Hi everyone! Hope you've enjoyed our Japanese coverage of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] so far, and are looking forward to the English release of the game! This news post is just to let you know that we've started working on our cutscene archive for the game. While we do not yet have pages up on the website, we have created a topic on the forum where we will update with any new videos we upload.
Please check it out if you've already purchased the Japanese game, or have otherwise spoiled yourself-- if not, make sure you avoid this thread and the videos inside, because it will contain spoilers! The English version of the game releases on July 31, 2012 in North America (with Europe and Australia still TBA). After playing through Kingdom Hearts 3D, we can tell you that it's great fun to play, with an exciting story that leads into Kingdom Hearts 3-- definitely worth buying!
Square Enix have updated their official website for the Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance Original Soundtrack. This update is an update to the track list page of the website, which now includes 6 new track samples. The full list of new samples can be seen below, thanks to KHDestiny.
Disc 1
04. Traverse in Trance
11. Le Sanctuarie
Disc 2
15. All for One
20. Sacred Distance
Disc 3
01. L'Oscurita dell'Ignot
06. L'Impeto Oscuro
Message from the KINGDOM has been updated with a new blog post about the development of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], titled "Creator's Voice". The post is split into 4 sections, containing sections for the programmer, designer, producer and event planner of the game.
Update: goldpanner has translated the blog post entirely, and thanks to her, you can read the whole thing below!
Hello ♪
I'm Yasue, a game developer for KH3D.
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.
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■ 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…
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■ 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.
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■ 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.
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■ 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.
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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!
Thanks to Media Create, via andriasang.com, we have game sales information in Japan for the week of April 2 through April 8, 2012. This is, of course, the second week during which Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] has been released. It sold 42,231 copies in the week (making it the second-most sold title in the week), for a total of 255,810 copies so far.
Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] has appeared with an article in the April 12, 2012 issue of Famitsu Weekly, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series. We do not yet have full scans, but some details about the article are starting to appear online. Thanks to ArikaMiz, we know that the article has made mention of another Dream Eater AR card which will be available with issue of Famitsu Weekly releasing on April 19, 2012. You can see this scan below.
Update: The Facebook page for the Square Enix e-STORE has uploaded a set of photos of the Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance Original Soundtrack. These photos show off the cover of the album, as well as the discs and booklet inside. You can see these photos below.
The first photo of the Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance Original Soundtrack, the official soundtrack for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] has been shown online. Although we have already seen the cover of the album, it is nice to see a real life version of it! This photo is of Takeharu Ishimoto's very own copy. Ishimoto is one of the composers that worked on the soundtrack together with Yoko Shimomura. You can see the photo below.
About a month ago, the ESRB rating for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] was revealed to be E10+ "with Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes". Square Enix later changed this to say "RP Rating Pending".
Now, Square Enix have again updated the official Kingdom Hearts Facebook page to say "E10+ with the descriptor Fantasy Violence". Interestingly, the "Mild Suggestive Themes" descriptor is now missing! This could just be a small oversight, or it could mean something has changed-- either way, we should be happy that Square Enix are slowly revealing more information about the English version of the game, which is set to release in North America on July 31, 2012.
Earlier, it was announced that some stores in Japan would be giving away a special folder with pre-orders of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. A Japanese store has started selling these folders online, and with that, have published a photo of one. It seems to be different to the one we've already seen from people who pre-ordered the game, so we know there are at least two different Kingdom Hearts 3D folders being produced. You can see the photo of it below.
Update: The Square Enix Shop has updated to say that these Formation Arts are now available. They are now available together in a boxset (picture below), for a price of ¥6,000 (approximately US$73.41).
Thanks to a post on Final Fantasy Merchandise forums, we now know that new Kingdom Hearts figurines will be sold. These new Formation Arts, with the set name "Kingdom Hearts 2 Vol. 2", are set to go on sale sometime later. They are Sora (Master Form), Roxas (Organization XIII), Axel, Sora with Donald and Goofy (Pride Lands), and Twilight Thorn. You can see them below, in our gallery. Thanks to M_Alloc for the tip.
Mike Degler from BradyGames has revealed in an interview that BradyGames will be making a guidebook for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. Not much else is known at this stage, but you can see the full quote below. Thanks to Pandora333 from KH13 for the find.
