KH13 giveaway: Share your KH3D impressions & win the guide!

[Inuyashagirl20 7]

Kingdom Hearts means so much to me. I first found out what kingdom hearts was when I was 14, I'm 16 now. My very first game from the saga was Birth by sleep that I got for Christmas the year it came out. Then for my 16th birthday my dad bought me a PS2 just so I can play the other 3 that was made for it, around the same time he got me a regular DS and I had bought Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days and re: coded. About a year and a half ago I found out kingdom hearts 3D (dream drop distance) was being made and I bought a 3DS just to play it. I pre ordered the rugular version with the three AR cards 3 months beofre it came out and I picked up the game at gamestop 2 days after it's release. So far the game met my expectations and is the best Kingdom Hearts game I have played so far. Love it so much, don't think I'll ever get tired of this game.

[Cymia Noel Chantice Moss 0]

Square Enix has once again touched my heart, with another enjoyable Kingdom Hearts game. Even before the game came out watching trailers and playing the demo got me so excited for this game all I did was listen to music from the game and anticipate how much fun I'd have playing it. In fact Kingdom Hearts 3D was the main reason I wanted a 3DS. Now that it's finally within my KH collection, I see it as my favorite of the games to come out in the KH series. Though I love the flow motion ability along with the many attacks I can do with it, my favorite new asset to the KH series that I praise for it's greatness is the addition of Dream Eaters in my party and what can be accomplished with them. Having Dream Eaters and being able to fight and link with them in battle, as well as form a bond with them is truly fun and a great new experience in my opinion. Especially since all them are just so adorable, I take as many great pictures as I can of them. Linking with Dream Eaters is kind of what I consider a cross between using the D-Link from BBS and summoning from KH1 and KH2. This game is just truly full of so much greatness even those who never really played KH or got into the story could have an enjoyable time.

This Kingdom Hearts game also has another thing to be praised for and that's it's story. Now I'm a person who doesn't mind spoilers so I knew everything that happens in KH3D before I acquired it at my gamestop, and that's why this games story definitely can be praised for answering many questions that my KH fan brain kept asking. If anything each KH game made me want more of the games and definitely more answers regarding many things and KH3D definitely delivers those answers. The game also reflects in story about what Tetsuya Nomura said when he announced there would be one more KH game before KH3 connected to 358/2 days, coded, and BBS. The greatest thing about all the revealing throughout this game was the fact that with so many revelations, there's no reason for a Final Mix. Not to say I dislike Final Mix games for KH, it's just that if KH3D had a Final Mix that's one Final Mix that I'd really really be upset that I couldn't play more then the others because of the greatness of this game lol.

Well all in all KH3D definitely a game for the history books from it's many new memorable worlds. To the cameo of TWEWY characters which was especially a nice add. Since seeing as how FF characters have been the main cameo makers it's nice to see Square-Enix diversify the characters added from other Square games. Also the drop system is a great add as well, to switch between characters whenever you choose or even to the point when the drop bar empty's is just genius. This game has much to offer, and is everything you'd ever want from KH and the only way it will be topped is more then likely when KH3 comes out. So in closing Kingdom Hearts: Dream, Drop, and Distance you've touched my Heart, you're engraved into my Memories, you'll be Coded into my Dreams, and I'll be playing you for Days. Thanks Square-Enix and Tetsuya Nomura you've done it again! ^_^

[Jfraser6 0]

Review: kh3d

 

Story: sora and riku are on a new adventure. To prepare for the rise of xheanort sora and riku must take the mark of mastery test. To past the test they go through 7 worlds trapped in sleep and unlock all of the key holes. The story is very simple but you can only understand the story if you played are seen the other 6 games but lucky enough this game a option known as moment which allows you to look at flash backs and read about previous kh games. Also with the game once You get deeper into the story it gets a little confusing constantly making you look back at the begging of the game

Rate: 9.5/10

 

Gameplay: this game uses similar combat to that of recoded kh3d uses deck commands of birth by sleep and recoded. As well it adds a new feature known as flow motion this can be activated by Dashing in to a pole,wall or grinding on arail

[Jfraser6 0]

Review: kh3d

 

Story: sora and riku are on a new adventure. To prepare for the rise of xheanort sora and riku must take the mark of mastery test. To past the test they go through 7 worlds trapped in sleep and unlock all of the key holes. The story is very simple but you can only understand the story if you played are seen the other 6 games but lucky enough this game a option known as moment which allows you to look at flash backs and read about previous kh games. Also with the game once You get deeper into the story it gets a little confusing constantly making you look back at the begging of the game

Rate: 9.5/10

 

Gameplay: this game uses similar combat to that of recoded kh3d uses deck commands of birth by sleep and recoded. As well it adds a new feature known as flow motion this can be activated by Dashing in to a pole,wall or grinding on a rail and you finish flow motion by adding a power full attack.

Rate:10/10

 

Dream eaters: dream eaters are like Nintendogs and Pokemon combined. Their are at least 50 dream eaters.collecting dream eaters allow you try new moves and allows you to do some thing known as link board which replace use things like acceceries. Unfortunately I would heave liked it if u could team up with Disney characters.

Rate:9.8/10

 

Drop: drop is a feature in the game in which u switch with sora and riku. U drop 2 ways at will or when your gauge runs out and you switch. The drop system is a good way to not neglect the other characters story but it can be a problem u may drop during a boss battle or in a special mission this causes that event to start all over making it a little frustrating to play.

Rate:9.3/10

 

Worlds: each world is new yet similar to a world in previous games for instance like traverse town,the grid,and pranksters paradise rikus side ( his Side looks like monstero from kh1 ). The worlds are huge even for places u been to in previous games making it hard to find every chest and link portal making for a lot of replay value.

Rate:10/10

 

Dive mode: dive mode is a replacement to gummi ship mini games. Dive mod makes the player dive to new worlds accomplishing a new goal for each dive it could be get this much points or get this boss over all dive mode is fun and u will earn a special prize if u get all a rank in dive mode.

