Newsweek interviews Tai Yasue on Kingdom Hearts 3
- Details
- Published on January 2, 2019 @ 09:55 pm
- Written by Sign
KINGDOM HEARTS 3 will be releasing on January 29th, 2019. As the long-awaited conclusion to the ongoing Xehanort saga and the first in the series to be released on current-gen consoles, Kingdom Hearts 3 boasts a large variety of new Disney worlds, inventive gameplay mechanics and a mind-bending story that will have players glued to the edge of their seats at every moment. With such a highly anticipated title now within reach,Newsweek took the opportunity to interview Co-Director Tai Yasue on the game's development.
Kingdom Hearts 3 introduces two new mechanics to the series: wall climbing and abilities utilizing theme park rides in battle, dubbed "Attraction Flow". The wall climbing mechanic was born out of the desire to create worlds with opportunities to expand the height, scale and sense of discovery far beyond that of previous entries. Whereas for the Attraction Flow system, they wanted to create something unique to Kingdom Hearts, and one that is recognized as a quintessential part of the Disney experience.
Game Director Tetsuya Nomura came up with the concept, while I did the game design for the various rides, and the art team handled the artwork. From there, we had a team of 3D artists, animators, engineers and special effects artists working to implement the concept into the game. We wanted to make sure the rides had universal appeal, so we had weekly meetings with over 30 developers to discuss our opinions on game design and graphics, adjusting each ride until we felt we had really nailed it.
It can't be understated just how much love and care went into creating so many different worlds with their own unique flair and style, as well as bringing these beloved characters to life. However, development didn't come without its challenges.
It was similar to a roller coaster experience, with a lot of ups, downs and wild turns. Although at times it was a difficult and stressful experience, it was always exciting because we had a huge development team with specialists in so many fields. We had technical animators working full time on hair, engineers who could calculate and code the realistic movement of waves, and special effect designers who created dust particles in the air that would react to the movement of characters. We even had an expert who made dandelion seeds look extra fluffy!
Yasue has been involved with the Kingdom Hearts series for well over a decade now, and in that time, he's been able to work closely with Series Director Tetsuya Nomura. With someone like him at the helm, working on a major franchise like this certainly gets interesting.
I’ve come to expect the unexpected. Nomura is a creative force that takes us to unexpected places and it’s been an exhilarating experience to expand on his vision. He has a lot of unconventional ideas, like the LCD mini-games that took us by surprise, but when we actually build on those ideas it somehow fits within the Kingdom Hearts universe in a fun way. It has taken some getting used to but I’ve learned to trust his ideas and run as far as I possibly can with them.
And of course, they had to ask what his favorite part of the game is. After years of working on Kingdom Hearts 3, there's nary a thing Yasue doesn't like, but if he had to choose, it'd have to be the Gummi Ship customization.
Compared to previous Kingdom Hearts games there’s a lot more materials and parts to choose from; you can attach unique skins such as denim, cardboard, fire and cheese, and attach cute figures such as kittens and puppies. Don’t ask me why but I’m currently trying to make a flying ramen stand that shoots fireballs.
Read the full interview on Newsweek.
COMMENTS
New properties for a new audience makes sense but hopefully there's a better balance next time.
New properties for a new audience makes sense but hopefully there's a better balance next time.
Agreed. Depending on how many Disney worlds are in the next game they could dedicate two or three slots to older Disney films
Not planning to reveal is equal to 'There are no more new worlds?' It's a honest question, my english is not that good
Not planning to reveal is equal to 'There are no more new worlds?' It's a honest question, my english is not that good
It is phrased a little weird, but yea that's how I read it.
Not planning to reveal is equal to 'There are no more new worlds?' It's a honest question, my english is not that good
Yeah, that means no more Disney world announcements, we've got them all!
Not planning to reveal is equal to 'There are no more new worlds?' It's a honest question, my english is not that good
That is most likely what it means given context and other announcements that have been made.
But no, the phrase on its own actually just means they don't intend to announce other worlds. In fact, it actually implies there are more worlds but they won't be revealed. However, based on the rest of the advertising and the previous statement that all worlds would be revealed before release of the game, it almost definately means that we have seen every movie to he included.
