The cover for the second volume of the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep novel, titled Best Friends, has been revealed. The cover was uploaded onto the official Square Enix website, and can now be seen below in our gallery. Best Friends will be released on February 24, 2011 at a price of ¥750.
Birth by Sleep → Volume 2
The 1st Production Department Premiere trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance has been released in high definition. The trailer, now know as the 2011 Trailer, was shown in 720p on Square Enix's official website for the game. It can now be downloaded from our video archive, or seen below.
The latest issue of Famitsu magazine has included a one-page interview with Tetsuya Nomura concerning Kingdom Hearts 3D, now known as Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. andriasang.com have written their impressions of the interview, which can be read at our forum.
According to FF-Reunion, the latest issue of Famitsu Weekly has revealed a small detail about Kingdom Hearts 3D, now known to have the full title of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Although it was previously known that both Sora and Riku are playable characters, the newly revealed detail is that during gameplay, the player will be forced to suddenly switch between the two characters.
Birth by Sleep Final Mix has released in Japan, and as such, our coverage of the game begins now. Birth by Sleep Final Mix is an updated version of Birth by Sleep, complete with new bosses and a new "Secret Episode" hinting at the future of the series. You can discuss the game in its forum or in our coverage thread. Below is a compilation of new content from the game, and remember to keep checking back for more.
UPDATE 3: All cutscenes from the Secret Episode have been added to the video archive of cutscenes, essentially completing the section for this game. All that remains is a set of cutscenes involving the recolored Unversed.
UPDATE 2: Our boss battle archive for Birth by Sleep Final Mix has been completed. Thanks to Cyberman65 and 1stkirbyever, you can view and download all new boss battles in the game.
UPDATE: Our cutscene archive for Birth by Sleep Final Mix has opened. Here, you can download scenes from the game, including the Secret Episode. Some scenes are slowed down due to copyright issues, however the downloadable version is perfect.
- A Square Enix event has revealed news and footage of Kingdom Hearts 3D. - The complete Secret Episode with English subtitles. - All new music tracks featured in Birth by Sleep Final Mix are below. - The No Heart, Armor of the Master, Red Eye and Monstro boss battles are featured below. ALL NEW BOSS BATTLES.
Above is the game's Secret Episode. It hints at the "Mystery Game" Nomura often mentions, which is now known to be Birth by Sleep -Volume Two-, as shown in the ending of the Secret Episode, also seen above. You can now download these videos in perfect quality from our video archive. Below, the various new added boss battles will be featured.
The first video is the boss battle for "No Heart". This is thanks to YouTube user 1stkirbyever. Again, thanks to the same user, is the boss battle for "Armor of the Master". The "Monstro" and "Red Eye" boss battles are thanks to Cyberman65. As for the soundtrack of the game, the six new tracks added in Birth by Sleep Final Mix can be listened to below.
Monstro:
Realm of Darkness:
Realm of Darkness:
Red Eye:
Armor of the Master:
No Heart:
Square Enix have updated their official website for the game with a launch trailer and commercial. Both of these contain footage from the Secret Episode, and in particular, that of Aqua fighting the boss with glowing, red eyes. They can be downloaded from our video archive, or seen below.
Square Enix have updated their official website for Birth by Sleep Final Mix. This update includes new screenshots and information relating to the game. In particular, those featuring Aqua in the realm of darkness were shown. The screenshots can be seen below, in our gallery. Don't miss the recent news relating to Kingdom Hearts 3D, now known as Dream Drop Distance.
Birth by Sleep Final Mix website → About
A Square Enix event is currently being held in Tokyo, Japan. This event is known as the 1st Production Department Premiere, and will feature Kingdom Hearts 3D and Birth by Sleep Final Mix, as well as other Square Enix titles. Trailers for these games will be featured and streamed online. As the event is currently underway, our coverage of it now begins.
Above is the game's trailer, in great quality. Our video archive for 3D is now open, where you can download the trailer. In addition, so far, various Japanese blogs have reported that the official title of Kingdom Hearts 3D is Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. According to Andriasang.com, the following has been said about Dream Drop Distance by Yasue, part of Square Enix.
Yasue says the game will make use of 3D, having such elements as "falling from high places" and "flying far distances." They're placing a lot of work on the action part of the game, offering a major sense of speed. Yasue also promises a game that makes use of the various functionalities of the 3DS. You'll trade off between Sora and Riku. The game's tempo and strategic feel will all be fresh.
Famitsu.com → January 18, 2011
Kingdom Hearts is about to reach its tenth anniversary and the story is finally reaching its climax. This will be the prologue to the final battle, and as always it will be filled with surprises for the players. This time, to show those "surprises" I decided to use the "Nintendo 3DS". A completely new [battle] system is being prepared and that will give you an idea on how the next "Kingdom Hearts" [games] are going to be, with even more exhilarating action. I hope you look forward to it.
