News ► Kingdom Hearts Dark Road details revealed

[Ballad of Caius]

Secret Report 2

Mark of Mastery Journal—

Some days have passed since I set off on my journey to prepare for the Mark of Mastery examination. Eraqus asked for leave to undertake the same pilgrimage, but apparently I am to be first to tour the worlds written of in the old fairy tales.

Until a few short years ago, I'd known only my own world, a speck of land surrounded by sea. But how I'd dreamed of, yearned for the World beyond... And, granted guidance from the future, I left that nest behind. As I treaded the path to my master's side, I came in contact with darkness in many forms. I knew even then, as by instinct: terrifying as its power was, it could be harnessed. Mastered.

Eraqus is a blueblood, descended from the very first masters in the age of fairy tales. But I did not come this far to indulge in adulation. I will be his peer. His equal. And to do that, I must learn to wield the power born from both darkness and light in proper balance.

—Xehanort

Thanks! Hmm. Xehanort did call Scala the nexus from which all worlds spring. Maybe Scala has a special property that makes it easier to travel to those worlds?

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Eraqus: wow a new world!
Xehanort: ...I don’t like sand...it’s coarse and irritating, and it gets everywhere

 

[Face My Fears]

Insisting that we cover KHX all those years ago continues to be my best idea ever.



You could consider watching the 10 minutes of cutscenes goldpanner and I slave over each month to provide? Especially since you're dabbling in UX-related theories, it's important to keep up to date with new developments.

I watch the cutscenes and am very appreciative and thankful that you guys work on them. It's just I'm kind of weird in that I like to earn the cutscenes, it feels just weird loading up cutscenes for KH that I didn't already unlock by playing the game.

 

[darknessofheart]

If Xehanort is touring worlds projected from the future, then it's no wonder why he considers them a mess. The future worlds are ravaged by darkness because of what his future self does.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

So is Wonderland and Neverland going to be worlds in this too? Aren't they usually a shoe-in for redoing KH worlds? How is this going to work in the KH timeline...which is already crazy.

 

[AR829038]

If Xehanort is touring worlds projected from the future, then it's no wonder why he considers them a mess. The future worlds are ravaged by darkness because of what his future self does.

That would actually be kind of an ironic twist.

 

[Chaser]

So is Wonderland and Neverland going to be worlds in this too? Aren't they usually a shoe-in for redoing KH worlds? How is this going to work in the KH timeline...which is already crazy.

Honestly, after seeing Agrabah I'm just expecting all the UX worlds to be reused for Dark Road without any new worlds (for a long while at least). So I see Wonderland being reused but I don't see Neverland being included (yet).

 

[AR829038]

So is Wonderland and Neverland going to be worlds in this too? Aren't they usually a shoe-in for redoing KH worlds? How is this going to work in the KH timeline...which is already crazy.

Wonderland, perhaps, but not Neverland. If this is supposed to be the pilgrimage mentioned in the Secret Reports, and if that pilgrimage is indeed to all the worlds the ancient Keyblade wielders traveled to, then unfortunately, it looks like we'll just be getting the exact same worlds as Union X, all over again. Which makes sense, because it means the development team won't have to make any new assets for new worlds besides Scala.

 

[kingofgame981]

Walking through the story in Eraqus and Xehanort's perspective is a high selling point, but looking at it now, I still hate it. Especially now seeing Agrabah again, gosh, there is nothing I hate about KH more than Agrabah. Funny to see they kinda revamp the X[chi] system into this game and breathed in a bit of COM gameplay vibe. And I cried in laugh when I saw the logo: Union X Dark Road.

I will stick with youtube anyway.

 

[The_Echo]

The screenshot is said to be of a development build. Agrabah could just be a placeholder location.

I fully expect reused worlds, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll just be "Aladdin feat. Xehanort" or that there won't be new/DR-exclusive worlds.

 

[appleboy82791]

I expected Dark Road to be another cash grab like KHUX turned out to be. My bar was set pretty low.

But this... this is worse than I could have imagined. They don't even have the decency to make it it's own game. This is how we're going to have to see Xehanort's story...

What is happening to KH?

This is my nightmare...

 

[Chaser]

The screenshot is said to be of a development build. Agrabah could just be a placeholder location.

I fully expect reused worlds, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll just be "Aladdin feat. Xehanort" or that there won't be new/DR-exclusive worlds.

Remember how long it took for them to create the Wreck-it-Ralph world. It took so long people though the new Disney world had been cancelled. I really don't expect Dark Road to get any new Disney worlds for a long time.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

Honestly, after seeing Agrabah I'm just expecting all the UX worlds to be reused for Dark Road without any new worlds (for a long while at least). So I see Wonderland being reused but I don't see Neverland being included (yet).

