KHInsider Exclusive: Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Demo Impressions!

[Monkey]

Hey everyone, my good (new, lol) friend Jérémie over at Final Fantasy World (take this time to check out his wonderful site!) was recently invited by Square Enix France to try out Kingdom Hearts 3D, a really exciting oppurtunity. He has been very gracious with us and wrote up his thoughts. You can read them here: KHInsider Exclusive: Kingdom Hearts 3D Impressions - Kingdom Hearts Insider

Do you have any questions for Jérémie, especially after reading through his impressions? Please ask him here! We'll get him set up with an account so he can answer them!

 

[Mite]

My question is did the 3D effects strain his eyes after playing for a while. I know I'll be playing this a lot more and for longer periods of time than my other 3DS games so I want to know if playing on a lower 3d setting would be best, especially with all those colorful dream eaters and flashy attacks going on.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

How was the platforming? Also how did it feel to use Free Flow? Was it a nice addition and did you think it could have been improved on?

 

[darkness9406]

Did you play the Eur game demo ver. I mean with english voices? please answer me if you have time

 

[Taochan]

My question would be, did you find the switch between Sora and Riku through the Drop gauge jarring, or did it feel natural?

Also, thanks for giving us such an honest review of the game! It's nice to know that the game still feels very much like a KH installment while still bringing new things to the table.

 

[Zephyr]

This probably would be difficult to describe but how was Yoko Shimomura's music judging from the possible new tracks you've heard? Does it bring a different vibe from its predecessors? Do the instruments sound more like synths or somewhat realistic sounding instruments?

From what I've heard in Traverse Town's battle music, there was lots of repetition in notes that didn't seem to go anywhere but I'm sure it's because we weren't able to hear the entire track through a trailer.

 

[MasterZeR0]

What were some of the commands that could be used, were they well executed, and were they varied? And also, more importantly, what was the extent of the upgrades you could apply when "dropping" from Sora to Riku, or vice versa?

 

[Chaser]

Did the portion of the demo you played flowed in terms of plot?
Did you get any new Keyblade designs with varied stats?
Did you enjoy fighting with the Dream Eaters?

 

[king_mickey rule]

What did you think about the Dream Eaters? Were they just like the party members from previous games or did they feel different?

Did the game flow well? In other words, did you experience any slowdowns when playing the demo?

 

[kupo1121]

- How long did he have before he switched between Sora and Riku? Was it a decent time where he felt he could accomplish a lot, or by the end of the demo did he find himself trying to rush in everything before the switch?

- Are Sora and Riku very different in playstyle, or are they somewhat similar minus the differences in how they act with their DE's?

- Is there too much sound from all the hitting and attacks when you are fighting that you cannot hear the music well? I know the visuals are hectic, but is the audio as well?

 

[prjio307]

Does anyone else get the vibe that this guy was really disappointed with DDD? I mean he keeps reiterating how Birth By Sleep was better in almost every way. Wow, this is kinda a let down.

 

[Sora2016]

Does anyone else get the vibe that this guy was really disappointed with DDD? I mean he keeps reiterating how Birth By Sleep was better in almost every way. Wow, this is kinda a let down.

Not really, he compares it to BBS twice. The first time it's about the the graphics looking less polished, which I expected and really is not a big deal. It's certainly no reason to be "disappointed with the game." The other I don't have the slightest clue what he meant to be honest. I really don't know what he means by "it didn't feel as good to fight enemies." That could mean almost anything. But even after that he redeems it by saying the free flow action is good. And the free flow action is the new gameplay aspect anyway. So no, he really wasn't saying the game was disappointing at all :/

 

[J?r?mie]

Hi everyone,

My question is did the 3D effects strain his eyes after playing for a while.

Not at all. But of course, this is very different from one individual to another.

How was the platforming? Also how did it feel to use Free Flow? Was it a nice addition and did you think it could have been improved on?

In the demo platforming was limited. Riku's part has more platforming than Sora's but it was a bit basic though. His level has corridors, stairs and rooms, it's quite vast. As far as free flow is concerned, I don't feel the demo demonstrates the possibilities of the mechanic. It was easier to use in Riku's part, which has more gameplay.

Did you play the Eur game demo ver. I mean with english voices? please answer me if you have time

It was the Jump Festa demo, so in Japanese only, and not the final build. I was able to watch the opening movie from the final build though.

My question would be, did you find the switch between Sora and Riku through the Drop gauge jarring, or did it feel natural?

At first I felt it was a bit frustrating because I like to take some time exploring and such, and it brings a bit of tension. I wonder how it will turn out in the final game.

This probably would be difficult to describe but how was Yoko Shimomura's music judging from the possible new tracks you've heard? Does it bring a different vibe from its predecessors? Do the instruments sound more like synths or somewhat realistic sounding instruments?

