Kingdom
Hearts: Dream Drop Distance is the seventh installment in the Kingdom
Hearts series, and it is the game that acts as a prologue to the long
awaited Kingdom Hearts 3. Not only is it the first game to feature Sora
as the main character since Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix +, it is also
the first Kingdom Hearts game to be released on the 3DS, and the first
to advance the story beyond the ending of Kingdom Hearts 2. Still, how
does Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance hold up? Is it a fun game? Is
it a must have for Kingdom Hearts fans? Well, the short answer is yes,
but it really isn't as simple as that.
The Story of Kingdom Hearts:
Kingdom
Hearts: Dream Drop Distance really is not a simple game at all.
Although the game does in fact have it's own story, just about every
aspect of the game stems from the past. In other words, if you have NOT
played all of the Kingdom Hearts games released as of date, you will be
missing major chunks in the story, which WILL make later events in this
game hard to understand. Even so, the story goes as followed... (Note:
This section will include spoilers for past games! If you wish to know
only about Kingdom Hearts 3D, you may skip this section.)
The Keyblade War -
Many
years ago there was a legendary power known as Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom
Hearts was the heart of the world, and the source of all light; however
because of it's great power many people wanted it for themselves. After
creating weapons called "Keyblades" (which were based off of the
χ-blade, the key to Kingdom Hearts), humans went to war with each other
and a great battle broke out. This war became known as the "Keyblade
War."
After many long and hard battles, the χ-blade was destroyed,
the world broke up into many smaller worlds, and Kingdom Hearts sunk
into the deepest darkness never to be seen again. Years later, after
realizing the mistake of the Keyblade wars, Keyblade warriors choose to
pick up the blades once again, but this time to use them to protect the
light rather than destroy it.
Birth by Sleep -
Many, MANY,
years later an older keyblade Master, named Master Xehanort, is training
his young apprentice Ven. Although Ven showed very much promise, he
refused to use the darkness in his heart to his advantage, and because
of this he was of no use to Xehanort. After extracting the darkness in
Ven's heart to create another being named Van, Master Xehanort decided
to take the broken Ven back to a world called "Destiny Island" where he
would spend the rest of his days. Well at least that was the plan.
Soon
after arriving at the world a new born baby's heart reached out to
Ven's broken heart and filled in the gap in Ven's heart. This new born
baby was none other than Sora. Now that Ven's heart was restored with
pure light, Xehanort once again had a use for him, and decided to take
him to train with his once good friend Master Eraqus. Although at the
time Master Eraqus was training two young keyblade warriors himself,
named Terra and Aqua, he gladly accepted to take Ven in under his wing,
and watched as the three young keyblade wielders became close friends.
Later
on, after finishing their training, it was finally time for both Terra
and Aqua to take their Mark of Mastery Exam (a test one must take to
become an official Keyblade Master), but unknown to them, something was
about to go terribly wrong. After sensing the darkness in Terra's heart,
Master Xehanort decided to interfere with the exam in order to bring
that darkness out. In the end, Terra failed to keep the darkness in
check, and Aqua was the only one to pass the exam just like Xehanort had
planned.
After the exam was over, Master Eraqus gets ready to
talk things over with Aqua, but after receiving a call from Master Yen
Sid who warned him that the Princesses of Heart were in danger, Eraqus
decided to give Terra another chance. If Terra were to travel to the
other worlds and protect the Princesses of Heart, he too could become a
Keyblade Master.
Knowing that this is his last chance to prove
himself, Terra heads off to save the Princesses of light, Ven chases off
after him (despite Master Eraqus forbidding him to leave), and Aqua
leaves to find Ven and bring him back, and to watch Terra has he takes
his "second" test. These three leaving their home world is the key event
that set the rest of the series events in motion.
Over
time as they battle the creatures known as the Unversed (which are
creatures created and controlled by Van), Terra is lead to believe that
darkness is power by Xehanort, Ven discovers that his soul purpose was
to create the χ-blade, and Aqua can't do anything but watch in horror as
her two best friend's lives are torn apart. After Terra is tricked into
fighting Eraqus, who is then killed by Xehanort, he decides to rejoin
up with his best friends, and all three head off to the Keyblade
Graveyard to put an end to Xehanort's plans; however, they fail.
After
a long hard battle with Xehanort, Terra loses his body to the evil
Keyblade Master, Ven and Van merge to form the χ-blade, and Aqua is
forced to fight her friend and hopefully free him from Van's control.
