Recently moved off his directing duties on Final Fantasy XV, legendary designer Tetsuya Nomura is giving 100 percent to Kingdom Hearts III. I’ve been waiting a long time for a third main installment in the action-RPG series, which makes any scrap of news something of an IV drip I can’t get enough of.
Take Nomura’s recent interview with Famitsu, in which he lets us know how Kingdom Hearts III development is proceeding and drops some other tantalizing hints. Siliconera grabbed the important points; here’s my paraphrasing of their work:
- Development is moving smoothly and according to plan. Some engine-related issues have caused hiccups, but things are going well otherwise. Scenario writing and world selection have advanced. Designs for Sora’s and Riku’s new outfits have been created.
- The development team has noted Sora’s mobility being too high in past entries. They want to cut back on the feeling that he’s an unstoppable, invincible force of nature at later levels.
- Combat involves a lot of Keyblade transformations, similar to Birth by Sleep’s frequent shape-shifting.
- Kingdom Hearts III’s story and that of Kingdom Hearts X [Chi] are closely related and being written at the same time.
- There’s a good chance Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will receive the HD remaster treatment, rounding out the series.
As a fan of simpler, more impacting Kingdom Hearts combat, Nomura’s hints are keeping my hopes high. Wonder what Sora’s new digs will look like?