MCV: What other guides are you working on over the next year?
MD: We have Diablo III, Max Payne 3, Guild Wars 2, Borderlands 2 and BioShock Infinite to name a few. We just secured a deal with Disney to do the next Kingdom Hearts title for 3DS. We recently released the Street Fighter X Tekken guide which is a really great fighting game guide. We actually use tournament-level players to help with the book and it has some killer strategies in it.
The next issue of V Jump magazine, set to release on April 21, 2012, will contain a Dream Eater AR card for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. This card will unlock an exclusive Dream Eater Spirit in the game, known as "Vacation Seal". The V Jump website has been updated with the first image of this Dream Eater, and you can see this below. Thanks to bKvEBVAvUq for the find.
Update: If you want to buy this issue of V Jump and receive the exclusive Dream Eater AR card, then you can do so by ordering it from Amazon.co.jp. Thanks to JayC from KH13 for the tip.
Update 2: V Jump have published another graphic which advertises the issue of the magazine, and the exclusive AR card. You can see this below.
PAX East 2012 (or, the "Penny Arcade Expo") is a gaming event in Boston that ran between April 6 to April 8, 2012. While Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] was not on Square Enix's line-up of games for the event, it did actually appear with some small coverage. Firstly, we have a nice image of a Kingdom Hearts 3D cube below, which appeared at the event. This was uploaded by SquareEnixEmily.
Secondly, thanks to GameZone, we know that Kingdom Hearts 3D appeared at the event with a demo entirely in Japanese. Hopefully, we'll see some English demos later on, but if you would like to read impressions of the Japanese demo then read on. This Kingdom Hearts 3D demo was press-only, and not playable by members of the public.
GameZone's impressions of the Kingdom Hearts 3D demo The Game Fanatic's impressions of the Kingdom Hearts 3D demo Game Rant's impressions of the Kingdom Hearts 3D demo Destructoid's impressions of the Kingdom Hearts 3D demo Escapist Magazine's impressions of the Kingdom Hearts 3D demo
Update: If you read The Game Fanatic's impressions of the demo, then you might notice the following excerpt:
We were told that a fully functional English demo would of been available a week later.
How interesting! It seems that Square Enix are preparing an English demo for Kingdom Hearts 3D. It sounds like this will most likely be a press-only demo as well, but who knows, if we're lucky then we might see the demo elsewhere!
As you might know, Dream World Navigation, the guidebook for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] by the publisher of V Jump magazine, includes an exclusive Dream Eater AR card which can unlock a spirit in the game. Thanks to sqexgal, who bought the book, we now have our first look at the included AR card. It is for the Dream Eater "Taihou Kabuto", and you can see a picture of it below.
Update 2: sqexgal has translated an additional 5 questions which were asked to Tetsuya Nomura by Famitsu Weekly. You can read this translation below.
- Can you tell us a bit more about the last illustration revealed for Kingdom Hearts 3D?
Nomura: That illustration was the first one I drew for the KH3D packaging. Like I mentioned in a previous interview, Sora is small in it so it’s hard to recognize who he is, so it went back on the shelf so to speak.
- Sora is quite small in it!
Nomura: Well that… It’s not related but since we’re on the topic of small things… Hazama-san (Theatrhythm Final Fantasy’s Producer) wanted me to mention that the song “Somnus” is available for download in Theatrhythm FF, I told him it wasn’t related to Kingdom Hearts so it’d be off topic, but now I’ve said my part. (Laughs.)
- It’s a good thing we have bonus time. (Laughs.) “Somnus” is a song from Final Fantasy Versus XIII huh. It’s a nice chance for all those who can’t wait to enjoy a little taste of the game.
Nomura: Also coming up, next week’s issue of Famitsu Weekly (on sale April 12) will contain an exclusive AR card for KH3D. Your collection won’t be incomplete without the Spirit Dream Eater on the card, but I thought it’d be fun to include an additional element that players could look forward to afterward.
- It seems that these won’t affect the collection of trophies in the game.
Nomura: That’s right. The first release of the game comes with an AR card that has 1 of 3 Spirit Dream Eaters like Kingdanyan on it, but through breeding you can obtain all 3 in the game. On the other hand, there are the Spirits on AR cards that come with Famitsu etc., these types of special promotional Spirits do not affect the completeness of the game itself.
