Jump to content

Kingdom Hearts Coded

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 103.8.132.110 (talk) at 22:54, 26 March 2014 (→Plot). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kingdom Hearts coded
The logo of Kingdom Hearts coded.
Developer(s)Square Enix
h.a.n.d. (Nintendo DS)
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Tetsuya Nomura
Hajime Tabata
Producer(s)Patrick Chen
Designer(s)Tetsuya Nomura
Writer(s)Daisuke Watanabe
Tetsuya Nomura
Composer(s)Yoko Shimomura
SeriesKingdom Hearts
Platform(s)NTT docomo
Nintendo DS (Re:coded)
PlayStation 3 (HD)
Release
November 18, 2008
  • Kingdom Hearts coded
    DoCoMo
    November 18, 2008
    • Pre-Install Episode
      Episode 1
      Episode 2
      Episode 3
      Episode 4
      Episode 5
      Episode 6
      Episode 7
      Episode 8
    Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
    Nintendo DS
    HD 2.5 Remix
    PlayStation 3
    2014[14]
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Kingdom Hearts coded (キングダム ハーツ コーデッド) is an episodic puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phones.[15][16] It is the fourth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and 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; however, a remake of the game entitled Kingdom Hearts Re:coded was released in Japan, North America, and Europe on the Nintendo DS.[17] The game consists of eight episodes, 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; the seventh on December 26, 2009; and the eighth on January 28, 2010. A pre-install episode was also made available on November 18, 2008, before the game's official release.[1]

Gameplay

Sora fighting Heartless in Traverse Town

Kingdom Hearts coded is a puzzle game with action elements mixed into the gameplay.[18] The action gameplay is similar to the action-RPG style of the previous games in the series and features a similar basic interface,[19][20] however, coded also includes minigame and platforming elements.[21] The game features a mix of graphics, with three-dimensional backgrounds and two-dimensional characters.[18][22] 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.[19][20] Blocks are also used to solve puzzles or reach higher ground.[20]

Plot

sora got circumsized

Setting

Kingdom Hearts
chronology
Further information: Universe of Kingdom Hearts

coded takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts II and follows the story of Jiminy Cricket, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy in Disney Castle.[15][18] In the game, players progress through a series of levels which are virtual representations of worlds contained within the digitized version of Jiminy's journal from the first Kingdom Hearts game, and are arranged according to the order in which Sora visited the worlds originally in Kingdom Hearts.[23] These virtual worlds are based on various locales from many Disney animated films as well as original worlds seen in the first game of the series, including Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum from Hercules, Agrabah from Aladdin; and Hollow Bastion. Castle Oblivion from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories also returns as the game's final level.[8]

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, Riku
(Top Row) An Organization XIII Member (Roxas)
Further information: Characters of Kingdom Hearts

The main protagonist and sole player character of the game is an artificially intelligent virtual avatar of Sora, occasionally referred to in-game as "Data-Sora", created from the data from Jiminy's journal entries. Because the game's setting is based on the first game, Data-Sora resembles the original Sora in his attire from the same game.[24] Three other original Kingdom Hearts characters—Riku, Naminé, and Roxas—similarly appear as virtual avatars of themselves. Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, coded features numerous Disney and Final Fantasy characters who have appeared in the first game.[19] Some characters include King Mickey, Pluto, and Jiminy Cricket,[25] as well as Donald Duck and Goofy,[20] who briefly reprise their roles as computer-controlled partners of Sora in one of the game's levels, except the player is given more freedom to control their actions through the use of button commands. The main antagonists of the game are software bugs that corrupt the data of Jiminy's journal, which take the form of red-and-black blocks and Heartless Sora has encountered in the first game.[24] Other antagonists include Maleficent and Pete, who return in a continuation of their roles from previous games.[26]

Story

Jiminy Cricket organizes his two journals chronicling Sora's journeys—one of which contains the "Thank Naminé" line he had written at the end of Chain of Memories—when he discovers a second line he doesn't remember writing: "We must return to free them from their torment" (rewritten as "Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it" in Re:coded). King Mickey has the contents of the journal digitized to investigate this second message, only to find the datascape has been corrupted with bugs, which take the form of red-and-black blocks and Heartless. Mickey thus guides a virtual Sora named "Data-Sora" through multiple worlds in the datascape to debug the journal by destroying the blocks and digitized Heartless that appear.[3][23][25][27]

While this happens, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy are imported into the datascape by an avatar of the journal's uncorrupted data, which takes the form of a virtual Riku, to better assist Data-Sora in debugging the journal. However, they discover that Pete and Maleficent have also entered the datascape to use it in their latest attempt at world domination. Maleficent destroys Data-Sora's Keyblade and kidnaps Data-Riku,[8] but Data-Sora continues through the datascape with the help of Donald and Goofy until he regains the ability to conjure a Keyblade. Pete pits him against a bug-infected Data-Riku, who Data-Sora defeats and debugs, only to discover that having done so will reset everything in the datascape, including Data-Sora's memories, to their original state prior to the journal's corruption. The debugging process also activates the bug responsible for the data's corruption, which takes the form of Sora's Heartless. Data-Sora destroys the bug before losing his memories while Mickey and the others—including Maleficent and Pete—are returned to their world by Data-Riku.[10]

