Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance turns 4!

[Fynn]

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/2/26/Kingdom_hearts_3ds_conceptart_rx6GX.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120708233159

Released a day after the tenth anniversary of the series, Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance was a wild ride from start to finish. With two playable characters, including the fan favorite Riku, an acrobatic combat system, a return to larger worlds, and more shocking twists in the series plot than any other entry to date, KH 3D was certainly a memorable experience. And it's now turning 4. My, how time flies!

If you missed this on the 3DS, worry not! Kingdom Hearts 3D will be the main focus of the upcoming KH 2.8 HD rerelease for the PS4, so you can experience this dreamy romp in all of its HD glory! Granted, that comes with the sacrifice of its 3D glory, but I know there's a lot of people that will be more than happy with this trade-off.

What are your fondest memories of KH3D? If you haven't played it yet, will you pick it up on the PS4? Let us know!

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

I have yet to finish it, game feels too big for tiny 3DS screen...Gonna finish it with 2.8...

[TheKeybasHKey]

I just started a game...so far i like it.

[Wolf Kanno]

Not going to lie, I wasn't really feeling this entry. Even the cameo of The World Ends With You cast couldn't really save the game for me. I did love having Fantasia as a world though and the game mechanics were actually pretty cool; but I wasn't digging the plot and the game panders too much to the more obnoxious fans.

[Omni-Odin]

Ya I've tried to start this so many times and couldn't get into it. I'll play it to completion on 2.8 for all the extra content.

[Formalhaut]

I'll probably play it when I get to run-through the series again. I'm planning on binging on all of the updated versions of Kingdom Hearts.

[Fynn]

Not going to lie, I wasn't really feeling this entry. Even the cameo of The World Ends With You cast couldn't really save the game for me. I did love having Fantasia as a world though and the game mechanics were actually pretty cool; but I wasn't digging the plot and the game panders too much to the more obnoxious fans.

Hey, obnoxious fan here :p

3D's plot is most certainly the craziest one in the series, but that's exactly why I love it. It just throws a wrench into everything we'd known about the series at that point and built up KHIII to be something much more epic in scope than we could expect.

Plus, it's another Riku game. I can never get enough of that!

[Omni-Odin]

Not going to lie, I wasn't really feeling this entry. Even the cameo of The World Ends With You cast couldn't really save the game for me. I did love having Fantasia as a world though and the game mechanics were actually pretty cool; but I wasn't digging the plot and the game panders too much to the more obnoxious fans.

Hey, obnoxious fan here :p

3D's plot is most certainly the craziest one in the series, but that's exactly why I love it. It just throws a wrench into everything we'd known about the series at that point and built up KHIII to be something much more epic in scope than we could expect.

Plus, it's another Riku game. I can never get enough of that!

Haha. I can almost imagine your face (not that I know what you look like lol) looking like the Beast's here when you read that too. Quit being so obnoxious ;)

Also, you're right on that last sentence. Can never get enough Riku.

[Del Murder]

Not going to lie, I wasn't really feeling this entry. Even the cameo of The World Ends With You cast couldn't really save the game for me. I did love having Fantasia as a world though and the game mechanics were actually pretty cool; but I wasn't digging the plot and the game panders too much to the more obnoxious fans.
Same here. I found it boring as it went on.

Playing as Riku and Fantasia were the highlights. Also that board game was kinda fun for a while.

[Formalhaut]

Now, it could be that I haven't played enough of the Kingdom Hearts games (especially CoM), but I always found Riku an annoying, if interesting character. His characterisation in KH: II was fairly mopey, downtrodden and, dare I say it, slightly emo.

[Pheesh]

He definitely got worse after CoM, but he's still pretty badass. But his characterisation in the first KH game was awesome and unfortunately his redemption ark just isn't on the same par.

[Wolf Kanno]

He definitely got worse after CoM, but he's still pretty badass. But his characterisation in the first KH game was awesome and unfortunately his redemption ark just isn't on the same par.

