Famitsu recently were able to interview Tetsuya Nomura (the director of the Kingdom Hearts series) about Kingdom Hearts III and specific details we witnessed from the most recent trailer showcased at the D23 Expo earlier this year.
During the D23 Expo trailer, the keyblade changed into a gun and led to much discussion on how the combat will change from this point on. Tetsuya Nomura teased the game’s fans even more by stating that there are “some other unbelievable transformations” to come. In fact, according to Nomura, when one developer came up to him with an idea, he said back, “Are you serious!?”
Before the Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer, we knew that the keyblade could re-appear in one’s hand after being disarmed, lock away worlds from the darkness, turn into a vehicle of some sort (Birth By Sleep), have heartless detect it, and immerse magic from its tips, but now we know now that the weapon will be much more complex. During the interview, Nomura admitted that the weapon will be some sort of gimmick on the planning side but “the keyblade has infinite possibilities.”
The trailer also showed a new main combat system for Kingdom Hearts III called “Attraction Flow,” which is a continuing growth of development from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance’s Flowmotion mechanic. Attraction Flow is a system which calls upon the traditional rides from Disneyland past and allows you to choose moves according to different places and enemies, and especially so during boss fights where you’ll be able to pull off unique moves.”
Last to mention from the interview by Famitsu is how both Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix and Kingdom Hearts III are being developed. While the initial Kingdom Hearts team is toiling away at Final Fantasy XV, the Osaka Square Enix studio (who previously worked on Dream Drop Distance and Birth By Sleep) are now working on both Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix and Kingdom Hearts III. Nomura also stated that he is currently working on scenario of the upcoming sequel.
In addition to Kingdom Hearts III, Square Enix’s Osaka studio is working on Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix.
Kingdom Hearts III, unfortunately has no release date as of yet, but is currently in production for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Could the “infinite possibilities” of the keyblade continue to make the franchise feel fresh in this new entry and do you think the Osaka team can pull both the HD Remix and Kingdom Hearts III off? Comment below.
Source: Siliconera (translators of Famitsu Magazine Interview)
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