Topic: The Kingdom Hearts Thread

[Nexus]

As far as I can tell...
[spoiler]- Xehanort is trying to get Sora's mentality broken down, either for another shot at the X-Blade (via his and Ventus' hearts), a new vessel (since despite being in 'prime', Terra!Xehanort got his ass kicked twice), or some sort of pawn.
- Sora might encounter, or at least get allusions to, Xion and the BBS trio. The hood with red eyes might be his Heartless and he might finally resolve that (although I could've sworn that was resolved in Coded, but who knows).
- Lea, remembering Roxas and his days as Axel, probably wants to go after Sora and Roxas to save their asses.
- False!Ansem and Xemnas seem to still be around independent of Terra!Xehanort, although that could just be the situation of the dreams (if not, then Replicas are viable). I wouldn't be surprised if Old!Xehanort is somehow separate too, considering the clusterfuck.
- Either there's multiple Mickeys in these dream worlds, or some sort of timetravel [parasitic bomb] is happening. Assuming the former.[/spoiler]

This definitely isn't some sort of simple filler with how much is being hinted at. Sheesh. 

With the nod to the first game at the very end there and remembering the secret movie at the end of said first game, I really have to wonder how much of this series they planned ahead of time.

[Rin]

I really have to wonder how much of this series they planned ahead of time.

They planned nothing ahead of time.
They simply keep adding [parasitic bomb] along the way.

[Archer]

This definitely isn't some sort of simple filler with how much is being hinted at. Sheesh. 

...still doesn't look like anything important, just plot created for the sake of having a game fill the space while they continue to stall on KH3.

[Mirby]

Even though it's been confirmed that this game will tie directly into KH3?

[Archer]

Yeah, whats your point? Nothing I said would contradict that.

[Phi]

Yeah, whats your point? Nothing I said would contradict that.

The point is that it will directly tie in with KH3. If this game didn't exist, the plot for KH3 doesn't exist either. If you want a plot to "fill the space" while they stall on KH3, I suggest you look towards Coded.

KH3D will have, and will be, one of the most important plots in the entire series. This is in the league of KHII's importance. This will tie BBS, KH1, KHII and even CoM together to mesh with the eventual finale of the Xehanort saga. Sora/Riku possibly rescuing Aqua from tRoD so she can free Ven, save Terra and much more that can happen throughout -- speculation that could very well be reality. Nomura also stated that the game would add even more secrets and mysteries, so I can only imagine that will push the story further like the numbered games have.

I'm curious, what would make a sequel "important"? Because to me, it seems no KH game will satisfy you until III comes out. No matter how big.

And I really hope your excuse isn't "becuz they're young".

[Mirby]

The point is that it will directly tie in with KH3. If this game didn't exist, the plot for KH3 doesn't exist either. If you want a plot to "fill the space" while they stall on KH3, I suggest you look towards Coded.

KH3D will have, and will be, one of the most important plots in the entire series. This is in the league of KHII's importance. This will tie BBS, KH1, KHII and even CoM together to mesh with the eventual finale of the Xehanort saga. Sora/Riku possibly rescuing Aqua from tRoD so she can free Ven, save Terra and much more that can happen throughout -- speculation that could very well be reality. Nomura also stated that the game would add even more secrets and mysteries, so I can only imagine that will push the story further like the numbered games have.

I'm curious, what would make a sequel "important"? Because to me, it seems no KH game will satisfy you until III comes out. No matter how big.

And I really hope your excuse isn't "becuz they're young".

Not quite. This also ties Days and Coded in. Seeing as Xion appears near the end of the trailer, and the fact that Roxas's little "got it memorized" thing occurs in Twilight Town, that means Days is being wrapped up. And the whole point of Coded was to see if Sora could handle the pain of all those still locked in his heart (namely Roxas, Xion, and Ventus), which the end of the trailer looks like it's pointing directly too (the pain, that is, and Sora having to handle it).

This game is tying ALL THE PREVIOUS GAMES together and going directly into KH3.

[Archer]

I'm curious, what would make a sequel "important"? Because to me, it seems no KH game will satisfy you until III comes out. No matter how big.

