September 19th, 2002 (12:00am) - Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. (Square
Electronic Arts), the exclusive publisher of all SQUARESOFT products in North
America, and Disney Interactive announced today that KINGDOM HEARTS, for the
PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system started shipping to retailers
nationwide. An action role-playing game, KINGDOM HEARTS is the first video game
project between Square and Disney Interactive that not only features many classic
Disney characters and worlds with new characters and worlds, but also introduces new
characters and environments created in the renowned Square style. The unprecedented
inclusion of original and new characters and worlds tells a new story and offers
breakthrough creative content.
Featuring more than 100 Disney characters, KINGDOM HEARTS is debuting new Disney
characters, Sora, Riku, Kairi and the Heartless, designed by Square’s Tetsuya
Nomura, director and character designer of KINGDOM HEARTS. Nomura is best known for
his creations in the top selling titles FINAL FANTASYÒVII, VIII and X. The new
Disney characters team up with classic favorites, as they’ve never been seen before,
to embark on a magical adventure that takes them to familiar and newly created
Disney worlds.
The North American version of KINGDOM HEARTS features an all-star voice cast that
includes Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence") as
Sora, while David Gallagher ("7th Heaven") and Hayden Panettiere ("Ally McBeal,"
"Remember The Titans") are the voices of Riku and Kairi, respectively. Other voice
talents featured in the game include Sean Astin ("The Lord of the Rings," "Rudy"),
Lance Bass (member of *NSYNC), David Boreanaz ("Angel," "Valentine"), Mandy Moore
("A Walk to Remember," "The Princess Diaries"), Christy Romano ("Even Stevens," "Kim
Possible"), Steve Burton ("The Last Castle") and Billy Zane ("Titanic"). In
addition, many of the original star Disney voice actors are reprising their roles
for this project.
Japanese pop sensation Utada Hikaru also lends her talent to KINGDOM HEARTS in her
first song performance in a video game. The theme song titled "Simple And Clean,"
the English version of its original Japanese release "Hikari" (meaning "light") was
written specially for KINGDOM HEARTS. Both the North American and Japanese versions
of KINGDOM HEARTS feature the song.
"We are excited about the release of KINGDOM HEARTS in North America. Square’s
expertise in game design and development and Disney’s historic legacy of rich
characters and animation has resulted in one very unique product," said Jun Iwasaki,
president of Square Electronic Arts. "We expect this title to appeal not only to
the existing fans of Square and Disney games, but to cultivate a new and broader
audience for both companies."
"KINGDOM HEARTS is completely original in its scope, scale and creativity," said Jan
Smith, president, Disney Interactive. "This title integrates the magic of Disney
with Square’s design innovation and cutting edge technology. We are extremely proud
of this incredible game."
KINGDOM HEARTS is the story of Sora, a 14-year-old boy whose world is shattered when
a violent storm hits his island-paradise home, and he is separated from his two
closest friends, Riku, a 15-year-old boy, and Kairi, a 14-year-old girl. The storm
scatters the three to different and unknown worlds. While searching for his friends
in a strange and mysterious land, Sora meets Court Wizard Donald and Captain Goofy
who are on a mission to find the King of the Disney Castle, who has also
mysteriously disappeared. The three learn of ominous creatures known as the
Heartless, who collaborate with Disney villains to realize their devious intentions.
Sora, Donald and Goofy join forces to recover Sora’s friends, return the King to
his rightful position and save the universe. In KINGDOM HEARTS, the player will
journey into multiple Disney worlds and interact with their favorite Disney
characters.
KINGDOM HEARTS features a real-time battle system that incorporates innovative new
elements with traditional RPG elements found in other Square titles. The North
American version of KINGDOM HEARTS features two modes, "Normal" and "Expert."
Players will be able to select the mode when first starting the game. The North
American version also features additional bosses, including Sephiroth, Ice Titan and
a boss that carries the name of the "Name In Game" sweepstakes winner held earlier
this year on http://www.kingdomhearts.com. These new features bring additional
challenges to the players and further enhance gameplay.
