You know what? I'm skipping ahead. I don't have to play Kingdom Hearts: re:Coded to know it's utterly expendable to the series at large and that it was only designed for capitalizing upon the brand. The latter's particularly indefensible upon having the arduous displeasure of watching its movie adaption in Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX, wherein I was begging, pleading for the bloated mess to end. We'll get to that when the time comes, but needless to say, I have very little interest in repeating my trauma with something so mercenary.
Anyway, here we are with 2012's Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for 3DS. Commemorating Kingdom Hearts' tenth anniversary, it's only fitting that a) this would be the very last game to (finally!) utilize the original graphical engines and b) this would be the first in a line of games paving the way to Kingdom Hearts III. In fairness, I cannot recall if the latter was an explicit decision (the "lineup" bit, I mean), but it certainly exists now: there's the mobile Kingdom Hearts χ (which I haven't bothered with, and apparently will have key references in Kingdom Hearts III; groovy) and 2/3rds of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue: the playable Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage (the very end of which directly leads into Kingdom Hearts III's opening) and Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover. (A cinematic adaption of the aforementioned mobile game, which further convinced me it wasn't bothering with.)
For unfamiliar readers drowning in all the obtuse names, you have my sympathies. Indeed, Dream Drop Distance is the culmination of what I warned way back in my original Kingdom Hearts review; by this point, the series completely lost all pretense of simple children's fantasy and morphed into an impenetrable clusterfuck of lore, terminology and setting. And that's not even getting into the actual game! Indeed, it's one of the series' more divisive entries, owing not merely to the aforementioned story nonsense but obtrusive features and absent series trademarks, all coming together to shape what's generally regarded as a rushed product (undoubtedly to assure Dream Drop Distance's release on the series' 10th anniversary -- a mistake also made by the similarly-divisive JRPG Tales of Xillia).
My own thoughts? It's, well, fine. Heavily flawed and batshit insane, yes, but there is a distinct, mesmerizing allure to the latter I simply cannot deny. While Dream Drop Distance is a mess of concepts that only faintly gel together, I admit it makes enough appeals to what I desire from the series-- as in, my god, there's actual interactive feedback within the worlds! -- that I enjoy it leisurely. Moreover, I can't help but appreciate Dream Drop Distance for its core ambition: features like Flowmotion and Reality Shifts can be perceived as proof-of-concept mechanics for Kingdom Hearts III, and given the game's thematic purpose, I can't help but applaud it for that.
Certainly, we must commend Dream Drop Distance for capitalizing upon 3DS hardware -- with Kingdom Hearts already oozing with pretty lights and pretentious symbolism, what better way to showcase all that within innate 3D? Right from the beginning, we're dazzled by the first of many "Dive" segments -- this game's take on arcade-y world preludes -- wherein both our protagonists (Sora and his buddy Riku, who seek to obtain the Mark of Mastery) plunge into slumbering Dream Worlds and free-fall through their abstract passages of thought. They are veritable kaleidoscopes, themed obstacles and point-granting rings swarming our vision as wide, open landscapes gradually unveil themselves with an unprecedented level of scope. Scope that is never actually achieved, mind, but their mere presence confirms that, at long last, these familiar worlds aren't claustrophobic Disney World attractions. (Let us also not neglect the same realism wizardry previously performed for Kingdom Hearts II's Pirates of the Carribbean cast is repeated here with the TRON: Legacy characters -- a feat all the more impressive when the 3DS is often dogged for its inefficient power.)
The Reality Shifts -- touch screen-operated inputs that warp reality into crowd-clearing attacks -- also play into this, as they accordingly deviate in function thematically for each world. Some may dismiss them as too gimmicky; myself, I only confess that despite understanding the need for easing into the mechanics, the Hunchback of Notre Dame take is far too uninspired (Connecting lines? Meh, although it's the least of that world's problems). Otherwise I find it commendable how they naturally segue within battle thanks to proper visual cues and the imagination provided in later worlds (Mickey Mouse and the Three Musketeers comic books? I don't recall if those ever existed, but way to mine inspiration from a cheap DTV film.)
In retrospect, for how much Dream Drop Distance attempts to shove context into every little facet, not a drop is given as to how, exactly, these Reality Shifts work (the unpredictable composition of the Dream Worlds, perhaps?). Indeed, it's said context that tends to intrude upon players' enjoyment, as the game weaves much of its circumstantial rules into the gameplay. There is no finer example than "Drops": time limits where, upon running out your controlled character falls asleep and the other Keyblade wielder takes over. While potentially problematic -- what if happens in the middle of a boss fight, for instance? -- the collectible Drop-Me-Nots you buy stave off the process prove Square-Enix wasn't totally self-absorbed regarding the mechanic; if anything, I appreciate the organic agency it adds to the story, with both of our heroes potentially tackling different worlds at a time.