Being on a console I actually have would probably be a major factor :v

[Phi]

Not quite. This also ties Days and Coded in. Seeing as Xion appears near the end of the trailer, and the fact that Roxas's little "got it memorized" thing occurs in Twilight Town, that means Days is being wrapped up. And the whole point of Coded was to see if Sora could handle the pain of all those still locked in his heart (namely Roxas, Xion, and Ventus), which the end of the trailer looks like it's pointing directly too (the pain, that is, and Sora having to handle it).

This game is tying ALL THE PREVIOUS GAMES together and going directly into KH3.

Yes, Mirby, I know that. I just pointed those specific titles out to him because those are obviously the bigger "arcs" in the story (for lack of a better word).

I know that it will tie in Coded, but I honestly don't give it credit as a significant KH game.

[Archer]

Xion, Roxas and Axel/Lea should just stay in Days. There's really no need - with the exception of Lea - to bring them back other than to please the fans.

Their story was had an acceptable wrap up, until BBS coded started doing the whole "Sora will save everyone thing" which included them.

Honestly I think this game will be like CoM, it'll have plot relevance to the next game but won't necessarily have to be played and still basically miss nothing. I mean, not everyone is going to play this one after all.

But like I've said I could be wrong.

[The Drunken Dishwasher]

You're too proud to act as if you would be wrong .

[Waifu]

the rest of the fandom had been waiting for KH3 for years now. I know it isn't Megaman legends 3, Half Life 2 Black or Duke Nukem Forever but still fans are still waiting for KH3 and we want them to stop trolling and develop the game already.

Xion, Roxas and Axel/Lea should just stay in Days. There's really no need - with the exception of Lea - to bring them back other than to please the fans.

Their story was had an acceptable wrap up, until BBS coded started doing the whole "Sora will save everyone thing" which included them.

Honestly I think this game will be like CoM, it'll have plot relevance to the next game but won't necessarily have to be played and still basically miss nothing. I mean, not everyone is going to play this one after all.

But like I've said I could be wrong.

Yes, Mirby, I know that. I just pointed those specific titles out to him because those are obviously the bigger "arcs" in the story (for lack of a better word).

I know that it will tie in Coded, but I honestly don't give it credit as a significant KH game.

Not quite. This also ties Days and Coded in. Seeing as Xion appears near the end of the trailer, and the fact that Roxas's little "got it memorized" thing occurs in Twilight Town, that means Days is being wrapped up. And the whole point of Coded was to see if Sora could handle the pain of all those still locked in his heart (namely Roxas, Xion, and Ventus), which the end of the trailer looks like it's pointing directly too (the pain, that is, and Sora having to handle it).

This game is tying ALL THE PREVIOUS GAMES together and going directly into KH3.

Let’s face KH continuity is so convoluted that you need to come with a ton theories and fanwank  just to figure out how each game connects with the next one. Not to mention all the constant retconning of the story and the Final Mixes that never leave Japan makes matters worse for anyone who wants to make sense of the plot. The whole Xehanort ‘arc’ is complete [parasitic bomb], Nomura has been making up stuff as he went along and I am tired of the Sora clones that appear here and there. Why not just create KH3 and be done with it?

[Mirby]

It's only convoluted if you don't pay attention to it all. To me, it makes perfect sense. No need to make anything up to connect the games; there's more than enough evidence in the games themselves to do that.

(and don't assume your feelings are the same as all fans; i'm a fan and i'm perfectly content in waiting for kh3 to ensure it's good and not a steaming pile of rushed [parasitic bomb] made solely to appease the rabid fans' desires. what is true of the part is not true of the whole)

Oh, and here are some scans or something.






and the 10th Anniversary Box too:


Source

[Phi]

The only thing missing from that collection is the KH 3DS.

Let’s face KH continuity is so convoluted that you need to come with a ton theories and fanwank  just to figure out how each game connects with the next one. Not to mention all the constant retconning of the story and the Final Mixes that never leave Japan makes matters worse for anyone who wants to make sense of the plot. The whole Xehanort ‘arc’ is complete [parasitic bomb], Nomura has been making up stuff as he went along and I am tired of the Sora clones that appear here and there. Why not just create KH3 and be done with it?

