Lotta news, lads. Lotta news! Excitement abound. Let's get to it then, shall we?
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First off, trailer. The extended version has been released by Squeenix on the DDD website in shiny HD and my GOD does it look pretty... KH13 has put up the trailer on YouTube with English subs (just click CC) and without the boxes all around it, so thank them with cookies and/or muffin baskets. They deserve 'em. I'll be using this vid for reference, just so ya know. As in, for when I wanna say 'QUICK PAUSE AT 00:24 RIKU HAS SHORT HAIR' or whatever. Sorry, I just cannot get over how very short it is... Anyway.
Oh, before I forget. You can also download the trailer at KH13's site. Hurrah!
Even as the trailer starts there's interesting shizz goin' on. In Yen Sid's office, you can see Mickey, Donald and Goofy on the other side of the room.
Prolly there for moral support or something. I dunno. However, they're appearance did leave many to pose the question, 'What are they gonna do without their respective Keyblade-wielder?' I can't see them just wishing Sora and Riku 'Good luck' before skipping back down to Disney Castle for an entire game. They won't be able to accompany Sora and Riku either, though, seeing as it's the Mark of Mastery exam and they gotta do it themselves. Probably. Some people have speculated that they're gonna go look for Terra, seeing as he's the only one of the BBS trio yet to be found. Or is that too important to do without Sora and Riku? Hmm. I don't think they'll just be waiting, though. They're gonna do something.
Continuing. Yen Sid talks about the MoM. Sora says 'Even without taking it, no one can beat me!' Now, I know that Sora is a rather confident chap who can come across as a smidge cocky, but it's nearly always in a jocular fashion and makes him all the more endearing. However, at this bit he comes across as pretty arrogant, which is weird. When I read that translation of the trailer from before, I thought that Sora was saying the line as a joke, waiting for Riku to come in with a 'Oh yeah, wanna bet?!' kinda thing and trying to get some playful-yet-competitive banter going. But in this scene, Sora seems pretty damn serious. Maybe I'm just paying this more heed than it deserves. I mean, Sora did just save the universe twice, got stranded in the Realm of In-Between and escaped, etc etc. Some bragging rights are in order. But Sora still seems more arrogant than usual. Maybe this arrogance will be his downfall in the MoM, or he'll at least be handed a large slice of humble pie at some stage. It'd be good for character development, at least.
Riku has a completely different attitude to the whole MoM dealy-o. He says 'Having walked the path of darkness, I wonder if it’d really be right for me to wield the Keyblade. You’d have to make sure.' Aw, Riku. :c Still moping about darkness, I see. This'll probably be the game that Riku sorts out his guilt and darkness and whatever else once and for all. He'll learn that not only was he destined to wield the Keyblade, but also be badass while doing so. Maybe Riku will end up saving Sora after his new-found cockiness gets him in trouble, giving Riku more confidence.
Then we get a shot of Sora and Riku on Destiny Islands. They're both in their KH1 gear, but Riku still has his short hair, meaning it must be post-KH2 Sora and Riku even if they don't look it. Curious indeed... Also, if you direct your attention to the waterfall in the background, the water doesn't actually move. Nor does the water of the sea. Weird. Especially considering that it was moving in the January trailer. Hopefully that'll get straightened out before the final cut. ...Or maybe, it's not supposed to be moving. Maybe it's a clue to something bigger. Has time frozen in that scene or something? ...Ok, paying too much heed to unimportant things again. I'll stop.
Then things get trippy again. Sora appears to be falling through a load of dark clouds of lightning and purple and junk towards a spiral of sorts.
Sora also appears to be in his new geddup, as opposed to his KH1 attire. Sora keeps falling and...
...we see that he's free falling towards a city of sorts. The spiral beside him is made up of different sized buildings, but I can't make out what the rest of the things are. I thought that the buildings looked pretty Traverse Town-esque, but the town itself looks like Le Cité de Cloches, especially with that river through the middle. Imma go with Le Cité de Cloches for now. Gonna be so awesome in 3D... Ahem. This may well be the replacement for the Gummi Ship in DDD then. 'Dropping' into worlds and whatnot. It'll certainly look prettiful. Always good.
Next up is Sora in Traverse Town confused by his new duds and shouting for Riku. A randomer on the roof startles Sora and he falls off the balcony. The mysterious stranger turns out to be none other than NEKU. SAKURABA. *still in shock over awesome* He already knows Sora's name though, which is mighty peculiar. Defo important. Defo. ._.
Next we see Sora bouncing off walls like there's no tomorrow. Notice that there are some posters on the walls.
If you direct your attention to the bottom left corner, you may notice the word 'Colosseum'. Sound familiar?
Guess we finally know what that building is for. Dream Eater duels to the death, huh? Should be interesting. Seems like we might be able to control the dream eaters directly, then. At least in this showdown brawl thing.
Next we see Sora swinging on a lamp post by the teeth of his Keyblade. *trying to not faint by the sheer epicosity of it all*
I mean, just LOOK at it! So...Unbelievably...Pretty... O_O Then he leaps off and kicks Dream Eater ass. Speaking of Dream Eaters, they still seem to appear from an array of purple hearts... Strange.
Scene switches to Sora flipping up towards a tower of some description and sliding down the conveniently placed electrical wire towards the area below to unleash HELL upon his enemies. Wait, just back up a second...
May I just say that Traverse Town is looking particularly stunning. I mean, just look at that screen shot! So many pretty colours... Also, there appears to be 'good' Dream Eater symbols in front of the large building on the right and in the arch thingy at the bottom of the screen. Hmm. The symbols denote Dream Eaters, who only reside in the Realm of Sleep. Does that mean these new areas in Traverse Town only exist there, too? Actually, wasn't Traverse Town just basically remnants of other worlds jumbled together? Maybe when Sora restored those fallen worlds at the end of KH1, Traverse Town, or at least the memory of it, was shipped off to the Realm of Sleep. Aw. I love Traverse Town. I want it to be real again. Maybe Sora and Riku pull it back into the Realm of...Waking by the end of their adventure? Here's hoping...
