inside FFVII:AC in a surprising manner, by the way. (laugh)

--Well then, please leave a message to all the KHII players that are reading this.

Nomura: KHII achieved great quality not only because of the development staff’s high motivation to not give up, but it’s also because there were many voices from the fans wanting a sequel. Like I said before, the sequel’s plot may not see daylight if there’s no need for the a sequel, so I’m grateful to you all that I’m able to make KHII. KHII’s story has completed but there are still some puzzles left behind, like the secret movie, the king’s letter in the ending, the contents of Ansem’s reports and so on. Inside me, the story of “Kingdom Hearts” still hasn’t ended, so if you’re thinking “I still want to keep in touch with this world,” then someday that might be realized. Besides that, what made me happy this time is that the people around me told me, “It’s quite common to be moved by video games but KHII is the first to give me a warm feeling.” The “heart” is the theme of “Kingdom Hearts”, so if I get the chance to make a sequel again, I would like to make something that’ll stay or appeal something to the heart.

Nomura Tetsuya – Director and Concept Design

A secret of the game that only he knew:

Nomura: “Xehanort’s name has two meanings. When you spell it in Roman alphabets and rearrange them without the ‘X’, they’ll spell ‘No Heart’ and ‘Another’. These meanings are connected to the secret movie.”

The Scenario Mysteries in “Kingdom Hearts II” (bottom of pages 722-725)

--When was the XIII Organization founded?

Nomura: The timing is when Philosopher Ansem’s 6 disciples turned into Heartless. The XIII Organization is called like that just because it has recruited 13 members, but it doesn’t matter if it has “XIII” in its name or not. All 13 members were already gathered in KH:COM but the members that were in Castle Oblivion still called it as the “Organization.”

--Besides Xehanort, did the other 5 disciples that turned into Heartless disappeared?

Nomura: Not really disappear but more like they’re somewhere else as normal Heartless. Xehanort was about the only one who was able to keep a human form.

--In the beginning of the game, there’s a conversation between Xemnas and Roxas that went like “I met him. He looks just like you.” “Who are you?” at the beach in the World of Darkness. Did this happen right after Sora’s fight with the Enigmatic Man in KH:FM?

Nomura: “Right after”…. I’m not sure about that but yes, it’s after that. In this game it was never stated that Xemnas was the EM in KH:FM but from the way he fights and his line “He looks just like you”, I hinted that it was him in KH:FM.

--Roxas asked for Xemnas’ name so does that mean that scene shows him meeting Xemnas for the first time and that’s when he joined the Organization?

Nomura: Not really. It’s true that he had a conversation with Xemnas at that beach before but that’s not their first meeting and their conversation wasn’t like that either. The conversation at the beginning of the game was Roxas’ dream, mixed with his memories and feelings. The part where he asked for Xemnas’ name but instead was asked back for his real name was a reflection of Roxas’ feelings on who really is. Roxas didn’t know his real name, remember? If he remembered that he was Sora, I think he wouldn’t join the Organization in the first place.

--Did Namine meet DiZ after Sora’s story in KH:COM?

Nomura: Yes, they contacted each other between Sora and Riku’s stories. Namine coorperated with DiZ not just because she’s against the Organization but also because she wanted to protect Sora. She promised to restore Sora’s memories so she needed to stay beside him. As stated in Ansem’s Other Report #10, DiZ thought it’s dangerous to leave Sora in Castle Oblivion, and in order to protect Sora, Namine needed DiZ.

--Was the Mansion in Twilight Town a property of the XIII Organization?

Nomura: No, they have nothing to do with it. It’s just a place DiZ used as his hideout. You saw a lot of pods like the one Sora was in but DiZ just transferred Sora and the others along with their pods from Castle Oblivion. In other words, DiZ just copied the pods that were created by the Organization and lined them up (in the Mansion). The reason there’s a room in the Mansion that looks exactly like Castle Oblivion’s was just prepared for Namine, not because that space is connected to Castle Oblivion.

--Please tell us a bit more about the Twilight Town Roxas was in. From Ansem’s Other Report #12, there’s the line “For the moment, I have converted all of Twilight Town into data, and formed a ‘copy of the world’ in Sora’s memories…”

Nomura: The Twilight Town Roxas was in is the data of the real Twilight Town, inside a computer. The pod Sora sleeps in is connected to a computer and in that computer is a data of that world and the XIII Organization hacked into the computer. It’s not that Axel went into Sora’s brain, it’s actually that the Nobodies invaded the world that’s in the computer that Sora’s brain is accessing.

--We found out that Riku’s Keyblade’s name is “Way to the Dawn” when examining his item slots after he joined your party. Is that Keyblade a transfigured version of Soul Eater?

Nomura: I designed it with that image. Since Riku has always been using Soul Eater, he still calls it that even after it changed form. Keyblades aren’t something that you can obtain suddenly out of nowhere so in Riku’s case, his Soul Eater was used as an intermediary for that Keyblade.

If we directly translate “Way to the Dawn”, “dawn” means “in-between night and daytime”, so does that mean that Keyblade is from the In-between World? In other words, this means the Keyblades that Sora, King Mickey and Riku wield represent the Worlds of Light, Dark and In-between?

Nomura: Well, if I have to say where they belong, it’s just as you said. But the name of “Way to Dawn” doesn’t have to mean that. This name came from the scene at the end of Riku’s story in KH:COM that suggested which path he would walk on, where he said “The road to dawn.”

--In Ansem’s Other Report #13, DiZ had the unanswered question, “How did Xehanort open the door in Hollow Bastion’s underground?” but….

Nomura: I can’t talk about this yet. But, weeell, it’s something you can speculate over, I think.

--Speaking of “opening the door”, I’m going to move the subject to the previous game. Why when Riku opened Destiny Island’s door, this accidentally called the darkness? Do the powers of Keyblade wielders that are called “Heroes of Light” are connected to darkness?

Currently Sora and co. are the only Keyblade wielders and they’re doing things that grant them the titles “Heroes of Light” but, as stated in the first game’s Ansem Report #8 and the secret movie this time, the real Keyblade wielders “can bring chaos to the world, just as one can bring peace to it.”

In the World that Never Was, Xigbar said to Sora “Compared to the ones before this, you’re weaker”; does that mean he’s comparing Sora to previous Keyblade wielders before him?

Nomura: Yes, he was. I was hinting “Xigbar has met other Keyblade wielders before.” As for something more than that… I’ll leave it to your imagination.

Were you planning from the start to have Brave Form and Master Form as dual-wielders?

After showing a dual-wielder in KH:FM’s secret movie, there were many voices saying “I want to dual-wield, too”. But it’s not fun to have a dual-wielder all the time so I used it in the form-changing system.

Is anti-form originated from when Sora got turned into a Heartless?

Story-wise, yes. Drives are very strong so anti-form exists as a side-effect of using too much power. System-wise, I wanted to create something strong but troublesome.

Did you create each world having a targetted amount of play-time to clear them?

I did at first but at the end everything crumbed down. Twilight Town wasn’t planned to be that long either. (laugh) While writing down the plot, I thought “this will get long…”

Twilight Town really emphasized on showing Roxas’ emotions, didn’t it?

Although Roxas is a new character in a sequel, he’s also a main character, so he was quite the key to whether we could put a lot of feelings in a short amount of time or not. (Er, okay, my translation sucks for this line but roughly he meant that) Looking at people who have played the game, there are many opinions saying “I pity him” and “it was sad”. It was a very short time out of the whole game so I thought it(Roxas’ story) was very well-done. The episode where they were riding the train and Roxas was the only without a ball was very sad. That was Nojima’s idea; it wasn’t in my plot.

