Kingdom Hearts coded
Encyclopedia
is an episodic puzzle video game developed and published by Square Enix
, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phone
s. 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
. The game consists of eight episodes, with the first episode released on June 3, 2009; the second episode on July 8, 2009; the third on August 5, 2009; the fourth on September 17, 2009; the fifth on October 15, 2009; 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.
Kingdom Hearts Coded is a puzzle game with action elements mixed into the gameplay. The action gameplay is similar to the action-RPG
style of the previous games in the series and features a similar basic interface. coded also includes minigame and platforming elements. The game features a mix of graphics, with three-dimensional (3D) backgrounds
and two-dimensional (2D) characters
. 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. Blocks are also used to solve puzzles or reach higher ground.
and follows the story of Jiminy Cricket
, King Mickey Mouse
, Donald Duck
and Goofy
in Disney Castle. 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. 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. There is also Castle Oblivion from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
playable in the game as well.
One day Jiminy notices that there is a page in his journal that he did not write. He shows his journal to Mickey who summons Chip and Dale. Together they create a machine to read the journal. Suddenly a red "Bug Blox" comes and fills up the machine screen. In order to combat this they give powers to Sora's data into the journal and guide him while he travels through the worlds there and clear the bugs in order to restore the lost data.
, Jiminy Cricket, Donald Duck
, Goofy
, and the Heartless. 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. Other antagonists include Maleficent
and some other enemies from the Nintendo DS
game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
.
, Jiminy Cricket is organizing his journals and is still curious of the "Thank Naminé" line, finding another strange line which he didn't remember retrieving. To investigate this second message, King Mickey has Chip and Dale digitize the contents of the journal, only to find the datascape filled with "bugs
", which take the form of red and black blox. To deal with the bugs, Mickey has a virtual Sora
deal with the bugs and the digitized Heartless as he traverses to other worlds to return them to normal. But a mysterious cloaked figure appears in the infected worlds, prompting Sora to follow him upon orders from King Mickey as Heartless suddenly appear in Disney Castle with him, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy trapped in the room.
To their surprise, they are saved by Data Sora as the cloaked figure reveals himself to a virtual Riku who became the vessel to the uncorrupted data of Jiminy's journal, thus becoming the Journal itself, explaining how he imported Mickey and the others into datascape, unable to send them back to their world as hacking occurred. Sora sets off to give Mickey's group the means to return to their world, only to encounter Pete who also got digitized while spying on Mickey under orders from Maleficent who also arrives to make use of the datascape. Maleficent destroys Data Sora's Keyblade and summons Heartless to attack him as Mickey and the Journal save him before Maleficent spirits the latter away. Sora makes his way through Hollow Bastion, aided by Donald and Goofy. They encounter Pete,
who traps the two before Sora, having evolved to more than just data, conjures the Keyblade. After defeating Pete, Sora faces the bug-infected Journal(Who is in the shape of Riku) and manages to defeat him as he goes unconscious until the bugs are removed from him.
Mickey arrives and informs Sora that unless the bugs are destroyed, the Journal will never awaken. Sora decides to find a way to awaken the Journal, and enters Riku's datascape, losing his abilities in the process. The two visit various worlds from the Data Riku's memory and manage to eliminate the bugs before Sora finds his way back to Hollow Bastion and defeats Maleficent. After being returned to their world, Mickey discovers that once the Journal is restored, Data Sora's memories would be reset as if nothing had ever happened. However, Sora requests to save Pete and Maleficent, who are still in the data world. Sora finds them fighting a Darkside that seemingly erased them. Identified by the Journal to be a digitized version of Sora's Heartless, that evolved from feeding on the bugs and Heartless to the point that it now desires to enter the real world. Sora defeats his Heartless with Mickey's help, and finds out that Pete and Maleficent were rescued by the Journal through a "rift in the data". The villains and Mickey are then taken out of the datascape before it resets, with the Journal finding a new door to a new world. Mickey, realizing that this quest may be too dangerous for Data Sora as he has no memory of it, requests to be taken into the datascape once again.
Finding Data Sora in Traverse Town, Mickey takes him to Castle Oblivion where Data Sora is confronted by a young man wearing a black coat. He tells Sora that if he wants to know the truth, he must move forward on his own through the previous worlds he visited destroying bugs, losing his memory of his time there the moment he leave the floor. During this time, Data Sora realizes that even if he doesn't remember someone he's met, there's still the sadness of having forgotten them which the figure attempts to warn not to let it consume him. Sora disregards this message, as the pain is the only ties to those he has forgotten, and fights the figure, revealed to be a data incarnation of Roxas assigned to test Sora's worth. After losing to Sora and accepting the hurt, Roxas gives him a card and fades into the boy before Mickey appears. Sora opens the next door to find a data-based Naminé, revealing the bugs to have been an unintentional side effect of the real Naminé finding a mysterious set of memories during her restoration of Sora's memories. She then reveals Sora's nature as the "key that connects everything" through his ties with herself, Roxas, Xion, and Axel. Furthermore, as she would soon cease to be upon fulfilling her objective, Data Naminé tells Data Sora about three other figures (Terra, Aqua and Ven) also tied to Sora's heart who need his help. Mickey bids farewell to Data Sora and promises Data Naminé that he will inform the real Sora of this. In the final scene, he does it by sending Sora a bottled letter, containing the message found after the end-credits in Kingdom Hearts II
.
In a secret ending exclusive to Re:coded, Mickey meets with Yen Sid to discuss their ongoing search for Terra
, having a good idea where Ventus
and Aqua
are located. However, Yen Sid also presents a shocking revelation that the destruction of "Ansem" and Xemnas has restored
Xehanort, and not just "a single one of him", which will also inevitably lead to the return of Master Xehanort. Fearing that one Keyblade Master alone will not be enough to counter the threat, Yen Sid orders Mickey to summon Sora and Riku to him, intending to put them through the Mark of Mastery exam to make them full-fledged Keyblade Masters in order to properly combat Master Xehanort, setting the stage for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
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. New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa
in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008. 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. Early trailers highlighted codeds gameplay, while later ones focused more on the game's story, which would reveal some plotholes behind the first Kingdom Hearts game.
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. 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. coded was developed with 3D and 2D graphics to have the game available on a range of cellphones for distribution overseas. Early screenshots showed the game in a wide screen format, based on the idea that more future models will feature a swivel screen.
coded was first released pre-installed on the Docomo
PRIME Series "P-01A" mobile phone. 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
. Included in the model is an online cell phone portal called Kingdom Hearts Mobile
which will allow users to create avatars
and play minigames.
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
. However, it remained unconfirmed until Re:coded, among other titles, was presented at E3 2010.
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, in North America on January 11, 2011 and Europe on January 14, 2011. 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.
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".
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. 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.
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. 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". 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".
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
, in collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group for mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s. It is the fourth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
and is set after the events of the Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
. The story focuses on a message written in Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940...
's journal. The game was announced at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
. 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
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. The game consists of eight episodes, with the first episode released on June 3, 2009; the second episode on July 8, 2009; the third on August 5, 2009; the fourth on September 17, 2009; the fifth on October 15, 2009; 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.
Gameplay
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
style of the previous games in the series and features a similar basic interface. coded also includes minigame and platforming elements. The game features a mix of graphics, with three-dimensional (3D) backgrounds
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
and two-dimensional (2D) characters
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
. The initial trailer showcased the main character, Sora
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square Enix's best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. Introduced in the series' first game in 2002, Sora is a cheerful teenager who originates from Destiny Islands and has been best friends with Riku and Kairi since early childhood. When they plan to...
, in dungeons with floating red and black blocks. Battles feature a "debugging" mode to remove the blocks in order to progress towards enemies. Blocks are also used to solve puzzles or reach higher ground.
Setting
Coded takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts IIKingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
and follows the story of Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940...
, King Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
in Disney Castle. 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
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
game, and are arranged according to the order in which Sora visited the worlds originally in Kingdom Hearts. 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
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
, Olympus Coliseum from Hercules
Hercules (1997 film)
Hercules is a 1997 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fifth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker...
, Agrabah from Aladdin; and Hollow Bastion. There is also Castle Oblivion from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
playable in the game as well.
One day Jiminy notices that there is a page in his journal that he did not write. He shows his journal to Mickey who summons Chip and Dale. Together they create a machine to read the journal. Suddenly a red "Bug Blox" comes and fills up the machine screen. In order to combat this they give powers to Sora's data into the journal and guide him while he travels through the worlds there and clear the bugs in order to restore the lost data.
Characters
Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, Recoded features numerous Disney characters. Some characters include King Mickey, PlutoPluto (Disney)
Pluto, also called Pluto the Pup, is a cartoon character created in 1930 by Walt Disney Productions. He is a light brown , medium-sized, short-haired dog. Unlike Goofy, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression...
, Jiminy Cricket, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
, and the Heartless. The Data Sora is in the original Sora's attire from the first game
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
because he is created from data from Jiminy's earlier journal entries. Other antagonists include Maleficent
Maleficent
Maleficent is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Walt Disney's 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. She is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who, after not being invited to the baby's christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to "prick her finger on the spindle of a...
and some other enemies from the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
.
