Chance of KH1/2 Remake?

[Deleted member 252753]

Can you imagine all the references they'd drop in a KH1 remake? They'd be leaving hints of the existence of TAV everywhere. Like Cinderella and Hercules would think of the Keyblade wielders they met before when seeing Sora's Keyblade. Riku would very subtly reference Terra and Xehanort when talking to Sora and Kairi about leaving the islands. Hints of Roxas and Namine being created after Sora stabs himself. Ventus might even react to certain events within Sora's heart like Kairi does. The secret Xemnas fight would clearly steal samples of Sora's memories for Xion's construction. Hades and Hook would already be familiar with the Keyblade. Young Xehanort popping up, Foreteller foreshadowing, Subject X hints in the corner of a room, the Heartless versions of Organization XIII. It would be madness. Part of me kinda wants to see this version actually

It's a tantalising idea but even on story terms I worry that if you did that now you would just have to remake the game again soon to incorporate whatever mad twists are yet to come in Phase 2.

Hypothetically, the main thing that I would like to alter in KH1 and KH2 is to have a hint or two that Ansem SoD and Xemnas are acting according to a greater plan. I stil find the idea that they had Xehanort's full memories the whole time hard to swallow.

 

[2 quid is good]

Nomura then is different now & I heard the original scenario writer hasn't worked on the series since.

If you're talking about Jun Akiyama then you're right but I read somewhere on some backwater forum (it was quoted from an interview) that when he was working on versus Nomura refused to have any writer work on the main scenario if Akiyama wasn't available, so I think he's still in a good position to come back to KH if he ever wanted too. I wonder what he'd think of it now XD

He also wrote for WoFF more recently and I loved that, so much of it felt like KH but better to me, I could deal with a KH1 remake if that was the only thing that got him to come back

 

[Hedginka]

I didn't even dive into KH2. They'd drop hints of Maleficent time traveling. Vague hints of Roxas and Axel having another ice cream buddy. Ventus's heart probably reacting to Xemnas, because he looks like Terra. Xigbar would be in full Luxu troll mode. Minnie would take credit for banishing Pete. Donald and Goofy would know Yen Sid's tower moves. The mansion in Twilight Town would house so many foreshadowing events. Kairi getting her Keyblade in a different manner. Pence would recognize Axel. More Foreteller and Subject X teasing. Mickey would think of Aqua every now and again and debate if now was the time to save her or not.

My reaction to that paragraph was a continuous loop of, "Ughhhhh" then "Ahh!" then "Ughhhhh" then "Ahh!" and so on and so forth.

If you're talking about Jun Akiyama then you're right but I read somewhere on some backwater forum (it was quoted from an interview) that when he was working on versus Nomura refused to have any writer work on the main scenario if Akiyama wasn't available, so I think he's still in a good position to come back to KH if he ever wanted too. I wonder what he'd think of it now XD

He also wrote for WoFF more recently and I loved that, so much of it felt like KH but better to me, I could deal with a KH1 remake if that was the only thing that got him to come back

I believe the main scenario writer of the KH series for the past several years is Masaru Oka. I feel more KH fans need to know that name, because when I'm not angry at Tetsuya, I'm angry at Masaru.

 

[Deleted member 252753]

If you're talking about Jun Akiyama then you're right but I read somewhere on some backwater forum (it was quoted from an interview) that when he was working on versus Nomura refused to have any writer work on the main scenario if Akiyama wasn't available, so I think he's still in a good position to come back to KH if he ever wanted too. I wonder what he'd think of it now XD

He also wrote for WoFF more recently and I loved that, so much of it felt like KH but better to me, I could deal with a KH1 remake if that was the only thing that got him to come back

That's interesting. I looked him up and apparently he was keen to inject more humour into KH1 and WoFF definitely has a silly sense of humour that Kingdom Hearts, especially as a series with Disney properties, is sorely lacking.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

It's a tantalising idea but even on story terms I worry that if you did that now you would just have to remake the game again soon to incorporate whatever mad twists are yet to come in Phase 2.

Hypothetically, the main thing that I would like to alter in KH1 and KH2 is to have a hint or two that Ansem SoD and Xemnas are acting according to a greater plan. I stil find the idea that they had Xehanort's full memories the whole time hard to swallow.

In theory it would not be too hard to change. Both Ansem and Xemnas want Kingdom Hearts for world domination. It's just they don't seem to be connected to the whole 7 vs 13 thing dropped on us. Xemnas never tries to replace his lost Organization members, which should have played a factor into why they made Xion instead of dubbing her number 14.

