Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for thePlayStation Portable. It is an installment in the Kingdom Hearts series that focuses on Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, characters briefly featured in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. Birth by Sleep is a prequel to the first Kingdom Hearts game and features many previously unexplained plot elements from the original Kingdom Hearts trilogy. This game was confirmed in Japan, "assured" in North America at the 2007 TGS, and is planned to be released in other territories.
Gameplay
Birth by Sleep is a single-player action role-playing game which features melee combat. The game features gameplay similar to the style of the previous games in the series, particularly to Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories but card decks won't be used. Birth by Sleep will be divided into three scenarios, with each scenario having different styles of gameplay based on the personalities and abilities of the three main characters: Terra, Ventus and Aqua. Game director Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned players can play from any of the three scenarios and possibly stop mid-way through one scenario to begin another. The developers plan to add multiplayer components and a new character growth system. Other new features include a special, first person targeting mode called "Focus" mode and each character having special attack modes that allow them to perform different magic-based attacks.
Plot
Birth by Sleep is a prequel to the first Kingdom Hearts game, taking place ten years prior, and focusing on the story of knights that wield Keyblades before the series' main protagonist Sora. Nomura has stated that, though there are three scenarios—one for each of the main characters, Terra, Ventus and Aqua—there is not one singularly important scenario or character, but the main theme is Ventus' identity. The story was speculated early on to be connected to the unlockable trailers at the end of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. Nomura has since confirmed a connection to the trailers.
The game will take place in various Disney-themed worlds both new and old, and will partially reflect the time difference between this game and the previous Kingdom Hearts games; for example, a younger Hercules at the Olympus Coliseum. The story revolves around three Keyblade apprentices in search of a missing Keyblade master, Master Xehanort, and his apprentice. Maleficent is believed to be the main antagonist; she causes a great disaster involving the Heartless which results in Master Xehanort and his apprentice's disappearance.
Characters
Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, Birth by Sleep will feature numerous Disney characters. In addition to original characters Terra, Ventus and Aqua, confirmed characters include King Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, young Sora and Riku, andMaster Xehanort and his apprentice. Also appearing are Maleficent and, so far, three of the Princesses of Heart, namely Snow White, Cinderella, and Princess Aurora. The game will introduce a new type of enemy different from Heartless and Nobodies, known as the Unbirth .
Development
Created for the PlayStation Portable, Birth by Sleep is being directed by Tetsuya Nomura and co-directed by Tai Yasue. In 2007, Nomura mentioned a desire to create a spin-off Kingdom Hearts game on a mobile platform and for it to feature gameplay slightly different than other titles in the series. It was announced alongside Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts coded at the Tokyo Game Show on September 20, 2007, where a trailer was shown in a photo-prohibited theater. New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008—a playable demo was also available at DKΣ3713.
Birth by Sleep is being developed by the same team behind Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and will use the same graphical engine as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Development of the game began before the release of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. The plot was completed, but development was halted due to development of Re:Chain of Memories. Birth by Sleep is named after the unlockable trailer at the end of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. The development team plans to make use of the PSP's functions and is considering either co-operative or competitive multiplayer gameplay. Of the three new games announced, Birth by Sleep was the first one to begin development, though Nomura speculates it will be the last one released.
Reception
The playable demonstration (demo) of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep was well received at the DKΣ3713 Private party. After playing the demo, IGN expressed their excitement at the release of the game in 2009. 1UP.com echoed similar statements, praising the visuals and stating it "plays better" than the previous Kingdom Hearts games. They had some complaints regarding to Ventus's demo due to constant jumping. They further stated that Ventus's demo gave them an idea of "how the game is going to feel", and predicted the game will improve the series.
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