So I'll get to see Xehanort and Eraqus chase the White Rabbit, meet the Cheshire Cat and stand trial for no reason at all. Wouldn't be a KH Disney rehash without those.

 

[Eonstar890]

Anyone else feel like brand new game was kind of false advertising? I really wonder how in depth this will be if it is sharing app space with UX...

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Anyone else feel like brand new game was kind of false advertising? I really wonder how in depth this will be if it is sharing app space with UX...

Yes. I think the marketing of this was entirely misleading and really scummy. But to be clear, they never stated it was a new game, only a new experience/new project. I do think they shouldn’t have marketed this as it’s own “standalone”, though. Standalone would mean it doesn’t need to piggyback off of UX, or give UX players a bonus for having large collections of medals to give DR players better cards.

Right from the get-go they should have stated this was linking to UX. It would have kept all of our expectations in check.

 

[The_Echo]

Right from the get-go they should have stated this was linking to UX. It would have kept all of our expectations in check.

They did say that UX players would get something for DR.

And considering the game can be played independently of UX, I'd say that qualifies as standalone.
It's like the mobage version of an HD collection. Two games sharing one launcher.
I'm willing to bet it'll even be an optional download, like other than the update to change the title screen, UX players won't have to go and install DR unless they actually want to play it, and vice versa.

As for keeping KH fans' expectations in check... short of revealing everything all at once, that's just not possible.
You give this community and inch and they'll go 5000 miles. One teaser and everyone's suddenly acting like all their wildest theories are coming true.
Like some people were actually convinced this would be a full 3D game like Mobius without any evidence whatsoever.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

They did say that UX players would get something for DR.

Yeah but that could have been just like any pre-registration bonus for any mobile game. Plenty of games offer bonuses to people who have X or Y game and join Z game.

And considering the game can be played independently of UX, I'd say that qualifies as standalone.It's like the mobage version of an HD collection. Two games sharing one launcher.

I can see the argument

As for keeping KH fans' expectations in check... short of revealing everything all at once, that's just not possible.

I see nothing wrong with them having just revealed at least these details during the initial announcement. Nothing has changed between then and now except it is a different day.

You give this community and inch and they'll go 5000 miles. One teaser and everyone's suddenly acting like all their wildest theories are coming true.
Like some people were actually convinced this would be a full 3D game like Mobius without any evidence whatsoever.

Which is why they should have just revealed these little details to begin with to keep from the unnecessary speculation and wild guessing. All it did was create disappointment, not hype.

Also I can see why people thought it might be 3D. They marketed the game with a screenshot from KH3. Even X[chi] was tactful enough to be marketed using an illustration with the target art design of the game.

 

[Hirokey123]

So as someone who has been playing UX since basically the beginning and back since its Browser Days actually, I'm a little excited. UX in terms of gameplay is actually in a really great place now, it has been for awhile. They've had a lot learning they did and taken in a lot of feedback to improve the game. It's still a gacha game unfortunately but at it's actually pretty decent as a game. The problem is UX bears a lot of the scars so to speak of all the growing it did. Lots of dead mechanics, lots of excessive resources that no longer have purpose, and they messed up the power creep early on (they again got much better at that later on) that kind of messed up the direction the combat had to go. Since people pay for these medals they also couldn't do nerfs and tweaks they basically just had to keep trucking on. UX needs clean up it can't have, so starting over using what they've learned and making a new game without all the baggage is the right move.

Now let me run a little analysis because it actually seems fairly different combat wise....

The combat system right away looks more action based if only because on the left side you can see a turn order and there are two people, YX and YE. We know there are more characters as well to come it may be that you will actually have a party like FF mobile game or really any square RPG ever. UX has played around with temporary party members but they were more a single extra attack. From the look of things Eraqus gets multiple turns that implies at the very least two characters to control with decent depth.

On the subject of the cards I get not Chi or UX vibes but flick rush vibes. You most likely flick the cards up rapidly to perform attacks, there is no visible AP or anything like that so I'm guessing it has to do with that HUD that the cards are sitting in as it looks like it's either emptying or refilling. The handling of the buffs at the top is strange it looks like the exact same buffs twice, my guess is this has something to do with Eraqus and YX like it's showing both their buffs twice or something. The heartless number could either be how many heartless you have slayed collected or how many heartless you've yet to slay. BP is probably a currency or exp of some kind.