Sadly nothing goes as planned. Although Terra's soul, which was now
inside his armor, managed to stop Xehanort, and although Aqua was able
to bring Ven back to normal, Xehanort still manages to get away with
Terra's body, and Ven's heart is shattered.
Determined to save
both of her friends, Aqua decides to lock Ven's body away in the Land of
Departure, which in the future becomes known as Castle Oblivion, and
she sets out to find Terra and bring him back who has apparently
appeared in the world known as Radiant Garden. After arriving in Radiant
Garden, Aqua confronts, the still fused, Terra-Xehanort who apparently
has no memories of what had just happened. Still with no other option,
Aqua finds herself in a fight, which ended with Terra-Xehanort losing
and falling into the realm of darkness. Unable to watch her friend fall
into darkness like that, Aqua then decides to dive in, and use she
decides to control her armor to save Terra and bring him back to the
realm of light. Soon after the portal closes, and Aqua finds herself
trapped. In the end, Terra-Xehanort takes on the identity of Xehanort,
Aqua remains trapped in the realm of darkness, and Ven's broken heart
finds its way to Sora where it now rests.
Sora's First Adventure -
Ten
years later a young boy named Sora and his friends, Riku and Kairi,
dream of traveling to other worlds. After the "heartless" (which are
creatures created from the darkness in someone's heart) of Xehanort,
going under the name "Ansem," appears, Sora's friend Riku is tricked
into opening up the keyhole of their world, and plunges it into
darkness.
After
receiving the legendary Keyblade (which Terra originally passed onto
Riku back when they met ten years ago), Sora finds himself battling his
way through mobs of heartless in a strange world known as Traverse Town.
Although at the time Sora really didn't know what was going on, he soon
found himself mixed up in some major events that not only effected him,
but the entire universe as well. After meeting up with Donald Duck and
Goofy (who were sent to find Sora by King Mickey), Sora finds himself
caught in the middle of a battle between light and darkness, and he is
the only one who can save them all.
It turns out Ansem plans on
opening the worlds hearts to darkness to gain access to the Door of
Darkness which leads to Kingdom Hearts, and Sora must use his keyblade
to close off the heart of each world. On top of all of that, Sora finds
out that Kairi's heart has gone missing, his home world was destroyed,
and that Riku has been tricked (and taken over) by Ansem and now fights
on the side of darkness. Still even after losing his heart himself
(which he removed himself to return Kairi's heart), Sora manages to save
each of the worlds, take down Ansem, and seal the Door to Darkness with
the help of Riku, and King Mickey.
Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days-
After
waking up in a strange world called Twilight Town, a young man named
Roxas finds himself standing in front of a mansion with no memories of
his own, and being recruited into some organization by a man in a black
robe. This man was named Xemnas, the nobody of Xehanort. Nobodies are
created when the heart is removed from the body, which then leaves an
empty shell behind (one that cannot have feelings), and Roxas just
happens to be the empty shell of Sora.
Although at the time Roxas
really didn't know what was going on, he soon found himself as the 13th
member of the Organization XIII (which was made up of nobodies,
including the nobody of Braig who was one of Xehanort's right hand men),
and he was given the job of collecting hearts. Although he himself
doesn't know it, Roxas is Sora's nobody and because of this he has the
ability to summon the keyblade which is the only weapon that can destroy
heartless and collect their hearts. The Organization XIII plans on
collecting enough hearts to create a Kingdom Hearts, which would then in
return allow each of the members of the organization to have hearts
again.
After befriending Axel, and the new 14th member named Xion,
Roxas slowly began to settle into life at the organization as he went
about his daily routine of collecting hearts; however all of that was
soon about to end.
Around
the same time, some members of the organization were sent off to a
strange place called Castle Oblivion to find "something" (Ven), and to
bring Sora in. By using a strange girl named Namine, the organization
members rewrote Sora's memories, and slowly lead him to the top of the
castle. After taking out each of the organization members that got in
his way (with the remaining being killed by Axel due to them being
traitors who tried to capture Sora for themselves), Sora finally found
himself at the top of the castle and face to face with Namine.
After
explaining to Sora how she had rewrote his memories, Namine puts Sora,
Donald, and Goofy to sleep for a year in order to return his memories to
what they once was; however there was still a problem. Without Sora's
original body, Roxas, he would remain in a deep sleep never to awaken.
