Difference between Kingdom Hearts χ and Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ?

[Alpha Baymax]

It didn't, he's just making a guess based on a Nomura statement and old data found in X

I'd rather use the word hypothesis, I think that Chi shutting down on September was intentional before the announcement so that both games could have a further diverge away from each other.

Exclusive Interview with Tetsuya Nomura on Kingdom Hearts 2.8 & KH3 - News - Kingdom Hearts Insider

"The newest update to Kingdom Hearts X[chi] introduces a new world, Beast’s Castle. Why was this world chosen to be added to the game?"

Nomura: We are prioritizing the worlds of the seven princess’s based on the “fairy tale era” concept in KINGDOM HEARTS χ[chi].

"Is there any significance in the timing of Beast’s Castle’s introduction to Kingdom Hearts X[chi]? After so many main story updates, it was surprising to travel to a new world rather than continuing to investigate Ephemera and the Foretellers?"

Nomura: There is no significance to the timing. We had already made a decision on which worlds to select a while ago, but because new world additions are the most time consuming, we were finally able to implement it this time.

 

[ShardofTruth]

I don't think [chi] will just see the end of Agrabah's story and then it will simply be over, that doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. The game will see the end of the main storyline, I'm absolutely sure about that.

Now maybe Unchained gets another world that is not part of [chi], maybe it won't, there is nothing that supports this theory so far. In contrary, developing such extensive exclusive content for Unchained alone would be a strange move since it could have dragged out the end of [chi] much longer. Both games use the same resources, the same cut scenes, the same enemies, the same backgrounds and even the same attack animations. I'm sure Unchained will be supported longer since it hasn't reached the end of the power scale yet while [chi] is almost done dropping the SR cards from the premium pools, but this just means more events, more costumes and challenges to me.

The strangest thing in this whole ordeal is why Square Enix focused on the worlds of the seven princesses at all. The princesses are acknowledged by Chirithy for what they are in a throwaway line, but they don't play any major role in the story at all. What would even be the purpose of adding a potential Castle of Dreams world?

 

[Alpha Baymax]

I don't think [chi] will just see the end of Agrabah's story and then it will simply be over, that doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. The game will see the end of the main storyline, I'm absolutely sure about that.

Now maybe Unchained gets another world that is not part of [chi], maybe it won't, there is nothing that supports this theory so far. In contrary, developing such extensive exclusive content for Unchained alone would be a strange move since it could have dragged out the end of [chi] much longer. Both games use the same resources, the same cut scenes, the same enemies, the same backgrounds and even the same attack animations. I'm sure Unchained will be supported longer since it hasn't reached the end of the power scale yet while [chi] is almost done dropping the SR cards from the premium pools, but this just means more events, more costumes and challenges to me.

The strangest thing in this whole ordeal is why Square Enix focused on the worlds of the seven princesses at all. The princesses are acknowledged by Chirithy for what they are in a throwaway line, but they don't play any major role in the story at all. What would even be the purpose of adding a potential Castle of Dreams world?

I still stick by my initial opinion and here's why... the latest X storyline.

In layman terms, we see Master Ava collecting 20 Keyblade Wielders so they can venture off as "Dandelions" to a "Dream World". Yes, as you've stated, X and Unchained X have been identical... until now. This is where the divergence is starting to take shape. Here's what Master Ava states specifically.

"Today too will involve training imitating all the missions you've completed until now.


You will relive things you have already experienced, only in a world just like a dream, in a space separate from here..."

What Master Ava is saying is that these 20 Keyblade Wielders will head to the "Unchained" realm. This action alone means that these characters that originated from the "X" world would be involved in the Unchained X storyline, and because Skuld is one of those 20 "Dandelions", we'll be seeing two Skuld's in Unchained X. The part that I highlighted in bold is key in understanding when the divergence of difference occurs between X and Unchained X. Master Ava is saying that they'll be repeating everything they've done in the real world realm inside the Dream realm up to the point the 20 keyblade wielders become dandelions. Therefore, it's still entirely possible for Kingdom Hearts X to come to an abrupt end because of the Keyblade War occurring whilst Unchained X continues with the narrative by introducing Castle of Dreams and Enchanted Dominion.

