Interview Excerpts: The reason why Melody of Memory has story stems from KH Mobile
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- Published on October 9, 2020 @ 02:14 am
- Written by Sign
goldpanner has translated some notable excerpts from the recent Dengeki and 4Gamer interviews on Melody of Memory. In them, Nomura discusses the troubles he had drawing the box art, his favorite music in the series, and the reason he included story elements in a rhythm game.
(About the box art)
Nomura: Even the pictures in the frames have special meaning, and it was a big pain trying to finish the drawing with no time to spare. I had this same thought when drawing the box art for KH3, too - the number of characters keeps growing and growing, and I want to do a reset on that trend (laughs).
(Sora is in his KH1 form, is this a Sora from the "world of memories"... or something?)
Nomura: That is… a secret (laughs).
4Gamer:Nomura: I really liked the visuals [from the KINGDOM HEARTS MEMORIAL MUSIC BOX website], so I asked them whether they could make something with that vibe. However, the first time they showed me what they'd made in that style, I got so motion sick I nearly threw up (laughs).
(On his fave music)
Nomura: I like Hikari. That song is so deeply ingrained as the symbol of KH. Also, the title screen song.
Hazama: You mean Dearly Beloved.
Nomura: I can never remember its name (laughs).
(About the story)
Nomura: This is a slight tangent, but a long time ago we did a flip phone game called Kingdom Hearts Mobile, which had a "Tycoon" card-based minigame*. It involved characters playing Tycoon, and Disney asked us to add plot to it. They wanted there to be a reason that the characters would be playing Tycoon together. So yes, I wrote a story for that, and I thought, well, if I had given Tycoon a story then this game should very well have one too. I settled on Kairi as the narrator, and wrote new plot that leads into what is coming next.
*The game he's referring to is Card Struggle. View the list of KH Mobile minigames here.
COMMENTS
You know, I won't lie, I had entirely forgotten about KH Mobile. Like Spockanort above, I also had no clue that Mobile had an actual story thrown in either. Learn something new every day, I suppose.
:cautious:
:cautious:
Nomura, presenting KH Mobile to Disney: [...] And it'll have a fun game of Tycoon as well.
Disney: But why are they playing Tycoon?
Nomura: Huh?
Disney: Why are the characters playing Tycoon?
Nomura: Well...it's a min--
Disney: We just don't think it's believable to see them playing this game. Are they bored? Did this happen when Sora would visit?
Nomura: I hadn't--
Disney: Is Sora good at the game? Did Leon teach him how to play?
Nomura: It's not really that dee--
Disney: HOW OFTEN DO THEY PLAY?
Nomura:
Disney:
Nomura:
Disney:
Nomura: When Sora was 9 years old, his father pulled him aside [...]
I mean but of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.
Also, Nomura, you can't remember your second favorite track's name.. the one that's literally at the start of every entry to your pet project? I feel like he has to be making that up to press Shimomura's buttons, right?
More & more it becomes apparent that everything wrong with this series is Disney's fault.
"I want to do a reset on that trend " WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!?
Is this Nomura's way of saying that he is thinking of dumping characters? He can't be thinking of stopping the growth of the cast, when he literally just threw in more than 5 new people for the upcoming saga.
"I want to do a reset on that trend " WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!?
Is this Nomura's way of saying that he is thinking of dumping characters? He can't be thinking of stopping the growth of the cast, when he literally just threw in more than 5 new people for the upcoming saga.
Well like you said dumping certain characters while continuing to add new ones is counterproductive. Since he was having a laugh about it maybe he wasn't really being entirety serious
"I want to do a reset on that trend " WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!?
Is this Nomura's way of saying that he is thinking of dumping characters? He can't be thinking of stopping the growth of the cast, when he literally just threw in more than 5 new people for the upcoming saga.
I don't think many from the mobile games will show in this current timeline other than ephemer and skuld. missing classmate and strelitzia are question mark.
So disney is the one responsible for every game being canon to the story!
Well now I desperately need to know this lore
.... Dammit Disney
The hell?! I also didn't know there was plot in KH Mobile! And Nomura saying he's always forgetting the song name that has been in every KH title screen was surprising too.
"I want to do a reset on that trend " WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!?
Is this Nomura's way of saying that he is thinking of dumping characters? He can't be thinking of stopping the growth of the cast, when he literally just threw in more than 5 new people for the upcoming saga.
I think he meant to stop having so many characters in the boxart.
So what WAS the story of KH Mobile? Now I really want to know!
Well now we'll just have to find a way to revive KH Mobile, too
So what WAS the story of KH Mobile? Now I really want to know!
WHY ARE THEY PLAYING TYCOON!?
im confused:( idk why it would stem from the mobile game....
im confused:( idk why it would stem from the mobile game....
He explains it pretty clearly. Disney's request for KH Mobile set the precedent. After having to do something as unnecessary as writing a story for why Sora would be playing a random card game in a non-canon mobile game hub, Nomura figured he might as well add story to a rhythm game.
He explains it pretty clearly. Disney's request for KH Mobile set the precedent. After having to do something as unnecessary as writing a story for why Sora would be playing a random card game in a non-canon mobile game hub, Nomura figured he might as well add story to a rhythm game.
oh ok. im happy were getting more progression in kh mom
But what is the story of Card Struggle? I need to know now.
Also he's complaining about the number of characters, yet KHUX/KHDR constantly introduces complely new ones.
But what is the story of Card Struggle? I need to know now.
Also he's complaining about the number of characters, yet KHUX/KHDR constantly introduces complely new ones.
Pretty sure he means the number of characters on box art.
Everyone: what’s the story to this mobile game?!
