Masanobu Suzui, the co-director of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, sat down with Square Enix and decided to "dig a little deeper" into one of the tracks that he worked on-- the song "Hand In Hand", a reoccurring battle soundtrack for the game series.
The first step in the process was choosing the track to begin with!
The second step that Suzui talks about is cutting the song down-- some tracks of the game are quite long, and they had to figure out what part of the song they wanted to use for the gameplay.
Suzui then explains how a document is then made, which concerns how they want the stage to look while it's being played. This includes what they want to show from Traverse Town, such as Cid's shop, the hotel, the item shop, and the Lady and the Tramp fountain. Afterwards, the enemies are chosen.
When everything has been picked and chosen, a single team member is asked to create the note sequence. Suzui explains that the team member had to listen to "Hand In Hand" a numerous amount of times to create what Suzui calls an "overarching concept for the stage - normal at the beginning, followed by some difficulty spikes around the middle and end of the track.".
After that, Suzui explains that it's then time to revise and edits to the soundtrack and the stage itself.
It doesn't stop there by just revising and then sending the stage off to production. They must test the stage over and over again to make sure that it's perfect for playability.
Suzui concludes the blog by saying:
You can check out the full article on the Square Enix Blog.
What are your thoughts on these details? Did you find anything fascinating or surprising? Let us know in the comments below!
Young Xehanort and Pirate Sora from Kingdom Hearts III are now available in the global version of LINE Disney Tsum Tsum. Each character is available up until the end of the month. Additionally, from now until January 20th, they can be acquired at an increased drop rate through the game's Lucky Time.
You can view their skills here.
Young Xehanort and Pirate Sora were previously added to the Japanese version of the game back in September of 2020.
Will you LINE Diseny Tsum Tsum players be adding any these two to your in game collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks to KH13 member @DestinysUnion for the tip!
The North American Square Enix Merchandise Twitter account has announced that a brand new King Mickey plush, based on his attire in Kingdom Hearts III, is now available for pre-order on their store!
This plush is currently 10% off for $54.00, while its base price is $59.99. Additionally, it is planned for a June 2021 release!
You can view the Mickey plush via our gallery below:
Are you intending on purchasing this plush of the king for your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
UPDATE: (1/14/2021)
The Kingdom Hearts III King Mickey Plush is now available to pre-order from the Square Enix E-store for ¥5,940, ($57.23) and AmiAmi for ¥5,040! ($48.56) This item is scheduled to release on May 2021 from both of these retailers.
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory Co-director, Masanobu Suzui, recently sat down with Square Enix to discuss the highlights and challenges of making the rhythm action game, including track selection, gameplay, stage building, visuals, and difficulty.
Suzui described track selection as being a particularly tricky challenge due to the massive amount of tracks within the Kingdom Hearts Series, the technical and emotional considerations, and the tempo and beats of certain tracks as well.
After defining the tracklist, Suzui discussed the process behind ensuring the gameplay elements felt fun, engaging, and true to the Kingdom Hearts series, with the goal of recreating the same memories and feelings from previous entries.
On building out stages, Suzui commented that the team had to test the game multiple times to ensure that all elements, and information presented on screen including the camera positioning, enemy positioning, and background models were just right.
Suzui also commented on presenting the visuals of the game in a way that was not overwhelming to the player, including choosing how far in advance enemies should appear, visual cues for letting the player know when to hit the right beat, and keeping to the visual style of the Kingdom Hearts series.
Suzui describes timing as being an element that could make or break the game. With each stage being custom built, the timing for each stage would vary depending on the track.
On the game's various difficulty levels Suzui shared that Proud Mode was the difficulty that underwent the most iterations to ensure the note sequences, and enemy placements were challenging but still straightforward to the player and synchornized with the particular track.
Lastly Suzui closed off by saying:
You can read the full article on the Square Enix Blog.
What are your thoughts on these details behind the making of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory? Let us know in the comments below!
The American men's magazine Esquire has revealed their annual gaming awards for the past year and Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory has been named as the Best Rhythm Game.
