On this occasion, one name from the Play.Community viewers who comment will be drawn to receive a mug set signed by Square Enix’s KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- director Tetsuya Nomura (looks like Nomura’s autograph comes with a portrait of Sora!) and advertising producer Katsuyama who appeared in our clip above!!
(※This gift is targeted at those who comment on the Play.Community Official Group’s actual video thread ‘Reporting! Play.Community Cafe’.)

[How to play]

Slide 1: Welcome to the world of KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi]!
Journey through Disney worlds and take the light back from the darkness!

Slide 2: Defeat the darkness that has appeared in the worlds, the Heartless!
Defeat Heartless to get Lux (Light)!

Slide 3: Collect Lux (light) to win Team Battles!
The Lux you all collected will be tallied together every night to determine the victorious team!
The winning team will be rewarded!

Slide 4: Defeat Raid Bosses for Huge Gains!
Join in the battle when a Raid Boss appears.

[Worlds]

Slide 1: Simple mouse controls
- Your avatar will move to wherever you click the mouse
- Click Heartless and things that catch your eye! (Heartless, components Items, Treasure Chests)
- Use AP to make actions (TIP: AP regenerates with time)

Slide 2: Dynamic Card Battles!
- Click Heartless to start a battle!
- Defeat Heartless to obtain Lux and cards etc
- Use cards to execute various abilities!

Slide 3: Gather components!
- Synthesise your Keyblade with components to strengthen it!

[Card Synthesis]

Slide 1: About Card Synthesis
- Synthesise your cards to get strong!
- Base card
- components Cards
- Munny is necessary for synthesis
TIPS
- Synthesise cards of the same type (blue, green, red) and the level will rise more easily
- Synthesise the same card to form a Limit Card and raise the card’s max level

[Deck Formation]

Slide 1: About Deck Formation
TIPS
- Form the strongest deck easily with ‘Auto Form’
- Deck
- Owned cards
- Battle with three cards at a time chosen at random from your deck

Slide 2: About Cards
There are two types of cards!
Attack Cards:
- Attack cards are set with one Ability
- Attack cards have a fixed Attack Strength and Defence Strength!
- Obtain Attack Cards by defeating Heartless and through Card Draw etc
Assist Cards:
- Assist Cards are important cards that decide HP and the Lux you will obtain
- Obtain Assist Cards from treasure chests as you adventure through the worlds

[Keyblade Strengthening]

Slide 1: About Keyblade Strengthening
- Gather components Items to strengthen your Keyblade
- Once you have collected the necessary components, you can strengthen your Keyblade!
- If you match your cards and Keyblade type during battle, you will get an effect up bonus

[Team]

Slide 1: A Raid Boss has Appeared!
- Work together with everyone to defeat the Raid Boss within the time limit!
- Damage the Raid Boss to get Lux to defeat opposing teams
- Battle the Raid Boss using BP!
- The more BP you use, the more damage you deal

INTERVIEWING THE KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- SOUND TEAM: WHY WE’RE GOING TO LOVE THE RE-RECORDED MUSIC

Presenting an interview with some of the individuals involved in the sound of Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX- for PS3: Composer Yoko Shimomura, Square Enix synthesizer operators Keiji Kawamori and Hirosato Noda, TaQ from ongaq, responsible for strings arrangement and recording, and Yusaku Tsuchiya from gaQdan, ongaq’s specialty recording orchestra responsible for the musical performance.
(18/3/2013)

The music of Yoko Shimomura, played anew on live instruments!

The three titles that make up the first section of the story of Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) series, KH Final Mix, KH Re:Chain of Memories and KH 3582 Days have been remastered in HD and offered on the PS3 in one title as KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX- (released 14th Mar 2013). To go with the HD remastering, some of the music for this title has been re-recorded with live instruments.

Famitsu.com conducted an interview with composer Yoko Shimomura, Square Enix synthesizer operators Keiji Kawamori and Hirosato Noda, TaQ from ongaq, responsible for strings arrangement and recording, and Yusaku Tsuchiya from gaQdan, ongaq’s specialty recording orchestra responsible for the musical performance, in which we heard episodes that occurred during recording and their thoughts on the KH series.

—Firstly, please each of you tell us your role in KH 1.5.
Shimomura: I stood in on the recording of the re-recorded tracks, and directed the musical performances. Plus, I was in charge of checking the mixed tracks.
Kawamori: I was in charge of planning the re-recording and track mixing.
Noda: I worked on mixing the recorded music with other instruments, just like Kawamori.
TaQ: I… was in charge of giving people courage (laughs). I’m not sure how to explain the details of my role, now that it’s done… My main jobs specifically were taking the tracks that Ms Shimomura had written and arranging them into sheet music for live instruments, and managing the progress of recording.
Tsuchiya: As the orchestra’s concertmaster, my responsibility was focused on the musical performances.
(*concertmaster: the person who takes care of the orchestra. Typically this role is filled by the leader of the first violin section.)

—We know that gaQdan is a specialty recording orchestra, but what exactly is a specialty recording orchestra?
TaQ: My goal with gaQdan is to offer something like what Netprint does with postcards, but as an orchestra service. Today’s game consoles have high specs that allow orchestral music to be used as-is. However, on old game consoles, the number of useable sounds were limited. What was implemented on those consoles was the crystallised efforts of composers who had to use their ingenuity to work within 4-bit or 16-bit limitations.

—Compared to orchestral music, there are overwhelmingly few sounds, aren’t there?
TaQ: Yes. See, with an orchestra, you have about forty parts altogether, woodwind and brass and such, playing sounds at once. Because of this, to perform music created for old games with an orchestra, you must increase the number of sounds while trying to hold the integrity of the piece.

—As non-professionals, we can’t imagine how you would go about ‘increasing the number of sounds’.
TaQ: I am sure that even among pros there would be many unfamiliar with orchestration and who wouldn’t know how to start. That’s why I wanted to make the gaQdan recording service something that people could use with ease, even if they didn’t have all the complicated knowledge. There’s a service called ‘Netprint’ where you can send pictures you drew or photos you took and they will print picture postcards for you, right? The idea behind our establishment was along those lines… that if you sent music to ongaq, even if it was not made for orchestra use, we would record it with an orchestra for you. I believe that we put that idea into reality with KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-.

—How interesting. Now then, could you please tell us the details behind how you came to be re-recording the music for KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-?
Kawamori: About two seconds after I heard they’d decided to make KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, it popped into my head that I wanted to remake the music in our current style, too. Well, those old tracks made with the built-in tone generator (*when the BGM plays using a synthesiser program created within the performance range of the gaming console) still sound amazing even now, despite the restrictions under which they were created. I had the privilege of working with Ms Shimomura on KH Birth by Sleep, which adopted audio streaming (*when pre-recorded music is played as BGM. Rich tones can be reproduced without much depending on the capacities of the console). I thought that if we made use of our know-how from that in KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, then we could allow the fans to enjoy the music all over again just like they would be enjoying the new HD picture.
Shimomura: It all started with talks happening somewhere without me (laughs).
Kawamori: That was when I invited the unaware Ms Shimomura to a lunch meeting to propose that we remake the music.

