Following the news that Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will release for the PlayStation 4, many people had questions for Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura. Luckily, Famitsu Weekly had the opportunity to ask some of the questions that fans have been dying to ask. Tetsuya Nomura answers questions concerning what exactly is new in Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, whether or not there will be a Kingdom Hearts 2.9, and what we can expect to see in the Big Hero 6 world in Kingdom Hearts III. And, if you're curious, Nomura explains the "2.8" in the title as well. Translations for the full interview can be seen below thanks for News Team member soraspromise.
The article also shared some new screenshots, which you can view below:
In an interview with Famitsu Weekly, Tetsuya Nomura, director of the Kingdom Hearts series, explained the meaning behind the "2.8" in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.
Since this is the first title after Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Dream Drop Distance HD is being treated as "Kingdom Hearts 2.6". Then, Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover/Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ represents "0" since it is the first title in the Kingdom Hearts storyline. Lastly, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep represents "0.1", which leads to Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. Then from all three titles in the collection, you add 2.6 + 0 + 0.2 to get 2.8.
We will provide translations of the interview as soon as we receive them.
What do you think of Nomura's math? Let us know in the comments below!
In an interview with Famitsu Weekly magazine, Tetsuya Nomura, the director of the Kingdom Hearts series, has confirmed the reason behind Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is that Kingdom Hearts III is even further away than fans would hope. He also confirmed that the title is being made simultaneously with Kingdom Hearts III. This suggests that the development of Kingdom Hearts III, which has been in development since 2010, may be affected in some capacity.
Nomura also confirmed Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage – will use Kingdom Hearts III's technology and will only last the duration of one Disney world. It is set straight after the secret movie in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. They plan on using using gameplay elements from Kingdom Hearts III.
The cinematic title in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover will also show off Kingdom Hearts III's technology according to Gematsu.
When asked for a time frame regarding the release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8, Nomura said they cannot announce a certain time frame due to it being developed with Kingdom Hearts III.
During the Square Enix Music Presents Composer Talk Show, Yoko Shimomura, composer of the Kingdom Hearts series, discussed her experience working on the Kingdom Hearts series. She was asked a few questions concerning Kingdom Hearts, such as her work on Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. She took the opportunity to listen to a unique version of "Dearly Beloved" during the talk show, and she discussed her work for Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] and Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. Other discussions included what it was like to work with certain directors, where Tetsuya Nomura, director of the Kingdom Hearts series was mentioned. Toward the end of the talk show, Yoko Shimomura mentioned some future plans about a Kingdom Hearts presentation, which seems to hint toward the Kingdom Hearts D23 Japan Fan Event that she will be attending.
During a Tokyo Game Show
, a new Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ trailer premiered. This trailer featured both gameplay and cutscenes in a variety of worlds and new voiced dialogue from the character Chirithy.
Below is a video taken from the livestream, captured by News Team member Jake. The official trailer will be added as soon as it is available.
A translation of Chirithy's dialogue can also be found below, thanks to News Team member soraspromise.
This same dialogue can be found in the issue of Famitsu Weekly that released on September 17th, used as a description for Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover which was announced to be a part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue at SCEJA's 2015 press conference.
On Square Enix Boutique's pre-order page for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ has been confirmed for a release in France within a short description of Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover.
Below is an English translation of what you will find on the site
During San Diego Comic-Con 2015, prototypes for new Play Arts Kai action figures of characters in the Kingdom Hearts series were shown. These same prototype figures shown at San Diego Comic-Con have also appeared at Tokyo Game Show 2015. Figures include Halloween Town Sora with an interchangeable pumpkin mask, Kingdom Hearts II Riku, and Kingdom Hearts II Final Form Sora which will be available for purchase at D23 Expo Japan in very limited quantities. You can view them below thanks to @churroz and @M_Alloc.
Do you plan on purchasing these figures upon release? Let us know in the comments!
When Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was announced, an announcement trailer accompanied it. However, the Kingdom Hearts YouTube channel has uploaded the trailer in glorious 1080p, which includes scenes from the Kingdom Hearts III E3 2015 trailer and brand new gameplay footage of Kingdom Hearts III. The trailer ends with a "Now In Development" message. You can view the trailer below:
English Trailer
<3
Japanese Trailer
<3
Kingdom Hearts III - TGS 2015 Teaser Trailer
<3
At the end of the video description for the official trailer, it's confirmed that Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will be coming in 2016 for both North America and Europe! Previously, a 2016 release date was only confirmed for Japan.
The official website for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue has been updated to include the trailer as well.
Below you can check out Chirithy's monologue from the trailer.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will contain three titles: an HD remaster of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, an HD cinematic that tells more about the story of the Foretellers, and Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-, which is a playable episode that follows Aqua after the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Square Enix have elaborated on these titles with official summaries.
What do you think of the new Kingdom Hearts III footage? Let us know in the comments!
The latest issue of Famitsu Weekly (releasing on September 17th) has included an article on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, giving us some new information about the titles included within the collection. The article goes into detail on all three titles, giving new information on Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover and Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-, and some details on Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD.
We have scanned and uploaded all Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue screenshots and images from the article to our gallery, and these can be seen below. Formal translations can also be found below, thanks to goldpanner and News Team member soraspromise.
χ Back Cover
CINEMATIC WORK
All the worlds were one, with no distance between them. Someday, this period will only be known as a fairy tale. It all began in Daybreak Town. He is the master of masters, able to see the future. So without waiting for the future to pass, he wrote down the prophecy depicting the future of 5 of the 6 disciples. Based on the prophecy, the five disciples undertook missions from their master’s teachings and formed their own unions. After Heartless began to appear, they began to collect Keyblade wielders who shared their mindsets and asked them to collect the “light”.
