Kingdom Hearts III's Co-Director Discusses Difficulty, Final Fantasy Characters, And Memorable Moments

Koozek · Mar 22, 2019

https://www.gameinformer.com/column...o-director-discusses-difficulty-final-fantasy

On the complaints that KH3 was too easy:

One of the biggest complaints about Kingdom Hearts III has been that it's too easy, especially for veteran players. Square Enix has responded to this feedback by working on critical mode and making sure it's more than just a value change. The mode is set to release soon, although Square Enix still doesn't have an exact date. [...]

Yasue has high hopes for critical mode. He said it's "more technical and offensive," and would be for those who are adept at action games. This means putting a greater emphasis on timing attacks and getting ready to dodge or block in a jiffy. [...]
When asked about those missing pieces, Yasue said, "There was a lot of feedback that said the standard and beginner were pretty easy. I guess, we sort of aimed for that though. For us, we wanted it to widen our audience so that was the whole point of that, but we did get a lot of [responses] saying [fans] wanted more difficult modes, so we gave them critical mode. I sort of expected that people might think that it was too easy, but we were targeting an audience. My kids, for example, who have never played Kingdom Hearts."

On the lack of post-game content:

As for criticism about the lack of post-game content, especially optional bosses, Yasue says he takes it all into consideration. "We really look at what everyone is writing. We totally understand and respect that. I can't make any announcements just yet." He did, however, reiterate that the light post-game content wasn't because the team needed to cut things out, they just really wanted to focus on the new Disney worlds.

On the lack of FF characters:

The lack of Final Fantasy characters also quickly came up in our conversation. "We definitely recognize and respect what everyone's saying," he affirmed, once again saying he can't make any announcements. However, when asked if he was surprised that fans were disappointed by this, he said he was. "We had a lot of original characters. It's the conclusion of the Xehanort saga and we really wanted to concentrate on the main storyline of Kingdom Hearts, such as Sora and Roxas, for the example. They're having all these stories in other games and we wanted them to conclude."

More at the link.

Inuhanyou · Mar 22, 2019

Makes sense that they would put extra content in a "final mix" esque update

With that in mind...my guess is that the interviewer didnt ask about why Kairi didnt fuckin do anything and then look at Nomura as he squirms in his chair

Normal · Mar 22, 2019

They wanted to focus on Roxas' storyline which is why we got no FF characters, but everything involving Roxas/Xion felt so rushed and kinda dumb lol. I don't even think they ended up explaining how Xion shows up in the end lol

I am excited for the critical mode tho, but probably won't touch it until the expansion/dlc is released.

Illusion · Mar 22, 2019

Still waiting on Cloud, Sephiroth, and the Hallow Bastion gang to make their cameo appearances. While having our traditional Sephiroth fight.

Collesium (mirage arena? Olympus?) making a return so we can fight stronger version of the organization members like in 2 Final Mix.

And please, have a Darth Vader super boss. It's the only "new idea" I'm begging for.

PurgeVIII · Mar 22, 2019

Inuhanyou said:
With that in mind...my guess is that the interviewer didnt ask about why Kairi didnt fuckin do anything and then look at Nomura as he squirms in his chair

You obviously didn't read the article since the interviewer was speaking with Tai Yasue, not Nomura.
So nice job dude

KtotheRoc · Mar 22, 2019

Hopefully they address some of these issues with the sure to come new Kingdom Hearts spin-offs and Kingdom Hearts IV.

Meows · Mar 22, 2019

I would love a return of Radiant Garden and catching up with Leon and the gang but I would also be satisfied fighting all of them in little quick matches in a colosseum. So, like, as long as the Final Fantasy characters were just in there somehow I really wouldn't care too much.

Inuhanyou · Mar 22, 2019

PurgeJuls said:
You obviously didn't read the article since the interviewer was speaking with Tai Yasue, not Nomura.
So nice job dude

I didnt, it was a facetious comment about Nomura. So serious.

Instant Vintage · Mar 22, 2019

Usyren said:
They wanted to focus on Roxas' storyline which is why we got no FF characters, but everything involving Roxas/Xion felt so rushed and kinda dumb lol. I don't even think they ended up explaining how Xion shows up in the end lol

Not gonna lie, it kinda made me sad that they rushed the story in the last 2-3 hours of the game after 30+ hours of rehashing the Disney World's stories.