—Shimomura, what did you think when you heard what Kawamori had to say?
Shimomura: I said, since we’re doing it, let me do whatever I can. I thought, ‘hm, this lunch is expensive’ (laughs).

—(Laughs). In all, how many tracks did you remake for this title?
Kawamori: Practically everything from KH Final Mix. We also recorded a selection from KH Re:Chain of Memoriesand KH 358/2 Days.
TaQ: I first heard from Mr Kawamori that there were 66 tracks, and even as I was gasping about that number, it steadily increased (laughs).
Shimomura: There were more tracks than I thought in KH Final Mix, see. There were versions of the same song but organised differently, or with the intro cut.
Noda: We’d start up the PS2 ROM to check, wouldn’t we?
Kawamori: Yes, stressing out over which version was used in which scene.

—And so, why did you commission gaQdan to record the stringed instruments?
Kawamori: I had struck up an acquaintance with TaQ some time before, and when I came to be re-recording the music for KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, I remembered seeing an interview in Famitsu on his work on Crimson Shroud… so, I said to him, there are a lot of tracks, but how do you feel about doing it?
TaQ: I immediately replied that I’d do it, but to be completely honest here, I thought that 66 tracks had to be impossible (laughs). Recording took place in a huge hall in the Tokyo Metropolitan area around September 2012, and since of course the hall had to be unavailable for long periods just when we needed it, we had to finish recording in one day and that was that. We had to be out of the hall by 9:30pm, but by the time it was 7:30pm we hadn’t even finished recording half…
Shimomura: You’re saying it with a smile now, TaQ, but on the day you scared me. Your smile started fading away… (laughs).
TaQ: The orchestra members were running out of breath, and conversations stopped (laughs).
Shimomura: But, the orchestra members were so dedicated.
Tsuchiya: That’s the difficult thing about orchestral recording. All the instrument sounds are recorded in one go at the same time, so you can’t just go in after and replace one instrument or add a layer. It was a severe spot that required the orchestra members to play for twelve hours with no mistakes. But, since the hall had great acoustics, and some members of gaQdan were KH fans who started getting excited as they recognised songs, the orchestra members were very passionate.
TaQ: The moment when the musicians became one entity to finish the last few… I don’t think I’ll forget it as long as I live.
Shimomura: Every minute was precious, to the point where nobody even went to the toilet.
TaQ: When we finished, I was so overcome with emotion that I started applauding.
Shimomura: I wondered if perhaps the remaining time would stress them out and affect their performance, and if so, whether I should give up on a few songs and have them focus on the ones we were up to… but, in the end, thanks to all of their tremendous focuses, they were able to record for me every single song I had requested.

—Noda, Kawamori, Shimomura, what was it like listening to the musical performance?
Noda: I was astonished at what they managed to do in so little time. They gave a convincing and high quality performance.
Kawamori: With electronic music you have to make fine adjustments in order to have it sound as though it were live, but we were able to use the music that was performed for us as it was, so… it made our lives easier (laughs). I am so grateful that they performed that many tracks for us.
Shimomura: I am sure that for the past ten years, gamers have carried strong impressions of the original tracks. Seeing as the old tracks do have the characteristic power of the built-in tone generator, I hate being told that by using live instruments the ‘music is nicer but it lost its punch’. With this title, without me even asking, gaQdan treated the image from the original song with utmost care, so I am very happy.
Tsuchiya: Seeing as the original built-in tone generator music was so cool, we kept in mind to not lose that punch with our performance.
TaQ: In RPGs, the battle music is probably what you hear the most often. Battle music is often written loaded with staccato phrases to raise tension for the player, I believe. But, orchestra instruments are not designed to burst out strong, loud sounds by nature. Because of this, if you perform using the pure classical playing style, it will sound nice, but it won’t have that aggressive feel. As I actually personally started with electronic music, I investigated with gaQdan into how to bring out that aggressive feel on stringed instruments. There are ways of playing that bring colour into the sound, and ways of playing that bring out a sensation of speed… we built experience with many variations of play styles.
Tsuchiya: I am happy that we were able to use the results of that research in this title. Putting it into practice meant we consciously changed our ways of playing depending on the song.
TaQ: With battle music, you really need that bold rock-guitar nuance, so we boosted the number of people playing middle and low register instruments. A normal orchestra will have the most people in the first violin section, but this time, since we knew that the melody would be carried by the flutes and such, we decided we didn’t need to increase the number of violins.
Shimomura: The performance we received could be perfectly described as a ‘version upgrade’ for everyone. Even the methods of recording were innovative.
TaQ: We started our arrangement work by grouping the tracks in the same key and the tracks that would give the musicians similar emotions. We listened to those nearly 70 tracks over and over again to sort them into groups of tracks we could perform consecutively. With that much music to do, we had no time to waste on resting and re-preparing after finishing one performance before starting the next recording. There were instances where we played about 16 tracks consecutively.
Tsuchiya: There were also instances where we played for 30 minutes straight. Though there were about 70 tracks, in practice I worked with them like five long tracks.

—So, thanks to that solution, the performers were able to stay in good spirits while playing for over ten hours?
Shimomura: We had many proposals over how to go about recording for a whole day without wasting time or people losing spirit.
TaQ: As you might expect, after that sort of hardship, we ended up with great music. You can definitely make great music electronically, but in the end, when musicians pour their emotions into a performance, you can be sure that their music will have the setting unfolding before your eyes. KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX- looks so beautiful, so when the music flows with the scenes, I believe that gamer’s hearts will be moved.

—Did Shimomura have any requests regarding the musical performance?
Tsuchiya: Ms Shimomura was particular about the tightness and vehemence of the bass. She didn’t want to lose the vehemence of the electronic version.
Shimomura: I tried to get it across making noises, like, ‘make it sound like ksssh ksssh’.
Tsuchiya: But when you said ‘kssh’ out loud like that, we could hear the way it resounded back in the hall, so we understood what sort of sound you were looking for.

—It’s easier to convey things that way then explaining it theoretically, then.
Shimomura: Also, when I am writing music, I imagine the person playing the instrument. When we were recording, I was making gestures like I was playing, like, ‘I want this part to feel like they’re so into it that they’re leaning forwards playing. That sort of feeling…’ but, since I was a bit far away from where everyone was performing, they said ‘sorry, we can’t see you’ (laughs).

—So when you are composing, you don’t only think of sounds, you think of pictures.
Shimomura: I can’t play the violin, so it’s just my image of it (laughs). There are powerful images that stuck in my head of amazing solos I’ve seen concertmasters playing at concerts, that sort of thing. Sometimes, I write music hoping that somebody would play my music like that.

