Tetsuya Nomura says he can’t claim full responsibility for Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts' wildest twists, but he’s “happy if people enjoy the game”
“Sometimes even lines in the scenario that I didn’t write are called Nomura-isms”
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Long-time Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy 7 lead Tetsuya Nomura has refuted the belief that he’s entirely responsible for all the wackier aspects of both series'.
Over the decades, Nomura’s name has become synonymous with Kingdom Hearts, and now, to a certain extent, Final Fantasy 7, given he’s the creative director of the remake trilogy. For the former, at least, Nomura has somewhat become linked to Kingdom Hearts' incredibly complicated, and often nonsensical, storylines and plot developments.
Nomura says he can’t take all the credit for that, though. In a new interview withAutomaton Media, theFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthcreative director acknowledges that he has a certain style. However, he says that sometimes things that he isn’t even responsible for are referred to as “Nomura-isms,” such as individual lines of dialog.
“I watch videos of people discussing and commenting on my work here and there, and this is something I think about while I’m watching,” Nomura said of the public reception to his style. “Sometimes even lines in the scenario that I didn’t write are called Nomura-isms. It’s funny, isn’t it?”
“Overall, I think that ‘Tetsuya Nomura-ism’ is something that the players have established regardless of whether I was involved in that aspect or not,” the veteran developer continued. “Sometimes players who are playing something I had absolutely nothing to do with go ‘This feels so Nomura,’ and I’m thinking ‘That wasn’t me…’
“However, players' feelings and impressions are their own, and if they feel something while playing the game then I think that’s fine. Either way, I’m happy if people enjoy the game,” Nomura concluded. Perhaps, given Nomura’s comments, we should lay off a little with ascribing every part of a Nomura-developed game to him. After all, games aren’t made by just one person.
Read up on our very own extensiveFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth previewfor our own hands-on experience with the opening hours of the new game.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.
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