 

[Chie]

Adding new continuity to the old stories is exactly what I'm scared of. Don't get me wrong, I like the story both then and now. I don't think an expanded version of the first game would be "ruined", it would just be different. But that's the thing, changing the contents of an old entry/replacing it with another one would be an actual retcon, not just the "they revealed something contrary to my expectations" or "nomura didn't plan out decades worth of games" that people call "retcons" for some reason. As much as people say that, everything you see in early KH games is still absolutely canon, even if it's misleading in the big picture (Ansem, etc.)

And you know what would happen if KH1 and KH2 received full remakes but CoM, Days, BBS, coded and 3D didn't, right? Even more new players would skip those games or beg for them to be remade to make them "playable". (NB that CoM and coded were fully remade, but that was not too long after they originally released, and coded would have become lost media shortly anyway, so it feels more understandable.)

 

[2 quid is good]

I believe the main scenario writer of the KH series for the past several years is Masaru Oka. I feel more KH fans need to know that name, because when I'm not angry at Tetsuya, I'm angry at Masaru.

I've been pretty derogatory towards Masaru Oka in the past and I'd rather not do that again but you do you

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Adding new continuity to the old stories is exactly what I'm scared of. Don't get me wrong, I like the story both then and now. I don't think an expanded version of the first game would be "ruined", it would just be different. But that's the thing, changing the contents of an old entry/replacing it with another one would be an actual retcon, not just the "they revealed something contrary to my expectations" or "nomura didn't plan out decades worth of games" that people call "retcons" for some reason. As much as people say that, everything you see in early KH games is still absolutely canon, even if it's misleading in the big picture (Ansem, etc.)

And you know what would happen if KH1 and KH2 received full remakes but CoM, Days, BBS, coded and 3D didn't, right? Even more new players would skip those games or beg for them to be remade to make them "playable". (NB that CoM and coded were fully remade, but that was not too long after they originally released, and coded would have become lost media shortly anyway, so it feels more understandable.)

KH1 and KH2 hold up very well by today's standards and KH2 is still praised as the best by some. They don't really need remakes. Still...what I wouldn't give for a Days remake/remaster

 

[Chie]

Days and Coded definitely should have gotten playable ps3 versions, would be amazing. It's too late for it to ever happen now, but I'm always sad when people just watch the bad "movie versions" in the collections instead of playing the games.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Days and Coded definitely should have gotten playable ps3 versions, would be amazing. It's too late for it to ever happen now, but I'm always sad when people just watch the bad "movie versions" in the collections instead of playing the games.

Interestingly enough if you were to remake Coded it would almost serve as a KH1 remake...almost. I weep for the Days remake/remaster that never came, but I too recognize it's too late for one now. Gotta move on into phase 2 with the Zoo-Keys and their deadly sins. Still it sucks if you want to see the better version of Days you have to either play on the DS or watch a let's play. Personally if it were up to me I'd say the Days manga was the true canon XD

 

[Deliverance]

Personally, I find video game remakes in general to be abhorrent. Outside of Resident Evil 1 Remake, I've yet to play a remake of a good game that even matches the original, let alone replaces it. I like the idea of going back to old favorites and just ironing out those kinks that brought them down but it never stops there. There's always a big, dumb change that keeps the original relevant.

Anyway, I can boil this down to three points:

Voice Acting:
The authentic Disney cast was a big selling point back then. Unfortunately, a lot of those original VAs have died. Mickey, Minnie, Jiminy, Alice, Wendy, King Triton. Even if their replacements do dead-on impressions, it will never beat having the real deal. Then there's the original characters. Haley Osment is obviously too old to match the natural child performance he gave back then. David Gallagher is a weird case where his inexperience at the time actually fit Riku's character and created a great contrast against his older, more mature Riku in 2. Alyson Stoner is worse than Hayden Pannettiere. And Richard Epcar cannot possibly compare to legend Billy Zane. This is assuming they don't just reuse the original dub, but does anyone believe they'll show that level of restraint?

Gameplay:
How would they even go about doing this? Copy-paste KH3's gameplay with some changes here and there? That would require the entire game's level design to be changed. And regardless of how I feel about Osaka's design philosophy, why would I want this done by a completely different team, with completely different priorities, that's had completely different experiences? Ideally, the original team would take what they've learned since the original release and apply it to this remake.

Story:
IMO everything story related after 2 is bad. In my head-cannon, KH's story ended at 2. So the last thing I want to see is them forcing in irrelevant plot points that distract from that original story. I don't wanna see anything about Geezernort, or Ventus, or the Chi era, or time travel. None of that stuff matters in the original story.

 

[Dandelion]

The authentic Disney cast was a big selling point back then. Unfortunately, a lot of those original VAs have died. Mickey, Minnie, Jiminy, Alice, Wendy, King Triton.

Kathyrn Beaumont is still alive! Though admittedly retired.

 

[Deliverance]

Kathyrn Beaumont is still alive! Though admittedly retired.

