News ► KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ Dark Road Will Shut Down May 2021

[Ballad of Caius]

The picture looks interesting.

Looks like a distorted corridor to the Lanes Between.

About time...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1364879300336508928

KINGDOM HEARTS III.5 New Chapter Prologue:
• KHUx movie
• KH Dark Road game a la 0.2

 

[MATGSY]

YES! YES! YESSSSSSSS!!!!

This is beyond my dreams. I thought Kingdom Hearts would be stuck being told in parallel between proper entries and dripfeed cutscenes on a system I can't use indefinitely because it (theoretically) makes money. I'm honestly very shocked this is allowed to happen. And both of the stories will be told within the year, wow! (I hope Dark Road isn't super truncated because of this, but it almost doesn't really matter if they have pressing reasons to just make a Re: game or whatever.)

Kingdom Hearts is finally saved for me.

Until the next mobile game.

 

[Chie]

Until the next mobile game.

No, I truly don't believe that will happen. At least not one like this in any way. If this was a business venture they were interested in, they'd just keep the extremely slow feed going with Dark Road, stretch that out to years. They know exactly how to do something like that, obviously. But they're not, they're wrapping that up within the year too.

Even if Square Enix wants to try something again in the future in the hopes that it will be more profitable, I think Nomura + his co-writers are very aware now of the massive drawbacks with trying to tell stories in this way. Especially after they're apparently going to get to just blitz through Dark Road.

 

[The_Echo]

No, I truly don't believe that will happen. At least not one like this in any way. If this was a business venture they were interested in, they'd just keep the extremely slow feed going with Dark Road, stretch that out to years. They know exactly how to do something like that, obviously. But they're not, they're wrapping that up within the year too.

DR was never designed to sustain itself as a standalone game. It doesn't have the content density or player input required to keep people interested in it as a service game. It was always just a side-game for UX.

All that said, whether a mobile game can keep going for X amount of time relies entirely on its profitability. They can't keep paying devs to update a game that isn't making money.

 

[okhi12]

Until the next mobile game.

I just hope it's not related to Verum Rex. I don't want Yozora's backstory to be told this way.

 

[MATGSY]

No, I truly don't believe that will happen. At least not one like this in any way. If this was a business venture they were interested in, they'd just keep the extremely slow feed going with Dark Road, stretch that out to years. They know exactly how to do something like that, obviously. But they're not, they're wrapping that up within the year too.

Even if Square Enix wants to try something again in the future in the hopes that it will be more profitable, I think Nomura + his co-writers are very aware now of the massive drawbacks with trying to tell stories in this way. Especially after they're apparently going to get to just blitz through Dark Road.

DR likely isn't pulling in what they wanted. Tying into UX's app instead of being truly standalone meant it would really only be played by the existing but dwindling UX player base.

 

[AR829038]

Wonderful news. Although I would like to better understand what will happen regarding Dark Road. Does this app shutting down mean Dark Road is also shutting down in April, or when they say "shutting down", do they actually just mean a restructuring of the app? I can't fathom DR's story coming to a close so quickly.

Regardless, I'm elated to finally see the end of this awful, awful game. I've never been coy about my distaste for this title. For me, it's bar none easily the worst thing that's ever been released under the Kingdom Hearts brand. Re: Coded looks like KH2 in comparison.
More than anything, I really hope that the speed with which they're bringing this thing to a close implies that the devs and higher-ups at Square have learned their lesson about telling stories through endless drip-feed and swindling their player base for every cent they can get. I don't know which aspect of this game was worse, the gameplay or the story. The gameplay was insidious and predatory, and on top of that not even a little bit fun, whereas the story was just atrocious to plod through and not really interesting. I think now that we're at the end, the whole story taken together has consisted of about 70% filler, which is unforgivable, even for a KH title. Of course, I could have forgiven a bit more if this story hadn't been so goddamn integral to KH3 and demanded so much from loyal fans. This game was a cancer on that title, and on the future of the series, and I'm glad it's finally being ripped out.
I am still interested to see what happens in Dark Road, though, because unlike Union X, DR actually seems to have an interesting and cohesive narrative to tell. But at the same time, its gameplay is even worse (a remarkable feat!) than UX, so I won't be too sad to see it go, either. I just hope they manage to wrap up the story in SOME satisfying way, or if not, might as well plan to remake it for a proper console.

