King Mickey and Yen Sid prepare for an impending threat by putting Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam. Sora and Riku are sent into the Sleeping Worlds, where they will face enemies and allies that have never been seen before. If they can successfully complete the task they are given, they will be deemed true Keyblade Masters.
Dual protagonists
Play as the two most popular characters of the franchise, Sora and Riku.
“Free-flow” action
Enjoy fast and effortless movements while interacting with the environment and performing acrobatic attacks.
Brand-new creatures
Dream Eaters inhabit the Sleeping Worlds, and are split into two categories: Spirits and Nightmares. Recruit over 50 different types of Spirits as allies to fight alongside Sora and Riku.
New Disney worlds
Beloved Disney worlds and characters, such as La Cité des Cloches (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), make their series debut.
Story progression
With updated looks for Sora and Riku, and the impending conflict made clear, this title is a big step forward in the series.
Talk about your favourite game here
http://na.square-enix.com/kh3d/
KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [DREAM DROP DISTANCE] New Trailer
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/2012/05/15/
"A new trailer for KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] was released on the official website! This is a fully English voiced trailer featuring both amazing and highly revealing event scenes as well as a look at the gameplay for this 7th entry to the beloved series!
Pay special attention to the event scenes as they hint at what is looking to be a critical story in the series history. Following the events of KINGDOM HEARTS II, KINGDOM HEARTS 3D takes Sora and Riku into their efforts to pass the Mark of Mastery exam featured in KINGDOM HEARTS Birth By Sleep. This new title unravels mysteries and opens new ones in the 10 year long series.
Look for the full release to NA on July 31st! Follow the official Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/KingdomHearts and Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/KINGDOMHEARTS for KINGDOM HEARTS. And watch Square Enix Members closely for more news on the game as it arrives!
Robert Allen Peeler
Community Manager, not yet a Keyblade Master
@SQEX_Members_NA"
"KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Mark of Mastery Edition"
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/2012/05/16/
"If the brand new 10 minute trailer released yesterday featuring fully voice English cutscenes and gamplay footage for the upcoming KINGDOM HEARTS 3D wasn't enough to get your attention, our latest announcement should do the job. Today we're excited to announce the Mark of Mastery Edition for the North American launch of KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance]!
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/assets_c/2012/05/KH_Osleeve_Front_small-1806.php
Both a series' first for North America, and a not-oft-seen collector's edition of Nintendo 3DS titles (or even Nintendo DS titles); this release of KINGDOM HEARTS 3D is breaking new ground!
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/assets_c/2012/05/120515_KH3D_MarkofMastery_Beauty_small-1809.php
The Mark of Mastery Edition is presented in a beautifully decorated KINGDOM HEARTS themed argyle style both on the outer sleeve and the inner magnetic case. Inside is just as stunning since players can find a variety of Nintendo 3DS supporting goodies:
- KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Game, the seventh entry into the series
- 12 KINGDOM HEARTS 3D Art Cards with chronicled art from the full series
- 5 Augmented Reality (AR) Cards that unlock rare Dream Eaters
- 360° display viewer for in-game Dream Eaters
- Nintendo 3DS Protector Case specially designed for KINGDOM HEARTS 3D
A beautiful package like this is designed with series fans in mind and we're thrilled to finally show it to you. You may also have caught last week the news on preorder incentives for KINGDOM HEARTS 3D. If not, let's take ya to school!
Players who preorder the game will receive a set of three augmented reality (AR) cards that unlock rare Dream Eaters and a 360° viewing stand that allows players to take a closer look at their Dream Eaters from all angles.
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/assets_c/2012/05/3682Meowjesty-1812.php
One wild AR card will randomly unlock one of the three rare Dream Eaters: Ursa Circus, Sudo Neku or Meowjesty. The second AR card unlocks R&R Seal Dream Eater, and the last AR card unlocks the 360° viewing stand.
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/assets_c/2012/05/3684Sudo_Neku-1815.php
Scheduled for release on July 31 for the Nintendo 3DS™ system, the box set will be available for $54.99. Share your thoughts on the new package with us on the official KINGDOM HEARTS Facebook and look forward to more looks at the Mark of Mastery Edition here on Square Enix Members.
