Nomura: Yep. The plans as well as all the choices were all by the staff. There were some designs I had to decline, but mostly all of it was implemented into the game.





- Will you also consider adding these decorations into [KHIII]?





Nomura: I'm still not sure. Since [KH0.2] is a short episode, the plan was to add them in to give some sort of additional content for replay value. As for [KH3], there are already plenty of other factors implemented for that sort of replay value, so it all depends on the state of development as time goes on.



- Without a doubt, having the triangle mark appear on the screen would almost make someone push it out of reflex.

Nomura: You did get a feeling like it was shouting at you, "Push it!" right? After all, the purpose was meant to be to signify that the command is prepared and ready to use, so not liking this forceful impression it had, we scrapped it. I wanted to treat it more like your options for battle had opened.



- Such considerate thoughts are what contribute and heighten the quality of [KH]. Additionally, the representation of enemies was also a highlight. The enemies seen in [KHIII]'s trailers made appearances which was exciting to see.



Nomura: We also remade the enemy models from scratch. Each staff member responsible for the models did countless before-the-matter tests in order to present the enemies in the most [KH]-esque way. I think the fruits of their labour definitely shine through. I think this title is one the staff definitely grew quite fond of.



- Especially the Devil's Wave boss, we really felt the determination put into it. We were able to enjoy the battle to our heart's content.



Nomura: That boss, between the first time and last time you see it, its movement pattern and appearance changes, as does its name, first being the "Devil's Tower" and at last the "Devil's Wave". The Osaka team put particular effort in this enemy, so much so that even when reaching a time in development where we could no longer tamper with the contents of the game, called "Datalock", the staff in charge, with strong aspiration, pushed onward until the very last moments, constantly fine tuning it. [KH0.2]'s development time was short, so even staff working simultaneously on [KHIII] stepped in to help. Even so, the time devoted to it wasn't actually long and I think we did all we could with that time.



- In [KH0.2]'s opening, Utada Hikaru's "Hikari -Ray of Hope MIX-" played in the background and left such an impression on us. We were so happy.



Nomura: We are always approaching Utada-San, and this time the timing was good. Most of all, I think that the constant heartfelt shouts from fans all over the world had a big impact on her decision.

