Jump to content

Kingdom Hearts Coded

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lightlowemon (talk | contribs) at 04:54, 11 October 2009 (Undid revision 319152634 by 70.19.141.15 (talk)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kingdom Hearts Coded
File:KHCoded.png
The logo of Kingdom Hearts coded.
Developer(s)Square Enix
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Designer(s)Tetsuya Nomura (game director)
Shinji Hashimoto (executive producer)
Kousei Itou (game producer)
Kakuko Obinata (associate producer)
Hajime Tabata (co-director)
Daisuke Watanabe (scenario writer)[8]
SeriesKingdom Hearts
Platform(s)NTT docomo[9]
ReleasePre-Install Episode
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Template:Nihongo title is an episodic puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phones.[8][9] It is an installment in the Kingdom Hearts series that is set after the events of the Kingdom Hearts II. The story focuses on a message written in Jiminy Cricket's journal. The game was announced at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show. Currently, the title is only a Japanese release, though Square Enix has plans for releases in other territories.[10] Currently a total of four episodes have been released for the title with more in the future, to be released over time with the first episode released on June 3, 2009, the second episode on July 8, 2009, the third on August 5,2009 and the fourth on September 17, 2009.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Plot

Coded is set after the events of Kingdom Hearts II.[9][11] While organizing the records in his journal from his travels with Sora and his friends, Jiminy Cricket's curiosity about the line "thank Naminé" results in him finding a message that he did not write:[10] "We must return to free them from their torment."[12] To investigate this message, King Mickey digitizes the contents of the journal and goes into the simulated world to investigate; awakening a virtual Sora on Destiny Islands to carry out the contents of the journal to uncover the identity of "them".[12] However, the virtual Sora encounters "bugs", which take the form of red and black blocks.[13] The setting for the first episode is Destiny Islands and the second is Traverse Town, followed by Wonderland.[3][6][14]

Characters

Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, coded features numerous Disney characters.[15] Some characters include King Mickey, Pluto, Jiminy Cricket,[12] Donald Duck, Goofy,[16] and the Heartless.[17] The virtual Sora is in the original Sora's attire from the first game because he is created from data from Jiminy's earlier journal entries. The characters referred to as "them" in the message left in Jiminy's journal refers to the main antagonists of the game, who have yet to be revealed.[17] Other antagonists include enemies from the Nintendo DS game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.[18]

Gameplay

Sora fighting Heartless in Traverse Town

Coded is a puzzle game with action elements mixed into the gameplay.[11] The action gameplay is similar to the action-RPG style of the previous games in the series and features a similar basic interface.[15][16] Coded also includes minigame and platforming elements.[19] The game features a mix of graphics, with three-dimensional (3D) backgrounds and two-dimensional (2D) characters.[11][20] The initial trailer showcased the main character, Sora, in dungeons with floating red and black blocks. Battles feature a "debugging" mode to remove the blocks in order to progress towards enemies.[15][16] Blocks are also used to solve puzzles or reach higher ground.[16]

Development

Coded was directed by Tetsuya Nomura and co-directed by Hajime Tabata, and is the first collaboration between Square Enix and the Disney Internet Group.[8] It was announced alongside Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days at the Tokyo Game Show on September 20, 2007, where a trailer was shown in a photo-prohibited theater.[20][21] New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008.[19][22] Playable demonstrations, as well as a new trailers, were available at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show in October 2008 and the 2009 Jump Festa in December 2008.[23][24] Early trailers highlighted coded's gameplay, while later ones focused more on the game's story, which would reveal some plotholes behind the first Kingdom Hearts game.[23]

In mid-2007, Nomura mentioned a desire to create a spin-off Kingdom Hearts game on a mobile platform and wanted it to play slightly different than other titles in the series.[25] The game's concept was devised by Nomura who wanted to make the game like a playground for fans. Tabata originally thought the initial plan was terrible, but still interesting. The development team plans to make use of phone technology to facilitate interaction between players.[17] Coded was developed with 3D and 2D graphics to have the game available on a range of cellphones for distribution overseas.[11] Early screenshots showed the game in a wide screen format, based on the idea that more future models will feature a swivel screen.[16]