Why did Kairi forget about Sora in the beginning?

When Sora lost his memory, so did everyone that had anything to do with him. While Sora was in the capsule and getting his memories mended, everyone’s memories (of him) started to come back too. That’s why Leon and the others at Hollow Bastion said “Until lately, we’ve all forgotten about Sora”.

Is there a reason for the King to wear the black coat?

While Sora was fighting up in front, the King was fighting in the background while being undercover. But of course it’s very easy to figure out it’s the King. (laugh) He’s wearing the coat to camouflage himself while searching for info on the 13 Organization.

In the scene where Philosopher Ansem was talking to the King, I laughed at the gap between seeing him talking seriously while eating the Seasalt Ice-cream!

That’s Nojima-san’s idea. But I was the one who put it into Twilight Town. I couldn’t forget the Seasalt ice-cream I ate at Disney Sea. I got a shock out of that salty but sweet taste and thought “This… tastes good.” (laugh) The one at Disney Sea was in a cup but after giving some thought on how the scene they were eating it should look like, I decided to make it an ice-cream stick. To me it should be a Twilight-Town-only thing, but somehow it end up as an important item.

Did you design the Nobody’s symbol?

Yes. The design concept is “a splintered heart”. On the other hand, the Heartless’ mark’s concept is “a thorn/splinter’s heart”. I made the images opposite of each other. (Again, I’m not quite sure about this translation)

If the XIII Organization are Nobodies, does that mean their Heartless are somewhere, too?

They’re probably somewhere but not that great of a Heartless. Xehanort was about the only one who has a human-shaped Heartless. (Note the “about”)

Axel and Reno from “FF7 Advent Children” have the same seiyuu, and even almost the same appearance and image. Did you intend that?

To me, Axel is an existence close to Reno, created in the same concept, but they are different people. Those two are different people but subconsciously alike. I wanted to see how it would be to have completely different characters that are really similar to each other but hold different kind of roles in different worlds.

There’s an event where Sora and Roxas battled each other but don’t you want that to be playable?

It was planned to be a playable battle but there were time constraints so I had to change it into an event. Making 13-Organization-class boss battles take up a lot of time. There was even a little challenge concept for that Roxas battle but it was quite hard to pull off so it got cancelled.

What’s your basis of showing up FF characters?

Basicly we choose out of characters that got a lot of requests. In KH, they have roles to fulfil but in KH2, the only ones like that are the Twilight Town characters. Auron and YuRiPa were requests.

Whose idea was it to turn the YRP into small faeries?

That’s my idea. I thought if we put them in full scale, the screen might get a bit ‘noisy’. So by turning them into compact size and still giving that ‘bustling’ feeling while having all 3 girls gathered, I thought that can emphasis their characters. If they’re in their real ages, it seems like they might be out of place.

In the final battle, it sure was a surprise to suddenly be able to control a certain character. (Referring to Riku)

I was surprised, too. It was a surprise from the staff that worked on that battle. I think they were answering to people’s wishes of wanting to control him. When I played to check it, the controls suddenly changed and I got chaotic. (laugh)

Around the end there was a scene where a character that’s not Sora (Kairi) held a keyblade, so does that mean they have the nature to be a Chosen One?

I wonder? There are still more backgrounds of the keyblade that haven’t been revealed. I’m still going around that, so I can’t say anything much about it. But it’s true that scene is hinting something.

In the Other Ansem Reports, it said that the keyblade “brought confusion and influence in the past”; is that part of its background?

Yes. The keyblade has a lot of mysteries. There are questions like who created it for what purpose, and Xigbar even said to Sora “Compared to the others in the past, you are lamer.” I can’t answer much about the keyblade. (laugh)

The secret movie had something to do with keyblades, too.

Yes. I wanted to hide the faces of the people who showed up in there.

Does that mean the players know of these people?

I just haven’t drawn their faces. (laugh) I can’t hide their faces with black hoods like in KH:FM’s secret movie, too. Who knows what kind of grudges I’ll invite if I just change the hood’s colour. (laugh) That’s why I chose armours. First I only drew the atmosphere and the rest is done by the staff. But FF12 has Judge in armour so I made a more heroic design for them.

Was that scene shown in the past or future of Sora’s generation?

Who knows? (laugh) I can’t tell you which generation it’s in, but I have a thought on it.

This time the condition to watch the secret movie by completing the whole Jiminy Memo is harder, isn’t it?

At the beginning of developing the last half of the game, it was made to be easily watchable. At first you only had to clear Proud Mode to watch it, in Normal is to just clear all worlds and in Easy is to complete the whole Jiminy Memo. But I thought this will make everyone able to watch the movie easily so I thought I would make them work harder for it.

The Jiminy Memo’s album has Sora’s handwriting, eh?

That’s my writing. One time, a project member came to me embarassingly. He said he wanted the album to have handwritten comments so I thought “Why not?” After that he said “If that’s so… Please write it.” (laugh)

Who thought up of the comments?

The contents are prepared by project members by making 3 plans and then we mix them all around. When I had the time, I wrote it bit by bit, but it turned out I had a lot to write. Just when I thought “I’m finished!”, they came in with “We brought more comments!” And that repeated numerous times. I tried my best to not make mistakes, but after I thought “If this was Sora…”, I started to write without caring over errors.

Jiminy Memo really has a lot of stuff in it.

The menu leaders were staff members who volunteered for the project so they were quite fussy over that. Not many people would want to even write down strategies.

There are voices from the staff, too. What about a KH sequel?

KH, KH:FM, KH:CoM, KH2… Through all these years we kept working on KH so we’re going to take a break for awhile and work on something else.

Seems like there are many fans waiting for a KH2 Final Mix.

There are many people who played KH:FM and thought the English version is “the right KH” for them, so I expected that kind of thinking. But I can’t say it’s only up to the fans’ wishes. There’s still the problem of schedules.

Does that mean your next work won’t have anything to do with KH?

Yes. But it’ll take years until it’s released. Even if I said that, I can’t say if KH2′s FM will be released after that or not. I was planning to not make an FM for this in the first place. I thought we would insert the English voices in too, but there weren’t enough space… Even if there is an FM, the staff members said there’s still no space.

Dengeki – Kingdom Hearts 2 Progress Report

This interview reflects on the assets shown at E3 and talks about various features of the game, probably one of Nomura’s more revealing interviews…

Dengeki: Please tell us what the current stage of development is.

Nomura: The scenario is at least twice as long as the previous installment’s and now we are at the crucial point of figuring out if we can get it all in. Also, we are nearing the stage when we can have a round view of all the worlds.

Dengeki: We were allowed to get another feel of the gameplay this E3 and we felt that the combos are considerably speedier.

Nomura: In the previous installment the action was divided into three parts: “Battle”, “Move (or exploration)” and “Event”. This time we’ve developed it into “Event” and “Real-time”. The staff who was assigned to “Battle” now have to fully work in Real Time. The battle and exploration action all uses this procedure. Most of the staff participated in the previous installment and in Final Mix so we had to remake the know-how that had been lost since that time Also, this really is the second installment of the series but, game system-wise, it really is the third game that is being made. So various aspects of the game have benefited from that.

Dengeki: In the movie [trailer] shown at the E3, Sora was seen wearing a blue costume but, does that mean that there are other Brave Form’s than the red?

Nomura: There are quite a few. That is why Sora’s action has largely expanded and there are many types of action’s that were introduced. I can’t explain just yet but there some forms that have amusing tricks. Also, the attack pattern will vary depending on the form and it will allow players to choose a form they will like and fight using that, I hope.