- Lastly, a message for the fans.
Nomura: It’s thanks to all the fans who have followed Kingdom Hearts over these 10 years that it has become a prolonged series. I truly appreciate it. Thank you for this. Thinking back when I was working on the original Kingdom Hearts, I wondered if it would be well received or if the first would be the last, I had to put my trust in all the players. Although there’s probably some who have went in and out of interest during these 10 years, it’s really thanks to all those fans who anticipate the new titles and praise them after playing that we’ve been able to make it this far. In that sense, the Kingdom Hearts series was made possible by you guys. I hope to continue the series for as long as there is interest. Please continue to support us from here on out, thanks for everything.
Update: sqexgal is in the process of translating the interviews from the article. So far, she has translated the 10 questions with Tetsuya Nomura. You can read this below.
Q1. The series has celebrated its 10th anniversary, how do you feel now?
A1. It’s gotten old. (Wry laughter.)
The first Kingdom Hearts title went on sale in 2002. At that time, Nomura was 31 years old.
Nomura: Really now, I can’t move like I did 10 years ago. The feeling of impossibleness has lost its effect on me. (Wry laughter.)
After this how many titles do you think you’ll put out into the world, have you calculated that far?
Nomura: After 10 years, I’ve thought that “the creator’s life span is short”, so I’ve already decided that as long as a hold a position where I have the opportunity to make things, I will do so. At any rate, so far I have already made quite a number of titles. There is still a lot I want to make, and since there is something I promised with my staff, from here on out I want to continue making titles as long as possible.
Furthermore regarding the future, Nomura added: With my close colleagues, if half of them retire maybe I’ll be able to make things more leisurely. (Laughs).
Q2. During these 10 years, what’s the most impressive occurrence to you?
A2. The release date of each title.
Nomura: When the release date comes, it feels like it’s actually been completed. Once it reaches the players hands, I can say it’s finally complete. Then the first thing I do is relax.
What about the most impressive occurrence involving the advertising team for the series?
Nomura: We were at an event in Los Angeles prior to the North American release of Kingdom Hearts II and when the trailer was streaming there was a great cheering from the crowd. It was very moving for me, and I haven’t forgotten about even now.
Q3. What would you say is the overall theme of the Kingdom Hearts series?
A3. Defining what the “heart” is.
Nomura: I set the theme around the “heart”, and the “things that the eye can’t see” that relate to it. How a character feels, and what the character thinks about those things which they can’t see, it’s drawn around that idea.
Bonds, friendships, promises, memories, sleep, and dreams. All these keywords of the series are connected to the “heart”. Also, they are things that everyone concerns themselves with in their own lives. Though it’s a fantasy, it evokes a strong sense of sympathy. Maybe that’s the reason the titles of this series reverberate in our own hearts.
Q4. As a director, what part of the Kingdom Hearts titles do you put the most consideration?
A4. I put serious consideration into every aspect.
Regarding the Kingdom Hearts series, every element passes through Nomura’s hands and he makes the final decisions, from the system’s technical specifications, to the story’s plot, the final script, the design of the small icons in the menu and maps etc., the music, and all the names of the games contents. It’s the same with promotional material, Nomura directs every detail that goes into them, from the advertisements and storefront pop ups, to how the trailers are edited.
Nomura: I put serious consideration into every aspect of the titles, I want to release it once I’m satisfied with it.
Having a responsibility to himself to only put out titles that he is satisfied with, that is Nomura’s policy for Kingdom Hearts.
Q5. When you draw the Kingdom Hearts characters, what do you focus on?
A5. I draw them freely and without expectations.
Nomura: It’s a collaborative title with Disney, but if I drew with the designs of the Disney characters in mind, then it wouldn’t really be a collaboration, so I draw Sora how I like as the standard.
Also, from the Kingdom Hearts illustrations drawn so far, which one is your favorite?
Nomura: I’ll go with my gut feeling, it’s the illustration used on the package of original Kingdom Hearts, since it was the one that began everything. I drew it thinking that it was unlike any Disney image seen before.
Q6. What components of Kingdom Hearts do you think it doesn’t lack?
A6. The deep story and refreshing action.
The series has many charms and features, but it’s these two aspects that stick out the most.