—A question for TaQ and Tsuchiya. What do you think is characteristic of Shimomura’s music?
TaQ: She has characteristic scales. For example, 3-3-3-2… and, that bass string rhythm. Like, duhkuh-dun, duhkuh-dun,duhkuh-dun. After spending my entire time on this job analysing the written music for Ms Shimomura’s tracks, I feel like I was slowly becoming able to write Shimomura melodies myself (laughs).
Tsuchiya: That bass strings rhythm is so striking, it still comes back into my head sometimes.
Shimomura: Back in those days there was a limited number of tones, and there weren’t more than two channels to delineate the string instruments. So, the parts an orchestra would organise into first violin, second violin, viola, cello and double bass, I had to make with two channels. I tried my best to create something that felt close, thinking the whole time about how I really would have wanted it to be expressed on stringed instruments (laughs). And so, I did things like just having those two tracks repeat a simple rhythm, and I think I made a weird sort of progress on a lot of points.
TaQ: I think it was originally composed with concepts like ‘this is orchestral’ and ‘this is chamber music’. Before writing music for games, an image of the sound is usually bouncing around inside your head. Upon receiving Ms Shimomura’s sheet music, I spent some time thinking about the image each track was written with.
Shimomura: TaQ checked in with me many times to make sure that the image in his head matched the one in mine, but every time he asked, his arrangements were exactly right.

—By the way, which piece was the most difficult to perform?
Tsuchiya: First I’ll just say that they were difficult in general (laughs). The gummi ship song, and… then, this one. The one with the difficult rhythm that went dan-da-dadada-dadadadadadadada… I was delirious when I played it, the name won’t come to me (laughs).
Shimomura: I think you mean The Deep End. I’m sorry I made the rhythm so hard to play (laughs).

—Can you tell us about any episode that left an impression on you from during recording?
Kawamori: On the day of recording, it was a lovely clear morning. But then as the day turned to afternoon, right when everyone was getting desperate about how there was no time, outside it started pouring with rain.

—It’s like the rain was a symbol of your feelings (laughs).
Kawamori: I did think, a mood like this and rain like this… and when we finished recording, it cleared up again. I was surprised, it really was as though the weather was reflecting how our recording went.
Shimomura: I was surprised realising it must have rained when I saw that the ground was wet.

—Now, after the recording work with gaQdan, how did work on mixing go?
Noda: It went pretty smoothly for me, because I received the sounds already mixed to an extent.
Shimomura: I was always asking you to do one more thing at the final mix checks. I’m sorry for everything (laughs).
Kawamori: That’s the way it always goes (laughs).
Shimomura: I think, it’s such a tiny thing, I probably shouldn’t say anything, but then I go and say it. It’s because I know how it feels to regret not asking for a part to be corrected, and once it’s out in the world, being like ‘aww I wish I’d asked about that one note’.
Kawamori: During the stage where we put the sounds together, the track is still fuzzy in my head, but through Ms Shimomura’s direction, when I listen to the final product, I think, it really did become KH music, didn’t it. It feels like it has the KH seal stamped on it.

—Did listening to the music from ten years ago bring back memories?
Shimomura: It really is like, has it already been ten years? Is it still only ten years? When I listen to the music, I have so many flashbacks… like, ‘it was so hard to get this song okayed’ and such (laughs). And, sometimes my impression of the song has changed since the old days, like when I think ‘this song is even cooler than I thought it was!’ There’s both nostalgia and new discoveries. As there were no plans to make the first KH into a series, we made it this far thanks to everyone’s support and love. It’s amazing that that game from ten years ago has been born again with a makeover, and I am incredibly happy that I have been able to be involved in these works.

—If KH -HD 2.5 ReMIX- were to come out, would you re-record the music?
Shimomura: KH2 uses the built-in tone generator too. In the KH series, the battle music and field music cross-fade so we had to include the data of both battle and field tracks compressed to what would originally be the memory of one track. I was so glad that we could use live music this time… If KH -HD 2.5 ReMIX- comes out, there’s no way I’d just leave the built-in tone generator in as is (laughs). I couldn’t betray everyone’s expectations like that. There are around 100 tracks, though…

—Sounds like recording would be even more difficult (laughs).
Shimomura: In KH2 I used strings purposefully in many tracks, such as wanting the violins to build steadily when the music for the last boss starts, which I think it would be beautiful done with live instruments.

—We are sure that the fans would be very happy to hear the music of KH2 performed with live instruments. Well then, please give us a final word and message for our readers.
Kawamori: Starting with gaQdan, so many people participated in recording for KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-. I believe that their feelings are expressed in the music that they participated in so passionately, everyone. Please make sure you hear it.
Noda: I would love for people to play the game and compare the difference they can hear between the sound in this title and the sound from the days of the PS2. I think the sound is now very powerful, so please enjoy it.
Tsuchiya: I was only directly involved in KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX- for the twelve hours that I performed, but, I wonder if perhaps in those twelve hours I was able to put in what has been passed down through the KH series so far. I hope you enjoy it.
TaQ: This job was a challenge for all members of gaQdan. The first track, with such a short recording time… If someone had said, ‘we can’t do this, can we?’ then we would have crumbled. But instead everyone involved in the project was thinking first and foremost that we wanted to make something great, so we were able to face the challenge with optimism. I will never forget that day of recording. That one day was only a tiny piece of the overall game development period, but we crammed it with far more than one day’s worth of our best effort. So, I would be very happy if everyone who plays the game thinks our music is interesting.
Shimomura: So much has been said already now (laughs)… With this title, I recommend all the tracks, but among them, there is one in particular I would love for people to look out for. The music that plays at the end of KH 358/2 Days, Vector to the Heavens, was a track that many people told me they loved, and it has been re-recorded. Beginning with a performance by pianist Benyamin Nuss, it is an extremely lovely track, and I hope everyone enjoys listening to it.

———–

KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] Beta Invites + Official Website Update!

We would to thank you on this occasion for applying to participate in the KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] Closed Beta Test. As a result of a strictly impartial lottery, you have been selected to be a tester in the Closed Beta Test (hereon CBT) scheduled to commence at 3pm on the 22nd March (Fri). Congratulations!!

Please access the official KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] website () and log in with the Yahoo!Japan ID and password that you registered in your application.

The CBT is scheduled to run from 3pm on the 22nd March (Fri) until 3pm on the 25th March.

The idea of this CBT is to have you play a section of KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] for us in advance. We truly hope that you enjoy it, and we would be very happy if we could receive your opinions after you have played.

<Main Content of the CBT Play>

First, you are to create your own avatar, and assemble a team of up to a maximum of 30 people. (The composition of teams will be assigned automatically.) For the duration of the CBT, you will be competing with assigned opposing teams to obtain and pool fragments of light called Lux. Every day there will be a tally to determine which team has pooled the most Lux, and the victors will be awarded a prize.

*Points*
- Collect raw materials from the field ⇒ use to enhance your Keyblade.
- Battle enemies ⇒ experience points (necessary to level up), potentially obtain cards, Lux etc.
- Collect cards from treasure chests ⇒ obtain cards that will increase hit points during battle.
- Card Draw ⇒ obtain cards necessary to execute attacks in battle.
- Boss Raid ⇒ co-operate with your team to defeat bosses for a chance to earn large quantities of Lux.

Set your sights on making use of card synthesis and Keyblade enhancement in order to gather even more Lux to be victorious!