The combat takes further pages from Birth by Sleep's Command Decks, albeit with a twist: The Dream Eaters, monsters you recruit into your party. Let it be known I am not a fan of shoehorned monster systems in games where they clearly don't belong -- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World are prime examples of these not merely bunfun, but largely irrelevant within contextual setting. Thankfully, Dream Drop Distance forges something of a not-quite-ideal-but-not-that-unbearable middle ground: these plush critters are about as relevant as you'd expect, and I won't pretend they merit actual worth in battle, but I can't deny the joy of Ability Links --this game's form of BBS's Command Styles, wherein both our heroes tap into their critters' powers (the best being Riku engaging in feral metamorphosis, be it clawing about or fluttering around with bat wings. How brooding!).
There is that "Kingdom Hearts III proof of concept" bit I mentioned, however, which has most everything to do with Flowmotion, wherein Sora and Riku sail across the skies via gliding and wall-jumping. It is the first time since the original where exploration has bared any sort of practical emphasis, and everything from the neon heights of Traverse Town or Fantasia's musical nebula can be probed as we see fit. Despite criticisms I'll get into shortly, they do feel appropriately inviting in their engagement in the roller coaster-post office within Traverse Town's depths or the inner cathedral in Hunchback of Notre Dame. While some cite battle-breaking properties, Flowmotion having no innate problems in feedback or performance render it a mechanic I certainly welcome future refinement upon.
Of course, there is Disney questing to do, this time involving worlds that never awoke from Sora's previous efforts. Some are better than others; for instance, our return to Disney's greatest masterpiece in Pinocchio finally ventures outside of Monstro's intestines, with Sora's tale involving both Pleasure Island (albeit a more sanitized, romanticized version -- think your typical Disney Land theme park) and the deep ocean trench for us to prod about. Meanwhile, the studio's most prestigious film in Fantasia is complemented with an appropriately ambitious sound direction -- not that the world's relatively smaller size isn't felt, but the presence of orchestral percussion substituting Keyblade clangs and Nobuko Toda's omnipresent symphonic arrangements for Tchaikovsky and Beethoven render it an impressionable abstraction. I imagine an HD take would've served Fantasia better, but they lengths they achieve here are admirable for a handheld.
At least Yoko Shimomura swoops in to save the day, and while she's joined by folks new and old, her compositions remain the star of the show. At the very top is the only thing making the Hunchback world bearable, with La Cloche and La Sanctuaire possessing the very same menace and grandness of the original film -- as if Alan Menken himself had a hand in the score. Meanwhile, the music team doesn't forget to celebrate the 10th anniversary, and Shimomura wastes no time in welcoming us home with Traverse Town ("Traverse in Trance") and Hand in Hand ("Hand to Hand"), particularly with former's recognizable pianos and saxes coming together to induce a dreamy rapture. Other members of Shimomura's familiar entourage ensue, with adorable fun (One for All/All for One) worming themselves into our brains and impeccable violin-work accompanying late-game bosses (L'Oscurita dell'Ignot in particular fantastic job in revitalizing a Kingdom Hearts II medley I previously hadn't cared for).
I should mention Dream Drop Distance continues Birth by Sleep's series of firsts; namely, this is not merely the first Kingdom Hearts to feature world themes by other composers, but the divine presence of orchestral music. Whereas Kaoru Wada's take on the classic Dearly Beloved title theme fully capitalizes on the tenth anniversary motif (witness how it evolves into a soaring, airy waltz), Nobuko Toda's adaptions of Fantasia's classics fully engage with the player in a manner unlike anything the series has ever done before: there exist no transitions to battle themes, merely one elaborate arrangement dramatized across the worlds. With Sora and Riku's keyblades also a symphony in themselves -- emitting percussion accompanying the score -- they successfully conduct the original film's prestige.
And then there's the story, which...well, let's start with the good news: they actually have Disney worlds intertwined with the plot. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration -- there's nothing as intricate as Kingdom Hearts II's take on TRON, at least -- but aside from smartly excising The Three Musketeers' goofiness from the rest of the narrative, it may be best to dub them "active" within the story at large, bit, be it series villains popping in to divulge a world's origins or Sora connecting the dots to his latest adventure's connection to a previous title. Over-exposition, perhaps, but with how divorced the Disney scenarios tend to be, it's a great first step into what I've always wanted: a mystifying, eerie juxtaposition in Disney's storied history penetrated by a foreign cast.
