#kingdom hearts redesign

[evaundertale]

So I've redesign Kairi like alot and I'm a Venkai shipper I think I'm sold on this last design because one I love her kh 1 design colors but also because I did just like her hair being longer.

[cardfate]

Case Study : Redesigning Kingdom Hearts for Mobile Gamers

Context

Video games should be a universal experience, but increasingly, older gamers find themselves isolated from it due to games' lack of accessibility.

Kingdom Hearts is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and released on the PlayStation 2 in 2002. The game features an action-oriented battle system, a role-playing leveling system, and a few smaller mini-game sections between worlds. For the redesign, the plot will not be affected by any changes. However, it would be made more for users to play on the go for a quick burst or while sitting and relaxing at home for a longer more, “system-like” play.

Objective

Redesign the UI of a nonmobile game, Kingdom Hearts, into a mobile gaming experience accessible to elders.

Implementation

Menus

| Pause Menu

| Redesigned Pause Menu

Menus would be streamlined in the gaming process so that the elder player can spend more playtime in-game rather than in menus. Many of the previous menu options are now automatically added to the player (upgrades and abilities) or are not needed anymore (status and customize).

Exploration

| Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Isometric Camera

| Redesign UI camera and main UI

Originally, Kingdom Hearts used a 3rd Person camera that is known to be very floaty, difficult to control, and overall unresponsive. For the redesign, the camera would be isometric and follow the character as it moves. For an older player, I wouldn’t want them to have to think about the camera in any way or move it. This type of camera was only used one other time in the series for the title Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the Gameboy.

The player character, Sora, has a glowing green dot under him for visual contrast and so he is more noticeable to elder players especially if other characters or enemies are on screen. Enemies in the game have a red spot under them and they stand in one spot, unmoving, unlike the original game.

Within exploring the game world, there would be a color system for doors. If a door leads to another accessible area it would glow: Red for boss areas and gold for normal areas. This change was because the original game has a lot of painted on doors for textures and I wanted the player to be clear on where they can go.

A mini-map would be added to the game, to assist navigation. Though the first game lacks one, this was later corrected in newer entries. Some areas of Kingdom Hearts are known to be hard to navigate and I believe this quality-of-life change will help a lot with navigation. On the mini map, doors are marked either gold or red just like in the overworld. The player is also marked with a green dot. The mini-map will also be stagnant and not move.

World Map and Gummi Ship Minigame

| World Map

| Gummi Ship Mini Game

| Redesigned world map

For these two sections, there are no major changes because they are already simple and straightforward.

For the world map, I only changed the way the battle level is displayed, I used numbers out of 10 instead of the star system because I believe it’s easier to understand. The only change I would give gummi sections is making them shorter, making the HP and MP bars like the new battle ones (introduced below), and giving the ship automatic upgrades instead of having to build and add them yourself because, in the original game, this system is confusing and unfun.

Battle System, Magic, and Item Change

| Standard battles in Kingdom Hearts

| Redesigned Battles (showing Health Points)

| Redesigned Battle (showing Magic Points)

To make Kingdom Hearts more accessible and easier on a mobile format, I decided to change from an action battle system to a turn-based battle system. Action games require quick reflexes and timing, two things that decrease as a person ages, however; for a turn-based game, the player will not have to worry about reaction times or reflexes, they may take as long as they like to go through battles. The camera during this section would not change, only the characters would move.

Health Points (HP) and Magic Points (MP) would be displayed differently. Instead of the radial style used in the original, I opted for using bars for a simpler look. HP will display directly under the player character in most menus, only when clicking the "Magic" menu will the bar change to show the player's MP. This change is to help with managing the different point systems so the battle UI is not cluttered. Number percentages would be added to both bars to help with understanding the number of points left. For enemies, the HP bar will always be shown under the enemy and will not need to be unlocked like in the original game. Under the enemy that’s being targeted, a blue circle will be shown.  For each battle, HP and MP will replenish back to 100% for the player.

To adapt to a mobile format,  made changes to the command menu that Kingdom Hearts uses for battles. Instead of having to scroll through and select, the player can simply tap the button for attacking, blocking, magic and items. Within this I also made a change to items used in battles, only three would be available to players: Potion (for healing HP), Ether (for healing MP), and Antidote for status effects. All status effects would be able to heal with Antidote instead of having different items for statues, this makes item management much simpler for an elderly player.