So that means 7 Disney worlds (8 including 100 acre wood) total? I think KH2 has around 10 or 11 so these worlds are probably a lot more fleshed out and/or there’s a lot more gameplay in Kingdom Hearts unique worlds.
So that's it all of the Disney Worlds have been Announced well here's hoping the Next Saga could Have more New Worlds (And maybe More 2D Worlds in the Next Saga)
Pumped to watch the memory saga.
In regrades to Disney worlds we also have the possibility of DLC. Just a thought.
jesus christ you guys are going to be hung up about the world count for eternity, aren’t you
jesus christ you guys are going to be hung up about the world count for eternity, aren’t you
I feel like a world for DLC seems like one of the most unlikely things ever. I'd love to be wrong but I don't know if they'd even hold the same allure not being woven into the main story and part of the journey.
edit: I've also been pretty grateful that they haven't been discussing post launch plans and really making it feel like this is one big self contained entry and that stuff will be a consideration after.
I'm not too upset at only eight Disney worlds. I just wish they had told us much sooner. Hashimoto could have easily mentioned that 100 Acre Woods was the last one during X018.
Guys, there is so much good content in this article besides the world count ;A;
MAKING A RAMEN STAND THAT SHOOTS FIREBALLS? Yasue are you kidding me xD I'm so ready to see just what kind of additions have been added to the Gummi Builder.
Kittens and puppies mean this game is going to be the cutest KH game ever.
Guys, there is so much good content in this article besides the world count ;A;
MAKING A RAMEN STAND THAT SHOOTS FIREBALLS? Yasue are you kidding me xD I'm so ready to see just what kind of additions have been added to the Gummi Builder.
Kittens and puppies mean this game is going to be the cutest KH game ever.
First it was Ramen hats, now Ramen ships! The madness never stops.
I don’t know of any other game where you can summon theme park rides, have your weapon dynamically transform, ride several types of robots and a pirate ship, explore underwater caves, fight alongside toys, become a monster, create your own spaceship, collect recipes and cook French food, and play over 20 old school 2D LCD games while exploring vast 3D environments. This game is a celebration of gaming, old and new. |
Me too, Yasue, me too.
I hope people recognise the achievements Osaka have done with this game, and the amount of differing content created for the game, rather than getting hung up on pointless and minute problems.
Me too, Yasue, me too.
I hope people recognise the achievements Osaka have done with this game, and the amount of differing content created for the game, rather than getting hung up on pointless and minute problems.
Some people will always get hung up on the minutia until they can experience it. It seems to be more and more common in games these days which is unfortunate, sucks the magic right out of everything. The puddle "issue" with Spider-Man comes to mind.
Some people will always get hung up on the minutia until they can experience it. It seems to be more and more common in games these days which is unfortunate, sucks the magic right out of everything. The puddle "issue" with Spider-Man comes to mind.
The PuddleGate issue was one of the stupidest controversies I've ever seen in gaming. My lord, gamers need to get a hobby outside of gaming.
Me too, Yasue, me too.
I hope people recognise the achievements Osaka have done with this game, and the amount of differing content created for the game, rather than getting hung up on pointless and minute problems.
"No Jungle Book area?!??!!?1? 0/10 OsAkA RuInEd KiNgDOm HeaRtS"
The PuddleGate issue was one of the stupidest controversies I've ever seen in gaming. My lord, gamers need to get a hobby outside of gaming.
Yea I was really hoping it would be one of those moments for those types of gamers as a whole where they realize how thinking like that can snowball out of control.
Yep. This game is INSANE. Sometimes I forget!
Thankfully the fact that the world criticism is so recurrent means it isn't a problem that's minute or pointless to most of the fandom. I hope SE files that away and remembers it for the next game.
Can't wait to see all the weird Gummi Ships everyone will make!
Happy it's finally confirmed 100 Acre Wood was the last Disney world, but hooo boy was it a bad idea to not say so sooner.