<For future scheduling and up-to-date information>

The KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] official website () and KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] official twitter (https://twitter.com/_KINGDOMHEARTS) will be updated as necessary.

*If you’ve received this e-mail in error:
This e-mail was sent to those who applied to participate in a Closed Beta Test of KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi]. If you have received this message in error, we apologise for the trouble and ask that you please delete this e-mail.
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*KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] official website:
*KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] official twitter: https://twitter.com/_KINGDOMHEARTS
Hashtag:　#_KH
*KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] official blog:
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Tatsuya Kando
- Co-director of KH Key and animation supervisor of KH 1.5
- Has been with Square Enix for 15-16 years
- First game was FF7
- Has worked with Nomura for a long time

HD 1.5
- It’s awesome that they can make these sorts of titles now thanks to blu-ray
- Everything looks super pretty in full HD on the PS3 hardware
- It was a huge task to resize it to 16:9 aspect ratio
- The hosts remarked on how this is the third iteration of KH Chain of Memories, from GBA to PS2 to PS3!
- People who only played the GBA version of CoM are going to be absolutely stunned
- The hosts were amazed to hear how long the video volume is, they joked about it approaching the level of Schindler’s List in length and congratulated Kando on having basically made a HD full length film!
- Kando recommends those who have already played KH1 to enjoy an even more beautiful version of the game, and those who played Final Mix to experience it in Japanese
- They talk about the bonus KH Key battle support sets that come with first-run editions and e-store purchases of the game (the set will come in handy when you start KH Key, with rare Sora and Riku cards you can use right away, munny that can be exchanged at moogle shops, and card draw points that are used to restore battle energy during the adventure and will come in handy during boss raids)

KH Key
- When the ‘key’ in ‘keyblade’ is written as χ, it refers to the χblade, the original keyblade mentioned in previous games such as BBS
- Everyone in KH Key isn’t running around with χblades; their keyblades are people-made, though Kando would liken them to ‘cheap versions’ rather than fakes
- Players in KH Key each serve as heroes with their own keyblades
- As it’s a little difficult to translate the world of the action-RPG series into something suitable for a PC browser game, the world of this game is more like a fairy tale than directly like the world of Kingdom Hearts that Sora and Riku appear in
- They went with mouse click commands rather than the same sort of controller-based play in other games in the series because of the nature of the platform
- Inside the world of the game, your goal is to collect light called ‘Lux’. People have been divided into five large groups which are struggling over the light. The player is collecting light as a member of one of these, and we will see which one comes out on top
- To collect light you search different Disney worlds while defeating Heartless
- There is raw material scattered around that you can collect to strengthen your keyblade
- As things stand right now, they aren’t planning to have player-on-player battles, it’s more aimed at calling people over to co-operate
- There might be patches and updates with new features
- The biggest thing they are working on are boss raids, where you form a team and race other teams to see who can defeat a gigantic boss first etc (the hosts note that the bonus battle support sets would be useful here!)
- The game is free to play and should be simple enough for any KH fan (or Disney/FF fan who is interested in the setting) who isn’t familiar with browser games to try
- There are a huge number of cards to collect (one host will try his hardest to get a Tifa card!)
- Keep an eye on the KH portal site for updates
- They are working really hard to make something fun for everyone so please look forward to it!

STAFF INTERVIEWS

Interview with Director Tetsuya Nomura

—Please tell us about any points that gave you trouble or things you were fixated on achieving when it came to KH 1.5.

Tetsuya Nomura (hereon Nomura): For some titles, most of the data from back in the day was no longer available. I had the programmers search through the program manually, and from there they told me various places where raising quality would be impossible. I was fixated on remaking KH 358/2 Days as a video volume and putting the three titles leading to KH2 into one.

—Which particular scene would you recommend from the HD compilation?

Nomura: For those who have already played these games, I am sure that it’s not the prettiness of the graphics but rather the memories involved that will be powerful… Seeing as story-wise all scenes have been covered before, I think it will depend on everyone’s individual impressions. When KH Re:COM released on the PS2 the image quality wasn’t very good due to capacity issues, so perhaps seeing the high resolution product will be fresher than you realise.

—Please tell us about your concept for the box art, and any points you want to draw our attention to.

Nomura: I drew a similar design for the soundtrack of the first game, but seeing as it had little opportunity for exposure, I decided to channel the title itself and remake and remaster it. Also, I felt that having three titles meant I should have three separate images.

—A final message for gamers?

Nomura: As KH has become such a long series, I would be happy if newcomers, those who have only played some of the titles, and those who only played the numbered titles take this opportunity to try playing. I want to draw as many people as possible in time for the anticipated final battle.

Interview with Co. Director Tai Yasue

—How did you go about organising work on the HD remake? Had any of the staff worked on the original games?

Tai Yasue (hereon Yasue): As several projects related to the KH series, which I am working on as co. director, are currently running simultaneously, scheduling and organisation has been rather complicated. Five programmers in Osaka and a large number of planners and designers in Osaka and Tokyo were involved with KH 1.5. Not many staff had worked on the original version of KH Final Mix, but among them there were people like Oka (Masaru Oka, cutscene director of the KH 1.5 version of KH 358/2 Days), who have participated wholeheartedly, stubbornly, enduringly and lengthily in the KH series (laughs).

—Were there any points that gave you trouble or things you were fixated on achieving with this title?

Yasue: The controls and abilities were my sticking point. I referred to things that had worked well in other KH titles to revise many areas of KH Final Mix. However, as this was an already completed game, revising things had side effects… For example, there were some bosses that could not be defeated no matter how hard you tried if you played with the new EXPZero equipped. I ended up adjusting things to clear up all kinds of issues right up to the end of the debug period, suffering chilly stares from those around me the whole time. That was a point that gave me trouble (dry laugh).

—Was there something that left you with a deep impression during development?

Yasue: The two programmers that were pivotal to development, who were normally akin to characters from a duo comedy skit, left a deep impression on me when halfway through development we received a bug report from the testers that made them flip out, transforming them into characters with a Berserk status (laughs). Just like how in Final Fantasy the Berserk status ailment boosts attack strength, these two had a boost in C++ strength, and they got to correcting bugs with terrifying expressions on their faces. Since they were also giving off an aura comparable in intensity to that of a berserked FF character, I tried not to go near them out of fear. If I could have given them sound effects it would have been ‘vvvvrrrr! RRRRAAAAAAARRRRGH!!’ (laughs).

——Which particular scene would you recommend from the HD compilation?

Yasue: I recommend the scene in KH Final Mix, where Peter Pan tells Sora, ‘Fly, Sora! I believe you can!’ and Sora becomes able to fly, and goes to fight Captain Hook. Not only is the picture prettier, but flying about defeating Heartless is quite comfortable now that you can move the camera freely with the left stick. I remember that even in the original version I was moved by the nice link between the story developments and the battle, but I was moved all over again seeing it reborn in HD!

—A final word for our readers?

