KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEP

Director: Tetsuya Nomura
Co-Director: Tai Yasue
Producer: Patrick Chen
Co-producer: Yoichi Yoshimoto
Executive Producer: Shinji Hashimoto

Platform: PlayStation Portable (PSP)
Release Dates:
- Japan // TBD
- North America // TBD
- Europe // TBD


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Development

Birth By Sleep is one of the newest editions to the Kingdom Hearts Series, and will be focusing on the characters from the Secret Movie in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+. The game was announced September 2007, at the Tokyo Game Show, along with Kingdom Hearts: Coded and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.

Birth By Sleep is being worked on by the same team that created Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. Development on this game started fairly early, but it was interrupted when the team started to focus on the remake of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Nomura has speculated that this game will be the last of the trio to hit market.


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Game Play

Birth By Sleep is a single player game, that originally had game play similar to past games. Recently, Tetsuya Nomura has stated that the game play has changed. It will now be similar to Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. But it is not a card based system.

You will be able to play as three different characters at the start of the game: Terra, Ven and Aqua. Each will have their own style of combat and follow different scenarios. Even though the story follows three different heroes, at certain points they will all encounter one another. By completing all three of the scenarios, the player will be able to fully understand the entire story.

A new leveling system has been created and developed solely for this game. The best way it has been described was that, it’s like… growing. There are also new enemies to fight, neither of which are the heartless or the nobodies. They have been called a new type of enemy, that move very fast.

Co-op between players, even players competing against each other, has been discussed. The team is currently thinking of a way to make full use out of the PSP’s system. However if Birth By Sleep has a multiplayer, it will be different from the one seen in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.

Jump Festa showed us some of the new gameplay in action. Finishing combos and reaction commands make a welcome return to the game. And joining the mysterious new enemies, you will be fighting against one resembling a Large Body . Its also been hinted that limits might be placed on some of the game's events.


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Story



“The Keyblade is said to hold phenomenal power. One legend says its wielder saved the world, while another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it.” - Ansem Report

Birth By Sleep takes place about 10 years before the original Kingdom Hearts. Before Sora wielded the Keyblade, there were other Keyblade masters. One of these masters, Xehanort, disappeared one day along with his apprentice. Another master of the keyblade saw this as a sign of terrible things to come. So he ordered his three apprentices (Terra, Ven and Aqua) to seek out Xehanort and his cohort.

Both Ven and Master Xehanort have connections to preexisting characters. Ven happens to bare a striking resemblance to Roxas. Master Xehanort shares the same name and clothing to the other Xehanort seen in Kingdom Hearts. As you play through the story, their connections will be revealed. However, you will have to play all three scenarios to understand the story completely. The secret movie shown at the end of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ is actually a scene from the game.

Some crucial scenes have been revealed to us through scans:
• Terra will confront Xehanort in Sunset Horizons.
• King Mickey appears to aid Ven in his battle against Xehanort‘s Apprentice. Although since this is in the past, he might not have his King status yet.
•Terra carries a wounded Ven through Hollow Bastion.
•Terra watches two young boys play on the shore in what appears to be Destiny Islands.

New and returning worlds will be brought into Birth By Sleep. These include: Olympus Coliseum, Hollow Bastion, Sleeping Beauty, Sunset Horizons, as well as Destiny Islands. Since this game is taking place in the past, each World will be given a time shift to fit within the plot. An example would be encountering a young Hercules in the Olympus Coliseum. Nomura has also stated that characters like Donald and Goofy would be making a return.

Most of the new info gather from Jump Festa regarded Ven, the look-alike of Roxas. The blonde hair kid travels by himself throughout worlds different worlds, such as Cinderella and Agrabah. We also get to see more of Ven's climactic battle with the Dark Soldier. He actually gets a good enough hit on him to knock his face plate off, but naturally the face isn't revealed just yet. Last we see of him, Ven asks his friend to erase him from this world.

Other major players in Birth By Sleep receive some face time, although not as much. Donald and Goofy do appear, and tag along with Mickey and Yensid, even while master and apprentice train. Terra and Maleficeint seem to have some sort of connection, and might even be working together as hinted by Nomura. Even though all three keyblade wielders do not have a connection with the three from Kingdom Hearts, this story will explain the conflict that follows them.


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