Dengeki: When in Brave Form we were able to wield two keyblades but will we be able to change the keyblades we wield in that form?

Nomura: We’re planning to give you the freedom of choice of which keyblade you will use. Also, I didn’t’t want anything to be wasted so each of the “change form” may be considered as an attack in its own right. They will be integral attacks, with the importance that implies.

Dengeki: During the ROM presented at the E3, we got to fight a huge army. Will there be other phases similar to that one?

Nomura: This is indeed something I want you to await eagerly. There were situations in the previous installment that confronted you to a large number of enemies at a time but it doesn’t compare with what’s coming up next! (laughs) This time we created a program for the special task of managing numerous foes. However, I didn’t want this to completely abolish one on one fights either so managed some kind of balance in relation to the triangle button. There are plenty of patterns so please look forward to this aspect of the game.

Dengeki: About the progression of the game, will this time also be about going through one world after another?

Nomura: Well, generally speaking the progression will be indeed similar to the previous installment. However, this time there is a little catch added to it so that you won’t be able to complete the game simply by going from one place to another in a linear succession.

Dengeki: In the previous installment we used Gummi Ships to travel between the worlds. How will it be this time round?

Nomura: You can still use gummi ships but they are more complex and faster. Rather than an STG it will feel like more of an attraction ride at a fare. It moves very smoothly.

Dengeki: Will the customizable feature of the gummi ships from the previous installment be used again?

Nomura: In the previous installment it was very minute detail that could be altered but this time we are planning to throw in some of that and something new as well.

Dengeki: The “Pirates Of The Caribbean” was recently revealed. Could you tell us how a world of that movie came to be?

Nomura: I came up with a small selection of films I presented to Disney that I could use as a really eye-catching world and the one I first had in mind was refused… Then as they were asking if there was any other I would fancy, the “PotC” was enjoying a pleasant success so I decided I could try to do that one and when I introduced a new function called “Real Capture” (nbMors: something about using live action pictures rather than drawings as a basis for generating polygon models) the team leaders were also very eager.

Dengeki: Unlike the other characters, the characters created using this “Real Capture”, did they cause any problems?

Nomura: Most of KHII’s staff have previously worked on FFs that demanded pretty realistic character models already so it wasn’t too troublesome. In a demo, we tried to insert a scene from the movie itself and the graphics were very similar. Facial expressions are also very similar so please look forward to that.

Dengeki: Was the Mulan world also chosen in the same way?

Nomura: With Mulan, I felt it had a unique atmosphere so I already had wanted to use it for some time. That’s why, when we were selecting the worlds to put in KHII, it was decided quite quickly we would use this one.

Dengeki: What would be the “must see” of Mulan’s world?

Nomura: The special aspect of the world is of course its design but other than that, the battle scenes in the snow and the avalanche are worth paying attention to. Also, scenario-wise, it might get some big questions asked so please look forward to it.

Dengeki: About characters, what kind of person is that boy clothed in white of whom we don’t know the name yet?

Nomura: Right now, we’re choosing when exactly to divulge his name so… (laugh)

Dengeki: Does the name have a heavy significance?!

Nomura: …! Erm… well, excluding the previous installment and CoM, there might be some who start playing with KHII. As I wanted them to enjoy this game all the same, I hope he will be a character that will be able to introduce them to the tale in a fun way. You’ll understand more about him bit by bit soon I expect.

Dengeki: Though its name has finally been revealed, what kind of group is the “Thirteenth Order”?

Nomura: In Kingdom Hearts 2, the Nobody will appear as something different compared to the Heartless. Those who command the “Nobody” are the Thirteenth Order. Though they are also “Nobody”, they are a more special type of being all-together.

Dengeki: Is the red cloaked DiZ who appeared in CoM also a member?

Nomura: Good question. (laughs) Anyhow, he will have an important role in the tale, that’s for sure.

Dengeki: In the trailer movie we also finally got to see the face of the girl with a checkered skirt and her face looked a lot like Kairi’s but is she?

Nomura: That girl is Kairi. Next to her there was a similarly matured Selphie too.

Dengeki: Another aspect that bothers is the character of the king but will he make more frequent appearances this time?

Nomura: He will certainly appear more often. However the voice is a bit different as we’ve opted for a more serious tone.

Dengeki: Will we even be able to fight together?

Nomura: I bet you’re all looking forward to a lot in that respect. (laughs) When he takes his hood off you might understand everything.

Dengeki: If he is also wearing a hood, then does that mean that the king has some relation with the Thirteenth Order?

Nomura: Well… it might be one way… or another… heh (laughs)

Dengeki: We’re also looking forward to the Final Fantasy characters that will appear but how is that aspect of the game looking?

Nomura: A few of the characters that appeared in the previous installment will be back and there are some new ones as well. And at some point there seems to have been people who reached the conclusion that the reason I didn’t take characters I didn’t design originally was because of legal rights when in fact it is merely because it’s difficult to work on a character I didn’t design myself as I do not know the background work that went into it. I’m thinking a bit about giving it a try all the same. A little bit…

Dengeki: Finally, how is the future of the Kingdom Hearts series shaping up?

Nomura: At the moment the KHII story has been completed in a clean way that leaves hardly any questions open for a sequel. Now, it really is up to all of you to decide and the future will probably depend on how well KHII will sell within its first year.

Playstation.com Europe – E3 Interview

One of the most famous designers in gaming opens up about the eagerly anticipated sequel to the bestselling Square Enix / Disney crossover role-playing game.

If the name Tetsuya Nomura isn’t familiar to you, then the characters he’s created for some of Square Enix’s finest games most certainly will be. After all, this is the man who brought the world the utterly memorable likes of Cloud Strife and Sephiroth for Final Fantasy VII, Sora for Kingdom Hearts, and Yuna and Tidus for Final Fantasy X.

Sat in a Square Enix meeting room that’s physically shaking from the booming bass sound being pumped out in the game preview theatre situated directly above it, Nomura-san is in characteristically shy form. Dressed in what appears to be an understated real-life spin on his own characters’ trademark outfits (long black shorts, big chain), he conducts the entire interview with his eyes hidden beneath the peak of his baseball cap.

Contrary to appearances and a few prior warnings regarding his general demeanour, however, Nomura-san is chatty and personable, laughing frequently and delivering lengthy answers about his latest projects. In this instalment, he tells us about Kingdom Hearts II, the follow-up to 2002′s unique collaboration between Square Enix and Disney.

Can you give us a little background on Kingdom Hearts II’s story?

Kingdom Hearts II takes place a year after the ending of the original, and at the very beginning of the game – which I can’t go into detail at this time – there is actually going to be some sort of mystery. Just think of a typical sequel, but with something that’s going to be very unexpected [happening] at the beginning. It still follows the story of Sora and his friends. In the original, you were trying to defeat the Heartless, but there is a third group in Kingdom Hearts II called the Nobodies. Story-wise, the theme of Kingdom Hearts is based on the heart; how deep we can get [into it] is going to be revealed more in Kingdom Hearts II. [The original] Kingdom Hearts was the light-hearted version, but [KHII] gets deeper and darker into the heart, and I can definitely say that it gets a little more serious. It’s about determination and finding your lost friends.

Is it hard to keep the storyline serious when you’re dealing with characters like Donald Duck and Goofy?

Surprisingly there weren’t many challenges with getting Donald, Goofy, or any of the other Disney characters that aren’t usually dark and serious, to become that way. The storyline gets very serious, but they maintain their own characteristics and, because of that, their personalities will shine. We are committed to maintaining that, not just with Donald and Goofy, but with the other Disney characters too.