Rate10/10

 

Over all rating:10/10

[Aaron Parthimos 33]

(story) Sora and Riku are on a new journey to the 7 sleeping worlds to seal the keyholes of each world.All this revolves around proving them selves as true key blade masters so they can defeat master Xheanort once and for all but they must complete the mark of mastery exam that Yen Sid has set for them. The story of this game for me is a big push in the series i have followed the series since 2002 if you have not played the other 6 games then it will be difficult for you to understand the story but luckily enough this game offers a selection of all 6 games explaining what has happened during each game.

 

i would rate the story a 10/10

 

(Dream Eaters) IN this game there are a new species called dream eaters. But they all come in different shapes and sizes they resemble animals. There are spirits wich fight along side you and nightmares witch are the new enemies. Spirits you can bread them but you must first find dream parts to create a new spirits. You start off with 3 spirits that help you in Sora's and Riku's journey.They are very helpful because you can do special links with them such as use them to lend you power when you are struggline agains and enimie.A realy good feature square enix have added is the flick rush system were you and you'r friends can have a one on one battle with you'r spirits to level them up and show you'r friends who is boss.I found the fighting system for flick rush a bit confuseing at first but after a while you get used to it.

 

the nightmares are the new enemies in this game witch you must stop from filling the worlds with nightmares these creatures look similar to the spirits but they have a different simbal on them so they are quite easy too tell apart. I sometimes find them annoying because when you hit them they make these noises witch i persinaly think the game could have gone without.

 

 

i would rate the dream eaters a 9.5/10

 

(simple combat) In this game they have kept the original combat from kh1 khbbs and kh358/2 days wich i liked.I am more of a

[Aaron Parthimos 33]

My kingdom hearts 3d review

 

(story) Sora and Riku are on a new journey to the 7 sleeping worlds to seal the keyholes of each world.All this revolves around proving them selves as true key blade masters so they can defeat master Xheanort once and for all but they must complete the mark of mastery exam that Yen Sid has set for them. The story of this game for me is a big push in the series i have followed the series since 2002 if you have not played the other 6 games then it will be difficult for you to understand the story but luckily enough this game offers a selection of all 6 games explaining what has happened during each game.

 

i would rate the story a 10/10

 

(Dream Eaters) IN this game there are a new species called dream eaters. But they all come in different shapes and sizes they resemble animals. There are spirits wich fight along side you and nightmares witch are the new enemies. Spirits you can bread them but you must first find dream parts to create a new spirits. You start off with 3 spirits that help you in Sora's and Riku's journey.They are very helpful because you can do special links with them such as use them to lend you power when you are struggline agains and enimie.A realy good feature square enix have added is the flick rush system were you and you'r friends can have a one on one battle with you'r spirits to level them up and show you'r friends who is boss.I found the fighting system for flick rush a bit confuseing at first but after a while you get used to it.

 

the nightmares are the new enemies in this game witch you must stop from filling the worlds with nightmares these creatures look similar to the spirits but they have a different simbal on them so they are quite easy too tell apart. I sometimes find them annoying because when you hit them they make these noises witch i persinaly think the game could have gone without.

 

i would rate the dream eaters a 9.5/10

 

(Gameplay) The gameplay for this game is amazing the colours the new commands and actions are absolutely beautiful. And i am very happy square enix have decided to keep the original combat system from the other games and add a new system called free flow action. The free flow action allows you to explore new places and have fun well you do it. you can spin around polls,jump off wals,and go on fly around for a certain amount of time. flow motion has made it more challenging to find the chests hidden on roof tops. They have increased the size of the maps because of this new system and i personally think it is great they have done this it opens up a whole new world for the people playing. The flow motion also interacts with the fighting system such as after jumping of a few walls and swinging around a few polls you can do a massive slam against the ground with your key blade witch effects the enemies.

 

I would rate the gameplay a9.8/10

 

(drop system) The drop system allows you to switch between Sora and Riku during the game at the bottom left of the screen is a bar called the drop gauge when that bar goes empty you are forced to switched characters but the good thing is you can choose to switch back and forth whenever you please. I took a while to get used to but after a while you go with the flow.

 

i would rate the drop system a 9/10

 

 

(Main Characters) The two main characters in this game are Sora and Riku these characters have been in the series for a long time now.

 

i would rate the main characters 10/10

 

(Overall rateing) 9/10

[Venterrqua 85]

KH:DDD Review:

 

The story takes place after Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded, where we find the two Keyblade wielders, Sora and Riku, entering for the mark of mastery exam to become true keyblade wielders by finding the 7 keyholes of sleep to save world from a continuous slumber.

 

The gameplay in this game is very unique and is one of the best games for the 3DS. One of the most interesting yet amazing aspect introduced into the game is flowmotion, which allows you to interact with your surroundings with a multitude of different methods of using it, so you can be rail grinding at a high speed then bouncing off a wall to slam into your enemies. Also not forgetting the drop system, this odd system after a set amount of time makes you switch characters, even though this doesn't sound like a good idea, it fits in very well, either if you want to spread the story out evenly or focus on one character and then the next, it is easily done.

 

Another unique aspect of DDD are the dreameaters, creatures that are the form of darkness that in the worlds because the heartless and nobodies cannot enter, which are also the main enemies and allies in the game.

 

Upon obtaining fragments of the enemies defeated, you can create new an exiting nightmare eaters for your party, each with unique abilities and methods, so the possibilities are endless. The dreameater menu is a lot like nintendogs where you can feed your allies to improve stats or you could just stoke them to level up too, with most of the mini games revolved around the dream eaters, there really is no cuter way off getting past some time.

 

The music is what you would expect from final fantasy, a unique and amazing soundtrack for each world, even though there are a few repeats from past games, the music fits in perfectly with the game and you never consider turning off the sound.

 

Over all review 8.5, the game is one of the best made for 3DS so far and is an enjoyable game that both KH fans and new comers to the franchise will enjoy, it certainly makes the series that little more exiting ready the next game

[rosco258 212]

don't get the guide guys it's not really that helpful at all. i know personally.

