Dream Drop Distance: Information from Famitsu

Mike · Sep 21, 2011

Hello KH-Vids! If you thought the news regarding Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance has stopped; wait until you read this update. It's been about a week from today since the Tokyo Game Show kicked off and to say the least; fans from the Kingdom Hearts series were quite impressed.

Now we have a big update on recap news and additional information from Famitu, but seriously you don't want to miss this one. Are you ready!? I know, I'm such a tease. I should be like Nomura (laughs). Also special thanks to our forum member "P" for letting me know and SQEXGAL for translating the new article from Dream Drop Distance. Special thanks to Toma_Kisaragi from Twitter.

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Introduction
The â€œWorld Submerged in Sleepâ€ is said to be connected to dreaming, it can be opened by unlocking the â€œKeyhole of Sleepâ€ that exists in that world. Instead of Heartless, in this world there exist creatures that devour dreams called Dream Eaters. There are two kinds of Dream Eaters, those that consume dreams and plant nightmares and those that eat only bad dreams. Investigating the Dream Eaters becomes the key guiding to the â€œKeyhole of Sleepâ€.

Yen Sid says to Sora and Riku, â€œWhen you unlock the Keyhole of Sleep and return once more to this place, youâ€™ll be acknowledged as Keyblade Masters.â€ It is with these words that the adventure takes off.

From the trailer, we can confirm that Sora and Riku have new outfits and that Rikuâ€™s hair is cut. The Keyblade that Riku uses is â€œWay to the Dawnâ€.

Traverse Town
Two new areas are introduced, â€œDistrict 4â€ and â€œDistrict 5â€. In the lit up streets of this place the â€œReaperâ€™s Gameâ€ is taking place.

Character: Neku Sakuraba
A 15 year old boy who grew up in Shibuya, Tokyo first introduced in The World Ends With You. He is accompanied by a cat type spirit called â€œNeko Catâ€ whose tail is like a music note. He has strayed from his partner and since Neku says that having a partner is necessary in order to win the Game, Sora helps him out, though he doesnâ€™t really understand the Game.

Dream Eaters
There are two types of Dream Eaters, your enemies called â€œNightmaresâ€ and those that fight alongside you as companions called â€œSpiritsâ€.

Spirit: Koumori Bat
It is a furry bat like Spirit. It is the first Spirit that Riku has.

Spirit: Wonder Cat
Though itâ€™s hard to see what part of it is cat like, itâ€™s a plump animal with a blue back and a white belly. Itâ€™s the first Spirit that Sora has.

Nightmare: Kuma Panda
Itâ€™s a panda with bear like claws that wears a short cloak and a slightly atrocious glare.

Nightmare: Torpedo Fish
This fish flies midair. Overall itâ€™s about as long as Sora?

Nightmare: Wonder Cat
The Nightmare version, itâ€™s slightly more sinister with red eyes and body and itâ€™s black back.

Looking at the screenshots, it seems that Nightmare and Spirit versions of each.

System
Coop Techniques
When you fill up the pink gauge, you can consume the earned points to do techniques with the Spirits and your companions. They utilize both the buttons and the touch screen. You can utilize both your Dream Eaters at the same time. For instance, Sora can ride atop Wonder Cat and attack while jumping around, and then do a technique where you can manipulate enemies like the Kuma Panda and fling it away.

Rikuâ€™s interactions with the Dream Eaters are more direct; they instead attack with the Keyblade as one.

Free Flow Action
When you face a wall or pole and press the Y button, various actions occur, during which if you press the A button you can do the strong Free Flow Attack ability. You can also do the high jump and sky slide actions from this. The Kick Dive ability is one the Free Flow Action that lets you kick off a wall, where if you face toward the ground after doing so you can unleash a strong attack. The Turn Cutter ability lets Sora hang off a pole with the Keyblade and spin, mowing down nearby enemies.

Reality Shift
When a special marker appears over enemies heads during battle and you press the A and X buttons simultaneously you can do this ability. Sora/Riku disappear from the screen, and on the bottom screen special operations can be done. Sora dives under and gathers force up to dive out at the enemies. While you are operating the bottom screen, the battle temporarily pauses.

Interview
Interview with series director Tetsuya Nomura.

About the story
Nomura drew the illustration featured at the TGS booth in a hurry. He drew the Dream Eaters that would be your companions.

Nomura drew the new outfits according to how the Osaka team wished. Theyâ€™re like their older outfits with minor changes.

They are versions between KH1 and KH2, which become the outfits for this title.

Rikuâ€™s hair grew during the time he was away to show the passage of time, now his hair is cut immediately after that.

The â€œWorld Submerged in Sleepâ€ is a complex story, but there were worlds other than those that Sora restored in KH1, some that were not submerged in darkness. Like the worlds of the princesses and Dumboâ€™s, etc. In the end of KH1 it was established that some of those worlds were restored, but not all of them. Those that were neither in light nor in darkness, but those that were submerged in sleep.
Since those worlds are essential asleep, the dreams of those worlds become the setting.

Sora and Riku will travel to those worlds to awaken them from their sleep.

When a world is awoken from itâ€™s sleep, it will be restored to itâ€™s original form.

This title involves taking an exam in order to qualify for the Mark of Mastery, so itâ€™ll also be concerned with events that took place in BBS.

All the Disney worlds appearing wil be new, and there will be new areas in existing worlds.

Temporarily taking on their KH1 forms, theyâ€™ll enter into the worlds of sleep . Additionally, Yen Sid says that in order to become a Master, the self taught way that they use the Keyblade will be reset and that it is necessary they learn how to use the Keyblade appropriately from the beginning. When they request to take the exam, Sora says he doesnâ€™t need it, but since Riku has been overwhelmed by darkness before he doesnâ€™t have the self-confidence. Also, Sora and Riku will be taking it together.

The opening of this title will be in Xehanortâ€™s point of view. Additionally, there will be a surprise unlike anything seen before in the last scene.
About Dream Eaters

The Dream Eaters do not approach anyone and consume dreams in the World of Sleep where there are no Heartless. If Sora/Riku donâ€™t use the power of the Dream Eaters, they canâ€™t go to the other worlds.
Their abilities too are related to the Dream Eaters.

The Dream Eaters were designed not to be traditionally cute, but to have charm that couldnâ€™t be disliked. Wonder Cat was drawn to share that idea.

The mark of the Dream Eaters started with a heart as the base and the image of tremors. Nightmares have that sort of bad feeling.

The mark above your own Dream Eaters shows your ownership, itâ€™s also displayed on the map. The boss fights are elaborated in a different direction, where youâ€™ll have to use the mapâ€™s characteristics to your advantage. For instance, the floor will break out from under you and the field area will expand. Using the map, youâ€™ll be able to identify your location quickly in that sort of situation.

The color scheme is new this time; itâ€™s more pastel unlike what weâ€™ve done before. However, youâ€™ll be able to change the colors of your companion Dream Eaters.

The leveling up of the Dream Eaters is directly related to the growth of Sora and Riku. So far weâ€™ve only seen 2 at a time in battle, but if you give it your all youâ€™ll be able collect all the types.

Nomura isnâ€™t quite sure off the top of his head, but there are dozens of Dream Eater types.
About Neku

Nekuâ€™s appearance in Traverse Town was by special means that have to do with his reason for being there. Heâ€™ll show up in District 1, etc.
Beginning in Traverse Town as usual youâ€™ll meet your party member, but since I wanted to put in a fresh character, we put in Neku from The World Ends With You.
This time Traverse Town is constructed around the reason that Neku and co. have come. He has been separated from his original partner Shiki.
Weâ€™ll go into more detail about Shiki and the others in a follow up report.

Concerning a sequel to The World Ends With You, there may be something going on.

Abilities and 3D Vision
The Reality Shift ability in Traverse Town has Sora sink to the bottom screen where he can aim at the enemies. Itâ€™s different in each world, and Rikuâ€™s ability is different too. In Rikuâ€™s Reality Shift you can touch the bottom screen to connect enemies and objects in a line creating chain that Riku will attack following along on the upper screen.
The way Sora and Riku interact with their companion Dream Eaters is different. Sora can ride atop the Dream Eaters and be thrown off, while they serve as power ups to Riku.
Like shown in the TGS demo, Sora can have two companions at the same time and use them both to do the Dual Link ability where the two Dream Eaters combine into one big Wonder Cat. Filling up the gauge, youâ€™ll be able to use the Reality Shift and Dual Link abilities successively.

Since the concept of the game was bold action, this title really makes use of the Free Flow Action ability. Though you have a lot of battle options, with this alone you can do many actions like spinning around and jump kicking depending on the terrain.

Since itâ€™s hard to watch even in 2D because the movements are so intense, in 3D your eyes may become tired after playing for a long time. There is depth in the 3D vision, when Sora jumps out of the screen, itâ€™s almost becomes a burden to oneâ€™s eyes. I think itâ€™s probably best to use the 3D vision during cutscenes.

There will be multiplayer functions, weâ€™ll explain more in a follow up report.

Final Notes
KH3D is set to release Spring 2012 in Japan.
Itâ€™s currently about 60% to 70% complete.
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Llave · Sep 21, 2011

Orangethousand19pro said: ↑

On that basis, I wonder what the music will be like. The theme is bold action and the battles are very fast-paced, so will the music be fast and bold music?
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They may have a battle remix if any, but i'd like them to keep the same Traverse town "lobby music" if you will. Nostalgia with a whole new twist.

Excasr · Sep 21, 2011

Wow this is very interesting! I wanna play it! +_+
When I first saw Wonder Cat I though it was the Cherese Cat (the cat from Wonderland), but -maybe thankfully- wasn't he. xD
No that I don't like him, he is funny and bizarre! But I think he wouldn't do many thinks beside "I know where you have to go, but i'm not telling useless you give a gift".
Anyway, great post! =D

Heart ❤ · Sep 21, 2011

Yush! Possible TWEWY SEQUEL! I can not wait for that game XD

and I guess there's going to be a Dumbo world too from the looks of the article. 3D come out now XD

Mike · Sep 21, 2011

Sorry guys it took so long, but the scans are up now too! Go crazy!