What new characters from the Disney universe appear in Kingdom Hearts II? We’ve heard talk of a Pirates of the Caribbean world, for example.

Well, the most recent announcements made at the show are the inclusion of Mulan and yes, we also showed Pirates of the Caribbean in the trailer. There are also worlds that were in the original, such as Hercules. In the original, it took place above ground, but this time we’re actually taking you to the other side of the Hercules world.

To Hades?

Right, exactly. So there are worlds that we are going to revisit, but they are not exactly where we left off in the original Kingdom Hearts. Another good example would be the characters from Beauty and the Beast, who appeared in the original, but now they actually have their own world. Even though you’ve seen them in the original, we’re going to make use of them in different ways.

What is the process for choosing these worlds? Do you get direction from Disney, or is it something that you come up with yourself?

We actually don’t get any suggestions from the Disney side of the project – it’s pretty much all us. In this case, we come down to a number of worlds we want to include in the universe, and then I go out and list which worlds I think would be a perfect fit. Then I take that and propose them to everyone on my team. Usually, there isn’t any opposition. Once that’s determined, we take that over to Disney. There have been worlds that have been rejected. In that case, I think of other scenarios and worlds that would fit. Then it’s just a repeat of that process until we get down to the final list.

What are the criteria for what fits?

One basic rule that I go by is that, among all the Disney worlds that exist, I try not to pick worlds that have a similar feel or look to them, for example, The Jungle Book and Tarzan. Visually, they might look a little similar. What I usually do is break down the Disney worlds that are available from all those that are out there, and categorise them. For example, maybe one world takes place near an ocean or water-based environment, one world will take place in modern days, and another world takes place in a natural environment, like woods or a forest. From that, I would list the worlds that might fit into the Kingdom Hearts story.

The combat system seems a lot more fluid than that seen in the first game. Does Sora retain all of the moves he learned from his first adventure?

We’re not re-using anything from the original, so everything is brand new and has been remade completely from scratch. You won’t see any duplicate movements from Sora in Kingdom Hearts II.

From the original, Sora has managed to learn how to kill enemies using a Keyblade and has travelled to so many worlds. If I were to compare his overall movement and attitude towards defeating enemies [to the original Kingdom Hearts], he’s matured a little bit. With that [in mind], the movements have been developed into a form that’s a little cooler and not like a little kid learning how to use a toy.

Maybe that’s an expression that I can use: Sora has ‘levelled up’ in terms of how he uses his weapon, and the experience that he has after travelling so many worlds is shown in his movements in Kingdom Hearts II.

We also see that King Mickey makes a more prominent appearance in the game. Will he become a member of your party at any point?

Well obviously, King Mickey is going to be one special character. Within the Disney world, he can’t be treated the same as everyone else. Even though Sora travels with Donald and Goofy throughout the Kingdom Hearts universe, and they may seem special because they’re simply just travelling with him, King Mickey is going to have his own obvious reason why he is here in this universe.

So, he won’t be taken the same way as Donald and Goofy, nor as the characters in the individual worlds. There’s going to be some sort of special hook, not only as to how he makes his appearance, but also as to where he is positioned within the storyline.

How have you seen the audience for RPGs change, and how have you reacted to that with Kingdom Hearts, particularly with regard to appealing to both Eastern and Western audiences?

Generally speaking, I think that the RPG audience in Japan tends to favour the ‘command’ style, which is not very action based. A whole lot of RPGs tend to like that way, so it was hard for me to try to go to the complete opposite side, which would be the action-oriented RPG that the US and European countries would probably favour.

My ideal situation, even when developing Final Fantasy games – which are all command based – I always have in mind, “How can I make this a little more action, but without going too action?” It’s almost like having that perfect balance of blending the two. This was actually something that I’ve always wanted to experiment with; it was my ideal situation if I could blend the two, and still maintain the command style without tipping over into full action.

I still consider Kingdom Hearts to be an RPG, although I wouldn’t necessarily categorise it as a full action RPG. Seeing that the fans’ reactions after putting out the original Kingdom Hearts has been very positive, I now know that it works and I’m very happy and satisfied with the experiment that I took on.

1UP – E3 2005 Interview

Amidst the cacophonous backdrop of E3, with all of this year’s new hardware announcements, with all the techno-catchphrases and industry jargon flying around, and with the overload of next-gen eye-candy getting most of the headlines, you’d think it would be easy to overlook Kingdom Hearts II. But then you generally don’t overlook a game that has, between its PlayStation 2 debut (Kingdom Hearts) and its GBA follow-up (Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories) sold over five million copies worldwide, making it Square-Enix’s third most bankable franchise behind Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Plus, when the director of Kingdom Hearts was also the character designer for Square’s seminal RPG, Final Fantasy VII (which sees a true “sequel” emerge in the form of a 100-minute CG movie later this year), you know this is a man worth listening to.

Enter Tetsuya Nomura. While he wasn’t giving online interviews at this E3, he made an exception for 1UP. In fact, he summoned us to his court like Cloud summons Shiva. Consider 1UP.com your own personal Gilgamesh. During our hour-long interview with Nomura-san, we discussed all things Kingdom Hearts II and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. This is one interview you don’t want to miss. Dig in, hang out and enjoy.

1UP: The battle system is much deeper than in the first game. Battle formations, party arrangements, diversity of attacks — it’s a much different beast than Kingdom Hearts version 1. What triggered such a vigorous reinvention of the combat?

Tetsuya Nomura: Obviously there was some user feedback that we have to keep in mind, but it wasn’t necessarily all of that. It also wasn’t necessarily all of everything I had thought to put in and is now suddenly included. It’s a good balance of user feedback and some of the things I’ve always wanted to put into what I’d call my “ideal” game. You can see that the Form Change, for example, in KH1 that was already an idea we had for the original, but due to timing constraints and some other reasons, we couldn’t put it in there. So now it’s idealized and realized in KH2.

And you know the ‘instant command’ action where you see the green triangle over an enemy’s head [signaling you to press the triangle button] was something I had thought about back in the Final Fantasy VIII days. But we knew that if we were to implement that, the number of motions and options was going to be something we couldn’t do because it was so much action, that we couldn’t do it in FFVIII. The Form Change that you see in KH2 gives it a different feel because in KH1, simply put, it could have been known as a simple straight-on attack to hit the enemies and that’s pretty much it. You’d still have your magic and other moves, but it was basically attacking and moving forward. In KH2 with the Form Change and commands it’s going to add a little more selection to the individual player and it’s pretty much up to you to build your own strategy, so that’s something we wanted to keep in mind going into Kingdom Hearts II.

1UP: The camera is a lot calmer now than it was in KH1, where it was the worst element of that game. Please explain how you cleaned up that aspect of the game for the sequel.

TN: Yeah, that’s another thing, as you said, that was pretty obvious from the user feedback, that we wanted to make some improvements to in KH2. But this system we have running at E3 is not the final, final version, so knowing that we’ve already come this far at this point, we’re pretty sure that we’re going to be able to implement something that’s going to be very attractive to the gamers.

1UP: In previous Kingdom Hearts, all the characters were existing characters that you were able to redesign in your own particular style. But in KH2 you’re now reinterpreting “real life” characters like Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. How do you approach designing characters who were never cartoons before?