Story
In the aftermath of Kingdom Hearts IIKingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, Jiminy Cricket is organizing his journals and is still curious of the "Thank Naminé" line, finding another strange line which he didn't remember retrieving. To investigate this second message, King Mickey has Chip and Dale digitize the contents of the journal, only to find the datascape filled with "bugs
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
", which take the form of red and black blox. To deal with the bugs, Mickey has a virtual Sora
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square Enix's best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. Introduced in the series' first game in 2002, Sora is a cheerful teenager who originates from Destiny Islands and has been best friends with Riku and Kairi since early childhood. When they plan to...
deal with the bugs and the digitized Heartless as he traverses to other worlds to return them to normal. But a mysterious cloaked figure appears in the infected worlds, prompting Sora to follow him upon orders from King Mickey as Heartless suddenly appear in Disney Castle with him, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy trapped in the room.
To their surprise, they are saved by Data Sora as the cloaked figure reveals himself to a virtual Riku who became the vessel to the uncorrupted data of Jiminy's journal, thus becoming the Journal itself, explaining how he imported Mickey and the others into datascape, unable to send them back to their world as hacking occurred. Sora sets off to give Mickey's group the means to return to their world, only to encounter Pete who also got digitized while spying on Mickey under orders from Maleficent who also arrives to make use of the datascape. Maleficent destroys Data Sora's Keyblade and summons Heartless to attack him as Mickey and the Journal save him before Maleficent spirits the latter away. Sora makes his way through Hollow Bastion, aided by Donald and Goofy. They encounter Pete,
who traps the two before Sora, having evolved to more than just data, conjures the Keyblade. After defeating Pete, Sora faces the bug-infected Journal(Who is in the shape of Riku) and manages to defeat him as he goes unconscious until the bugs are removed from him.
Mickey arrives and informs Sora that unless the bugs are destroyed, the Journal will never awaken. Sora decides to find a way to awaken the Journal, and enters Riku's datascape, losing his abilities in the process. The two visit various worlds from the Data Riku's memory and manage to eliminate the bugs before Sora finds his way back to Hollow Bastion and defeats Maleficent. After being returned to their world, Mickey discovers that once the Journal is restored, Data Sora's memories would be reset as if nothing had ever happened. However, Sora requests to save Pete and Maleficent, who are still in the data world. Sora finds them fighting a Darkside that seemingly erased them. Identified by the Journal to be a digitized version of Sora's Heartless, that evolved from feeding on the bugs and Heartless to the point that it now desires to enter the real world. Sora defeats his Heartless with Mickey's help, and finds out that Pete and Maleficent were rescued by the Journal through a "rift in the data". The villains and Mickey are then taken out of the datascape before it resets, with the Journal finding a new door to a new world. Mickey, realizing that this quest may be too dangerous for Data Sora as he has no memory of it, requests to be taken into the datascape once again.
Finding Data Sora in Traverse Town, Mickey takes him to Castle Oblivion where Data Sora is confronted by a young man wearing a black coat. He tells Sora that if he wants to know the truth, he must move forward on his own through the previous worlds he visited destroying bugs, losing his memory of his time there the moment he leave the floor. During this time, Data Sora realizes that even if he doesn't remember someone he's met, there's still the sadness of having forgotten them which the figure attempts to warn not to let it consume him. Sora disregards this message, as the pain is the only ties to those he has forgotten, and fights the figure, revealed to be a data incarnation of Roxas assigned to test Sora's worth. After losing to Sora and accepting the hurt, Roxas gives him a card and fades into the boy before Mickey appears. Sora opens the next door to find a data-based Naminé, revealing the bugs to have been an unintentional side effect of the real Naminé finding a mysterious set of memories during her restoration of Sora's memories. She then reveals Sora's nature as the "key that connects everything" through his ties with herself, Roxas, Xion, and Axel. Furthermore, as she would soon cease to be upon fulfilling her objective, Data Naminé tells Data Sora about three other figures (Terra, Aqua and Ven) also tied to Sora's heart who need his help. Mickey bids farewell to Data Sora and promises Data Naminé that he will inform the real Sora of this. In the final scene, he does it by sending Sora a bottled letter, containing the message found after the end-credits in Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
.
In a secret ending exclusive to Re:coded, Mickey meets with Yen Sid to discuss their ongoing search for Terra
Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. He was introduced in the 2010 video game prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as one of the three main characters...