Yasue: While developing KH 1.5, I keenly felt how no matter how much hardware changes or techniques evolve, masterful worldbuilding, gameplay, plot and visuals do not lose their shine no matter how many years pass. The three titles included in KH 1.5 were all masterpieces in different ways. They are even more radiant now that they have been reborn onto the Playstation 3, so by all means play them and see!

Trophy List:

  KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX

	KINGDOM HEARTS Complete Master	Obtained all trophies	Platinum
	Game Clear: Proud	Cleared Final Mix: Proud mode and watched ending	Gold
	Game Clear: Final Mix	Cleared Final Mix mode and watched ending	Silver
	Game Clear: Beginner	Cleared Final Mix: Beginner mode and watched ending	Bronze
	Unchanging Armor	Cleared the game without changing equipment once	Silver
	Undefeated	Cleared game without using continue	Silver
	Speedster	Defeated World of Chaos in the End of the World in under 15 hours of play time	Gold
	He Who Never Was	Defeated the Enigmatic Man in Hollow Bastion	Bronze
	The Shadow Lurking at the Clock Tower	Defeated the Phantom at the Clock Tower	Bronze
	The Sword Dancing in the Sand Clouds	Defeated Kurt Zisa in Agrabah	Bronze
	Hero in the Making	Cleared the Phil Cup Coliseum Tounament	Bronze
	Up and Coming Hero	Cleared the Pegasus Cup Coliseum Tournament	Bronze
	Hero of the Coliseum	Cleared the Hercules Cup Coliseum Tournament	Bronze
	Zenith of the Coliseum	Cleared the Hades Cup Coliseum Tournament	Bronze
	The Chill-Clad Giant	Defeated the Ice Titan in the Gold Match Coliseum Tournament	Bronze
	One-Winged Angel	Defeated Sephiroth in the Platinum Match Coliseum Tournament	Bronze
	Single Attack Champion	Cleared the solo challenge for one of the coliseum tournaments	Bronze
	Time Attack Champion	Cleared the time trial challenge for one of the coliseum tournaments	Bronze
	Level Counter Limit	Sora has reached level 100	Silver
	Treasure Hunter	Opened 100 treasure chests	Bronze
	Millionaire	Currently holding over 10,000 munny	Bronze
	Heartless Hunter	Have now defeated over 2000 Heartless	Bronze
	The Adventure Begins	Sealed the keyhole in Traverse Town	Bronze
	Alice in Wonderland	Sealed the keyhole in Wonderland	Bronze
	Go the Distance	Sealed the keyhole in Olympus Coliseum	Bronze
	You’ll Be In My Heart	Sealed the keyhole in Deep Jungle	Bronze
	A Whole New World	Sealed the keyhole in Agrabah	Bronze
	When You Wish Upon a Star	Sealed the keyhole in Monstro	Bronze
	Part of Your World	Sealed the keyhole in Atlantica	Bronze
	This is Halloween	Sealed the keyhole in Halloween Town	Bronze
	You Can Fly!	Sealed the keyhole in Wonderland	Bronze
	End of the World	Sealed the keyhole in Hollow Bastion	Bronze
	Winnie the Pooh	Sealed the keyhole in 100 Acre Woods	Bronze
	Complete Record	Completed all entries in Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Storyteller	Completed the Story section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Seeker	Completed the Ansem’s Report section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Professor	Completed the Character section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Top Breeder	Completed the 101 Dalmatians section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Friendship	Completed the Trinity Marks section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Minigame Maniac	Completed the Minigames section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	King of Synthesis	Performed all synthesis	Bronze
	New Synthesist	Synthesised first item in the Synthesis Shop	Bronze
	Amateur Synthesist	Created three different synthesis items	Bronze
	Standard Synthesist	Created fifteen different synthesis items	Bronze
	Senior Synthesist	Created thirty different synthesis items	Bronze
	Gummi Ship Collector	Obtained all gummi ship blueprints	Bronze
	Flying Ace	Defeated over 2,500 enemy ships in the gummi ship	Bronze
	Customizer	Improved a gummi ship’s stats by remodelling a gummi ship	Bronze
	Top Ace	Cleared all gummi ship courses	Bronze
	Test Pilot	Cleared gummi ship mission 1	Bronze
	Top Pilot	Cleared gummi ship mission 2	Bronze
	Ace Pilot	Cleared gummi ship mission 3	Bronze
	Oathkeeper	Received the Oathkeeper keychain	Bronze
	Blade Master	Obtained all keychains	Bronze
	Magic Master	Obtained all staffs	Bronze
	Guard Master	Obtained all shields	Bronze

KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories

	CHAIN of MEMORIES Complete Master	Obtained all trophies	Platinum
	Game Clear: Proud with Sora	Cleared Proud Mode with Sora and watched the ending/td>	Silver
	Game Clear: Proud with Riku	Cleared Proud Mode with Riku and watched the ending	Silver
	Undefeated	Cleared game without using continue	Silver
	Game Clear: Standard with Sora	Cleared Standard Mode with Sora and watched the ending	Bronze
	Game Clear: Standard with Riku	Cleared Standard Mode with Riku and watched the ending	Bronze
	Game Clear: Beginner with Sora	Cleared Beginner Mode with Sora and watched the ending	Bronze
	Game Clear: Beginner with Riku	Cleared Beginner Mode with Riku and watched the ending	Bronze
	Veggie Master	Cleared Veggie Panic minigame with a score of over 150 points	Bronze
	Ace Pilot	Cleared Balloon Glider minigame with a score of over 500 points	Bronze
	High Jumper	Cleared Tigger’s Jump-a-Thon minigame with a score of over 120 points	Bronze
	Skydiver	Cleared Whirlwind Plunge minigame with a score of over 2,000 points	Bronze
	Bee Buster	Busted 70 bees in under 1min 40sec in the Bumble-Rumble minigame	Bronze
	Memories Linking in Slumber	Cleared Sora’s story	Bronze
	Sleight Master	Sora learned all sleights	Silver
	A Card Crafted From Your Memory	Cleared Floor 1 of Castle Oblivion	Bronze
	Spun Memories	Cleared Floor 5 of Castle Oblivion	Bronze
	True Memories	Cleared Floor 13 of Castle Oblivion	Bronze
	The Road to Dawn	Cleared Riku’s story	Bronze
	Maximum Attacker	Reached maximum Attack Points as Riku	Bronze
	Grappling with Darkness	Cleared Basement 12 of Castle Oblivion	Bronze
	The Darkness Within Blocking the Way	Cleared Basement 8 of Castle Oblivion	Bronze
	The Heart Overcomes the Darkness	Clear Basement 1 of Castle Oblivion	Bronze
	Complete Record	Completed all of Jiminy’s Journal!	Gold
	Card Master: Sora	Completed the Card Index section of Jiminy’s Journal	Silver
	Storyteller: Sora	Completed the Story section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Character Professor: Sora	Completed the Character section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Minigame Maniac: Sora	Completed the Minigame section of Jiminy’s Journal	Bronze
	Complete Report	Completed all of D Report!	Gold
	Card Master: Riku	Completed the Card Index section of D Report	Silver
	Storyteller: Riku	Completed the Story section of D Report	Bronze
	Character Professor: Riku	Completed the Character section of D Report	Bronze
	New Card Deck Creator	Assembled first Card Deck	Bronze
	Advanced Card Deck Creator	Assembled 500 Card Decks	Bronze
	Premium Card Maker	Turned 20 cards into Premium Cards	Bronze
	No Escape	Cleared the game without escaping from a single battle	Silver
	Level Counter Limit: Sora	Reached maximum level as Sora	Silver
	Level Counter Limit: Riku	Reached maximum level as Riku	Silver
	Card Breaker	Broken enemy cards 1,500 times	Bronze
	Tightrope	Healed with less than 5% HP	Bronze
	Interceptor	Encountered enemies 150 times	Bronze
	Duel Master	Won 100 duels	Bronze
	Battle Card Collector	Owns over 300 different kinds of Battle Card	Bronze
	Point Millionaire	Currently have over 10,000 Moogle Points	Bronze
	Regular Customer	Used 20,000 Moogle Points at the Moogle Shop	Bronze
	Room Creator	Created rooms 300 times	Bronze
	Trophy Hunter	Opened secret room treasure chests 10 times	Bronze
	Ace Striker	Hit an enemy with a lifted object	Bronze