Emphasis on "first step." Let us not forget the little matter I mentioned of Dream Drop Distance morphing into a "clusterfuck," apparent right from its cold open. Not that the optional flashbacks/synopses aren't appreciated, but this occurs in everything from something as minor as, say, gaping plot holes from how Fantasia/The Three Musketeers are separate from Disney Castle -- the currrent residence of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy -- to what, exactly, The Worlds Ends With You cast are doing in Traverse Town. I know, I know: much like the prior Final Fantasy characters, they're merely blatant fanservice guised as expositional devices -- and maybe it's not entirely fair since I've yet to play the DS cult hit -- but transplanting their logistics into another universe within another universe does little for the weathered veteran, let alone a newcomer.
And then, time travel happens.
I'm not gonna lie, folks: it's not as if several of my favorite games (EarthBound and Chrono Trigger) didn't already utilize time travel, and I don't necessarily oppose it as a story element in itself. Dream Drop Distance introducing it as a late, out-of-the-fuck-of-nowhere twist as opposed to elaborating upon a previously established concept is merely irritating; said twist completely numbing our minds as we witness a most convoluted 4-D chess master plan unfold -- which our heroes berate themselves for not having foreseen, despite no sane person able to perceive such a conspiracy (let alone plan this) -- has absolutely zero place in a series already struggling with an unnecessarily complex narrative (not to mention something so fundamentally fanfic-y in nature; granted, this would have a welcome home in any Kingdom Hearts fanfiction out there, but I'd rather keep pretending this series maintains professional integrity). I simply make do by appreciating its retconning benefits -- perhaps could we think of it as Tetsuya Nomura's apology for bungling the Organization members in Kingdom Hearts II -- but it's so batshit insane I can only do so in a resigned"hahaha jesus this series is so dumb" kinda way. (Look no further than what ultimately happens with Axel, which...yeah, sure, whatever.)
Yet again, even with the presence of horrendous lines like the ones above, at least we can depend on voice acting to illustrate any professional pretense (and if there is anyone who can fool us into thinking the time travel plot is of any salvageable worth, it is certainly Leonard Nimoy, may God rest his soul). Yes, we can cite growing pains in Haley Joel Osment's Sora (particularly since -- for plot reasons I can never seem to recall -- he's in his original Kingdom Hearts appearance) -- but David Gallagher has yet to endure such a fate, and his youth springs eternal in Riku. The contextually-compresssed narrative ensures only one cast debut for the core cast-- Ben Diskin's driven apathy for Young Xehanort -- but we do witness the novelty of The World Ends with You characters prance about with their original VAs. Again, it is a game alien to me, so I cannot speak to their authenticity -- I vaguely recall some fans citing Joshua as unnatural -- but they seem pleasant enough.
The Disney cast is what you'd expect, although barring the Mickey and the Three Musketeers scenario, I believe Dream Drop Distance is only matched by Birth by Sleep for the sheer number of recasts. While unavoidable in either expenses (TRON: Legacy) or death (while Corey Burton is an acceptable Frollo, I lament we never got to see Tony Jay's malevolent pipes in Kingdom Hearts), most still do a fine job for what they are. Alas, Bret Iwan is still adjusting to King Mickey in Wayne Allwine's shadow, and while circumstances were what they were, it's still not a believable read: we hear not Disney's famous mouse, but a mere imitation exuding neither warmth nor character.
There are other things I ultimately don't care for -- Kingdom Hearts' boss fights were already getting more than a little unfair with Birth by Sleep: Final Mix's optional battles, a trait seeping into this title's absolutely cruel penultimate boss fight, which demands an impossibly lucky sense of superhuman reaction. Meanwhile, while it's a delightful surprise this game's secret boss fight draws from a Disney short this time around, the absence of post/late-game content is painfully evident, making even vanilla Kingdom Hearts II blush with how bare it is. (With how every prior secret boss hinted at a future, the cynic veteran may even point to this boss as absence of foresight.)
And yet, I cannot hate on Dream Drop Distance too much. A careful analysis not much to celebrate: there are questionable creative decisions, its mere existence showcases Square-Enix's management ineptitude, and we've all but given up on the story by this point. However, for its proof of concept alone -- for its worth as a functioning game -- I can tell it's trying. For all its Inception-esque head spinning woes, that's what's more appreciated than anything else.
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