Meanwhile
in the Castle's basement, Riku finds himself being guided by Ansem, and
King Mickey as well, through the darkness in his heart. In the end Riku
finds himself face to face with a man named DiZ (who was pretending to
be Ansem), who simply wants to help Riku deal with the darkness that is
still in his heart. After a quick chat, Riku decides to dive into the
final world of his heart and confront Ansem for a final time. In the end
Riku manages to seal the darkness away, and he sets out to walk down
the "road to dawn."
Back
at the organization, everything is falling apart for Roxas. Xion, who
has discovered that she was a puppet created from Sora's memories, has
ran off, and Roxas himself has begun to question the organization
himself. Deciding not to stay, Roxas decided to abandon the group, leave
his friend Axel behind, and find Xion himself. Sadly his plans end up
failing when he finally finds Xion who tries to kill him. With no other
choice, Roxas fights Xion, and watches as she dies in his arms. It turns
out Xion knew that Roxas would die himself if she continued to exist,
and that the whole battle was just a trick to get Roxas to finish her
off.
Filled with rage over what the Organization XIII had done,
Roxas sets off to completely destroy it once and for all; however he was
then stopped by Riku. Knowing that only Sora himself could stop the
organization, Xion used Roxas' body to give Riku one last message, a
message telling him to stop Roxas and revive Sora.
By using the
darkness he had once locked away, Riku decided to release the darkness
to take on the form of Ansem, and bring Roxas back to Namine and DiZ.
Kingdom Hearts 2 -
After
being asleep for more than a year, Sora, Donald, and Goofy once again
found themselves setting out on an adventure to save the universe, but
this time from the Organization XIII. Throughout their adventure they
once again team up with familiar faces, battle the rest of the
Organization XIII members, and fight to return piece to the worlds once
again. The Organization still has plans of finishing Kingdom Hearts to
complete themselves, but at the same time that isn't their only goal.
Later
on Sora once again reunites with Riku and Kairi, he learns of his
nobody Roxas, and Kairi's nobody Namine (which he had completely
forgotten about during his year long rest), and he also finds himself
face to face with the REAL Ansem, DiZ. It turns out that Terra-Xehanort,
who Ansem took in after he found him in Radiant Garden without any
memories, had lost his heart which caused the creation of his heartless
(going under the name of Ansem), and his nobody Xemnas.
In the
end, Axel destroys himself to allow Sora and his friends to get into The
World that Never was, DiZ blows up the Kingdom Hearts Xemnas made
(trapping himself in the realm of darkness in the process), Sora and
Riku stop Xemnas, and everyone goes back to their home worlds safe and
sound. The universe has been saved, "Ansem" is gone, Xemnas is gone, and
everything is as it should be... At least that's what Sora thinks.
Leading up to Dream Drop Distance -
While
in the realm of darkness, Aqua finds herself face to face with Ansem
who explains to her how a young boy is fighting hard in the realm of
light to save everyone, and when she asks Ansem the young boy's name,
she can't help but cry. Ten years ago when she first met Sora, she told
him to always stand by his friends side, and keep them on the path of
light. After finding out that he did in fact take his advice, she is
filled with hope that one day, he might come save her as well.
Meanwhile,
after exploring a data version of Jiminy journal, King Mickey learns of
the connections to Sora's heart (Terra, Ven, and Aqua's connections),
and decides to send Sora and Riku a letter telling them to come to
Master Yen Sid's tower. It turns out that since Sora and Riku defeated
both Ansem and Xemnas (the heart and nobody of Xehanort), Xehanort would
be returning, and Sora and Riku still aren't ready to fight him. Both
Mickey, and Yen Sid agree, it is time for both Sora and Riku to take the
Mark of Mastery Exam. And so, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
begins.
Dream Drop Distance -
In Dream Drop Distance Sora
and Riku both must enter the realm of sleep and wake the worlds that are
still sleeping in darkness. If they find the seven sleeping keyholes,
the worlds would then return, and both would be named Keyblade Masters.
The Gameplay of Dream Drop Distance:
Kingdom
Hearts: Dream Drop Distance is what one might call a "standard" Kingdom
Hearts game. The game uses the standard set up of exploring worlds,
going through Disney story lines, and fighting mobs and mobs of enemies,
but at the same time the game greatly expands on the gameplay.