Robert Allen Peeler
Community Manager and Keyblade Master Candidate
@SQEX_Members_NA"
GamerLive.TV Interviews SQEX NA Product Manager About KH3D
http://www.kh2.co.uk/kingdom-hearts-3d/news/gamerlive-tv-interviews-sqex-na-product-manager-about-kh3d.php
"GamerLive.TV had managed to conduct an interview from Ryan Masuno, Square Enix North America’s Product Manager about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3D release in North America during PAX East 2012. Masuno explains a bit about how this game’s story falls with the series and a bit about the gameplay as well. You can check out the write up of the interview thanks to KHInsider, right below the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW6YYnqnY6Y&feature=player_embedded
Ryan Masuno: My name is Ryan Masuno. I’m the Product Manager for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance].
GamerLiveTV: A lot of people have been looking forward to this because it’s the debut of the series for Nintendo 3DS. How psyched are you to bring it to another platform?
Masuno: It’s really exciting. It takes advantage of all the 3DS’ capabilities. The 3D integration is amazing, and more importantly, this title is the follow-up to Kingdom Hearts II that fans have been waiting for. You know, the continuation of the story; this is it right here.
GamerLiveTV: Can you give us a little detail of the story; where it’s going this time?
Masuno: So at the beginning of the game, Yen Sid is basically telling the gang ― King Mickey, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku ― that there’s an impending threat coming their way, and that Sora and Riku need to be stronger in order to have a chance against them. Basically, Sora and Riku have a natural ability to use the Keyblade, but they were never properly trained to become Keyblade Masters. So what Yen Sid basically tells them is that he’s going to send them to the sleeping worlds to unlock seven keyholes, and if they come back from that, then they’ll be granted new powers, new abilities, and be considered true Keyblade Masters.
GamerLiveTV: Is the combat about the same as the first two games or is there anything new or exclusive to the 3DS version?
Masuno: The basic combat system is going to feel familiar to anyone who’s played Kingdom Hearts I and II, and some of the other ones like Birth by Sleep, but the new features in this make it even different. There’s a feature called “Flow Motion” ― characters are able to interact with anything in their environment. If there’s a wall, they can kick off of it and perform a really fast stunt-like movement. That can all be chained to attacks, they can be chained to other movements; they can spin off of a wall and hit a pole and spin off of it, and then jump to a rail and ride on it, so once you get the hang of it, you’ll basically be able to free roam around the entire stages. That’s great for movement and for battle. There’s also a feature called “Reality Shift” ― when players are in battle, they can actually enter the bottom screen where they’ll be prompted to input some touch-based contextual inputs, and that’s different for each world. If you perform them correctly, you’ll be able to perform a really powerful attacks on each of the enemies.
GamerLiveTV: Are there going to be some familiar Disney worlds that people have seen in the previous games or are there going to be new ones? How does that work?
Masuno: Every Disney world that you encounter in this game are going to be new to the series.
GamerLiveTV: Can you give us an example of what kind of world you’d expect in the game?
Masuno: We have The Grid from Tron Legacy, the recent movie. We have Fantasia and Hunchback of Notre Dame to name a few.
GamerLiveTV: And the game is coming out actually this summer! It’s just about finished!
Masuno: It’s almost there: July 31st, 2012."
Nomura: Right. Even though he only appears a little bit in the end of KH3D, when Sora was surrounded by Dream Eaters, you see that he smiled because of it.
— I see. Were there certain intentions in that scene with the Dream Eaters?
Nomura: That scene was added in the final stages of production. It wouldn’t feel right to have worked so hard raising the Dream Eaters without some sort of closure. Also, since Sora has obtained the power to open doors into the worlds of sleep, I purposely wanted to show a scene where he used that power.
— Speaking of the previous titles, about when do you start thinking of the ‘next title’?
Nomura: It’s a gradual process. When Kingdom Hearts was in production, I was considering ideas for Kingdom Hearts II and Chain of Memories. And when those two were in production, I was thinking of ideas for the next three, 358/2 Days, Coded, and Birth by Sleep.
