Katie Armstrong

Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura recently sat down with Famitsu to give an interview on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, focusing on specific details in each of the three portions of the collection. Though the interview covered many of the same topics as the earlier Dengeki interview, Famitsu's team managed to pose some interesting questions, and received equally interesting responses. Here is a summary of each of Nomura's responses in the interview. A full translation will be added as soon as possible. In regards to Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage-: Nomura remarked on the ability for the product to be easily altered with Unreal Engine 4, especially in regards to lighting, as previously mentioned in Dengeki. What is in the demo will be in the retail version of the game. He wanted to give the players something to explore in the demo, someplace where they would have to get up high to get a lay of the land before proceeding. Nomura says KH3 will have a similar feel, where free-running to a high place and scoping out the map will be necessary. Nomura states that time has stopped in this place only, and that moving to different locations will result in different 'effects'. As in the Dengeki article, Nomura explains the battle system, and also says that the concept of Command Styles has been transferred to Keyblade Transformations in Kingdom Hearts III. Nomura calls the Heartless Swarm a 'Devils Wave', mentions they've been present since the first KH3 trailer, and that they're still not at full power. Aqua will only gain strength through leveling up--there are no new Keyblades for her to obtain. (Famitsu's interviewer hypothesizes that this is why the Command Styles remain in 0.2, when they won't really be present in KH3, where you can change Keyblades. Nomura doesn't remark on this point one way or another.) When discussing the length of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage-, Nomura says that it will feature a lot of cutscenes. The intended play order is Dream Drop Distance, then -A Fragmentary Passage-, then Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage- is not exactly scrapped content from Kingdom Hearts III. It was something he felt the need to make, but Nomura didn't want to bog down the pace of storytelling in KH3 with backstory, so he separated it out and created a separate installment around it. Kingdom Hearts III will have a short prelude before the game really starts to make sure everyone is caught up. In regards to Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD: Nomura mentions the Catanuki, explaining it was something the Osaka team really wanted to add to the game. He also discusses PS4 trophies, 60fps, and the difficulties in transitioning to a game without two screens to work with. He mentions the 'spirit' of developing for the unique properties of the 3DS continues, in now developing for the unique properties of the PS4. In regards to Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover: Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover is being made with the same tech as Kingdom Hearts III. Famitsu asked directly if the Black Coat is the Foreteller's Master. Nomura says yes! He is a 'unique glue' between them, and he apparently has nicknames for each of the Foretellers. Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ has recently hit 4 million downloads, and after the North American release, there was a very strong demand to release in the EU. He is happy for this chapter of Kingdom Hearts to be brought to fans all over the world. Nomura also hints that the Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ story will soon branch from the Kingdom Hearts χ [chi] story. Kingdom Hearts χ [chi] is complete, but Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ can be considered 'Season 2'. Nomura anticipates that Kingdom Hearts III may hit Japan slightly earlier than the rest of the world, but it will be nearly simultaneous. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is in the final stages of production, with English recording currently being mastered and timed. He also told fans to please be patient and anticipate this winter for new Kingdom Hearts III information, and focus on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue for now. Next year is the 15th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, and also the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy; he told fans to anticipate a lot of features next year relating to those series. Which of these answers has you most intrigued? Let us know in the comments!

Gamer Escape was present at PAX East 2016 this week, and caught up with Hironori Okayama, the producer of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. In the interview, he stated that the North American version of the game will receive 50 new missions per month, and made an announcement that the promotional Zootopia medals recently released in Japan are planned for release in the North American version of the game on May 2nd. Okayama also discussed the choices made when Kingdom Hearts χ was being remade for mobile devices, how the team decides which medals to make, and the release of future content for both versions of the game. The full interview can be read below:

Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ updated to Version 1.2.0 on 30 March 2016, focusing heavily on UI updates and changes based on fan responses to the questionnaire published in late February. Major updates include changing the layout of the Quest screen, the introduction of "Skip Tickets" which allow a player to bypass a difficult mission, and finally patching the bug that allowed the buff medal “Kairi KH Version”'s ability to last beyond the allotted time. Current players will be given 10 Skip Tickets, which will allow a player to automatically clear the mission and will clear all 3 Mission Challenges as well. Players must install the update from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. For iOS, you'll simply need to log in with your Japanese Apple ID within the Apple App Store and download the update from there. For Android users, please follow this guide. You can read translations of the update notes below thanks to News Team member Katie Armstrong. What do you think of these new updates for Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ? Let us know in the comments below!

Square Enix is releasing a new members-only calendar to coincide with the start of the Japanese school year. The calendar features images from new and upcoming games, including Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. Square Enix members will be able to purchase the calendar for 200 points starting in April. Thanks to Katie Armstrong for the translation, and thanks to aibo for the heads up.

Pre-orders for new goods opened up in the Square Enix store today, including a collection of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ mobile phone cases. The three iPhone 6 cases feature gold and silver motifs, and will ship on March 5th. The cost for one is 4,100 Yen, or about $35 USD. This is the latest piece of Unchained χ merchandise, after the Chirithy plush previously shown at Jump FESTA 2016. You can check out the cases below:

The Tokyo Game Orchestra is scheduled to perform a concert that features music from the Kingdom Hearts series and the Final Fantasy series. The concert will be held for two nights only, with one performance in Nagoya, Japan on April 9th and the other in Tokyo, Japan on April 23rd. More information regarding these concerts can be found below. Thanks to goldpanner for the translations.

This month's Nintendo Dream magazine featured a New Year's greeting from Ichiro Hazama, producer of the Theatrhythm series at Square Enix. In his message, translated by Nintendo Everything, he stated: To date, the Theatrhythm series has three titles in its line-up, the most recent entry being Theatrhythm Dragon Quest. If Square Enix is looking to expand the Theatrhythm universe to encompass more of their original IPs, then Kingdom Hearts would be the next logical step. In addition to producing the Theatrhythm series, Hazama is also the producer of the Dissidia series. Originally conceived as a Kingdom Hearts game, concern about a Disney fighting game steered the project toward the Final Fantasy cast. It seems Hazama has been eager to work more closely on a Kingdom Hearts title since first assisting with project management on Kingdom Hearts II. Could Theatrhythm be his opportunity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ updated to Version 1.1.0 on 7 December 2015, bringing further upgrades for Keyblades, the Strength Bangle, and various UI updates. Due to the large content of this update, you must install the update from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. For iOS, you'll simply need to log in with your Japanese Apple ID within the Apple App Store and download the update from there. For Android users, please follow this guide. You can read translations of the update notes below thanks to News Team member Katie Armstrong. What do you think of these new updates for Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ? Let us know in the comments below!