Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is an upcoming game in the Kingdom Hearts series. It will be released on Sony's PSP. The game is named after the unlockable trailer which appears at the end of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix.

Gameplay
Birth by Sleep is a single player action role-playing game which features melee combat. The gameplay is believed to have gameplay similar to the action-RPG style of the previous games in the series. Tetsuya Nomura has stated that the gameplay will be similar to Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories in that decks will be used.

The game will be divided into three scenarios, with each scenario having different styles of gameplay based on the personalities and abilities of the three main characters. Nomura has also stated that players can play from of the three scenarios and possibly stop mid-way through one scenario to begin another. The developers also plan to add multiplayer components and a new character growth system.

Plot
Birth by Sleep is a prequel to the original Kingdom Hearts, taking place ten years before the first Kingdom Hearts game. The story focuses on Keyblade masters before Sora and is it believed that it will be connected to the unlockable trailers at the end of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix.

The story revolves around three Keyblade apprentices searching for a missing Keyblade master, Master Xehanort, and Xehanort's apprentice. Their disappearence foreshadows a great disaster.

Nomura states that there will be three playable scenarios, though there is not one singularly important character or scenario. However, the main theme of the game will be that of Ven's identity.

Characters
Birth by Sleep will feature Terra, Aqua, and Ven, the three armoured knights who appear in the Sunset Horizons and Birth by Sleep videos at the end of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix respectively. Other featured characters include King Mickey, Goofy, Master Xehanort, and Xehanort's apprentice.

Setting
The game will take place entirely in Disney-themed worlds, both new and old, and will reflect the time difference between this game and the previous Kingdom Hearts games.

In the information released on Birth by Sleep, several worlds have been shown. Of existing worlds in the Kingdom Hearts series, Olympus Coliseum apparently will appear. Another world appears to be new and remiscient of scenes from Sleeping Beauty.

Development
Birth by Sleep will use the same graphical engine as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The development of the game began before the release of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. Though the plot was completed, development was halted due to development of Re:Chain of Memories. Of the three new games announced, Birth by Sleep was the first one to begin development, though Tetsuya Nomura speculates it will be the last one released.

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Trailer
Scenes of the ending of Kingdom Hearts 1 flash by on the screen, and two phrases are seen clearly onscreen. One reads “Deep Past” and the other “Shut-Eyes gives birth to the concealed fate.”

We are then confronted by a young boy who looks like Roxas conversing with another young boy with dark hair. Their surroundings seem to resemble Hallow Bastion (Radiant Garden). The name “Ven” is thrown outward, referring to the boy who looks like Roxas from the Birth by sleep.

The scene change various times before stopping at an image of the Old Man from the Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix+ Secret Ending. He is called “Master Xehanort” by Terra, another character from the Final Mix+ secret ending. Soon after, Terra summons his keyblade and the screen changes.

The video then changes back to Terra battling against a Guardian, whom you can tell is male. This is the same man from the Secret Ending of Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix+ that the Old Man creates. Terra is able to forcably get the man’s helmet off, but his face is concealed.

King Mickey is shown summoning his keyblade, and then the scene changes very quickly to Terra on a beach. He seems to be watching two boys play in the ocean. After he rests his weapon into the ground, the two boys he was watching are clearer and they look like Sora and Riku. Soon after, Terra says “Please don’t depend on me, just erase me… friend.” The phrase “Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep” arises.

Script
(The beginning scene is from the ending of Kingdom Hearts to its opening. Words appear: “Sleep gives birth to the concealed fate in the far past.” The boy with different clothes, and has the same face as Roxas, is talking to the person known as Terra who has dark hair. The boy who looks like Roxas is called “Ven” by Terra.) ????: “Are you the one who, at one time, saved me?”

????: “Ah, promise.”

(Terra is shown to continuously face of Master Xehanort who appeared in the Secret Movie of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ in the wilderness. Terra calls out the keyblade in his right hand. (The effect is the same as the man in mysterious armour who “stays put thoughtfully” that appeared in Final Mix+.)) (Though Terra is hostile towards the elderly person, Xehanort, the words spoken were used before in defense of Roxas. Xehanort meets Ven in the Olympus Coliseum.) Ven: “Who? I don’t know you.”

Master Xehanort: “Only soon, will you know, and you are asleep. The one that was lost was to lose, and the one to be obtained was obtained. You must grab and take it now.”

(Master Xehanort waves his hand in a movement as if to summon magic. Ven watches with an expression that becomes confused with fear.) (Afterwards, the world of the wilderness appears again. The person wearing a black helmet and black clothes (shown in the Final Mix+ Secret Movie) encounters Ven. The person of mystery blows off Ven. The King summons and uses the Keyblade to momentarily protect a fallen Ven. The scene has changed completely to the wilderness, and this time, Master Xehanort starts to appeal for something.) Master Xehanort: “Please, I ask of you to correct my mistake!”

(The man says more, but the blog user can’t remember what.) (Terra is watching the coast of Destiny Islands. There are two boys who are playing using wooden swords as Terra watches from a grove who are speculated to be Sora and Riku.)

Terra: "Please don't depend on me, just erase me... friend."

(Meanwhile, Ven is watching from a similar coast. This place isn’t Destiny Islands, but Twilight Town.) Ven: “Because he’s my friend, please erase me.”   --->