Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance - Review

Kingdom Hearts is a series very near and dear to me, in spite of its now convoluted encompassing narrative and its tendency to pad or dance around the issue. As a nine year old brought up on a steady diet of RPGs and fantasy films and TV series, there couldn't have been a better title to put in my hands than the original Kingdom Hearts back in 2002, especially considering all the Disney films I watched repeatedly during my childhood. The seemingly impossible but surprisingly well-handled crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney’s various properties was nothing short of a godsend for me as a kid. By the end of the first installment, my mouth was watering for a sequel. And then came Chain of Memories. As a Game Boy Advance title, it was fairly impressive. As a continuation of the mythos, it’s satisfying enough and did advance the plot, but it’s not a title I often go back to. Kingdom Hearts II, however, is the opposite, it being the game I most often revisit. By the end of my first run of it, I had the most genuine smile on my face. Unfortunately... this seemed to be the last installment of the series that I legitimately loved.

I’ll say it, Kingdom Hearts: coded and 358/2 Days were pointless. Days in particular is the most disappointing entry in the series to date. You would think a title elaborating on the workings of Organization XIII and the tasks that befall its members would write itself, but evidently, there’s not much to look forward to past the same string of recycled missions and re-colored enemies. My distaste for this title did not sway my excitement for the next, though. Birth by Sleep, the prequel to the first game, is one of only two games I've ever bothered to pre-order, the other being inFamous 2 if you’re curious.

This PlayStation Portable exclusive, while a technical achievement for the series, did not satisfy me from a storytelling standpoint. The plot suffers from allusion syndrome by painstakingly tying things together to the original game much like the Star Wars prequels did for the Original Trilogy. The three leads were complete and utter morons. Terra in particular and his relationship with Master Xehanort also emanates a similarity to Anakin and Palpatine’s relationship in Episode III. Either way, Birth by Sleep was an acceptable sequel with some impressive core gameplay. Because of my constant disappointment I wasn’t very excited for whatever would come next. But, seeing as how I’ve gotten a Nintendo 3DS, and was impressed by the demo, I decided to give the latest installment a shot, I bought Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

This installment marks the series’ tenth anniversary and I am happy to say (especially after that long introduction and retrospective) that it doesn’t disappoint. This is the first I’ve loved since Kingdom Hearts II. One of the reasons being, believe it or not, is the fact that it sets the foundations for the much anticipated Kingdom Hearts III, which is long overdue to hit shelves. The game takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts II and coded and follows Sora and Riku performing their Mark of Mastery tests to become Keyblade Masters, to do so, they must enter a realm of dreams and awaken seven sleeping keyholes. Along the way, they come across a shadowy antagonist who seems to know where they are at all times. Accompanied by more Disney characters and companion Dream Eaters, who also serve as the antagonist creatures of this title, their test goes through some unforeseen bumps and slopes.

Introduced to this title is Flowmotion, a combat innovation involving your environment, such as wall jumps and swinging on poles, which then can become a specific attack. This is the most welcome innovation to the series in a long time, and makes traveling through each world much more fast-paced and convenient. Returning from Birth by Sleep is the Command Deck, which is now easier to utilize effectively during combat. Overall, the combat feels like the happy intermediate between the original KH, KHII, and BbS, further influenced by the Dream World models of Sora and Riku being reminiscent of their KH designs in their youth.

New worlds include La Cité des Cloches (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), The Grid (Tron: Legacy), Symphony of Sorcery (Fantasia) and more. New characters include the aforementioned companion Dream Eaters as well the cast of The World Ends with You in the returning Traverse Town. I’d rather not spoil every little surprise the cartridge holds so I’ll leave it at. I will admit though that Hunchback is my favorite traditionally animated Disney film and I was honestly disappointed with how it was adapted.

The storyline finally matches the impressive gameplay for the first time in a long time. Again, since it ties into what will be KHIII, the narrative has weight and the plot developments (especially by the climax and conclusion) are important to the series. However, because of the complexity of the story, I find it hard to recommend to anyone who hasn't played KH, KH2 and BbS at minimum. However, the game does offer Chronicles and Flashbacks to satiate the uninitiated if they have the patience for it.

Then again, considering how expensive games are nowadays you might as well brush up on your history and squeeze every bit of juice out of this one. Also, the game seems to pad out its final act and some worlds give less incentive for you to be invested than others. Also, the customization could’ve been utilized for better variation, but as a portable game it’s still impressive. In short, Dream Drop Distance is a welcome addition, more so than most. It’s a game worthy of the 10 year mark and I cannot wait to see where these complicated and tumultuous plot threads build towards in the next game. 8.5 out of 10.