Like, it was an entire exposition dump after San Fransoyko with vague references to the plot in previous worlds.

As far as Xion, you're right. She just.... appears.

Niosai · Mar 22, 2019

I think the lack of FF characters could be rectified with a Coliseum mode post-game. Just have some light story involving FF characters fighting in the Coliseum. Yeah, it won't finish the arcs but it could definitely tease something for the next game. I play KH for the mix of FF and Disney. Not just Disney alone.

Deleted member 42105 · Mar 22, 2019

Stop lying Tai, yall ran out of money lol

They really do listen though so I have zero doubt that they'll fix the main complaints with the DLC.

Koozek · Mar 22, 2019

Usyren said:
They wanted to focus on Roxas' storyline which is why we got no FF characters, but everything involving Roxas/Xion felt so rushed and kinda dumb lol. I don't even think they ended up explaining how Xion shows up in the end lol

Instant Vintage said:
As far as Xion, you're right. She just.... appears.

Nomura said it'll be explained in DLC:

(It was pretty well explained how Roxas and Ventus were able to be revived, but could you shed light on how exactly Xion was able to be revived and enter the real Organization XIII?) I think it's something that people could guess, but we plan to explain it in downloadable content.

Source.

I hope some of yall who shat on FFXV for its DLC are keeping the same energy here

jeelybeans · Mar 22, 2019

Koozek said:
I hope some of yall who shat on FFXV for its DLC are keeping the same energy here

The problem with FFXV is that even after it's DLC everything was nonsense.

Deleted member 42105 · Mar 22, 2019

Koozek said:
I hope some of yall who shat on FFXV for its DLC are keeping the same energy here

Caiops · Mar 22, 2019

I hope we get FF characters in the DLC.

PlanetSmasher · Mar 22, 2019

The lack of Final Fantasy characters also quickly came up in our conversation. "We definitely recognize and respect what everyone's saying," he affirmed, once again saying he can't make any announcements. However, when asked if he was surprised that fans were disappointed by this, he said he was. "We had a lot of original characters. It's the conclusion of the Xehanort saga and we really wanted to concentrate on the main storyline of Kingdom Hearts, such as Sora and Roxas, for the example. They're having all these stories in other games and we wanted them to conclude."

Cool. Now conclude Cloud's arc. You literally ended his last scene in KH2 on a cliffhanger.

impact · Mar 22, 2019

Excuse for difficulty makes no sense. There was 3 difficulty options and they were all easy. Why have options?

Deleted member 437 · Mar 22, 2019

My biggest problem was the difficulty. That was its biggest sin IMO.

Glad its not just "pump up the HP".

Who the fuck played Proud and said "Yeah, this is fine" on that dev team?

I mean, I put handicaps on MYSELF during proud, and that shit was still way too god damned easy.

Koozek · Mar 22, 2019

jeelybeans said:
The problem with FFXV is that even after it's DLC everything was nonsense.

calling another game nonsense in a KH3 thread, whew

AlexFlame116 · Mar 22, 2019

Hopefully they take everything to consideration as he keeps mentioning and fixes them through DLC or patches.

Not too thrilled on their reasoning for difficulty and lack of post-game content.

Koozek said:
Nomura said it'll be explained in DLC:

(It was pretty well explained how Roxas and Ventus were able to be revived, but could you shed light on how exactly Xion was able to be revived and enter the real Organization XIII?) I think it's something that people could guess, but we plan to explain it in downloadable content.

Source.

I hope some of yall who shat on FFXV for its DLC are keeping the same energy here

Koozek don't poke the wasp nest lol.

jeelybeans · Mar 22, 2019

Koozek said:
calling another game nonsense in a KH3 thread, whew

I mean, you're the one who brought it up. Kingdom Heart's story is nonsense but also people enjoy it because it doesn't really take itself that seriously (or it does so in an embarassing let's laugh at this way). People who stan FFXV think it's some beautiful epic when its anime gutter trash just like KH.

Dary · Mar 22, 2019

I really think they over-estimated how popular the original characters are. A vocal fanbase don't mean a large fanbase.

BillFromAccounting · Mar 22, 2019

Gotta give the kingdom hearts folks credit, they seem to actually listen to feedback when making these updates to their games, so i'm looking forward to what they'll be adding.

