Review - Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (2012) & A Fragmentary Passage (2017)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're back talking about Kingdom Hearts once more. Kicking things off with 2012's Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, originally published for Nintendo 3DS, but later remade for Playstation 4 as part of the 2012 collection set Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue.

        The game focuses on Sora and Riku, who have been sent off by Master Yen Sid to complete the Mark of Mastery, which is not quite the same Mark of Mastery we saw Terra and Aqua undertake during the events of Birth by Sleep. In this case, Sora and Riku must unlock seven Sleeping Keyholes from six Sleeping Worlds. The Sleeping Worlds have their own form of monsters running around called the Dream Eaters, of which there are two kinds: Nightmares, which are the main enemies we fight throughout the game, and Spirits, which comprise the player's party throughout the game. 

        So, as for the Sleeping Worlds themselves, we have Traverse Town featuring characters from The World Ends with You, Prankster's Paradise from Pinocchio, La Cite de Cloches from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Grid from Tron: Legacy, Country of the Musketeers from Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in the Three Musketeers, and Symphony of Sorcery from Fantasia. 

        Now, there are a few mechanics in Dream Drop Distance that are unique amongst the rest of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. For instance, there's the Drop Gauge, which is essentially a time limit for playing as either Sora or Riku, and once the gauge runs out for one character, it's off to switch to the other one. Luckily, the game does have equippable items to refill the Drop Gauge. These items, called Drop-Me-Not and Drop-Me-Never (the latter of which is pretty rare), are very helpful and are key to playing through a world as one character and switching back and forth at will. 

        Another mechanic is Dive Mode. Dive Mode allows players to access each World after completing a set task to open the Ring to enter each World. Lastly, there's the flow motion mechanic, which allows players to boost attacks and movement based on jumping from sides of cliffs and buildings. 

       But the major plot, aside from the Mark of Mastery, is the new Organization XIII. Throughout the game, Sora and Riku meet Ansem, Xemnas, Xigbar, and Vanitas, all of whom are joined by a teenager named Young Xehanort. Also, we learn that other members of Organization XIII like Axel, Zexion, Xaldin, and Lexaeus have been restored to being their human selves of Lea, Ienzo, Dilan, and Aeleus. And it's upon reaching The World That Never Was that the Organization's goal is revealed: create a group of thirteen individuals, all with pieces of Master Xehanort's heart, to clash with seven Guardians of Light, to forge the X-blade. And to this end, Sora has been chosen to be the thirteenth vessel for Xehanort, and Riku has been keeping Sora safe from within Sora's dreams. 

        Riku re-enters Sora's dreams after facing Master Xehanort and Organization XIII, and he frees Sora's heart from Ventus' Keyblade Armor, which was corrupted by a Nightmare. After, Riku answers questions from Roxas, Ventus, and Xion, only to be greeted by a projection of Ansem the Wise, who informs him that Sora is awake, and Riku can go back. In the Mysterious Tower, Yen Sid informs that Riku is the new Keyblade Master, passing the Mark of Mastery. And Lea also summons his own Keyblade, which is pretty cool. 

         So, for a game that begins tying everything together, and telling a story entirely its own, Dream Drop Distance is a lot of fun, and I give it a rating of 4.65/5. 

        Five years later, and we have Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage. A continuation from the Secret Episode of Birth by Sleep, and is basically a demo of the gaming engine that was to be used in Kingdom Hearts III.

       So, the game opens with a prologue in the Mysterious Tower, where Yen Sid informs Riku and Kairi of Terra, Ven, and Aqua, and what happened to them after their epic battle with Vanitas and Master Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard. It's here where Mickey chimes in on how he saw Aqua in the Realm of Darkness. The game begins proper with Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, traversing through the remains of three worlds she visited previously: Castle of Dreams, Dwarf Woodlands, and Enchanted Dominion. As she progresses, Aqua faces off against many forms of Heartless, both familiar and new. Also, after facing a horde of Darkside Heartless, she runs into the shadows of Terra and Ven, and Terra eventually reveals that Xehanort has taken over his heart, and is now trying to use Aqua's connection to Terra to get Ven's location out of her. 

        Aqua is joined by Mickey, who Aqua goes with to find the Keyblade of Darkness, which is the Kingdom Key D that Mickey carries around with him. Ultimately, they find it in what's left of Destiny Islands within the Realm of Darkness, and the pair team up against the Demon Tide, which is a mass swarm of Heartless flying around guided by a shadowy blob. And it's revealed that this game is set in the midst of the closing moments of the original Kingdom Hearts. Aqua stays behind to hold off the re-emerged Demon Tide, while Mickey (whose shirt was burned off by the Demon Tide) helps Sora and Riku seal the Door to Kingdom Hearts. 

          In an epilogue, we see Riku visibly upset that he didn't know about Aqua's sacrifice and that he didn't go back and save her, which brings up a point as to why many Kingdom Hearts fans aren't fond of A Fragmentary Passage. Setting up this game to be during the endgame of the original Kingdom Hearts doesn't make sense, especially since Mickey and Riku, who stayed behind once the door was sealed, could have gone after Aqua because the worlds were safe and they weren't on a time limit any longer and had all the time to find her and bring her safely back to the Realm of Light. And Yen Sid's excuse about not having the "necessary means" to do so is complete B.S, as Mickey, Riku, and Sora have ALL returned from the Realm of Darkness several times. However, Riku and Mickey are given new attire to head to the Realm of Darkness and rescue Aqua, while Kairi is sent off to train as a Keyblade wielder alongside Lea/Axel, who Mickey reassures is a good guy now. 

          And as far as Sora goes, well let's just say he comes back after saying goodbye to his dream realm friends, and Yen Sid breaks down how the Mark of Mastery was set so Sora could obtain a new ability: the Power of Waking. However, he nearly became Xehanort's new vessel, and lost the power he'd gained. So, Sora now must meet with an old friend, a "true hero" of you will, to begin regaining his old strength. Donald and Goofy join Sora on his new journey, and the three head off in the Gummi Ship to Olympus Coliseum, and the opening tutorial section of Kingdom Hearts III.

        Okay, so the only thing that A Fragmentary Passage has going for it, aside from playing as Aqua again, is getting to see a Kingdom Hearts game showcased with Unreal Engine, which is the graphics engine utilized for both this game and Kingdom Hearts III. And, I will admit that the game looks stunning with Unreal Engine, and there are particle affects and other bits that older titles didn't have at their disposal due to older model graphics engines. So, seeing the combination of Unreal Engine with Kingdom Shader was absolutely fantastic. 

        Also, getting a taste of some of the new Heartless set to appear in Kingdom Hearts III like the Demon Tower, the Demon Tide, Flame Core, Water Core, Earth Core, Flutterings, and of course Shadows and Neoshadows. I thought seeing these types of Heartless was neat. However, Darkside showing up again, but this time around a dozen of him. Seriously, Nomura, nobody cares about Darkside as a boss, damnit. And, there are all manner of accessories to decorate Aqua with, like wings and headpieces, and you collect them by completing in-game tasks, and they carry over any time you start a new game. That's neat. 

       Anyway guys, this game only serves as taste of what was to come with Kingdom Hearts III. A Fragmentary Passage is okay, but really only worth it just to get a feel for the play style in Kingdom Hearts III. So, I'm giving this game a rating of 3.75/5. 

        Okay, so, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll be back this weekend with my reviews of The Flash and Elemental. Keep an eye open in July, when I finally get to my review of Kingdom Hearts III.