Then Sora rides around on Wandanyan for a bit, which is freakin' adorable and something I am looking forward to greatly. >:3 Oh, I made a mistake in my last post or so. 'Wandanyan' doesn't mean 'Wonder Meow', it means 'Wonder Cat'. Sorry guys. My bad. :P
This next bit? No idea. Sora appears to be fighting that boxing kangaroo box thing we saw in the gameplay footage, but I've no idea what that glass floor thing is. I THINK (emphasis on 'think') that the kangaroo boss punches the floor, causing it to shatter and everyone to plummet to their doom. The boss' health bar is pretty far down, meaning it must be an ability of its to conjure a glass floor and then break it right after. Cool. I guess.
Riku gets some love in the next bit as we see him taking on the winged stained glass boss over thing over Notre Dame like we saw in his gameplay footage. Looks fairly damn awesome. However, something I noticed before but failed to mention until this very moment...
What are those orb things I have conveniently circled? They have some sort of symbol inside them, but its hard to make out... I'm trying to think of KH symbols that are very thick at the top but very thin on the bottom, but for the life of me I can't think of any. Let's compare the Dream Eater symbols.
Hmm. Not really. This new symbol looks like it has wings, yes, but they seem to go up rather than down, unlike the Dream eater symbols. Could just be the blurriness of the image. What is it? That's gonna annoy me.
Whatever it is, it can glow and get a yellow target around it. That seems to happen when Riku's Way to the Dawn goes all light saber-y and awesome. ...Why? I don't think it's something to refill your party's Link gauge (no idea what you call it, so I'm just gonna roll with 'Link gauge' for the moment), seeing as they're grey. Yes, stupid reason, but to refill your green HP bar you collect green orbs, for your blue MP bar its blue bubbles and for your yellow-orange Drive gauge in KH2 you collect yellow-orange Drive orbs. So why are these orbs suddenly not colour co-ordinated? Could be the fact that it's only a trailer and not the final product. But why would it have a target around it? Confusion all round.
Riku continues kicking ass inside the cathedral and outside on the steps, all while ensnared in a colourful light show. Also of note...
Riku likes fire. In the last gameplay vid with Riku, we saw him using Blizzard. Now he's got some mad Fire skillz. Looks like Fire Raid or something. In any case, this just further proves that Riku's getting some elemental magic. Sweet. Riku then proceeds to spin around an enemy panda guy and throw him slow-mo into one of the tents. *eyes bleeding from beauty*
Then we get some more Neku awesomeness, which is always mighty appreciated. Neku shows Sora his timer and says that he can't afford to lose this Game. Sora admits that he doesn't really know what this 'Game' is, but he's still willing to lend a hand. Ah bless.
Riku again, this time running towards Quasimodo holding Esmerelda in front of Notre Dame. You may well notice the burning stake on top of the stage. Nice touch. I was wondering if they would try to censor some of the 'darker' material in HoND, but so far everything seems to be in order. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Riku asks where the Dream Eater is and Quasimodo directs him to the top of Notre Dame. Riku hurries ahead, leaving Quasimodo to look angry and proclaim his desire to fight, too. This is also the first scene where we see the first bit of fish face. No! They were doing so well! :c Fish face sucks. Y'know when they're face is completely expressionless and their mouth just open and closes randomly? Yeah. That. That sucks. Hopefully it'll be taken out before the final cut, or at least the majority of it. Also, I may be so bold to add that Quasimodo and Esmerelda are looking very nice indeed. I love how they got Quasimodo's eye thing so perfectly.
More Neku! :D It appears they've walked all the way from the 1st District to the 2nd. I wonder what they were talking about on their short trek... Anyway, Sora asks Neku's name when they're swarmed by Dream Eaters. Neku exclaims 'Dream Eaters!' Sora, being a little on the dense side, replies 'That's a weird name.' Oh, Sora, how I love thee so... But Neku's gonna hate you. No doubt about that. Neku says 'Not me, those!', while probably internally *facepalm*-ing I wish we could hear Neku's thoughts at this bit. Neku's always been great for scathing snarks, just not so great for actually voicing them. Also, take note of the enemies.
They seem to be re-coloured versions of Sora's Wonder Cat. They also have the 'bad' Dream Eater symbol on them. There's prolly two of each type of Dream Eater; a 'good' one and a 'bad' one. Further proof:
A re-coloured Bat Bat. Defo evil. Also, something else I noticed...
NEKU IS RIDICULOUSLY SKINNY. SERIOUSLY. I mean, just, what?? All he does in TWEWY is eat junk food. How has his torso not snapped in two yet?! Christ's sake... Also; love the Wonder Cat just rockin' out on the left.
Then we get some AR shots. Hurrah? Seems harmless enough, so whatevs.
Aha, then we get a closer look at Reality Shift. Now it makes sense... Sora is facing a panda enemy when he does a flip thing and crashes into the floor, sending him to the bottom screen. The top screen goes with him, and on the touch screen you can launch the panda like a slingshot, aiming for other groups of enemies. Loving the sound effects for it as well.
Riku gets a go as well, showing off how Holy Rope works. He crashes into the floor, freezing the action on the top screen. By connecting lines between icons denoting enemies, you can make Riku follow the course and unleash merciless pain upon his adversaries. 'Tis rather awesome.
This bit. This is the important bit. My GOD, the importance of this bit...
We see Braig turning from the computer screen, presumably to look at this...
Even and Ienzo collapsed and fading in and out of existence, of course! You can see darkness spewing out of their backs, so presumably this is when Even and Ienzo become Nobodies. Fascinating... I always thought that all of the six apprentices had become Nobodies willingly, from experimenting on darkness and whatnot. But this makes it look a lot less voluntary. Of course, Axel and Larxene had that discussion in CoM where one of them mentions that Sora and Xehanort were the only people ever to allow darkness in and become Heartless willingly. I never really considered that that meant the apprentices had become Heartless unwillingly, though. Oh, the subtitles. They say 'Xehanort! what were you thinking?'