With the journal completely debugged, Data-Riku uncovers extra data modeled after Castle Oblivion, which contains the secret to the journal's second message; Jiminy wrote about the adventure here in the same journal, so it was also erased. Mickey guides the reset Data-Sora to the extra world where he is tested by a virtual Roxas to endure the pain of having forgotten his friends as a result of being reset. Data-Sora defeats Data-Roxas and is allowed access to the deepest portion of Castle Oblivion. There he and Mickey encounter a virtual Naminé, who reveals the real Naminé as the one who left the message after discovering a set of memories relating to three people tied to the real Sora's heart—who Mickey recognized as Terra, Aqua, and Ventus—while restoring his lost memories; the bugs are also revealed to have been an unintentional side effect of her message. Before disappearing, Data-Naminé explains that it is the real Sora's duty to save the three people, which Mickey then relays to Sora through the bottled letter shown at the end of Kingdom Hearts II that details the story of the three people.

In a secret ending exclusive to Re:coded, Mickey and Yen Sid discuss the location of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.[28] During their conversation, however, Yen Sid reveals that the destruction of Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody has brought about the eventual return of Master Xehanort.[29] To prepare for this new threat, Yen Sid orders Mickey to bring Sora and Riku to him, intending to examine them for the Mark of Mastery.[30]

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.[16] 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.[22][31] New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008.[21][32] Playable demonstrations, as well as new trailers, were available at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show in October 2008 and the 2009 Jump Festa in December 2008.[33][34] 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.[33]

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.[35] 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.[24] coded was developed with 3D and 2D graphics to have the game available on a range of cellphones for distribution overseas.[18] Early screenshots showed the game in a wide screen format, based on the idea that more future models will feature a swivel screen.[20]

coded was first released pre-installed on the Docomo PRIME Series "P-01A" mobile phone.[36][37] 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.[20] Included in the model is an online cell phone portal called Kingdom Hearts Mobile which will allow users to create avatars and play minigames.[23][38]

In May 2010, the new English voice actor for Jiminy Cricket, Phil Snyder, who took over the role after the passing of Jiminy's former voice actor Eddie Carroll, wrote on his official website that he was recording his first voice work for the game Kingdom Hearts Re:coded; it was speculated to be a remake of the game in the same way Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories brought Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories to the PlayStation 2.[39] However, it remained unconfirmed until Re:coded, among other titles, was presented at E3 2010.[40]

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

Kingdom Hearts coded was remade for the Nintendo DS under the title Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, and is developed by h.a.n.d. in conjunction with Square Enix. Unlike its original, the game was released overseas and contains all the episodes in one game rather than being periodically released like its predecessor. The game was released in Japan on October 7, 2010,[12] in North America on January 11, 2011[41] and Europe on January 14, 2011.[13] The gameplay mechanics of the game are completely revamped from its original. However, the story of the game has not changed, although more scenes have been added, including a new secret movie, and a few hints at Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.[42]

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, has different gameplay from the original. It combines the gameplay elements from a mix of Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and the original coded, although the game also makes use of the leveling system from 358/2 Days; however, the system has been simplified to be more appealing to the "light gamer".

HD 2.5 Remix

Main article: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix

In the credits of HD 1.5 Remix, clips of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded were shown, hinting at its inclusion in another collection.[14] On October 14, 2013, Square Enix announced that Re:coded would be part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix collection, exclusively on the PlayStation 3. The collection will feature the game as HD cinematics, much like 358/2 Days was in the HD 1.5 Remix collection. The collection also includes both Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix in HD and trophy support and has a tentative release date of 2014.[14] Additional events will occur in the cinematic scenes not seen in the original, with Nomura adding that new voice acting is being recorded, and hinting at the inclusion of a new battle scene and a scene that ties Re:coded and Dream Drop Distance together.[43]

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.[44] 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.[38]

Reviews for Re:coded from gaming websites were mixed, and it stands as the least critically successful entry in the series to date. The current score on GameRankings is 70.18% based on 42 reviews while the current score on Metacritic is 66/100 based on 58 reviews.[45][46] IGN gave the game an 8/10, praising the gameplay variety and graphics, but criticizing the story and platforming. GameSpot gave the game a 6.5 out of 10 saying that "Frustrating platforming and a tepid narrative mar this journey into classic Kingdom Hearts realms." Game Informer gave Re:coded a 6.75/10, calling it "The most skip-worthy entry in the series".[47] 1UP.com gave it a B+ calling it, "one of the best remakes yet". Gaming magazines approached it more positively than mixed, compared to gaming websites, with Nintendo Power giving the game an 8/10 calling it, "the best Kingdom Hearts game to yet grace a Nintendo platform." Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game a 79% saying, "While it may suffer from some unforgivable camera problems, it is a decent game for Kingdom Hearts fans and will keep them entertained until Dream Drop Distance comes out".

