NPD Group have released the sales chart for video games in North America sold in August 2012. GamesIndustry International uploaded this chart, which can be seen below. It reveals that Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] was the 3rd top-selling game of the month!
Nintendo Everything were able to get a response from Nintendo about the report, who revealed that Kingdom Hearts 3D sold over 180,000 copies in August 2012, in North America. Please note that this value does NOT include pre-orders, copies sold on July 31, or the Mark of Mastery Edition. (Which means the real will be higher!) Unlike the VGChartz estimates which we've seen before, this data is actually 100% accurate.
Square Enix have updated their official website for the Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Fan Selection -Melodies & Memories- soundtrack. This update is an update to the track listing page, which now includes tracks from Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. These tracks can be seen below.
Official Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Fan Selection -Melodies & Memories- website
Kingdom Hearts II
1. Dearly Beloved
2. Passion-KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-
3. Passion ~ opening version ~
4. Lazy Afternoons
5. Missing You
6. The 13th Struggle
7. Roxas
8. Sora
9. Organization XIII
10. The 13th Reflection
11. The Other Promise
12. Riku
13. Darkness of the Unknown
14. Rage Awakened
15. Fate of the Unknown
Each track on the track listing page contains a comment from the composer of the soundtrack, and the Kingdom Hearts series, Yoko Shimomura. Our translator goldpanner has translated each of these comments, and they can all be read below.
Dearly Beloved: "We're finally here again. We made it back." Those were the feelings put into creating this song. Because the intro was long, production did me an impossibly huge favour and changed the title screen to fit it. (I marched to the programmers working on their day off!) There absolutely had to be this much build up until the melody could run its course, no matter what. That's what the song told me. It wasn't up to me. I am no more than a servant to the living breathing song. Haha.
Passion -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-: From a powerful strike of an intro, this song flows into an address-like gentle melody, lapsing afterwards into a section like memories of strong determination awakening, then turns to a grand, powerful and dramatic close. This bold arrangement of hidden passion, like a flower opening with strength to face something, is certainly overwhelming.
Passion ～opening version～: My first impression on hearing this song was, "this song is quite difficult to grasp..." There's a reverse-playback phrase with profound hidden meaning running in the opposite direction to the catch. For some reason it really stays with you... it's an incredible song. Ms Utada is definitely a genius. (No, I'm sure you all know that already without the likes of me having to say it) I have a friend who is really great at karaoke, and it's a long story, but they told me "it's a super hard song to sing~!" Um, please don't ask something as tactless as whether I can sing it, okay~!
Lazy Afternoons: I said this in interviews many times back then, but, this song first appeared in Chain of Memories, and it gave me a lot of trouble. I redid the song over and over because it "didn't feel enough like twilight". So, I actually went out on the veranda of my house during twilight, feeling down and thinking "maybe I'm just no good...", zoning right out gazing at the clouds dyed with red. This song was born from that. The twilight feel does come through, doesn't it?
Missing You: In my own mind, I made this song as part of a set with the song "Treasured Memories" from the first title, which unfortunately didn't make it onto this best-of list. As in, "important treasure" (past) → "I don't want to lose my important, important..." (present). Ah, I'm always talking about musical stuff. Don't read too much into it, please, haha.
The 13th Struggle: This song was unexpectedly popular amongst our team, as well as our players. I personally thought intense quavers and bass half tone movements would reflect the concept of Organisation XIII, but halfway through work, it came to light that I'd missed Mr Tetsu's image of Organisation XIII, which was the piano phrase in "Another Side"! So, it became a song that combined both images of Organisation XIII.
Roxas: This song is truly blessed with so much love. When Mr Tetsu listened to my demo of the song, played on the piano like big droplets, he really liked it. I kept it basically the same, just fleshed it out a little to complete it. It would probably make the top three for shortest amount of time I spent actually working on a song in my whole life. It really was a gift from the gods of music.
Sora: With this song, the truth is, I'd decided to do something like this, but I wrote it before it was written as "Sora's theme," to use during the credits. Haha, I remember explaining, "this beginning, this section is Sora's theme, see!" while I was having people listen to the demo credits for me. The reason it happened like that was because the music for the credits had to be completed before recording. I thought, "If they say this is no good as Sora's theme then I'll have to redo the credits too!" but both Sora's theme and the credits were given the OK, happily~
Organization XIII: This is the first part of "Another Side". Mr Tetsu loved it, saying, "when I think of Organisation XIII, I think of this phrase." The phrase is used many times in many different songs. It's difficult to make a song that is simple but leaves a powerful impression, so I am grateful it exists. This song works hard to be useful and dutiful to its mother, maybe to rival Dearly Beloved, haha.
