Hope for KH at Jump Festa + Wishes/Dreams for TWEWY in DDD

It's time for another Kingdom Hearts-related blathering, folks! A-hyuck, hyuck! ...Yeah, done with that. I should really be doing my homework or something, but effort of that, y'know? Anyway.

~~~

So, not much news has arised since that last Famitsu interview two weeks ago, which was a rather wondrous interview indeed. However, it has come out that Square Enix will be attending Jump Festa this year. Hurrah! (Thank you, andriassang for translations and junk!) Jump Festa is basically a huge-o convention in Japan mainly revolving around anime, manga and games. This year it shall be held from December 17th-18th just outside of Tokyo, as per usual. Entry is free, which makes it all the more annoying that I can't go, what with my residence in Ireland and all. Bother.

Squeenix shall be attending again, as they do every year, along with these folks...

Exciting indeed. Now, we don't know for sure if Squeenix will be unveiling anything new in terms of KH goodness, but I'd say they will be. As far as I know, Jump Festa is the next big event for Squeenix, meaning this'll probably be our best bet for KH stuff this year. ...If that makes sense. Whatever. Also, Nomura mentioned the series' 10th anniversary next year a while back in that Dengeki interview in August.

"The interview also touched briefly on the future of the Kingdom Hearts series. Nomura admitted that it's become difficult to get new players into the series at present. This is one thing they're hoping to address as part of the series' 10th anniversary. One part of this plan is some sort of "HD technical test" for the series."

Thus far, nothing else has been said on the matter. Rather strange, considering 2012 is only three months away(!) Man, 2011 has flown by... Anywho. This extract makes it seem like DDD won't be the only thing planned for next year. December seems like a good time to announce something big and anniversary-related, and what better venue to announce it than at Jump Festa? Seems logical to me... At any rate, I'd say it's pretty much guaranteed we'll be getting something at least DDD related. Perhaps a new trailer or a slightly more concrete release date than just 'Spring 2012'? I'm salivating already.

Now, onto that other bit in the title, my wishes/dreams for The World Ends With You in Kingdom Hearts. As such, this post will be fairly damn spoilerific if you haven't played TWEWY or at least rather boring as you won't know who or what I'm talking about. I'll put in an obnoxious SPOILER if it's properly majorly spoilerific, but it shouldn't be too bad as a whole. In all seriousness, though, go play TWEWY. SO. GOOD. ._.



Yeah. So we already know that Neku shall be making an appearance (still can't get over how epic that is~) and will be Sora's party member in Traverse Town.

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.

(Imma mostly be referencing the Famitsu interview from two weeks ago in this post, so go read that to be up to speed and junk.)

So, Neku as a party member. I'm wondering how he'll fight. Yes, with pins, obviously, but the majority of his psychs seem better suited to special abilities. They're pretty flashy and wondrous. Wait, should prolly elaborate for folks that haven't played TWEWY... Neku uses badges, or pins, to activate different kickass abilities, called psychs, that you use to fight with in the game. Some psychs I think would be great for special abilities in DDD include Pyrokinesis (creates a path of fire), Lightning Arrester (fires a bolt of lightning), Massive Hit (charges up for a while to unleash HELL upon thine enemies) and Cure Drink (replenishes HP by drinking some soda). Of course there are others, but they're the ones I thought of first that would be easy to implement in DDD.

However, it's harder to think of less splendiferous psychs that Neku would use on a regular basis, as in non-special abilities. Just regular ol' attacks for the majority of the time. Shockwave would be a good one (attacks enemies by...slashing, I guess), as would Stellar Fury (jabbing at the enemy). Again, definitely more, but my lack of bothered-ness prevents me from going on. Of course, they don't have to make sure every attack in Neku's moveset is a specific psych from TWEWY, but it'd be a nice touch, especially for special abilities.

One of my favourite things about TWEWY is it's incredibly distinct gameplay mechanics method thing. You basically control two characters at the same time; Neku on the bottom screen using slashes, taps, drags and more on the touch screen and his partner on the top screen using the face buttons. It gets insanely frantic and is near impossible to grasp immediately, but give it a while and you'll master controlling both screens in no time.

A small part of me is hoping beyond hope that they will use this unique gameplay dealy-o in DDD, but I doubt it. Seems like a lot of superfluous effort just for one world. You'd have to switch up the entire control scheme just to control Sora on the bottom screen and Neku on the top. I seriously doubt it. :/ Though having it in a mini-game would be great. Or maybe we could get Fusions? They're super special awesome moves performed by teaming up with your partner, so pretty much like Dual Links. It's be great if they turned the game momentarily 2D and TWEWY-ified for Fusions, but again that would seem like a lot of effort. Ho hum.


Oh, wait, Neko Cat.

How are they gonna incorporate Neku's Dream Eater Spirit Thing? Will it act as its own party member or will it only be able to attack with Neku for special moves or whatever? Oh dear, I hope it's not that Neku channels his spirit or whatever into Neko Cat, meaning you only actually have Neko Cat as a party member... They better not give some bull excuse for not having Neku fight. They wouldn't do that. That's just stupid. I really hope Neko Cat counts as its own party member. Here's hoping!

Now, Sora as Neku's partner in the Reapers' Game.

...He [Neku] 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.