Then the camera pans around and this happens...
We see a hand raised. Look familiar?
Yup. Gotta be Apprentice Xehanort. The subtitles here say 'Have your memories returned?' by the way. Then the outstretched hand...
...summons a Keyblade. Master Xehanort's Keyblade, to be precise. Veeeery interesting, indeed. AX then proceeds to...
Stab Braig in the chestal section, presumably ripping his heart out, unlocking his darkness, whatever you do to turn somebody into a Heartless/Nobody combo. Now we know who broke Even and Ienzo. Or, rather, we thnk we do. If AX had just stabbed Even and Ienzo, wouldn't Braig have, y'know, noticed? He was still at the monitor, only turning around when Even and Ienzo were already collapsed-ified. Now, AX didn't have the Keyblade out; he had to summon it. I doubt he would have taken out Even and Ienzo, hide the Keyblade, wait for Braig to turn around and then whip out the Keyblade again to finish Braig off. Lotta hassle. Of course, the trailer is supposed to shock you. It certainly managed that by having AX suddenly bust out MX's Keyblade. Maybe this lack of continuity is just to make the trailer all the more exciting. Or something bigger is going on... I'll work on it.
The only apprentices not present and accounted for are Dilan and Aeleus. Maybe they came in to check what all the ruckus was about and it was simply a 'wrong place, wrong time' kinda thing as AX was still in psycho mode. Some people are speculating that they're simply unconcious behind Xehanort somewhere. ...Meh. Not really feeling that theory. That's my logic. Deal. Some people are also chalking Isa's and Lea's Nobody-dom up to AX FREAKIN' OUT when they happened to finally manage to break into the castle. Maybe, maybe...
This is really interesting, though. Apprentice Xehanort just losing it and turning everyone into Nobodies left, right and centre. I suppose he would be really unstable, what with having no memories and just waking up next to a suit of armour, some key thing and the name 'Xehanort'. Maybe it drove him to near insanity trying to figure it out. And those experiments on his heart couldn't have helped matters. Rather sad.
But then there's that second comment: 'Have your memories returned?' I'm really curious as to whether they have or not... If so, whose? Terra has a bone to pick with Braig, but the Keyblade is MX's. I also can't see Terra offing Even and Ienzo too. Ienzo's just a kid, for Christ's sake. Maybe it was MX, then. His last ditch attempt to shake Terra off for good. If MX momentarily gained control, he sure as hell wouldn't want to waste it. Maybe he figured that by turning Heartless/Nobody, he may be able to rid himself of Terra once and for all. But he figured he'd have to get his heart back once he was a Nobody, meaning he'd need some help. Cue involuntary recruitment.
Hmm. Might be that... But then why would the apprentices still work with Xemnas if his Somebody killed them off? As I said in my last post, it could be that AX just suddenly gained a whole new flood of memories, but was unable to distinguish between them. It wouldn't have seemed like 'Terra's memories', or 'MX's memories'; just 'my memories'. He could have received Terra's hatred for Braig but MX's ruthlessness and Keyblade. But, as I mentioned before, why would he recruit Braig to the Organization then? And why pick on Even and Ienzo, for that matter? There has to be a more solid reason... Can't wait for this game to find out!
ugh, that's enough theorising on that scene. Over the closing credits, per se, we hear a snippet of a Sora/Neku conversation. Neku states his name, Sora repeats and says it's interesting, Neku says it's not. Even in Japanese, I love how you can hear Sora's 'LETZ BE FRIENDZ, K??' voice and Neku's annoyed/slightly pissed duclet tones. XD Aw, they'r gonna be so funny together... I feel sorry for Neku, though. The only person worse for Neku to interact with than Sora is Joshua. And that's saying something. Oh, also. I'm fairly certain it's Neku's Japanese VA, Kōki Uchiyama, seeing as how he also voices Roxas and Ven. Neat, huh? Aw, they better get Jesse David Corti to do the English voice, or SO HELP ME GOD BLOOD WILL BE SHED. ...I seem to recall saying something very similar to this in a previous post. Sorry for repeating myself...
So, yeah. That's the trailer done. TIME FOR THE INTERVIEW. This is an interview with tetsuya Nomura (game director/my saviour) from Famitsu Weekly, posted by Hokanko-Alt, translated by SQEX GAL, with pictures provided by Toma_Kisaragi of Twitter. Thank you, guys! You rock so hard, you wouldn't even believe it.
First and foremost, pretty pictures!
And pretty they sure are. INTERVIEW.
Introduction
The “World Submerged in Sleep” is said to be connected to dreaming, it can be opened by unlocking the “Keyhole of Sleep” that exists in that world. Instead of Heartless, in this world there exist creatures that devour dreams called Dream Eaters. There are two kinds of Dream Eaters, those that consume dreams and plant nightmares and those that eat only bad dreams. Investigating the Dream Eaters becomes the key guiding to the “Keyhole of Sleep”.
Pretty much knew this already, but now it's clearer. So, the Realm of Sleep (the name I have christened the 'world submerged in sleep', for obvious reasons) is connected through dreams. Does this mean Sora and Riku have to dream themselves in? Definitely interesting concept. I love things to do with dreams. Doing dream psychology in Religion at the moment, actually. Fairly damn awesome. ...Yeah, back on topic. So, to restore worlds in RoS, Sora and Riku gotta unlock this Keyhole of Sleep. Got it.
Yen Sid says to Sora and Riku, “When you unlock the Keyhole of Sleep and return once more to this place, you’ll be acknowledged as Keyblade Masters.” It is with these words that the adventure takes off.
From the trailer, we can confirm that Sora and Riku have new outfits and that Riku’s hair is cut. The Keyblade that Riku uses is “Way to the Dawn”.
Grand, sure. Still think that's a pretty unfair condition for the MoM, though...