TN: Actually there weren’t any sorts of challenges or difficulty; I wasn’t really conscious about bringing in real life Disney characters and mixing them up with Kingdom Hearts characters like Sora, Donald and Goofy. We already knew that Sora, Donald and Goofy and the Disney characters would remain the same way as in the previous Kingdom Hearts. And if you can see, take Roger Rabbit for example, there are those types of characters, the Sora and Disney type characters mixed in with the real human characters, even in the Disney world. So we didn’t really see it as a huge challenge; all we wanted to do was to make sure the quality of the human-like character was going to be close to or almost exactly the same to what we have been shown in the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. In KH1 I think the Nightmare Before Christmas world was one of the unexpected worlds, but we knew that in order to wow our fans we needed to put something in that was more unexpected. So I would think that Pirates of the Caribbean has a bigger impact, and that it’s totally unexpected for Sora and his friends to come in touch with real human characters. And I’m just very picky and very detailed, so this time around for the E3 trailer, you only saw a few seconds of the Pirates characters and world where it was kind of dark, so you probably couldn’t pick up all the details. But if I showed you something that was more brightly lit, I think you would be even more surprised. And also, if I can add, most of our staff has worked on Final Fantasy all the way up to FFX. So if you look at FFX and the characters we used in that title, you can probably say we’re actually used to recreating more human-like characters than the ones you see in Kingdom Hearts, so for us it’s like working on something we’ve already mastered.

1UP: What sort of changes have you made to the Gummi Ship experience to make it more enjoyable for the players?

TN: As far as the Gummi Ship is concerned for KH2, it’s powered up a lot. I can definitely say we have gone without using any part of it from KH1. We’ve actually pretty much trashed everything that we created in KH1 and created a completely new system. A few things are that it’s improved in the speed and battle, in how you’re going to battle using the Gummi Ship. I think the tempo of the entire game during battles in the story of Kingdom Hearts is pretty fast-paced, so we’ve kind of blended in the speed of the Gummi Ship to match the tempo of the story in the battles that you can actually feel in the game. The concept is not based on a shooting game, but I feel like it’s closer to a Disney theme park ride, where it’s more like you’re going to not transport yourself from one place to another, but it actually gives you a sense of feeling that there’s some sort of story being accomplished. Not necessarily advancing the Kingdom Hearts story, but the Gummi Ship itself is going to have a little more ‘story’ each time to add to why you are using the Gummi Ship and How you are transporting yourself from one place to another. So all in itself the Gummi Ship has its own little world-like atmosphere. In KH1 you didn’t get that sense because the primary use was only to put yourself from place A to B; it was mainly a transportation system. And the enemies you’re going to be fighting in KH2 are designed differently than in KH1. Now the ships itself are built differently and you’re going to see some more mech-looking enemies. So that’s completely new too. And the variety of attacks you can do to the enemies is completely different. Same with the camera angles which you just mentioned. The user feedback on the Gummi Ship was not very well received on the original, so we completely upgraded and improved the Gummi Ship system.

1UP: Have you ever considered using the Gummi Ships that the users design in the real-time cutscenes? You know, like maybe the ship comes in to land somewhere and players can see the exact ship they’ve designed?

TN: I don’t know; maybe we haven’t reached that point where we can do that in development, but the Gummi Ship itself adds a little more story each time you take it. So in this way it’s already giving you a sense of dramatic feeling, maybe in a small way or a cute way, but it’s still there. And then when you’re on the Gummi Ship it’s going to have its own sort of camera work, which is automatic. You’re going to feel like you’re moving along this invisible rail. So within that you’re going to get this sense that you’re already in an event in itself, so hopefully that will satisfy players.

1UP: How would you describe Kingdom Hearts II’s plot versus KH1s? Would you say it’s more fully-realized, more epic in scale, more sentimental, etc.?

TN: With KH1 there was a conscious effort to not make the entire world too difficult. But then obviously if we went too simple just because it’s Disney, that wouldn’t be a very good Square-Enix-like game. That doesn’t really represent what we’re known for. So obviously there was a pretty deep and good base foundation storyline there, but I think in KH1 what we did was we only tried to bring out some of the deep elements up to the surface. Whereas in KH2, we’re going to bring even more to the surface, where you’re going deeper and deeper into the storyline. And the theme of the Kingdom Hearts story, which is ‘the heart,’ is hopefully going to bring out light at the end too. So at the same time you’re going in deeper to the story, hopefully that will bridge the gap between dark and light, which I think is basically both sides of having a heart. A heart will have darkness but it will always have light too. And the existence of “Nobodies” in KH2 is going to seem like it makes the story a little bit complicated, but we intended to make it that way. They actually play a pretty big role in KH2.

1UP: Kingdom Hearts came out around three years ago, and its original audience has grown proportionately. 12 year-olds are now 15, 15 year-olds are now 18. Would you say KH2 has matured with its fans?

TN: Yeah, hopefully it’s going at the same rate, but maybe a little bit more on our part, so maybe we’re a little more advanced.

1UP: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was something of an afterthought in that it wasn’t originally conceived as part of the story’s continuity. In hindsight, having gone through the development process of COM, would you say there was a side effect in developing that game that benefits KH2?

TN: There actually is one thing that came out of it. Well, there are actually many things, but one notable exception, a bigger one, was that we were able to make some new characters in Chain of Memories. So to continue them in KH2, we can have their existence be a little bit larger, and deeper. There are some episodes in KH2 for example that maybe wouldn’t have existed if it weren’t those newly introduced characters.

1UP: I know you delighted in defying expectations in the original Kingdom Hearts, i.e. everyone thought it was going to be a kids game because of the Disney connection, but it was a really tough game. Have you set out to reinforce that notion this time around or have you scaled it back a little to make it less difficult for younger players?

TN: In Japan as you may know, we released Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, and that actually had a difficulty level option. While KH2 may not have the same kind of option, since Final Mix development took place before we moved on to KH2, we may take that experience and implement it somehow. But we can’t reveal exactly what it’s going to be.

After 2 years of waiting, KHII is finally making its way to stores! How are you feeling about this right now?

Its all fine right now. When we were at the Tokyo Game Show, and at the time that we gave the release date, there were so many mixed feelings that I saw from the crowd. Some people were saying “WHOA!! It’s that soon!! It’s almost here!!”, but I did have some people, who unfortunately did not have those same feelings, and were a bit disappointed.

When did the team realize that they would be able to set a release date?

Well both the team and I were VERY skeptical about the release date, because we needed to add a little more touches, and also know if we WILL be able to release it then. Then, we were able to finish the things that we wanted to, and our determination got us through, and then we were able to set a date.

What are your feelings now about the collaboration between you and Disney?

Well, unmistakably Disney characters are something that most likely, the whole world knows about. For a game to go that way with Disney, has never been achieved before. I wanted to make a game idea with this company in mind. This idea was of course to have Disney characters living in another world and how would they react to the other things that are, of course, different to their own world. What the game’s approach had become was something that we soon became satisfied with. Both the characters from Disney and from us, we wanted them to live in similar lifestyles as they would, and our characters to be compatible to the Disney character lifestyles.

With the fist game being a success, what do you have in mind for this for KHII?

I think that this will be a very great game. We’ve added things that no one really expected, like POTC and Steamboat Willie, and by adding those things to the game, it has made it very enjoyable. We were very nervous about the first game, because of the joining of Square and Disney, and of course we worried about which worlds would be appropriate, and what the content would be and such things like that. However, this time we knew that because of its success, we will be able to create a fun and great game.

There is a definite image that comes to mind with both POTC and Tron. Like, a visual impact that is close to live action movies, Tell us about it.

People have said that it would make this too much like FF, but you need to add some kind of realism to the game, because all fun and games, sometimes turns into no fun at all. That is what the basic idea of the worlds are.

Mr. Nomura, please tell us:

I loved working on the Lion King. Lions are my favorite animal, and I loved the story and everything from Lion King, so naturally, Lion King was my favorite.

