1 Attachment(s)
An Interview with Tetsuya Nomura about KH1.5/KH3/FFXV - #E32013
Tetsuya Nomura the producer of Final Fantasy XV and the mastermind behind the Kingdom Hearts series made a special appearance on Square Enix Presents today. Whilst on the show he was quizzed about Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV.
Kingdom Hearts 1.5
Q. Could you explain how you came up with the idea for Kingdom Hearts and where the name originated?
A. Originally I wanted a name that fits Disney. When I thought of this game I thought of amusement parks and I knew of the Animal Kingdom park - so the original name was Kingdom. But that was already a registered IP. So then we thought about Heart as name as it was core to the story, but that too was taken - so we combined both of them together!
The producer Shinji Hashimoto became friends with a Disney employee. Disney and Square both worked in the same building and they both thought it'd be a great idea to make a game together. This was how Kingdom Hearts came to be. After 10 years we still have a great relationship with Disney.
Q. Can you let fans know what's involved in the process of remastering a title for HD?
A. Kingdom Hearts I was created so long ago that we'd actually lost some of the data so we actually had to dig the data out of a disc and re-create everything for HD (from the graphics to the textures). It's not actually as easy as it seems.
Q. So what makes this the definitive Kingdom Hearts experience?
A. I really wanted to bring the Final Mix versions to the rest of the world. I don't feel that we should do a lot of individual HD remasters which is why we decided to put 2 games and movies onto one disc to allow fans the chance to experience things that they may have not had the chance too before.
Q. What's your favourite character and enemy in the Kingdom Hearts universe so far?
A. Master Xehanort is one of my favourites. Ansem in Kingdom Hearts I is my favourite though!
Q. Are there any worlds you wanted to add or had to cut?
A. We always want to do a Jungle Book world and every game we manage to get it in and then it ends up being cut!
Q. What does Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX mean in relation to Kingdom Hearts III?
A. Because we decided to make KH3 we decided to make 1.5 - this was for the fans so they could prepare for KH3.
Kingdom Hearts III
Q. What new worlds can we expect?
A. Of course I'm not allowed to say yet! But each time I choose some stable choices that are needed for the story but I also try and put some surprising elements in. I want to make sure there are many surprises.
Q. Can you share anything about the battle system? Is it like previous systems?
A. I want to make sure a proper evolvement of the system from Kingdom Hearts I & II happens. I use the side games like Dream Drop Distance to experiment with different systems. We plan to keep some of the well received elements from Kingdom Hearts II.
Q. We will see any new Final Fantasy characters? Will we get the chance to play as King Mickey?
A. We are definitely considering which FF characters will be in KH3 - it's been a while since we added some new characters. We are also really considering having other playable characters and King Mickey is someone we know fans really want to play as.
Q. Are there any plans for multiplayer?
A. Multiplayer is under consideration! We are looking into online capabilities right now but I don't have any details yet.
Q. Will summoning return to Kingdom Hearts III?
A. Yes. Summons are back. Kingdom Hearts III will use summons in a completely different system we will announce later.
Q. Is Kingdom Hearts III the end for Organisation XIII?
A. Yes, the battle against the Organisation XIII and the Xehanort story as a whole will come to an end in KH3.
Q. Will we actually get to see Kingdom Hearts?
A. I don't want to say too much as I want you to look forward to the actual game. Kingdom Hearts has appeared in other games and it will probably appear in Kingdom Hearts III.
Final Fantasy XV
Q. What lead to the decision for the name change?
A. In the company around 1-2 years after Versus XIII was announced we had a discussion about the scale of the game and how it would be appropriate to make it XV. This process went back and forth for several years. When we heard about the next-gen consoles we decided to shift the development to next-gen and decided to officially rename it to XV.
Q. Can you tell us about the gameplay? Is it Action RPG or is it more tradition or is it a mix like Final Fantasy XIII?
A. It is an action based RPG. There is not much turn based gameplay but it has the command system similar to Kingdom Hearts and XIII. We are not trying to make it action-only, we are trying to keep the Final Fantasy feel!
Q. So Noctis has a huge fan following - can you tell us more about him?
A. To be honest, Noctis is not cool on the insider. He may appear cool in style but he is actually very nerdy and quirky.
Q. Does the gameplay focus primarilly on Noctis and his abilities or does it focus on other characters in the party as well?
A. Party's are a very important part of a Final Fantasy game. Noctis can battle himself, there will be many forms of co-operation between party members.
Q. In the trailer it seems Noctis can defy gravity, is this an ability we can activate ingame?
A. This isn't actually gravity. He actually has the ability to teleport around.
Q. Could you tell us about the platform change and any final thoughts you have for fans who've been waiting for the announcement?
A. Until about a year ago we were planning on sticking to the current-gen consoles but as you can see from the trailers the next-gen consoles allow us to go for a really high level of quality. I always want to go for the highest quality and not compromise on it.
The way we are developing the game has changed - before we had to develop to one consoles specification and then adapt it for the rest. Now with our new Direct X 11 engine we can easilly do this multiplatform.