Traverse Town
Two new areas are introduced, “District 4” and “District 5”. In the lit up streets of this place the “Reaper’s Game” is taking place.
Ooooo! Two new areas. Swanky. And a Reapers' Game is definitely for sure 100% taking place in Traverse Town? Does this mean...?
Character: Neku Sakuraba
A 15 year old boy who grew up in Shibuya, Tokyo first introduced in The World Ends With You. He is accompanied by a cat type spirit called “Neko Cat” whose tail is like a music note. He has strayed from his partner and since Neku says that having a partner is necessary in order to win the Game, Sora helps him out, though he doesn’t really understand the Game.
O_O
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:D YES. YES IT MOST CERTAINLY DOES. Sora's gonna be Neku's partner in the Game! SCORE OF THE HIGHEST PROPORTION. I mean, we were pretty much guaranteed that, what with the trailer focusing so heavily on Neku and the Game and Sora's willingness to help... BUT STILL. CONFIRMATION. YEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!! Aw, sorry, I'm just so friggin' ecstatic about this... Ok, what else was in that paragraph... 'Neko Cat'? It means 'Cat Cat'. Is that gonna be a recurring thing? In any case, I like it. Won't comment on the partner thing just yet; more to come on that.
Dream Eaters
There are two types of Dream Eaters, your enemies called “Nightmares” and those that fight alongside you as companions called “Spirits”.
Finally, a way to differentiate between the two. I was so sick of typing 'good' and 'bad' everytime I wanted to mention a Dream Eater...
It is a furry bat like Spirit. It is the first Spirit that Riku has.
Ah, Bat Bat... Think I'll post the picture under each Dream Eater, for convenience and whatnot.
Spirit: Wonder Cat
Though it’s hard to see what part of it is cat like, it’s a plump animal with a blue back and a white belly. It’s the first Spirit that Sora has.
Nightmare: Kuma Panda
It’s a panda with bear like claws that wears a short cloak and a slightly atrocious glare.
I've no idea what 'Kuma' means, and apparently neither does Google Translate. most bothersome...
Nightmare: Torpedo Fish
This fish flies midair. Overall it’s about as long as Sora?
Good to know.
Nightmare: Wonder Cat
The Nightmare version, it’s slightly more sinister with red eyes and body and it’s black back.
Ok, so Nightmare/Spirit versions of the same dream Eater keep the same name. Grand.
K. Good to go for more things.
System
- Coop Techniques
When you fill up the pink gauge, you can consume the earned points to do techniques with the Spirits and your companions. They utilize both the buttons and the touch screen. You can utilize both your Dream Eaters at the same time. For instance, Sora can ride atop Wonder Cat and attack while jumping around, and then do a technique where you can manipulate enemies like the Kuma Panda and fling it away.
Riku’s interactions with the Dream Eaters are more direct; they instead attack with the Keyblade as one.
Huh, interesting. Nomura said back in january (I think) that Ssora and Riku would have different control schemes. I guess this is one of the things he ws on about. i hate how they don't name the gauge, though. I need a name, people! >:[ Also, 'Coop Techniques'. Weird name...
- Free Flow Action
Me like. Can't wait to actually try it out.
- Reality Shift
Huh. Some people have been complaining that the tempo of battle will be all messed up with these newfangled Reality Shift. Hopefully they'll find a way to make it awesome. Already looks incredibly awesome, so.
Interview
Interview with series director Tetsuya Nomura.
About the story
Nomura drew the illustration featured at the TGS booth in a hurry. He drew the Dream Eaters that would be your companions.
Nomura drew the new outfits according to how the Osaka team wished. They’re like their older outfits with minor changes.
They are versions between KH1 and KH2, which become the outfits for this title.
Riku’s hair grew during the time he was away to show the passage of time, now his hair is cut immediately after that.
Nice, nice. *unsure of how to add anything I haven't said yet*
The “World Submerged in Sleep” is a complex story, but there were worlds other than those that Sora restored in KH1, some that were not submerged in darkness. Like the worlds of the princesses and Dumbo’s, etc. In the end of KH1 it was established that some of those worlds were restored, but not all of them. Those that were neither in light nor in darkness, but those that were submerged in sleep.
Since those worlds are essential[ly] asleep, the dreams of those worlds become the setting.
Sora and Riku will travel to those worlds to awaken them from their sleep.
When a world is awoken from it’s sleep, it will be restored to it’s original form.
Veeeery interesting, indeed... So Sora and Riku are trekking around the dreams of full blown worlds, dreams which are in the RoS. And practically a confirmation that worlds given a mention in KH1 but never shown have a good chance of appearing here. Dumbo, Bamibi... Wait, I think that's it. All the other Summons have had their worlds in later games, and all the princess' worlds were in BBS, so they're out. Huh. I thought there'd be more than that. Dumbo and Bambi... Neither of which seem like they'll be all that fantabulous a fit for KH. Bothersome. Meh. They'll think of something.
Oh, hey, just re-read the second point. The game takes place in the dreams of the worlds currently starnded in the RoS, huh? Does that mean that when they are eventually awaken, Sora and Riku wouldn't have made any difference to the recently-woken world? As in, it wouldn't have made any difference and we'll have to go through the entire thing again in a later game? O_O Gawd, I hope not... Hopefully the dreams will become reality once the world has woken up.
Oh, hey, just re-read the second point. The game takes place in the dreams of the worlds currently starnded in the RoS, huh? Does that mean that when they are eventually awaken, Sora and Riku wouldn't have made any difference to the recently-woken world? As in, it wouldn't have made any difference and we'll have to go through the entire thing again in a later game? O_O Gawd, I hope not... Hopefully the dreams will become reality once the world has woken up.
This title involves taking an exam in order to qualify for the Mark of Mastery, so it’ll also be concerned with events that took place in BBS.
All the Disney worlds appearing wil be new, and there will be new areas in existing worlds.