To me, theorizing is what makes the storyline and characters so fun. And it's not that convoluted at all, the story seems all over the place now, but as I've said before it'll be cleared up by KH3. I guess you could think of it as a series of riddles. We don't get the Final Mixes, so what? That's why we have YouTube and translations to further understand the plot.

[Mirby]

The only thing missing from that collection is the KH 3DS.

Well yeah, that's not part of the Anniversary Box art. Prices converted to USD are $200 for the Anniversary Box and $270 for the 3DS.

[Phi]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pce0bhWVKbc&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hFWstbbPsrg[/youtube]

More scans

[Mirby]

-- Kingdom Hearts 3D was first announced at the same time as the Nintendo 3DS hardware. What made you so eager to bring the series to a new platform?

Nomura: We were impressed with the passion Nintendo put into the design of the N3DS hardware. And personally, I was excited by the idea of a Kingdom Hearts game that could be played in 3D in the palm of one’s hands. That was certainly a big part of it.

-- Can you explain what the title-Dream Drop Distance-Means?

The story for this installment takes place in a world submerged in sleep, and from that “Sleep” we derived “Dream”. “Drop”, from the phrase “Drop off to sleep”, is our name for the system in which players alternate between control of Sora and Riku during gameplay. And since Sora and Riku are progressing through the story on different storylines, we chose “Distance” to express the gulf between them. And of course, since all three words start with the letter D, it can be shortened to 3D to add to the meaning of 3D functionality.

-- What can you tell us about the overarching story of the game and how it ties into the future of Kingdom Hearts?

The story for this installment picks up where Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded on the Nintendo DS left off, making it the most recent chapter in the timeline. It’s the story that takes place right before the final chapter of the “Xehanort arc”, which began with the very frist Kingdom Hearts.

To give a brief summary of the game’s premise, Yen Sid assigns Sora and Riku with visiting the Sleeping Worlds and open the seven Sleeping Doors as their Mark of Mastery exam, which they must complete in order to become Keyblade Masters. However, a mysterious boy in a black cloak appears everywhere they go, and nothing ends up going exactly as planned. That’s the gist of it.

In terms of future Kingdom Hearts, I know fans are eager for the arc’s final battle, and I hope to begin writing it soon.

-- In a previous interview, you mentioned that the Mark of Mastery exam won’t span the entirety of the game. Could you elaborate on that a little bit?

As I just mentioned, the mysterious boy in the black cloak causes the story to take an unexpected turn. Whenever he appears, Xehanort and other characters that have been linked to him, like Ansem, seem to follow, even though they’ve already been defeated in the past. Their story isn’t about the Mark of Mastery exam, so that plotline proceeds in a different direction.

-- How did you decide which new Disney worlds to include in the game?

Tai Yasue, the game’s codirector, suggested that since the film Fantasia contained many worlds, we could use that in the game to separate the worlds that Sora and Riku traveled through. I’ve always wanted to visit Fantasia in a Kingdom Hearts game, so I jumped at the chance. It’s a similar story with the other worlds. We considered how their worldview and settings could be used in interesting effect with the particular mechanics and scenario we had written for this installment, and selected them on that basis.

-- Why did you choose to make both Sora and Riku playable characters this time around?

Sora and Riku represent the theme of the Kingdom Hearts series, which is “the light and dark sides of the heart.” This story takes place right before the final battle, and so we wanted to go back to the origin of the series and depict the polarity of light and darkness through their respective stories.

-- As big fans of The World Ends with You, we’re excited to see its characters appear in Dream Drop Distance. What role do they play in this game?

In previous games in the Kingdom Hearts series, Final Fantasy characters made appearances and gave Sora guidance to help with his adventure. This time, it’s characters from The World Ends with You who perform that role. The basic story is that the characters wandered into this world while playing the Reapers’ Game, and became separated from their partners. Their stories begin with the teammates searching for each other.

-- Aside from yourself, did anyone on the Kingdom Hearts team work on the World Ends with You?

The illustrator who worked on TWEWY, Gen Kobayashi, is now serving as the art director for Dream Drop Distance. That games composer, Takeharu Ishimoto, has also created some music for DDD. Finally, the director of TWEWY, Tatsuya Kando, is working as this game’s animation supervisor.