The 13th Reflection: This is an Organisation XIII battle theme added to Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. I wanted to make something that expressed a unique clean feel, a floating feel, something faster, like cracking into a sprint, and this is how the song turned out. I thought it would be rare, compared to the boss theme of the first KH title which had many patterns swelling to a crash in the second half, to do something with a floating out feel.
The Other Promise: Ever since the title released, this song has had a huge impact. It was only in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+, so it by no means seemed like it would become something this major, but... (thinking that and looking back, the songs related to Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ did very well, haha). It was used in many promo videos, and even a drammatica (orchestral) version was made, so there must be many people who know of it. This song was born from Mr Tetsu saying to me, "I want Roxas to be fought to a flashier piano version of his theme." I wanted to express questioning the utmost limits of our beings, and the unbearable sadness of a destiny you can't fight against.
Riku: Actually, Riku's theme has a pretty subdued impression, haha. It doesn't seem to be talked about much, see (sweatmark!), but I'm very happy that there are people who like it more than I realised. This is from the image of Riku that comes unhesitatingly to mind. That is, "while quiet, having a hidden passion."
Darkness of the Unknown: When we recorded this for the soundtrack, this track was originally three parts that made one song. However, it was split into three songs during production. It would have been troublesome, so they let me record the pattern in one song, identical to the soundtrack. After that, this song also ended up being used many times in other patterns. Then during recording, it ended up being put on a single loop. To those who liked it, I'm sorry...
Rage Awakened: During development, I didn't know the true form of who's song this was. I should say, actually, that it's always like that for secret bosses. It's like, "a mystery man is supposed to be a mystery man! a mystery!" haha. I make the songs relying on very skimpy information like "Someone important that connects to the next title," and "they attack like this~ they move like this~". When I begin composing for the next title, I finally get to give a huge sigh in relief. "Ahh, it does fit, I'm so glad." It runs me ragged, haha.
Fate of the Unknown: Now we have a song that became Terra and Aqua's themes, and the starting point for the music of Birth by Sleep in general. After watching the movie over and over to engrave the image into my head, I wrote a roughly organised version of the song in one sitting, and I surprised even myself at how closely it matched. Personally, I love the part around just before Kingdom Hearts appears in the sky, when it changes key and returns to the main melody.
The international street date for various pieces of Kingdom Hearts merchandise has been released. Firstly, the Meow Wow plush toy that was expected to release on August 30, 2012 appears to have been delayed. AAA Anime's listing for the item now lists the product's date as "TBA", while Forbidden Planet (a United Kingdom store)'s page lists it as "September 2012".
Secondly, AAA Anime has revealed (scroll down to the "Other products" section) that various pieces of Kingdom Hearts merchandise have a North American street date of November 28, 2012. These items are as follows: Sticker: Kingdom Hearts II Sheet, Sticker: Kingdom Hearts Sheet, & Kingdom Hearts 3D: Cover Art Wall Scroll. Enjoy!
The cover artwork for the second Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] novel, Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Side Riku, has been released. Square Enix have updated their Game Books Online page for the novel with the cover artwork, and this artwork can be seen below. Side Riku will release on September 27, 2012 in Japan. Thanks to aibo_ac7 for the tip.
Square Enix have launched their official website for the Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Fan Selection -Melodies & Memories- soundtrack. The soundtrack will be released on September 19, 2012, contains 2 discs, will be sold for the price of ¥3,500 (approximately US$44.73), and features the most popular Kingdom Hearts tracks, as voted on earlier by the public.
Official Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Fan Selection -Melodies & Memories- website
The website reveals the Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories tracks which will be included in the soundtrack. These can be seen below.
Kingdom Hearts
1. Dearly Beloved
2. Hikari -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-
3. Destati
4. Traverse Town
5. Hand in Hand
6. Kairi I
7. Hollow Bastion
8. Always on My Mind
9. Hikari
10. Another Side
Chain of Memories
1. Naminé
2. Lord of the Castle
The website also includes a new background, the soundtrack cover artwork, alternate cover artworks, and images relating to the games. All of these images can be seen below, in our gallery.
Each track on the track listing page contains a comment from the composer of the soundtrack, and the Kingdom Hearts series, Yoko Shimomura. Our translator goldpanner has translated each of these comments, and they can all be read below.
Dearly Beloved: Of course, this is the track I wanted to begin with. I composed this melody in the image of waves lapping in and out on the shore. I made it just thinking it would be nice to use for some kind of scene someday, and then it went and ended up with the huge position of title song! I decided on the name 'Dearly Beloved' in a flash, I was really happy with it. -Yoko Shimomura
Hikari ('Light') -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version- : As music with the image of Kingdom Hearts goes, you cannot leave out this song. I love this melody and I love this arrangement of it. In the first meeting with Mr Kaoru Wada, who I asked to do the arrangement and orchestration, I asked him to "please compose to your liking a grand arrangement that gives the feel of a huge drama." --Yoko Shimomura
Destati: Now, this piece is the first I made and included that represented the Darkside (ha ha) of the Kingdom Hearts project. The musical phrase is incorporated in every title, including the latest one, Dream Drop Distance. But, in the games, it does not actually exist as a song as it is~ Because of that, I worried to the last moment over where to place this track. --Yoko Shimomura
Traverse Town: When originally directed to create something that felt like a stroll through a fun town, this is what I made. It's quite a short tune, and I wish I'd made it slightly longer... I do regret that a tiny bit, haha. But, well, when I think about ways it could be lengthened, adding any more to the melody would feel redundant, so I guess maybe it is fine the way it is after all~ that's what I end up thinking! --Yoko Shimomura
Hand in Hand: For the first half of Traverse Town, the battle theme was the same as on the darkened islands, and I thought, I want to fight battles that are as bright as I can make them! I went and made this additional song without being directed to do so. I was told that "if the song is good, then we'll think about it," and so when they listened and gave me the OK, I remember being incredibly happy. --Yoko Shimomura
Kairi I: For some reason, Kairi is the only one who has had a theme from the first title. On top of that, there were three versions of it, haha. Between I and II, only the first chord is different. Even just that changes the feel of the song significantly~ I made three versions to fit the cutscenes properly. I'm glad I wasn't told to make three versions for all the themes from then on, haha! --Yoko Shimomura
Hollow Bastion: Before I had started composing this song, I was playing through the game myself, and the moment I arrived in Hollow Bastion I thought, "Ahh, I've made it this far, then. The last dungeon feels close..." I put that impression straight into the song. Even now when I listen, I am reminded of falling willy-nilly down traps and get sad, haha. --Yoko Shimomura
Always on My Mind: I have deep memories of this song. I recorded and made a movie file of the cutscene myself, and to make the song match the events in the scene, I adjusted it over and over, I really mean it, over and over and over and over and over and over!!!!! (to be repetitive! haha.) It incorporates many musical phrases. Actually, from KH2 onwards, the title themes (apart from BbS) all incorporate the first part of the melody of this song. --Yoko Shimomura
Hikari: And now we're finally at the theme song for the first title, Hikari. I've heard the demo track from before this song was finished. I'm really proud of that, haha. Even the demo track had an indescribable strength to it and I felt a premonition that it would be a famous song, but even so, when I heard the master track I was still surprised at what an amazing song it had turned out to be. This song, which Ms Hikaru Utada said had the first title she'd written in kanji, and that she had taken it from her own name, is a hugely impressive famous song. When I'm down town, even now, no matter where I am around (ha ha), for an instant I slip back in time. --Yoko Shimomura
Another Side: Pardon me for taking a moment to speak of personal things, but this was actually the last song I wrote as an employee of Square. At the time, I wrote this not knowing what was happening regarding a sequel, and with the chance this would be the last song I'd write. I remember going home feeling as exhausted as a mere shell (ha ha). Ten years has passed, and the fact that I still have the privilege of being in charge like this, and the fact that this song is still regarded so highly among you, makes me so very happy. --Yoko Shimomura
Naminé: The source of these sounds is Re:Chain of Memories, the version for the PS2, but the song actually first appeared in Chain of Memories for the GBA. It comes before KH2, so it's the second theme song for a person, after Kairi. Heroines being treated a bit too well, haha. I composed the song with images I got from the name 'Naminé', of gentle rolling waves drifting, and of the underwater movement of water. --Yoko Shimomura
Lord of the Castle: This is a final boss theme added to the Re:Chain of Memories version. The two final boss themes I originally had were relatively plain, none in a fiery vein, so I wanted to make a super fiery theme, I decided! And so I made it! But... the truth is, when I presented the demo, I was told I had to re-do it, and to 'pump it up more'. More? More?? MORE~??? RAAAAGHH~!! I pumped up just like that, and it turned into a pretty grand theme, haha. --Yoko Shimomura
Amazon.co.jp have created a pre-order page for the upcoming 10th anniversary soundtrack, Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Fan Selection -Melodies & Memories. The pre-order page confirms that the soundtrack will release on September 19, 2012, and will be available for a price of ¥3,500 (approximately US$44.51). This page has also revealed the cover artwork of the soundtrack, and this can be seen below. Thanks to tothecikpah from KH13 for the find.
Update: The officieal Facebook page for the Square Enix e-STORE have uploaded a higher quality version of the cover artwork. This can be seen below.
Square Enix Members Japan have released two new official wallpapers for the Kingdom Hearts series, serving as calendars for September 2012. One wallpaper is based on Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, while the other is based on Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. Thanks to aibo_ac7 for the tip, you can see them below, in our gallery.
Update: We've added every wallpaper from Square Enix Members to our gallery. You can view them below, in our gallery.
Wallpapers → Square Enix Members
Square Enix have updated their official North American website for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. This update has completely finished the website. The "gameplay" and "media" sections are now filled with new videos (that we have uploaded below), the "characters" and "worlds" sections are now complete (with new images that we have uploaded below), and the "downloads" section now contains new official avatars (which can also be seen below). Cool stuff, make sure you check it out!
Official North American Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] website
Gameplay (new videos):
Media (HQ commercials):
Characters (new images):
Kingdom Hearts 3D, International website → Characters
Worlds (new images):
Kingdom Hearts 3D, International website → Worlds
Kingdom Heart 3D [Dream Drop Distance] has been nominated for the Best Handheld at the 2012 Golden Joystick Awards. The game is up against 8 others, but it is great to see a nomination! Since this award is voted for by the general public, you can head on over to their website and vote for what you think was the best handheld game of 2012. Thanks to Tails from KH13 for the tip.
Square Enix have created a pre-order page for a new music CD in the The World Ends With You franchise. This CD is said to contain arrangements from Kingdom Heart 3D [Dream Drop Distance] (which contained The Worlds Ends With You characters and music remixes), as well as "new music from the iOS version [of TWEWY]". The CD is expected to release on October 1, 2012 for a price of ¥1,890 (approximately US$24.03).
Square Enix have hinted at a new The World Ends With You announcement coming soon, and this appears to be related to it. Although Square Enix have since removed the description of the page, Nova_Crystallis managed to snap a screenshot, and you can see this below. Thanks to sqexgal for the description details.
Update (August 27, 2012): Square Enix have created a website for the soundtrack, and this website reveals that the soundtrack will actually release on September 20, 2012. Takeharu Ishimoto, the composer of the soundtrack, has uploaded the album's cover artwork to Twitter.
The Official Nintendo Magazine UK have announced that starting August 23, 2012, a pack of 3 Kingdom Heart 3D [Dream Drop Distance] AR cards will be available from Club Nintendo, for a cost of 200 Stars. These are different to the 2 cards that came with the European version of the game. Cool! Thanks to Beta from KH13 for the tip.
Update (August 25, 2012): Nintendo UK have uploaded a picture of the AR card set, and this can be seen below. This picture shows that the AR cards are the remaining 3 cards that Japan and North America received, but Europe didn't-- meaning that, now, all 5 cards have been released in most regions.
Update 2: They have not been added to Club Nintendo Australia. We are hopeful this will change in the near future.
A while back, Kingdom Heart 3D [Dream Drop Distance] appeared in the April 26, 2012 issue of Famitsu Weekly magazine. This article contained an interview with Tai Yasue, the co-director of the game, as well as Yoko Shimomura, Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito, the composers for the game. Check below for our scans of the whole interview-- all parts!
Update 3 (August 21, 2012): Our translator goldpanner has translated the interview with Yoko Shimomura, Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito, the composers for Kingdom Hearts 3D. Thanks to her, this can be read below.
Ms Yoko Shimomura: the heart of the KH3D music three-person creation team
--What was the concept for the music for this title?
Shimomura: For this title, it was 'dreams' and 'night'. Working with an image of a glittering night time theme park in my mind, I wanted to create tracks that were adorable and yet seeming to hold secrets.
--Were there any particular orders from director Nomura in relation to the music?
Shimomura: He gave me they keyword I mentioned just before, 'dreams'. He also told me he wanted me to make the music generally up-tempo, with a busy feel.
--There are many new worlds this time, aren't there?
Shimomura: The new world Country of the Musketeers, from The Three Musketeers, was impressive. We hadn't had a world with that atmosphere until now, so it was a lot of fun to make. However, the Country of the Musketeers and another world, La Cité des Cloches from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, were both set in Paris so in order to stop their music sounding similar I divided them into a dark, oppressive atmosphere and an energetic feel.
--It was impressive how you had matching tracks called 'One for All' and 'All for One' in Country of the Musketeers.
Shimomura: I used that in the titles on purpose, because it's a world-famous phrase. The pair feels sort of like a two-in-one track, doesn't it?
Three kinds of music, three kinds of charm
--Mr Ishimoto and Mr Sekito, this is the second time you've worked on the KH series after your involvement in KHBBS. Mr Ishimoto, what is the story behind your involvement?
Ishimoto: This title was going to use music from The World Ends With You which I had been in charge of, and I decided I wanted to put my hand up for that and also the music for The Grid from Tron: Legacy. Saying I'd do it was easy, but then the music from the Tron: Legacy movie was far too good, I was like, oh no this'll be hard... (dry laughter).
