Yoko Shimomura’s Beginning

I began learning the piano at a very young age, and I also went to a musical college for junior college, so I definitely wanted to have a job that was related to music. But, I didn’t want to be a piano teacher or something like that. I wanted to do something a little different.

By some chance, Capcom was among the university’s job offers at that time. I’d worked in a casual position at an event in which Capcom was on display the previous year, so at the time I felt a kind of affinity to it, like ‘I’ll get in for sure…’

I was in charge of many different pieces at Capcom, but Street Fighter II was the most popular. I tried to match the imagery with the background while writing music for each stage, and I wrote themes for each character with their nationality in mind. I also produced sound effects and the like.

But, I thought I’d better try and impress people with different things, and one day, the person who was helping me with the arranged music for Street Fighter II said to me, ‘the way this melody bounces is wrong, isn’t it?’ But, since it had already been submitted, I replied, ‘it fits’, and I was surprised with his answer of ‘not at all!’ (laughs)

It was a big hit, and I was over the moon to see children playing Street Fighter II overseas. I had originally joined the industry wanting to write RPG music, but when Capcom also dabbled in that industry with ‘Breath of Fire’, they only put me in charge of one piece of music. And so, I left Capcom and took Square’s company entrance test.

Joining Square

With Square, I worked on many collaborations such as those for ‘Live A Live’ and ‘Super Mario RPG’, but the most famous was ‘Kingdom Hearts’. In Kingdom Hearts, there are pieces of music that were Disney originals, but there was still the pressure of writing new versions without wrecking the feel of that world.

On the other hand, Kingdom Hearts had a heavy story, with themes of dark and light. Mr. Nomura told me, ‘I’d like pieces in the style of Verdi’s Requiem.’ And so, I wrote ‘Destati’, but at the time I wondered whether I hadn’t made a mistake, it being Disney and all.

But, when I wrote the theme for Hollow Bastion in the latter half, it felt like suddenly the Disney worlds and the serious music were connected in one thread. I can’t really explain it in words, but inside me, there was a moment when I became very satisfied with it.

I myself don’t really understand what it is that fans often call the ‘Shimomura style’. When I first started the job, I thought that individuality was important, and I gave myself a complex not knowing what my own individual style was. Now, when people speak of a ‘Shimomura style’, I wonder if perhaps my individuality is coming out after all, and I’m very happy.

I still can’t pick a definitive ‘me’ piece, though.

The songs I write are like my babies, and I love each and every baby; I can’t single out one. It feels like… they’ve all left my nest, but I’d like for them to still think of me from time to time! I also enjoy working on things other than games, and I’d like to do it again, but I think game music is my base. The music changing when you press a button, the music changing when the boss changes form… that sort of fun, interactive-feeling music can only be found in games.

When I think about it, I guess I really do love games.

(From Kingdom Hearts, the track I have the most profound memories of is) the title music, Dearly Beloved. Fundamentally, it only uses four chords, but as the series grew it was lengthened, and the number of sounds increased. I think music is a very deep thing.

Q&A

Who is a game music composer that you admire?
Shimomura: Mr. Kouji Kondou. He’s very kind, and writes great music; he has a good character, too. He makes me want to work hard too. (laughs)

What game music do you admire?
Shimomura: ’Flying in the Sky’, from Dragon Warrior III. I think if I ever wrote something like this, I could die happily. That’s the impact it has.

Which instrument do you like for tone quality?
Shimomura: The oboe, which I wanted to play but couldn’t.

How long does it take to write a piece?
Shimomura: Well, Balrog’s theme took 20 minutes. Each track is different, but it has taken up to three months before.

How many pieces have you written?
Shimomura: There’s about 1000 of mine on iTunes at the moment. But the ones I wrote in my Capcom stage aren’t included in that.

A word to those setting out to become a game music composer?
Shimomura: Please make sure to treasure things other than music, too. Pieces can be born from many kinds of stimulation, and so I read many books, and travel overseas.

Your Thoughts

I was happy to read that Yoko felt so deeply about the track, Dearly Beloved. That music really does envelop the complete ambiance of Kingdom Hearts in such a simplistic manner!

Interview

– We’re anxious when it comes to the next title in the series.

Nomura: To start with, there is the overseas version of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. The general specifications for it have been settled. We intended to put in a “Critical Mode” in the battle system. The bosses we felt were a little weak have become stronger. We also thought that the attack “Mega Flare” was too strong so there are plans to regulate it as well. The various circumstances of the cut scenes will change too, they will return more to the original plan. They will be adjusted so that way the story is easier to understand and supplementary parts will be added.

– It seems like there are various changes being made. May we be expecting a Final Mix version?

Nomura: As for that, it depends on how much the domestic version changes. However, since we basically want to produce one title a year for the Kingdom Hearts series, I don’t plan on going several years without releasing news.

– In another 2 years it’ll be the 10th anniversary of the series. How about Kingdom Hearts 3?

Nomura: Haha I can’t talk about that, it’s a secret! As I’ve said before, the next release relates to the mystery of the series.

– Do you see the complete series concluding in KH3?

Nomura: Kingdom Hearts has been Sora’s story, but the series is currently expanding, it’s also the story of another person. Right now, you could say “that person is the center of the series”.