Aw, can't wait~ Ugh, more elaboration required. So, in TWEWY, Neku is a Player in the Reapers' Game. This is a seven day-long game run by the Reapers that involves completing a mission each day within the time limit (the red timer ticking down on Neku's hand).

Fail the mission, or get beaten by Noise (the monster-esque enemies of the game), and you get erased. The only way you can fight Noise is by using psychs and if you have formed a pact with another Player. Also, if you don't have a partner, you get erased (which is a Very Bad Thing). Sorry, I would elaborate further, but I don't want to get too spoilerific. Just go play it! It's so good!

So yeah. Sora as Neku's partner. Sorry, I don't know how to go on without spoiler-ifying this next bit. 'Tis rather spoilerific. You can still read it if you haven't played TWEWY or if you're only halfway through it or whatever, as I shall strive to not be too specific, but please don't. That game deserves to be played non-spoiled. c:

(SPOILER)


Sora'll prolly count as an illegal Player, given that he doesn't have the, uh, qualifications to be playing the Game for reals. But will he be more like Joshua, sneaking his way in undetected, or Beat, barging through and not taking 'no' for an answer? The main difference, I think, is that the Reapers knew about Beat but only Minamimoto knew about Joshua, and he wanted him playing. This meant that Beat had to pay an entry fee whereas Josh got off scot free. Will Sora have to pay such a fee? Would certainly be interesting in terms of character development, seeing what Sora's entry fee would be, but I kinda doubt it. His fee would prolly be his friends or his connection to his friends or whatever, and I can't imagine DDD continuing without Sora's friends. Especially Riku, seeing as he's actually a playable character. Sure, it could be just Kairi or something, but that still seems like it would take too many important plot points away from the story, I guess. *having difficulty articulating thoughts*

I'd say that Sora being an illegal Player will be an easy means to answer some otherwise difficult questions. Presumably we'll be able to leave Traverse Town to explore other worlds, something you wouldn't be able to do in the actual Game in TWEWY. Neku will probably be all "I can't leave, being a Player and whatnot. But you go on ahead. I'll just be chillin' here. Whatevs..." Or something. As in, that'll be the excuse why Sora can go off galivanting across the universe while Neku'll be stuck in Traverse Town; Neku's a proper Player whereas Sora's illegal.

They're probably gonna be very lenient with all the rules of the Game. Obviously they can't put all of them in DDD, like not being allowed to leave the specified playing area, being unconcious until the next day, maybe even entry fees as a whole. (But Neku says something like "I can't afford to lose this Game," or something in the trailer, meaning he probably has paid an entry fee and needs it back. He says that line in TWEWY, or at least something like it, in Week 2 about his entry fee then... Whatever.) I'm just saying that they won't be able to keep all of the rules from the Game in DDD; they would probably contradict some KH rules anyway. They prolly won't get into the nitty-gritty of everything, but they should have a fair enough general gist of the Game. Aw. Can't wait! :D


(/SPOILER)

Hmm, what now... Let's go into possible partners for Riku! I assume he'll get a partner, seeing as how Sora has Neku. The most obvious one, I think, is Shiki.

Why I think she's the most obvious, you ask? She's the only TWEWY character (apart from Neku) that Nomura mentioned by name in the interview.

...He [Neku] has been separated from his original partner Shiki. We’ll go into more detail about Shiki and the others in a follow up report.

Neku was partnered up with Shiki, and now that they got seperated, logic stands that Shiki must be wandering about partnerless too. Cue Riku. And Shiki would be a great party member, especially if she still uses Mr Mew to fight.

This'll need some explanation if you haven't played TWEWY... Shiki has a toy cat called Mr Mew for which she uses a psych to control and inflict severe injuries upon her foes. And. It's. AWESOME. Mr Mew is a freakin' legend. Look at him, standing there, hands on his hips like a li'l boss. Aw, if Mr Mew ends up being Shiki's Spirit or something... <3

Shiki as a party member for Riku would be pretty great. They'd get on well together. Shiki would prolly remind Riku of Sora, what with her perky optimism and tendency to be a smidge slow once in a while... (Still love them both, mind.) Ugh, I'm awful of thinking of ways for characters to interact with one another...

So, yeah. Shiki seems downright probable at this point, with her being confirmed to be playing the Game at the mo and currently (presumably) partnerless. The only disadvantage to Shiki, I think, is that she's not this guy.

Oh, come on. You know Joshua needs to be in this game. He'd be brilliant as Riku's partner just for the sheer hilarity. Riku would hate Josh-Josh so friggin' much, enough to rival even Neku's loathing for the little prick. Their interaction would just be amazing, purely for the lulz.

Joshua would make an epic partner specifically because, well, hello?! SUPER JESUS BEAMS. IN 3D. OOH, CROSSED WITH RIKU'S DARK AURA. MAKE IT HAPPEN. NAOW. Aw, the hype is strong. Man, if that ends up being their Fusion/Dual Link/Whatever... Might not happen, but it could. It should. Aw, my hopes are gonna be ruthlessly dashed, aren't they? *tries to maintain positive attitude*

Partner or not, Joshua is making an appearance. Mark my words, Internet, Yoshiya 'Joshua' Kiryu of The World Ends With You fame shall be in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. Or so help me God... But in all seriousness, he's gonna be there. My confidence comes from this little gem from the interview.

Neku’s appearance in Traverse Town was by special means that have to do with his reason for being there.