Shift · Sep 21, 2011

Neku 3D model <3
I kind of wonder if we'll get playable segments as him now that I think about, seeing as he has his own Dream Eater and whatnot. That'd be fantastic.

key dragon · Sep 21, 2011

Wonder if Notre Dame's world will have Hellfire as its battle theme?

Llave · Sep 21, 2011

Scans are looking pretty boss, i really like the fish Dream Eater and the cat by Neku, i hope we can get spirit versions of them!

♥♦♣♠∟uxord♥♦♣♠ · Sep 21, 2011

There are still some Disney movies that have not yet been used. They could use another Stitch world. Hawaii or something. They still have not used Emperor's New Grove or Treasure Planet.

masterofhearts · Sep 21, 2011

I hope they do more with Xehanort than just the begining. The cut scene with Braig was amazing.

Day~Dream · Sep 21, 2011

This is amazing!
I really like that they're going back in time (by that I mean reverting to their younger selves) to learn to "properly" use the keyblade. Does this mean that they're going to go to every world Terra, Ven, and Aqua went to, to awaken it?

Shift · Sep 21, 2011

Day~Dream said: ↑

This is amazing!
I really like that they're going back in time (by that I mean reverting to their younger selves) to learn to "properly" use the keyblade. Does this mean that they're going to go to every world Terra, Ven, and Aqua went to, to awaken it?
Click to expand...

Nope, only new worlds this time around.

♥♦♣♠∟uxord♥♦♣♠ · Sep 21, 2011

Day~Dream said: ↑

This is amazing!
I really like that they're going back in time (by that I mean reverting to their younger selves) to learn to "properly" use the keyblade. Does this mean that they're going to go to every world Terra, Ven, and Aqua went to, to awaken it?
Click to expand...

I doubt that. There'd be no point for deep space and I don't think it's time travel as in they go to the worlds before they ever got there in KH1.

Llave · Sep 21, 2011

Ace Phoenix said: ↑

I doubt that. There'd be no point for deep space and I don't think it's time travel as in they go to the worlds before they ever got there in KH1.
Click to expand...

I think of it as another dimension, a place where worlds do not exist in the light, nor the darkness. Almost like a purgatory...

Day~Dream · Sep 21, 2011

Ace Phoenix said: ↑

I doubt that. There'd be no point for deep space and I don't think it's time travel as in they go to the worlds before they ever got there in KH1.
Click to expand...

I know that, guess I should've phrased it differently XD
So they're not going to awaken worlds? I'm confused. O_o

♥♦♣♠∟uxord♥♦♣♠ · Sep 21, 2011

Day~Dream said: ↑

I know that, guess I should've phrased it differently XD
So they're not going to awaken worlds? I'm confused. O_o
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Well they are going to awaken them. I'm not sure though if those worlds need awakening. Just because we didn't see them in KH1 or KH2 doesn't mean they vanished.

Day~Dream · Sep 21, 2011

Ace Phoenix said: ↑

Well they are going to awaken them. I'm not sure though if those worlds need awakening. Just because we didn't see them in KH1 or KH2 doesn't mean they vanished.
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I thought they did to be honest. Well, only one I know that definately needs awakening is Cinderella's world which was shown.

Gelatinous Ghost · Sep 21, 2011

I don't know how much I like the idea of them learning the "proper technique" for wielding the keyblades. I always found that each person who used it had their own unique style of battle in regards to their blade strokes, postures, aerial attacks, etc. I don't like the idea of all key bearers conforming to one discipline of combat. That would make it stale.

But the idea of entirely new worlds is sweet, the new outfits look great, and the combat looks fast paced and wild. Those things I look forward to.

However, I am also sort of sad that total 3D play may be difficult on the eyes. Not actually owning a 3DS yet, I was looking forward to testing that aspect of the machine on my favorite franchise. I guess the perception of it is different for everyone, so I will just have to see for myself. Thanks for being on top of things, Mike.

Stella Nox Fleuret · Sep 22, 2011

The Neko cat turned out better than I thought, and Neku's CG Render is pretty sweet. And I FINALLY get the Dream Eaters. Thanks, Mike!

key dragon · Sep 22, 2011

Wonder if you can still get new keyblades in this game? Hopeflly something similar to the X-Blade.

Llave · Sep 22, 2011

key dragon said: ↑

Wonder if you can still get new keyblades in this game? Hopeflly something similar to the X-Blade.
Click to expand...

If they keep the tradition of a world keyblade, we should be seeing many new ones as almost every world is a new one we have not yet ventured to. As for as something like the X-Blade, i think it is fairly plausible that it could be emerged in "sleep".

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Dream Drop Distance: Information from Famitsu

Mike Chaser

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