Something to note is that while at first glance the system seems like the same cards we've known, the potion stands outs. The shadow and queen of hearts look like damage medals/cards with the attribute on them. But the potion has a shield instead of an attribute, this implies it doesn't deal damage but is instead pure support. Neither Chi or UX had something truly like that which makes me think that this is more like CoM than either of those (well chi sorta did but only sorta), with attack and non-attack cards. Chi had potions but they were used to continue a failed battle they couldn't be used in battle.

Those keyblades absolutely look designed to evolve and transform, at the same time the card we see has a picture of the keyblade on it which is puzzling. Is it showing that the keyblade is increasing the damage of the cards or are the cards increasing the damage of the keyblade's attack?

With the story I am going to prematurely assume that my initial theory that the pilgrimage to the world written in fairytales was YX traveling through the worlds of UX somehow, was correct. This would probably be where YX actually met Ventus and other ancient wielders. If not the real things then holograms of them or something and thus explain how he knew of them.

 

[Chaser]

It's weird because we also know what happens right after Xehanort's done with his pilgrimage.

MoM: So?

YX: Yeah. It wards off darkness. It's useful.

MoM: Told ya! So, how'd it go? The tour?

YX: I learned the reason for my existence.

MoM: Ohhh? Tell me more.

YX: All around the world, people live seemingly peaceful lives. They believe themselves to be moral and virtuous but it's all an act. Darkness lurks in the pit of everyone's heart. Their light is a total farce.

MoM: Sounds like your trip around the world opened your eyes but you got more than you anticipated. Must've seen a lot of darkness.

YX: Those who are week, and who desire greater power, simply strip the strong of their power, and convince themselves they've earned it. That's how people become tainted by darkness. They believe what they want to believe using hollow reasons as justifications. They repeat this cycle, and their darkness grows.

MoM: So you're saying the weak feel the need to justify their actions to maintain a sense of self. Can't let that slide?

YX: No, it's better they be ruled by darkness. People carry delusions of having power, but it's a lie. They are but sheep pretending to be wolves. Though I admit, I can understand why.

MoM: Oh, never heard that one before, a Keyblade wielder willing to side with the darkness? Why not just let them be until the darkness consumes them?

YX: Because left alone, the world would fall to chaos. There needs to be order.

MoM: You sure about that? Why not just sit back and watch it play out?

YX: Understanding hearts is difficult; more so the emotions within. I simple realise that it's easy to dismiss what you don't comprehend.

MoM: All right, all right... The world needs you, I'll grant you that one.

YX: I don't know what I can do, but I will act. What comes next is too important.

MoM: I suppose letting false light dictate the future might be a.... pretty lousy move. So? You can make a change, you have that power. What do you want from the world?

YX: Power, eh? Who knows? My training's coming to an end, and the exam's not far off. Maybe I can gain some clarity then.

MoM: You're letting the exam decide? Listen to me, the results don't matter. You believe the world needs you. Sounds like you already know where you're headed.

YX: It's funny. Somehow I can sense where I'm supposed to go, and what I'm supposed to do. Yes, even this coat, there's something familiar about it, as if I'm meant to wear this.

MoM: No... you'll ditch it soon.

YX: What do you mean?

MoM: I mean that one day you're going to outgrow it.

YX: How so?

MoM: If you truly possess great power, the darkness can't control you. You won't need a silly old coat to stay safe. In fact, you'll be the one controlling the darkness instead. Me, on the other hand, I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to ever take mine off.

YX: Who are you really? Some kind of fortune-teller?

MoM: Well, I could lie and tell you that's what I am, when I'm actually a brilliant artist, or even a scholar. I could tell you I dream of world peace when I'm actually planning for its destruction. The truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear.

YX: So, you're name?

MoM: What I just ---. Never mind, I guess there's no harm. My name is ---. I'm a Lost Master.

YX: Lost... Master...

MoM: May your heart be your guiding key.

From this conversation, we can infer that Xehanort will meet up with the Master of Masters at least once to get the coat. We know that Xehanort encounters people with light and those with darkness who are pretending to be light. It sounds like we'll be hanging around with the villains, but it'll be a Disney retread once again.

We know what lessons Xehanort takes away from his journey, so at the moment I'm just scratching my head at what else could we possibly learn from this story when we know the end result?

I know it’s always “it’s all about the journey” but can that really apply to a mobile game that exists to only make money through gacha and the main bulk of the story is stuff we have experienced like 11 times now?

 

[GreyouTT]

Anyway, it's Flick Rush! I actually enjoyed that part of DDD so this'll be fun. I am sad that it isn't a completely new game though. It would've been awesome to have revamped worlds that aren't split up by missions like Peace Walker. Still I'll definitely enjoy the gameplay for this.