— Were you thinking of KH3D when those 3 titles were in production?
Nomura: KH3D was put together relatively quickly, I was still concepting the story when I brought it to the table.
— What about in the secret movie of Birth by Sleep Final Mix…?
Nomura: Well… (Laughs.) Now that you mention it, that secret movie was referred to as “A fragmentary passage”, meaning bits and pieces of something whole. A story connected to Kingdom Hearts exists out of that, but I don’t know whether or not it’ll be told hereafter.
— The secret message and secret movie of KH3D were loaded with things to wonder about. Is it finally time for KH3?
Nomura: I’ll leave that up to everyone’s imagination. Though, it might be a curve ball. (Laughs.)
— Lastly, a message for our readers.
Nomura: We’ve decided to distribute a KH3D demo in North America as well as Japan. You can play part of Sora’s scenario in Traverse Town. So if your friends haven’t played it yet, you can recommend it to them. And of course, give the co-op mini game Flick Rush a try. Also, an unannounced title is being prepared as well, though it’s something lighter. There are still songs continuing to be distributed for Theartrhythm Final Fantasy so you can look forward to that as well."
Nomura: Young Xehanort wasn’t using his own power at that time. The King’s magic was broken because Master Xehanort was assimilating with Young Xehanort. Only “the mark of heresy” was added by Organization XIII.
— It was when the figures started appearing in the thrones.
Nomura: Indeed. Time was stopped just as Master Xehanort was materializing. So he moved his consciousness to Young Xehanort’s body. Reacting to this, King Mickey exclaimed, “That’s impossible!” Young Xehanort was holding a Keyblade that he originally wasn’t able to handle thanks to Master Xehanort’s power. Though the keychain on it is different, the Keyblade he takes out is Master Xehanort’s.
— I see. Young Xehanort himself is still in Destiny Islands and isn’t able to wield a Keyblade yet.
Nomura: Right. Even when he appeared as an additional boss in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, he wasn’t using a Keyblade.
—By the way, Braig’s dealings with Master Xehanort in Birth by Sleep make sense, he was to become a vessel.
Nomura: There is a certain reason for Braig to proudly exclaim, “As for me, I’m already half Xehanort.” Isa (Saix) is included too. I think you’ll understand the details about their circumstances eventually.
— What happens to the hearts of those who have had Master Xehanort’s heart planted within them?
Nomura: They’ll gradually be swallowed by it. As for Master Xehanort, he plans to control them completely. The planted parts of the heart are captured rather than disappear.
— Lea (Axel) ended up playing an unexpected role. I was wondering what was running through your mind when you thought to make him a Keyblade wielder.
Nomura: I figured since he had returned to being human, he wouldn’t have much luck bringing back the people he wanted without some sort of power. Throwing his chakrams doesn’t really count. (Laughs.)
— It’d be bad if he started a fire, huh? (Laughs.) Is he still able to pass through the Corridors of Darkness like before?
Nomura: Diz is also human and can pass through the Corridors of Darkness. Since Lea has the memories of being Axel, he saw the message Ansem wrote on the wall in Radiant Garden and thought that was the only way he could travel. Of course, using the Corridors frequently is dangerous.
— After that, he came to Yen Sid hoping to train.
Nomura: Yes. Since the Mysterious Tower is in an unknown spot, first you have to enter via King Mickey’s world. After that, they’re training in a place where time flows differently, managed by Merlin, the great magician who can exceed time, as well as the Fairies.
— Did he have any prior knowledge?
Nomura: In order to wield a Keyblade, the most important requirement is to be “the owner of a strong heart.” Regardless if it’s a good heart or a bad heart, a strong heart is necessary. Right now there are a lot of things that Lea wants to regain. That desire is connected to the strength of his heart.
— Even though Axel had been eliminated in Kingdom Hearts II, since that time, had you considered having him appear again in his human form Lea?
Nomura: I thought a lot about that. Should I leave him as he was or should I bring him back again? However, when I considered the people that Lea wants to bring back, his existence plays a big role. I think Lea has successively become a key character...