Other games that appeared on the list include Among Us, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and even Final Fantasy VII Remake. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. You can check out KH13.com's review of the game by clicking here.
As a gift to all of her fans on Christmas day, Yoko Shimomura has arranged a select portion of "Dearly Beloved" into a Christmas version. This video is only available for a limited time.
You can view this special Christmas version of "Dearly Beloved" below:
What are your thoughts on this unique arrangement on "Dearly Beloved"? Let us know in the comments below!
Additionally, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Gangan Online have posted Chapter 14 for the Kingdom Hearts III manga. You can check out the previews for the chapter in our gallery below. You can read the full chapter on their site by clicking here or on their online app.
Chapter 15 will be available in late January/early February.
You can also check out the articles for the previous chapters by clicking on the links below!
Chapter 0 Prologue Japanese English
Chapter 1 A New Journey Japanese English
Chapter 2 Olympus Coliseum[1] Japanese English
Chapter 3 Olympus Coliseum[2] Japanese English
Chapter 4 Olympus Coliseum[3] Japanese English
Chapter 5 Olympus Coliseum[4] Japanese English
Chapter 6 Olympus Coliseum[5] Japanese English
Chapter 7 Olympus Coliseum[6] Japanese English
Chapter 8 Olympus Coliseum[7] Japanese English
Chapter 9 World of Darkness Japanese English
Chapter 10 Connected Japanese English
Chapter 11 The Self inside the Mirror Japanese English
Chapter 12 Reunion Japanese English
Chapter 13 Warmth Japanese English
In addition, Vol. 1 (which contains Chapter 0 thru Chapter 8 ) is available in Japan and North America.
Square Enix Music has announced that they have created a Winter Holiday 2020 themed playlist on both the Apple Music and Spotify music services.
This playlist consists of 18 songs from various Square Enix titles, with the total runtime being 1 hour and 14 minutes.
Two tracks from the Kingdom Hearts III, II.8, Unchained χ & Union χ [Cross] – Original Soundtrack are included in this playlist. These two tracks are "Frozen Wonderland" and "Miracle on Ice", which are the Arendelle world theme and battle theme respectively.
You can listen to this custom made playlist via either Apple Music or Spotify here.
Will you be giving this playlist a listen during the holidays? Let us know in the comments below!
The Square Enix e-STORE has recently revealed a new range of official Kingdom Hearts merchandise, including a Keyblade Charm Collection, Clear Pouches and Totes, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi themed Drawstring Bags.
You can take a closer look at each of the items and their pre-order links below
Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Charm Collection - Square Enix Japan e-Store (¥7,920)
Kingdom Hearts III Drawstring Bag - Sora - Square Enix North America e-STORE ($49.99)
Kingdom Hearts III Drawstring Bag - Sora - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥5,280)
Kingdom Hearts III Drawstring Bag - Riku - Square Enix North America e-STORE($49.99)
Kingdom Hearts III Drawstring Bag - Riku - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥5,280)
Kingdom Hearts III Drawstring Bag - Kairi - Square Enix North America e-STORE($49.99)
Kingdom Hearts III Drawstring Bag - Kairi - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥5,280)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Pouch - Dark - Square Enix North America e-STORE($39.99)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Pouch - Light - Square Enix North America e-STORE($39.99)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Pouch - Dark - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥4,180)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Pouch - Light - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥4,180)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Tote - Dark - Square Enix North America e-STORE($149.99)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Tote - Dark - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥16,280)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Tote - Light - Square Enix North America e-STORE($149.99)
Kingdom Hearts Clear Tote - Light - Square Enix Japan e-STORE(¥16,280)
Currently the Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Charm Collection is available exclusively from the Square Enix Japan e-Store, set to release May 15, 2021. The Kingdom Hearts themed Clear Totes, Pouches, and Drawstring Bags are set to release April 24, 2021 in Japan, and May 2021 on the Square Enix North America store.
Which one of these items will you be adding to your collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks to @aibo_ac7 and @KHxInfo for the tip!
UPDATE: (1/5/2021)
The Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Charm Collection is now available for pre-order from the North American Square Enix store for $80.00! This is a blind box that includes 8 Keyblade Charms that has a release window of June 2021!