I had no headphones so I couldn't to the music as much as I hoped to. I'm a big fan of KH music and what I heard was pretty forgettable, although it definitely feels like Shimomura's style. For the moment it's not on par with Birth by Sleep. Then again I couldn't pay much attention to the music. Still looking forward to the soundtrack.

What were some of the commands that could be used, were they well executed, and were they varied? And also, more importantly, what was the extent of the upgrades you could apply when "dropping" from Sora to Riku, or vice versa?

Much of the variety in the commands come from the use of Dream Eaters, and from effects triggered by free flow. I'm not so fond of it. Since the demo was in Japanese I didn't pay much attention to the upgrades when switching from one character to another.

Did the portion of the demo you played flowed in terms of plot?

Did you get any new Keyblade designs with varied stats?
Did you enjoy fighting with the Dream Eaters?

It was a bit like your usual "Disney worlds" plot, with Sora barging into one situation inspired by the movies. Catchy but not so deep. I didn't pay attention to the equipment. As far as Dream Eaters are concerned, yes it was quite fun but when you use special commands you have to be careful about the timing.

What did you think about the Dream Eaters? Were they just like the party members from previous games or did they feel different?

Did the game flow well? In other words, did you experience any slowdowns when playing the demo?

They feel different from Donald and Goofy, that's for sure. They don't have much personality when you just play the demo but I guess it's better in the final game, where you have to pet them and such. You probably know all about this.
Otherwise, the pace was on par with other KH games. I felt a bit disoriented in Riku's part though, but it's not so bad since exploring is more developed than in Sora's part.

Does anyone else get the vibe that this guy was really disappointed with DDD? I mean he keeps reiterating how Birth By Sleep was better in almost every way. Wow, this is kinda a let down.

Please remember it's just a demo version (and not from the final game!), so my impressions are only about the demo for now. I loved Birth by Sleep for several reasons, especially the new "tone" of the story and world. I thought the battle system was the most polished in the series and what I love about KH is that feeling of "destroying everything". I didn't feel that in the demo of DDD. Here the battle system is based on the terrain and the way you interact with it, which is different from BbS.

 

[MinerKing]

I can definitely tell you enjoyed Birty By Sleep quite a bit, as did I. But while the character models in Birth By Sleep were great, the environments were empty and bland. Does this seem to be the case in 3D? I also felt that the animations of the characters were a bit choppy in Birth By Sleep. Were Sora and Riku's attack and jumping animations smooth and crisp?

 

[OathkeeperRoxas XIII]

When the site crashed I didn't put in my question. Here it was

Whose battle style did you like to use the most, Sora or Riku?

 

[Chuman]

I have a question, how much did you focus on usage of the Command Deck system, and how much would you say it has evolved or devolved since then? That is, if it has changed at all.

 

[J?r?mie]

I can definitely tell you enjoyed Birty By Sleep quite a bit, as did I. But while the character models in Birth By Sleep were great, the environments were empty and bland. Does this seem to be the case in 3D? I also felt that the animations of the characters were a bit choppy in Birth By Sleep. Were Sora and Riku's attack and jumping animations smooth and crisp?

I didn't feel the environments were empty or bland in Birth by Sleep. You could actually say that about all KH games, but it never bothered me. Battle animations are great in both games. I just had the feeling the graphics were not as... how would say that, crisp?

Whose battle style did you like to use the most, Sora or Riku?

Both were good. It was easy to go from one to another.

I have a question, how much did you focus on usage of the Command Deck system, and how much would you say it has evolved or devolved since then? That is, if it has changed at all.

I didn't focus on it in the demo. It was all in Japanese, I was not so adventurous.

 

[kupo1121]

I'll ask my questions again since you might have missed them

- How long did he have before he switched between Sora and Riku? Was it a decent time where he felt he could accomplish a lot, or by the end of the demo did he find himself trying to rush in everything before the switch?

- Are Sora and Riku very different in playstyle, or are they somewhat similar minus the differences in how they act with their DE's?

- Is there too much sound from all the hitting and attacks when you are fighting that you cannot hear the music well? I know the visuals are hectic, but is the audio as well?

 

[J?r?mie]

- How long did he have before he switched between Sora and Riku? Was it a decent time where he felt he could accomplish a lot, or by the end of the demo did he find himself trying to rush in everything before the switch?

- Are Sora and Riku very different in playstyle, or are they somewhat similar minus the differences in how they act with their DE's?

- Is there too much sound from all the hitting and attacks when you are fighting that you cannot hear the music well? I know the visuals are hectic, but is the audio as well?

- It was a decent time. You could mostly do what you are asked to do.
- I didn't feel it was so different. Riku was maybe a bit slower. But more powerful, I suppose.
- Not different from the other KH games, from what I could hear.

 

[Mr Yippie]

Here the battle system is based on the terrain and the way you interact with it, which is different from BbS.

that sounds even better than BBS