Well, we did promise you that KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 ReMIX would be featured in this week's issue of Famitsu Weekly, didn't we? Lo and behold, there is actually a 7 page spread for the title, showing off screenshots and renders, old and new, alongside a plethora of information! Brings you back to the good ol' days back when the original title was first being advertised, doesn't it? Check out the scans below:

We'll have translations available for you shortly, so stay tuned!

[Translations by Zephyr] [Translations by goldpanner]

Source: True-Gaming

Edit: Thanks to Zephyr, we now have partial translations of the scans.

10th Anniversary SCOOP! Three games of the series are remastered in HD! Three for the charming price of 6980 yen. Sora - A bright and cheerful protagonist. Donald - A court magician who uses magic. Goofy - A royal knight who thinks of his friends. Jiminy - Chronicler of their travels. The story of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix in beautiful graphics. Maleficent - A witch who controls darkness. Riku - Sora's best friend who is also his rival. Kairi - She is a childhood friend of Sora and Riku. Kingdom Hearts, a popular series, has sold over an accumulative of 18 million worldwide. Three of the titles included in this remaster embark the beginning of Sora's journey, starting with Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. We will reveal the differences between the original version. Games in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Re:MIX: - Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Some extras that were added to the North American version are added to this version. - Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories This game brings you immediately after the events of the first game and it also leads to Kingdom Hearts II. - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days This game has been made into cutscenes. It looks into the adventures of another protagonist named Roxas. These stories happen simultaneously. Changes from the original version of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix: - In addition to HD visuals, there are some changes with the character models and textures. - English voices are reverted back to Japanese voices. - Trophy support - A custom theme is available once you finish the game. - Abilities such as EXP Zero, gives you no experience gained, and Combo Master, lets you perform combos with interruption, are added. - You use the right analog stick for camera controls. R3 reverts the camera to default position. - Some special actions like "Talk" are utilized with triangle. - Magic and Summon are each given a separate command. Traverse Town: This is the first world Sora visits. He meets characters from the Final Fantasy series such as Leon (Final Fantasy VIII "Squall") residing in this world. Leon - He is the leader of the gang. Aerith - A mysterious girl. Wonderland: Alice was put on trial for a crime trying to steal the heart of the Queen of Hearts. To save her, you need to gather evidence in this strange world. Queen of Hearts - An impatient young ruler. Alice - A curious hearted girl. Olympus Coliseum: Sora participates in the arena competitions in order to become a hero. However behind the scenes with Hades, there is conspiracy. When you visit this world later, you can fight Sephiroth as a hidden boss. Cloud - He is a swordsman searching for his enemy. Sephiroth - A powerful force that has descended. Hercules - There is a "hero" inside this hero. Hades - God of the Underworld What is Hades planning to do with Cloud? Monstro: Swallowed by a giant whale named Monstro, they adventure inside his body. Pinocchio has gone missing and he was seen with Riku... Pinocchio - A puppet with a heart. Geppetto - Guardian of Pinocchio. Atlantica: In this world, Sora and the gang turn into sea creatures, such as a dolphin, to move freely underwater. Being equipped and suited for swimming, they will challenge Ursula. Ariel - In a faraway world resides a cheerful mermaid. Ursula - A witch of the sea. Comments from the development staff arrives: Gen Kobayashi Character Art Director Menu and other graphics When upscaled into HD, many things were rebuilt into higher resolution. The menu screen in Kingdom Hearts has been made in high quality, in widescreen 16:9, and it has become a lot more beautiful. It's much more pleasant/comfortable to play that even those who have once played the PS2 version will get a fresh feeling. We've prepared a lot of trophies and custom themes. Please try to collect them.

Edit: Thanks to goldpanner, we now have full translations of the scans. Thank you for being patient with us!

(Note: Page 122, covering Deep Jungle and Agrabah, is absent.)

The scoop on upcoming release: KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 ReMIX





★10th Anniversary Scoop!

This work is composed of three titles from the series remastered in HD. The price, three titles for 6980 yen (tax included), is also quite appealing.