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days

	358/2 Days Complete	Obtain all trophies	Gold
	Read all of the Diary	Looked at all of Roxas’ Diary	Gold
	Read all of the Reports	Looked at all Secret Reports	Gold
	Days of Communicating What Is In Our Hearts	Watched all of chapters 1-37	Bronze
	Days of Gazing Into Each Other’s Hearts	Watched all of chapters 38-74	Bronze
	Where the Heart Finally Reaches	Watched all of chapters 75-109	Bronze

———————————————————————————————————————————

KH: Key Official Website Announcement by 4Gamer:

Now Recruiting for Closed Beta Testers for KINGDOM HEARTS Browser Game KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi] (Kingdom Hearts: Key). 500 Slots Available Through 4Gamer

Today (13th March 2013), Square Enix opened applications for a Closed Beta Testing of KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] (Kingdom Hearts: Key) for PC Broswer. The CBT participation application period is from 13th March 3pm until 18th March 3pm, and the CBT is planned to run from the 22nd until the 25th of March.

Kingdom Hearts: a popular series by Square Enix set in the worlds of Disney. As we announced in an article published on the 20th Feb 2013, this new title, the first-ever browser game in the series, will be a free-to-play (with purchasable items) card battle-type game, with the player themselves adventuring through various Disney Worlds as the protagonist of the game. As well as advancing strategically through battles with collected cards and co-operating with friends to take down enemies, we hear that one element being prepared is a huge number of collectable items to obtain during the adventure.

And so now 500 tester slots have been prepared for readers of 4Gamer, so if you are interested, please follow the link below to apply. Please bear in mind that a Yahoo! JAPAN ID is necessary for the application. Also, they are planning to gift CBT participants with items that can be used once the official service commences. For more details please refer to the details below.

application link: KINGDOM HEARTS &chi;[chi]
CBT recruiting site: KINGDOM HEARTS &chi;[chi]
KH series official site: KINGDOM HEARTS PORTAL SITE | SQUARE ENIX

~~

Born from Disney and Square Enix: the first PC Browser Online Game in the Ten Year Old Kingdom Hearts Series
Now taking applicants for a Closed Beta Test of KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi] (Kingdom Hearts: Key), Sponsored by Yahoo! Games

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Yoichi Wada, hereon Square Enix) and Yahoo! JAPAN Corporation (Head Office: Minato, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Manabu Miyasaka, hereon Yahoo! Japan) have decided that KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi] (Kingdom Hearts: Key, hereon KH χ), a PC browser online game for Kingdom Hearts, a popular series of adventuring through Disney worlds, will be provided through Yahoo! Games, an online game service managed by Yahoo! JAPAN, the best domestic portal site. Also, as we head towards the commencement of the official service, from today we will be taking applications for participants in a Closed Beta Test.

This title marks the very first online PC browser game in the ten year history of the Kingdom Hearts series. On the foundation of the co-operation of Square Enix and Yahoo! Japan, the new title, KH χ, the first Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) online PC browser game, will be provided through Yahoo! Games. KH χ will not require the downloading or installation of software for personal use, and will instead be available for anyone with an internet connection to enjoy. Because of this, this title is not only for existing fans of the series but also those coming into contact with the series for the first time, and will therefore bring even more people to the Disney Worlds unique to the KH series. Furthermore, with Square Enix handling game development and administration, Yahoo! Japan plan to carry out induction and publicity and other such promotions in addition to providing Yahoo! Japan ID and online account functionality. Please take this opportunity to participate in the Closed Beta Test.

➙Closed Beta Test Participant Application Period
Planned for 13th March (Wed) 3pm ~ 18th March (Mon) 3pm

➙Closed Beta Test Participant Running Period
Planned for 22th March (Fri) ~ 25th March (Mon)

In addition, there are plans to prepare a special bonus for players who participate in the KH χ Closed Beta Test and answer the questionnaire for use once the official service commences:
- Ether x 5 (allows recovery of power necessary when fighting bosses)
- Potion x 5 (allows recovery of action power)
- Munny: 10,000 Munny (can be used to synthesise cards etc in-game)
- Card Draw Points: 2,000 Points (points that allow cards to be switched in-game)

※The special bonus will be bestowed when the official service commences and is limited to participants of the Closed Beta Test who answered the directed questionnaire.
※The content of the special bonus is subject to change without prior notice.

Recruitment Details: Read Prior to Registering as Participant in KH χ Closed Beta Test

➙Closed Beta Test Participant (Tester) Application Period
Planned for 13th March (Wed) 3pm ~ 18th March (Mon) 3pm
※A Yahoo! JAPAN ID is necessary for the application.
※Participants in the KH χ Closed Beta Test will be selected from among applicants by lottery and will receive notification by email.
※Successful applicants can expect contact by email on the 19th March 2013 (Tue).

➙Closed Beta Test Site
KINGDOM HEARTS &chi;[chi]
※Please view the application method in full on the Closed Beta Test Participant Recruitment website.
※Restricted to participants who answered the questionnaire for participants in the Closed Beta Test

➙Closed Beta Test Period
Planned for 22th March (Fri) ~ 25th March (Mon)

➙Closed Beta Test Participation Bonus
There are plans to prepare a special bonus for use once the official service commences.
- Ether x 5 (allows recovery of power necessary when fighting bosses)
- Potion x 5 (allows recovery of action power)
- Munny: 10,000 Munny (can be used to synthesise cards etc in-game)
- Card Draw Points: 2,000 Points (points that allow cards to be switched in-game)
※The special bonus will be bestowed when the official service commences and limited to the participants in the Closed Beta Test who answered the directed questionnaire.
※The content of the special bonus is subject to change without prior notice.