Famitsu.com have written an article about Dream Drop Distance, which includes screenshots, and the information that a world will be based on the movie The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Also, Nomura made a comment related to the game, translated by Kingdom Hearts Insider. This can be seen above. Lastly, Square Enix have opened their official website for the game, which includes the new logo.
The January 10, 2011 issue of Famitsu Weekly and the January 2011 issue of Dengeki PlayStation have both included their own articles about Birth by Sleep Final Mix which is being released on January 20, 2011. Thanks to RPGLand.com, you can see both articles below in our gallery. Both of them contain information about NO HEART's boss battle, as well as his full-body image. Also mentioned in the articles are some of the new abilities added into the game and more. Both articles can be viewed below:
Famitsu Weekly (January 10, 2011)
Birth by Sleep Final Mix, to be released on January 20, 2011, is a special version of Birth by Sleep with extras. One extra is the "Secret Episode", an additional episode in the game similar in nature to the Secret Movie of other games. Thanks to FF-Reunion, you can see more of the Secret Episode in the new Shōnen Jump scan linked below.
Weekly Shōnen Jump (January 15, 2010)
The image above gives us yet another look at the new Secret Episode. You can see from this that Aqua (the playable character) will eventually fight heartless. It is very likely that the Secret Episode occurs after Birth by Sleep. Lastly, the scenario will apparently lead into the original Kingdom Hearts.
Thanks to krexia at KHInsider, the article has been translated below:
An addition to the "Secret Episode"!! This version has been remade with English voices, and now a suprprise right before its release!! What is this hidden scenario!?
The secret story of Aqua's adventure!! Only in FM
Pirate guy: A hidden scenario just in this version! If you satisfy certain conditions, an additional episode for Aqua appears!!
What will happen in the "World of Darkness"!?
Top right screenshot, Aqua's face: The true final battle is waiting!? Aqua: "What's happening?" After being sealed in the world of darkness, Aqua will have to face another battle!!
Bottom right screenshot, Aqua fighting: Battle in fields of darkness!! This world where light does not reach is full of monsters... exterminate them in action-filled battles!!
Bottom left screenshot, glowing eyes: Red glowing eyes in the darkness...!! "The thing that haunts the world of darkness" What is this overseer with the red eyes, that's after Aqua? We have a premonition of a tough battle ahead!!
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The brown box at the bottom doesn't reveal anything new; it's basically just "Hey guys Ven and Terra have exciting stories too."
Birth by Sleep Final Mix is to be released on January 20, 2011, and as a result, advertising has started to appear in Japan in anticipation for the game. An album containing promotional materials for the game has been created in our gallery, and these photos can be seen below. Also, make sure to view the recent news regarding the game's Secret Episode.
Birth by Sleep Final Mix advertising
Square Enix have released a new trailer for the European version of Re:coded, which releases tomorrow in that region. The trailer can be seen below, or downloaded from our video archive.
Secondly, Re:coded released on January 11, 2011 in North America. To celebrate the release, a launch party was held in New York, where items such as special edition art was given away. Photos of this event can be seen in our gallery, below.
Re:coded launch
Lastly, remember to check out our coverage of the game, including all cutscenes from the game, in our coverage thread.
Re:coded has been released in English. Accordingly, we have set up a coverage thread on our forum, and here, any new videos, content or information concerning Re:coded will be posted as soon as it appears. In the interest of preventing spoilers, we will keep the majority of content on the coverage page, but here is a summary of what you can find so far:
UPDATE 2: The playthrough is now approximately 1.5 hours into the game. Be sure to check it out below. Also, don't forget to read the recent news relating to Birth by Sleep Final Mix.
UPDATE: Our archive of English Re:coded cutscenes is now complete. These can be viewed or downloaded in amazing quality in our video archive.
- An in-progress playthrough of the game, thanks to EmiruTheKnight. This can be seen in a playlist below, and is constantly being updated.
- All 12 cutscenes from the game, in the highest possible quality. At our forum, all 12 are embedded. Below is the secret ending, and of course, spoiler alert.
Please enjoy, link to KH13.com when you use our videos, and feel free to discuss the game, share discoveries, and request anything you might want covered on our coverage page. Your comments are appreciated! Thank you, and please remember that we do not tolerate any discussion of video game piracy.
Birth by Sleep Final Mix, to be released on January 20, 2011, is a special version of Birth by Sleep with extras. One extra is the "Secret Episode", an additional episode in the game similar in nature to the Secret Movie of other games. Thanks to FF-Reunion, the first details of this Secret Episode have been revealed. As this information contains spoilers, please go to our forum to read it.
Volume 2 of the Birth by Sleep novels has been announced. According to Amazon.co.jp, the novel will be titled Best Friends and be available at a price of ¥750. Best Friends will be available on February 24, 2011.
A small amount of footage from Kingdom Hearts 3D has been shown at Nintendo World 2011. The footage, seen in a software lineup video from the event, can be seen below. Although not much, this is the first footage of Kingdom Hearts 3D to be seen.