Shimomura: Thanks for doing it for me (laughs).
--The music for Traverse Town and the music from The World Ends With You are completely different despite being for the same world, aren't they?
Shimomura: In the beginning I was like, how on earth is this going to work?? But the way it turned out sounds unexpectedly fitting, doesn't it?
Ishimoto: Do you think so? (laughs)
Shimomura: What! It does, right!? I thought it was really nice, having the modern and cool music from The World Ends With You and the same old Kingdom Heartsy Traverse Town theme play in the same world.
--The tracks from The World Ends With You have been remixed quite a bit compared to the original songs, haven't they?
Ishimoto: We already released a remix album for TWEWY so I thought I was all remixed out, but this time we changed the vocals and even just that gives it quite a different atmosphere, I think.
--What's something we should listen out for in the remixes?
Ishimoto: The moment in 'TWISTER -KINGDOM MIX-' where there's only acoustic guitar and vocals. I think you'll be surprised the first time you hear it.
--Many of the tracks that Mr Sekito was in charge of, for example 'Storm Drive' for Dive Mode, are cheerful songs, aren't they?
Sekito: Actually, in the beginning I'd done about two tracks before Nomura came to me and said, 'they're good songs but they aren't very KH-like'. So, I did them all over again twice. I was very careful not to make them gloomy, but I was still shaking like a leaf when I presented them for the third time (laughs).
--(Laughs) Ms Shimomura, did you listen to their tracks during production of your own?
Shimomura: No, I only listened a little in the final stage of development. I submitted so much more music data than I received, so I had to give priority to checking my own parts, even when I was checking the music by playing the game. But, I think it's great that theirs has a different atmosphere to mine. I thought, wow, I love Mr Sekito's cheerful boss themes. I wonder why mine are so gloomy (laughs).
--However, Ms Shimomura's 'Dream Eaters' with 'la la la♪' playing in the background is a very cheerful song, isn't it? I was surprised the first time I heard it (laughs).
Shimomura: That's the double-edged sword of a reputation, isn't it? In the beginning I wanted to have a deep manly voice singing that song, sort of like a track that's both cute and off-putting at the same time? But Tetsu (Mr Tetsuya Nomura) said no (laughs). So, we went with the cute voice in it now, and even though I felt it was an easy way out, the gamers seem more surprised than I expected. I think it made a good impact, in a way.
Arrangements breathing new life in
--How did the title screen's 'Dearly Beloved' come to be a cheerful waltz-like arrangement?
Shimomura: We decided from the start that this title would have a positive and cheerful feel. Also, since the title was '3D' I went with triple metre (laughs).
--So that's the reason (laughs). What's the secret to arranging a theme you've done so many times before?
Shimomura: There's no real secret, I don't think... If there are some I've popped out right away, there are some that I thought would be impossible to make sound different from the one before. In this title Mr Sekito arranged 'Destati' from KH1 in the two tracks 'My Heart's Descent' and 'The Eye of Darkness'. Those arrangements wouldn't have come to mind for me, I thought they were great. It's very welcome to see arrangements that start from such a different angle.
--Mr Sekito, what's the story behind the two different arrangements of 'Destati' that you worked on?
Sekito: I originally arranged them for use in Dive Mode. In the place where the music was to be used, scenes from the past were going to come up like floating lanterns, so unlike other Dive Modes I prepared two of them, one that tapped out the rhythm and one that didn't. And then, for whatever reason, both tracks ended up being used. Furthermore, one track was used as a boss theme. I thought it would be better to add a chorus if it was to be used for such an important part, so Kawamori (Mr Keiji Kawamori, synthesiser operator for this title) put one in for me. He did a beautiful job with that chorus.
--So, Ms Shimomura, do you think the two tracks were impressive, too?
Shimomura: Yes, I do. The tracks from 'The World Ends With You' give quite the impact near the opening, then Mr Sekito's arrangement wraps up the boss at the end, so, it felt sort of like they were taking all the tasty parts (laughs).
Sekito: No no, we were simply dancing the Fool's Dance in the palm of your hand, Ms Shimomura (laughs).
Shimomura: Why the Fool's Dance?? (laughs)
Sekito: Whoops, I meant the Bon Dance! Or even the hula dance (laughs).*
[*Translator Note: I think the joke is that he meant to equate Shimomura as his selfless and generous ancestor from the origin story of the traditional Japanese Bon Dance. However, he accidentally used the name of a different dance performed for the same festival in a particular region, known as the Fool's Dance, which has a different origin story, involving drunken people dancing quite entertainingly!]
Composing in a three-person team
--Do you think that the music of KH will be composed in a three-person team from now on?
Shimomura: I hope so...
--What was it like, working with three other people?
