The August 2008 issue of Famitsu PS3 + PSP magazine included an interview with Tetsuya Nomura, the director of the Kingdom Hearts series and Hajime Tabata, the co-director of coded. The major topics discussed were Birth by Sleep and coded.
Interview
--In the recent trailer, their are lines alluding to Master Xehanort aiming for those with hearts of pure light. Is Master Xehanort's goal also to take over the world?
Nomura: It certainly indicates what he's interested in, but that's the first of Master Xehanort's intentions.
--The story follows the viewpoints of the three characters individually, but what happens when the three characters interact together?
Nomura: The three characters will start out together, and then afterwards each of their stories will begin respectively. Within the story, the main characters may encounter one another. The three share the main goal of chasing after Master Xehanort who has disappeared, though each character's exact goal is subtly different.
--As for original masters, they who teach the methods of wielding the keyblade to their pupils, do they exist?
Nomura: Not just that, but also the role of keyblade users, since the thoughts of each master differs, it's their spirit being taught. The reason why a master must train others to use the keyblade is explained in this game.
--The voice of Snow White is very quiet.
Nomura: Actually, we choice a voice that matched the old version of "Snow White" that was released in Japan (1950), so it's the original one, so to speak.
--The changes to the style of battling are an interesting idea.
Nomura: Some players might have wanted a change in strategy. Initially, the player was free to rearrange the commands, as proposed by the team in Osaka, now such a form has been expanded upon. They said, "We want a system different than the form changes of Kingdom Hearts II".
--How about the Shoot Lock System?
Nomura: I asked, "is it difficult to implement?" when the system was being worked on, it was also written into the first planning stages. But for Birth by Sleep, there is still a lot hidden within the system.
--What of the enemies called "unbirths"?
Nomura: There is meaning in various ways, adding "un" creates the opposite meaning of "birth" thus the "unbirth". With this, the "unborn" is given real meaning. Unbirths designate the feeling of this game's motif. The kind of existence they have will be revealed soon.
--During a battle, there are various circumstances indicating commands.
Nomura: It's the developed system of the 'reaction command'. At first, the Birth by Sleep system was designed to be closer to the original series, but it has evolved a lot. Because it is considerably high speed, the first time players may be a bit surprised.
--Even the boss battles have been elaborated compared to the previous ones.
Nomura: The Osaka team has a lot of affection for the enemies. It was handed over to the staff and they were asked to please try it out. They were watched over as they played it. When the player had to be more offensive, they said things like, "It's different! I really can be more of a kid!!" or "Ah, it's strange..." (Smiles)
--Their affection is contagious. (Smiles)
Nomura: Anyways, I think that the testing of various things for the battle system is being finished.
--About the line, "their torment has been lessened"; whenever a mission is completed, does that wound heal?
Tabata: It's not as simple as that.
Nomura: When you advance to the next stage, a movie event is shown. I think the beginning of the latest trailer reflected it, the lines "A forbidden secret――" are connected to it. Though it is on the mobile phone, it's not to be taken lightly. The contents of it's story draw near to the conviction of the series.
--Are it's contents connected to the future of the Kingdom Hearts series?
Nomura: That's right. It's in a position similar to how Chain of Memories was. I think if you can play it, you'll recognize it draws upon the mysteries of the entire series.
--What kind of story will it become?
Nomura: "Their torment has been lessened" is the foundation of the story, and the "forbidden secret" is connected to it.
--Being made from the data of Jiminy's Journal, will it relive the first Kingdom Hearts?
Nomura: Even though it advances according to the story of Kingdom Hearts, the stages are different and each one slowly approaches the "forbidden secret". Why did someone leave a message in the Jiminy Journal? The story will solve this mystery.
--Is there a connection to 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep?
Nomura: Yes, they link in various ways.
--The arrow commands were revealed publicly, it seems the game could be played with only one hand?
Tabata: Now one can enjoy Kingdom Hearts quality gaming with the input buttons of their mobile phone, this will lead to other elements.
Nomura: Since the contents of mobile phone software has become outstanding, please anticipate this game.
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