Concerning BBS, huh? I'd say it'll explain more about TAV's individual circumstances and just how exactly Sora and Riku have to save them. I mean, they need their 'Birth by Sleep'. Sora and Riku are looking for a 'Keyhole of Sleep' through the 'world submerged in sleep'. Can't be a coincidence. And a re-confirmation about the all new Disney worlds. Yes! 'Cause in some interviews after Nomura's initial '100% brand new Disney worlds. Totes' there were some that just said 'most' or 'many'. But now it's 'all' again, and I am happy. And more existing worlds? What other existing worlds could be in the RoS? The World That Never Was, maybe? That world deserves more areas. I was so disappointed you couldn't go exploring properly through the Dark City. Hopefully it'll be making an appearance.
Temporarily taking on their KH1 forms, they’ll enter into the worlds of sleep . Additionally, Yen Sid says that in order to become a Master, the self taught way that they use the Keyblade will be reset and that it is necessary they learn how to use the Keyblade appropriately from the beginning. When they request to take the exam, Sora says he doesn’t need it, but since Riku has been overwhelmed by darkness before he doesn’t have the self-confidence. Also, Sora and Riku will be taking it together.
Ah. I was wondering how they would be resetting Sora and Riku back to Lv 1 this time around. But from the trailer and whatever, they seem to be wielding the Keyblade the exact same way... I guess it's not really a matter of stance or poise, but rather heart and mind and all that jazz. And here we go with Sora's arrogance again, thinking he doesn't need to re-learn Keyblade-wielding. :/ Ok, fair 'nuff, he kinda has a point. His 'self taught' method was good enough to take out Ansem SoD, Xemnas and the majority of Organization XIII. Also, Sora's prolly fairly attached to his Keyblade and how he does things. He doesn't want some old magician dude messing up his groove. Meh. And Riku's moping. Again. Hopefully this game will sort that out. I predict major character development in DDD.
The opening of this title will be in Xehanort’s point of view. Additionally, there will be a surprise unlike anything seen before in the last scene.
*GASP* Ooooooooo, that's interesting! The opening scene from Xehanort's PoV? I wonder why... It's prolly Apprentice Xehanort, like in that last scene in the trailer. Maybe even that specific scene. Hopefully this means that we'll be getting scenes from Xehanort's PoV throughout the entire game. And another mention of the 'surprising ending', huh? I've no idea what it could be... One of them failing the exam or getting trapped in the RoS seems too easy, but if pulled off right it could be shocking. I dunno. I am excite. :D
About Dream Eaters
The Dream Eaters do not approach anyone and consume dreams in the World of Sleep where there are no Heartless. If Sora/Riku don’t use the power of the Dream Eaters, they can’t go to the other worlds.
Their abilities too are related to the Dream Eaters.
Dream Eaters don't approach anyone? Even Nightmares? Certainly seems like they're approaching Sora and Riku in the trailer, what with them suddenly materialising and trying to kill the Keyblade-wielding chaps. ...Maybe Nightmares are more like guardians of sorts, protecting the RoS/Keyhole of Sleep/whatever super awesome power Yen Sid was talking about. The 'key of sleep', I think. This'll prolly have something to do with saving all the tormented folk and giving them their long-awaited 'birth by sleep'. Also, abilities related to Dream Eaters. Just Dual Link abilities, or all their abilities? Hmm... Oh, and having to use Dream eaters to go elsewhere. I wonder how that'll play out.
The Dream Eaters were designed not to be traditionally cute, but to have charm that couldn’t be disliked. Wonder Cat was drawn to share that idea.
The mark of the Dream Eaters started with a heart as the base and the image of tremors. Nightmares have that sort of bad feeling.
Yeah, I s'pose the Dream Eaters have a certain charm to them... Still look far too similar to Pokémon though, mind. Maybe that's inevitable, what with 600+ of the blasted things scurrying about the place. When making any kind of monster, some similarities to Pokémon are to be expected. Nice to know about the Dream Eater marks as well.
The mark above your own Dream Eaters shows your ownership, it’s also displayed on the map. The boss fights are elaborated in a different direction, where you’ll have to use the map’s characteristics to your advantage. For instance, the floor will break out from under you and the field area will expand. Using the map, you’ll be able to identify your location quickly in that sort of situation.
The color scheme is new this time; it’s more pastel unlike what we’ve done before. However, you’ll be able to change the colors of your companion Dream Eaters.
Swanky. I like the idea of the terrain suddenly shifting and having to use the map to figure out what's going on. Also, I like how 'bright' the game is looking at the moment. I sure lurve me some colour, I do... And change the colour of your Spirits? XD Cute. I'm a li'l worried about this game becoming overly gimmick-y, but at the moment it all seems pretty harmless.
The leveling up of the Dream Eaters is directly related to the growth of Sora and Riku. So far we’ve only seen 2 at a time in battle, but if you give it your all you’ll be able collect all the types.
Nomura isn’t quite sure off the top of his head, but there are dozens of Dream Eater types.
Does the term 'Gotta catch 'em all' ring a bell? Ugh, this IS going to be Pokémon, isn't it? I insanely love Pokémon, of course, but I can't really imagine a similar system being in KH. Might be kinda weird... Hmm. I'll try to stay optimistic for the moment, though. And different Spirits means different abilities, and maybe different combinations lead to different Dual Links. Me like. Also, levelling up Spirits being connected to Sora and Riku's gowth? As in, their levelling up, or...? Hmm. Strange.
About Neku
Ah, here we go. *sits up in chair attentively*
Neku’s appearance in Traverse Town was by special means that have to do with his reason for being there. He’ll show up in District 1, etc.
Beginning in Traverse Town as usual you’ll meet your party member, but since I wanted to put in a fresh character, we put in Neku from The World Ends With You.
Oooo, interesting! So, there's actually a point to Neku being in Traverse Town? As in, it's not just a random cameo for the sake of being a random cameo; seems like he's gonna be integrated well into the plot. Of course, we already knew this since he's playing the Game and Sora's gonna be his partner (which I fully endorse; gonna be EPIC). But there's areason for him appearing there, too, unlike Leon & Co suddenly originating from Radiant Garden. I've no idea why Neku would be in Traverse Town specifically, though. Gonna be important! And as far as 'fresh' characters go, Neku certainly qualifies...
