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Kingdom Hearts Coded

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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 supervisor)[11]
SeriesKingdom Hearts
Platform(s)NTT docomo[12]
ReleasePre-Install Episode
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
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.[11][12] 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.[13] The game consists of eight episodes with seven episodes already released, with the first episode released on June 3, 2009[2], the second episode on July 8, 2009[3][4], the third on August 5, 2009[5][6], the fourth on September 17, 2009[7], the fifth on October 15, 2009[8], the sixth on November 26, 2009, and the seventh on December 26, 2009.

Gameplay

Sora fighting Heartless in Traverse Town

Coded is a puzzle game with action elements mixed into the gameplay.[14] 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.[17] The game features a mix of graphics, with three-dimensional (3D) backgrounds and two-dimensional (2D) characters.[14][18] 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]

Plot

Setting

Further information: Universe of Kingdom Hearts

In coded, the player progresses through a series of levels which are virtual re-representations of worlds contained within the digitized version of Jiminy's journal which are from the first Kingdom Hearts game and are arranged according to the order in which Sora visited the worlds originally in Kingdom Hearts.[19] These virtual worlds are based on various locales from many Disney animated films as well as original worlds: Destiny Islands, the first original world in the series; Traverse Town, another original world; Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland; Olympus Coliseum from Hercules; Agrabah from Aladdin.[8]

Story

Kingdom Hearts
chronology

The game takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts II and follows the story of Jiminy Cricket, King Mickey, Donald Duck and Goofy in Disney Castle.[12][14] While organizing the records in Jiminy's 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: "We must return to free them from their torment."[13][20] 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 the virtual Destiny Islands to carry out the contents of the journal to uncover the identity of "them".[20]

As the virtual Sora awakens on Destiny Islands he encounters numerous "bugs", which take the form of red and black blocks, covering the whole world.[19] As he investigates these blocks, he encounters a strange cloaked figure who creates a keyhole, beyond it is a giant heartless who once defeated destroyed all the blocks on the island. However Sora gets caught in the darkness sending him to Traverse town which is reminiscent of the events of the first game.[21] He then traverses various worlds locating their keyholes occasionally with the help of the cloaked figure and eliminating the Heartless which then allow the worlds to return to normal.[3] In Wonderland, the cloaked figure suddenly appears in front of the data Sora, who then chases the cloaked figure upon orders from King Mickey.[6]

Meanwhile in Disney Castle Heartless begin appearing within the castle, but are swiftly destroyed by King Mickey.[6] Afterwards, the doors of the castle open and to the surprise of the King and his friends the data Sora enters the doors. The cloaked figure then re-appears in front of them and then reveal to them that they are no longer in the "real" world but also within the journal itself thus the presence of the heartless. The cloaked figure also revealed itself to be Jiminy's Journal taking the form of Riku who then sends Sora on a journey to discover his own true identity. Pete from the real world then appears in the digital world as well as Maleficent who destroys the digital Sora's keyblade and summons Heartless to attack him.[8] Mickey and the Journal arrive and defeat the Heartless, but the Journal is abducted by Maleficent and Pete. Mickey gives chase while Sora makes his way through Hollow Bastion, aided by Donald and Goofy. They find Pete, whom they cannot battle until a new Keyblade appears in Sora's hands. Pete is beaten, but he summons the Journal, taking the form of Riku's Dark Mode, now under his control by using the Bugs, to fight them, but Sora still manages to defeat the Journal while Pete flees. The Journal falls unconscious and the Keyblade suddenly opens a new keyhole. [10]