-- What are the origins of the Dream Eaters? And can you explain the difference between the two types: Spirits and Nightmares?

Actually, as you may have seen in the debut trailer, I was originally planning to go with Heartless and Nobodies. But when I started thinking about setting the game in a dream world with enemies who could grow and fight alongside the player, I felt that it wouldn’t really make sense to be raising Heartless and Nobodies. So I came up with the Dream Eaters as a new kind of enemy that appears in Sleeping Worlds and that feeds on dreams instead of being focused on hearts the way Heartless and Nobodies are.

Nightmares are the Dream Eaters who eat dreams born in these worlds and sow nightmares instead; they appear as the main enemy for this installment. Spirits are good monsters who eat nightmares, and they fight alongside Sora and Riku as allies.

-- Will Sora and Riku fight alongside Disney characters at any point? Or do they strictly fight alongside their Spirit allies?

In this installment, they will be fighting almost exclusively alongside their Spirit allies. To be clear, this game isn’t a spinoff, since it’s a continuation of the series’s main story. But when I’m working on a game in the series that isn’t a numbered title, I like taking the opportunity to incorporate ambitious new systems like this.

-- The action in Dream Drop Distance is a lot faster and more frenetic than in the previous Kingdom Hearts games. What was the motivation behind that?

I have a clear direction for how I want the Kingdom Hearts series evolve, and this change is part of moving in that direction. The games in the series are known as RPGs with a high level of action, in which anyone can perform flashy moves. In order to make the gameplay even more dynamic, we’ve implemented a new system called Flowmotion. With that, I think we’ve taken another step towards our ultimate goal for the series.

-- In a recent trailer, we spotted various Nobodies like Xemnas, Xion, and Axel. How is it that they’re around for the events of this game?

I can’t discuss details just yet, but the mysterious boy in the black cloak has something to do with this. They will confuse Sora and Riku wherever they go.

-- Who would you say is the main villain in Dream Drop Distance?

I can’t make a definitive statement because that would be giving away a secret, but I will tell you once again, the mysterious boy in the black cloak is the key to the answer.

-- Will this game take advantage of StreetPass or SpotPass?

The game does take advantage of StreetPass capabilities, and uses them in the Spirit-breeding system.

-- Who’s composing the soundtrack for the game? Will it include a new theme song?

With this installment, Yoko Simomura will continue her role as the series’s main composer. Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito-who have worked on previus installments like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep-will also be contributing music to this game. Ishimoto will not only be handling songs from The World Ends with You, but from other games as well. As with our previous titles, the theme music is going to be a song by Utada Hikaru.

-- Will all of the US voice actors from previous Kingdom Hearts be reprising their roles in Dream Drop Distance?

That’s certainly a plan. In fact, the voice recording for the North American version is already underway.

-- This year marks the 10th anniversary of the series. Do you have anything special in store for 2012 to celebrate this occasion?

In Japan, we’re planning to release a 10-year commemorative box set. We don’t have any other solid plans, but the series has a lot of support from fans in North America, so I hope we can do something special for them as well.

-- Finally, if we ask nicely, would you share something about Dream Drop distance that you haven’t mentioned anywhere else?

This is the first time we’re doing this, but there’s a surprise during the end credits. So even when the credits start to roll, don’t put down your N3DS, and don’t let your guard down!

Source

[Phi]

Apparently, this game only has 2 save slots.

and (full?) game impressions, which don't tell us much new stuff

[Archer]

The Opener Made Me Cry!

Oh come on

[Phi]

Oh come on

tightening my heart like they were my own babies.

but during their leveling up part I involuntarily let out a giggle at their cuteness

suddenly, crying at the opening doesn't seem too far-fetched for this person

[The Drunken Dishwasher]

i'm sure there's plenty more like that.

[Mirby]

4gamer updated their site with a new article and new screens.










(more screens in Source link at bottom)

And now for the article's translation. Be warned there are some story spoilers (nothing major, just Clu's role in The Grid and more on the opening in Yen Sid's tower).

