Kingdom Hearts 4 will lead towards a series conclusion so Nomura can retire
Plus, he explains Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ending.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is being developed with the intention of the series "being a story that will be completed".
That's according to series director Tetsuya Nomura, via a new interview with Japanese outlet YoungJump.
Nomura was asked if he could foresee an end to the Kingdom Hearts series, especially considering its multiple sequels and spin-off games.
Nomura replied he only has "a few years left until I retire" so must "decide whether to retire first or finish the series first" (via Google translate). As such, he's developing Kingdom Hearts 4 "with the intention of it being a story that will be completed".
Further, the game will be a reset of the story (it's notoriously complex), with new writers hired and a new logo to make it easier for newcomers to join the series (thanks, Aitai Kimochi).
What's more, the plot will finally resolve Sora's famous line from the first game: "is any of this for real or not?" That will come from Quadratum, described as an "unreality within reality" - Nomura stated this in-game world based on Shibuya has been an idea since the first game.
Elsewhere in the interview, Nomura discussed development of Final Fantasy 7, for which he was lead character designer.
He explained, for the first time, that Aerith was designed first but with Tifa's personality. However, he decided to avoid convention and have two heroines, taking Aerith's personality and creating Tifa as a separate character. Aerith's new personality was then born from the destiny she must fulfil in the plot.
Aerith was meant to be a glamorous heroine in contrast to Cloud's dark side and Barret's toughness, resulting in her red clothes and bright hair - although this was tied up as polygons couldn't express its fluttering texture.
Interestingly, Nomura also commented on the confusing ending of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Spoilers follow.
Part of the aim for the Remake trilogy was to play with the "distortion of perception" based on players' memories of the original game that must have changed slightly in the years since its release.
As such, the scene at the end of the game with Sephiroth and Cloud in white space witnessing multiple visions is meant to capture the multiple distortions of memory - while all visions represent Final Fantasy 7 (including the world of the game in the player's mind), they are all subtly different. This is to represent the blurring of memory and how, through various spin-offs and the passing of time, the original story has become distorted.
In a separate interview last week, Final Fantasy series producer Yoshinori Kitase promised the final part of the Remake trilogy won't "betray fans of the original".
It's unclear when that final part will be released, though there's certainly a balancing act between fan expectations and providing a satisfying conclusion to its complex multiverse plot.