[Xion1910 25]

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance 3D Review:

 

As the Kingdom Hearts Xehanort Saga is nearly coming to a close all the answers we've been looking for are finally starting spill out. KH 3D is the first game since KHII to progress towards the final conclusion and contains the key to the final story.

Sora and Riku begin the final test to prove their endurance and skill in the 'Mark of Mastery exam', together they must unlock 7 sleeping worlds that have fallen to darkness, and if they succeed, they will be official keyblade Masters.

 

The Game suits the 3DS perfectly and because it is on a hand-held console you can play it almost anywhere, It's certainly a big change from most of the other titles, since KH I and II where both on consoles you couldn't play it on-the-go and the DS games Re: Coded and 358/2 Days couldn't support the HD graphics, so KH3D has taken both qualities from the previous game and put them into one, creating the most extrodinary games ever released on the 3DS.

 

The 'Spirit' and 'Dream Eater' system in the game is new and never seen before, although it's exclusive to this game only and is probably unlikely to be repeated in a later game it's nice to know that more and more ideas are still being introduced into the series, rather than repeating enemies from the previous games. I love the way you can create your own Spirits and interact with them, after seeing this in alot of trailer and gameplay videos I never expected it to be as good as it was, but playing it for the first time felt like a completly new experience as if I were seeing it for the first time.

 

The way Riku and Sora set out to different worlds at different times was odd but it seemed to work, the timeline sometimes became a bit messy playing through future events first and past events last (not mentioning specific details as it could spoil it the plot) but that made it all the more interesting to play and since it's based in the 'Dream World' Guess anything could happen.

 

Having the 'Drop System' (which makes you switch between Riku and Sora involuntary) makes the game more enjoyable to play as it forces you to work faster, but prevents you from rushing. I personally like to complete a game as fast as I can but always feel bad when it doesn't last as long as i'd hoped, the Drope system forces you to switch between roles and progress slower without physically slowing down your gameplay speed.

 

For a hand-held game the quality of the soundtrack is unbelievable, it's just as good as the soundtracks in KH I and II and well worth being available as a Soundtrack CD release, it has the 'fully orchestrated' quality that makes it the best soudtrack out of all the DS KH games.

 

All in all I give KH DDD 3D a 10/10 for amazing gameplay, storyline and soudtrack because it is an exciting instalment to the series with many new and unseen techniques, and definatly something worthwhile to add to your Kingdom Hearts collection.

[Khrulesbbs 574]

I'm not going to make this long . The game is great . the best in the series in my opinion . we should look past the glitches and flaws of it because i think this kind of action packed KH game is what we will be seeing in the future . 9.5/10

[RokuXIII 0]

What I love about KH3D?

THE FACT THAT SE COMBINED BOTH TWEWY AND KH.

I haven't bought KH3D (YET.) but I WANT TO PET THOSE ADORABLE DREAM EATERS. DREAM EATERS LEMME LOVE YOU.

I love how we can play BOTH Sora and Riku at the same time, and also without meaning to. It makes things sooo much more fun, and it really adds this new 'tweak' to KH. I have always loved the storyline of Kingdom Hearts because of how unique and MIND-BLOWING it is. Square Enix is AWESOME. KH3D is AWESOME. The first game I played was 358/2 days, and I can't tell you how much I LOVED THAT GAME. The gameplay of KH3D is different from the other games, but whatever that is Kingdom Hearts material, is A-MAZING. The drop system looks really interesting, and KH3D would fill up gaps on the Xehanort Saga.

[Vanitas Sentiment 13 9]

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance is the newest game in the Kingdom Hearts series. It is by far the most challenging game I've played in a while. Everything about the game was far beyond what I expected. Whether it was the story, the gameplay, or the voice acting. This game is a must have for all Kingdom Hearts fans. When I started playing the game, the opening movie did a great job of showing the key plot points. So from that point on, the game has been a fun thrill ride. Granted there some spots in the game where I was, like, why are these enemies dealing so much damage? To that end, this game gave me a new meaning to level grinding. After clearing the game on Proud mode, I wanted to experience Critical mode. Boy did I get more than I bargained for. I never expected to die so much. But the rewards were all the more sweeter. Even as I write this experience I had of the game, I'm still dying to go in my room and get my 3DS and resume play. Overall, the game is a challenge in itself. A challenge that I look forward to daily. It is just what the doctor ordered.

[MasterRiku 0]

My impression for this game is, i am really impressed by this newest Kingdom Hearts game. Why? Because it is the direct sequel to Kingdom hearts II that i've been waiting for so long. And because i can finally use Riku in a full game, (Real KH action game, unlike Chain of Memories) and Sora again of course. I love the new mechanic in the game such as the flowmotion and reality shift which makes the game even more interesting and fun. Although the party system is erased from the game, the dream eater is make the game even more challenging.

I am quite shocked too with the ending and can't wait for the next game to see what happened to Sora and Riku, about the 7 Lights and 13 Darkness, and about the fate of those three who lost.

This game means a lot to me since the day i bought it. Still completing the game day by day. The story is great, new character from TWEWY, the game that i really loved too, and the new game mechanics makes this game is a-must-have-game for all 3DS user out there. What makes it even greater is it is on handheld console, so we can always bring Sora and Riku wherever we go.

[Aqua's Apprentice 1]

To me, KH3D is not just a game. It's like the right kind of "food" that satisfies my heart. It's been 2 years since BBS was released, and I haven't found any other game that can be compared to it, but to be honest KH3D is just as good, if it's not better.

 

I still remember the day when I said I didn't want to buy a 3DS. But once I knew they were gonna make KH3D, I finally bought myself a 3DS. Yep, KH3D is the reason why I have my gorgeous black 3DS now, and it is the only 3DS game I own so far. Yeah I put a lot of investment for this release, but it's totally worth it.

