Interesting.
Sora and Riku "Alternating" and "trust" seem like interesting ideas, but I'm still confused as to how they can fit into the timeline at that age.

I am already trying to find a place in the timeline for this game, but due to lack of information, I guess I will just have to wait. ​

Honestly, sora goes to C.O. seeminly directly after KH, then is in a pod until KH2, where he changes clothes. WHEN CAN THIS GAME POSSIBLY HAPPEN? Does he wake up suddenly during his stay in the pod? Seriously, what the crap?

*waits for batshit insane theories that turn out to be right*

Maybe it fits in the timeline between CoM and 2. During the time when Sora is in the Pod, Riku was trying to regain Sora's memories and battling the Darkness in his heart, perhaps to help gather memories he retraces Sora's footsteps from KH1 to better understand what Sora went through and find a way to help wake Sora up

From Sora's side, while his memories are being reconnected he somehow relieves them, and due to them being "incomplete" with shades of grey, he is able to manipulate his memories up until they are aligned properly.

Maybe while he was sleeping Sora had a 1 year long dream that he went on an adventure with Riku? lol

Maybe it has to do with when Riku kept fighting Sora in the original and you try to rebuild their trust for each other? Idk but I really can't wait to see this game.

I really suggest we lay off the guesses. xD

Just accept Nomura's words and shrug your shoulders. xD I mean heck remember the crackpot theories for Coded? I remember one theories that Jiminy took on the shape of Sora and went back in time. o.o
XDDD

But still some interesting concepts this time round. What I'm looking forward too is the boss battles as I have a feeling there gonna be different than usual.

could this be what Sora was dreaming about for a year? xD

Some of these theories sound like they would make for a pretty good story, such as Riku retracing Sora's steps to put his memory back together before 2, or Sora's year long dream after falling asleep in the pod. I hope whatever the plot could be is as bad a** as these sound. =] ​

Now that I think about it, I wouldn't put it past squeenix to make the entire plot of this game a dream.

I don't think it's a good idea at all, I just think it's something we could expect from kingdom hearts. They've already given us two games where in the end everyone's memory is erased so nothing matters.
EDIT-Triple seven posts. Awesome.

I truly doubt this game actually takes place anywhere between KH and KH2, considering Nomura's already created a substantial amount of games in the series that have backtracked and unveiled various happenings in the past. I think it's well enough time they move past all that and start moving into the future (post-KH2). I really don't think we would get anything at all out of observing Riku retrace Sora's footsteps or anything of that sort during the year he is asleep, beside perhaps entertainment, but Nomura's pushed the idea of revealing significant plot information through backtracking to some pre-KH2 point in the series to its limit. I am confident that this game will be the first step (or really, second step, including Coded) toward finally moving forward in the series in some unpredictable way, considering KH3 is finally becoming tangible in the horizon.

I think it's high time to finally get linear, but it already shows gameplay of KH1 Sora and Riku. Maybe they're flashbacks, or maybe Sora and Riku got young somehow, but I doubt it. By now it's not that much of a stretch to think that KH is doing ANOTHER Pre-KH2 game.

I guess we'll just have to "trust" Nomura on this game. ///_-

Hopefully it will be as good as he's trying to let on.

I have an idea...
How about we put all new titles before KH2, until we hear the phrase Kingdom Hearts 3.
This way, we won't be surprised or annoyed if an upcoming title is a prequel.

I think they are doing exactly what Kubo says. I mean, the new games are only going back in time... But if you think about it, maybe we should take 3D literally on this one.

Everyone in the fan based community are questioning the new 3DS title, but what if the answer is within Sora's pod?

I was thinking about it...and I asked myself "what else could Nomura base this story on?" Wouldn't it be cool if he was showing what Sora was seeing as he was gaining him memories back?

We know what went on with the organization, but maybe Nomura wanted us to take a journey in a 3D title to see how his memories were being brought back...or even in that case "affected".

What we know is that Xion was messing with his memories because of her existence. Could it be that he got these dreams from the fact that his nobody and replica clashed? What if he was trying to gain his memories, but because of Xion they were getting distracted.

He could've been seeing scattered pieces of memories as Xion was moving around, which would make sense to why he saw himself and Riku from KINGDOM HEARTS 1.

So overall, he couldn't awaken until Xion and Roxas returned. Which means, he could've been seeing disturbing memories that were breaking (Ex: Sora falling from the sky). As the memories were breaking, maybe he learns something else from those dreams, which opens the door for the next title.

The theory I find the likeliest so far is Riku having to help fix Sora's memories.
So it'd happen after CoM and Days, like directly.
You play as Riku and control Sora in dreams as his memories come back.

Or the whole thing is a dream, as well, including Riku's gameplay.

Darn. Now that we know it takes place in the current timeline, that destroys my split-timeline theory. Hmm...trust? I'm starting to think this game takes place inside Sora's mind, while he is getting his memories being put back together. Trust reminds me of Namine, due to the fact that Sora trusted her even though she changed his memories. Maybe she knows that what she did was wrong and has Sora go on a journey threw his memories subconsiounsly? (sp?).

Spoiler

We may also find out about Ansem the Wise's data he had Namine put into Sora as well as his original memories.