Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 was first announced to the public during Tokyo Game Show 2015 justifying itself as the missing link between Kingdom Hearts 2.5 and that unattainable chimera called Kingdom Hearts III. Despite the initial harsh criticism from the followers of the saga who felt cheated by this announcement, and who were particularly ironic about the choice to release a yet another filler game to buy time on the release of his successor, we have to admit that ultimately this prologue is not to be underestimated at all. As well explained Tetsuya Nomura over time, this chapter is fundamental as an introduction to the third and last that will conclude the "Xehanort Saga" (and not the series in general as many thought).
As it is explained abundantly in the title of the game it is the final prologue that will resolve any doubts (or almost) on the plot that will reconnect with the fateful one Kingdom Hearts III. In fact, the definitive experience provided by this collection contains yes, a high definition re-proposal of a chapter already released on portable console, but also and above all the two new completely new stories. We have tried it in preview Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue to describe exactly what you will encounter and who knows maybe even to convince you if you are still hesitant about buying it or not (even if we know that willy-nilly fans of the saga will buy it regardless).
Dream Drop Distance
Finally the fans of the saga who until now have not been able to try what was in effect a 'exclusive for Nintendo 3DS, they will be able to get their hands on this little pearl and get an idea of what they have been missing. What was initially branded as a yet another filler of the saga, it turned out to be one of the most important chapters and relevant of the latter (exactly as it happened with Chain of Memories).
Dream Drop Distance is in fact the fragment of the saga that pushes itself more temporally towards the final events being set after the events of Kingdom Hearts II e Kingdom Hearts re: coded (yet another misunderstood game of the saga). In particular, the events narrated in this game follow the vicissitudes of the two young protagonists struggling with a hard training aimed at forging new keyblade masters capable of countering the return of the evil Xehanort.
The work done for this revival of the game on PlayStation 4 it's really impressive. In addition to the evident work done on the optimization of high definition graphics, it will be a real remake of the game. Although most players have tried the original, the game experience will still be enjoyable for them too, due to the new introductions made to the title. We will see in fact new Dream Eaters within the newly introduced worlds, along with gods completely reworked commands to be best adapted to this console. It will mostly be small changes regarding the transfer of commands from touch screen to controller; such as the Reality Shift and Flick Rush modes which we will see repeated to be played on a single screen. Many minigames that used the touchscreen function provided by the handheld console were later adapted as card games.
This is all about the changes present in Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD compared to its original version. A great way to re-propose a title that perhaps many had lost, in a new graphic design that will certainly not go unnoticed.
A Fragmentary Passage
This new story will tell the new point of view of Aqua during his journey into the Dark World. It will serve as both an epilogue to the events of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, both as an introduction for those of Kingdom Hearts III same. The first thing we will notice in the course of the game is that this title will actually be the first of those proposed to take full advantage of the Unreal Engine 4 graphics engine essentially offering a taste of what will potentially be Kingdom Hearts III upon its release (which is still unknown) on PlayStation 4.
During our game we will begin to familiarize ourselves with new commands and interfaces created specifically for this title. First of all we will see that despite the difficulty set our character will always start from level 50 and not from level 1. We will have a new keyblade with us though most of the controls remain those of the original game inserted in a context that is getting closer and closer to the next one out. Some of the old components will remain as the Focus Bar and Command Styles which we will see only partially retouched. The flowmotion who will give us greater fluidity of movement. Above all we will notice some game environments significantly improved in terms of expansion and thickness, which will be easily explored thanks to double jumps and thrusts in the air. We will also notice that the interaction in the latter will be enriched with interactive passages and spells that will remain on the battlefield.
The title will re-propose worlds already seen in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep such as: the Castle of Dreams, the Wood of the Dwarves, the Enchanted Domain and the Islands of Destiny which, however, will be altered after being plunged into Realm of Darkness due to the advance of the Heartless. We will find out later new enemies and with them new objectives to satisfy that will even allow us to customize our cute heroine with the rewards acquired. To act as a side dish we find various challenges and collectibles, which will give us an excuse to replay this short but sublime new adventure.
The only flaw of what in essence is in effect a trial version of Kingdom Hearts III it is in fact that the duration of this short title will be limited to being that of just one world of the main series. Despite this, the results achieved with the release of this particular episode, however, remain very high compared to the already high canons thrown by the previous titles of the series (which is not easy).
Back Cover
Finally, included in this edition we will find a feature film called Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover which takes place in the same timeline as Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. The opening theme will in fact show clips taken from the most important cutscenes of the game also showing events not yet achieved in the mobile game.
If you have never downloaded the application that readjust the Japanese browser game on mobile, know that the events narrated in these episodes all take place before the famous one "Keyblade War". As explained several times over the course of time, initially all the worlds now scattered in darkness were gathered into one world during what was called "The Era of Fairy Tales ". In the city of Auropoli in particular we will follow the events concerning the Master of Masters and his pupils.
Below we will talk about the plot in broad strokes without spoiling too much. C.Keep reading this review at your sole discretion.
In the beginning the Master of Masters had gathered you are students to whom to pass on his teachings. This omniscient figure had provided each of his pupils with a specific role and a book of prophecies to use at the time of his passing. Luxu, his first apprentice was left without a book of prophecies, forbidden to look to the future but equipped with a particular Keyblade (which many will recognize instantly) and an equally particular mission. The two hooded figures will appear during the very first scene that will be shown to us, immediately throwing doubts and curiosities that unfortunately will not have official confirmation until the next game comes out (maybe). With the departure of these two people, the remaining ones five "Seers" they will have to fend for themselves, each fulfilling their role and carrying out their own Unions in preparation for the predicted catastrophic event that will bring darkness to their world.
Ira the unicorn was left to lead the others "Fortune tellers" in place of the Master of Masters; Send the snake had the task of observing and mediating between them; Aced the bear had to support Ira's decisions by enforcing them; Ava the fox was to prepare the keyblade bearers for their fate; while Greediness the leopard, on the other hand, had to discover and study the mysteries behind the book of prophecies. During the movie, however, we will be able to observe some flashbacks leading back to the first personal interviews that each of these had with the teacher, which will accurately show the words addressed by the teacher to his students. The eclectic teacher has in fact left each of them with a very specific disposition, but also with one secondary assignment that will be left to free interpretation from each of them, throwing the first seeds of discord. The whole fulcrum of the story will in fact revolve on the alleged betrayal of one of these who will corrode their bonds and their beliefs, inexorably condemning them to the epilogue that we all know.
Modus Operandi: the review you have just read was written by downloading a digital copy of the game via an editorial code. The footage was followed in its entirety as well as Birth by Sleep - A fragmentary passage was completed following the exploration of the first world of Dream Drop Distance HD.