 

It's good to play a KH sequel again (not just some spin-offs). Flowmotion attacks and reality shift are very useful in battles; I'm glad they made these new features in the game. Dream Eaters make me happy too. They all are so cute but we can only have 3 in the party; what a hard decision to make. >_

 

KH3D actually made watch Pinocchio, Tron Legacy, and The Three Musketeers again because I had forgotten some stuff, so I just had to re-watch it to enjoy the storyline more. I was hoping that I can see more Aqua, but I'm pretty happy with the flashbacks. Especially because there was an epic scene near the end where Aqua and the others are there. So cool!!!

 

I love every second I've spent when playing KH3D (still playing it now btw)! This game is the best purchase I've made in a while. I'm glad SE finally made this game very good and enjoyable. I'm recommending KH3D to everyone, both KH fans and newcomers \(^O^)/

[Tealfox 17]

My Kingdom Hearts experience started when I got my hands on 358/2 Days, but allow me to backtrack a bit...

 

When the game was first released, I would see these commercials for Kingdom Hearts. It didn't make any sense to my young mind, but I was captivated at the sight of Disney Characters joining forces (this was also the same feeling I had when I discovered Smash Bros). I never got to experience the game, since we had all Nintendo and no Playstation, and I was never able to explore more about it on the internet. However, I remember having late night conversations and laughs with my brothers and sisters about completely unrelated Disney characters duking it out (Cinderella Vs. Cruella De Vil, fighting with glass slippers, Ariel killing baddies with a hairbrush, etc.)

 

Fast forward several years; I went to one of my friend's houses for the first time to play Gamecube with him and he had Kingdom Hearts II posters in his room depicting Sora (I didn't know his name at the time), Donald, and Goofy in different-themed outfits and worlds. Upon seeing them in Tron-ish looking outfits, I asked him "Hey is that from Tron?" When he confirmed yes, I was baffled at how this game would have worlds from Disney movies as obscure as Tron. Seeing how it caught my interest, he showed me some of Kingdom Hearts II and Space Paranoids. I don't remember much, because the game, to me, was litterally a blur. But I also remember him going to the Underworld and summoning Stitch and all this craziness. Honestly, all this information registered in my head as one word... EPIC.

 

That day was actually just before Days was released, and I actually stumbled upon a trailer for Days in the Nintendo Channel on the Wii. Excited for this discovery (and of course, still not understanding a thing other than it had Disney people), I brought my friend over and showed him the trailer. Little did I know, but my mother was actually watching the trailer from the sidelines and gained an interest in it.

 

I learned that she was trying to get her hands on it, and when we happened to bump into the game at the store, my mom was dismayed when she learned that she didn't have enough money to buy it. Later on, me and my siblings managed to pitch in enough money to buy it for her without her knowing until we surprised her with it when we got home.

 

A couple days later, I learned that she became disillusioned with it, which kind of shocked me because we all got it to her as a gift. She told me to take it for a spin and see what I thought of it, and honestly, I could see right from the start why she gave up: 1) I had no clue what was going on. 2) The controls were confusing. and 3) THERE WERE NO DISNEY CHARACTERS (right from the start at least.)

 

I myself was about to give up, but determined to find out what Disney had to do with it, I pressed on, actually developing connections with this Roxas and his best friend Axel, and later Xion. Soon, the fact that there were Disney worlds didn't matter as much, because I actually fell in love with the story, discovering it had to do a lot with friendship, which is something that means a lot to me.

 

This was also probably the longest DS game I've ever experienced, and it felt like I'd never see the end of the story. Actually, when Re:Coded was released, I tried to finish the story as soon as possible so I'd be ready for the next game. I made it clear to the end, actually crying at Xion's death. The ending confused me, but it's just because I haven't played KH II to know. After one epic game was finished, it was time to get the next one and get to know this "Sora."

 

After spending $35 on the game, I started playing Re:Coded and was simply blown away at the title sequence. As the story progressed, I discovered I had much in common with this Sora character, and yet again the touching theme of friendship came up a lot. The system sectors definately got old, but the Avatar menu and the epic story (haha keep in mind I haven't played KH I before) were enough to satisfy.

 

Thirsty to get the whole story, I started looking up stuff all about Kingdom Hearts (which is how I encountered KH13). I got a hold of all the tracks from the Kingdom Hearts series (even KH3D before I even got it), since I absolutely loved Shimomura's work. Plus, it was interesting to hear amazing songs from games you haven't played firsthand before. When KH3D was announced, it became one of my main influencers to get a 3DS along with SF643D and SSB4.

 

The wait got more and more intense as I got a 3DS. The Mark of Mastery edition was announced, and when I got a hold of enough money to pre-order it, the wait became unbearable as I looked up reviews and eventually got to experience the awesome demo. Aug. 7-13 was the date on Amazon. I was hoping it would come earlier, but I expected it would come late. To my surprise, on Aug. 7 exactly, guess what showed up in the mailbox. I was dizzy and stunned at the arrival and the excitement thereof, because I was expecting it to come later. It also made it a lot harder to focus and finish my online history for the day. However, at 5pm that day, I got to put it in.

 

The opening movie gave me goosebumps, as well as everything about the game. Not sure exactly what was happening, I was overwhelmed and excited at the mass content the game offered compared to the DS versions. Although I was skeptical at first, after experiencing them, I fell in love with the dream eaters, and the huge worlds were so much fun to explore, especially with the all-powerful flowmotion at my fingertips. But alas, I forgot about the drop gauge until it showed up. Dismayed, I realized my explorations were now going to be stressed by a ticking timer that threatened to throw me off track. I realized collecting every treasure was not going to be an easy task. However, I've grown accustomed to the drop gauge and the handy drop-me-nots. I just need a lot of munny to keep my drop-me-not stock up. And I gotta say, Standard mode is hard.

 

Really though, this has got to be one of the coolest games I've ever played. (And to be honest, Traverse Town's theme in this game is much, much less annoying than in the others; I could listen to it all day.) My only wish is to be able to replay the stories in each world and to be able to explore without worrying about dropping. Oh, and I really wish my rare dream eater card would stop revealing Sudo Neku. I want a Meowjesty I promise I've saved before using it and am constantly exiting and coming back to it and it always, always has Sudo Neku. Oh well, maybe Meowjesty will show up eventually. But I'm pumped to see how the rest of the story goes... if I can only get past Rinzler...

