There's also a literal translation of what Terra says to Ven on the beach as they're watching Roxas and Sora:
"Please don’t depend on me, just erase me… friend.”

Interviewer: May I believe that the one you fight in KH2FM+, and Terra are the same person? Because they both use a very similar kind of Keyblade.
Nomura: If they really are the same person or not is uncertain, though it doesn’t matter if you think they are the same person.

Interviewer: In Birth by Sleep, after all three are divided, the king appears? Nomura: It may be deeply related to the story,however I cannot tell whether or not that he is a”King” at that current age. This is because the development of Birth by Sleep will contain a very serious story.

Interviewer: Are there new enemies you can confirm that are not shown in the screens?
Nomura: The new enemy is not a Heartless, or a Nobody, because the story takes place before even they appear. I can only give out more information, little by little, as time passes: an example being like the Shadow enemies that are heartless, and the Dusk enemies that are nobodies.

Interviewer: Will this game have an ending that has already occurred [352/2 days], like Crisis Core had?Nomura: Where do you think the end is? The point is, how did it get to the point where Roxas to left the Organization? The details of that will be discussed game.

Interviewer: Will we be going through Disney worlds in this story, like previous Kingdom Hearts games?
Nomura: The story does not entirely progress going from world to world, but there is a progression in story.

Interviewer: Is the 14th Organization Member [Newly Revealed] a new character in the Kingdom Hearts Series? It appears as though the character is…a woman?
Nomura: I should bring it up now, that the XIV member is not Namine, since some people believed it to be Namine by seeing the trailer. However it will be explained as to why there’s no pillar for this character, as well as why she never appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2.

Interviewer: In the trailer, four characters are shown playing simultaneously. Is this possible in game?
Nomura: Multiplayer can be played with up to four people. Not only that, multiplayer gives a sense of freedom, as this mode has no effect on the story. But it is possible to choose less then four, for the multiplayer content.

The plot seems very good and intriguing, but also worries me: it'll be a big blow if Disney decides too pull off its characters for feeling the game has little to do with their "company policy". THen again, the game sells pretty well, so I don't thing they'll be doing that anytime soon! XD

Nah, I don’t think Disney would do something like that. Kingdom Hearts has such a rabid fanbase, they wouldn’t drop out of it. And as far as video games go, the series has kept itself pretty clean. Disney would probably only go if the games go heavy in the violence, sexual themes, etc. Kingdom Hearts really hasn’t had any of that (they’ve all been rated ‘E’, though KH II was ‘E+10’). Even if they took the darker theme for the series that most would like, I’m sure they’d still manage to keep it clean.

That’s just my opinion though. >.>.

Yeah, I guess you're right. But even so KHII american release did undergo editing!!! :pissed:
Ironically, most of the editing was actually original stuff from Disney, like the Hydra's green blood (changed to dark mist) and Will pointing a gun to his own head. The Pirates gun were changed into crossbows (that sounded like guns). RIDICULOUS!!!

The battle against Organization XIII's sniper guy (can't remember name) was slightly changed too. And Axel's death.

I'm still having time distinguishing who's Ven and who's Terra. I keep mixing them! Which is Roxas? Which is Zack?

and there is no Zack. (Who is Zack?)

Zack from Final Fantasy VII.

Pay attention, specially on the in game graphics, that haircut, his clothes... They're very similar!

And they both wield gigantic weapons!

I think you're talking about Terra.

Japanese publication Shonen Jump is providing us with another small update on the Kingdom Hearts prequel Birth by Sleep. A new special skill for Terra (not to be confused with Final Fantasy VI's Terra, whose name is Tina in the original Japanese version) named Shock Lock System is shown, along with a screenshot of Ven. PSPHyper has the entire scan for you right here.

Nomura has commented before that the DS Kingdom Hearts title 358/2 Days will likely debut before Birth by Sleep. Since the scan shows 358/2 Days coming out in 2008, we can safely assume Birth by Sleep won't be arriving until 2009.