“KHχ” and “KH Unchained χ”
“Keyblade War” has become one of the keywords of the Kingdom Hearts series thus far. KHχ is in service on PC Browsers while KH Unchained χ has just begun service on iOS and Android. The scenario of the two games are basically the same, but there has been a trick prepared. Make sure to check both!
“KH Dream Drop Distance HD’s story”
An HD Remake.
Different dreams are connected--When you fall into a dream through a dream, it leads to the “Realm of Sleep”. Some of these worlds were visited on the first trip, but fell into sleep after being lost to darkness. Through that gate, even Heartless may not enter. Instead of Heartless, there is a new dark being in the closed off realm of sleep. It is necessary to take preparation to fight against these dark entities. So both Sora and Riku must pass the examination to be recognized as Keyblade Masters. To gain new power, they must explore the realm of sleep and unlock sleeping keyholes. Equal to the number of light, they must unlock 7 keyholes to be able to return as a master.
This is a HD remake of the Nintendo 3DS title KH3D, in which Sora and Riku travel the Sleeping Worlds. It seems as though the gameplay that made use of the 3DS lower screen will be reworked for a single screen without feeling off. We are interested to find out whether there will be new elements.
[C'mon, Musketeers. We've got a princess to rescue.]
With the announcement of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue coming in 2016, it's time to go make sense of all of the announcement details along with the 3 titles within the collection. For those of you who don't know, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a collection containing Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (cinematics), and Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. If you aren't familiar with the entire Kingdom Hearts series, here are the descriptions for the 3 main titles contained in the collection with it's history and stance in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD:
:
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD is an HD remaster of the original title, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance was originally released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 and was the only major game within the Kingdom Hearts series that was not included in either Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX or Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX for the PlayStation 3. However, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is being remastered in HD on the PlayStation 4 as Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD within the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection. The original story of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded, where Sora and Riku are summoned to take the Mark of Mastery exam, which determines who becomes the next Keyblade master. Sora and Riku are both tasked to dive into sleeping worlds and wake them from slumber, however Master Xehanort has other plans for the two as they are taking their exams.
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover:
The next title in the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection is Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover. Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover is a cinematic movie in which explains the story of the original title, Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] and Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. The cinematic movie will go into detail about the foretellers and the book of prophecies. Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] was originally released in 2013 on PC as a browser game, exclusively available to Japan. However a port for Kingdom Hearts χ[chi], which is titled Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ will allow everyone to experience the story of the original Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. The story follows 5 foretellers who are sanctioned under a union, forming 5 total unions. Among the foretellers is a traitor, which has not yet been revealed. However, many have theorized who the traitor is.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-:
The third and final title in the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection is Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. In the original title, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Final Mix, there was a secret ending within the sercret episode of the game that stated a continuation of the story will be developed. Many interviews in 2011 discussed the title, which was named Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep -Volume Two-. It was apparent that the project was put off, however has returned as Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. Reasons for why Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep -Volume Two- was put off and why the title was changed is currently unknown. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage- follows the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and continues the story on as Master Aqua. Also tied in is the events after Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance in which King Mickey reveals he has some secrets to confess to Sora. According to the screenshot contained in the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue trailer, it seems apparent that the title is using the same engine as Kingdom Hearts III. Square Enix has also confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage- will contribute towards the story for Kingdom Hearts III, which is the end of the Xehanort saga.
For those that don't know, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is the third HD collection in the Kingdom Hearts series, following Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX contains the original titles of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (HD Cinematics) all remastered in HD. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX contains the original titles of Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded (HD Cinematics) all remastered in HD.
What are your thoughts on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue? Do you think this will be the biggest HD collection yet? Let us know in the comments below or post on our Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue forums!
Following the announcement of an upcoming Kingdom Hearts title for the PlayStation 4, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue releasing in 2016, Square Enix Japan have issued a press release describing each title included in the collection. These summaries describe how each title ties into previous games in the series, as well as how they will tie into Kingdom Hearts III and the future of the series as a whole.
Translations of these can be read below, provided by News Team member soraspromise:
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (Video Content)
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep –A Fragmentary Passage-
Square Enix also released a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue today, as well as various HD screenshots. All of these can be seen in the announcement article, here.
Today at SCEJA's 2015 press conference, Square Enix have officially announced Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue for the PlayStation 4, to release in 2016. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will lead into Kingdom Hearts III and contains:
- Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
- Kingdom Hearts χ [chi] Back Cover (movie)
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage-
Dream Drop Distance HD is a HD remaster of Kingdom Hearts 3D, which originally released in 2012. χ [chi] Back Cover is a HD movie based on Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, and Birth by Sleep 0.2 is a new story based on the earlier concept of Birth by Sleep -Volume 2-, first teased in the Birth by Sleep Final Mix Secret Movie.
This announcement follows a leak earlier in the week about a mysterious game called Kingdom Hearts 2.9. It is unknown if they are one and the same or not.
Trailer (Square Enix NA will officially upload a HD version of the trailer on September 17):
Logos:
Screenshots:
The official website for the game has launched, and can be accessed here. Square Enix's TGS 2015 website has also been updated with an official page for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The official Japanese PlayStation website has also updated with Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and can be accessed here. Here's some official information about the games:
Lastly, Famitsu.com have revealed that this week's issue of Famitsu Weekly (releasing on September 17) will contain an article on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. Here's a preview: