We enjoyed our time with Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance back at PAX East, so with the release date rapidly approaching, we couldn’t wait to try it out here at E3.
As expected, the game is fully translated into English. We got a chance to play through various stages in the game, though none stood out compared to the Tron demo we saw back in April. Still, there’s plenty of good reasons to be excited for the game’s launch next month. First and foremost, this is the entire Kingdom Hearts experience in the palm of your hand, aside from a minor camera issue, but that’s just due to the limited screen size of the 3DS. Everything you know and love about the full fledged PS2 titles are all here: the same cast of characters from Disney and Square, various movie themed levels to explore, deep and talented voice acting, and a marriage of real time combat with turn based attacks. Let’s talk about that.
During our demo, we were able to hack and slash our way through enemies. In addition, we had some special abilities available on a cooldown, which we were able to combo up and fire them one after another. Riku was able to jump into the air, unleashing brutal attacks to bosses, whether he was performing a combo or shoving his weapon deep into the enemy. Combat was highly satisfying and easily the most enjoyable part of the demo. That being said, the pacing seemed a bit off from the demo. In comparison to PAX, navigating was a bit difficult at first, but the lower screen on the 3DS allows for easy navigation, regardless of how troublesome the game’s camera is. You’ll also have your NPC companions to help out when you’re looking for quest objectives. All in all, it’s the same Kingdom Hearts experience we know and love, but with some added features to make it more accessible and less troublesome.
We weren’t expecting much in terms of new announcements for Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance since it’s coming in two months, but it was nice to check back with the title and see how it’s progressing. In addition, this was our first time to get a chance to play the game in English and re-affirm our desire for the game to arrive in our homes come July 31st. Sufficed to say, aside from camera issues, we’re still anxiously awaiting these next two months to pass by.