Coded was first released preinstalled on the Docomo PRIME Series "P-01A" mobile phone.[26][27] Because many mobile games in the market offer free content, Nomura planned to release the game via a new business model, one the industry had not seen yet, to lower barriers to entry.[16] Included in the model is an online cell phone portal which will allow users to create avatars and play minigames. The portal is planned to be released in the latter half of 2009.[13][28]

Reception

Prior to coded's release, Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com praised the game's graphics and scope. He stated the graphics were comparable to those of the PlayStation Portable and commented that coded was a sign of mobile games evolving into "full-fledged" games.[29] 1UP.com's Vernon Hastings commented that the game deserved the attention of video game enthusiasts, and praised its features: the themes and the online cell phone portal.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Kingdom Hearts Coded for Cell Phones". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  2. ^ a b "キングダム ハーツ coded". Square Enix. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "『キングダム ハーツ コーデッド』第2章の配信がスタート". Famitsu. July 8, 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Kingdom Hearts: Coded Artwork, Screens Accompany Release Info". Kingdom Hearts Union. May 30, 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Kingdom Hearts World - Archive - Coded Episode Three". GameSpot. July 30, 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  6. ^ a b c "『キングダム ハーツ コーデッド』第3章が配信開始！". Famitsu. August 5, 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  7. ^ a b "『キングダム ハーツ コーデッド』第3章が配信開始！". Famitsu. August 18, 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  8. ^ a b c Square Enix (2007-09-20). "A New Chapter in the Kingdom Hearts Series Delivers Three Brand-new Titles to the Nintendo DS, PSP, and Mobile Phones". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  9. ^ a b c "Kingdom Hearts シリーズ 新プロジェクト" (PDF) (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  10. ^ a b Boyes, Emma (2007-09-20). "TGS '07: Three new Kingdom Hearts games coming". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  11. ^ a b c d "Kingdom Hearts: coded (Famitsu Interview)". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  12. ^ a b c "Kingdom Hearts: Coded". IGN. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  13. ^ a b Gifford, Kevin (2008-08-06). "Kingdom Hearts All Over Your Cell Phone". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  14. ^ "『キングダム ハーツ コーデッド』、P-01Aプリインストール版だけのステージも収録". Famitsu. November 11, 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  15. ^ a b c Onyett, Charles (2007-09-19). "TGS 2007: Three New Kingdom Hearts Titles". IGN. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Gantayat, Anoop (2007-10-02). "Nomura Discusses Kingdom Hearts". IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  17. ^ a b c "Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Hajime Tabata" (translation). Famitsu: p 33. October 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-20. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  18. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (2008-10-09). "TGS 2008: Square Enix Closed Mega Theater Exposed". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  19. ^ a b Haynes, Jeff (2008-08-02). "Kingdom Hearts Coded Trailer Impressions". IGN. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  20. ^ a b Niizumi, Hirohiko (2007-09-20). "TGS '07: Square Enix shows all in closed mega-theater". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  21. ^ "『キングダム ハーツ』新プロジェクトも明らかに！" (in Japanese). Famitsu. 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  22. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2007-12-02). "Square Enix Unveils Jump Festa Lineup". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  23. ^ a b Tanaka, John (2008-10-10). "TGS 2008: Nomura on Square Enix Closed Theater". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  24. ^ Winkler, Chris (2008-12-02). "Square Enix Announces JUMP Festa Line-up". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  25. ^ Ransom-Wiley, James (2007-05-04). "Next Kingdom Hearts to be portable spin-off, not KHIII". Joystiq. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  26. ^ "Docomo Prime series P-01A: 搭載コンテンツ" (in Japanese). NTT docomo. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  27. ^ "Docomo Prime series Products". NTT docomo. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  28. ^ a b Gifford, Kevin (2008-10-22). "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts Coded". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  29. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2007-09-20). "TGS: Cell phone gaming takes a turn for the Heartless". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kingdom_Hearts_Coded&oldid=319173444"