, having a good idea where Ventus
Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. Having first made cameos in Kingdom Hearts II and other related titles, Ventus was introduced in the 2010 prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as one of the three main characters...
and Aqua
Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. Having first made cameo appearances in the game Kingdom Hearts II, Aqua was introduced as one of the three main characters from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, a prequel of the series released in 2010...
are located. However, Yen Sid also presents a shocking revelation that the destruction of "Ansem" and Xemnas has restored
Life-death-rebirth deity
A dying god, also known as a dying-and-rising or resurrection deity, is a god who dies and is resurrected or reborn, in either a literal or symbolic sense. Male examples include the ancient Near Eastern and Greek deities Baal, Melqart, Adonis, Eshmun, Attis Tammuz, Asclepius, Orpheus, as well as...
Xehanort, and not just "a single one of him", which will also inevitably lead to the return of Master Xehanort. Fearing that one Keyblade Master alone will not be enough to counter the threat, Yen Sid orders Mickey to summon Sora and Riku to him, intending to put them through the Mark of Mastery exam to make them full-fledged Keyblade Masters in order to properly combat Master Xehanort, setting the stage for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
Development
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. It was announced alongside Kingdom Hearts Birth by SleepKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix and Disney for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. The game was released on UMD in Japan on January 9, 2010, in North America on September 7, 2010 and in Europe on September...
and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
at the Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
on September 20, 2007, where a trailer was shown in a photo-prohibited theater. New trailers were shown at the 2008 Jump Festa
Jump Festa
is an annual party or exposition in Japan, all about anime and manga, sponsored by Shueisha, creators of the various Jump anthologies. New movies, manga, games, and merchandise are introduced during this event...
in December 2007 and the DKΣ3713 Private party in August 2008. 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. Early trailers highlighted codeds gameplay, while later ones focused more on the game's story, which would reveal some plotholes behind the first Kingdom Hearts game.
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. 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. coded was developed with 3D and 2D graphics to have the game available on a range of cellphones for distribution overseas. Early screenshots showed the game in a wide screen format, based on the idea that more future models will feature a swivel screen.
coded was first released pre-installed on the Docomo
NTT DoCoMo
is the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
PRIME Series "P-01A" mobile phone. 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
Barriers to entry
In theories of competition in economics, barriers to entry are obstacles that make it difficult to enter a given market. The term can refer to hindrances a firm faces in trying to enter a market or industry - such as government regulation, or a large, established firm taking advantage of economies...
. Included in the model is an online cell phone portal called Kingdom Hearts Mobile
Kingdom Hearts Mobile
is an online community-based social gaming networking service developed by Square Enix for the NTT DoCoMo. It was officially launched on December 15, 2008 in Japan in conjunction with the video game Kingdom Hearts coded for mobile phones. Unlike Kingdom Hearts coded, Mobile is not part of the main...
which will allow users to create avatars
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
and play minigames.
In May 2010, the new English voice actor for Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket
Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his children's book Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940...
, Phil Snyder
Phil Snyder
Phil Snyder is an American actor, writer, producer, and director. He was born in Ellensburg, Washington, the sixth child in a family of ten children. He began to demonstrate his love for, and natural skills in entertainment, especially impressions, at an early age. Snyder moved to Los Angeles,...
, who took over the role after the passing of Jiminy's former voice actor Eddie Carroll
Eddie Carroll
Eddie Carroll was a Canadian voice actor who moved to Hollywood in the 1950s to become an actor. He took over the role of Jiminy Cricket in 1973 after the death of original voice Cliff Edwards in 1971.-Filmography:...
, 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
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game serves as an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was one of the first GBA games to...
to the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. However, it remained unconfirmed until Re:coded, among other titles, was presented at E3 2010.
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Kingdom Hearts coded was remade for the Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
under the title Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, and is developed by h.a.n.d.
H.a.n.d.
is a Japanese video game developer founded in 1992. The company originally started as a service selling Macintosh hardware and software to universities before the Mac platform was widely-known. When competition in the field increased, h.a.n.d...
in conjunction with Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
. 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, in North America on January 11, 2011 and Europe on January 14, 2011. 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.
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
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with assistance from h.a.n.d. It is the fifth installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as an interquel beginning near the end of the first game, Kingdom Hearts, and covering the period...
, 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".
Reception
Prior to codeds release, Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
praised the game's graphics and scope. He stated the graphics were comparable to those of the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and commented that coded was a sign of mobile games turning into "full-fledged" games. 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.
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
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
is 66/100 based on 58 reviews. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game an 8/10, praising the gameplay variety and graphics, but criticizing the story and platforming. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
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
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave Re:coded a 6.75/10, calling it "The most skip-worthy entry in the series". 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
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
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
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".