'Special means'? I won't get into too much detail, seeing as how I don't want to have to spoiler-ify everything again, but it has to mean Joshua at least played a part in his appearance in Traverse Town. Has to. Well, could be Mr H, or something, but... I'm still thinking Joshua and his various shenanigans played a fairly large role in the whole Traverse Town fiasco. Can't wait to see why exactly they're all chillin' in TT... Gonna be awesome~

The only other character I can see as a feasible party member for Riku would be.... *drum roll*

...Daisukenojo Bito! (Or 'Beat' for short.) The only reason I think he could be Riku's party member is because he's the only other player that we get to see fight in TWEWY. Beat uses his skateboard to crush all those in his path. Not too dissimilar to how you can do so in KH2, now that I think about it... Anyway. Beat would also be great for hilarity, if only to hear his Beat-erisms all over again.

However, to be perfectly honest, Beat strikes me more as another random cameo rather than a full-fledged party member. Shiki and Joshua just seem to be better candidates for that role. I'd love for Beat to make an appearance at some stage, though, especially if he was with his sister Rhyme.

They'd be great as recurring characters in Traverse Town. Maybe Beat and Rhyme could also be Players that you run into now and again? Here's hoping...

So, they're my candidates for Riku party members. How 'bout's some random NPCs now?!? There's only really one that I think needs to be in DDD, and that is Sanae Hanekoma.

Or 'Mr H', for short. Huh, never noticed he wore sandals before... Meh. Anyway, Mr H needs to be in this game. I can't really get specific on why exactly he has to be, but it wouldn't make sense if Mr H wasn't playing a part in the Game. Even if it's just for one scene, we need Mr H up in this here game. If they put his coffee shop Wild Kat in Traverse Town and had him as the shop keeper, I would be forever happy. Man, that'd be awesome... Here I go setting my expectations too high again~ But yeah. Mr H needs to happen.

Now, you can't have the Reapers' Game without Reapers. My preference?

Well, duh. Did you really have to ask? If Sho Minamimoto isn't in this game, there will be blood. He's basically a deranged sociopath with a strong affinity for art and maths that randomly spouts various mathematical terms and mnemonics. He's also very badass. Minamioto is one of those characters that really shouldn't work, but they do. They do so well... He'd be great for DDD because...hell, it's SHO MINAMIMOTO. No explanation required!

*sigh* Ok, I'll give one anyway... I'm guessing that this Reapers' Game will need a Game Master (the Reaper that calls the shots for that week). Minamimoto actually was a Game Master in TWEWY, meaning it's definitely not out of the question for him to reprise that role. He also made for one of the best/hardest boss battles in TWEWY, meaning he'd be brilliant as the final boss of Traverse Town (or maybe just even a secret boss?). Finally, Minamimoto is awesome. He's a major fan favourite, so even if they just plonked him in for fan service... Whatever. Just let Minamimoto be in this game, Square! *crosses fingers*

Of course, there are a lot more Reapers and random NPCs in TWEWY, but the characters I've mentioned thus far are the ones I think are most likely. I'd love for Kariya and Uzuki, Konishi, Kitaniji, Higashizawa and, hell, even Mick to be in DDD. But sadly, they probably won't have that many TWEWY cameos in one game. They probably won't even have the seven I've mentioned. As long as Neku, Shiki, Josh and Mr H are all present and accounted for, I'm good. Ugh, that even seems like it might be too much... Grrr.

Actually, they could have more TWEWY cameos if they wanted too. I mean, Traverse Town has been specifically orchrestrated around TWEWY in DDD.

This time Traverse Town is constructed around the reason that Neku and co. have come.

See? Rather than the normal FF characters that are just scattered across various worlds, Traverse Town is going to entirely revolve aroung the TWEWY gang. Maybe it'll have as many TWEWY characters as yer regular Disney world, then. Aw, please let it be so!

Continuing with that quote, it seems like there won't be anything else in Traverse Town apart from the Reapers' Game and junk. As in, this won't just be a little sub plot; it IS the plot. Gonna be important~ Which I love. Sometimes I find it a little weird that they just randomly plonk an FF character in Olympus Coliseum, or randomly state that they're originally from Radiant Garden or whatever. With TWEWY, it seems like they're going to fully integrate Neku & Co into the overall KH plot, completely intertwining the two worlds. I am excite.

Also, I wouldn't say that you'll complete the Reapers' Game in one visit to Traverse Town and never return. No, I'd wager that you first arrive in TT as Sora, form a pact with Neku, complete Day 1, bugger off to save another world somewhere, return to TT, complete Day 2, leave again, etc etc. As in the Reapers' Game will span across the entire game rather than just being completed in one sitting. OH, and at the end you get a TWEWY-themed Keyblade. Styled like CAT graffiti. Make it happen. *snaps fingers*

Hmm, what else can I ramble on about... Well, in TWEWY, pretty much all of the cast tends to curse, whereas in KH, they...don't. Well, in the original Chain of Memories, Axel says "Give me one hell of a show!" but that's about it. But their profinity for cussing and the like is what made the TWEWY cast so realistic and awesome. Sure, they probably won't be able to go too far in KH (like 'bastard' or 'bitchin''), but I hope they'll at least keep 'hell' and 'damn'. That shouldn't be too much to ask for, right? If they completely censor the TWEWY characters, then, well, they won't be TWEWY characters anymore. Their cursing is an intrinsic part of their character. Aw, come on Square, don't screw this up with unneccessary censorship...

And, yeah. I think that's all I've got to say on the matter. At least, for now...