Nomura: I always tell my team, it’s about the story and action. We make Kingdom Hearts satisfy both those elements.
On top of that, the systems developed in the titles are relevant to the story among other aspects, it seems giving each element of the game meaning is Nomura’s specialty. It must be that attention to detail which he produces worlds with a sense of unity that garner him so many fans.
Q7. If you were to defined the music of Kingdom Hearts, what would you say?
A7. It’s a joint effort with Shimomura-san.
Composer Yoko Shimomura’s specialty is dramatic melodies that fill the listener with emotions, it’s easy to see how it’s a joint effort with her.
Nomura: Ultimately, the songs in Kingdom Hearts are made through a joint effort with Shimomura-san. Recently Takeshi Kando and Takeharu Ishimoto have been participating as well, but to get the atmosphere as right as possible so we can say it’s definitely Kingdom Hearts quality, the music inadvertently becomes more Shimomura-ish.
My own favorite song is “Dearly Beloved”.
Nomura: Origianlly, that song wasn’t given the go ahead. But it was a favorite of mine and I decided to use it on the title screen, now it feels like it was fated to be.
Q8. If you could give advice to yourself from 10 years ago when you begun producing Kingdom Hearts, what would you say?
A8. It’s gonna be long!
Nomura: Its continued more than I expected, I’ve had to take a lot of notes. There’s a lot to forget! (Laughs.)
At that time, amongst the 99 pages there was a comment from Kanamori, saying that there weren’t plans to make a sequel.
Nomura: There weren’t details about the story’s continuation, but I was considering it to some degree. When Kingdom Hearts was released, its sales went really well. It’s thanks to all the fans who supported the original Kingdom Hearts that we’ve been able to develop a series that’s continued for over 10 years.
Q9. Now 10 years later, what do you think has become of Kingdom Hearts?
Q9. It isn’t finished yet, huh.
Nomura: At that time, I figured by the time I was 50 years old I wouldn’t be able to work like I did then, so I took a slow pace. (Wry laughter.) The Xehanort saga will end in the next one, but it’s not necessarily completely over. When I finish it, I want to “close” the story completely, so no one could make a continuation of it. I’m thinking of a way to end it so there is no room to continue it.
While there doesn’t seem to be any details about how he will end it, he seems to have an image to some degree of how it will happen. The recently released title on sale now is the next episode in the Xehanort saga centering around Master Xehanort. I wonder when something relating to Kingdom Hearts 3, which will assumably be the final chapter, will be shown? Attentive fans will want to play Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance first and check on the secret movie.
Q10. For you, what does Kingdom Hearts mean?
Q10. My thirties.
Nomura: These works were the first ones I directed, at the same time they are my “masterpieces”. I am free to be my most creative in these titles. In an older interview, someone asked, “What does Final Fantasy mean to you?” And I answered, my twenties, because I had certainly spent my twenties working on those titles. However, 10 years after that, there’s Kingdom Hearts too.
The Final Fantasy series was founded by a number of creatives, but Kingdom Hearts was produced as a result of Nomura choosing a challenge and making a new setting altogether. Kingdom Hearts is where the creative spirit of Tetsuya Nomura really blossomed.
Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] has appeared with an article in the April 5, 2012 issue of Famitsu Weekly, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series. The article is said to contain interviews with key staff members of the series, as well as a list of things to check on your second playthrough of Kingdom Hearts 3D. We do not yet have scans or complete interviews, but some details about the article are starting to appear online.
According to Siliconera, the following interview snippets have appeared online. This implies that Kingdom Hearts III will be the next game in the series.
Speaking about the tenth anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series with Famitsu, Tetsuya Nomura said the next game will complete Xehanort’s chapter. Nomura talked about Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. He said he dreamt of giving the game analog control.
Today, Square Enix have published a piece of information explaining a non-progression glitch in Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. It seems that this glitch can cause you to get stuck and not be able to progress through the game, however, a work around is said to be available using the second save slot. sqexgal's translation of the glitch description is below.
There is a glitch when you play as Riku in a certain part of the World That Never Was. If you drop as Riku in a certain spot where stairs appear but before you can go up them, when you return you will be locked out and unable to progress, thus the warning.
Of course, this seems to be a very specific and rare glitch, and it will surely be fixed in the localized version of the game. However, it is still interesting to hear about!