News ► Nomura comments on developing KH3 for the PS4

[ajmrowland]

Between all the pressure he's facing, the financial issues and the need for self imposed limitations, even KH3 is looking like a big risk. And it's a blockbuster sequel, which is usually something of a guaranteed earner in entertainment.

 

[Spider-Man6592]

I think his concern is more to do with having the ability to do so much.

When he says they'll have to "give up" things, I think he means trimming the fat and keeping the game from being bloated with everything they want to do. While it's always a bit sad to see things pulled from the game, I think (that Nomura thinks) it'd be worse for the game to have everything, and have that be too much. There's also the stress of all the hype, the fanbase that has been whining for the past seven years for this game. There are a lot of expectations, and like Nomura said, it's his job to make sure the game is satisfying; as good as it can be.

In the past on PS2 and handhelds, the hardware was much more limited and, as a result, the teams had a better idea of their limitations.

On the next-gen hardware, those limits are pushed way beyond what they were before, which makes it very tempting to say "oh yeah, we have space on the disc, let's do this!" or "yeah yeah, we can do this as DLC!" or even "we could make this feature online!" I imagine this is especially worrisome for Osaka, who's never done a KH game on a console and may have been thinking of KHIII's scope in more handheld terms.

This dude gets it. I think Nomura is just bummed that he knows he can do so much, but only has x amount of time to do it. If anything, I think that's a good sign.

 

[LightUpTheSky452]

I'm suddenly reminded of Nomura's Iwata Asks interview, and how he answered "yes" to this question: "It sounds like you think that limitations are a part of the process of craft, and if it absolutely must be put in, then it has to be fun, right?", and how he thought that limitations actually helped him weave his story and gameplay elements together.

Suddenly, I feel as though we should have seen this situation coming a long time ago...

Still, I have to sympathize with Nomura here. I know it's not easy when the pressure's on you, and you're trying to make everyone happy (and I can't even imagine it on the scope that he's dealing with it). But I have to stand by what a lot of people are saying about Square-Enix these days: that they should focus on the game that they want to make, rather than what people expect of them.

Tbh, I think that's why a lot of people say the games don't have any heart anymore: because they're going about it mechanically, because they have to, instead of really telling the story that would make it all worthwhile for them.

It's nice that Nomura wants to appeal to everyone, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day... KH is Nomura's baby, and if he's not pleased with it, how can he expect his fans to be?

As long as he loves it, I'm sure that will shine through the game somehow, and the fans will feel that, too, in some way or another. So really... what more can you ask for?

So write your story out to your heart's content, Nomura; edit out the unnecessary parts and gameplay mechanics (and hold onto them for future games, if you wish), and give us the game that you think is the best end to the Dark Seeker Chronicles. The author knows best, after all.

And know that I (and most of your fans, I assume) are behind you and your team one-hundred percent. We've waited a long time for KHIII already, and we can wait a bit longer, if you need us to

 

[king_mickey rule]

Understandable opinion from Nomura-san. Limitations are often needed to have focus in your work, whether it is music, drawing, movies, videogames, etc. If not, the audience will have a very incohesive experience.

WIth videogames, the limitations were more or less forced upon you because of the limitations of the consoles. However, with the new gen consoles, these limitations are less and less clear. Meaning: you need to put up your own limitations.

It's a matter of changing your way of working, but I can get that that might be difficult, especially knowing that the KH franchise skipped a generation of consoles.

 

[Ballad of Caius]

I hope this game does not become the Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 of the PlayStation 4 generation, really. Sega and Sonic Team tried to accomplish so much with that game that they strayed too far with what made the Sonic franchise what people loved, appreciated and adored. I can predict that the testing of this game will be one hell of an experience for Nomura and his team. They have so much power that they will need to constantly revise it in order to maintain a constant of quality and that it feels like a Kingdom Hearts game and not something too big and expansive that feels like something else. Hopefully, Tetsuya Nomura seems worried, so at the least we can expect a Mr. Nomura with a keen eye to assure us that what he is working for is an experience we should all enjoy.

And going out of topic a bit, does anyone else think that, assuming if Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV become blockbuster hits, that Mr. Nomura will become one of Square Enix's most glorious minds since Hironobu Sakaguchi? He has been very busy and dedicated nowadays.

 

[Bobjam]

And going out of topic a bit, does anyone else think that, assuming if Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV become blockbuster hits, that Mr. Nomura will become one of Square Enix's most glorious minds since Hironobu Sakaguchi? He has been very busy and dedicated nowadays.

There is no doubt in my mind that if Both games are successful (in every sense of the word) then Nomura will gain a ridiculous amount of rep from it. The company will never admit it but these two are so so so important to their future as a company. Nomura can do it but no wonder he is nervous...his family must be too for him!

 

[Chaser]

As long as the game doesn't become like Assassins Creed 3 was during development where too many people worked on the game leading to shoddy gameplay experiences and mini-games no one knew were in there, we should be fine.
I do think Nomura is excited by the power of the PS4 as well. From what he's said in past interviews, he's been amazed at the amount of progress that the Osaka team has done. I think he talked about how impressed he was that Sora now rides car-like enemies all around the battle field or something (not to mention the destructible environments. This is practically Nomura's dream!)

 

[Launchpad]

(not to mention the destructible environments. This is practically Nomura's dream!)

If Kingdom Hearts 4 on next-next gen systems doesn't have real time destruction for everything, I'll be very disappointed. I want to actually destroy Disney Castle with my roller coaster in the name of my prophet, Pegleg Pete.

 

[Xickin]

Wait, who's "King"?
...........................