Like
past games in the series, Dream Drop Distance is an action RPG that
focuses more on skill than actually leveling up; however unlike most
Kingdom Hearts games, this one actually features two stories that are
told side by side with the use of the Drop system.
When playing a
bar at the bottom of the screen will always be going down as time goes
on, and once this bar this zero you will be forced to switch between the
characters. In Dream Drop Distance you will follow both the story of
Sora and Riku, and both stories are key in order to continue on with the
overall story. In other words, although you CAN switch between the
characters freely, you cannot advance in one character's story without
advancing in the other character's story as well. Worlds are grouped
together, and you can switch between the worlds at any time to play
their story, but you cannot move onto the next group of worlds unless
both characters have completed the group they are on. Still since both
characters play very differently, playing the same worlds twice never
gets old.
The Combat System, Command System, and Flow Motion -
Although
both characters fight the same way, they actually have their own
styles, and unique set of moves. While pressing the A button will cause
the characters to use their standard attack combos, both character's
fighting styles are in fact completely different. Sora fights just about
the same way as he has always fought with a mix of slashes and jabs,
but Riku's fighting style is more along the lines of the fighting style
seen in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Each one of his attacks are
aimed at a vital point of the body, and because of this they are a bit
stronger, yet slower than Sora's. Still these basic combos aren't even
HALF of this game's combat system.
Like
in Birth by Sleep and Re: Coded, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
uses a version of the command deck system which basically allows you to
customize your characters attacks. Throughout the game you will receive
attack commands which cover a wide verity of attacks. While some
commands are magical attacks (such as fire, thunder, gravity), and other
attacks are melee tyle (such as strike raid, and sliding dash), there
is also a wider verity of support commands, and action commands as well.
Each
command in the game has its own use, but at the same time you are very
limited to which commands you can use and when you can use them. When
you first start the game you are given a limited amount of slots in the
command deck, but as time goes on that command deck size is increased
which allows you to equip more commands at a time. Even so there
are hundreds of commands to equip (including command items such as
potion), so you really have to manage your deck and only bring along the
commands that you know will be the most useful. It really just comes
down to your play style though.
The second type of commands
(besides the attack/item/supporting commands) are action commands.
Action commands are commands that you equip directly to your characters
that give them different abilities. While at the start of the game you
start out with basic commands (such as the ability to jump), others can
be unlocked, as well as improved versions of the default ones. From high
jump to, special effects that can be equip to your block that allows
you to counter, there's a wide verity of actions that can be equip, so
you can really customize your character to fit your play style.
Although
the command system is really nice, and it adds a lot of depth to the
gameplay, it isn't anything new, and it isn't quite as advanced as the
command system seen in Birth by Sleep (which allowed you to level up
commands, and create new ones by mixing them together). Still the good
news is that the flow motion system makes up for it!
Flow
motion is a brand new system that not only evolves the battle system,
it takes Kingdom Hearts to a whole new level! By jumping and pressing
the Y button, Sora and Riku can perform an air dash which will allow
them to pull off what is called "flow motion." If Sora and Riku hits a
wall, or runs into a pole while air dashing (or even dashing on the
ground), they will begin to glow and they can perform special actions
based off of whatever it is they hit. If they hit a pole they will begin
to swing around which will allow them to either shoot off of the pole,
or use it to attack, and if they hit a wall they can either wall kick
off of it, attack, or shoot off of it as well. By using a series of
swings, jumps, and air dashes, both characters can actually take parkour
to the extreme, and basically fly!
From jumping up walls to climb
massive skyscrapers, to bouncing between walls at high speeds, there
really isn't any limit to what you can do with the new flow motion
actions, and they have become a major part of the gameplay! While
climbing and flying allows you to explore the, now massive, worlds
(which are no longer linear paths, but worlds with areas to explore both
above and below), grinding on rails allows you to speed through areas
at crazy high speeds, and colliding with enemies allow you to pull off
brand new flow motion attacks. Although you can use a flow motion attack
by coming off of a wall jump, or by grinding on a rail and hitting A,
other attacks can be performed by using flow motion dashes on enemies
themselves, and the attack you do often depends on what type of enemy
you are attacking.
The system really is a great improvement which
brings new life into the series, but at the same time the flow motion
moves can be pretty cheap. They are fast and easy way to kill enemies,
and it is a very easy system to abuse. Even so exploring the new massive
worlds as you jump and fly across the screen is pure fun, and it never
gets old!
