| 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) | Shinji Hashimoto Kousei Itou Kakuko Obinata |
| Writer(s) | Daisuke Watanabe Yukari Ishida Tetsuya Nomura |
| Composer(s) | Yoko Shimomura |
| Series | Kingdom Hearts |
| Platform(s) | NTT docomo[1] Nintendo DS[2] |
| Release date(s) | DoCoMo
Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8
|
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Digital Download, Nintendo DS Game Card |
Kingdom Hearts coded (Japanese: キングダム ハーツ コーデッド Hepburn: Kingudamu Hātsu Kōdeddo) is an episodic puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phones.[17][1] 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.[2] The game consists of eight episodes, with the first episode released on June 3, 2009;[4] the second episode on July 8, 2009;[5][6] the third on August 5, 2009;[7][8] the fourth on September 17, 2009;[9] the fifth on October 15, 2009;[10] 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.[3]
Contents |
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] coded also includes minigame and platforming elements.[21] The game features a mix of graphics, with three-dimensional (3D) backgrounds and two-dimensional (2D) 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]
|
Kingdom Hearts series chronology |
|---|
|
Birth by Sleep |
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.[1][18] In the game, players progresses through a series of levels which are virtual re-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 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.[10]
Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, coded features numerous Disney characters.[19] Some characters include King Mickey, Pluto, Jiminy Cricket,[24] Donald Duck, Goofy,[20] and the Heartless.[25] 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.[25] Other antagonists include Maleficent and some other enemies from the Nintendo DS game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.[26]
The game begins in the aftermath of Kingdom Hearts II with Jiminy Cricket organizing his journals—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. Mickey thus guides a virtual Sora named "Data-Sora" through multiple worlds in the datascape to debug the journal, which includes destroying the digitized Heartless that appear.[24][23][5][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,[10] but Data-Sora continues through the datascape with the help of Donald and Goofy until he regains the ability to conjure the 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.[12]
With the journal completely debugged, Data-Riku uncovers extra data modeled after Castle Oblivion, which contains the secret to the journal's second message. 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 Sora's nature as "the key that connects everything" through his deep connections with Roxas, Axel, Xion, and the real Naminé. Data-Naminé also reveals that it was her actual self who have been the one who left the message after discovering a set of memories belonging to three other people tied to Sora's heart—Terra, Aqua, and Ventus—while restoring his 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 sufferers, which Mickey then relays to Sora through the bottled letter shown at the end of Kingdom Hearts II.
In a secret ending exclusive to Re:coded, Mickey and Yen Sid discuss the confirmed locations of Aqua and Ventus, though Terra's whereabouts are still unknown to them. During their conversation, Yen Sid reveals that the destruction of Xehanort's Heartless and Nobody will ensure the return of Master Xehanort. To prepare for this new threat, Yen Sid orders Mickey to summon Sora and Riku, intending to examine them for the Mark of Mastery.
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.[17] 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][28] New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008.[21][29] 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.[30][31] 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.[30]
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.[32] 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.[25] 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.[33][34] 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][35]
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.[36] However, it remained unconfirmed until Re:coded, among other titles, was presented at E3 2010.[37]
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,[13] in North America on January 11, 2011[38] and Europe on January 14, 2011.[15] 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.[39]
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, has a 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".
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.[40] 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. [35]
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 69.93% based on 38 reviews while the current score on Metacritic is 66/100 based on 58 reviews.[41][42] 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".[43] 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".
|
||||||||||||||