This time Traverse Town is constructed around the reason that Neku and co. have come. He has been separated from his original partner Shiki.
Now, when I first read that Shiki had been his partner, I was a li'l disappointed. Not gonna lie. Just purely because that means Neku hasn't met Joshua yet, therefore making him less likely as a cameo. HOWEVER, someone on a forum consoled me with the thought that TWEWY in KH obviously won't be 100% completely and utterly faithful to the game. They gotta make some adjustments; an obvious one being that this Game is taking place in Traverse Town. They can do things out of order, like Neku meeting Joshua before Week 2. No need to worry just yet.
Also, the fact that it says 'Neku and co.' Methinks more TWEWY characters are on their way. As long as Joshua is in it bothering Riku, I'll be insanely friggin' happy. And Minamimoto. And Beat. And Mr H. And Shiki. And Konishi. And Kariya. And Mr Mew. MR MEW. <3 So, basically, the entire cast will make me happy. I can see Joshua, Mr H and Shiki definitely getting an appearance, most probably Beat and Rhyme as well. But Shiki better have Mr Mew. Seriously. ._.
Oh, and Traverse Town being constructed around the Game and junk, huh? Interesting... So the entire plot of TT will be revolving around Neku and peoples. You can never have enough Neku, so this information pleases me greatly. So far, Neku is shaping up to be one of the most important cameos in KH ever. Awesome!
We’ll go into more detail about Shiki and the others in a follow up report.
See? 'Shiki and the others'. This means Shiki is pretty much guaranteed a look in, which is great. But if Josh isn't there... *attempts to crack knuckles to look intimidating* *doesn't work* *nurses broken hands*
And if you're wondering why I want Joshua so bad, play the game. If you're still wondering, D: WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?? Yoshiya freakin' Kiryu! (Private dick extraordinaire...) Joshua is one of my favourite characters in TWEWY, and that is really saying something. Such great characters... But yeah, Joshua. In real life, I would hate him. So much. He's a condescending, patronising, awful little prick. But it's just the way he's a condescending, patronising, awful little prick... Every syllable he utters makes me want to punch him in his little pretty boy face. Hard. But I'm always waiting for the next syllable with bated breath, waiting to be insulted and offended on Neku's behalf. It's complicated... So yeah. Joshua needs to happen. Like, now.
Concerning a sequel to The World Ends With You, there may be something going on.
O_O
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.
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YES.
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS~
Oh my freakin' Lord, just... YES. EPIC TO THE POWER OF AWESOME.
Words... can't... describe... sheer... ecstasy....
Wait, one sec...
The Tokyo Game Show trailer for Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance showed a cameo appearance from The World Ends With You main character Neku. Is this just an innocent cameo, or is Square Enix hinting at something more?
In an interview in this week's Famitsu, Tetsuya Nomura, one of the key creative forces behind the game, hints at the latter. Responding to a question about a sequel, Nomura said that Neku's appearance could be taken as notice of something to come, adding that something is being worked on.
Nomura didn't use the phrase "sequel," nor did he directly say that a new game is in the works. But we'll take his comments as an indication that one of Square Enix's most critically acclaimed games of the current generation has a good chance of seeing a revival outside of Neku's appearance in the new Kingdom Hearts.
MIND. BLOWN. Seriously, bits of my brain are just splattered across every inch of my computer room. It looks messy. But completely called for. (Oh, right, source... Thank you ever so much for providing me with such great news that my brain actually exploded, andriasang!)
Something new. And TWEWY related. And new. And not just a cameo in KH. And new. And Twewy. And new. TWEWYnew. NEWtwewy. TWEnew. NEWewy. Tweh... Nyoo... *brain explodes again* *if that's even possible*
A sequel would be insanely amazingly awesome. A port to 3DS with new junk would be wonderfully brilliantly epic. hell, I'd be happy with a Theatrhythm-styled rhythm game. TWEWY does have one of the greatest soundtracks known to mankind. Aw, brain too exploded-ified to theorise properly... BUT I'M FRIGGIN' EXCITED. SO MUCH SO.
Abilities and 3D Vision
*excitement deflates at lack of TWEWY related goodness* *replaced by serious demeanour and KH-mindset* *excited again for KH related goodness*
The Reality Shift ability in Traverse Town has Sora sink to the bottom screen where he can aim at the enemies. It’s different in each world, and Riku’s ability is different too. In Riku’s Reality Shift you can touch the bottom screen to connect enemies and objects in a line creating chain that Riku will attack following along on the upper screen.
Aha, I see... So only Riku gets Holy Rope? Or is that just the Reality Shift for Le Cité de Cloches? Interesting how it varies depending on the world, too.
The way Sora and Riku interact with their companion Dream Eaters is different. Sora can ride atop the Dream Eaters and be thrown off, while they serve as power ups to Riku.
Aw, poor Riku. He doesn't get to ride around on his stag-goat-unicorn thing. :c I remeber Nomura saying that Sora and Riku would be getting different control schemes like in CoM, so this is prolly one of those things. But just as power ups for Riku? :/ That seems a li'l unfair. Oh, wait. That Dual Link we saw in the gameplay video of Riku taking on the Nightmare boss at Notre Dame. It looked pretty much like Bladecharge, a Command Style of Terra and Aqua in BBS, and Riku's own Final Limit in Days. I guess that's what they mean by 'power ups'. ...That could work. That could work well. But does this mean Sora won't be getting badass Command Style-esque abilities? Aw... Not sure which one I'll prefer, to be honest. At least we get to try out both.
Since the concept of the game was bold action, this title really makes use of the Free Flow Action ability. Though you have a lot of battle options, with this alone you can do many actions like spinning around and jump kicking depending on the terrain.