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "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 "『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 "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. ^ Jim Reilly (2010-10-06). "Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Coming January - Nintendo DS News at IGN". Ds.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  12. ^ a b "Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Decoded in October". Siliconera. July 19, 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  13. ^ a b André Silva (October 6, 2010). "Kingdom Hearts Re:coded is coming to Europe 14th January 2011". Twitter. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  14. ^ a b c Karmali, Luke (October 14, 2013). "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix coming to PS3 in 2014". IGN. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Kingdom Hearts シリーズ 新プロジェクト" (PDF) (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  16. ^ a b 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.
  17. ^ Square Enix Staff. "Square Enix - E3 2010 Lineup". Square Enix. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  18. ^ a b c d "Kingdom Hearts: coded (Famitsu Interview)". Kingdom Hearts Ultimania. Retrieved 2007-09-28. [dead link‍]
  19. ^ a b c Onyett, Charles (2007-09-19). "TGS 2007: Three New Kingdom Hearts Titles". IGN. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Gantayat, Anoop (2007-10-02). "Nomura Discusses Kingdom Hearts". IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  21. ^ a b Haynes, Jeff (2008-08-02). "Kingdom Hearts Coded Trailer Impressions". IGN. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  22. ^ a b Niizumi, Hirohiko (2007-09-20). "TGS '07: Square Enix shows all in closed mega-theater". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  23. ^ a b c Gifford, Kevin (2008-08-06). "Kingdom Hearts All Over Your Cell Phone". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  24. ^ a b c "Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Hajime Tabata". Famitsu: p 33. October 2007. Archived from the original (translation) on June 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-20. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  25. ^ a b "Kingdom Hearts: Coded". IGN. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  26. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (2008-10-09). "TGS 2008: Square Enix Closed Mega Theater Exposed". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  27. ^ "『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.
  28. ^ Square Enix, h.a.n.d. (2011-01-11). Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Nintendo DS). Square Enix. Mickey: Yen Sid... I think we're finally close to figuring out where Ven's heart is. / Yen Sid: Is that so? Then that leaves only Terra. / Mickey: Right. And we gotta save all three of 'em.
  29. ^ Square Enix, h.a.n.d. (2011-01-11). Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Nintendo DS). Square Enix. Mickey: Xehanort? But his two halves are gone. There was Ansem, who commanded the Heartless...and Xemnas, who commanded the Nobodies. Didn't Sora defeat them both? / Yen Sid: Correct, those two met their end. However, therein lies exactly our problem. Their destruction now guarantees the original Xehanort's reconstruction. /.../ In short...this means Master Xehanort will return.
  30. ^ Square Enix, h.a.n.d. (2011-01-11). Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Nintendo DS). Square Enix. Yen Sid: Mickey, please summon Sora hither. Riku as well. / Mickey: Of course, but...why? / Yen Sid: To show us the Mark of Mastery.
  31. ^ "『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.
  32. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2007-12-02). "Square Enix Unveils Jump Festa Lineup". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
  33. ^ a b Tanaka, John (2008-10-10). "TGS 2008: Nomura on Square Enix Closed Theater". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  34. ^ Winkler, Chris (2008-12-02). "Square Enix Announces JUMP Festa Line-up". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  35. ^ Ransom-Wiley, James (2007-05-04). "Next Kingdom Hearts to be portable spin-off, not KHIII". Joystiq. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  36. ^ "Docomo Prime series P-01A: 搭載コンテンツ" (in Japanese). NTT docomo. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  37. ^ "Docomo Prime series Products". NTT docomo. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  38. ^ a b Gifford, Kevin (2008-10-22). "Why You Should Care About Kingdom Hearts Coded". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  39. ^ Phil Snyder. "Official Site for Phil Snyder". Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  40. ^ Square Enix, Inc. "SQUARE ENIX BRINGS AN UNRIVALED LINEUP OF FRANCHISES TO E3 2010". Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  41. ^ "KINGDOM HEARTS RE:CODED CONFIRMED FOR RELEASE JANUARY 11, 2011". Square Enix. 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  42. ^ Anoop Gantayat. "Tetsuya Nomura Talks Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded". Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  43. ^ Spencer (December 24, 2013). "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix Will Have New Scenes For Re:coded". Siliconera. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  44. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2007-09-20). "TGS: Cell phone gaming takes a turn for the Heartless". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  45. ^ "Kingdom Hearts Re:coded for DS". GameRankings. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  46. ^ "Kingdom Hearts Re:coded for DS Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  47. ^ Bryan Vore (January 11, 2011). "Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Review: The Most Skip-Worthy Entry In The Series - Kingdom Hearts Re:coded - Nintendo DS - www.GameInformer.com". Gameinformer. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Kingdom_Hearts_Coded&oldid=601424281"