Keym · Mar 22, 2019

Ignore Koozek's additional comments, he's a known troll who frequents GameFAQs and hates KH.

pleaseinsertdisctwo · Mar 22, 2019

jeelybeans said:
I mean, you're the one who brought it up. Kingdom Heart's story is nonsense but also people enjoy it because it doesn't really take itself that seriously (or it does so in an embarassing let's laugh at this way). People who stan FFXV think it's some beautiful epic when its anime gutter trash just like KH.

WHAT am I reading? KH absolutely takes its story super seriously. I love Kingdom Hearts but I will never understand how anyone actually gives a shit about what goes on because it's clear Nomura doesn't really care.

Also, as atrocious as XV's writing is, the tone/overall atmosphere of the story is definitely not the same as KH. KH is far more "anime" in tone and atmosphere.

Edit: I didn't see Koozek's original post that you responded to. It's fair that you took a shot at XV but I just disagreed with what you said there

Koozek said:
t on FFXV for its DLC are keeping the same energy here

hmmmm come on my dude. It's not really comparable

Jiggy · Mar 22, 2019

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jviggy43 · Mar 22, 2019

This regirgutated nonsense about not having time to fit ff characters in is such bullshit and I cant believe they keep saying it. It would be one thing if the majority of the 30 hours was on the original characters to close them out. But its not. It's not even 25%. 80% of the game is dicking off at Disney worlds doing nothing in advancing their story or characters.

Pathetic excuse that's a straight up lie.

PlanetSmasher · Mar 22, 2019

jviggy43 said:
This regirgutated nonsense about not having time to fit ff characters in is such bullshit and I cant believe they keep saying it. It would be one thing if the majority of the 30 hours was on the original characters to close them out. But its not. It's not even 25%. 80% of the game is dicking off at Disney worlds doing nothing in advancing their story or characters.

Pathetic excuse that's a straight up lie.

It really is a dumb excuse, honestly. Outside of the last world, there really isn't much time spent on any characters except Sora, Riku and Aqua, and even Aqua gets significantly less than Riku does. They could've balanced out the main plot storytelling way better or spent more time with the side characters throughout the game instead of having all the exposition delivered by long, droning cutscenes right after you finish a world.

I liked KH3 a lot, but the idea that there 'wasn't enough time' to include characters like Cloud is asinine when you consider how much time is wasted watching Riku and Mickey stare at that goddamn beach.

Scarlet Spider · Mar 22, 2019

I want to know what became of the FF gang. I wanna know what Sephiroth did to Zack wayy back in BBS. I want some closure on all fronts dammit.

Farrac · Mar 22, 2019

I can echo his sentiment of wanting to make KH3 easier as a whole, but I don't understand why there was such a low ceiling of difficulty if that was the case. I mean, anyone would expect Proud to be hard, right? But I digress. I'm happy to know they took feedback into consideration and can't wait for Critical Mode. In the meantime, I encourage people to try LV1 Proud, I had tons of fun with it with some exceptions and even if it's not a replacement for a well-designed Critical Mode.

Also, do people not remember how lacking the post-game content of vanilla 1 and 2 were? Not saying that this is an excuse for lacking postgame content in 3 but I feel that the Final Mix versions have warped people's expectations when it comes to content, even more so when you consider how much work went into the main campaign, at least on the Disney side of things. Let's see what the DLC brings to the table.

Deleted member 511 · Mar 22, 2019

The quote about the original character is such bullshit. Most of them don't even appear until the last five hours of the game, they barely interact with each other (Riku and Kairi don't even have any lines to each other ffs, Terra and Riku don't even talk, etc.), and when they do it's not even in a meaningful way aside from the wayfinder / seasalt trio reunions.

jeelybeans said:
I mean, you're the one who brought it up. Kingdom Heart's story is nonsense but also people enjoy it because it doesn't really take itself that seriously (or it does so in an embarassing let's laugh at this way). People who stan FFXV think it's some beautiful epic when its anime gutter trash just like KH.

I don't like XV but if people think it's a great epic then why can't they? It doesn't really affect you in anyway. Besides, there are people who take KH's just as seriously as hardcore xv fans and don't think it's nonsense in anyway at all lmao.