Mickey arrives and informs Sora that unless the Bugs are destroyed, the Journal will never awaken. Sora decides to find a way to awaken the Journal, and enters Riku's data world, meeting another Riku, but losing his abilities in the process. The two visit various worlds from the Data Riku's memory and find their way back to Hollow Bastion, where they fight and defeat Maleficent in her Dragon Form. Meanwhile, Mickey discovers that he will be returning soon to the real world, but the Journal, once completed, will have to be erased, which will mean the end of Data Sora's memories. When the time comes, Data Sora requests more time in order to save Pete and Maleficent, who are still in the data world. Sora finds them fighting a Darkside, but Pete and Maleficent are erased before he can intervene. Sora defeats the giant Heartless and Mickey returns to the real world, erasing the Journal, but a message appears claiming that a new door to a new world has been opened, which is the data of the Data World added into the Journal. Mickey, realizing that this quest may be too dangerous for Data Sora as he has no memory of it, requests to be taken into the Data World once again. [10]

Characters

Artwork of the cast of Kingdom Hearts coded. (From left to Right)
(Bottom Row) Donald Duck, King Mickey, Jiminy Cricket, Goofy
(Middle Row) Kairi, Sora and Riku
(Top Row) Jiminy's Journal (taking form of a Cloaked Figure)
Further information: Characters of Kingdom Hearts

Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, coded features numerous Disney characters.[15] Some characters include King Mickey, Pluto, Jiminy Cricket,[20] Donald Duck, Goofy,[16] and the Heartless.[22] The data 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.[22] Other antagonists include Maleficent and some other enemies from the Nintendo DS game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.[23]

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.[11] 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.[18][24] New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008.[17][25] 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.[26][27] 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.[26]


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.[28] 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.[22] Coded was developed with 3D and 2D graphics to have the game available on a range of cellphones for distribution overseas.[14] 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.[29][30] 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 earlier half of 2010.[19][31]

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 turning into "full-fledged" games.[32] 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.[31]

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" (in Japanese). 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" (in Japanese). 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 d "『キングダム ハーツ コーデッド』第3章が配信開始！" (in Japanese). 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！" (in Japanese). Famitsu. August 18, 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  8. ^ a b c d "Message from the KINGDOM»KHcoded" (in Japanese). Square Enix. October 15, 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  9. ^ "11/26～27発売雑誌 KHBbS＆coded情報まとめ" (in Japanese). ReBirth Wings. November 26, 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  10. ^ a b c "coded-07：光が強まるほどに、闇もまた強くなる…それはまるで鏡のように。" (in Japanese). ReBirth Wings. December 26, 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b Boyes, Emma (2007-09-20). "TGS '07: Three new Kingdom Hearts games coming". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  14. ^ a b c d "Kingdom Hearts: coded (Famitsu Interview)". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  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 Haynes, Jeff (2008-08-02). "Kingdom Hearts Coded Trailer Impressions". IGN. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  18. ^ a b Niizumi, Hirohiko (2007-09-20). "TGS '07: Square Enix shows all in closed mega-theater". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  19. ^ a b c Gifford, Kevin (2008-08-06). "Kingdom Hearts All Over Your Cell Phone". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  20. ^ a b c "Kingdom Hearts: Coded". IGN. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  21. ^ "『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" (in Japanese). Famitsu. November 11, 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  22. ^ 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)
  23. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (2008-10-09). "TGS 2008: Square Enix Closed Mega Theater Exposed". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  24. ^ "『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.
  25. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2007-12-02). "Square Enix Unveils Jump Festa Lineup". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  26. ^ a b Tanaka, John (2008-10-10). "TGS 2008: Nomura on Square Enix Closed Theater". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  27. ^ Winkler, Chris (2008-12-02). "Square Enix Announces JUMP Festa Line-up". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  28. ^ Ransom-Wiley, James (2007-05-04). "Next Kingdom Hearts to be portable spin-off, not KHIII". Joystiq. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  29. ^ "Docomo Prime series P-01A: 搭載コンテンツ" (in Japanese). NTT docomo. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  30. ^ "Docomo Prime series Products". NTT docomo. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  31. ^ a b Gifford, Kevin (2008-10-22). "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts Coded". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  32. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2007-09-20). "TGS: Cell phone gaming takes a turn for the Heartless". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
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