What are some changes with Sora and the gang that occur in the game?

Sora mostly changes from the fact that the engine has changed, with the implementation of both the Drive Engine, and that Sora changes more in worlds such as the Lion King world.

What other Disney productions would you have liked to put in?

I would have wanted to something with Fantasia and mainly the sequence with Mickey when he was the wizard’s apprentice.

What do you think captures the games “magic”?

I think that Mickey is what really captures the magic for this game. He hasn't really been seen a lot in KH, so with that, we made KHII have more of Mickey in it, to give it that Disney magic.

About the XIII Order, what made you design and create these characters?

We couldn’t really add them in KH, because of both the story and the themes. KHII and CoM is a bit darker, so it seems more appropriate. In CoM, only 8 of the 13 were revealed, to further the plot for KHII.

This time, a new enemy, the “Nobody” has arrived. Tell us about them and their purpose a bit more.

I wanted to complete the perspective to both the heart and body relationship. The Heartless are made of those who surrender their hearts, so it kind of makes sense to do something with the body, hence “Nobody”. Each of the XIII Order members control their own special Nobody, for example, the Dragon Nobodies are control by Xaldin. But, whenever you go to a different world, you are suppose to think “Oh, there’s a different XIII Order person, I wonder what their Nobody is…”

What kind of a person is the Mysterious Boy (BHK)?

Well, he is playable….(laughs). Everyone of course wants to know about him, and want to control him. He is playable and has emotions and his voice and everything that you would need to figure him out.

What is noticeable about BHK’s friends?

They all live in Twilight Town, as they live there they always have lots of fun. These kids have a lot of similarities to Sora, Riku and Kairi. This time, of course you start with the exploits of BHK and his friends. You will be able to play through Twilight Town just as you did with Destiny Islands, but it will be focused a bit more.

Riku and Kairi and The King, are they more emphasized in the game?

Mickey of course has a very important role (laughs). However, not a lot changes throughout his character. This time, everyone should still have the same feeling of the king as they did before. Kairi has grown up, so she has more mature emotions and feelings. And what shall we find with Riku? This will be a big point through the game. And with that, I hope you have fun! (laughs)

What is the mystery behind II?

There are new themes, new situations and such, and all will be explained when the game is released.

How will the change between Drives occur?

The drive changes will be in Full Real Time, and right in the middle in the action. When you are doing these attacks, they always will have an effect on you somehow, and you are able to execute combo attacks.

The 3 forms have been confirmed, are there still some more left?

Yes, there are still a couple more forms left, and the last one will be amazing (laughs).

There is of course the Triangle Button Command.

Yes, there definitely the triangle commands, and this will all take place in real-time, and it of course is always based on the situation. I had this in mind for the first game, but we just never really got to it.

How is the Gummi Ship?

The ship is strengthened, but looks the same as it always has. There is lots more action, and the whole sequence is very up beat, and face paced. We know have a small helping system. If you are having trouble, Chip and Dale will give you advice.

Now, finally is our User Message.

Playing Kingdom Hearts II will be very enjoyable indeed for people who have played before. It has many twists and situations that are quite different from I, and I really hope that you enjoy the game!

We’re finally really close to a release but how have things been going?

The volume is beyond comparison. When I showed it to my boss the other day, he said “There’s 4 games’ worth in there.” In fact, what you have all seen so far is the mere “tip of the iceberg” if you will. Even within the worlds that have been presented there is much more to the real thing. The challenge is to see if we have managed to make that a trend for all worlds. As well as the worlds, the battles are amazing too. Even beyond what has been revealed! My boss was also thrilled. “So you’ve made this much progress”, he said. There’s so much that can be done, even beyond your expectations. I’m just asking myself if we can reveal anymore in time.

Whilst playing even the versions in development we felt a lot of progress had been made. That is still only an appetizer. It’s really become something quite unbelievable. Even if I were to summarize it, that would be difficult.

Recently, a Tron world has been revealed.

I wanted to keep it as the last surprise world.

We were really surprised it would appear.

In fact, Tron was the first world to be chosen to appear.

What is the “must-see” aspect of it?

Sora’s story will progress within the Tron world and the feeling of the world itself is quite different from the others. Like a world of an old computer. Some sound effects are from old computers as well so the atmosphere will be really different. Something like an old computer game.

Could you explain how Tron came to be in KHII?

When I went to meet with the Disney guy he was making a Tron game on his PC. When I glanced at it I thought I could do something fun with it as well. There was a lot of material in Tron too. Though it is quite different from the rest of the Kingdom Hearts universe, I felt that if people could actually enjoy that difference it would be worth it.

One image that comes up when thinking of Tron is bike races.

I knew that. Though it might not fit exactly the image from the film, it has been made to be played with similar results.

We understand that within the world of Atlantica there will be a rhythm game but what will actually happen in that world?

The story has been laid out as a musical so even the game will be structured differently. It’s mostly a matter of timing. I didn’t want to make it only a musical but also something the player could interact with. If you do well you’ll see a proper musical scene, if you do badly you won’t.

The matter of “outcomes” raises the question whether the story will carry on even if we fail.

Yes, few will probably want to carry on if they fail too much. It’s always better to see the perfect scenes though.

Does that mean that in Atlantica there won’t be any action battles?

There won’t be any action battle but the musical will use event battles.

Does that mean there will also be scenes where we have to swim around?

There will be a little exploration. You will be swimming as part of the musical. In the previous instalment there was the view that swimming through Atlantica and fighting was difficult. That is why this time we’ve changed it into a musical world.

Timeless River will appear in black and white but was this decided from the beginning.

Yes.

Is Timeless river also a special world with no action battle?

No, there will be the usual battles and, unlike the film, voices. A part from the fact that it’s in black and white it can compare with the other worlds in terms of game play. But it’s just slightly different in the sense that it can be felt like a compact, mini-game world, even though there aren’t that many mini-games in it.

In the Pride Lands, Sora & Co. are turned into animals…

In the film Lion King there weren’t any people either so I felt it wouldn’t be good to put them in there as they were. I thought that this was a world where animals talked to each other so it would have been unlikely for a human being to walk in and talk to them, which is why I changed their shapes accordingly. Concerning Donald and Goofy, their animal motifs couldn’t correspond so I had to change them into animals that can be found in Africa.

Won’t the XIII Order appear there too?

They probably won’t. And even if they did you probably wouldn’t recognise them in an animal form.

Sora holds his Keyblade in his mouth but what about Donald and Goofy’s weapons?

Donald holds his staff with his claws. Goofy will have more or less the same weapon holding tactic as he did in the previous Atlantica world. In fact, Lion King was a world I already wanted to put in the previous instalment. Only, it was abandoned because making Sora into a 4 legged animal required a different program. This time was revenge. There came enthusiastic voices from the staff so we had a go at it.

Since we can do magic and combos it doesn’t change much from usual battles then?

Yes, the only difference might be the inability to use Drive but that’s about it.

Now, the Master Form has been revealed. What sort of abilities does it have?

It is a yellow combination of Wisdom and Valour forms. However it is a bit risky because it uses up the drive gauge faster.

Are there any other forms left?

Not that many but a few.

Are they completely different from the ones revealed to date?

Those that haven’t been revealed by now are more or less bundled in as hidden ones. Even if the name Master Form sounds quite conclusive. They are forms even better than that.

Newly we have seen Seifer, Raijin and Fujin as well as Vivi. They also seem quite different from their original designs.

They are now kids but if you think about it, they were only 17-18 years old in FFVIII as well so the change isn’t that big. It’s just that KHII makes them slightly Deformed so they might look like children. Their roles don’t change that much from FFVIII. From the Garden’s disciplinary committee to the Town’s disciplinary committee.