Oh for real? I’m glad to hear that then. Though since she’s retired I guess my point still stands.

 

[MATGSY]

Days and Coded definitely should have gotten playable ps3 versions, would be amazing. It's too late for it to ever happen now, but I'm always sad when people just watch the bad "movie versions" in the collections instead of playing the games.

At the least they could've emulated the DS versions.

The game seriously does not look half-bad in HD. Replace the HUD/menu like they did with the other games & it would've been serviceable.

 

[AegisXIII]

At the least they could've emulated the DS versions.

The game seriously does not look half-bad in HD. Replace the HUD/menu like they did with the other games & it would've been serviceable.

I don't think it is that unrealistic. Remember when they remade Chain of Memories in less than a year as a "Bonus disc" in the kh2 Final Mix bundle?
They said they didn't have the time to make them playable because all of their efforts were put on kh3. Now, kh3 is over and they created 2 additional teams. One of them is working on MoM, which is using old graphics style. Could it be so that they can learn and switch to the days/re:coded remaster later? i do not see the point in training a team to use an old game engine for just one game.

 

[MATGSY]

I don't think it is that unrealistic. Remember when they remade Chain of Memories in less than a year as a "Bonus disc" in the kh2 Final Mix bundle?
They said they didn't have the time to make them playable because all of their efforts were put on kh3. Now, kh3 is over and they created 2 additional teams. One of them is working on MoM, which is using old graphics style. Could it be so that they can learn and switch to the days/re:coded remaster later? i do not see the point in training a team to use an old game engine for just one game.

Well, the thing is I wouldn't actually want a straight forward remake where it's the same game but nicer graphics & added voiceacting. I basically want a complete top to bottom overhaul of the whole thing: a better paced story mode, more missions/content exclusive to Mission Mode, more involvement with Disney characters/more Disney bosses, Better magic system that doesn't screw over magic-heavy characters when they run out of ammo, missions in Story Mode where we play as other characters besides Roxas, more development for org members that aren't Roxas & Xion, online & splitscreen multiplayer, maybe some unlockable costumes.

The remake of Days that I want would require a much longer development time. If S-E can't do that, then they might as well just emulate the original for all the difference it makes to me.

 

[Zettaflare]

There is also the possibility of another director handling the remake. Who knows if Nomura will still be involved in the series 20 years from now once the second saga is finished

 

[disney233]

Ensure that Noumra doesn't at all touch the remakes and give the wheel to Kanemaki or Amano along with an actual cast of writers and it MIGHT work. Unfortunately, as said above, the voice casting's going to be a problem. But...GOD having DeVito and Murphy for once, come to reprise their roles for Phil and Mushu is...enticing af.

HOL UP. ANOTHER ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.

A KH1 remake...literally can't happen. For that to happen they would have to bring back all the worlds from KH1. And as sad the reality is, this world?

This world right here? Yeah? There's no way in hell it'll come back. Which is...actually sad, because it would've redeemed itself as a...pretty aesthetically good jungle world.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Well, the thing is I wouldn't actually want a straight forward remake where it's the same game but nicer graphics & added voiceacting. I basically want a complete top to bottom overhaul of the whole thing: a better paced story mode, more missions/content exclusive to Mission Mode, more involvement with Disney characters/more Disney bosses, Better magic system that doesn't screw over magic-heavy characters when they run out of ammo, missions in Story Mode where we play as other characters besides Roxas, more development for org members that aren't Roxas & Xion, online & splitscreen multiplayer, maybe some unlockable costumes.

The remake of Days that I want would require a much longer development time. If S-E can't do that, then they might as well just emulate the original for all the difference it makes to me.

I'd be all for better missions structures, magic systems, and having missions where you play as other Org members (if only to justify having them) Magic is pretty OP in Days but is sadly limited due to the panel system. It's actually better to beat the final boss with Fire spam then Keyblade action due to his guarding. So I would love to see them have better magic system. And I don't think anyone would say no to playable Org members. I would not change the core story at all, but if they were to give characters like Demyx, Luxord, Xaldin, and Xigbar side stories that would be cool. Maybe use the Absent Silhouette's to tell stories with the COM members since their dead, you can't really have them there but Absent Silhouette's are part of the lore right? And with missions have them be more varied and less repetitive. On a stronger system then the DS they would be fine.

I would add one cutscene though. When Xemnas summons everyone for their Kingdom Hearts meeting, I would have Xemnas use it like a Death Star and blow up Deep Jungle and a planet that resembles Song of the South's setting. Give a lore reason of never seeing those worlds, lol.

 

[MATGSY]

On a stronger system then the DS they would be fine.

I always contend the DS was the least of the game's issues. A lot of what I wanted to happen could still been done on that system.