The official Japanese Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] Twitter account has announced that there is a main scenario update scheduled for tomorrow at 15:00 JST! (1:00 AM EST/10:00 PM PT)
There will be developments in both Daybreak Town, and Sugar Rush the Wreck-it Ralph world!
What are your expectations for what will occur in this next update, steadily nearing the finale of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]? Let us know in the comments below!
Square Enix has revealed a Kingdom Hearts Multi Hard Case that is currently available for pre-order from their Japanese E-Store!
This product is advertised to store valuables such as a smart phone or smaller gaming consoles. It comes in either black or white variants coating the outside, but the insides of both variants are black. There is also an attachable strap accessory for the case so it can be prevented from falling.
You can view the product via our gallery below:
The Kingdom Hearts Multi Hard Case is available for pre-order for ¥3,960, ($38.07) and is currently scheduled for an April 17, 2021 release date.
Do you have any intentions on purchasing this secure case? Let us know in the comments below!
Square Enix have revealed a Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory themed Tote Bag available for purchase from their Japan online store!
You can take a look at the Tote Bag via our gallery below:
The Tote Bag is priced at ¥2,200, (approximately $21.13) and is currently in stock.
Will you be purchasing this fancy bag for decorative, collecting or practicality purposes? Let us know in the comments below!
A special survey for players who wish to voice their feedback for Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is now available via the Square Enix Members program, a Japan-only service.
Anyone who fills out the four-page survey will be entered in a raffle to win a special poster that grants the user access to the Kingdom Hearts Magical AR Stage movie, a special video that will play out using AR once the user scans the poster.
They encourage people who did not play the game, people who are planning on buying, or have played Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory.
Campaign Rules:
The survey must be submitted until December 20th, at 23:59 Japanese Time. That corresponds to December 20th, 9:59 AM in Eastern Time and 6:59 AM Pacific Time.
A Square Enix Members account is required to access the survey.
There will be only one winner. All participants will also get 20 Member Points.
The winner must have a smartphone capable of reading QR Codes or install a QR code app reader from his or her local app store.
The winner will not be re-drawn. In such cases, the drawing will be declared null and void.
The winner themselves must be available to receive the prize and must reside in Japan. You cannot provide other addresses to receive it (i.e. use of a proxy service is forbidden.)
For more details, refer to the campaign's page (in Japanese only) here.
Netflix have announced an original series called First Love, inspired by Utada Hikaru's debut album "First Love" and her most recent album "Hatsukoi". This announcement is being met with enthusiasm by many Kingdom Hearts fans, who have naturally come to admire Utada Hikaru's other work outside the theme songs (and their many iterations) she has performed for the series.
The new scripted series, now in production, is set to launch worldwide in 2022. Utada's "First Love" was released in 1999, setting her up for being one of the most renowned Japanese musicians of her time, and becoming the best-selling album in Japan to date. "Hatsukoi" (which in Japanese means "first love") was released in 2018, setting it almost a decade apart from "First Love". Netflix has drawn inspiration from these albums and has fittingly written the series to be about the first love of a young couple, from their first meeting in the 90's through to today.
The series will be directed by Yuri Kanchiku, and will co-star Hikari Mitsushima and Takeru Satoh. Mitsushima will be playing Yae Noguchi, an aspiring flight attendant who was met with a tragic accident, and Satoh will play Harumichi Namiki, an ex-pilot.
Utada has written several songs for dramas, anime, films – and of course, Kingdom Hearts – in her career. Her latest album "Hatsukoi" also features Chikai, one of the main theme songs she wrote for Kingdom Hearts III.
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory has been updated to version 1.03! This update is 82.51 megabytes large on PlayStation 4.
The update notes simply state that "Various issues have been fixed" which is identical to the update notes for version 1.01.
While it is always nice to see a Kingdom Hearts title get updated, the lack of specifications for this update leave much to be desired. Online functionality remains identical with no way to choose specific players to play against much to many players' dismay. Hopefully Square Enix will implement the highly requested online improvements that players have been hoping for.
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