Please tell us why Vivi was included.

I was really reluctant as I don’t like using designs that weren’t mine to begin with because I don’t understand them properly but there were a lot of requests and so my staff convinced me to have a go. He doesn’t stand out much but though he is with Seifer he has aspirations.

Hollow Bastion is looking different from the previous instalment in the sense that a lot of the FF characters are gathering there.

It was a necessary continuation of the previous story as it is their home world.

Is it becoming a proper town?

The focus is on Leon and Cid rebuilding the place. What was once a town became what you saw in the first instalment so during the game you will still see it as rebuilding.

How many FF characters are to appear?

More than what was previously shown. Though I first talked about there being around 5 new FF characters, lately it looks as though it will be far beyond that. HB’s main characters are from FF so as the story builds, more will be introduced.

Does that mean that it will be a world we will frequently pay visits to?

HB will be to KHII what Traverse Town was to KH so yes.

Counting the new Tron world, have all the worlds been revealed now?

More or less. Twilight Town and the world from the secret movies haven’t been presented in enough depth yet so please look forward to that.

SECTION 1 – THE REASON IS WENT TO GBA [Page 1 - View Image]

At the end of the previous installment, KH, there was a secret movie that was to bring light on what the sequels could be like. When you made those sequences, did you already have in mind what CoM and KHII would be like? In a kind of vague way yes. The most precise visions I hade were those of KHII as I already had decided that it would take place a year after KH, that the atmosphere would be different in some ways. If I was to create a KHII I wanted it to begin in the most intriguing way as it would be possible. I only began thinking about “What happens in that year between” in CoM much later.

When we look at the project book (will be pictured!) we can see that KH: CoM was originally called “KH: Lost Memories”. Though for some we had to change the title you’ll notice it isn’t that much different than the orignal.. I though that “Chain of Memories” had more style and it matched the general outline of the story too (i.e. Sora relieving a sucession of memories, a chain) and I personally liked it.

What was the reason you decided to develop this installment for the GBA? Soon after the release of the previous installment, I was told that I should make a KH for GBA. But at the time I was skeptical of the idea of seeing KH in 2D and said “Can’t do it”. Then as I began to think about what I could work on next, I began to hear “Our kid wants to play KH on GBA” alot more frequently. That kind of real voice that was saying that “Kids want to play” got me seriously considering it.

So it was the voices of the children that moved you? Yes. That is when I began to elaborate a gameplay system, visuals and concept artwork as well as a storyline to fill that one year story gap on the GBA. Eventually I began to think that KH in 2D really was manageable but since it was still pretty vague I came up with some systems that could adapt the KH gameplay to the GBA and asked for feedback on many members of the staff. Then I started getting “This can be done, can’t it?” and that is when the CoM project was really set in motion.

SECTION 2 – THE FUN WITHIN THE LINEAR [Page 2 - View Image]

If we glance at the project book we can see that the backbone of KH: CoM ended up coming out of your ideas. But all of that is written in the project book is not sufficient to make a game. All I created was the very basic concept of the game. Then by borrowing the talents and strengths of all the staff those small ideas get bigger and bigger.

Where did you get the idea of making it a sort of card game? This is talking about KHII more but, if you were to begin the game with the very powerful Sora you had aquired at the end of KH, KHII would’nt stand up to much as a game. I wanted the players to know the potential in strength Sora has more or less fulfilled at the end of the previous installment yet not be able to use all those abilites right from the start. That is when I thought that if I could make a story in which Sora’s abilites and memories all get mixed up, KH: CoM would be a perfect bridge between KH and KHII. I thought that to symbolise those messed memories and abilities cards could be used soI had to create a card based system. Thats the jist of it, I think.

Normally when you’d say “KH for GBA” we’d think of a 2D action game where Sora flings his keyblade and defeats enemies. However in, KH: CoM we see this card system a new kind of fun coming out of the restrictions that impose a card based system. When I think of making a game system, I refer myself back to the one I created for FFV, In the latter, there were loads of abilites but only the possibility of equipping three at a time at most. Learning them all does not mean you are all powerful, therefore. To be efficient you need to sacrifice some things. But it isn’t that dramatic. I believe that these restrictions are closely connected to the fun you hve in a game. In the previous installment, this was in the slight delay between the input of the action and Sora’s execution of that action, which created a little risk. This time, we aimed for a close balance between the effects of the cards and the stock techniques and the penalties they impose.

Nowadays, Game Crews are divided into Scenario, Graphic, Sound and Programming departments but in your case, while being the Director, you can also draw, think of the game system, write the story plot and take on a variety of roles and we think that’s amazing. The part I enjoy the most myself is writing the project while drawing little bits of visuals and showing it to the staff. We then talk and small ideas I had become bigger and much more concrete and that is when I have the most fun when developing a game. It is almost as if I wrote the project book solely for having that kind of fun (laughs). Looking back on it, even back when I was at Primary/Elementary school, I enjoyed playing “Sugoroku” (Note by Mors: “a traditional japanese board-game comparable to Snakes and Ladders) based on my own stories and every time, the rules changed. Perhaps I was pre-disposed to enjoying creating games systems…

SECTION 3 – THE SECRET OF THE “ORGANIZATION” MEMBERS’ NAMES [Page 3 - View Image]

Looking a little more in-depth in the game: about Castle Oblivion, what world is it a part of? In the endng scene of the previous installment, Sora runs up a path that ends up in a crossroad. It is accurate to think that Castle Oblivion is at the end of one of those paths. This isn’t explained in the egame but the building’s upper floors and underground floors respectively represent the Light and Darkness of memories.

In the opening, there is a scene where Namine drawing Castle Oblivion and that image overlaps with the real thing but does that mean that the Castle was created out of Namine’s drawing? That is incorrect. Castle Oblivion is under the orders of a member of the “org”, Marluxia and Namine is taken there by them. Within the Castle, the org members are conducting a little research but the real meaning of the “Organization” will be explained fuly in KHII. For now those aspects remain obscur so it is a relativeley enigmatic group. Incidently, there are 13 members in the Organization, therefor some have yet to be introduced.

CONTINUED… [Page 4 - View Image]

About the Org. members’ names, they all seem to have an ‘x’ in them when translated into english. Although it gives them an otherworldly sound, in their case there is another trick behind the choice of their names. It’s just that, with the members that appeared this time, it is difficult to figure this out. I’m planning on making characters appear in KH2 with names that will make you go “Aaaaah. I got it.”

Speaking of not understanding, the identify of the leader of the Organization is also an enigma. “Isn’t it Ansem?” or “Isn’t it the one bandaged in red?” are just some of the theories I guess some of you have thought of. The thing is, KH2 is, even for me, unfolding in developing in such a complex way that at this stage nothing may be pronounced with certainty. Thanks to those membrs of the “Organization”, I think KH2 will be quite an interesting and fun story.

By “the one bandaged in red”, you mean DiZ? Yes. DiZ will be one of the most important characters in the story to come and holds the answer to many questions. But, what he is thinking and what he wants is unclear to his entourage. When you learn his identity, you’ll possibly be suprised.

Is there a link between the name DiZ and Disney? It was suggested that it would be his name because a few members of the staff liked it. I also put it in because of a reason but… i’ll try to remember what that was until next time (laugh).

In the newly introduced “Org.” members, which is your favorite? A: I guess that would be Axel. He is also very popular with a majority of the other members of the staff. Given that he is furter given delicious roles in KH2… Axel’s true motivations, though I cannot tell them now, are a great story. You could cry. The scene where he tells you what he really wants is one scene you simply cannot miss in KH2.

