NP: Why did you include the option to offer hearts to Palutena? Do you really not receive a reward for giving her hearts?
Sakurai: I added that feature when I got the sense that players were feeling more affection toward the characters than what I, as the creator, had anticipated. I've been observing how players react to the feature, and despite being told they won't get anything for it, people seem to enjoy offering lots of hearts to Palutena. That's true of myself, too. When I got the million-heart reward for clearing every stage on intensity 9.0, I gave them all to Viridi. Of course, I knew that there wasn't any point to it, but it was still kind of satisfying.