The main problem with his "redemption" arc is that he (and the writers) won't let it go despite CoM basically slam dunking the whole thing, yet each new installment makes him go back to doubting himself which gets a bit old after awhile. Frankly, I love Roxas and the three students more than either Sora or Riku.

[Pheesh]

Roxas has a very powerful and tragic story. I think it's a bit easier to write a memorable character like that than it is to write, say, Sora who had to have all the typical protagonist traits AND was originally supposed to appeal to children. The KH2 prologue is extremely sad and made more so because it's a far cry from Sora's upbeat attitude that we'd seen up to that point. I can't speak for Days because I never played it.

And as great a game as BBS is I still think the characterisation is a lesser form of the same model used in KH1. Although it is awesome to be able to play as all three of them.

[Fynn]

He definitely got worse after CoM, but he's still pretty badass. But his characterisation in the first KH game was awesome and unfortunately his redemption ark just isn't on the same par.

The main problem with his "redemption" arc is that he (and the writers) won't let it go despite CoM basically slam dunking the whole thing, yet each new installment makes him go back to doubting himself which gets a bit old after awhile. Frankly, I love Roxas and the three students more than either Sora or Riku.

That's actually the thing I like most about it, as I kinda relate to it. You can't get over all your issues just over the course of one game. Yes, he was bad in KH II, but by 3D it's really satisfying how he's finally overcome all that stuff and is more immune to darkness than Sora. Because sometimes you think you have closure, but then it just comes back and hots you like a brick. For me growing up, this is exactly what I needed to see to know that I'm not trash for falling into a depressive state after seemingly resolving my issues. So Riku's still my favorite character, even if Roxas is the biggest woobie in existence :p

[Formalhaut]

So is Sora going to turn into Ash from the Pokemon series? Defeating monstrosities, saving the day, but is never quite able to actually win a damn tournament. Or in Sora's case, gain the mark of mastery?

[Fynn]

So is Sora going to turn into Ash from the Pokemon series? Defeating monstrosities, saving the day, but is never quite able to actually win a damn tournament. Or in Sora's case, gain the mark of mastery?

Did you just spoil yourself on the entire game? :eep:


Also, no. This is totally different, because up until this point Sora was the one whose light shone so bright that he could save everyone from the darkness. Here, it turned out to be a weakness and Riku, the one who earlier turned to darkness (and actually got to grow from experiencing failure instead of being perfect from the beginning) is the one who saves him for a change. It's actually awesome how that was deconstructed in this game.

So no, Riku did better on the test, but Sora got the opportunity to learn from it, so it's only a matter of time until he gains the mark of mastery. Possibly at the beginning of III, I assume.

[Formalhaut]

A victim of the 'going down to read the comments of a review' curse. I was thinking of perhaps getting it late last year (as I do have a 3DS) but thought against it and came up with my current plan. I don't mind so much, it's literally only the ending. It's not so much the destination than the journey!

:monster:

[Fynn]

So you're gonna get it or nah?

(Just please, play the HD collections beforehand, I beg you)

[Formalhaut]

So you're gonna get it or nah?

(Just please, play the HD collections beforehand, I beg you)

My plan is to go through the HD decimals collection in order. I have beaten I and II, but not for ages and especially I, so I might as well play them again. I'll end up playing CoM as well with that weird-ass card system. Then watching the movie of 382/2 Days, then seeing what the fuss of Birth by Sleep is, and then finally Dream Drop Distance.

It'll be expensive though, so I might save it for a Christmas adventure or something.

[Fynn]

Yeah. I recommend not watching Days until after II, though. And CoM is pretty brilliant, so you have that to look forward to.

But yeah, there really is no point going into 3D without the others. There's Days and BbS that give you the full meaning if you know all the other games, but the stuff in 3D is pretty much incomprehensible without all the other games (it's pretty crazy even if you do) because it's meant to tie them all up together before KH III.