SECTION 4 – WHO IS THE KID WHO APPEARS IN THE ENDING? [Page 5 - View Image]

Why didn’t Sephiroth appear this time? Since he had been given the role in KH: Final Mix, the fans wouldn’t forgive me if the next time I used him, I didn’t give him a role more closely related to Cloud. If I am to use him, I want him to stand out and that is why he did not appear this time. However I am thinking of a little something with Cloud in KH2…

In the ending of Riku’s story, Riku chooses neither the path of Light nor Darkness, but the road in-between. How will that choice affect him as one who wields the keyblade? What Riku is thinking at that point will become clear later. He decides to follow the road in-between to achieve a certain goal. Riku’s story was about “What is my relation with the Darkness?”, but some things, such as what he is, have yet to be explained.

At that point, DiZ says “The road to twilight…”, but does that have a relation with Twilight Town? Yes, it does. This will again be talked about in KH2, but… twilight, that is the time when it is neither day nor night. That theme of being in-between light and dark is central to KH2. In the previous installment it talked more about being of either Light or Dark, but this time we’ve added being “in the middle”. That is why there now is a Twilight Town and a Riku who folows neither Light nor Dark, but both. Twilight Town is the first world to appear in KH2, too. It is very different opening from the Destiny Islands abundant with light you begin the previous installment on and people who played KH might say “What’s this?” and get confused. However, I plan to give that confusion further depth as the story goes on.

During this game, Twilight Town is presented as being: “A town built out of the memories of Sora’s otehr side.” Yes. But, let’s just say it’s not a town that is in Sora’s own memories. It’s not that Sora has any memory of that town but… hmmmm… there is a link. It is a very important part in KH2 so it’s difficult to explain.

At the end of Riku’s story we see a young kid standing in Twilight Town. Who is he? He is a new character to appear in KH2 and he holds a very important part to play, too. I will refrain from too much detail but he is to be a playable character. Besides him, many of the secret characters from the previous installment’s secret movies will appear in KH2. I plan to explain what the situations depicted in the secret movies signify.

SECTION 5 – THE WORLD OF KINGDOM HEARTS EXPANDING ON MANY FRONTS

There is a KH card game that is being released. I guess you take part in that as well? Indeed. Actually, i’ve never played a card game. I didn’t know any of the rules the card games currently released have, so I had to think of what could make the game fun myself. Then when it was decided that there would be a KH card game I wanted them to use the rules I had made up, but I realized that this was too difficult. So I decided to make it a KH card game in its own right. I was told to give up quite a few ideas while developing it. You might see that in the simplistic design the cards ended up in.

There were also some cards with designs from KH2, right? The publisher TOMY talked about making this a long term project. That is why I suggested featuring characters such as The King not only from CoM, but from KH2 as well. The lineup for quite a few future packs have already been decided. There also is quite a non-exhaustive list of the characters I want to appear and I have to design quite a few of them and it’s tiresome. It seems my commitment with card games might go as far as that with video games

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Are there other fronts on which you plan to develop the KH franchise? There’s those chess pieces we revealed at the Game Show. They are considerably well done. There are many femaile fans for KH which is rather different from the other goodies we release. So we’re looking into developing more female oriented products. There are plenty of ideas in that respect when it comes to KH so please look forward to it.

We have heard that in America, there is a KH being developed for the mobile phone. There are quite a few things concerning that… Officially it has nothing to do with the original KH. It’s completely different. The title is KH, Sora makes an appearance but the story has nothing to do whatsoever with KH, CoM, and KH2, we’re developing since Disney is designing it.

SECTION 6 – BEYOND KHII?

The story is carrying on to KH2, but is there a story that will continue CoM itself? This game system is very fun to use so I want to use it again the future. However, CoM doesn’t really have a story in itself but, is just a piece of a much larger story. Right now, I feel that making a CoM 2 is a very difficult thing indeed.

Within yourself, have you been thinking far in terms of the story of the world of KH? No, for now it’s been decided on how KH2 will end but I really haven’t been thinking beyond that. All the enigmas that arose in KH and CoM will be solved in KH2 so it is possible to end it all then and there. However, quite a few new mysteries are glimpsed at in KH2 so it isn’t impossible to create another story afterwards. The question now is “shall it be done?”.

But will KH2 feature secret movies that glimpse into a possible sequal again? I quite like secret movies so there might something in KH2… But first, we need to finish KH2 (laughs).

Besides Kh2 you are developing quite a few other titles. Well apart from KH2 i’m also commited to “Compilation of FF7″, with AC (Advent Children), BC (Before Crisis), CC (Crisis Core), and DC (Dirge of Cerberus). Then there’s also Samurai Legend Musashi and another, that makes six… not counting the other projects that might being to develop soon.

That’s quite a number. It’s not exactly a burden, though. I’m surrounded by a staff that makes most things possible. After I think of the concept, the rest is cooperative between all of us. After that, the staff do a lot of the work and i’m consulted and give the “go signals and set things back on track sometimes.

We heard you once went to the ER in America, but since, you’ve been working so hard, is your body’s health alright? Quite a few people are indeed worried for my health so three years ago I ended up going to the doctor’s. I was actually perfectly fine and people around me were “You’re not human.” and “you can do even more?!” (laughs).

SECTION 7 – HAVING FINISHED KH: COM

Finally, how do you feel now that you’ve finished CoM? In the days following the release, I felt similarly to the way I felt after that of the previous installment. The players were first saying “Not that we’re complaining, but it is a kind of worrying title” and similar feedback rose. This is what I call a good feeling. Indeed, similarly to the previous installment, as the feedback of more and more players came to me, the popularity increased and that makes me really happy.

The previous installment, for a contemporary game, has become quite a long running hit. Indeed. But this installment isn’t exactly the concept I originally had in mind… as well as being portable, it was designed so that you could interrupt your game at any time but with CoM, once you start, it’s hard to put down. (laugh) That is a truly happy feeling. So much data in such a small catridge which I think is for players to explore. It is all connected with KH2 so I reallly hope that fans of the previous installment will play this game

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When we play CoM, we really being to feel anxious for KH2. KH2 is a lot faster than the previous installment but, still within limits. But, please look forward to it. Though I can’t really say this myself, KH2 is really looking to become a bloody great episode. It’s as if we just crammed into it all we thought of KH and CoM. The volume of it isn’t exactly many times that of the previous installment but i’m really beginning to scratch my heart as to if it’s all going to hold on a single DVD-ROM. (Note: This interview was before the one where it was stated 2 discs would be used)

We’re eager to find out what new worlds will be featured, too. We’ve already revealed Mulan’s world, but there will also be a very suprising world. As much as The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Halloween Town was in the preview installment. You’ll probally think “What is he thinking!?”. The characters of those worlds will also be very well modelized as we have worked hard on those polygons.

The more we talk about it, the more we want to playy KH2, but when exactly will it be released!? Due to a lot of factors, it is very difficult to say at this point. All I can say is that it will be released after FF7: Advent Children. (laughs)

(11.04.2004 with the cooperation of Square-Enix) Translated by Mors, credit to Seraphim for the Scans and DKGerbil for typing pages 4-7

Tetsuya Nomura- Gameography: KH, FF5,6,7,8,10,10-2, Parasite Eve, Parasite Eve 2, The Bouncer.

[A secret known by him alone] The 13 members of The Org. as well as having numbers, have powers attributed to each of them. Thus Axel was fire, Larxene was thunder, Lexaeus was earth, and Marluxia’s flower shaped scythe was representing his power over flowers