[Ben 3]

Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance is a great game. The game is one of the best on the Nintendo 3DS. Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance is my first game I play Kingdom Hearts. I didn't know anything about any Kingdom Hearts Games until I came across the Chronicles. It is a great feature for people like me that didn't start place KH until now. The Game shows many Disney Worlds from many movies which is a great addition. The Presentation it shows in the begin of the game is amazing. Square Enix took advantage of what the Nintendo 3DS offers.

 

Gameplay: 9.5/10

The game show a amazing game with a lot of different variations in combat. Flowmotion and Reality Shift just add to the game to add more ways to battle which is amazing. The game shows how you can battle differently from any of the attacks from the Commands shows upgrades of the command. Dream Eater are a great addition. A companion in a game shows more gameplay. The Reality Shift

Shifting from different worlds is amazing and learning something new.

 

The Story: 9/10

The story is amazing, even though I didn't play previous installments to the game. Like I said the Chronicles mostly explained the game. It show many cutscenes to then the player reacts to the game. The game is shows a the game with many different stories or variations of the story like Sora's Story could of been Riku's which is amazing.

 

Replay Value: 9.0/10

With many optional stuff you can replay to finish them. They also have trophies to get like achievements. Many Dream Eaters have many Dream Eater Ability Link Screens, so it will take long to complete. So the game is a longer time to finish the extras.

 

Music: 9/10

It has an amazing sound with every effect on the game. The Starting (Presentation - Simple and Cleam) Theme and Ending (Sanctuary) highlight the sounds of the game. It truly many amazing sounds from many of the cutscenes.

Overall: 9/10

Edited August 11, 2012 by Ben

[xxClouDxxmoon 901]

I hope that someday soon I can get KH:3D, or even a 3DS for that matter, but at the moment I am in school and I do not have the income like alot of other people on this site, so I cannot afford either of these things at this time.

Hopes up for christmas

[Sigrun 1,064]

It was awesome. the whole thing about the drop system, i thought it might be inconvenient but still so i was excited. I was all like:

 

 

then when I got it i was all like:

 

 

then when I played it i was all like:

 

 

 

the drop system was nice but if you switched out of battle it would suck. the graphics were amazing, they did a brilliant job and the flowmotion was pretty cool but at the same time it was hard to control, i had a bit of trouble with it but then got used to it. the voice acting was pretty amazing, sora sounds a bit more mature, riku is spot on, joshua's voice bugged me the most because it sounded WAY to feminine, then I learned that IT WAS a girl that did his voice.fighting MF again was a real pain, but overall I had fun with it. the whole system involving the dream eaters were SO cute, I love my meow wow . they are just like pets, you can play with them and pet them and as you give them love they level up. the level up system reminded me of FF13 for the dreameaters though. the battle system was pretty much of BBs with a slight hint of the days battle system, it made it easier for me since the battle system correlated with each other with familiar and simple controls for all to enjoy.

 

The music composed by yoko shimomura really did capture the tone, and the essence of the game itself with the whimsical and fluffy melodies that I will enjoy when the soundtrack comes out with the game, i wouldnt mind closing my eyes while listening to it. the gameplay was Challenging yet fun, along with the minigames which I thoroughly enjoyed. overall it was an amazing experience and i hope they can top that with their next installment, and I know I will not be disappointed.

 

 

 

but yeah that was my impression of the game.

 

imnotgonnawin

Edited August 9, 2012 by Sigrun

[Ace326 79]

Warning ahead of time my review contains major spoilers. If you do not want to spoil the story skip the first paragraph. Sorry for the long review, but there is so much to say about KH3D.

Story: 10/10 One of the biggest parts of the Kingdom Hearts franchise is its well-developed story and Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance does not disappointed. The plot of the game is basically that Sora and Riku have to take the Mark of Mastery exam. Their task is to seal the seven keyholes within the seven worlds. Shortly after they start their journey a man in a black coat appears and their test becomes a mission for both Sora and Riku. The best part about KH3D was how the story made me want more. Although confusing at first, the story realigns itself in the end. Not only is KH3D a follow up from KH2, it makes you question how Sora will become a true keyblade master. Let’s not forget all of the memorable Disney characters. From Quasimodo to several forms of Mickey Mouse the game contains a good amount of Disney characters. There are only seven worlds in KH3D, but each has two different stories that truly show the best of each character.

Gameplay (World environments, Attacks, Abilities, Dream Eaters, etc.): 9/10 Gameplay is the most important part of a video game obviously. KH3D lives up to the Kingdom Hearts name gameplay wise. Not only does the game contain about 50 hours of gameplay, there are several difficulties which the hardest one is unlocked once you beat the game. One reason the game takes so long is because of the world’s environments. KH3D probably contains some of the largest worlds in the whole series. These large environments are full of detail and are big mostly to use the newest feature in the game, flow motion. Combat has extremely evolved in KH3D with the add in of flow motion. In flow motion, you can bounce off walls and fly off into the air. You can also use the A button during a specific flow motion technique to do a special attack like shockwave or buzz saw. Flow motion is not only a simple cool add in to move around the expansive worlds faster, but a way of representing the fact that they are in a dream.

Dream Eaters are the newest addition of enemies in the Kingdom Hearts series, but they are also the newest allies. You can pet, feed, or play with your dream eaters and if you collect enough link points you can unlock abilities and commands on the ability link. Stat boosting ability’s like thunder boost or hp boost are only in effect when the dream eater is in your party, but support abilities like second chance stay with you regardless of the dream eaters in your party. Not only can you nurture your dream eaters, but you can also participate in Flick Rush where there are 3 on 3 Dream eater battles. Nightmare dream eaters look different than the benevolent ones. They all have dark looks. Also in harder modes nightmares become smarter and tend to attack Sora and Riku more strategically. With benevolent spirits ones they have a full link gauge you can team up with them. Sora usually rides them or uses them to hit or consume enemies. Riku does not ride them, but instead absorbs them into his keyblade temporally for a different way to pull of combos.