I get wanting to bring in new people with using the recent movies, but they really better have a nicer balance next time. I wanted to see Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding. ;~;
I think I'm going to make a Gummi Ship thread for everyone to post their designs in. I always loved designing new ships in KHII, my favorite one being my recreation of the sword in the stone from... well, The Sword in the Stone.
I do think the smaller amount of worlds without a diverse offering will eventually be a big negative on KH3's part, but I see why they chose to take this route. The worlds look amazing, and they are bigger than ever with a lot to do on each map. Osaka has done an amazing job!
I imagine in a world where Monsters Inc. and Frozen and 100 Acre Wood weren't leaked a whole year before their announcement, their inclusion would have been satisfying enough to not make us all continuously beg for more worlds.
That said, I feel as though we all have complained enough about this. I don't think we need to circle around the same exhausted topic for the hundredth time.
Can't wait to see all the weird Gummi Ships everyone will make!
You know what would be cool? A way for us to share blueprints with others across the web. Like a community Gummi blueprint hub.
| Happy it's finally confirmed 100 Acre Wood was the last Disney world, but hooo boy was it a bad idea to not say so sooner. |
Yeah, that should have been clarified right after they released the 100 Acre Wood trailer.
| I get wanting to bring in new people with using the recent movies, but they really better have a nicer balance next time. I wanted to see Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding. ;~; |
Right ;~~~~; We can dream about it in KH(4?). It is the only reason why I would want to return to Agrabah after spending 15+ years and all of UX there.
First it was Ramen hats, now Ramen ships! The madness never stops.
RAMEN EVERYTHING. Just as long as I don't see a Cup Noodle Gummi Ship, I'm happy!
I think I'm going to make a Gummi Ship thread for everyone to post their designs in. I always loved designing new ships in KHII, my favorite one being my recreation of the sword in the stone from... well, The Sword in the Stone.
I'm ready to bring the donut back.
Thankfully the fact that the world criticism is so recurrent means it isn't a problem that's minute or pointless to most of the fandom. I hope SE files that away and remembers it for the next game.
People on other discussion boards and social media have largely moved on. Unfortunately for us, it's invaded our threads like a cancer and members absolutely refuse to let it go and continue to derail threads over it lol
Don't think we don't know who in this thread have already looked at the leaks and knew what worlds are in this game, yet insisted on posting about the world count regardless ;)
I always felt kh2 had too many worlds. Especially since a lot of them have very little to do with the plot.
Well, I agree with Yasue on one thing. I never really understood the Gummi Ship builder. I always just used the presets. I’d sacrifice the builder for more FF characters hehe.
I'm ready to bring the donut back.
Oh, you bet your A$$ I'm making another donut for III! Even if you can't cheese the gummi ships that way anymore, it's still worth it.
Btw, was I the only one that sunk like 15 hours into gummi ship customization and battles in KHII?
I always felt kh2 had too many worlds. Especially since a lot of them have very little to do with the plot.
I wouldn't even say too many, just too little to do in them/terrible level design. I still cannot fathom how people aren't bored out of their minds when they visit Land of Dragons early in the game. I'm serious, I almost stopped playing the game as a little kid when I got to Land of Dragons because I cared so little.
Oh, you bet your A$$ I'm making another donut for III! Even if you can't cheese the gummi ships that way anymore, it's still worth it.
Btw, was I the only one that sunk like 15 hours into gummi ship customization and battles in KHII?
I wouldn't even say too many, just too little to do in them/terrible level design. I still cannot fathom how people aren't bored out of their minds when they visit Land of Dragons early in the game. I'm serious, I almost stopped playing the game as a little kid when I got to Land of Dragons because I cared so little.
Land of dragons isn’t even the biggest offender it’s the pride lands.
Just as long as I don't see a Cup Noodle Gummi Ship, I'm happy!
BET!!! I'll make the greatest cup noodle ship there is.
Land of dragons isn’t even the biggest offender it’s the pride lands.
Land of Dragons, Pride Lands, Atlantica, Agrabah, and Port Royal are worlds I could have easily done without in KH2.
Land of dragons isn’t even the biggest offender it’s the pride lands.
Honestly, can't argue with that. Isn't Pride Lands technically optional though?