August 2, 2008 - The Kingdom Hearts franchise is much more than melding of game and animation worlds; it's also the tale of Keyblades, magical weapons that are designed to defeat evil. But the Keyblades existed before Sora started wielding it against the Heartless. At the DKΣ3713 Private party event in Harajuku today, Square showed off a trailer for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, a prequel to the original title. What's more, there were demo stations that fans could get their hands on two levels of the game.



It appears as though Maleficent, the wicked witch from the Sleeping Beauty tale, plays the primary role of the bad buy in Birth by Sleep, as her machinations appear to be driving the Heartless together to cause a great disaster. In the midst of this disaster, a Keyblade master named Xehanort and his apprentice disappeared. With the events appearing to spiral out of control, another Keyblade master sends his three apprentices to look for the missing warriors. However, it appears that these characters will go through a number of new worlds as it sets up the events for the first Kingdom Hearts title. Two of these appear to be the lands of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, the latter of which is one of the Princesses of Heart. It's possible that Birth by Sleep will explain the kidnapping of these princesses, as well as point out Sleeping Beauty's role, but that was unknown from the trailer.



While gameplay with the title was limited to a short five minutes, we did manage to get a quick glimpse at one of the three apprentices in the game. We selected the Terra level, which appeared to be set within the Sleeping Beauty world. Terra looked to be an extremely capable warrior, with an intimidating Keyblade. However, he had many more abilities than simply hacking and slashing his way through Heartless. For one thing, every attack that he landed built up a power meter, which augmented his strikes. Once it was fully powered up, he had the ability to convert this power into stronger attacks or trigger one of four attack modes. The first three appeared to have elemental attacks associated with them: Fireblazer set the Keyblade ablaze, while Rock Breaker allowed Terra to channel earth strikes and Thunderbolt gave him the ability to call down lightning. The fourth mode was called Fatal Mode, and let him pull more powerful attacks on his opponents.



These were not the only attacks that were available to Terra, however. One thing that he was able to do was highlight enemies with a targeting reticule and blast them with a series of homing shots. These are much more powerful that standard attacks. Players could also switch back and forth between special attacks and magic by using the D-Pad. This was an important feature as you started hacking through Heartless. While we managed to clear our way through the minor enemies without a problem, we did find that the boss within the Enchanted Castle was a bit more complex. It was a gigantic loom-like creature (potentially reminiscent of the one that Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger with. However, it had been augmented with Maleficent's magic to be much larger and deadly, and there were multiple areas that needed to be targeted to destroy it properly, weakening its strength before it could be eliminated. However, before we could land the killing blow, we ran out of time. However, we were extremely excited to get our hands on the title which will be hitting PSPs in 2009.

KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS
The keywords of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days: “I can’t remember, something important.”

―― First let’s talk about KH 358/2 Days, it features the nobody Roxas as the main character?

Nomura: The KH series has consistently revolved around the theme of the “heart”, but now Roxas is the main character who joins up with Organization XIII who are said not to have hearts. Since the original KH, heart and memory are thought to be closely linked, therefore the theme drawn in this title is that of “memories”. So this time the catch copy of the title also becomes keywords: “I can’t remember, something important.”

―― Will the adventure of Roxas proceed the same as Sora did by traveling from world to world?

Nomura: It’ll be a little different. The main concern is the sticky situation with the worlds Sora has been since it can’t contradict with the story of KHII. This time the objective of the events happening in the Disney worlds is to influence Roxas, gradually producing some sort of change in him. For instance, in the Beauty and the Beast world, upon seeing the Beast and Belle, is Roxas able to recognize their love?


―― Will the content of such scenarios move the player to tears?

Nomura: I write the base scenarios for KH every time, but this time I think the surprising content is really being able to get a feel for their quiet everyday lives. (Smiles) Personally, I don’t want the contents to resemble that of previous developments. When I’m writing, I never think things like, “Oh, this’ll make the player cry.” That process is really up to the players, right?


―― Does the connection between the titles become a matter of concern?