Rinzler is fightable, he uses disks which release spark-like things on contact, and he can also reverse gravity, which reverses controls for Sora/Riku. The Grid's boss is also shown, which is a giant dream eater you fight in a circular rotating stage. The boss hurls disks at the current PC, and can also summon bullets that rain down from the ceiling, upon contact with the current PC his drop gauge decreases.

Regarding the storyline, it is hinted that Clu has some sort of interest for keyblades as do the other Tron characters, but his motives seem evil or something. Also Young Xehanort is there and he apparently knows a lot about The Grid.

On the part about the Mysterious Tower, it says Sora and Riku go to it only to be met with Yen Sid having a worried look, there he explains to become keyblade masters they hvae to go to the dream world and release the keyholes there. Also it's confirmed that as always the journey begins in Destiny Islands.

Then there's Radiant Garden. One of the texts under the screenshots says Lea knows he's human again because he can see his reflextion once more, but he can't find all other Org. XIII members. On the one with Lenzo, it says he seems to possess a lot of information regarding Traverse Town.

Then there's the dream eaters nightmare/spirits section. First the spirits:

The one that looks like a little clown is called Ghost Clown, apparently it likes prizes a lot so it helps to pick them up. Its link attack is called Ghost Vacuum where he inhales enemies and then vomits them damaging them as well as whoever it vomits on. Next is Scissor Beetle, who can fire bullets from its chest, useful for long range attacks! Its link attack is called Trap Shot, where it fires a barrage of bullets from its chest to where the target cursor is placed, it also prevent enemies from moving after being shot; afterwards there's Idaten Kirin, its link attack is called Thunderstorm, where a bunch of consecutive bolts strike the enemy. The following one is Opportunist Bat, who goes flapping along the battlefield, it uses ultrasonic waves and drain attacks as its moves. Its link attack is Dark Fierce, where the current PC grows lonk dark nails from his hands and feet, allowing for quick long range kicks and punches finishing with an arc shaped attack.

Finally, the nightmares where two new kinds are introduced, first the Glaring Owl, who uses Libra on you to find your weakness and then exploit it. Then there's the Dendencargo, it's a pun I'm not sure how to translate, but it mashes up the Japanese word for snail and escargot, it hides in its shell but if you manage to turn it over it becomes defenseless.

As mentioned in earlier reports, once the drop gauge runs out you change to Sora/Riku and so forth, using drop prizes that enemies drop you get drop points, which you can use to enhance Sora/Riku. In between drops you can also see the event forecast for the current world you're in, these events include sales from shops or the chance to fight rare dream eaters.

As also previously reported, you can breed spirits provided you have their recipes and required materials, you can also name your spirits! Each spirit has its own distinct personality that affects their battle behavior but you already knew that.

Regarding battle commands, you can get them via shops, the spirits's ability link board and treasure chests; after that you can add them to your deck.

On the ability link board you can also get passive abilities, for example, if you want Riku to have the HP Up ability, you can have one of your spirits learn it, and once they have Riku can use it too!

The final part of the news article are new Reality Shifts, first up is the Fantasia inspired Symphony of Sorcery's, Fantasmic, where you have to tap notes as they appear on the touch screen. The Grid's Reality Shift is called Code Break, where you tap differently colored words on the touch screen to hack the world and produce a number of different effects, the one shown this time is Moving Spark which is, well, a moving spark.

Source
---

Also, due to Ghost Clown's Link Attack, I'm gonna have to paint him pink and name him Kirby. Along with my triceratops who'll be named Cera.

Also of note: that last pic I posted here in this post shows Riku utilizing the giraffe's Link Attack to wield some guns temporarily and blast foes. Pretty sweet!

[Gaia]

As also previously reported, you can breed spirits provided you have their recipes and required materials, you can also name your spirits! Each spirit has its own distinct personality that affects their battle behavior but you already knew that.

Looks like Kingdom Hearts: Pokemon Drop Distance is inevetable then.

[Mirby]

Looks like Kingdom Hearts: Pokemon Drop Distance is inevetable then.

We've known about the Dream Eaters and the fact you collect them since September, Gaia. This is nothing new.

[Gaia]

I say inevetable I really meant once it hits 4chan this game will be likely teased about being "similar" to pokemon.