The magic system now lists all the magic available and automatically upgrades to the stronger version of the spell instead of having to equip it, taking away the need to prep outside of battles and streamlines the playing experience.

The party system would work similarly to other games with the party member characters attacking/healing/blocking on their own however I would like the party members to be programed to heal the player character’s health or magic more often than themselves so that it’s less that an elderly player would have to worry about, and they can focus on attacking the enemies.

| Redesigned Item Menu

[cosmosnout]

Girliesss

[captains0ur]

Kairi Design!

I love her so much! Square please let her do more things!

[dizzybevvie]

You're the sunflower/I think your love would be too much

[unversedremnant]

king mickey concept except i ignore mickey mouses original design and make him my own while still retaining some iconography (the musical)

bonus: HES GONNA SAY THE THING

[zabrya-art]

Concept: Riku and Sora are Kari's demon and angel, they are secretly married. And Kairi is the only one who knows...

[artful-browniebites]

Alright a couple Kairi outfit ideas! Took a lot of inspiration from the Dark Road Kids - since she’s training with Aqua, I wanted to pull on Eraqus’ past.

I personally vibe more with the left outfit - better suited for adventuring around different worlds. And she’s in pants now, yay! Tho it makes her look a little less like an islander.

Right outfit is a lot cuter. I also like how it looks a little like Strelitzia, and maybe could remind some people of her 👀 now as happy with the colors tho :P

Without the keyblades below:

[serenedash]

happy @khoc-week!!! kicking it off with my khux oc Monty!!! they're in unicornis and originally from Twilight Town!

they're a laid back wielder who goes with the flow and can have trouble connecting with people due to not being very expressive but is always down for a good time :) their keyblade is called Red Chiv and is long and weighty, meant for physical attacks! It's heavy on both ends hence the big angled hand guard, my idea was that you could hold it from either end so spinning the keyblade would also be ideal for attacks. also the hand guard it backwards the angled end is supposed face inwards oops

[DO NOT REPOST/REMOVE COMMENT]

[whimsical-bee]

"But come what may/ I know the way!"

An imagining of Kairi returning to the final world in her search for Sora.

[elmocult]

i really only did this so i could pin down how i exactly wanted to draw them but i spent way too fucking long on this Not to post it. so

[kosmic-arts]

decided to revisit my old redesign of eraqus im happier with it now, but i still hate eraqus' colors; they are impossible to work with

[joined-shores-art]

More ref sheets, the citizens of Radiant Garden, of course not all! Like Ienzo is missing oops (Note these are very up to date with Part II Act II, which is about to end with the next chapter. And then Act III starts.)

Brooke is Vi's and Davis' mother and Taro is brought there by y. Xehanort.

+ Nort alts (Xemnas and Xeh ditching the Org. coats hooray! (They also become besties with A2 trust!!!!!))

__

Quick answers/ explainsies! (WK novel spoilers obvs!!!)

Since Sora is a Replica copy here, he actively befriends the Organization Somebodies.

The Evernight Faction is Maleficent's troup, miss ma'am Salem invited her in! Their ship name is witchcottage!! Tyrian is free to third-wheel!!! Lauriam got a strange illness (see his arm, spoiler spoiler Xemnas and Azal have it too) and Elrena, Emil and Luxord switch sides to get him help. Demyx counts himself in because he wants to.

Brooke had to join because Maleficent sniped Vi baaad (if you seen Vi's ref sheet, yeah the shoulder was Mal with that white glove thingy that has this tick Grimm) Xemnas lost his arm seconds after that and that's why they also switch. The Norts are Replicas but Xems can't get into a new one.

Xeh scooped Taro up in San Fransokyo when he was going places with Luxord. He had to drop pupper off at Vi's because Ansem said so. Taro is also the groundwork for Xeh starting to trust Viola.

Braig is with them because Luxu still needs No Name, remember OMX is alive so...

[stellarnat]

Kiari appreciation post (including a redesign because her kh3 fit has never sat right with me)

[allykakamatsu]

Did I quote the sonic fandub? Yes. Is it accurate cause this is basically what happens during the Hollow Bastion meet up? Also yes-

Masterpost

Buy me a coffee

Commission Prices

[the-east-art]

Quick concept of what I’d do for Kairis next design. I would try to lean more into her original design which had more of a punk/tomboyish vibe to me and re-expand her color palette since she wasn’t originally ‘the pink one’