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Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Game's '0.2' Part Will Use Kingdom Hearts III Technology
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Japanese video game new website Famitsu posted an interview with Kingdom Hearts series director and Final Fantasy VII Remake director Tetsuya Nomura on Monday discussing the recently revealed Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue PlayStation 4 game.
When asked about why Kingdom Hearts II.8 would be on PS4, Nomura responded that the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -a fragmentary passage- part of the game is being created using Kingdom Hearts III technology. Nomura also said that he wanted to show everyone a bit of the atmosphere of Kingdom Hearts III with that part of the game. The system of the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep part of the game will be a hybrid of Kingdom Hearts III and the original Birth By Sleep game.
Nomura also revealed in the interview that the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -a fragmentary passage- part of the game will take place immediately after the secret episode in Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix, when Aqua finds Cinderella's castle.
Regarding the HD remake of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Nomura said that he would not be adding additional story elements to the remake because of the effort needed to change the game to HD and to change the game's system so it can be played on one screen instead of the Nintendo 3DS' dual screens. The game will include trophy support, however.
In the interview, Nomura also revealed the meaning behind the "2.8" name. Nomura noted that after Kingdom Hearts 2.5, an HD version of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance would be "2.6" normally, but with the addition of Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover (Nomura considers the various "X" games as "0" because of the absence of Sora) and Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep (called 0.2 because he considers Birth By Sleep to be 0.1), it adds up to "2.8." When then asked if there would be a possibility of there being a 2.9 at some point, Nomura responded, "The next work is Kingdom Hearts III (laughs)."
Square Enix revealed an English trailer for the game at Tokyo Game Show last weekend.
Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue will include:
- Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD, an HD remaster of the 2012 Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Nintendo 3DS game
- Kingdom Hearts X: Back Cover, a brand-new HD theater video recounting "the series' oldest short story"
- Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -a fragmentary passage-, with a brand-new short episode tied to the 2011 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix PSP game
The game will ship in Japan for the PlayStation 4 in 2016.
Kingdom Hearts III is slated for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Epic Games is assisting with the game's development, using Unreal Engine4. The game's confirmed worlds so far include Tangled and Big Hero 6.
Regarding the Final Fantasy VII Remake game, Nomura said that the staff are currently working to polish the strategy and feel of the game's battle system. Nomura added that he will give more information on the game this winter.