KH3D uses the command deck system from Birth By Sleep. You do not get commands by melding though. Instead you buy them from shops or unlock them on the ability link. Most commands are old, but there are some new commands like sparkga and balloonga.

The biggest feature in KH3D is the drop system. When Sora drops after the drop gauge is depleted you play as Riku and vice versa. This allows the player to play through two different stories without quitting the game and switching characters like in Birth By Sleep. When Sora or Riku drop the player can use drop points that they have collected throughout that session to power up or give a command to the character coming up. Both characters also share dream eaters and support abilities.

Graphics: 10/10 The graphics in KH3D are the best in the whole handheld area of KH games. When you look up close at Sora and Riku there is no pixilation whatsoever. Not only that, but the keyblade are no longer as thin as paper like in BBS. The worlds look crisp also. The detail in the characters is amazing. Up close you can see Sora move. His key chain on his neck also moves which makes him feel more realistic. When he is gliding his hood is flapping around which again makes the game more life like.

 

Overall: 9.8/10 Although I am a big Kingdom Hearts fan I still question how well this game would be do to KH games on DS’s being not very good. When I played KH3D it blew me away. The story, graphics, gameplay it was unbelievable. Not only did it become my favorite 3DS games, but one of my overall favorite games. One thing that frustrated me about Kh3D was the fact that you could not keep all the abilities. Of course I still loved it regardless of that. KH3D was one of the best gaming experiences Ive ever had in the last couple of years and I feel that the KH series will do even better in the years to come.

[Anthony Gonzalez 0]

Kingdom Hearts is just one of those games that brings out the kid in you. The series has been an all time favorite of mine since middle school. I have played every single game, read every manga, and listened to every soundtrack over and over. This game never seizes to amaze me and always brings those tearful moments that makes life worth living. KH 3D did not disappoint whatsover and I can't seem to let the game go for even a moment! The series has taught me alot in my personal life with it's moments of carpe diem and what not. KH 3D is...how do I say..this..amazing? Tears of joy just with the intro video and jumps for joy when I started playing it! Game is just awesome and it means the world to me personally as an avid fan. The game is what every kid dreams of Disney meets bad ass hair defying Square Enix characters! What more can we ask for? (Kingdom Hearts III....-ahem- Toy Story world) anyway the game is sweeet! Any fan can get into it and I got a great brain refresher with all the unlockable story mementos and unlockables in the game.

 

Game got me thinking..it's really bean 10 years since I started playing this game and wow has it gotten better and better. Middle school was a drag and so was high school but the Kingdom Hearts series alone gave me alot to think about more than any game could. Some people say it's a pointless plotted mess! But hey I beg to differ.

I can't wait to see where the game is going and with this game at the moment I can see where. KH 3D is not a disappointment...wait did I mention the FREAKING POKEMON!! ahem I mean Dream Eaters! These badass mothacreatures are just epicly awesome man! They literally look like digipoke clones but hey these adorable and colorful buddies are sure to keep! (Oh yeah douchy Donald won't heal Goofy anymore even when your on 1HP since they aren't following you on this one

 

I can't put it into words this game should just get 10's, gold stars, thumbs up,and whatever praise it deserves!

Kingdom Hearts FOR LIFE!

[OathkeeperDragon 9]

WARNING - Inside this impression will be MAJOR SPOILERS. Do not read if you don't want your game spoiled!

 

Kingdom Hearts : 3D - Dream Drop Distance, where to begin? This game was an absolute joy to play. The night before it came out, I was so excited, I couldn't sleep! Ever since my mum bought Kingdom Hearts 2 for me 3 Christmases ago, I've been totally hooked. Kingdom Hearts helps me cope with real life problems, and it also teaches me what I should look for in a true friend - something I've never been able to do on my own. Kingdom Hearts lets me act like myself, instead of changing to suit other people.

 

KH3D Meant a lot to me, from the moment I came bursting through the door after Guide Camp. I get pulled into the game, I feel as if I'm feeling was Sora or Riku feel through the game - which is a huge fun part of it. Feeling horror as Sora got pulled down into his dark slumber, or feeling his happiness when Riku wakes up, after diving down to rescue Sora's heart. This part of the game is more exciting to me - it always stops me from putting it down- why I was up until 2:30am finishing it! I also love how at the end of the game, you get things like secret bosses or thorniness to keep you entertained for longer. For me, it just adds to the fun! I always get a thrill whenever I unlock a secret ending or complete an objective. I also LOVED the Dream Eater feature! It felt like I had pets following me around, they were so sweet! Bonding with them made it so sweet too, stroking them while they ran around on your desk.. that was a lot of fun!

 

I can't really explain how much KH means to me expect from this - it keeps me strong, and it makes me who I am, and I seriously don't know what I would of done without the series!

[Dave 5,715]

While impossible to discuss the story of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance in under 3000 words, never mind without saturating the review with spoiler warnings, it is worth taking a good look at the gameplay and how it stands up with the rest of the series. I’ve always admired the Kingdom Hearts franchise for trying something different with every installment, giving a new experience each time, and KH3D is no different. The constant tweaking of the combat system has finally resulted in what I personally find to be the most enjoyable and interactive version yet. While the Command System from BBS still remains, allowing for quick and easy casting of spells and executing of special moves, KH3D manages to improve the combat via the FloMotion ability. This permits Sora to use the environment around him to the fullest, be it swinging off of poles or bouncing off of walls. The gravity defying nature of the Kingdom Hearts combat has always been a source of fun, and being able to activate it on a more regular basis and use it at will not only permits for a more aesthetically appealing fight, but gives the player a greater sense of control over Sora and Riku and makes combat more than just smashing the same button over and over.

