IGN got a chance to speak with Shinji Hasimoto on Kingdom Hearts III and here are some of the things he had to say.
*( Shinji Hasimoto: On how people have grown up with KH)
"It’s been 11 years since the original game was out and now we’ll have Kingdom Hearts III at some stage in the future," he said. "The people who played the original game, at the time they were probably around 12 or 13…but now they’re in their twenties.
"While fans of Disney are usually quite young and Final Fantasy players are much older, they come together to create a Kingdom Hearts audience that’s very unique. The feelings people have towards the series are so deep these days because they spent many of their teenage years, which is a very sensitive period of your personal life, with Kingdom Hearts."
*(Yoko Shimomura on Kingdom Hearts 1.5)
"I felt really nostalgic revisiting my old project, but at the same time I found lots of new things too, things that I’d forgotten doing," she said. "So it somehow felt strangely new, too. It was fun.
"Of course the basic music across the series is all the same in terms of themes and the like, although it does vary slightly depending on which Kingdom Hearts game it is. But I always want to bring something new to the games."
*(Shinji Hasimoto: on kingdom Hearts III)
"The fact is that the main focus of the series is Sora and Riku; how their friendship develops, but also how they grow up," he says. "After so many years, the players’ personal growth is closely tied to the game’s story at this point, so that’s the most important thing about the series and what we want to put into the game. For Kingdom Hearts III, players will be able to resurrect the happy memories they have from being teenagers when playing Kingdom Hearts III. So it’s very contemplative, and will match the personal experiences of much of the audience very closely."
*(Shinji Hashimoto on Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix)
"If everyone plays 1.5 HD ReMix, if everyone likes it and everyone supports us, then 2.5 HD ReMix could happen," he says. "So at this stage, we just have to encourage people to play 1.5 HD ReMix!"
*(Shinji Hashimoto: when asked about the future of Kingdom Hearts)
"I can’t really say anything about the future beyond Kingdom Hearts III," Hashimoto asserts. "I’m the producer, not the director, so it’s totally out of my hands. It’s up to Tetsuya Nomura whether or not we’ll see Sora in future Kingdom Hearts.
"As I said earlier though, the Kingdom Hearts storyline is designed to mirror the player’s personal experiences. If people play HD 1.5 ReMix they remember what it’s like to be a teenager again, access those memories and experience some enjoyable nostalgia from their past. That theme is something we want to keep with future titles as well. About the characters, we can’t say anything…but that’s the theme we want to continue."
*Source http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09...h-its-players?abthid=5242e2157debf3a12f000002
*( Shinji Hasimoto: On how people have grown up with KH)
"It’s been 11 years since the original game was out and now we’ll have Kingdom Hearts III at some stage in the future," he said. "The people who played the original game, at the time they were probably around 12 or 13…but now they’re in their twenties.
"While fans of Disney are usually quite young and Final Fantasy players are much older, they come together to create a Kingdom Hearts audience that’s very unique. The feelings people have towards the series are so deep these days because they spent many of their teenage years, which is a very sensitive period of your personal life, with Kingdom Hearts."
*(Yoko Shimomura on Kingdom Hearts 1.5)
"I felt really nostalgic revisiting my old project, but at the same time I found lots of new things too, things that I’d forgotten doing," she said. "So it somehow felt strangely new, too. It was fun.
"Of course the basic music across the series is all the same in terms of themes and the like, although it does vary slightly depending on which Kingdom Hearts game it is. But I always want to bring something new to the games."
*(Shinji Hasimoto: on kingdom Hearts III)
"The fact is that the main focus of the series is Sora and Riku; how their friendship develops, but also how they grow up," he says. "After so many years, the players’ personal growth is closely tied to the game’s story at this point, so that’s the most important thing about the series and what we want to put into the game. For Kingdom Hearts III, players will be able to resurrect the happy memories they have from being teenagers when playing Kingdom Hearts III. So it’s very contemplative, and will match the personal experiences of much of the audience very closely."
*(Shinji Hashimoto on Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix)
"If everyone plays 1.5 HD ReMix, if everyone likes it and everyone supports us, then 2.5 HD ReMix could happen," he says. "So at this stage, we just have to encourage people to play 1.5 HD ReMix!"
*(Shinji Hashimoto: when asked about the future of Kingdom Hearts)
"I can’t really say anything about the future beyond Kingdom Hearts III," Hashimoto asserts. "I’m the producer, not the director, so it’s totally out of my hands. It’s up to Tetsuya Nomura whether or not we’ll see Sora in future Kingdom Hearts.
"As I said earlier though, the Kingdom Hearts storyline is designed to mirror the player’s personal experiences. If people play HD 1.5 ReMix they remember what it’s like to be a teenager again, access those memories and experience some enjoyable nostalgia from their past. That theme is something we want to keep with future titles as well. About the characters, we can’t say anything…but that’s the theme we want to continue."
*Source http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09...h-its-players?abthid=5242e2157debf3a12f000002
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