Disney Dreamin'


Kingdom Hearts will always hold a special place for me. While I am a major Disney fan, Kingdom Hearts was also one of the first major releases I was able to cover for the site (it was also my first big NDA as well). With the series celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, Square Enix is releasing a brand new game for the 3DS -- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (get it?) – in July.

Kingdom Hearts 3D is a continuation of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and follows both Sora and Riku as they undergo the Mark of Mastery exam to become full-fledged Keyblade Masters. Their task won’t be easy, however, as Yen Sid decides to send them to worlds destroyed by the Heartless in search of Keyblade holes. Once found, the worlds will be “awakened” and will reconnect to the rest of the Universe. Along the way, they’ll have to face down a new threat – Dream Eaters – who are also seeking out the Keyholes.

You’ll play as both characters over the course of the game using the “Drop Gauge.” The mechanic acts as a timer that gradually ticks down during gameplay until you’re “dropped” into the other character. The meter is fed by attacking enemies. To help keep your Drop Gauge filled, Kingdom Hearts 3D introduces a new “Flowmotion” mechanic, a system that lets you use your environment to navigate through levels during combat. When in use, you can literally glide between enemies, keeping combat going for longer. The game will bring back the “Command Deck” system used in KH: Birth by Sleep.

The game introduces a number of new Disney-inspired worlds, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketers and TRON: Legacy. Areas from previous games are also playable, such as Traverse Town. Final Fantasy fans may be in for a bit of a letdown since few characters from that series will show up, though characters from The World Ends With You will show up.

Unlike previous games, Sora and Riku won’t have help from Goofy, Donald or other Disney characters. Instead, they’ll recruit and rehabilitate Dream Eaters, who can lend their powers to the duo during combat.

Kingdom Hearts 3D will return most of its original voice cast, including Haley Joel Osment as Sora, David Gallagher as Riku and Hayden Panetierre as Xion. In addition, Leonard Nimoy will reprise his role as Master Xehanort and Jesse McCartney as Roxas/ Ventus. Most of the “official” Disney character voices should appear as well.

As part of their E3 2012 roll out, Square Enix showed off a nearly ten minute long trailer. The trailer includes a few minutes of gameplay, as well as introducing some of the game’s story elements and worlds. As a fan, it is hard to not look forward to the game's release.