➙System Requirements
Internet Explorer 8 / Chrome 22 / Firefox 15 / safari 5.1 and up
※Flash Player 10.3 or up must be installed.
※Browser performance is not guaranteed.

➙Warning
※At the end of the KH χ Closed Beta Test, all data will be reset.
※As the purpose of the KH χ Closed Beta Test is to hear customer’s impressions and test the server load, we are enforcing a limit on the number of people.
※Due to the effect of load testing, please be aware that things such as a temporary inability to login may occur.

~~

What is KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] (Kingdom Hearts: Key)?

Presenting the series’ first online PC browser game. Adventure through various Disney worlds as yourself on your web browser You will advance through strategic battles using cards available in-game, and occasionally work together with friends to face off against enemies, introducing a new gameplay sensation never seen in the Kingdom Hearts series before. With collectible items to obtain, this title is looking like something that will be fun to play for a long time. The standard game is free-to-play, with charges for purchasable items.

◆STORY◆
Far, far away, in a fairy-tale realm…
The realm was filled with light.
That light gave birth to many worlds, enveloping them.
The source of the light, Kingdom Hearts, and the key that protected it, the χblade…
As long as they existed, it was believed that the realm would be in eternal light.
However, just as strong light will form a shadow, darkness was born.
The darkness called up fear, unease and craving.
Darkness, hidden deep in hearts, began to spread throughout the realm as chaos.
In order to drive back the spreading darkness, those who wished for light created Keyblades in imitation of the χblade, and embarked on adventures that spanned the realm.

In addition to the familiar Disney World investigation and exhilarating battle of the Kingdom Hearts series, you can enjoy new types of gameplay such as raiding with friends in co-operative boss battles and gathering and enhancing cards!

◆Adopting original avatars for the player character! Explore Disney World settings original to this title!
Before embarking on their journey, players may create their own avatars. Enjoy the various customisations sich as selectable gender, hairdo, skin tone, accessories etc. From original designs to Disney character motifs, many variations are available. Every Disney World that appears in this adventure has been created afresh for this title and fleshes out the world of Disney even more. Also, there are additional action components and gimmicks on the map, which you can enjoy by investigating strategically!

◆Simple action in clicking! Simple battling in a barrage of clicks!
Control movements easily using only the mouse! Field gimmicks too! Move acrobatically by simply clicking on the intended destination. Also, attacks begin automatically by clicking on enemies during a battle. Enjoy battling consecutive enemies and walking on the field to obtain the treasure and materials from the map with simple crisp clicks!

◆Collect cards to turn out techniques! Co-operate with friends for even rarer rewards!
Defeat the enemies in the worlds and obtain cards to get stronger! Your goal is to defeat the many enemies infesting the worlds and collect ‘Lux’. By collecting Battle Cards available in-game, you will become able to turn out many techniques. Also, co-operate with your friends to defeat the raid bosses that appear several times a day! With the ability to execute special moves and abilities depending on the cards you are holding, active players will receive special rewards.

◆Synthesise cards and enhance your Keyblade
You can form decks from the cards you obtain during your adventure to use strategically to give yourself more advantage during battle. Players still getting used to things are able to form decks easily by clicking the ‘entrust’ button. In order to effectively use cards that have become unnecessary, there is of course a card synthesis function for reinforcing, evolving and raising stronger cards! Also, by synthesising the materials available to collect in each world, you can strengthen the abilities of your weapon, the Keyblade!

There are also many other fun factors planned for inclusion, so please look forward to it!

———————————————————————————————————————————

KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Memory Theatre and TV Commercial by 4Gamer:

KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Special Commercial and Campaign Site Now Open. Share Famous Scenes From The Series To Receive a Gift

Today (13th March 2013), on the official site for KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, an action RPG for PS3 planned to release tomorrow (14th March), Square Enix revealed a special commercial featuring ordinary fans. In addition, they opened a campaign site called the Memory Theatre where you can share scenes from the series that left you with memories.

In the newly opened Memory Theatre, 22 clips of scenes that were highly popular at the time each of the games were originally launched appear alongside the voices of fans. Currently, there is a campaign offering a gift of a KH Digital Wallpaper Set to all members who share three scenes on Twitter or Facebook.

Also, 20 names will be drawn by lottery from among the fans who shared the ‘most shared scene’ of the campaign to receive a copy of the game signed by the developers. As you think back over the scenes that appeared in the series, see if you can pick which one you think is the best. The submission period ends 5pm 11th April, so if you plan to participate, don’t let the time get away from you.

Additionally, as we stated in another article published today, applications are currently open for participants in a Closed Beta Test of the newest title in the series, the browser game KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi] (Kingdom Hearts: Key). Those interested should think about applying to this, too.

The Memory Theatre Campaign Site: http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom/khhd/campaign/
KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Official Site: http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom/khhd/

~~

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shinjuku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Yoichi Wada, hereon Square Enix) has revealed a Memory Theatre campaign site and a special commercial featuring players of KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- for the PS3.

■ KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Campaign Site: The Memory Theatre

At the Memory Theatre, which opened today, 22 scenes from Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) Final Mix, KH Re:Chain of Memories and KH 358/2 Days that had a big impact when the title originally released appear alongside comments by fans of their memories.

Each clip features a button that allows it to be shared on Twitter and Facebook, and if you share more than three clips from the campaign site you will receive a KH Digital Wallpaper Set. Also, 20 names will be drawn by lottery from among the fans who shared the scene that was shared most during the campaign period to be gifted a copy of the game that has been signed by the developers. By all means, take this chance to share your memories with other KH fans.

➙Submission Period
21 March 2013 (Tue) ~ 11 April (Thu) 5pm

➙Date and Time of Announcement
The most shared clip will be announced at 5pm on the 12th of April (Fri).

➙THE MEMORY THEATER
http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom/khhd/campaign/

■ KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- TV Commercial Out Now!

Today, a completed TV commercial featuring fans was uploaded to the official site.
※See it at TVCM under Movies.

The KH fans who contributed to this campaign site and TV commercial had applied to a recruitment call for participants in a special ad & web content held by the SQEX Members company membership website.

KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Official Site: http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom/khhd/
KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Members Site: http://special.member.jp.square-enix.com/khhd
SQEX Members (free to register): http://member.jp.square-enix.com/

■ About KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX-

In order to celebrate the Kingdom Hearts series reaching its tenth year, HD versions of the first title Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) and KH Re:Chain of Memories are being put together with an additional video volume allowing the enjoyment of the story of KH 358/2 Days (released on the Nintendo DS in 2009).

KH (the first title) was re-released with various extra components as KH Final Mix, and that version has been packed with every component and remade in HD. With two HD games and the addition of KH 358/2 Days told in cutscenes remade from the Nintendo DS, this three-title compilation will be enjoyed by both those who have already enjoyed the series so far and those who are having their first contact with the series.

In addition, the three titles (※) have PS3 trophy support.

