As a long-time fan of the Kingdom Hearts franchise and a connoisseur of behind-the-scenes stories, I find it fascinating to delve into the creative process that brought this beloved series to life. Tetsuya Nomura’s journey at Square Enix, from his roles in various Final Fantasy games to his directorial debut with Kingdom Hearts, is nothing short of inspiring.
The Kingdom Hearts franchise is known for combining JRPG elements with beloved Disney properties.
As for the main character Sora, designer Tetsuya Nomura aimed to create a persona distinct from Disney’s characters.
During an interview conducted in 2003 and later revealed by Shumplations, Nomura discussed the process behind creating characters for the game “Kingdom Hearts”. When asked about Sora’s design, he acknowledged that it was indeed inspired by Mickey Mouse.
In creating Sora’s appearance, I paid close attention to Mickey Mouse as a reference since the other characters are not square-shaped but from Disney. My aim was to design Sora as a sort of “combined tribute” to all the characters I had previously drawn. As a result, he bears similarities to several characters: there’s a hint of Cloud, a trace of Tidus, and even some resemblance to Sion. This was an aspect I focused on intensely.
For more than ten years, he had been employed at Square Enix, contributing to multiple positions on six different “Final Fantasy” games. Notably, it was his debut as a game director with “Kingdom Hearts.” Additionally, he played a significant role as the game’s primary character designer, having previously created characters for “Final Fantasy VI,” “Parasite Eve,” and “Final Fantasy VIII.
Tetsuya Nomura Was Adamant That The Game Did Not Have A Disney Protagonist
During the interview, Nomura explains his vision for merging aspects from past JRPG projects alongside elements from popular Disney films and characters. He discusses his ambition to create a game that transcends the limitations of a typical Disney narrative. For instance, he aimed to achieve the extraordinary with the main character in the game, which is an example of pushing beyond conventional Disney storytelling boundaries.
Initially, we discussed making a Disney character the lead, but I had my heart set on a non-Disney hero from the start. Instead, I envisioned an impressive ensemble of secondary Disney characters playing key roles. This point was not negotiable for me.
Nomura aimed to construct an immersive universe where players could lose themselves. One method he employs is offering a gaming experience that deviates from conventional JRPGs. Although it’s not exactly an action game, Kingdom Hearts incorporates more action-based combat than the standard turn-based JRPG battles prevalent at the time. Moreover, the gameplay style was unique and hadn’t been featured in a Final Fantasy game before that period.
From the start, that concept was among my intentions as well. I had concerns about their reaction if I proposed implementing such a system in a Final Fantasy title. As a result, this notion had been simmering within me for some time.
Indeed, the interview you’re referring to took place in 2003; however, fast-forwarding to today, we can expect that Final Fantasy XVI will feature a combat system similar to Devil May Cry.
One last takeaway was the game’s perceived difficulty. Despite the Disney theme, Nomura didn’t want the game overly easy. He wanted fans to be challenged and have reasons to keep coming back.
My concept for Kingdom Hearts was that it would be a game with a lot of depth, something you could play for a long time. I wanted to try making a game where the player could do anything. Even though Kingdom Hearts is a Disney game, there are quite a few “hardcore” elements that remain. Things where you’d think, we probably have to make this more friendly―we dared to buck that expectation in a number of places. For example, the map is 3D, but we deliberately did not include an easy-to-understand 2D-overhead minimap display.
Initially, straying off course and needing to think for yourself was an enjoyable aspect, in my opinion. However, it’s questionable whether today’s excessive guidance and simplification by developers truly benefits us…
As for whether or not Mickey Mouse would show up in Kingdom Hearts, that was a secret at the time.
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2024-12-22 23:39