People unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts franchise may be confused to see “Nomura” trending on Twitter right now, accompanied by some gorgeous artwork featuring anime and Disney characters. Square Enix fans may know this is in reference to Tetsuyo Nomura, an artist and developer for Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts who fans are applauding online for his most recent reveal.
Nomura has been series director for Kingdom Hearts since its inception, and is known for his unique art style and attention to detail in both the franchises he works in. Fans may have heard the name Nomura most recently in relation to the bestselling Final Fantasy 7 Remake, when Nomura revealed in an interview that his team is hard at work on the franchise’s next installment. He’s also been very vocal about Kingdom Hearts and its future.
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Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, which is why Twitter is blowing up over Nomura’s recent reveal of the upcoming game’s amazing cover art. His recent tweet also reveals that the game’s final trailer will come in just a few days, which is huge news for the community. The cover art displays Kairi sitting pensively on a throne, surrounded by portraits of scenes from the games.
Needless to say, fans are super excited, and the tag is awash with praise for Nomura’s style and the homage he paid to characters like Namine, Xion, Axel, and Roxas in the key art. Since Nomura has been with the franchise since its beginning, his art is really nostalgic for fans and it’s exciting to see him put in the details into each of the characters that fans love and appreciate. One of the most important themes in the Kingdom Hearts games is the power of friendship, making character arcs an integral part of gameplay.
Since the game art features the popular princess Kairi, fans are predictably sharing their love for the character and favorite memories of her. Some people commented that Kairi seems to get the short end of the stick, such as being kidnapped multiple times, and it’s great to see Nomura giving her a moment to shine literally in the center of the artwork. One fan noticed that the pictures of Sora in the background are from Kairi’s perspective during the endings of KH1, KH2, and KH3.
While not all fans are enthused about the plot of the game or concerned that Kairi will again be kidnapped, for the most part the art reveal and the upcoming Melody of Memory trailer are building up hype. Fans can hope that the final trailer will bring even more exciting content to get ready for come November.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory will release for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 13th.
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