Ryuman · Mar 22, 2019

PlanetSmasher said:
Cool. Now conclude Cloud's arc. You literally ended his last scene in KH2 on a cliffhanger.

I feel like Cloud would just turn up and be... OK. KH2 has them leave to settle things on their own so I doubt they would continue the conflict unless they just wanted to drag it out for fans.

diakyu · Mar 22, 2019

Dary said:
I really think they over-estimated how popular the original characters are. A vocal fanbase don't mean a large fanbase.

They are popular within the die-hard KH fanbase however, and that is what this game caters to.

PlanetSmasher · Mar 22, 2019

Ryuman said:
I feel like Cloud would just turn up and be... OK. KH2 has them leave to settle things on their own so I doubt they would continue the conflict unless they just wanted to drag it out for fans.

I mean, we need to see how that fight ended.

Moogle · Mar 22, 2019

Ignore these people, keep shittiroth and give us something NEW and exciting. I'm bored of fighting him.

WarpSpeedMolasses · Mar 22, 2019

The lack of Final Fantasy characters also quickly came up in our conversation. "We definitely recognize and respect what everyone's saying," he affirmed, once again saying he can't make any announcements. However, when asked if he was surprised that fans were disappointed by this, he said he was. "We had a lot of original characters. It's the conclusion of the Xehanort saga and we really wanted to concentrate on the main storyline of Kingdom Hearts, such as Sora and Roxas, for the example. They're having all these stories in other games and we wanted them to conclude."

Then roll back some if the Disney stuff. They were mostly filler till you got to the good stuff anyway.

Orion · Mar 22, 2019

Glad they seem to be well aware some were upset with the lack of FF. I need them to care about Leon since the rest of SE seems content to ignore VIII's existence. At least Cloud and co. have a remake coming... any ~~day~~ ~~year~~ decade now... so I can see why they might want to hold them back.

jviggy43 · Mar 22, 2019

PlanetSmasher said:
It really is a dumb excuse, honestly. Outside of the last world, there really isn't much time spent on any characters except Sora, Riku and Aqua, and even Aqua gets significantly less than Riku does. They could've balanced out the main plot storytelling way better or spent more time with the side characters throughout the game instead of having all the exposition delivered by long, droning cutscenes right after you finish a world.

I liked KH3 a lot, but the idea that there 'wasn't enough time' to include characters like Cloud is asinine when you consider how much time is wasted watching Riku and Mickey stare at that goddamn beach.

Agreed with everything you said. I liked KH3 too and think its going to be a top contender for goty in a tough year but I don't understand their need to use this rationale. If they said something like "we just didn't have the time or resources to devote to them and we prioritized what we thought was important" I would be a lot more accepting of that because at the end of the day theyre the one making the game. But like, don't say its because you had no room in the story for them when the very thing youre suggesting was so important, the main characters, did fuck all for the entire game until the last couple of hours of a 30 hour game.

Blackleg-sanji1 · Mar 22, 2019

Wanted to focus on Roxas and sora......you know what y'all alrea said everything that needed to be said to counter that ima let that go.

jiggle · Mar 22, 2019

Fuck off with the FF excuse
Itd be more believable if they hadn't been slowly erasing them with every new game

henhowc · Mar 22, 2019

"We had a lot of original characters"

Right...Most of which didn't even show up until the last few hours of the game.

Blackleg-sanji1 · Mar 22, 2019

henhowc said:
"We had a lot of original characters"

Right...Most of which didn't even show up until the last few hours of the game.

Don't forget the two fan favorites that added so much to the plot they didn't even have voiced lines....wait

Calliope · Mar 22, 2019

I'm surprised he's surprised fans are disappointed. They still do KH/FF crossover stuff in the mobile games and there's even a new figure of KH Cloud coming out. Why wouldn't we think they'd be in III?

PlanetSmasher · Mar 22, 2019

Calliope said:
I'm surprised he's surprised fans are disappointed. They still do KH/FF crossover stuff in the mobile games and there's even a new figure of KH Cloud coming out. Why wouldn't we think they'd be in III?

Hell, KH Cloud was the featured unit in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius when they did their KH crossover event.

Kingdom Hearts III's Co-Director Discusses Difficulty, Final Fantasy Characters, And Memorable Moments

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