Roundtable Chat with Tetsuya Nomura at E3 2015!
- Details
- Published on June 20, 2015 @ 04:01 pm
- Written by Arielle
Cecily, Sophearum, and myself alongside Mike & Andy from DisneyExaminer, Alex from Kingdom Hearts Destiny, Branden from Kingdom Hearts Union, Churro from KH13 were lucky enough to get the chance to meet Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura and chat with him briefly about Kingdom Hearts 3 which made its grand reappearance this past week at E3 2015!
We thank Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura for having made all of this possible!
Tetsuya Nomura's autograph for Sophearum
--How did magic evolve for Kingdom Hearts 3?
Nomura: When it comes to magic in Kingdom Hearts 3, we really wanted to try to leave an effect on the surrounding environment. In the trailer when Sora would cast Blizzard, the blast would leave behind a sheet of ice for Sora to slide on, and when he cast Aero in a field, the wind would make an impression in the grass.
We are hoping to achieve those types of lasting effects in the world with the new magic skills, so please look forward to them.
--Are there any plans for further communication with fans online as a means of delivering news, such as through livestreaming (example: Final Fantasy’s Letter to the Producer / Active Time Report) or the Message to the Kingdom blog?
Nomura: Unfortunately, that is not possible for us. The reason for this is because of the risks involved when we actually do livestreaming for Kingdom Hearts. While we are able to hold livestreams frequently for Final Fantasy, it is a much more different process with due consideration to Disney. Even participating in Square Enix Presents here at E3 is a very delicate situation due to the risk of revealing information accidentally.
--What was your inspiration for Chirithy in Kingdom Hearts X[chi]?
When we were developing Kingdom Hearts X[chi], the development staff really wanted to introduce a guide for the Player character that would aid them throughout their journey. I thought a lot about how this character would appear as. This all took place before I acquired my own cats, but I had always wanted a Scottish Fold and decided to create Chirithy* based off of that breed.
--How do you select which attractions to use for Attraction Flow, and which rides do you like the best?
Nomura: We look at all the attractions in the Disney parks worldwide, particularly the ones that appear to be popular. We revealed a new Attraction Flow in the latest trailer based off of the Mad Tea Party with Sora, Donald and Goofy spinning around in teacups, but I was actually very surprised by the overwhelming positive feedback from the Western fans for them, as they are not as flashy as the other rides.
As for my favorite rides, I really like Disney World’s Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
--In Kingdom Hearts I & II we were used to have a Disney character joining our party in each new world Sora and his friends visit. Will this mechanic be present in Kingdom Hearts 3?
Nomura: Right, the idea of having a Disney character joining your party was an important part of KH 1 & 2, so, yes you will be able to have Disney characters joining your team across the game, not just as a temporary party member in the worlds, but also as summons.
--How is the Kingdom Shader being used in Kingdom Hearts 3?
The goal of the Kingdom Shader is to evoke the feel of the brush paintings in each unique Disney world, just as we had always aimed to do. We are working to accomplish all of these different styles so that they will be properly reflected in each world in order to do the Disney properties justice, and we also have to decide if we will use them or go for a more realistic shader in certain worlds. The original worlds, however, will continue to use the same style.
--How was your time at E3? Were you able to check out any other games?
Nomura: Unfortunately I was too busy with interviews and was not able to see the other games being exhibited. I did, however, watch the first party press conferences online. I particularly liked Guerrilla Game’s Horizon: Zero Dawn and Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’sGhost Recon.
--Was Kingdom Hearts 3 always planned to be released for the new generation of consoles?
Nomura: To be honest, it was not. It just so happened that the timing happened to work out in this situation. When the time came that we were ready and able to begin work on Kingdom Hearts 3, the Playstation 4 and Xbox One had just been introduced, so the best decision for us was to develop KH3 for the new consoles.
*Note: Tetsuya Nomura pronounced Chirithy "Chirishii", but his translator pronounced it "Chirithy"
Don't forget to visit our friends on their websites:
DisneyExaminer | Kingdom Hearts Destiny | Kingdom Hearts Union | KH13
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COMMENTS
Awesome interview guys and congratulations for being able to sit down with Nomura and ask him about none other than KH3 and ask great questions. I definitely wanted an answer to the live streaming, ATR question myself and it is actually very enlightening to hear about the fact it is more complicated due to Disney's stake in the game. In fact after seeing the two Disney execs video talk about tangled in kh3 I think it is obvious now that this will be Disney's biggest involvement in a kh game so far which is a great thing in all honesty!
I'm surprised Nomura is surprised that we love the teacups so much. It's the friggin' teacups, man!!
While the teacups may not be as flashy as the other two attractions we've seen, it's definitely the most fun looking, and, like most people, I like fun. Flashy doesn't automatically mean fun.
Was wondering if you guys were going to do this. Should have pulled the envelope a little bit more but that's fine. Glad to hear about the attraction flow. Could we see Disney's Tomorrowland in the game and have Sora use Space Mountain! Great interview from you guys.
I always wanted to eide the Tez Cup ride once, rode Tower of Terror, didn't scream at all.
Great interview.
I'm very happy we got Chirithy's pronunciation out of that though~
I am not a big fan of the attraction flow, seems like a gimmick to me. I hope that it is optional like summons, in which case I'm not going to use it. I feel like it'll take me out of the experience and it'll be a "press O to win" type of deal, which I'm not a fan of at all. I know Nomura said no more reaction commands, but I think it'll live on through attraction flow, which is no bueno.
Yeah, I'm really excited to see what will come of Disney's involvement because this really feels like the first game in the series besides KH1 where it feels substantial.
secretly hoping this paves the way for adorable KH tsumtsums and Disney Infinity figures and a reference in WIR2
The teacups beg to be rode when you are at Disneyland/Disney World because you HAVE to.
This is more like Nomura dropped a huge KH3-related news bomb in our faces this month. :o
Really want Sora to be able to summon an elevator carriage now that falls from the sky and sends blasts of lightning out upon impact.
Really liked Nomura's input about his favorite rides. Its leaning towards seeing tower of terror and rock n roller coaster attraction flow. With that being said I got this weird thought of Sora and Steven Tyler playing on "keytars" riding on the rock n roller coaster into an army of heartless..
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