Come to think of it, there's a lot of Disney worlds that disappoint me in II. Port Royal, Atlantica, Land of Dragons, Beast's Castle, Halloweentown, Aladdin... even Timeless River only gets away with what it does because of the aesthetic imo. The plot of that world is honestly not that great.
(the caribbean looks great though and I swear I don't hate everything in KHII don't kill me plz)
Couldn't really do much to salvage the Pridelands. Sure the world was a barren wasteland, but that's how it was at that point in the Lion King film thanks to Scar.
That's kind of why worlds weren't a big deal to me quantity-wise. There were a few in 2 I just wanted to skip every time.
I was surprised when I did my series replay recently that I found my self kind of anxiously going through 2 to get a lot of it "over with."
Which is why the worlds in KH3 will be better than KH2 because they actually utilize the film's characters, their world, and their stories to serve a purpose to the overall plot of the game. Less worlds doesn't mean a lesser plot. Instead, it means they have been able to take time and craft a more structured story.
Which is why the worlds in KH3 will be better than KH2 because they actually utilize the film's characters, their world, and their stories to serve a purpose to the overall plot of the game. Less worlds doesn't mean a lesser plot. Instead, it means they have been able to take time and craft a more structured story.
That's what I've been hoping and thinking! Not going to lie when I first saw the footage from the premiere event and heard "You've got a friend in me" playing as the world theme I was smiling ear to ear instinctively.
That's kind of why worlds weren't a big deal to me quantity-wise. There were a few in 2 I just wanted to skip every time.
I was surprised when I did my series replay recently that I found my self kind of anxiously going through 2 to get a lot of it "over with."
Exactly. What's the point of lots of Disney worlds if they're as uninspired as they have been in II or Birth by Sleep & DDD?
You know what? Birth by Sleep & DDD actually tried a little, at least with the level design. This conversation is for KHII, whose only platforming segment is a final mix section, Cavern of Remembrance (which for the record is pretty great and reminds me a lot of an area from End of the World with sick platforming).
If III's platforming is even slightly more varied than II, I will be satisfied. Some might prefer combat, but I have always appreciated level design, and neither seem to be lacking here. [strike]Also I love platformers way too much uwu[/strike]
Don't think we don't know who in this thread have already looked at the leaks and knew what worlds are in this game, yet insisted on posting about the world count regardless ;)
Uh...? :confused: I made my post because it was already being talked about in this thread. The whole first page was about the world count.
Uh...? :confused: I made my post because it was already being talked about in this thread. The whole first page was about the world count.
Which the first part of my post was responding to. This obsession over the world count isn't a widespread issue within the community. It just so happens that people here only ever want to talk about it. Hell, I intentionally left it out of the article and that's still all anyone wants to discuss.
The part that you're choosing to isolate for some reason is a jab at other members lol
I'm so glad you decided not to highlight the world thing or even put it in the title here. I think other websites like KH13 highlighted it and I can only imagine how much of a mistake that'll turn out to be.
Maybe you should have put "Tai Yasue is a dork for noodle ships in III" as the title instead
I hope there's an option to upload/download gummi ship presets, i've always been bad at making them properly
Somehow Cheese being an option is more outlandish and crazy then pets or Ramen, lol. Seriously who would want Cheese?
Somehow Cheese being an option is more outlandish and crazy then pets or Ramen, lol. Seriously who would want Cheese?
I mean, II had a LOT of skins for your gummi blocks. My personal favorite was the heartless skin, that always looked SO cool on my mega donut.
The part that you're choosing to isolate for some reason is a jab at other members lol
I am crazy excited about designing Gummi Ships this time around and that’s coming from someone who has never once opened the Gummi Editor in KH2. Looking back at the textures of the ship designs shown during TGS has me really excited for the different materials we can build them out of like denim, cardboard, etc. I also really hope those puppies and kittens are Disney-related. It’s be a cute way to incorporate Disney critter cameos that will probably never get their own world like Aristocats.