Always good to hear this again... Aw, I want this game in my grubby little hands NAOW. Oh, hey. Jump kicking? AWESOME. Oh, it sounds so amazing...
Since it’s hard to watch even in 2D because the movements are so intense, in 3D your eyes may become tired after playing for a long time. There is depth in the 3D vision, when Sora jumps out of the screen, it’s almost becomes a burden to one’s eyes. I think it’s probably best to use the 3D vision during cutscenes.
Aw, annoyance... Hopefully they're just exaggerating and the 3D effect is actually grand, just a smidge sore when you're tired or whatever, like with the majority of 3DS games. Contrary to many a 'concerned' parent/tabloid newspaper, the 3D effect is fine. I myself have never experienced any discomfort with having the 3D on at full blast except for when i'm exceptionally tired. moral of the story: don't use 3D when exceptionally tired. Not that hard, really...
There will be multiplayer functions, we’ll explain more in a follow up report.
Oooo, interesting! Multiplayer, eh? Knew this game would have multiplayer. Hopefully something like the Mirage Arena in BBS where you can join up with pals and strangers alike to take down miscellaneous foes together. Or even just something in the original CoM where you can fight your pal using Sora or Riku. I'm good for whatever.
And this is the second mention of a 'follow up report', the first being in relation to Shiki and the others earlier. When d'you think this will be? Next week, next month, next year? The magazine is Famitsu Weekly, and 'follow up report' implies something in succession, like the second part to something. But would only one week before more glorious information be too much for the universe to handle? Hmm. When we do get information, I'll be sure to put it up here only mere days after various KH fan sites along with my own incomprehensible ramblings! :D Also, I put in pretty pictures. That's got to be worth the site visit alone, surely.
Final Notes
- KH3D is set to release Spring 2012 in Japan.
- It’s currently about 60% to 70% complete.
Knew the first bit, but *GASP* in relation to the second! 60-70% complete?! It was only 40-50% complete in August. 20-ish% in one month? The Osaka team certainly don't screw around, do they? Fair play, lads, fair friggin' play. I'm getting excited again! Not that I wasn't before, mind.
Hmm. I have another hour to kill before Glee comes on. Should prolly get some homework done... OR I can cut out some pictures from the scans posted above and make stupid comments about them! Yeah, Imma do that. :3
So, this is our first look at Neko Cat, Neku's Spirit. LOVE. I mean, look at it! It's freakin' adorable~! >w< Has a little bell on its collar and little bell ears and little feet... SO CUTE. But also incredibly badass. Suits Neku well. So far, Neko Cat has gotta be my favourite Dream Eater. Really annoying how the scan cuts of its music note tail. Ah well. Some higher quality scans should surface any day now.
This pose look familiar?
Meh. Close enough. <3 Hopefully that's his battle stance or something. I can't wait to see how Neku will fight in DDD. His abilities will prolly be based on pins in TWEWY, like the...fire one. Y'know, the one you activate by dragging the stylus across the bottome screen? Man, good times... (Must...replay...amazing...game...) He could also get the Darklit Planet pin set, maybe near the end. That'd be amazing. But what about normal attacks? I can't really see badass pins also being his normal attacks rather than just super special awesome abilities... OH. JUST THOUGHT OF THIS. What d'you think Sora and Neku's Fusion will be like? I only assume they will have one, seeing as how Fusion and Dual Link seem to be pretty similar. Hmm. I hope they get a Fusion, if only to hear the battle quote thingy.
-.-" Ok, so I was gonna look at some other screens when some MORE news came out. *sigh* Why does glorious amazement only come out when I'm nearly finished?!
Ok, so Famitsu has updated their site with some miraculously pretty screenshots. Let's take a gander. (Thank you also to KHInsider, from whom I came across these screens!)
Riku unleashing merciless fiery fury upon his enemies. Always fun. And very pretty. O_O This game continues to astound me. Also, I find it hilarious that Riku is using Fire abilities right next to a burning witch stake thing. Smidge insensitive...
Riku looking poignant. Also, the detail on the eyes. Tres pretty. Aw, this game is looking amazing~
And now Quasimodo looking poignant. Riku has a mild case of fish face in the background, but 'tis all good. Quasi's looking good.
Sora in Traverse Town, shocked by the fact that he has hands, apparently.
Sora facing off against a Torpedo Fish. Notice how his Spirit friends are at the very back, being completely unhelpful. They remind me more and more of Donald and Goofy every day... Also, is that a baby dinosaur enemy surrounded by bubbles that I spy in the back?! BEST. ENEMY. EVER. Aw. i can't fight a baby dinosaur. :c
A closer look at the Slingshot Reality Shift. Looking mighty pretty. Also, take note of the 'Item' shop in the background. Does this mean we won't be getting supplies from Huey, Dewey and Louie? Aw. :c Can't wait to see who'll be supplying us with junk this time round, though.
Lotta colour as Sora rides around on Wonder Cat in front of some fancy gates. There's also a shop in the background. One of the things I loved about Traverse Town was that it was a proper town, y'know? As in, it had a hotel, clothes shops, a church... Hopefully that same kinda thing will be returning in DDD.
Sora chillin' in front of a miraculously colourful acrhway with Kuma Panda and Wonder Cat. there's a Colosseum poster in the background. This seems to be the same area we saw at the end of the Sora gameplay footage at Nintendo's conference last week. (Man, that was only last week? Wow...) Also, note the Spirit emblems in the middle of the arches. Also; RAINBOWSSS *u*
Ooh, Sora looks angry. Check out that snarl action. Aw, he has a little blue light in his shoes. Never noticed that before... Anyway. Kuma Panda has stubby little legs while Wonder Cat is FREAKIN' OUT, MAN.
O_O I have no idea what Sora is doing, but my GOD it looks pretty. Aw, this game is soo unbelievably gorgeous~ All the fluorescent lights... I don't know what Nomura was on about. It's not the 3D that's gonna kill your eyes, it's the friggin' rainbows being barfed over every scene. Which I love, of course. Rainbows are awesome. (If Joshua is in this game and makes some kind of reference to all the rainbows, I will die happy. Not even joking.)
