Final Fantasy & Kingdom Hearts Union

There was a whole host of new details revealed about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake at TGS 2019 and we've got it all covered! As everything came in two halves, we've decided to structure this episode the same way and it means we're talking all about the new character reveals, the new story sequences, the new gameplay mechanics and of course, the mini-games! Music this episode is by Alex Moukala: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJiZCD1soMc

As Kingdom Hearts turns 17, we look back at the game that started it all! It leads to numerous discussions about what the game meant as well as how it was able to spawn such a successful franchise. There's also plenty of time to recap on the 6th Keybearers Alliance Gathering that took place on the 14th of September and had some special guests in attendance! We hope you enjoy the lengthy reminiscing, as well as some awesome questions from the community!

With Final Fantasy 8 Remastered just having released, we felt like it was the perfect time to run through some of the good it brought, but also highlight some of the downsides that have sprung up. It means we'll be talking about nostalgia and all that good stuff, while also running our critical eye over what Square Enix has actually done and whether or not it warrants a re-purchase. Music this episode is by Megalorganiste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LffRoM0H7BU

With Kingdom Hearts 3's secret ending offering up so much, we discuss what it means for future worlds! While we wait though, the crew reflect on other games that have been taking up their time since Kingdom Hearts 3, while looking forward to games they're excited for in the near future. Music this episode is by: dreamEater (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnDnLBGnXoc)

With Gamescom 2019 now behind us, we reflect on how the show panned out from a Final Fantasy perspective. Both the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered featured, but what was the showing like? Well, that's an interesting subject. In addition, we're also running through a whole host of questions, ranging from characters we'd like to see in Smash through to what kind of soap Tidus would be! Music this episode is from TroyGarner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb9-xnJLJ9c

It's time to get all nostalgic as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the podcast with plenty of fun discussions and even a special guest! Given how much time has passed, we reflect on how much things have changed over the past 10 years, from the core root of the series itself, through to the community and how the show has even changed in that time! We hope you enjoy the reminiscing. Music this episode is by Kayou: https://soundcloud.com/kayouremix/kingdom-hearts-dearly-beloved-kayou-remix

Final Fantasy X was a fantastic game in so many ways and this episode is all about celebrating the greatness of the game! We'll have a focus on some of our favourite characters, pieces of music and specific scenes... all while talking about some distinct memories we have from playing the game. Darryl also manages to get confused multiple times, so it's a win win! Music this episode is from BitSymphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2mFfOH0lzg

Now that enough time has passed, one of the main questions discussed on Episode 176 of Kingdom Hearts Union relates to the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 and whether any changes needed to be made. There's also another fantastic question around which other Disney companions would be good for accompanying Sora... outside of Donald and Goofy! Music this episode is by Karim Kamar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvrFGPeZ8Q

Throughout the years we have been blessed with some fantastic intros to Final Fantasy games, and this episode we're going to be delving into what made them so special. To do that, we'll be taking a look at the various aspects that a beginning contains, such as the narrative passage, the structure the developers chose to use and how unique it was in comparison to what had come before! Music this episode is from Baschfire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb9ck2W6_0k

We've been desperate to learn more about what's in store for Kingdom Hearts VR and now we know as some new updates have gone live that bring a new location and control schemes. We also got to learn just how well Kingdom Hearts 3 did following a report about the best selling games of 2019 so far and of course, there's always time for some questions from the community! Music this episode is from J-Music Ensemble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLP2hTC5KrU

You knew it was going to keep on happening, but after a blunder by Xbox, rumours have started up again about whether or not the Final Fantasy 7 Remake will appear on Xbox One. We've also got plenty of fun topics to discuss elsewhere, including a discussion about Final Fantasy XIV, whether we think Square Enix are taking enough risks as a company and oddly enough, what a materia-flavoured pizza might taste like...! Music this episode is provided by bGevko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_aEC2UZgwQ