~~~

I know, I know. I'm three days late on my 'Updated fortnightly' promise. But, hey. I did say 'fortnightly(-ish)', specifically for situations like this. Hurray for loopholes!

tl;dr: Squeenix will be at Jump Festa, meaning there's hope yet for a KH appearance. I have great expectations for TWEWY in DDD. Neku as a party member will be badass, as will having Sora as his partner in the Reapers' Game. I think Shiki and Joshua would be the most likely candidates for Riku's partner, assuming he's playing the Game as well. Beat and Rhyme as cameos would be great, as would Mr H, Minamimoto or any character ever from TWEWY. Methinks the TWEWY plot will be extremely important indeed, rather than just a random little sub plot just plonked in for little reason. They better keep the TWEWY characters' cussing.

MAN, I'm excited for Dream Drop Distance! :D If more wondrous news comes out in the next two weeks, I'll write some random junk on that. If not, eh, I'll prolly write something on my expectations for DDD, who's gonna get saved, connections to 'Birth By Sleep', etc etc. Maybe. If I'm bothered.

Oh, credit where credit is due, and junk. Thank you SO FREAKIN' MUCH to the TWEWY wiki for pics and helping me remember the names of junk and whatever. Yeah. Thank you! :D

I gotta go make cupcakes and Mars Bar Squares now. Fun times.

Laters.