Nomura: When that world’s logo appears, it indicates the boundary between the dream and reality. When Sora arrives, it’s reality and then goes into a world of sleep. Riku arrives in the sleeping world, and as you progress and the world logo appears, that’s when it becomes reality.
— When both of them are in the reality parts, they don’t return to their original bodies. Why is that?
Nomura: It’s because of Yen Sid’s magic that they’ve taken their old forms. If they didn’t return to Yen Sid’s place, their bodies wouldn’t return back to normal. Incidentally, their new outfits were thanks to Yen Sid’s magic as Sora suspected.
— Riku fights a Nightmare wearing a black coat in this world, just who was that?
Nomura: That Nightmare was the personification of the nightmare Sora was having.
— What about Xemnas and Ansem, essentially they weren’t inside anyone, was it due to circumstances of the worlds of sleep?
Nomura: First off, when Young Xehanort made contact with the Brown Robed Figure, that is to say, the Xehanort who called himself Ansem, his abilities were transferred to him. As a result of Master Xehanort tossing his physical body, he was able to exceed time, and this power was carried into the Brown Robed Figure. Thus when Young Xehanort made contact with him, he gained this power. Possessing this power. Young Xehanort functioned as a “portal”, summoning Xemnas and Ansem each time they appeared. That’s why Young Xehanort was there whenever they appeared. Additionally, when Sora and Riku dropped into the worlds of sleep, simultaneously Young Xehanort himself goes into the world of sleep.
— What about Vanitas?
Nomura: Vanitas is different than Xemnas and Ansem; he doesn’t necessarily have a physical form. He reacted to Ventus within Sora, so that’s how he was visible.
— After generating and before attacking Sora, were Xemnas and Ansem somewhere that exceeded beyond time?
Nomura: That’s right...
Nomura: Overall, people seem to think the story this time was difficult to understand. (Wry laughter.)
— The setup certainly was different and trickier than before. In their travels this time they were essentially supposed to go to the worlds shut by sleep, but in the end, an entirely different world sets the stage.
Nomura: There are other worlds shut by sleep, from the start which ones they would go to was not decided. Even Yen Sid didn’t know which worlds they would go to. Amidst that, they were guided by two members of Organization XIII to the World That Never Was.
— What about when Riku looked upon the Brown Robed Figure and dived into another world, was it assumed he’d join Organization XIII?
Nomura: Since they knew he’d wake up soon, it’s reasonable to assume as much, but that wasn’t necessarily why the Organization had guided him. Still, they weren’t ready to completely give up on Riku, they wanted to win him over into the Organization. However, Riku had developed a resistance to darkness and as a result, they gave up.
— Riku really rose to the occasion, especially in the final battle, shouting lines like, “Still there?”
Nomura: As tension leading to the end of the story, I steadily added bosses that weren’t originally planned since it’d feel anticlimactic without a battle. As I was making progress writing the scenarios, I called the Osaka development team and asked if they could add more. The battle with the armor after the last dive was one that they added for me, I didn’t think it’d be clearly understood without a fight sequence.
— Riku had a lot going on this time. In comparison to Sora, he has the charm of a dark hero type. How do you see him?
Nomura: Riku grows while carrying various troubles with him, he’s a lot like a retro Square hero I think. Final Fantasy-esque, so to speak. On the other hand, I made Sora the sort of character you wouldn’t see in a retro Square game.
— Sora’s just a regular boy, huh. Why isn’t he the daring hero type?
Nomura: There is the thought that the player is equal to Sora. Naturally, there are people who are not like Sora. (Laughs.) But I had the premise that a heart like Sora’s exists within all the players. Sora is “ordinary”, therefore everyone is “ordinary”. I figure even if you’re “ordinary”, for something important everyone can exhibit a special power just like Sora...
"KH3D Director Interview in Famitsu Weekly"
http://sqex.info/2012/05/kh3d-director-interview-in-famitsu-weekly/
"The latest issue of Famitsu Weekly featured an interview with Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance director Tetsuya Nomura where he shares details about the latest title as well as hints towards the next entry into the series. I previously published some details prior to it’s release thanks to Japanese bloggers and now I have translated a complete version of the interview. Some of the details published before were in correct, so please look out for those.
