Tetsuya Nomura shares new details about Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Now that Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix has been released focus is on the upcoming title for the 3DS - Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Tetsuya Nomura recently spoke to Famitsu about the title and Andriasang has kindly provided the translation.

The title will feature several new worlds including one featuring a bell tower and another sees Sora dropping amongst a crowded plaza. These two were shown in a new trailer that will be released online soon but others will be featured in the final game from both the Disney universe and brand new ones. The trailer also showed off some of the actions that the characters can do such as swinging from poles, wall kicks and sliding down a rope.

Nomura notes that while "Dream Drop Distance" is not grammatically correct in English it is meant to connote the distance you fall in your dreams and the focus is on how the phrase sounds rather than its grammatical accuracy. While the title is obviously a play on the common 3DS suffix '3D' they are not just random words chosen, "drop" in particular is a reference to the gameplay.

According to Nomura if you use Kingdom Hearts as a base and evolve it like Final Fantasy you will get Final Fantasy Versus VIII. If you then evolve the qualities of Kingdom Hearts further you will get Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. While that maths does not provide us with much specific information it indicates the title will certainly be something to look forward to.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is focused on "bold actions" according to Nomura. The company wish to try out bold things for non-numbered Kingdom Hearts titles but promises that through playing Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance gamers will get an understanding of what to expect from Kingdom Hearts III.

The title will allow you to switch between Sora and Riku, decided by the game rather than the gamer. Each character has different goals and storylines as well as different actions and control methods. At certain points in the game these characters will engage in the Mark of Mastery test but details remain vague at present.

The "Drop Gauge" featured in the trailer holds a number of secrets Nomura noted, however he did indicate it a countdown of sorts. Unfortunately Nomura could not give a release period for the title as it has not reached that part of the development cycle yet. According to Nomura there are other games in development that have yet to be announced. Stay tuned to N-Europe for the trailer when it is available.