Exentryk
Member
The HD3 Packaging has a meaning in Sora (written with katakana) and Sora (written with the kanji for sky)!
--You presented the release date for [Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (hereon, KH2.8)] at the September SIE press conference, right?
Nomura: We sincerely apologize for prolonging the release date from December 2016 to January 2017. We wrote it in the comments on the official Twitter, but due to several titles that are coming out one on top of another, this is what it's become.
--You also revealed a gorgeous package art.
Nomura: There are actually two secrets about the illustrations from [KH1.5] until [KH2.8]. Extremely attentive KH fans might have already discovered them, but one is that Sora's movements change from sitting, to standing, to walking. One more is that when you line up the three illustrations, you'll notice that they show the flow of time with changes in the sky. [KH1.5] is sunset becoming night, [KH2.5] is the middle of the night, and [KH2.8] is night breaking into dawn. Those three illustrations have a message regarding the final chapter, [KHIII].
--So you planned all this from the time of [KH1.5]'s release, then?
Nomura: We worried a long time about the package art for [KH2.5], and we worked on trying to connect the three productions in a continual manner. It seems like there were a lot of people who figured out Sora's movements, but there were not very many people who noticed the connection between the skies. There are two meanings to sora (I.E. one being the protagonist's name, and the other meaning sky).
[...]
--We got a taste of the evolution of action on the PS4 with [KH0.2] at TGS, but will [KHIII] see an even deeper improvement of action from there?
Nomura: That's what will happen. Since there is an overwhelmingly large amount of things one can do while playing as Sora in [KHIII] timewise, compared to playing as Aqua. Aqua cannot change her keyblade as the story progresses, but Sora can, and that will in result change the action.
--The exploration and battles in the latest PV, are those the developments that came after crossing the bridge in the TGS trial play?
Nomura: Yes. Like what you were able to play in the trial, there is a map waiting up ahead with more added to it. The Osaka production team cleverly placed it as an object, and they're good at making maps with areas outside one's exploration.
[...]
-- Since they serve as a road to [KHIII], you really can't overlook any of the productions included in [KH2.8].
Nomura: Even among players, there seemed to be some people who were just now hearing about [KH2.8] at the Game Show and seemed troubled, but please, we'd like you to play [KH2.8]. Since it is a prologue to [KHIII], just as it says in the title, you'll need to play to smoothly enjoy [KHIII]!
[...]
--By the way, will [KH2.8] be supported on the PS4 Pro, too?
Nomura: It supports 4K, so it should cleanly play without any problems. Anything else detailed about support, we will showcase next time.
--Also, when will you be presenting more interesting news on [KHIII]?
Nomura: We spoke of this a bit at E3, but we are waiting to speak more about [KHIII] after releasing [KH2.8], so we have currently released all available information. Please wait shortly for new news.
--Since 2017 is the [KH] series' 15th anniversary, we're hoping for a lot of developments!
Nomura: We are thinking of a lot of plans heading toward the 15th anniversary. Next year's January release of [KH2.8] will be the start, and from March the full orchestra's world tour will commence. It will be a year's worth of non-stop [KH] news, so we look forward to speaking with you again.
Via KH13.com. More at the link.