 

The FloMotion is not limited to just combat, but also greatly assists in exploration and platforming. Much to my great joy, the worlds that you travel through are once again large and spacious as they were in the original Kingdom Hearts, and indeed more so, rather than just being a series of small stages on which to do battle. This grandness of landscape adds so much to the game on multiple levels: you feel far more intimidated by the scale of Notre Dame or the expanse of the Grid, giving the levels an atmosphere of grandeur; it makes exploration a must, as you are no longer set on a linear railroad and must actually traverse the expansive landscape to try and locate your goals; and the replay value is increased exponentially, as there are so many treasure chests and secret Link Portals tucked away that the player will be able to spend a great deal of time trying to track them all down. Within these vastly increased worlds is where the FloMotion is really allowed to shine, allowing for hopping off of tall buildings, jumping and bouncing off walls, and executing daredevil moves that assists in your exploration and adventuring. The FloMotion gives a greater sense of interaction with the environment and fleshes out the game as a whole, permitting everything present on the screen to be of use in one way or another.

 

The other most notable addition to KH3D is the introduction of the Dream Eaters, who take the place of companions of Sora and Riku in the place usually occupied by Donald and Goofy. My first impression was wholeheartedly negative, as I am not a fan of “cute,” yet even I found myself warmed up to the idea by the end. Being able to recruit and add to your party of Dream Eaters, choosing which ones you want by your side in a given situation, allows for a greater sense of customization and interaction. There’s more than a little strategy involved to decide which Dream Eaters you decide to pal around with: do you want one who has the better special Link moves, or do you want one who subtly increases Sora and Riku’s abilities? Or, more often than not, which species of Dream Eater do you just think is plain cooler than the others? Though the likes of Meow-wow and Necho-Cat are far too adorable for my cynical, heartless self, you can unlock bigger, more intimidating forces in the forms of a tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, or dragon. There are more ways to customize and use your Dream Eaters in the ways of playing with them or feeding them, but the game wisely does not force you to do this against your wishes. In fact, you could simply ignore your Dream Eater party altogether if you are compelled to. The way the Dream Eaters are implemented into the game is wonderful: It’s a tool to be used if you desire to, and will benefit you if you do, but you are not obligated to do so.

 

The final major gameplay tweak that KH3D offers is the Drop system, in which the game switches between the stories of Riku and Sora after a set period of time. While, as I said before, I always appreciate Kingdom Hearts willingness to try something new, this aspect is something of a hit-and-miss. Focusing on the positives first, being able to go through both plotlines simultaneously is a fantastic idea. One of my major complaints of BBS is that having to go through the whole length of each characters storyline three times, only to find out things which I had either already guessed or been told by a previous plot point, felt like a grind and a chore, not to mention that you’re constantly in a state of restarting the story rather than having it progress. This is avoided in Dream Drop Distance, as you are being fed new information and new plot points from two points of view, but without having the stop and restart quality of BBS. The story is constantly moving forward and feels like more is being accomplished as such. On the flip side, the switch hampers other elements: the fact that you’re being timed makes it feel like a race to explore the landscape or accomplish a goal, rather than allowing you to take your time and enjoy the surroundings. Also, there is nothing more infuriating than having the time limit expire in the middle of a boss battle, for when you return, the boss’s life bars will be refilled and you will be required to start once more. Still, given the arcade-like speed that most battles have, this does not occur as often as it would seem, and on the by and large, the Drop system is an interesting aspect that, if not being wholly positive, certainly does not ruin the package.

 

In the end, whether you agree with certain elements of the story or not, Kingdom Hearts 3D is simply fun to play. It takes something that already worked and made it better, and provides for an engaging and enjoyable 3DS experience.

[J. Severe 1,137]

Looks like I have some stiff competition… welp, time to go into big-walls-of-text mode!

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

The road to the English release of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance has been a long and strenuous one. It stretches all the way back to E3 2010, when the system the game’s on – le Nintendo 3DS – was first announced, and it as a third-party title. Not much was known about it at the time. Loyal KH fans would have to wait until E3 2011 for actual concrete news regarding it. And then E3 2011 came and passed with no new info about the game, because we all know Nomura likes to screw over those who live outside of Japan. The title did show up however, at the Tokyo Game Show, and we got our first looks at Sora and Riku’s sexy new outfits.

 

At Jump Festa, we got the release date – the Japanese release date that is, and the countdown began. The title launched March 2012 in its homeland, and the spoilers reared their ugly head. Everyone was forced to make an important decision: allow themselves to succumb to the darkness, or try to keep themselves ignorant as to what happens at the game’s end. Fortunately, Square Enix made haste with the localization, and North America and Europe got the title in July – Europe got it 11 days before America for some reason, but America got a swanky collector’s edition that they didn’t, which helped ease the pain.

 

And then we come to today, a couple of weeks after the English version’s release, where I’m typing this on my laptop and explaining the game’s entire history, which has nothing to do with what I’m actually supposed to be typing. I suppose I’m only doing this to make myself look smarter to our great ruler and overlord DChuich, so that he may grace me with one of those sweet strategy guides… I think I’ll shut up now.

 

 

PRESENTATION

 

The game’s on the most powerful hardware the series had seen yet, and as such, it looks pretty darn good. Begone are the sprites, poor 3D models, and endless speech bubbles that graced the previous entries on Nintendo systems. It’s a full-fledged KH title, with realistic mouth movements and new worlds. The graphics are done very well, and although not the best on the 3DS, they’re still pretty great. The environments are expansive and detailed, making the game feel quite open-world.

 

The 3D effect is done perfectly. It’s fine during playtime, but it shines during the cutscenes, at times making me actually go “Mmm” due to the awesomeness it provides, particularly when characters are closer to the camera. And that doesn’t take into account the CGI opening, which looks fabulous and does an epic job of summarizing the events that have happened in the franchise. Should any 3D movies make their way to the 3DS’s eShop, hopefully they have the same great 3D as it does.

 

Script-wise, at the point I’m in the game, I haven’t gotten to the juicy parts yet, which I assume all happen in the last world. Regarding the Disney worlds, the game tries to replicate scenes from the respective films they’re from and while they’re done well, they’re not as good as they could be – for example, just look at the ending cutscene for the Tron: Legacy world, which isn’t as cool as that in the actual movie (though that may be to the disturbing lack of Daft Punk music, who knows?)