Nomura: Naturally, there’s much to keep in mind. There are various parts to think about, like “this thing has to be connected with that kind of thing,” or fussing over things like the sea salt ice cream. (Smiles)

―― So we heard the lines spoken by the 14th member at the private event held in August.

Nomura: Really it was planned to reveal her voice in the scenes at the next event. (Smiles) It’s a curious thing, everyone is wondering which character her voice connects to. Already people are guessing she is the nobody of some character, but then who is Xion really? What becomes of her heart? This will be explored more at Tokyo Game Show this Fall, so please look forward to it.

―― Multi player mode is prepared for this title as well, what kind of concept were in mind?

Nomura: We wanted something simple that 4 players could communicate and enjoy together, but not be something that was just going to steal the game’s attention. The experience made in the main story can be utilized in multiplayer mode, likewise the experience made in multiplayer mode is useful in the main story, this system reflects them mutually.

―― Because the player can choose from the members of Organization XIII in multiplayer mode, it seems like an adjustment to balance them would be needed…

Nomura: Indeed. But growth among them will be a common element. In the multiplayer mode, the characters can be customized based on the progress made by Roxas in the main story. That growth is based on the parts of data being transfered, it’s a fairly bold thing to do.

―― Speaking of boldness, in the demo version, the player could operate the camera using the lower screen, that was also a bold idea.

Nomura: Moving the camera by directly moving one’s finger across the touch screen made sense, even for players who generally aren’t used to that sort of thing. It was also popular among staff, though it was their opinion that “it was difficult to operate with the stylus.” Therefore operating with the stylus is optional. (Smiles) Still, some people will resist touching the screen with their fingers. In the current version you could only survey left and right, I though that you wouldn’t need to look up or down, but the opinion of the staff was that “it’s inconvenient unless the player can look up.” Will there be room for improvement? (Smiles) The current demo is only one part of the game. At this time there are more cool things to do, so please look forward to it.

KINGDOM HEARTS MOBILE
Make an avatar in KH Mobile and it will become a resident of the world in the palm of you hand!

―― Kingdom Hearts Mobile starts on the mobile phone, what kind of service will it be?

Nomura: The portal site for KH Mobile will be crammed with KH related information and items. You’ll be able to look up information on the games of the KH series, mobile phone screensavers and ringtones will be available, the plan is to have this site contain everything related to KH so that it can easily be accessed on the mobile phone. But in order to keep it from being a dull general information site, users can create avatars. So when the user wants a new screensaver or ring tone, they take their avatar to the town shop and make a purchase (downloading it).

―― Will users be able to change their avatars after they’ve made one?

Nomura: As for that, they’ll be able to do it freely. (Smiles) Your avatar could have the face of Sora and body of Riku. With accessories and costumes, and customizing the face and hairstyle little by little, the users can create good variations. In order to do so they’ll have to go to the town shop and purchase these things (download them).

―― Other than the avatars, will site information and other buyable items be updated?

Nomura: It’s intended to be updated regularly. As the number of buyable items increase, hopefully event items for every season will become available.

―― Will contents of Kingdom Hearts Coded be available on KH Mobile?

Nomura: Well, KH Mobile will be the first out, so from it you’ll be able to choose to play KH Coded.

―― When does the service start?

Nomura: It’s announced for this Fall, but the portal site is earnestly being developed so that is ready in time for Tokyo Game Show. There isn’t a particular update yet, but it’ll be an fun place people will want to play at.


KINDGOM HEARTS CODED

The keywords of Kindom Hearts Coded: “A forbidden secret.”

―― KH Coded is the direct sequel of KHII, could you tells about it’s highlights?

Nomura: The content of KH Coded is similar to that of KH Chain of Memories (COM below). Even for players who aren’t aware of the previous story, everyone will be able to deepen their understanding
of the KH series. Therefore people who already fans of KH will really want to play this game by all means.

―― What kind of concrete development will it have?

