"Creator's message" blog post about Kingdom Hearts 3D

The publicity department asked me to write up some of KH3D's appealing points, but seeing as the contents of the game have already been explained pretty well on the official site and in magazines etc, after worrying for a bit I thought I'd go with a bit of a change of pace.

KH3D is on sale now, and I have been reading a lot of player reviews etc for KH3D lately. There really are a lot of play styles. Actually, you can't beat the development staff for that, either.

Today I will introduce the best playing styles chosen from among them and pierce through to the character behind that sort of play in a piece titled: "Gameplay Weirdos: a Clinical Record!"

※This post will probably get me scorned from the development team, so I have intentionally used the initials for the names of the weirdos.

------------

■ Case 1: Howling Flick Rush Patient (Programmer Mr. K.K.)

There’s the programmer in charge of Flick Rush, K.K. He is very loud when playing with Flick Rush. After I moved to Osaka, I was surprised to see people from Kansai being the straight man on comedy programs. He's nothing like that. Every time he does wireless battle he begins with a resounding scream of ‘WHY???’, and then gradually heats up in stages: ‘ARRGH!’ → ‘HAX!!’ →‘NO! NO! NO! NO YOU DON’T~!! The programmers working in silence within a 20m radius receive damage from the noise. He seems to be risking his life by playing. Thanks to K.K.’s straight hot blooded style, he freely argues his opinions, and as a result, the quality of Flick Rush went up and up. I definitely want to work on something with him again. But, from a seat a little further away…

-------------

■ Case 2: Morning Bell Mania (Designer G.K.)

Did you know that if you use Morning Bell, you can avoid the drop? In the final stages of development, designer G.K. used this strategy first and foremost. If you use Morning Bell and continue the game with the minimum drop, you earn drop points and can get powerful drop bonuses, which is very helpful for defeating the formidable enemies in Proud Mode and Critical Mode. However, I don’t think G.K. chose this tactic because he was thinking ahead like that. He’s the type to get caught up in the moment at drinking get-togethers and shout everyone drinks, and then run out of money by the end of the month. I think he probably wants to see one goal to the end with incredible concentration and thus refuses to drop. For example, if you call out to him when he’s in the middle of drawing a picture he will jump up and down without fail, but that’s because he concentrates wholeheartedly on one thing at a time. He’s the sort of feverish character who never leaves halfway through drinking get-togethers, set on keeping excitement mounting until morning. For someone like me, who can’t concentrate and has to cut off everything short-term and move on, I make up some reason to abstain from his drinking get-togethers (the week before last I declined saying I had to go buy nam plaa Thai sauce), but all the development staff, including me, love him very much and I think his wholehearted playing style is charming.

---------------

■ Case 3: Poking Demon (Producer R.N.)

R.N. will be poking Wonder Nyan whenever I see her. She is a poking master who holds the perfect posture in her seat in front of the 3DS, and can even continue poking in her sleep. I’ve also seen R.N.’s poking become more violent in proportion to stress-levels. It might just be me, but I think she’s actually poking away her stress by projecting the person who annoyed her onto Wonder Nyan… For example, in her mind she may replace Wonder Nyan with Yasue, who made a late proposal, and poke away muttering “time for your punishment!” In any case, her eyes glitter while she’s poking Wonder Nyan. If there are people who are stressed out by family or co-workers, I recommend a friendship with Wonder Nyan. Wonder Nyan is not just a cute character, it is a cute character that is good for your health.

---------------

■ Case 4: Gameplay Allergy of the 80s Nerd (Event Planner M.M.)

Event Planner M.M. is the only person I know who tries to clear the game without changing the Keyblade once. According to him, he gets goosebumps and wants to throw up just from seeing the words in the camp menu… At first glance it seems a fatal condition for a game developer, but M.M. flourishes drawing storyboard sketches and making elaborate camera shots and angles. M.M. is a nerd for dramas and idols and anime from the 80s, and his pictures have an 80s anime style. He is captivated by the pure situations in pure love dramas, and is head over heels for the bond between Riku and Sora’s hearts in KH. He thinks it is heresy to compare the attack powers of Keyblades and alter the equipment in small ways. I am the type who enjoys the feeling of defeating formidable enemies by tampering with small things in the camp menu, but I also think clean and earnest play styles like M.M.’s are lovely.

-----------

When developing KH3D, the development staff kept various opposing personalities and ideas in mind. As written in the above clinical records, it’s okay if you have no interest in gameplay but are head over heels for story, or if you don’t really want to drop, or if all you want to do is poke your Spirit. There are a lot of choices within the game, and a huge theme of the game is that every option can be completed in both charming and edgy ways. Those playing KH3D now, those who still want to play, please find a playing style full of originality suited to yourself, and play KH3D until you drop!