Shimomura: It gave me such peace of mind. It felt good knowing that things would still get done somehow if, and this is a weird example, but if my health were to deteriorate and I collapsed. It's not about escaping work, but just the sense of security that if something were to happen to me, these people would complete the music of KH for me. Also, I think it's more stimulating composing in a group of three. When you work with someone else, it creates a sort of sense of nervousness that they might end up taking over the tracks you want to be in charge of.
Ishimoto: I don't know if the next title will have a three-person team. I am not aware that I'll be working on KH regularly in the future. I feel like it will work out that I can be there to help out any time if things are too much for Ms Shimomura.
Sekito: I think I'll end up participating as some sort of support too, but I'd love to be put on the KH staff roll, so I'll take the chance if it comes again! (laughs)
Shimomura: I definitely want to compose for the next titles, but Tetsu is so hard on me... Actually, I don't get many opportunities to see him, basically only when he comes to evaluate the tracks I've made. So I have to do my absolute best... so I do really want to ask you two for help again (laughs).
--In our KH 10th Anniversary Special Feature (Weekly Famitsu edition published 19/4), Mr Nomura answered that he defined the music of KH as 'Shimomura Style'.
Shimomura: What an honour. However, he doesn't make a habit of telling me that (laughs).
--So there are many do-overs, then?
Shimomura: We've had less do-overs as the series has gone on, but to an extent that's because I now take longer to submit a piece... See, as I've gotten older I've raised the bar for myself, and when I make a track I am much more likely to judge that it is no good. I can pinpoint the one section in a track that I'm not happy with. So, these days I'm not asked as often to redo parts I was personally happy enough to submit, I think I get more requests for additions or amendments like 'up the tempo'.
--I see. How do you feel about KH reaching a 10th Anniversary?
Shimomura: I feel old (laughs). Ishimoto, you did the manipulation on KH Chain of Memories and KH2 for me, didn't you. Thank you so much for your troubles back then!
Ishimoto: Don't even worry about it. Ten years... I definitely didn't think the three of us would be working on one package. That said, Ms Shimomura, you were the one who interviewed me when I joined Square (as it was known), weren't you (laughs)
Shimomura: Oh wow, yeah! Back in those days, seeing as we often continued our work at bars it was important to know if people could handle their alcohol, so as part of the interview I'd ask them if they drank. When I asked, both heavy drinkers and lightweights would usually answer with a vague 'a little bit'. But Ishimoto answered with a plain 'I don't drink'. So, I thought, wow, this person has a strong will. I can definitely rely on him. At that time I was in charge of Legend of Mana, and the manipulators were short on hands. The interview was to hire someone we could rely on to do the job straight away, and it was that last word that made me trust I could go with him. ...But, you actually do drink, don't you? (laughs)
Ishimoto: Just a very little.
Shimomura: Mr Sekito, how about you?
Sekito: I don't drink (laughs).
Shimomura: Oh, so none of us drink? ...What a team of lightweights we must be (laughs).
Sekito: Ms Shimomura, you drink like a fish! (laughs)
--(Laughs). How about a last message to the fans.
Ishimoto: I didn't originally join this company as a composer, so I am happy to be able to compose as much as I am allowed. And so, if you buy the game or the soundtrack and my tracks are part of your enjoyment, it would be my greatest pleasure. By all means purchase the soundtrack, I would love you to tell me your impressions on Twitter.
Sekito: We thought of many ideas to make the game more fun while we were composing, so I would love for you to first and foremost enjoy the game. And then if you buy the soundtrack, I'll be able to eat next month (laughs). I'm joking. I really hope you enjoy the game as well as the sound track.
Shimomura: I would love for the soundtrack and the game to work together to stretch out your enjoyment, like you play the game and think ooh I love this song and buy the soundtrack, then after a while listen to the soundtrack and have it make you want to play the game again.
Update 2: Famitsu.com have updated with the second part of the interview, which focuses on Yoko Shimomura, Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito, the composers for the game. This is in Japanese at the moment, but will eventually be translated for you!
Update 1: goldpanner has translated the entirety of the Tai Yasue portion of the interview! Thanks to her, you can read this translation below.
For you to know KH3D even more deeply
The latest title in the Kingdom Hearts series, 3D[Dream Drop Distance] (here on ‘KH3D’) has been out on sale for about a month. We’re sure even those who have cleared the game are still enjoying things like collecting breeding items, capturing special portals and Flick Rush. Today we’ll hear from Mr. Tai Yasue, who also co-directed KH Birth by Sleep (here on ‘KHBBS’), and the group of composers who worked on the score. Let’s enjoy the game even more with these new discoveries!