 

[Chaser]

Wait, who's "King"?
...........................

Originally going to be a boss fight in KH2.

 

[Solo]

Along with Kentauros, the Greek equivalent of Centaur, on the right side. My understanding is that they were supposed to be phases during the Xemnas fight, similar to his dragon form, but didn't make it and stayed a concept.

 

[Ballad of Caius]

I hope Mr. Nomura remembers part of the scrapped material they had for every game and finds a way to fit them into Kingdom Hearts III.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I hope Mr. Nomura remembers part of the scrapped material they had for every game and finds a way to fit them into Kingdom Hearts III.

KH3 is not the time to scrape up the old...unless it is BBSv2.

 

[kupo1121]

Along with Kentauros, the Greek equivalent of Centaur, on the right side. My understanding is that they were supposed to be phases during the Xemnas fight, similar to his dragon form, but didn't make it and stayed a concept.

Yeah, they were supposed to be forms of the final boss fight, which, while it would have been cool, given the sheer size of the King, I'm pretty sure, if they were put in KH2, they would have been reduced to reaction commands I mean, how does Sora even attack that thing without doing some ridiculously cool action (something that could only be done through a reaction command) given he wouldn't even have been as big as it's smallest toe.

Sorry for getting off-topic though

 

[Solo]

Yeah, they were supposed to be forms of the final boss fight, which, while it would have been cool, given the sheer size of the King, I'm pretty sure, if they were put in KH2, they would have been reduced to reaction commands I mean, how does Sora even attack that thing without doing some ridiculously cool action (something that could only be done through a reaction command) given he wouldn't even have been as big as it's smallest toe.

Sorry for getting off-topic though

Well, I would just like to point out that the dragon form was also enormous. It's likely that the King and Kentauros forms would have been fought while riding the aerial bike thingy in the same way as when Sora and Riku were taking on the dragon.

 

[Gram]

Originally going to be a boss fight in KH2.

It still irks me we never got this or the behemoths in the 1000 heartless battle. TnT

 

[Xickin]

It still irks me we never got this or the behemoths in the 1000 heartless battle. TnT

Or the Wyverns...
..............................

 

[Max]

So, it sounds to me like they finally have the power to do anything with the game, way more than he anticipated. Not to sound rude or like an ass, but it kind of sounds lazy the way he stated, it didn't sound to me like things would be cut because it wasn't powerful enough, but because it's too powerful and he doesn't know how to fill the gap between consoles (he's kind of jumping from ps2 power to ps4)

 

[Alienator11]

I think his concern is more to do with having the ability to do so much.

When he says they'll have to "give up" things, I think he means trimming the fat and keeping the game from being bloated with everything they want to do. While it's always a bit sad to see things pulled from the game, I think (that Nomura thinks) it'd be worse for the game to have everything, and have that be too much. There's also the stress of all the hype, the fanbase that has been whining for the past seven years for this game. There are a lot of expectations, and like Nomura said, it's his job to make sure the game is satisfying; as good as it can be.

In the past on PS2 and handhelds, the hardware was much more limited and, as a result, the teams had a better idea of their limitations.

On the next-gen hardware, those limits are pushed way beyond what they were before, which makes it very tempting to say "oh yeah, we have space on the disc, let's do this!" or "yeah yeah, we can do this as DLC!" or even "we could make this feature online!" I imagine this is especially worrisome for Osaka, who's never done a KH game on a console and may have been thinking of KHIII's scope in more handheld terms.

Yeah I agree with you, he will probably have to take out the excess ideas that he wanted to add and most people would think of those ideas as too much (for example flick rush or rubbing your dream eater for 10 hours lol) Also the problems or tasks that keep increasing for them may be like a chain like if they wanted to add more side quests (if that was one of his ideas) he would have to add a part to the map for a new secret boss and he would have to implement the disney ride attacks to be applicable (or not applicable) to those places and then see if flowmotion would also work in those places. Then they may have online so they are going to have to change how the bosses look and how/where you attack them, balance the types of keyblades you can use in a free for all (if they have that) and make a places suitable for mirage arena (or it could be called something else but is pretty much the same thing). I don't know if the Osaka team has dealt with DLC but they would have to see how they would implement those things and maybe have to change the different types of keyblades they keep out and see if they want to keep a lot saved for the DLC or a lot added already in the game (like if they wanted to add keychains) they would have to see if those would be OP or not for bosses or online.

Well you get the point even though some of that may have not made sense lol. It would probably be too much of a task since the PS4 is pretty powerful and the possibilities are endless. But those are the types of things I think Nomura wants to cut out of the game be-it part of the ideas I have up there (like take out some side quests) or the whole thing (like multiplayer...hopefully not haha)

 

[kupo1121]

Well, I would just like to point out that the dragon form was also enormous. It's likely that the King and Kentauros forms would have been fought while riding the aerial bike thingy in the same way as when Sora and Riku were taking on the dragon.

Yes it was...yes it was. That or we would have used reaction commands to jump all the way up to the top where there might have been a control room where we faced off against Xemnas (like the portion where we fight Armored Xemnas during the final battle).

Even still though, the dragon portion of the final battle only consists of a few buttons...

Yeah I agree with you, he will probably have to take out the excess ideas that he wanted to add and most people would think of those ideas as too much (for example flick rush or rubbing your dream eater for 10 hours lol)

Honestly, I'm kind of okay with that if that kind of stuff is the stuff he chooses to leave out. KH1 and KH2 were games with great lengths (in terms of stories) but with the PS4 they could easily include multiplayer, larger areas with NPCs, and lots of well-planned sidequests and then some. What I mentioned is all I could ask for...