The latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation, releasing on October 11, 2012, has contained an interview with Tetsuya Nomura discussing Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, with mention of Kingdom Hearts for PC Browsers. Details of this article are starting to appear on gamenyarth and hokanko-alt, and translations have appeared thanks to sqexgal [original translation] and our translator goldpanner [original translation]. All new details revealed can be seen below.
Update 1: hokanko-alt have published a more detailed summary of this interview, and our translator goldpanner has translated it. You can read the full translation here, or check out our updated summary below.
Update 2: Just a minor correction-- we originally reported that this interview was from Famitsu Weekly, however, the interview is actually from Dengeki PlayStation.
Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX
- Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX- development was planned even before Final Fantasy X HD was announced on September 13, 2011, prior to Tokyo Game Show 2011. This means that Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX- development has been planned for over a year. Square Enix's Osaka team was consulted over whether they could do something to make best use of the PS3's performance.
- Actual development was kickstarted because the Kingdom Hearts series had been spread over several consoles, and secondly, by the series' 10th anniversary, it had become difficult for new gamers to join in.
- HD remastering was very difficult, but two great programmers from Square Enix's Osaka team spent close to a year on this, allowing it to come to fruition. Square Enix's Osaka team are the team responsible for Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance].
- The Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX- trailer from Tokyo Game Show 2012 was released thanks to the Osaka team. The programmers that handled the HD remastering were merged in from a team that hadn't been involved in the Kingdom Hearts series up until now.
- There are Kingdom Hearts staff in the Square Enix's Tokyo team too, but there have been drastic changes. You could say that the basically unchanging lineup of the Osaka team forms the true present staff for the series. The series is able to continue because of them.
- The remade HD cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days total in at about two to three hours of footage, according to Nomura.
- Nomura thought about perhaps remaking 358/2 Days as a game, but it would have taken over a years so he decided to give priority to the new title and instead have 358/2 Days, necessary for inclusion, as a video volume.
- You don't have to play through the games in order to unlock 358/2 Days' video volume. You can select to watch 358/2 Days straight after starting the game.
- Some of Sora and the other's models have been replaced with the latest ones.
- The camera function for Kingdom Hearts has been modified to be more similar to Kingdom Hearts II's system.
- There is PlayStation 3 trophy support. Nomura himself hasn't had much to do with the trophy feature, so he is still researching now as to what sort of content to include. Discussion over whether or not you'd need them for clearing worlds and first obtaining Keyblades and such is still underway.
- The game controls have been adjusted a little to make them easier to use than they had been. Special commands display for the △ button, and camera controls have been made closer to the base ones in Kingdom Hearts II. There aren't really any big additions. He'd like you to think of HD remastering and trophy support as all the additional components.
- There will not be a new secret movie.
- Nomura hasn't thought about making a bundle edition.
- It would be unnatural to make Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, but not Kingdom Hearts -HD 2.5 ReMIX-.
- Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX-'s development is basically in its final stages. Development is doing well, so Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX- is planned for release in 2013. Nomura wants to deliver as soon as possible.
Kingdom Hearts for PC Browsers
- Kingdom Hearts for PC Browsers will be a typical browser game. Controls will be simple and using cards, with the content not strongly action-oriented. Co-operating with several people is also a feature, however, the game is fundamentally for one person.
- Development is not done by Square Enix's Osaka team, it is done somewhere else.
- It will be a spin-off title, completely removed from the story of the main series. Due to the nature of a browser game, they couldn't put in any grand set up for the story.
- There are new characters, but Nomura won't say whether or not they will be involved in the main series.
Update 3: Dengeki Online have mentioned this article, and with it, uploaded a small scan. Unfortunately, it looks like all included screenshots have been previously released by Famitsu Weekly.
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