As far as world count goes. while we’re getting less worlds this time, it means we’re getting better world designs. Also, Kingdom Hearts 4 is left with some material to work with, which could help us get it sooner compared to the gap between KH2 and 3, which I believe was a result of the former using so many of the most successful Disney properties released at the time of its production. Thanks to KH3 not taking everything from the barrel, I could easily see early production for KH4 starting as soon as next year with Wreck-It Ralph, Brave, Incredibles, PatF, Moana, and Zootopia forming its foundation along with the possibility of Toy Story and Frozen returning thanks to their upcoming sequels.
I wanted more worlds, as most of you are aware, but I understand why the developers went this route and I think it is best for the series’ future. Of course, this doesn’t excuse thei lousy marketing and not telling us when the last world had been revealed.
(Btw, miss me with the whole “KH3 needs to pull out all the stops because it’s the end of the saga†argument. I’ve heard it and I get the point. But KH3 really only needs to do that with the original story and with the Disney worlds it does feature. I don’t think cramming more propertiess in for the sake of variety would benefit the resolution of this saga. If anything, it might would dilute the conflict too much.)
Why did it take so long for KH3?
Tai Yasue: "One of the main factors was the decision to switch the game engine to develop the game. Our current engine is great in terms of developing a high end AAA title, but because there was a change in technology and work flows, it took some time for the team to adapt and adjust."
Haha I knew that KH3 was delayed was because of this & so many here told me that it wasn't the case. Glad it's confirmed now.
Why did it take so long for KH3?
Tai Yasue: "One of the main factors was the decision to switch the game engine to develop the game. Our current engine is great in terms of developing a high end AAA title, but because there was a change in technology and work flows, it took some time for the team to adapt and adjust."
Haha I knew that KH3 was delayed was because of this & so many here told me that it wasn't the case. Glad it's confirmed now.
It wasn't delayed in the way everyone framed it as. It was announced in 2013 and started development in 2014. Sometime early in development the game switched from luminous engine to unreal engine 4, hence pushing development back as new assets had to be recreated for unreal engine. 2015 was when we first got a trailer build of the game on current engine. So, in short, the technology switch he references could be called a delay of sorts, though not without a good reason, unlike FFXV (which just sat in development hell).
EDIT: also, this has been widely known since 2014, I believe. Surprised that no one brought this up before to you.
"No Jungle Book area?!??!!?1? 0/10 OsAkA RuInEd KiNgDOm HeaRtS"
I know I know but Hey who knows maybe The Next Saga could Have Disney Worlds that haven't appeared yet like The Jungle Book you mentioned and Treasure Planet, Pocahontas, Atlantis, Ralph, The Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, Moana, Coco, Incredibles Brave and maybe some returning ones like Toy Story, Lion King 2, Agrabah and Frozen
Why did it take so long for KH3?
Tai Yasue: "One of the main factors was the decision to switch the game engine to develop the game. Our current engine is great in terms of developing a high end AAA title, but because there was a change in technology and work flows, it took some time for the team to adapt and adjust."
Haha I knew that KH3 was delayed was because of this & so many here told me that it wasn't the case. Glad it's confirmed now.
Yeah, we've known about this since 2014. What people told you wasn't the case was that there hasn't been a delay that actually pushed back any confirmed release date until June 2018. Before that it was just development bumps, and we knew all about that.
#1 I’m very glad that the worlds is confirmed so that the people who were worrying about it sometimes can just relax and wait. Life’s too short to worry about number of KH worlds in my opinion lol ;)
#2 It’s interesting about what people do for the game. I guess Nomura is more of the overall storyteller and the others make sure mainly that the game looks and feels good too. I guess I always pictured Nomura in a cramped office frantically writing and drawing and designing every little thing with a lot of coffee and stuff to keep him going. One man show folks that’s why KH3 took so long heh ;)
#3 Noodle cup Gummi ship? Oh yeah BRING IT ONNNNN!!!!!!
It's time Square Enix recognized Tai Yasue's excellent career and let him become the Director of a FINAL FANTASY game. Give him a spinoff to test the waters, and then have him direct FFXVI, but Square is a tad short on the directors venue.
...or do a crossover and have Enix personnel handle a FF game for once.
Zettaflare
January 2, 2019 @ 10:47 pmOffline