It looks like Tetsuya Nomura is wrapping up a monster sequel in Kingdom Hearts II, and we've got a monster update to prove it. According to Japanese publication Dengeki, a near finalized version of the game, which was presented to a Square Enix higher-up recently, garnered the response: "There's four games' worth in there."
The Tron-based world will be the last surprise area, Nomura stated, and will be titled "World of Space Paranoids." And, in a move that's sure to please eager fanboys: yes, it will have light cycle battles.
Next on his list of surprise revelations, Nomura stated that Atlantis, the world from Disney's classic The Little Mermaid, won't be quite normal. Instead of being a stage to explore and fight through, Atlantis will play like a timing-based musical, with particular scenes playing due to gamer's performance.
The Steamboat Willy state, titled "Timeless River," will likely incorporate some important plot developments, and will play just as any other normal stage. Pride Land, the Lion King world, has Sora completely transformed into an animal because, unlike many Disney films, there are no human characters in the picture. Sora will be unable to use his Drive forms in his transformed Pride Land state. Nomura also said that the 13th Order, the shadowy hooded figures that are a key part of the plot, will "probably not" make an appearance in the Lion King world.
Nomura went on to discuss Sora's drive forms, which include the already-familiar red and blue; a new Yellow drive form, the "Master Form," will encorporate the powers of both Valor and Wisdom (the aforementioned red and blue forms), and will enhance Sora's physical strength and magical power. Sora will also gain the ability to fly, but, predictably, the powerful Master Form will drain Sora's Drive meter more quickly than Valor and Wisdom. There are more Drive Forms yet to be revealed that are, according to Nomura, even more powerful than the already impressive Master Form.
As was already reported some months ago, Raijin and Fuujin from FFVIII, as well as their boss Seifer, will make appearances in Kingdom Hearts II. Also showing up in the game are Auron, Rikku, and Yuna from Final Fantasy X/X-2. And now Nomura has revealed yet another guest from the Final Fantasy series: FFIX's Vivi! Nomura said that Vivi's inclusion was primarily due to goading by his staff as a result of the character's popularity. More Final Fantasy characters are likely to make appearances in the game, and will probably be revealed in the coming weeks prior to the game's release, or when the game actually is played by gamers all across Japan.
Hollow Bastion will serve as Kingdom Hearts II's central hub, much like the original's Traverse Town. Cid (FFVII) and Leon (Squall-FFVIII) will be leading Hollow Bastion's reconstruction effort, and, reportedly, every character residing in the town will be of Final Fantasy origin, so it's guaranteed some more surprise appearances are in store.
And, finally, while no surprise worlds are left to be revealed, not everything has been detailed about the worlds in the game. "Twilight Town" and the mysterious area seen in Kingdom Hearts II's trailers will both be important parts of the game's plot and should be explored in-depth at a later date.
Kingdom Hearts II will be released on December 22nd in Japan, but won't see a North American release until March 2006. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.
[Source: Game Are Fun]
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