Everglow, the man behind the Kingdom Hearts Timeline, sat down with KH13’s Yoshirai and Xionskeyblade for an exclusive interview! Everglow started his project in April, and since then it’s been receiving much attention from the Kingdom Hearts community. Everglow was twelve years old when he first became a fan of Kingdom Hearts.
“I saw these Disney characters fighting alongside this cheerful kid with a giant key in his hands and giant shoes on his feet. The moment I saw all that unusual stuff on that video game magazine, I told myself ‘this must be mine!’. Probably the greatest decision of my life.”
Everglow’s decision to create the Kingdom Hearts Timeline sprouted when the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX Collection was announced for the PS4. Since Kingdom Hearts III’s release was approaching, he wanted to do something special to commemorate the game.
“I always wondered what would look like playing the games following their exact order of the events. Of course, the saga has been built throughout the years and all the flashbacks/callbacks we see dislocated in the various titles are there for a proper reason. This project is more of an alternative way to re-experience the whole saga and what I actually discovered is that you do, indeed, have a different feeling when watching it. It lets you see things with a different eye and you actually get references that wouldn't be caught otherwise. I'm pretty proud of the result so far!”
While working on this project, Everglow explained to us that piecing the timeline together revealed a few Kingdom Hearts elements that he previously didn’t recognize.
“When working on the ending parts of both KH1 and 0.2, I was so focused on delivering the best idea of continuity that I actually had to analyze every single moment and what the characters were saying. Thanks to that, I fully understood the reasons behind the urgency of closing the door to Kingdom Hearts which wasn't, IMO, well explained in the first title. It also gave me a better perception of Mickey and how efficient his plan was. The 358/2 Days portions are being synced with Chain of Memories right now as we speak, and I'm watching the Organization plans with different eyes, now. I managed to understand how members like Zexion, Axel and Saix do have something to hide, and I think most of the fans have forgotten about that. Also, I had a better perception of something else happening towards the end of 0.2, related to Terra and Aqua. I'm not gonna say what it is, yet, but thanks to KH Timeline I managed to figure in my head a very important element of the story which is essential to the lore.”
All projects have their challenges. Everglow’s challenge was trying to sync battles maintaining the same music without breaking the flow.
”The console titles of Kingdom Hearts never had an option to disable background music, and music is the most important element when switching multiple characters' perspectives. If you're listening to a certain music while playing as Terra, you must find a workaround to switch to Ventus without risking to break the flow. Therefore, the greatest challenge was working on the Keyblade Graveyard battles in Birth by Sleep and the final bosses in KH1 and 0.2. I did find a workaround for them and I'm pretty happy about how the Keyblade Graveyard episode turned out, but the KH1 and 0.2 final battles have been a real challenge, requiring a lot of time and dedication. I can't wait for you to watch it, it's really entertaining. Also, the x/Back Cover/Union Cross parts weren't easy to deal with, especially if you realize that's what people are most confused about and are desperately looking for some explanations. Can't really blame them, some story elements of the x saga have been told pretty badly, so watching them in the right order is really refreshing.”
We asked for his reactions to Aqua’s reveal as one of Xehanort’s vessels. After all, the Kingdom Hearts III trailer released at E3 this year.
“I think the game explicitly wants you to feel more empathy towards Aqua, rather than her friends. After all, she's the only one you keep playing with and her endless research for a way to save her friends does have an impact on the player. On a side note of your question, I may also point out how the KH Timeline project kind of lets you feel even more Aqua's suffering, as she's basically been there the longest by now, way before than Sora. Therefore, you still care about her and, at first, you see Sora as a "stranger"? Not sure how to explain, but it's something I noticed when working on the KH1 episodes. The way I fragmented Aqua's story (pun intended!) gives us a different perception of her fate. We've never forgotten about her–instead, we've been alongside her for more than 30 episodes by now. As for the greatest climax throughout the whole saga... it's hard to say. But the moment I read your question I had a flash of Master Xehanort first speech after he took over Terra's body. That camera angle and his smile hit me real hard when I played that part the first time, listening to the speech we all know by memory from KH1 final battle, and when Rage Awakened started to play, the same music you learned to both love and hate because of that "Enigmatic Soldier" we all struggled to defeat a few years earlier... yes, that's probably the moment that had the greatest impact on me.”
His favorite episode so far in the timeline is
“Watching Terra, Ventus and Aqua fighting at the same time always gives chills, no matter how many times you watch it!”
Considering the amount of attention and growth the Kingdom Hearts franchise has had this year we asked Everglow what he had to say to all the new fans out there and his supporters!
“For old fans, take the remaining months to re-live the saga for the grand finale. May it be through your own console or through this project of mine, take the most fun out of the few months ahead. To new fans, my first advice would be: don't be scared from the amount of titles you see around! Catching up with the series is easier than expected. They may haven't been presented the best way, but with the HD collections now out for a single console you have no excuses! Begin your own journey with Sora. After completing the HD collections, feel free to play the Nintendo DS versions of 358/2 Days and Re:coded for catching all the details missing in the HD movies. Having such a special game like Kingdom Hearts close to you is something that every gamer should experience.”
Check out Everglow's most recent Kingdom Hearts Timeline episode
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