(※)
1 KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX
2 KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories
3 KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days

[Image 1]

(Bronze) Game Cleared: Beginner
(Silver) Unchanging Gamer – cleared the game and saw the ending without changing the settings(*) once
(Silver) Undefeated
(‘Hidden Trophy’ x 7)

[Image 2]

(Bronze) The Adventure Begins
(Bronze) Alice in Wonderland
(Bronze) Go The Distance
(Bronze) You’ll Be In My Heart
(Bronze) Whole New World – locked the Keyhole in Agrabah
(Bronze) When You Wish Upon A Star
(Bronze) Part Of Your World
(Bronze) This Is Halloween
(Bronze) You Can Fly
(Hidden Trophy)

[Image 3 + 4]

(Bronze) Amateur Synthesist
(Bronze) Rookie Synthesist
(Bronze) Advanced Synthesist
(Bronze) Gummi Ship Collector
(Hidden Trophy)
(Bronze) Customiser
(Bronze) Top Ace
(Bronze) Test Pilot
(Bronze) Top Pilot
(Bronze) Ace Pilot – cleared Gummi Ship Mission ③
(Hidden Trophy)
(Bronze) Blade Master
(Bronze) Magic Master
(Bronze) Guard Master

[Image 5]

(Hidden Trophy x 3)
(Bronze) – (*???) – watched all of chapters 1-37
(Bronze) (**)Heart Gazing Days
(Bronze) Where the Heart Reaches

We have an important announcement for everyone.
The Kingdom Hearts Mobile service, launched December 2008, will be discontinued from the 30th April 2013 (Tue).
Additionally new registrations will be discontinued from the 31st March 2013 (Sun).
As any points conferred up until the discontinuation will disappear, please make sure to spend them in time.
On behalf of all our staff we wish to express our appreciation and extend our warmest gratitude to all of you who have long enjoyed Kingdom Hearts Mobile.
We would be honoured by your continued patronage of Kingdom Hearts Mobile from now for the short amount of time we have left.

KH Re:Chain of Memories is even more beautiful in KINDGOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX-!
—
With the utilisation of things such as exploration and battle card use and indicated encounters, there is a sharp distinction between Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and the other titles in the series. This uniquely charming title has also been remastered in HD!
—
2013-02-22

●The remake KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories now remastered in HD

The three games that form the first part of the story of the Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) series have been remastered in HD and are being offered as one title, KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX- (hereon KH1.5). One of the titles included, KH Re:Chain of Memories (hereon KH Re:CoM), reveals the experiences of protagonist Sora and his best friend Riku after the events of KH.
Incidentally, KH Re:CoM originated from KH Chain of Memories, released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. This title was fully remade for the PS2 in 2007 and included with KHII Final Mix with the title KH Re:CoM. This PS2 version has now been remastered in HD in KH1.5.

■ Changes from the PS2 version
- Everything is high resolution, including UI (user interface) such as the menus
- Trophy support
- PS3 custom theme made available upon clearing the game

● Interview with Art Director for Maps Takeshi Fujimoto

—What sort of work did you do on the HD remaster?

Fujimoto: I made the background textures high resolution. Unlike the old CRT displays, LCD and plasma televisions show textures clear and sharp, and if the resolution doesn’t live up to that it gives quite a disappointing impression. Because of that, I went over all the backgrounds again for the first time in a long time, remaking as many of the parts that stood out as rough as I could in the time I had.

—What would you especially like players to see?

Fujimoto: There’s not really anything I’d like them to look long and hard at while playing normally, but, we have remade many of the distant off-path background elements, so please check those out if you’d like to.

—Lastly, please tell us about anything that left you with a deep impression.

Fujimoto: In the beginning, the stained glass floors depicting princesses, or ‘stations of awakening’, in the opening of KH were retouched to such a high resolution that they’d have been fit for use in print media. However, as we added data we went over the memory limit, and sadly had to compress the texture size. Still, as you may expect, the compressed texture was unsatisfying compared to what we had become used to, and many people said things like ‘it was better before’ and ‘isn’t there anything we can do’, and we ended up testing out many things. And then finally thanks to the magic of(Sumio) Nasu we were able to put a beautiful texture into the game.

■ A comment from Animation Director Kouji Hamada

Our work on motion went basically hand in hand with the remake of the cutscenes for KH 358/2 Days. The animations in KH and Re:CoM were basically left as they were. I would love for you to see the vivid animation you would never have imagined for a game from about ten years ago. For the KH 358/2 Days cutscenes, I hope you feel the progression of the fun atmosphere of the first half to the heart-wrenching second half from the detailed expressions and performances of the main three. We also remade the dialogue-free scenes of the three just sitting together, and I hope that we were able to convey that gentle, somehow painful atmosphere.

———————–

Let’s all connect our love of Kingdom Hearts!

KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX-

Recruiting actors for special ads and web content!

The three titles that form the beginning of the story of Kingdom Hearts are restored in HD quality in Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX-. We are announcing the production of a special advertisement gathering the love of the fans to be televised during the title’s release!

For the special advertisement, we will put together a clip that connects photographs of all the fans into one. In addition to this clip, we also plan to release web content that collects scenes of memories of KH.

We are mass recruiting SQEX Members to appear in the clip and web content! The Kingdom Hearts series is beloved by many fans even over ten years after the release of the first title. Would you like to bring the newest title, Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 ReMIX-, in with a bang together as friends?

APPLICATION DETAILS

(TRANSLATOR NOTE: MY UNOFFICIAL FAN TRANSLATION DOES NOT REPRESENT OFFICIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS)

Date and time of invitation: 2nd March 2013 (Sat) 9:00~21:00
※Photographing is planned to take about an hour within the time-frame mentioned above
※You will be invited at a designated time which cannot be changed. We request that you understand this beforehand.

Meeting place: Somewhere in the Tokyo Metropolitan area
※Successful candidates will be notified

Admission costs: None

Number of positions available: 200 people

Application period: Until 24th Feb 2013 (Sun), 12am

Participants in the actual event: your likeness and speech will be published, broadcast and available on television advertisement and the official website etc. Also, it will be published, included and uploaded by our company and publications, media (including DVD), websites, mobile sites, shop front promos etc. sanctioned by our company.

Only those who acknowledge the above may apply.

※You must login as a SQEX Member to apply.
You may register as a new member here (no charge).

WARNING
※Successful candidates are determined through lottery, not the order of application.
※One person may only apply once.
※Invitations are only made out to one person. Fellow travellers may not travel together.
※A letter of consent regarding permission to use one’s likeness is necessary to participate. Adults (over 20 years old) may complete their own ‘letter of consent (adult)’, minors (under 20 years old) must have a guardian complete a ‘letter of consent (guardian)’, which must be read carefully, signed and carried on the day.
※As part of the editing process there is a chance that not all participating members’ photos will be used.
※During production of the clip and web content, there is a chance that the photographs from the shoot will be manipulated or changed etc. Please understand this beforehand.
※The right to participate cannot be sold or transferred.
※We will check the identity of participants upon their arrival. People who are not the actual successful candidate (including family or friends of the candidate)will be denied participation. Please understand beforehand.

(TRANSLATOR NOTE: MY UNOFFICIAL FAN TRANSLATION DOES NOT REPRESENT OFFICIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS)