Kingdom Hearts 3D – Dream Drop Distance

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS, revealed at E3 2010. The game is the seventh installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and was released in Japan on March 29, 2012. It was released in Europe on July 20, 2012, in Australasia on July 26, 2012, and in North America on July 31, 2012. Dream Drop Distance follows the events of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts Coded, though much of its plot is set concurrently to the original game via time travel.

There are a total of seven playable worlds, most of which are based on various Disney properties, albeit in a “world submerged in sleep” due to being destroyed by the Heartless. Most of the Disney worlds introduced are entirely new, including: La Cité des Cloches (The Hunchback of Notre Dame); the Grid (Tron: Legacy); Prankster’s Paradise (Pinocchio), which also includes the inside of Monstro’s belly from previous games; the Country of the Musketeers (Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers); and the Symphony of Sorcery (Fantasia).

The other two worlds, Traverse Town and the World That Never Was, are original to the series and have been featured in previous games. In addition, the game’s opening tutorial is set on the Destiny Islands, another original world. The game, which largely follows the action RPG and hack and slash gameplay of previous games in the series, sees players alternate between the roles of Sora and Riku, which is done via the ‘Drop’ system. During gameplay, a Drop Gauge gradually depletes over time, though it can be replenished with items.

When the gauge completely empties, control will switch to the other character, though players may also opt to drop manually at any time. Drop Points, which are earned by defeating enemies and completing optional objectives, can be spent on bonuses that can be used until the next time the character drops, such as a slower Drop Gauge or increased attack or defense. The game reuses the Command Deck system from Birth by Sleep, in which players can customize a deck filled with various actions, spells, and items that can be quickly selected.

There are also several new elements added to the gameplay. Flowmotion allows players to move quickly about by performing actions such as bouncing off walls, grinding on rails and spinning around poles. Reality Shift is a system the player can use on certain objects or weakened opponents. It involves a touch-screen activated minigame unique to each world, which includes dragging the screen to fling a target like a catapult, touching hidden words to take control of enemies, and playing a rhythm-based minigame to cause fireworks to appear.