Much of this interview is similar to what was published in the Ultimania interviews and more details about certain scenarios can be read in the translations of those interviews.
Please be warned now, this interview contains a lot of information that could be considered a spoiler if you haven’t played the game yet. Those who wish to experience these mysteries for yourself, I’d advise not to read any further.
"Who Came Up With Kindom Hearts 3D's Drop System?
Co director Tai Yasue discusses drops, dreams and more in new interview."
http://andriasang.com/con103/kh3d_drop_system/
"One of the primary new systems for Kingdom Hearts 3D is its "Drop System." This system forces players to switch control between main characters Sora and Riku.
So who came up with the Drop System? The answer.. isn't really much of a surprise.
In an interview with the May 10 issue of Weekly Famitsu (released on April 26), which was posted in part today at Famitsu.com (http://www.famitsu.com/news/201205/14014575.html), co-director Tai Yasue revealed that Tetsuya Nomura made the request for a system which forces the playable character to change.
Yasue joked that his reaction to the request was a feeling of fear. He was concerned that this would change the tempo we've seen from the KH series thus far.
Players might have noticed the KH3D keeps track of your drop count -- that is, the number of times you switch between Sora and Riku. This, explained Yasue, is just for show, similar to how the game displays your play time. The count does not have any other effect on the game.
Another major feature of KH3D's gameplay is its "free flow action" system, where you make use of walls and poles as you dart through the stages. This also came about following discussions with Nomura.
Originally, the staff began working on the free flow gameplay by using Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep data. They planned for two or three days, developed for one or two weeks, and ended up with the basic shape that we're seeing in KH3D. Once this gameplay direction was in place, they did not stray from it, although they did add new elements.
Elsewhere in the interview, Yasue discussed the game's Dream Eater collectible creatures component. Dream Eaters are used in mini games, including a card-themed game called "Flick Rush". Flick Rush, which supports wireless multiplayer play, was originally planned to make use of the systems' camera. You'd be able to take a picture of your friend and use that in the mini game. Nomura did not approve of this idea, so they went back to the drawing board and came up with the final trump-based system."
- "It's about time that Kingdom Hearts should go back to being on a console”
http://ds.rpgsite.net/news/1647-tetsuya-nomura-its-about-time-that-kingdom-hearts-should-go-back-to-being-on-a-console
“The most obvious question centred on possible HD remasters for Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. Square Enix is currently working on Final Fantasy X for PS3 and Vita so it would only make sense for KH to as well. To that Nomura said, "I do have an interest in HD versions, and I'm currently researching them. If it is possible, I would like to do something about the series being spread over so many different consoles, too. I am thinking a lot about the future."
Implying KH 3 and HD will be multiplatform :) When asked about a Vita title:
“When asked about a possible game on the PlayStation Vita, Nomura explained that "The PS Vita is definitely a powerful device that is very interesting, but because of it's high power, there isn't much of a difference with a console. So even if we were to make a game, we would have to be very careful about how to create it for that device. I also feel that it's about time that Kingdom Hearts should go back to being on a console.”
Nomura hinting at an announcement of a KH3 might very be an indication that the work on Versus is coming along at a steady pace and that the game is heading to its final stages of development. Its very possible that Versus XIII might be the big title for SE Japan in 2013.
Or this could all be wishful thinking and Versus is stuck in development ****.
Boooooooooo
besides i don't know why ppl get hype up about it, it won't be a JRPG like others was do you remember FF7-DoC that was a action RPG well FF13v be that a action RPG.
"would-like-to-ask-for-your-patience-on-final-fantasy-versus-xiii "
how much patience we should have a week, a month. a year.
2006 is was reveal you can called it a sony SE turkey of a game news it wasn't in development just a demo & a announcement.
& it was said it as a Ps3 exclusive well 2012 now Ps orbis be reveal FF13v be on that SE has done a SCEE on us.
just like SCEE misleading misform delays etc etc.
E3 is not far off. :|