And if you're wondering about the importance of The Princess of Heart's relevance in X, they were the remaining flicker of light that saved all the worlds from complete darkness after the destruction of the Keyblade War.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Uh, count again there are 21 wielders in the scene when Ava holds her speech if you count Skuld among them. Small difference maybe but should be probably pointed out.

If you count in Ephemera as well who according to Ava is already "waiting ahead" the number increases to 22.

 

[ShardofTruth]

Therefore, it's still entirely possible for Kingdom Hearts X to come to an abrupt end because of the Keyblade War occurring whilst Unchained X continues with the narrative by introducing Castle of Dreams and Enchanted Dominion.

Here you are wrong, Nomura stated multiple times that chi and Unchained are basically the same work. I totally get the angle that Unchained is just the repetition of [chi] in its core but this wouldn't invalidate [chi] at all. What narrative exactly do you want to continue when the Keyblade War broke out by visiting further worlds? What's the point? How can you relive something that did not happen in the first place?

And if you're wondering about the importance of The Princess of Heart's relevance in X, they were the remaining flicker of light that saved all the worlds from complete darkness after the destruction of the Keyblade War.

That wasn't my point at all, I know the princesses are important. They are just not important in [chi]/Unchained, not only because they are not the real princesses (they are illusions) but because they are not addressed by the story at all, not even a tiny bit, outside their Disney-roles.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Here you are wrong, Nomura stated multiple times that chi and Unchained are basically the same work. I totally get the angle that Unchained is just the repetition of [chi] in its core but this wouldn't invalidate [chi] at all. What narrative exactly do you want to continue when the Keyblade War broke out by visiting further worlds? What's the point? How can you relive something that did not happen in the first place?

In a Dream world, events are different than the real world. Because of this, it's entirely possible for the lore to continue further in Unchained X whilst X is at a halt. Let's take Claude Frollo as an example in Dream Drop Distance. In Sora's story, the way he is defeated is that his events are a repeat of the movies events, whilst in Riku's story, he falls down a ledge to summon the Wargoyle Nightmare. Two entirely alternate events of the same individual's demise. Unchained X can happily introduce Castle of Dreams and Enchanted Dominion because Dream World events are different from real world events.

And as far as the real Princess of Heart's involvement is concerned, I think we'll get an eventual update where we better understand their significance in the X/Unchained lore outside of their Disney significance.

Uh, count again there are 21 wielders in the scene when Ava holds her speech if you count Skuld among them. Small difference maybe but should be probably pointed out.

If you count in Ephemera as well who according to Ava is already "waiting ahead" the number increases to 22.

Thanks for the correction. I assumed that Skuld was one of the people that totaled the group to 20.

 

[ShardofTruth]

I'll guess we'll see who was right and who was wrong in half a year.:wink:

 

[Alpha Baymax]

I'll guess we'll see who was right and who was wrong in half a year.:wink:

Nomura is a tactician. The announcement of Chi shutting down at "September" out of all dates isn't just due to lack of traction. I think that this was intentionally planned since the announcement of Unchained for lore purposes.

 

[ShardofTruth]

Nomura is a tactician. The announcement of Chi shutting down at "September" out of all dates isn't just due to lack of traction. I think that this was intentionally planned since the announcement of Unchained for lore purposes.

Lack of traction is absolutey the reason the service for [chi] will end, this is still a free2play game we're are talking about. Assuming any other, including that Nomura has any say in this decision, is just naive.