Goofy: Captain of the royal knights, very thoughtful of his friends.

Sora: Our cheerful and honest protagonist.

Donald Duck: Royal Magician, leave magic to him.

Jiminy: Chronicles the journey.



★The story of KH Final Mix:

Destiny Islands, a gentle world bathed in warm sunlight. Sora, Kairi and Riku lived there, and the three of them formed a plan to leave on an adventurous journey to outside worlds. However, the day before they were to depart, Destiny Islands were swallowed by the darkness, and the three were separated. At the same time, Donald and Goofy, who lived at Disney Castle, received an order to "stay with the one who has the 'key'," left by their missing King, and they set out on a journey to find the one who bore the 'key'--the Keyblade. Sora, thrown out into an outside world, met Donald and Goofy there. Sora, who came to have the Keyblade when Destiny Islands were swallowed by the darkness, along with Donald and Goofy set out on an adventure.



Maleficent: Queen who controls the darkness.

Riku: Sora's best friend and yet rival.

Kairi: Childhood friend of Sora and Riku.





THE FIRST ADVENTURE TOLD... IN BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS



Console: PS3

Developer: Square Enix

Expected release: 14th March 2013

Price: 6980 yen (tax included)

Genre: Fantasy, Action RPG, Single Player

Credits: Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, Co-directed by Tai Yasue, Produced by Rie Nishi



With over 18,000,000 units shipped worldwide, the Kingdom Hearts (here-on KH) series is very popular. The latest installment is a HD remaster of the early stretch of the story. Of the three titles included in this work, we will now introduce KH Final Mix, which details the very first adventure of protagonist Sora. We will also reveal changes from the original.



★Titles included in KH -HD 1.5 ReMIX-

~Kingdom Hearts Final Mix

Used the North American version of the first title of the series as a base to add new components.

~Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories

A title that depicts the events that occured directly after the first title and connects to KHII.

~Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Included as a volume of videos. The other protagonist, Roxas, plays an active role.



★Updating the Original KH Final Mix

+On top of being made HD, some character models and textures have been updated

+The English voicing has been changed to Japanese voicing

+With trophy support there is more to do after clearing the game

+PS3 custom theme made available after clearing the game

+Addition of abilities ‘EXP Zero’, in which you cannot earn EXP, and ‘Combo Master’, in which combos continue even if an attack misses

+Camera controls have been changed to the right stick. R3 button to swing the camera behind to default position

+’Talk’ and some special abilities etc. now executed with only the △ button

+’Summon’, which used to be included in ‘Magic’, has been added separately to the command menu





WORLDS OF ADVENTURE



After his home is swallowed by the darkness, Sora sets off on a journey to the ‘outside worlds’ to search for his missing friends Riku and Kairi and drive back enemies known as ‘Heartless’, and as he does so, he travels through many Disney worlds. Now we will introduce each world and present screenshots showcasing how beautiful they look remastered in HD!



TRAVERSE TOWN (KH original world)

Leon: Mediates everyone.

Aerith: A mysterious girl.

This is the first world Sora ends up on. Living here are Final Fantasy characters such as Leon (Squall from FFVIII).



WONDERLAND (from Alice in Wonderland)

A world loaded with strange interactive tricks!

Queen of Hearts: An arrogant ruler.

Alice: A girl with a strong sense of curiosity.

Alice is put on trial for the crime of trying to steal the heart of the Queen of Hearts. In order to save her, evidence must be collected in this strange world.



OLYMPUS COLISEUM (from Hercules)

Hades is making Cloud his attack dog... what is he calculating...?

Sephiroth: Swoops on one wing.

Cloud: A soldier pursuing his sworn enemy.

Hercules: A hero among heroes.

Hades: God of the land of the dead.

Sora enters a tournament, sights set on becoming a hero. However, in the background is Hades and his schemes… Visit again after for the chance to battle secret boss Sephiroth!