Recon: how does one forget the song is called Dearly Beloved?
Everyone: what’s the story to this mobile game?!
Recon: how does one forget the song is called Dearly Beloved?
It’s actually really difficult to say in Japanese, so it honestly makes sense that he wouldn’t remember the name. Also Nomura’s bad at remembering song names xD he’s done this many times in other music-related interviews with Shimomura. This is very in character xD
It’s actually really difficult to say in Japanese, so it honestly makes sense that he wouldn’t remember the name. Also Nomura’s bad at remembering song names xD he’s done this many times in other music-related interviews with Shimomura. This is very in character xD
Fair point, I tried and it’s hard xD It’s definitely not memorable. Which is a shame because good songs should have a memorable title.
BUT WHAT IS THE STORY OF KH MOBILE??!?!?!?!??!!!
Say what you will about making every Kingdom Hearts game canon but it cannot be denied that more people became interested in the X sub-series when Ventus and Marluxia were introduced.
Even the ending of Melody of Memory turned this game from a tribute of the series to a more defined glimpse of the future of the franchise.
You know, I think it's perfectly fine to have the KH mobile game be canon, It actually makes sense when you think about it.
Leon and the gang realistically have nothing to do in Traverse Town aside from help other refugees and fight the heartless. So them picking up a card game like Tycoon to kill time makes logical sense. They could have taught it to Sora either as a way to spread it to someone from another world or just give him something normal to do in between saving the worlds.
WHAT is Kingdom Hearts Mobile? like wtf?
WHAT is Kingdom Hearts Mobile? like wtf?
It was a companion app for Kingdom Hearts coded. I don't remember the specifics of their connectivity but the Avatar Menu in Re:coded is an adaptation of Mobile's basic features.
Would be cool if a Re:Re:coded revived Mobile's minigames and multiplayer elements
*sobbing* I already hate how Disney allow Nomura to go around with his abstract/complex plot for KH as long there is nothing graphic in it, as long as it keeps the child friendly brand, but that every single bleeping game has plot was their demand and possibly how they are all connected too, Disney why
So VERY random question: if a friend of yours really wanted to get into the KH hype (like ALL the way in [mobile included]) would you go: UX Season 1 ➔ 3 ➔ UX Season 2 ➔ Melody of Memory ➔ Dark Road, or something else? Because I think Season 1 does all it needs to to lead into 3, then 3 gives some questions that Season 2 answers, then Melody of Memory seems to tie in some of MX's backstory, which Dark Road provides.
So VERY random question: if a friend of yours really wanted to get into the KH hype (like ALL the way in [mobile included]) would you go: UX Season 1 ➔ 3 ➔ UX Season 2 ➔ Melody of Memory ➔ Dark Road, or something else? Because I think Season 1 does all it needs to to lead into 3, then 3 gives some questions that Season 2 answers, then Melody of Memory seems to tie in some of MX's backstory, which Dark Road provides.
I think this sounds right. If anything I think Ux Season 2 could happen concurrently with KH3 - there are some tidbits that don’t necessarily need to be later reveals and are better to just *know* while playing through KH3, like Maleficent being in Kingdom of Corona because of Marluxia (and really Maleficent’s whole deal overall); having *some* knowledge of the character Darkness before the Ven/Vanitas stuff in ReMind... but could go either way. I agree that Dark Road makes sense after MoM, as soon as I finished MoM I immediately went back and rewatched Dark Road chapters and yea, the new lore feels more contextualized.
So VERY random question: if a friend of yours really wanted to get into the KH hype (like ALL the way in [mobile included]) would you go: UX Season 1 ➔ 3 ➔ UX Season 2 ➔ Melody of Memory ➔ Dark Road, or something else? Because I think Season 1 does all it needs to to lead into 3, then 3 gives some questions that Season 2 answers, then Melody of Memory seems to tie in some of MX's backstory, which Dark Road provides.
Because Union χ[Cross] messes with the order of how we experience the climax of χ[chi], splitting the story like that is unfortunately cumbersome.
But when possible I do recommend people experience the story of χ[chi] through to the Dark Footsteps "secret ending," then watch Back Cover, then proceed into Union χ[Cross] proper.
As for where it should line up between the other titles, I dunno. Technically, Uχ launched before KHIII, but of course it's finishing after.
I suppose we could just follow coded's example where it's typically placed after BbS, despite originally launching two years prior.
But again as χ[chi] and Uχ are muddied together now as a single game, the split becomes a little difficult to manage and is reminiscent of people who try to play CoM/Days in chronological order.
So VERY random question: if a friend of yours really wanted to get into the KH hype (like ALL the way in [mobile included]) would you go: UX Season 1 ➔ 3 ➔ UX Season 2 ➔ Melody of Memory ➔ Dark Road, or something else? Because I think Season 1 does all it needs to to lead into 3, then 3 gives some questions that Season 2 answers, then Melody of Memory seems to tie in some of MX's backstory, which Dark Road provides.
Season 1 is just OG KHX but without the Keyblade War events and the epilogue stinger, which ties into events that are currently taking place in UX. Since they'd have to stop playing and refer to videos anyway, I feel like it's better to just watch all of KHX first to get the full story.
IMO the best way to experience these games is like so:
[LIST=1]
[*]Watch all scenes for KHX, ending with "Dark Footsteps"
[*]Watch Back Cover
[*]Carry on with Union X up to "Brain's Goal" (corresponds to Quest 860)
[*]Play KH3
[*]Continue with the rest of the UX. Play Melody of Memory whenever, but do not start Dark Road until you've completed UX Quest 935 as it directly references that story update
[/LIST]
Oracle Spockanort
October 9, 2020 @ 02:29 amOffline