Developer Interview 1: Co-director Mr. Tai Yasue
We asked the co-director for this title, Tai Yasue, for some behind-the-scene stories. Here we present must-see info on how the bold action was brought to life and the secret story of Meow Wow!
*Mr. Yasue is a member of the Square Enix Osaka Team. This interview was conducted via a video call between Tokyo and Osaka.
The Sense of Achievement That Comes After Frustration
--Please tell us about an episode that left you with a deep impression of the development of KH3D.
Yasue: When I think of the final stages of development, I am left with a strong impression of unique enthusiasm. We had some exhausting times when we couldn’t even go home, unexpected bugs popping up. Like for example when the Dream Eaters movements while making friends were looking weird no matter what we did and everyone put everything we had into adjusting it. We couldn’t have guessed it would get that chaotic after the refreshing feeling in early stages of development (laughs).
--Where did you have the most hardship?
Yasue: It could be that I’m forgetting, but I don’t think there were really hardships as such. We were busy, but development was speedy and it went well, so… aah, the Drop was a hardship.
--We heard that the Drop System by which you control both Sora and Riku was suggested by (Director) Mr. (Tetsuya) Nomura.
Yasue: When Nomura told us, ‘I want you to do a system that forcibly switches which character is being controlled,’ I felt dread (laughs). It was going to be a change in tempo for KH so far, see. The talks about this amongst the planners really stacked up. It would come off as demanding if it was simply a restriction, so in order to make it feel like a positive thing we made it so Sora and Riku could co-operate through Drop Points. I think bringing that into reality was a huge point.
--It’s pretty frustrating dropping in a boss battle and having to start all over again when you come back (laughs).
Yasue: (Laughs). The thing about games is, if there isn’t an aspect of frustration, then there won’t be any sense of satisfaction, will there? That’s exactly why I wanted to put that in!
--That’s certainly true, there’s a particular sense of satisfaction that comes from beating a boss just in time. Incidentally, the game counts how many times you Drop. Is there a meaning to that?
Yasue: The Drop count is shown, like play time, as something to perhaps set goals for. It doesn’t affect anything. It’s more important that Dropping changes the state of affairs in the worlds, I would say.
--The ‘event forecast’ that lets you forecast change in the worlds is an interesting test.
Yasue: That was suggested as a ‘weather forecast system’. You get worked up when you know what day a typhoon is coming, don’t you (laughs). I wanted to organise things by making players able to see future changes in affairs.
From Action to Action
--With action, the implementation of Flowmotion is a big topic. How did that come about?
Yasue: During talks with Nomura, we came to see that we were going in the direction of running around the map freely, and action using walls and poles was suggested to fit with that. In the beginning, we began making it using data from KHBBS. The plans solidified over two or three days, and had taken shape at the end of one or two weeks. We never wavered from the direction we’d decided upon after that. We did add Blowoff and make some fine adjustment during, though. I get the impression that this is the shape of the natural evolution for KH.
--Was being able to use it not just for moving but also for attacks something you incorporated from the start?
Yasue: Yes, it was actually. The battles in this title feel good, so I was thinking of the action as something I wanted to have used in battle, something that could be used not just for moving but also for attacking. Also with Flowmotion you can get basically anywhere, so the amount of moving gets bigger, you see. Accordingly, we had to make the maps bigger three-dimensionally. And then we had to work out the positioning of treasure chests a bit and make places that were hard to get to and the like.
--It certainly is rather difficult to collect all the treasure chests in this title.
Yasue: It’s pretty terrible isn’t it (laughs). Well, we made the movement gimmicks important to the maps. In KH it's important for the player to come into contact with a gimmick and trigger some kind of action, so we added mechanisms like stretching ropes in Traverse Town and climbing pipes in The World That Never Was. It’s not just one action. Jump off a pole to kick off a wall into Blowoff… I think it’s important to use the gimmicks in a flow like that and connect one action to another.
--And, how did you come about adopting Reality Shift?
Yasue: Nomura said he wanted tight playability on the bottom screen, so, keeping in mind gameplay that fitted with the style of each world and ‘dreamlike-ness’, we thought up Reality Shift. There was also the fact that so far I hadn’t made a game that used touch and slide controls and as a planner I wanted to try it.
Recoiling from Meow Wow
--The Dream Eaters have a different look to the enemies in the series up until now. What sort of concept was there?
Yasue: Nomura was particular about that. We had to make sure they looked awkward but cute, an un-fawning type of cuteness. Their behaviour is the same, they don’t perfectly support the player, they goof off and the like. We took particular care to give them a sense of personality. They are a bit no-good in some ways. By the way, when Nomura first showed me a picture of Meow Wow, I recoiled. Did Nomura seriously draw this, sort of thing (laughs). At that point in time he already had movements specified, like, it has legs but it bounces on its stomach. After that for some reason there was also a period where we gave it gross bug-like movements with wiggling legs (dry laughter), but when I saw the finished product it was charmingly cute. I thought, ‘good old Nomura!’ (laughs)
--(Laughs). This title is bursting with things to enjoy. Even the growth system varies by personality.