 

The worlds are also somewhat short, and thus the storylines of them are rushed, not leaving much room for real character development. One moment, Mickey in the Three Musketeers world is down, thinking there’s no way they can rescue Minnie, and a few seconds afterward, he’s all peppy and overjoyed again. The original world stories (i.e., Traverse Town’s) are perfect in contrast. It’s made me fall in love with the TWEWY characters, especially Neku and Joshua. I’ll probably be tracking down the original game for DS after I Beat (pun intended) this.

 

 

GAMEPLAY

 

One of the game’s strongest parts. I’ve always loved the game’s typical button-mashing hack-and-slash type of gameplay. It’s still here, and it’s joined by an excellent ability known as Flowmotion. You can now jump off of walls and swing around poles like you’re on steroids. High places finally aren’t impossible to reach; you can get to them easily. No longer can a stone remain unturned, or a nook and cranny unexplored. It helps to get around the huge areas quickly and, if you’re in a tough spot in a battle, you can spam it to get out of there and kick the butts of the Nightmares that surround you. It’s glorious!

 

Another new element is the introduction of Dream Eaters. They serve as more than the simple-minded enemies of the game akin to the Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed of past titles. Some Dream Eaters (known as Sprits) can be breeded and used as your own party members, while the other ones (Nightmares) are the ones that need to be taught a lesson as I alluded to in the above paragraph. I like the customization at your fingertips for the Spirits you own – it’s nice being able to name them whatever you want (well, except for a few words, because this IS an E10+-rated game after all) and to be able to change their colors. And there’s also the Nintendogs-esque parts where you can pet them to level them up and play games with them, which I often do once in awhile. Because it’s manly.

 

Nevertheless, with Dream Eaters by your side, party members are a thing of the past. At several parts of the game, characters (such as Quasimodo, Donald & Goofy, etc.) say they’ll tag along with you, yet when you get back in-game they’re nowhere to be seen, which is quite a shame. However, the best thing Dream Eaters bring to the table in KH3D are the “Flick Rush” minigames. It’s so dang good. It reminds me of “Chain of Memories”, is a blast to play, and the arena it takes place in is quite pleasing to the eye as well. It’s a shame that it doesn’t have online play, as there’s most certainly no one around me that could participate in local play with me, but it’s perfect enough that I don’t even mind.

 

As a matter of fact, even if KH3D consisted PURELY of just Flick Rush, I’d still love it to death.

 

And to add onto that no party members thing I brought up before, there are also a disturbing lack of NPCs in worlds. The Hunchback of Notre Dame world, for example, which was one of my most anticipated, could have used some NPCs to make it seem more realistic, but it’s pretty barren. Kinda distracting in there, and thus it makes it not as good as it could be. It’s not as noticeable in other ones though. And the Musketeers world actually has one NPC, which automatically makes it the best world in the entire game, in my opinion.

 

Onto the Command Deck thing. I miss the original Command Board, as seen in KH and KH2. I wonder if that’ll make a return in KH3? Nevertheless, the Command Deck in this game is fine, I suppose. I’m not that into customizing decks that much. I just have the basic magic options (Firaga, Thundara, the like) and whatever you call the Sliding Dash stuff in. It was a tad better in Re:coded – and I’m assuming, BBS – where you could blend two abilities to make a new one.

 

Regarding the Reports stuff – I don’t know why, but I really love this. I just find it really fun to stare at models of characters and turn them around and whatnot. It would’ve been great if you could rotate them 360 degrees, especially in the case of the Dream Eaters, but that’s not really a big deal – at least it’s better than what Re:coded gave us in terms of Character Files. o_O

 

And treasures. Dear God, the treasures. Geez! There are so many of them! AT EVERY CORNER! MILLIONS OF THEM IN EACH WORLD! I’ve almost developed an OCD type of thing where I must search every single part of every world to find these. Sometimes I can’t even just enjoy running around the world, I just gotta find these babies. This has also transferred over to my playthrough of Rayman Origins, where I feel obligated to get as many of those yellow things as possible in each level and kill myself several times to get those hard-to-reach coins. Maybe if I were to actually win this strategy guide, I could take a break from having to find all the treasures myself and save them for after I beat the game when I could then get the rest easily with the help of the book.

 

Lastly, the Drop System, which has often been criticized. I find it a more ingenious way to switch between narratives as opposed to BBS’s method. But it wouldn’t hurt to make the Drop Gauge depletion time a LITTLE bit longer. I’m too lazy to put Drop-Me-Nots in my Command Deck. And, actually, I’ve encountered the drop-during-a-boss thing a couple of times. To be exact, in Traverse Town, I was stuck between Sora’s boss and Riku’s boss. ‘Twas no way out.

 

Speaking of bosses, the Nightmare bosses are pretty cool. Human-sized bosses absolutely pwn them though. Rinzler and Beagles Boys FTW.

 

 

MUSIC

 

The music in this game is top-notch, as with all the other games in the series. The regular and battle themes of Country of the Musketeers are excellent. Don’t have much else to say about it, except that a new Utada song would’ve been nice. I hope she comes back for KH3. Pay her for it, Disney, even If she asks for, like, tens of billions of dollars!

 

 

LOADING TIME

 

Why is this a section?

 

 

VERDICT

 

Love it. The game has some small faults, but it’s still fun and awesome and another great entry in my favorite video game series thus far.

 

Presentation: 10/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Music: 8/10

 

Score: 7/10 lolololol 9/10

Edited August 11, 2012 by J. Severe

[MateusinhoEX 52]

don't get the guide guys it's not really that helpful at all. i know personally.

 

We didn't do this just for the guide. It's cool to tell the people what we think of KH3D... but it would be cool to win a guide

[Pyrrha Nikos 1,162]

Congratulations hatok, DragonMaster, and Oathkeeper's Oblivion for winning this week"s competition :DD

 

Enjoy those guidebooks while they last. Don't be a dummy like me and accidentally let it out in the rain /facepalmsmyself