– The series is currently expanding!?

Nomura: I can’t say anymore than that. (Laughs)

– Are there any other titles in the works?

Nomura: With everything going on, I can say there is one title being prepared for public announcement; the advertisement department is already discussing it with me. Please look forward to more about it.

Who Is The Mystery Character?

Well, with the advertising groups already ramping up for a new Kingdom Hearts campaign, what are we fans to think? Many of us have already discussed our concerns about a new game every year, but not so much about this ‘mystery character’ who is getting to be a protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts universe.

One has to wonder where in the timeline this new game will be set. Back in the past like Birth by Sleep, or maybe after Kingdom Hearts 2? Who thinks the character will be someone that was previously introduced? Any logical choices?

I’m very excited to know that steps are being taken to do a public announcement of the game, even though I’m anxious in regards to too many releases and the series stalling out. I can’t help but be curious!

Interview

– Tell us about the features of this game.

Kato: Like previous games in the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ series, it’s an action RPG – a tale where you control the protagonist Sora, a tale that progresses as he defeats the enemy Heartless. You travel into the data world, where there are powers called debugging abilities unique to the digital world. The worlds have been afflicted by a disaster of bugs, and we’ve put in many devices suited to the data world. In the ending you can see a connection to ‘Birth by Sleep’ on the PSP and ‘Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days’ on the Nintendo DS.

– The events of the game happen after ‘KHII’, but the story is based on ‘KHI’, right?

Kato: That’s right. Fans of the series can enjoy it as the latest story, but we made it so people who don’t know the series can enjoy it too. It also looks back over the journey so far, so people playing for the first time can naturally get into it.

– It seems like in each world there are stages with particular features.

Kato: As the initial concept of this game, Nomura said, “I want to make something where people can enjoy the attractions of the digital world,” so in each world there are things like side scrolling or inward scrolling areas, and you can enjoy nostalgic games you feel like you’ve played long ago – that’s the core of the gameplay.

– Many Disney characters appear in the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ series. Is the development process different from that of other games?

Kato: Unlike normal games, in order to check all the connections between each distributed chapter, release dates were determined ahead of time – and there were points that needed to be amended to satisfy supervisors, that was different. People from Disney would check each world, making sure there was nothing improper about the events that happened or characters’ lines, and sometimes offered their opinions about the gameplay in each world.

– I see. With the release of the 8th chapter, the game is now complete – what would you say are the highlights?

Kato: This game is kind of an overview of the story so far, but within that framework, the choices the user makes can lead to differences in the ending. So even after playing through once, you can enjoy it many more times. Moreover, in the final battle you fight with an unexpected character, so I really want people to look forward to that.

– And there are connections to things like ‘Birth by Sleep’ too?

Kato: Yes. But that comes right at the end, so it’s a secret (laughs). Although I think people who have played ‘Birth by Sleep’ will definitely be surprised.

– How about further developments of ‘coded’?

Kato: There aren’t many devices on which it can be played, so I think it would be good if we could work on something to increase the number of users who can play it…

– So finally, tell us about the appeal of this game.

Kato: It’s a fun, lighthearted game, so please try it at least once. Also, ‘coded’ is finished, but there are mutual connections with other titles in the series, which I think can give various impressions, so look forward to that.

Vague Hint Too Vague?

So there we have it. Kato says they are interested in increasing the number of people who have the opportunity to experience and enjoy Kingdom Hearts: Coded, but no further comments on whether or not he meant different phone companies throughout Japan or actually expanding outside of the country.

Is It Being Translated?

According to Kingdom Hearts Insider, we just may get to play an English release of Coded! Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010, a fan had e-mailed Eddie Carroll, voice of Jiminy Cricket, asking if he would once again provide his voice for the new Kingdom Hearts game. Eddie’s response was yes, he would be taking up the role of Jiminy once more, however, Birth By Sleep, next in line for release in the West, does not star Jiminy Cricket.

The Countdown

Another piece of speculation for the community is as follows, Kingdom Hearts Insider has reported the newest, presumed date of release for Birth By Sleep which will either be in June or August of this year!

Another Spin Off Title

According to the most recent information, while Nomura has stressed that he and his team want to release Kingdom Hearts 3, knowing full well that is what their fans are looking for, it will not be the next video game to come out under the Kingdom Hearts title. In fact, the next game to hit stores will not star Sora at all, but another character of equal importance to the story, which will connect all of the tales together. No further news regarding the game’s title, characters or platform has been mentioned.

Yearly Releases

Nomura also said that ideally, he would like to release a new Kingdom Hearts game every year, in order to keep fans happy. Presumably, the next game would be this mystery title, coming out in 2011. When asked about Kingdom Hearts 3 being released in 2012, if a new game was to indeed come out every year, Nomura refused to comment.

Opinions?

Let us know what you think of this news. Personally, I’m a bit wary. Two spin off games is about my limit before I simply want to be reunited with Sora, Donald and Goofy, and frankly, a new RPG game every year sounds like bad news. Trying to put out a game so magical, like Kingdom Hearts, year after year will just burn Square Enix out and the last thing any fan wants is to see their hero fall to the enemy, ‘god-awful game.’ If something is going to be great, I can wait for it.