Nomura: The story investigates the mystery message left inside Jiminy’s Journal, so like in COM the characters travel through the past. But like the case of COM, a new drama following KH unfolds, those intervals will enter as original episodes. In the case of KH Coded, they visit the same Traverse Town but something is different. Why is that? Examining those kind of parts close up becomes the content of this game.


―― A very deep story seems to unfold.

Nomura: It’s breadth is not so vast, but the inner part of the story becomes deep. At the private event last month the keywords “the forbidden secret” were compiled in the trailer, so generally speaking that becomes the image of this title.

―― In recent screenshots, depictions of arrows on the screen are shown, are these instructions for attacking?

Nomura: The arrows indicate the order of input for the direction keys. The system works by inputting the keys in order which results in a simple combo of attacks. Since it’s operations are suited to work on the mobile phone, it becomes similar to ordinary mobile phone operations.

―― Will KH Coded also be released via mobile delivery format?

Nomura: That’s right, but it won’t be released in it’s entirety. Because the KH series is based on moving through the worlds while advancing the story, I’m thinking that the new worlds for the title will be distributed gradually.


KINGDOM HEARTS BIRTH BY SLEEP

The keywords of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: “Connections of the heart.”

―― What kind of theme is drawn up in the story of KH Birth by Sleep (BBS below)?

Nomura: The theme seems to revolves between “connections of the heart” and “fate.” When it is played last, the player will understand that the KH story that take place afterwards is one “not of chance, but a story that becomes inevitable.” Unlike the tender atmosphere of the older games, this one is serious. Because it is a very sad story, people have asked “how do you manage it?” when involving Disney works. (Smiles) A painful story unfolds. Though KH “isn’t that kind of thing”, this time we’ll try to progress the story in that direction.

―― Terra, Ventus, and Aqua appear as the main three characters, but what kind of characters are each of them?

Nomura: Terra is the type who makes his goal’s his highest priority. But he’s not a bad fellow, though his stress on obtaining his goals causes conflict. The story of Ventus seems to feel closer to the ones of KH seen so far. He is able to make friends with the dwellers of the worlds he visits and is the type to blend into a world naturally. Aqua is a serious character, she has a steady mind and often worries about the other two. She is eyewitness to the recent events, therefore she takes that sort of a standpoint.


―― How does the story of these three advance?

Nomura: They advance by taking separate actions on the same time axis. For example, when Terra visits a certain world and the other two people have not been there yet. There by naturally the connection to the particular world changes too. Such story development will really be the charm of BBS.


―― As for the play order of each character, can the player decide?

Nomura: I assume that it’s being developed right now. Therefore depending on the order chosen by the player, if they have not played as Terra yet, and they choose Aqua and start visiting worlds with her, they’ll understand the actions of Terra early. (Smiles) That might not be what was expected or hoped for, but I think it will be a little interesting.

―― If all 3 characters come together in the ending, will the entire image of the story become clear?

Nomura: Indeed. For instance, the mysteries of Terra are revealed in Ventus’s story. Overall, it’ll have this type of composition.


―― Terra is power based, and the from the demo it’s obvious Ventus is based on combo + speed, but what type of character is Aqua?

Nomura: Aqua is special. As for the type, she is magic based, though it is considerably tricky. Fight while rotating like a spinning object, doing cartwheels, that sort of thing. (Smiles)

―― After grasping the feel of the game play, the combat system seems considerably based on powering up.

Nomura: Seems like it, with locking on to multiple enemies using the Shoot Lock System to attack and customizing the deck of skills. At the demo the deck of skills was already pre set, but in the actual game you’ll be able to edit it freely. At first BBS was expected to have a fighting system closest to the older games, but now it seems that KH 358/2 Days is and BBS’s system has evolved. The feeling is more like, “you can’t fight like Sora with this system,” therefore a real taste of managing the keyblade is shown.

―― Of the stories heard in these three titles, it seems BBS will probably be the last to release, are you thinking about future titles after these?

Nomura: Considering the nature the KH series, I do not intend to end it here. Even as BBS is being made, I am thinking about the future and how it connects. Thus, please continue to support the KH series.