★Invigorating battles and Sora's companions

Simple controls and exhilarating flashy battle are staples of the KH series. A Disney character from each world will join you in battle alongside Donald or Goofy. You can also call friends through any Summon Magic that you gain. Your companions have various abilities, such as wide-range attacks and healing. There are RPG-esque elements such as a level-up growth system and ability customisation, so people who don't feel confident about their action skills can rest at ease!



MONSTRO (from Pinocchio)

Pinocchio: A puppet with a heart.

Geppetto: Pinnochio's guardian.

Adventure through the insides of a giant whale, Monstro, who swallows you. While searching for the missing Pinocchio, you come across Riku, but…



ATLANTICA (from The Little Mermaid)

Defeat the giant Ursula!

Ariel: A mermaid who longs for the outside world.

Ursula: A sea witch who is scheming for revenge.

In this world, Sora and his friends take the shape of sea creatures like dolphins, and swim around freely under the sea. Perfect the art of swimming and challenge Ursula.





★Development Staff comments have arrived!



~Character art director Gen Kobayashi (Menu, additional graphics supervisor):

In order to match the HD remastering, a great deal of the base material had to be made high resolution as well as remade entirely. The KH menu screens were originally created in high graphics but we made them even nicer. We widened the screen to 16:9, and we even gave the controls a pleasant do-over, so I am sure that even those who played the PS2 game will be able to enjoy the fresh feeling of this title. We’ve also prepared custom themes and many trophies, so please try and collect them all.



~Character division team leader Tohru Yamazaki (texture work, in charge of adjusting some of the models):

When we first inspected screens from KH, everyone said admiring things like ‘but it’s so pretty right now’. It was the result of the developers back then layering trial and error onto their ways of creating textures. With this title, I started work with the aim to bring things up to basically post-KH2 quality, which meant things with drastically increased resolution and for other parts changing the creation style to fit textures created after KH2. I took great care to make sure people who had been playing the most recent titles in the series would feel the least sense of incongruence possible.



~Producer Sumio Nasu (general programming, handling PS2 to PS3 data conversion):

Because it was a ten year old program, nobody remembered how to use it… We finally worked out how to get moving after a lot of trial and error. I want to make use of the knowledge I gained from this project to bring the next remastered title to life. I want you to feel satisfied by the story on large screen, the image capacity, and the volume that is unbelievable for a ten year old title. In this title the controls feel closer to KHII, and you can also skip cutscenes. Even if this is your first experience with the series, I’m sure you will be able to enjoy the controls without anything feeling off.





HALLOWEEN TOWN (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Pay attention to the colourful attacks of Boogie, who moves according to dice rolls!

Jack: The Pumpkin King.

Boogie: Wants to control the town.

Sora and the others have special forms here too. Confront Boogie, who stole something important from Jack, but with all the trickery, it seems a tough battle is unavoidable!?



★Also packed with minigames!

A shooting game when moving between worlds, customising the 'Gummi Ship' you drive during that, searching for treasure with the 'trinity' abilities that Sora and his two friends can pull off: this game is rich in a variety of minigames. You'll find yourself unintentionally absorbed in the game as you aim for the reward, no mistake.



NEVERLAND (from Peter Pan)

Peter Pan: Eternally a boy.

Captain Hook: Boss of the pirates.

Work alongside Peter Pan to search Captain Hook’s pirate ship. In this world, you can fly the skies just like Peter. Enjoy the exhilaration of swimming through the air.



100 ACRE WOODS (from Winnie the Pooh)

The kerfuffles of Pooh and his friends.

Pooh: A bear who loves honey.

100 Acre Woods is picture book world. Collect the torn pages scattered through other worlds and clear mini-games to repair the damaged parts.



THERE ARE MORE WORLDS!

Minnie Mouse: A wise queen.

Chip and Dale: If it's mechanical, leave it to them.

There are many other worlds that we haven’t showcased today. The works of Disney and the original story weave together as a grand tale expands. As this is Sora's original journey, we recommend that those who have never played the series begin playing from this title.



*Screencaps are from a work in progress