Yasue: You can prod and stroke Spirits on the training screen, but I like to be horribly unkind, so right from the start I pushed the prodding portion. I'm sure a kind person would stroke them, but when I look at Meow Wow, no matter what I end up wanting to prod it (laughs). And so, we went with a system where you don't fail because of the way you make contact, but instead can enjoy things such as growth and personality variance at ease.
--Please tell us about the Flick Rush minigame.
Yasue: In the beginning we planned wi-fi battles that took and used a photo of your opponent, but Nomura said that was no good, and so we shifted in the direction of something like the card game 'Speed'. At the time I received from Nomura a storyboard he had scribbled in pencil. From there we adjusted it many times until it took the shape it has today. I personally like making minigames, and I felt such a sense of challenge and worth, enough that I felt like I always wanted to make minigames. Flick Rush was fun for me as a creator because I was able to hear all sorts of opinions and improve during the various on-the-spot testings.
--Could you please tell us your recommended Dream Eater for Flick Rush?
Yasue: Naru Bird, maybe... cause it comes dropping out of the sky like a bomb. After that I like Meow Wow... gobbled up by Boukon Rex. Meow Wow is just perfect for getting stuck between the teeth (laughs).
--You're determined to torment Meow Wow, aren't you (laughs). By the way, Mr. Yasue, where do you focus your determination when it comes to action?
Yasue: That's difficult... In KHBBS, I was very conscious of how good it felt to have style variation in battle, but in this title, perhaps a 'feeling of piercing speed'. Included with that is 'how good it feels to connect from action to action'. Rather than aiming for the same thing every time, I want to look for a different route. I know I want to change the concept of action each time I make a KH title in the future, too.
--A while ago we heard from Mr. Nomura that FF Verses XIII, FF Type-0, and the KH series each have a different direction when it comes to action, and that KH3D shows a new direction for the KH series in the future. What are your thoughts on that, Mr. Yasue?
Yasue: I think that the main characteristic of the KH series is being able to play dynamically inside carefully and respectfully crafted miniature-garden-like worlds. However, within that I want to clear away all the limits on the places you can go and the things you can do, and shape something you can bust out freer and freer playing. With KH3D's Flowmotion we hit gameplay and technical problems while making you able to run along roofs freely, but we jumped those hurdles, and we will in the future too. I want to overturn the common knowledge of gaming.
--And finally, a message to the readers.
Yasue: Packed with many types of gameplay, we have completed a game that could be called a masterpiece above KHBBS. There is a lot of room to move here, and even on our development team we have many kinds of players, such as people who play nothing but Flick Rush, people who won't use anything but Flowmotion, people who only stroke their Spirit. I truly wish for all the gamers to also discover their own special way to play and a play style they like, and play to the end.
Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], which released on July 31, 2012, is continuing to sell extremely well in North America. VGChartz have released sales information for the game for the first two weeks of its release (July 31 -- August 4, and August 5 -- August 11), and we can see that in this time, Kingdom Hearts 3D sold 261,763 copies. This means that as of August 11, 2012, Kingdom Hearts 3D had already sold 736,483 copies worldwide. Very impressive! To put this into perspective, have a look at the weekly chart for USA. You'll see that Kingdom Hearts 3D is at the top!
With Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] having released worldwide, many fans have had the opportunity to play through the game and experience the continuation of the Kingdom Hearts series. Last week, we started a competition to see what Kingdom Hearts 3D-inspired fan-art the community could come up with, and we've selected the best three entries, who are featured below. The winning entry will receive a free Meow Wow plush toy, so congratulations to them! Read on to see these winning entries, and if you haven't already, makes sure you check out the game's official website below!
Official Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] website
1st place: Abyss' entry! Congratulations, you win a Meow Wow plush toy!
2nd place: kirikaito's entry!
3rd place: Eminaisai's entry!
We are amazed at the amount of great entries that we received for this contest! Congratulations to everyone who entered, it is great to see that Kingdom Hearts 3D has inspired such wonderful pieces of fan-art. There were many more great pieces submitted, so make sure you check out all entries here. We hope you enjoyed taking part!
Square Enix have updated their official international website for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. This update adds two new sections-- Gameplay and Downloads. Gameplay is currently incomplete, but will eventually contain many videos showing features from the game (some we've seen before, and some we haven't); where Downloads contains Wallpapers, Facebook Covers and Icon Packs. You can visit the website using the link below, or check out the new materials below that.
Official Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] website