: We brushed them up according to the opinions and feedback we received from the demo versions. Especially for the graphics, we put a lot of work into fine tuning the lighting, where I couldn't help but think that Aqua had become quite cute, even more so than before (laughs). According to the time we had, we tried as much as possible to polish up [KH0.2], and we will only just continue to improve as [KHIII] approaches.: I used things like Flowmotion from the game before this one, [KH3D], to create action that was even more thrilling than before. In regard to the [KH] series, [KH3D] was an important step forward toward its evolution, so focusing on that idea I concentrated on developing actions that involved even more valiant, dynamic movements, ones where you'd think, "that's overdoing it". These sorts of magnificent and dazzling actions I used as concepts.: [KH0.2] is the first game to represent these concepts as a [KH] game created for current generation consoles. Therefore, in regards to those concepts, from [KH0.2] onward the [KH] series will change completely from what was seen before. Even the CG models you see in [KH0.2], not a single model from prior was able to be used, so even the bones (A CG model's joints, which connects parts of the skeletal structure) have been completely changed, meaning all actions have additionally been remodeled from the ground up. All this considered, we aimed to create something that would not tamper with the regular feel you expect from a [KH] game, while also aiming to implement those exhilarating actions previously described.: About magic, instead of the usual “fire off your magic and damage the enemy”, from the very beginning we decided to instead have it affect both the environment and the enemy's own status.: Through completing various tasks, you are able to select your favourite command to execute, but only for a limited time. This idea stems from wanting to abolish the feeling of a sort-of forced QTE (Quick Time Event). For [KH0.2], we took the system from [KHIII] and adapted a [KHBbS] style into it, resulting in the arrangement you see.: Yes. In [KHIII]'s battles there are a huge amount of options, so players can actively choose which command they wish to fire off. What we see in [KH0.2] can be said to be one small part of this larger system.: Well, as we've shown once in a [KHIII] trailer, there will also be variations. Locking onto a huge amount of enemies will send Sora flying between them, landing blows as he moves from target to target. Expect to see these sorts exhilarating and fun to execute Shotlocks.: This is because the leading force behind the [KH] games, the Osaka Team, never cease to show their prowess and excellence in dealing with the organisation of the world's areas. And certainly, looking at the mini-map, you don't really get a feeling of how large the areas actually are, where there's a perfect balance between mystery and exploration. This is an area of the team I trust wholeheartedly, so I didn't really pester them much about it (laughs).: I'm particularly fussy about the battle system and proper scene direction, so it'll have to be about those areas. Well, from early stages of development, concepts for the battle system were already solidified, so I didn't pester them too much. But it's just in [KH0.2] there were alterations to the Situation Command portion of the battle system. At first, there was a gauge that would fill, and once full, to understand that it had been filled, a sign would appear above the gauge. This was difficult to understand, so, as we showed you once in a trailer, we changed it to have a big green triangle appear in the middle of the screen. However, in my eyes that looked to be too forceful so I urged them to change it. Finally we decided to go with having the text "STANDING BY" appear on the screen.: Writing all that was actually really difficult.: Since it's only Aqua, there is a lot of monologue because the only option was to express what she was thinking in that form. So unfortunately, with a slight groan I was forced to write a lot of it (laughs). Along her journey, she finally meets Mickey, which gave me a chance to write some dialogue, so I felt that relief too, albeit in a different way. (laughs): At last year's concert, a scene was vocally presented between Terra and Namine in front of the audience. Namine said "Soon, that girl will come and when she does, I need you to guide her" to Terra. This is a directly connected to that scene you mentioned.: Those shining chains are a special ability of Eraqus and his students. By becoming a Master, Aqua also became the successor to Eraqus' "Master Keeper", resulting in gaining the ability to use it also.: I personally specified that scene, and actually now that I watch it, it does seem a little strange (wry smile). I actually had an image of him sustaining heavy amounts of damage and being unable to move but, he is the King after all...: I was worried about that right to the end. Do I have her break down and complain? Or do I have her embrace the end with cold dignity? Initially, in an ending that would really pull the heartstrings, I was going to have her separate from Mickey, then have her cry out, unable to contain herself, that she just really wanted to go back home. Finally though, I thought it was probably best to end it in a way that was much more like Aqua.: That's something Oka (Masaru, scenario planner) put in. In terms of scenario, first I tell Oka the general plot, Oka then comes up with ideas for level design while also working on some initial modeling, which then gives that design some initial shape. I take a look at this and write a final manuscript, handing it back to Oka to give it one more proofread in order to verify it. Our process works in a sort of "sandwich" style, and even if the scenario writer changes, the process remains the same. During the process this time, Oka thought to add the phrase as a symbol to simply represent the Keyblade Wielders, so we added it in. In [KH0.2], it appears as an "ancient phrase" which gives a nod to the events that occurred in the era of [KHx].: It's the first time hearing the voices of those that appear in [KHxBC], and for the people that haven't played [KHx] or [KHUx], then this is also the first time ever meeting them. Being a bit short of an hour, during this restricted time, I had to be careful to display their individuality, and have the player feel a sense of attachment and empathy toward them. Now, it should be noted that [KHxBC] is a story about the Foretellers and the events that occurred behind the scenes, so for the parts of the story which are important and connected to the main story, including the Keyblade War, I have separated the story telling of that into [KHx] and [KHUx], which can only be experienced by playing them.: Well, I thought that for such an incredible figure, this is the only way to represent him (laughs). I guess you could say that he doesn't seem to care about anything. He doesn't get annoyed, he doesn't scheme, but when he's serious, he's serious.: I was worried about who I was going to pick. On top of having both silly moments, as well as really charismatic moments, he also has a very unique style of speech, so it was difficult to decide. But after imagining it all in my head, there was only one voice actor who could perform all that with incredibly quality, and that was Sugita-San.: In all my works, including [KH], Hiroshi Shimizu has always been in charge of supervising and controlling audio, as well as directing the compilation and editing. When I talked to him about the secrets behind Luxu, and consulted with him about who would suit to voice him, he was the one to recommend Tsuda-san. Tsuda-san has played “Shakespeare” in another game called “Rampage Land Rankers” and also provided the Japanese dub for the voice of Kylo Ren in Star Wars 7.: I’ve depicted both the Master and Luxu as people whom you will never be able to grasp what in the world they are actually thinking. Luxu is more of the philosophical type, and if I try to put words to it, you could say he’s like the Master, except he’s a bit boring because he lacks the interesting quirkiness.: Well, he was tasked with the most important mission. The Master even said it himself. It’s all because of the success of that mission that he is able to peer into the future.: Well, it’s hard to confirm whether that’s really true or not. We’re talking about the Master here. In his words, he would probably say something like, “But that can’t be possible!! Right??”: Yes, it’s the very same one. Succeeding from Luxu, it’s been passed through time and is now held by Master Xehanort. So it can be considered that Master Xehanort is the legitimate successor of that Keyblade, meanwhile Master Eraqus inherited control over the Land of Departure.: Some of the story developments from [KHxBC] will be touched upon in some way or shape in [KHIII], but the Master won’t make an appearance. As for his “surprise” on the other hand...: The perceptive fan may have already worked it out but, it still remains a secret. In [KHIII], a certain person is looking for that box...