Sora squaring up against a Nightmare Kuma Panda. That enemy behind Wonder cat, is that a...drum or something? O_o Anyway. This part seems to be in the area with the Colosseum, due to the tiki torch. And why is Wonder Cat just sniffing the ground?! Christ's sake... Are we ever gonna get useful party members?
Ah, here we go. I do love me some pole swinging action... So pretty. ;-; I can't tell if this is the 1st District or a new area. Hmm. Anyway, look at Wonder Cat's icon. So I guess that's what it looks like when one of them faints or whatever. Also, loving the bubbles that form when those Torpedo Fish are about. Love me ma bubbles. Mmm-hmm.
Ohhh, so it's not a kangaroo. It's a...bear goat wolf thing. Covered in rainbows. Right. Also, plentiful HP, I hasten to note. Should be fun. Now, look where they are standing. It appears to be that glass floor that the boss shatters in the trailer. You prolly fall onto the area of Traverse Town we saw the boss battle take place in in Sora's demo at TGS. This is probably what Nomura meant when he said that the area you fight bosses in can suddenly change and you'll need the map on the bottom screen to not be hopelessly confused. Also, something I noticed before but failed to mention. Wonder Cat has a blue symbol above its head and a blue arrow on its icon, whereas Kuma Panda's symbol/arrow combo is pink. Any relevance to anything? Prolly not. Meh.
Yay, more Neku! The timer on his hand counting down. Fun.
...The detail in these screens simply astounds me. I mean, look at Sora's eyes. LOOK AT THEM,, I SAY. I love the little black lines just under both of his eyes. The majority of the KH cast has that, right? Anyway.
Great screen for Neku, not so much for Sora. Neku's eyes are filled with depth and junk and look extremely pretty. I love how they kept his angular shoulders in, too. And my GOD that boy is skinny. I mean, comparing him to Sora... Jaysus. Anyway, Sora's expression here just looks goofy, and not in a good way. Just seems a little...off. I think it's his eyes... Meh.
...Well, they certainly know how to save the best for last, huh? Just basically showing District 4 and 5 of Traverse Town. I think my eyes have actually imploded from an overdose in prettiness. I mean, just... Wow.
Jeez, where to start... May as well start with the grandest attraction, the Colosseum. There's a very definite 'circus' theme emanating from it. Maybe the Colosseum offers more than just beating up other Spirits? Maybe you can put on a show of sorts like the musical thing in Pokémon Black/White? Aw, I hope not. That'd be really lame. Well, posters are seen all over town advertising the Colosseum. Maybe the battles are just presented as these grand, extravagant, circus-like affairs, something people would go along to. Also, posters are put up around town, which is supposed to alert people to events and such. Does this mean we'll be seeing people scattered about the place? Man, I hope so. Traverse Town has probably been one of the best worlds for NPCs. I hope they have people around the place to make it feel like a town.
Then we have a round tower to the right. This looks more like the traditional, home-y kinda Traverse Town that we're used to, not the candy-coated rainbows smeared all over the other areas. Again, which I love. It looks like this tower might be an easy way for shortcuts; just zipping down the wires stretching from it every which way.
Eh, yeah. I think that's enough. Also, SO PRETTY. ^w^
~~~
Finally. This post has taken three days. THREE. DAYS. So...tired... 'Cause stupid wonderful information kept coming out moments after I had finished typing what I kept thinking to be my last sentence! But nooo, more Kingdom Hearts epicosity kept coming out, demanding to be analysed and rambled on about. *sigh* I keep thinking that the flood of news has to end soon, but so far there has been no shortages of info even after TGS. It will end soon, though. And I'll complain at the lack of anything. Obviously. Well, maybe not. Nomura said in July that '...from this summer to next spring, we’ll continue releasing information and sales dates for KH...', so maybe we won't have another drought of seven months. Here's hoping. But here's hoping they also won't give anything too incredibly spoilerific.
tl;dr: Man, you really need one for this post... Em, Squeenix have released the lovely HQ trailer from TGS on the DDD website. Looking very amazing. Last scene in particular is rather mysterious. Interview with Nomura in Famitsu, too, along with pretty pictures. Good Dream Eaters = Spirits, Bad = Nightmares. SORA WILL BE NEKU'S PARTNER IN THE REAPERS' GAME TAKING PLACE IN TRAVERSE TOWN. Neku's Spirit Neko Cat is freakin' adorable. All new Disney worlds. Opening scene will be from Xehanort's PoV, ending will be shocking, surprising, etc. You can collect other Spirits for your party. Neku doesn't seem to be just a normal cameo; his appearance has a reason. Neku has been seperated from his original partner Shiki. Apparently we'll be getting info on 'Shiki and the others' soon. Nomura has said that, in regards to TWEWY, 'something is being worked on'. Maybe sequel, maybe port, maybe Swiss army knife. Who knows? Reality Shift changes depending on world. Sora and Riku get different abilities from Dreamm Eaters; Sora uses them in fantabulous ways (like riding around on Wonder Cat) while Riku uses them more as power ups. Multiplayer confirmed; more info later. DDD is now 60-70% complete(!) Lotta glorious screens. Traverse Town looks amazing. SO. MANY. RAINBOWS. *-*
Gawd, I'm tired... I'll post something else if some really insanely awesome super news comes out, but until then I prolly won't. Or at least will wait till I feel ready. If nothing comes out in two weeks? Eh, I'll probably post something else. Like, maybe a theory post on what's gonna happen in DDD, or something about my hopes for TWEWY being in there. Who knows.
Laters.
Gawd, I'm tired... I'll post something else if some really insanely awesome super news comes out, but until then I prolly won't. Or at least will wait till I feel ready. If nothing comes out in two weeks? Eh, I'll probably post something else. Like, maybe a theory post on what's gonna happen in DDD, or something about my hopes for TWEWY being in there. Who knows.
Laters.