Reality Shifts -
Reality
Shifts are another mini game type feature which was included that works
both as a puzzle solver, and another way to attack. If an enemy is
knocked out or stunned, sometimes you can use a Reality Shift to finish
it off! Reality Shifts are used by using the touch screen, and they play
out differently depending on which world you do them in. While in
Traverse Town Reality Shifts are simply you aiming and launching
enemies/objects with a type of sling shot, other worlds feature little
timed mini games. Although Reality Shifts do slow down the combat
system, they can be quite fun to pull off, and sometimes they are key if
you want to advance through the world.
The Dream Eaters:
The
worlds in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance are worlds that Sora and
Riku must awake from their sleep, and because of this they are cut off
from the rest of the world; including the heartless. Dream Eaters are
creatures which show up in worlds dreams, and well, eats them. While
most Dream Eaters are "Nightmares" which eat dreams and cause problems,
there are also "Spirits" which are friendly Dream Eaters which can form a
bond with people, and help them out in many different ways. If Sora and
Riku want to make it though these sleeping worlds, they will need these
Spirits help.
As you fight Nightmares throughout the game, they
will drop different items which can be used to create friendly Spirit
versions of them, which will then act as your party members through the
game. Each Spirit requires a different amount of materials to create,
but by using more than the required amount Spirits can be created at
higher levels than they normally start out at, and you can also create
them with a command to boost their stats as well. For example creating a
Spirit with a fire command will boost it's resistance to fire, while
creating one with a potion command will cause it to be born with extra
health. These boosts are pretty nice, but in the end, they really don't
matter that much since you will be leveling your Dream Eaters up.
Once
you have created a Dream Eater, or three, or fifty, you can then put
them in one of your three party spots which allows you to gain their
bonuses while in battle. Although there are in fact three party slots,
only the first two Dream Eaters will appear along side you in battle,
while the third will simply just give you stat boosts and bonuses, and
this is very important to keep in mind. While some Dream Eaters are
strong fighters and can provide you with buffs, others are best left out
of the battlefield and should simply remain as a support style Dream
Eater (which is safe and sound in the third slot). Since Dream Eaters
can in fact DIE in this game, you really have to make sure your Dream
Eaters are well suited for battle, and if not, you better make sure you
can save them in time (by pressing the A button as fast as you can when
standing next to them), or else you will lose them forever. It can be a
bit of a worry at first, but as your Dream Eaters get stronger, most of
them will prove that they can handle themselves just fine.
Besides
just serving as party members, Dream Eaters actually play a much larger
role in Dream Drop Distance. Dream Eaters are a lot like virtual pets,
and like most virtual pets, they need to be taken care of. By selecting
"spirit" from the main menu, you can interact with these virtual pets,
and help them become stronger. While simply petting and poking your pets
will increase their heart level with you, and rarely their LP and EXP,
you can also play mini games with them to increase their stats as well.
While one mini game has you tapping balloons as they fly at the screen,
another has you searching for treasure in an area that is created from
your 3DS' camera, and another has you pushing your Dream Eaters around
underwater as they try to collect items. These mini games are a great
way to boost their stats, and they can be quite addicting as well.
Each
Dream Eater has a different set of abilities and skills to go along
with it, and by spending LP (which you can gain from petting your Dream
Eaters, fighting monsters, and playing mini games) you can learn them.
While some "abilities" are simply commands which can be unlocked, others
are stat boosting abilities which take effect when that Dream Eater is
in your party, and others are abilities which stay with you no matter
what.
Because of this system it is very important to level up your
Dream Eaters so you can get new commands and abilities, but at the same
time it also makes it very important for you to manage your Dream
Eaters as well. Since some Dream Eaters provide some very nice stat
boosting abilities, it's a good idea to keep them in your party, but at
the same time these Dream Eaters may be weak and not make the best party
members to bring into a fight. Basically you yourself have to find an
even balance between useful "party member" Dream Eaters, and useful stat
boosting Dream Eaters as well.
Flick Rush:
Flick
Rush is another new "mini game" brought into Dream Drop Distance which
is a sort of battle arena for your Dream Eaters to fight in. In Flick
Rush players battle other Dream Eaters (computer, or other player's if
you connect via local wireless) using the Kingdom Hearts: Chain of
Memories style of combat.
Although you do not have direct control
over your Dream Eaters, by using the cards on the bottom screen you can
command your Dream Eaters to attack. Each battle requires a party of
three Dream Eaters for both sides, which you can freely switch between.
Since Dream Eaters have their own abilities and style of attacks, it is
up to you to decide which Dream Eater you should use to fight.
As I
said before, each attack is seen on the bottom screen, and it is in
card form just like in Chain of Memories. While the picture on the card
shows you what attack you will be using when you use the card, the
number of the card shows what level that card is; however that does NOT
mean that is how strong it is. Just like in Chain of Memories, if you
use a higher numbered card than your enemy, your card will stop the
enemy's attack and you will attack instead. By playing higher level
attack cards you can break your enemy's attacks, counter with your own
attack, and flat out win the battle without any problems; however the
same goes for your enemy as well. If you play a lower numbered card, and
the enemy plays a higher level card, your card will be broken and you
will be attacked instead; however if you match their number, it will
trigger a duel where you must match the cards.
Unlike
in Chain of Memories, you cannot customize your Dream Eaters decks, and
it is impossible to avoid using lower level cards. Still by using more
than one card at once, the numbers will be added together, causing the
last attack card you played to be a higher number card. The down side to
this is that you will run out of cards sooner, but the good news is
that it helps you counter much higher number cards when you have ran out
of higher cards yourself. There is a limit to how many cards you can
play at once (there is a bar that fills up below your cards showing how
many you can play at once), but it really isn't much of a problem until
the harder battles much later on.
By winning in the arena you will
win special prizes, but at the same you also earn special points which
can be spent in the special moogle shop that is set up outside.
Dream Eater Links:
Dream
Eater Links is the final new addition to the combat system, and it
works differently for both characters. As you battle along side your
Dream Eaters a special bar will fill up, and once that bar is full you
can pull off a Link.
Sora's Link -
When Sora Links with a
Dream Eater, he flat out teams up with them to pull off different
special attacks. This system is basically the very same party attack
system that was featured in Kingdom Hearts 2, and works almost the same
way. While linking with a single dream eater allows Sora to team up with
it to pull off some co-op style attacks, Sora can link up with two of
them at once to perform an even stronger co-op attack as well. For
example, if Sora links up with Meow Wow (the first Dream Eater he gets),
he will get on Meow Wow's back and ride it as it pounces on all of the
enemies in the area; however if Sora links up with Meow Wow and another
Dream Eater both at the same time, Meow Wow will suck up the other Dream
Eater to produce an even stronger powered up version of his pouncing
body slam attack. These attacks are very useful, but they really don't
last that long.
Riku's Link -
Riku's Dream Eater Link is
completely different from Sora's, but it's also a system long time
Kingdom Hearts fans have seen before. When Riku Links up with his Dream
Eaters he flat out fuses with them which changes his attack style, and
abilities. For example, if Riku fuses with his starting Dream Eater he
gets claws on his hands and feet, but if he fuses with a water type
Dream Eater he gets a water surf board to attack with. This gives Riku
many different attack styles to fight with, but just like with Sora, he
can also fuse with more than one Dream Eater at once. These
transformations are actually transformations taken right from the
command style changes found in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and
because of that they should be very familiar.
The Worlds of Dream Drop Distance:
Kingdom
Hearts has always been known as the series that mixes Square-Enix
together with Disney characters to bring us an original story mixed with
the stories of the movies you may have grown up on as a kid. Well,
Dream Drop Distance is no different! Although there are no Final Fantasy
characters in this title (except for the Kingdom Hearts Moogle),
Traverse Town does in fact feature characters from The World Ends With
You, and the Disney worlds are there as well. Still things are a little
bit different this time.
Diving -
Like most Kingdom Hearts
games, or at least Kingdom Hearts I and II, whenever you visit a world
for the first time you are required to play some time of mini game, and
well, this time around it comes in the form of the "Dive" mini game.
While Diving you take control of either Sora or Riku as you fly through
an on rail segment collecting stars for points, and often battling
bosses. There really isn't much to the whole Dive system, but its slow
moving controls and dashing combat system can take quite a bit of time
to get used to. Dives are also graded, and by getting A ranks you can
unlock items, but the grading system is extremely simple, and was made
easier than it should have been. While at first glance it appears you
have to "ace" a Dive to get an A rank, but in reality, all you have to
do is mash the A button to dash, and pick up any stars on the way. Beat
the level fast, and you get a times 1000 score bonus that is basically
instant A rank.
The Worlds -
Like
in past Kingdom Hearts games, after you land on a world you will find
yourself watching a cutscene, which will then serve as the basics of
what you are going to do on this world. Since most of the worlds in the
game are Disney related worlds, normally you'll see a scene from the
movie, and from there you will follow the story to the very end.
In
Dream Drop Distance both Sora and Riku actually visit different "dream"
versions of the sleeping worlds, and because of this, they both see a
different version of the story. For example, while Riku actually follows
most of the storyline from Tron Legacy on the Grid, Sora plays through
different events from the story, some of which that were not even in the
original movie. This really helps keep the worlds unique for both
characters, even more so when you come across worlds that have different
sections for different characters, and it helps to keep the gameplay
from getting old.
This
time around, thanks to the flow motion system, worlds are actually a
lot bigger than in past Kingdom Hearts games, and they have much more of
a focus on exploration. Treasure chests are hidden in places you most
likely never noticed were there, portal challenges are hidden throughout
the stages, and there are also quite a few hidden enemy spawn points as
well. Since you can now basically fly around the stages, you really
have to take your time to explore every nook and cranny if you want to
find everything this game has to offer.
The only down side to the
worlds is, although they are HUGE and give you a lot of reason to
revisit them, their actual stories really aren't that great. Unlike in
past games, most of the stories in Dream Drop Distance actually start
from the midpoint, if not later, of the movie, and then they play right
up to the end of the movie. Sure there is a Sora and Riku version of
each story, but some worlds can be beat within a few minutes if you
simply speed run through them. Sure some worlds do last longer than
others, and there are a LOT of reasons to take each world slow, but
there's always one or two speed runners who will try to go as fast as
possible.
Portal Challenges -
Portal
Challenges are hidden portals throughout every level in the game which
will offer you, well, challenges. Each challenge is left by someone
named after a Final Fantasy character (Zack, Lightning, Squall, etc),
and each one normally has a different goal. While the basic goal of
these challenges are to simply beat all the enemies they spawn, they
also give you a secondary challenge that you must complete if you want
the full reward. For example one challenge may be to defeat 20 Dream
Eaters within 20 seconds, while another may simply require you to use a
few flow motion attacks. These challenges really do give you a
challenge, and they are a nice little extra as well.
Although not
all portals give you challenges, some actually allow you to use Final
Fantasy character's, and other people you met on street pass' Dream
Eaters for a short amount of time, but there really is a limited amount
of times this is actually useful, and you may just go the entire game
without ever borrowing someone's Dream Eater at all.
Flashbacks and Other Data Files -
As
you play through each world both flashbacks and other data files will
be unlocked in your report files. Flashbacks normally serve as a way to
show you what happened on the world before Sora and Riku got there, but
at times they will also show you parts of the conversation Sora, Riku,
Mickey, and Yen Sid had at the start of the game. Although you do not
HAVE to watch these flashbacks, they really are key to understanding the
game's story. Still besides flashbacks, there are also other data files
which are very important as well.
Since ALL of the other Kingdom
Hearts games serve as a type of "intro" for this game, Square-Enix was
nice enough to include summaries of past events which really do help if
you are looking for a refresher. Although these extra files don't go
into great detail, meaning you really SHOULD play the other games if you
want to know what is going on, they will help give any new players at
least a basic idea what is going on in the story... Sadly the same can't
be said for the character files.
(Got it memorized?)
In
past Kingdom Hearts games character files were updated as you played
through the game, and they normally provided full background information
about said character. By the end of the game the character files
normally had a few paragraphs worth of information for you to read, and
they really did help keep the story straight; however that is NOT the
case with Dream Drop Distance. Although the character files are still
there, they really don't tell you much ABOUT the characters. For example
if you look up Lea, a character who will be added to the list early on,
it will simply say "The human form of Axel, one of Organization XIII's
Nobidies. He has awaken in Radiant Garden," and if you look up Axel it
basically says he was an Organization member, and that he was Roxas'
friend.
It really doesn't give you that much detail about each
character, but at least it gives you quite a bit over subjects such as
the Keyblade Wars, Kingdom Hearts, and the Princesses of Heart.
The Circle Pad Pro:
As
most may know, Kingdom Hearts original started on the Sony Playstation
2, and because of this the game has always been best suited when it came
to having a "full" controller. Past games, such as Chain of Memories,
had to completely change their gameplay style to fit the hand held
consoles, and games like 358/2 Days used the touch screen to help with
the lack of buttons. Well I'm happy to say that is no longer the case
here!
Dream Drop Distance is one of the few games that supports
the Circle Pad Pro which not only adds a right circle pad, it also adds
the L2 and R2 buttons as well! Although the game can be played just fine
without the circle pad, by using the L/R buttons to turn the camera, it
really is best when played with the controls Kingdom Hearts was
originally made for. The right circle pad controls the camera angle
(which can get stuck at funny angles at times), the L2 button allows you
to use reality shifts without using the touch screen, and the R2 button
allows you to lock onto your targets easily. Sure it can be a bit
strange reaching over to press the buttons at first, but if you are a
long time Kingdom Hearts fan, I'm sure you really will appreciate the
circle pad pro, and its control options!
The Music:
If
there is one thing you cannot help but bring up when it comes to
talking about Kingdom Hearts, it is the music! Kingdom Hearts is known
to have some of the best music out there, and 3D is no different! From
the brand new version of Hikari that plays during the opening, to the
familiar songs from the Disney movies, Dream Drop Distance is packed
full of amazing music, that you will want to listen to over and over
again.
Along with the opening theme of Hikari, which has been
given a Disney twist, other Kingdom Hearts songs, such as Dearly
Beloved, have have bee remixed as well, and they have never sounded
better. As soon as you hear these well known Kingdom Hearts songs play,
you can't help but get a chill and smile as you listen to them play.
Many of your fan favorites are still in the game, and they really do
help add to the mood!
It doesn't matter if you're a fan of the
Disney soundtracks, or the Kingdom Hearts originals, Dream Drop
Distances easily has one of the best soundtracks to a game in a long
time! Heck it's even got a few The World Ends With You tracks as well!
Is Kingdom Hearts 3D Worth it:
Kingdom
Hearts: Dream Drop Distance really is a great game. For the first time
in years we finally get a game where Sora is the main character, it's
the first game to give Riku a true story, it features MANY different
gameplay elements from the past (party attack system, Chain of Memories
card system, form change system, etc), and the game really does work
quite well on the 3DS! Thanks to the Circle Pad Pro it can be played
like Kingdom Hearts I and II, and the 3D effect looks really nice as
well! Still that really isn't where this game shines.
When fans go
into this game they expect to play a Kingdom Hearts game, and because
of that they have an already formed opinion of the game. They know that
they are going to travel to worlds, fight enemies, level up their
characters, and go through a deep storyline, but what they WONT expect
is the whole flow motion system!
Flow motion really is a major
improvement, which actually fixed what a lot of people might have found
"wrong" with the series. In the past worlds have always been these small
linear path worlds with very little exploration, but this time around
they are huge! Traverse Town went from a simple town that you can fully
explore within a few minutes, to a world that you might actually get
lost in the first time you visit it; it really is a HUGE difference in
size!
Thanks to the size worlds really do give you more reasons to
replay them, but at the same time so do the rest of the extras in this
game. You can easily spend countless hours playing with your Dream
Eaters, making Dream Eaters, and leveling up Dream Eaters, and you can
also spend hours battling with your Dream Eaters in the arena as well!
This aspect of the game alone is a major time killer, and a very fun one
at that!
Sure
some worlds stories can be beaten pretty fast, but in the end that
really doesn't matter. Even if you manage to clear this game within 20
or so hours, there is plenty for you to go back to do, and you could
easily spend 100 plus hours just trying to 100% this. It really is a
huge game, and easily one of the best 3DS games out there!
If you
are a long time Kingdom Hearts fan, you MUST get this game (especially
if you plan on playing Kingdom Hearts 3 when it is finally released),
but if you've never played a Kingdom Hearts game before, you might want
to skip this one. As I explained in the story section, this game really
just throws you out there expecting you to know EVERYTHING that has
happened in the past games, and if you have not follows the series, you
will be pretty confused. Yes there are the report files that you could
read to help get yourself caught up to speed, but that really isn't
enough if you want to be able to truly follow the story.
In the
end, the game's story is great, the gameplay is an improvement, and
there are a lot of mini games to play, but the worlds' stories are
pretty short, and it really isn't newbie friendly. Even so, I give
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance a 10/10!
While some people may
not find it to be as good as other games in the series, that doesn't change the fact
that it is a solid entry in the series, and a solid 3DS game.