With Kingdom Hearts now releasing on the Xbox, the next logical step would surely be the PC... so will that ever happen? That's one of the main topics we're discussing today on Kingdom Hearts Union, as we take a whole host of questions from the community. Other topics also include whether Sora should be recast and why video games take so long to create these days. Music this episode is provided by Ro Panuganti: https://gamelark.bandcamp.com/album/hearts-of-light

We've made it to Episode 200 of the Final Fantasy Union podcast, which is so crazy to think about considering where we came from. That's why we felt it was rather apt this episode to take a look at some of the moments that helped to shape who we are today. So, strap yourselves in, as you're in a for an extensive trip down memory lane as we look back and react to some of the podcast's earlier moments. We hope you enjoy and continue to enjoy listening for the next 100+ episodes!

Even though E3 2019 was a few weeks ago now, information from Japanese publications has started to drip-feed out and there's so much to digest! Famitsu were able to speak to Tetsuya Nomura in quite a lot of depth about the new Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMIND trailer, the content housed within the DLC and when we're going to expect it. We've also got a fantastic question from the community around Square Enix's next move with the Kingdom Hearts franchise... exciting stuff! Music this episode is from SilverTom93: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n44Zq9SGpY0 

From a Final Fantasy perspective, E3 2019 was something of a dream show, as Square Enix featured a whole host of Final Fantasy games... including the Final Fantasy 7 Remake! This episode, we're taking an extensive dive into everything they showed off, including Tifa Lockhart, the gameplay and talk about the future of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project! There's also a quick recap of everything else we liked from the show too, so we hope you enjoy the rather lengthy episode! Music this episode is provided by TeraCMusic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKIJLBEftPI

E3 2019 is well underway and we've received plenty of information about Kingdom Hearts 3 thanks to a brand new trailer! It means we have plenty to discuss, as lots of information was released around Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind such as how the story will evolve and of course, the planned release window! There's also a question from the community relating to whether Kingdom Hearts 3 will appear on the PS5/Project Scarlett and if so, what features would we want?

With E3 2019 just around the corner, it felt like the perfect time to talk about exactly we think (and hope) Square Enix will show off relating to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake! It means we'll be covering a wide range of topics, from when we expect them to show elements, through to which characters they will reveal, what we will learn about gameplay and music and of course, whether or not Square Enix will choose to announce a release date for the first part! In addition, we also have a fantastic question from the community thanks to Connor, who wanted us to discuss the differences between Japanese and English dialogue. Music this episode is provided by the Celestial Aeon Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L83c_rpINs

Kingdom Hearts fans, E3 2019 is just around the corner so of course it's time for the rumour mill to begin as we've got plenty of speculation to discuss... including, whether Kingdom Hearts will even be at this year's premiere video game showcase! It means we'll be delving into numerous topics, such as whether Nomura will give any hints around new Kingdom Hearts titles and whether they will show off any of the Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC... or even potentially reveal more! We of course have some questions to run-through and we'd also like to introduce Emily to the Kingdom Hearts Union crew as a new co-host! Music this episode is provided by RoboRob: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxABCr41Aug

Wow, what a week it's been for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake! Even though it was only a teaser trailer, it revealed a whole host of details and we're going to be running through them all today. We'll be talking about the reveal of Aerith, the re-reveal of the other characters like Cloud and Barret and the sprucing up for the game's many other aspects compared to what we saw almost three years ago now. It makes for plenty of passionate discussion, as the hype has very much been reinvigorated! Music this episode is provided by Rozen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpXtRt6hM4Q

With a few months now having passed, it's time to delve into some of Kingdom Hearts 3's secrets! That means for this episode we'll be running through the game's epilogue, secret ending and secret reports and running through some of the various theories and interpretations that have been established. We've also got a time for a question from the community too, to round out what's another bumper episode of the show! Music this episode is from PianoPrinceOfAnime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbWBQnvC2wY