You're making it sound like the whole development of [chi]'s plot was a carefully chosen just to lead into Unchained at some point, nothing could be further from the truth. The story saw at least two major turnarounds in its direction since it started almost four years ago. The more recent justification for Unchained is just the way Nomura tries to tie every "spin-off" together. I'm not saying that's bad, but this "master plan" didn't exist when [chi] was created.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Lack of traction is absolutey the reason the service for [chi] will end, this is still a free2play game we're are talking about. Assuming any other, including that Nomura has any say in this decision, is just naive.

You're making it sound like the whole development of [chi]'s plot was a carefully chosen just to lead into Unchained at some point, nothing could be further from the truth. The story saw at least two major turnarounds in its direction since it started almost four years ago. The more recent justification for Unchained is just the way Nomura tries to tie every "spin-off" together. I'm not saying that's bad, but this "master plan" didn't exist when [chi] was created.

We honestly do not know that. When X was announced to be a Japanese exclusive, international regions wanted to experience the game. And once our demand was requested, We got a mobile port with adjusted mechanics as opposed to the "definitive X experience" with story changes. Yes, I understand that a lack of users will close down a game: that's a no brainer. But why September? if it really was such a sudden ordeal, they could have stopped the service early July (after E3). I really do think this is all intentional.

And besides, we also have to consider Nomura's demands. He's working on Unchained X, 2.8 and 3. Inevitably, a compromise has to be made considering he's also the lead character designer for the main Final Fantasy games and the fact he is directing Final Fantasy 7 remake. I really do think that Chi was designed to bridge to Unchained. If not, what was the point of creating an identical game with a name and mechanic change? Also, Kingdom Hearts X was originally unveiled at 2013. A year after Dream Drop Distance. I think this multi-strand narrative has been brewing for a long time: we're just finally starting to see it ferment before our eyes.

 

[Morgenstern]

I'd like to posit a theory that Chi and Unchained Chi are in fact two separate but similar stories, with the primary difference being Ava's Dandelions. (I think I got the idea off a video from the TheGamersJoint channel)

The Browser version would be the actual world, Close enough to the Realm of Sleep for the Chirithys but far enough for the Heartless to Spawn (thanks to the Books of Prophecy), the end of Chi will have the Player partake in the Keyblade war, trying to stop it but ultimately failing, and dying, and the Town either becoming the Keyblade Graveyard, Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden or both.

Before the War starts for Real. Ava entrusts her Book to Ehpymera. Who then digitises the contents of the book and creates what is essentially a mixture of the Twilight Town Simulation and the Datascape. Sending the "seeds" to that datascape until the war ends. (where they then rebuilt the worlds), or alternatively they are still in the datascape for the next few centuries a la the Matrix (TBH, this part of my post screams Matrix anyway). While the Keyblade War had a few survivors, as a result, The Dandelions were forgotten and still trapped in a digital stasis.

Unchained Chi on the other hand takes place entirely on the Datascape, and while retreading the early plot of the browser game, will eventually diverge at the point the Browser version ends and continues from that point. The Simulation would eventually be discovered by one Ansem the Wise and his 6 Apprentices and would serve to be the reason behind the former's idea of trapping Roxas the the Simulation Twilight Town and the latter' (primarily Xehanort's) idea to Copy Space Paranoids and appropriate it as the Operating System behind Radiant Garden. In addition Then the Book would had also connected and linked with another digital chronicle, causing said chronicle to be entirely copied as a point of reference which thanks to crazy time travel logic will also make its way to the Physical versions of the book. Explaining the familiar people depicts on the medals and cards.

The differences in Story would be more subtle until we're closer to the point of divergence, with a distinct possibility that we might never meet Ephimera or Skuld until much later. Or we might meet these two much earlier than in the Browser game. And Everyone in these simulations would either be Digital construct conjured by the Book of Propcies Ava gave to Ephimera or those that Ava picked to become Dandilions, only in a dreamlike state, one where they are in a loop of going through the motions of their digital memories, while the Book records more of the worlds outside the datascape.

Unchained's ultimate fate would either be Mass deletion/corruption of the hearts contained, or them be Decrypted and freed...Around the Time of the climax of III