Hopefully, this signals the end of the mobile gatcha era of Kingdom Hearts. A dark time it has been indeed. Now, hopefully, the series can return to its proper format of handheld titles interspersed between proper console entries. I know none of us liked having to hop between handheld consoles for this franchise back in the day, but I'll take that ANY DAY over another one of these horrendous story-relevant mobile titles.
So, UX, it's been way too long and not that fun. Good bye, and good riddance. May Nomura have mercy on you and remake you as an actually engaging console title in the future.

 

[Chie]

Wonderful news. Although I would like to better understand what will happen regarding Dark Road. Does this app shutting down mean Dark Road is also shutting down in April, or when they say "shutting down", do they actually just mean a restructuring of the app? I can't fathom DR's story coming to a close so quickly.

If I understand it right Dark Road's story will be updated all the way to the ending all at once (?) in September. And just in cutscene form I think.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

KINGDOM HEARTS III.5 New Chapter Prologue:
• KHUx movie
• KH Dark Road game a la 0.2

X feels like the more likely candidate to be a game because of the wealth of story whilst Dark Road is perfect for the Days/Re: Coded/Back Cover cutscene treatment.

 

[Xickin]

Also a BIG round of applause should be given to @Goldpanner for her amazing work over the last 8 or so years, tirelessly providing translations for thousands of people to enjoy, and coining official Kingdom Hearts names and terms such as Chirithy and Foretellers. Goldpanner, you are absolutely amazing and a beautiful person and thank you so, so much for everything you have done for us through Kingdom Hearts X, Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, Kingdom Hearts Union X, and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

Hear hear!

 

[Idreamaboutcats]

Oh thank God! FINALLY!

I never thought this drip feed of a sinkhole would ever end! All those wasted years and dollars! IT’S! ALL! OVER! No more torturous saving! No more FOMO! NO MORE POWERCREEPS! No Illustrated Naminé medal which I’m sad about but it’s FINALLY! ENDING! so I don’t give a damn anymore! I’ll take what I can get! Goodbye UX! See you never again everytime I open my phone!

Final eulogy for a long-ass game that’s been with me for years, I’d just like to humbly say…

THIS IS THE MOST PATHETIC IMAGINING OF A WORLD ENDING WAR I’VE EVER SEEN!

I know this is Disney, so no blood or major violence, and this was essentially supposed to be a fairy-tale version of what really happened, but good lord every single filler made me groan and the war wasn’t even all that convincing or heartbreaking! I can’t remember who said it but someone high up said that in order to fully tell the story of the Keyblade War, they’d have to use a really good engine and console and all we got was a phone and frickin’ flash animation! God I am so glad this is all over after being kicked in the teeth for 5 years!

edit: 8 years because I played the original browser game.

 

[bambii (aka foreteller)]

Hallelujah! What brings me the most joy about this is how decisive it is. One would like to think it means they're paving the way for something big. I just hope, in rushing to conclude Dark Road's story, they don't waste all the new characters they've introduced. The complete lack of backstory and basic character development has been disappointing, to say the least...

KINGDOM HEARTS III.5 New Chapter Prologue:
• KHUx movie
• KH Dark Road game a la 0.2

I'm so ready for it, pray to the SE gods

 

[Raz]

Very grateful it is over. No more hiding plot on a mobile game please.

 

[Chie]

THIS IS THE MOST PATHETIC IMAGINING OF A WORLD ENDING WAR I’VE EVER SEEN!

I mean, they never actually attempted to imagine it. The war has never been portrayed. They showed what we're told is the leadup and beginning of it, and one part of the aftermath (the story of the dandelions whose role was to escape it). But nothing about the Keyblade Graveyard where the Big Shit happens has ever been shown. X/UX is simply not that story, and I find it kind of bizarre that your post is implying they are showing it but badly?

To "fully tell the story of the Keyblade War", a powerful engine and console is still needed. Because that story has not been told. I don't know if it ever will be at this point, they might not want to do what they had in mind back then anymore. But the MoM scenes in this game are strongly questioning what the Keyblade War even is. So right now there's a lot of ways that the concept of "telling the story of the Keyblade War" can actually be taken.

 

[maryadavies]

Ohmygosh, luckily I never put much money into this game. But still it's great to see this mess is finally ending; I didn't like the gambling thing either.

[Edit] They now have a save user data thing. If I can find out where it saves, I'll back that up!

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Yay...I guess?

For me it is more like a shoulder shrug since I never invested anything in any incarnation of UX anyways and while I found the storyline of the original Browser-Chi to be pretty interesting and engaging it got progressively worse and less coherent the further it got with what I would certainly call "twist overloads" and the unnecessary addition of present day characters forcing overly thick and blatant direct connections to the distant past era.

 

[Vulpes XIII]

Hopefully this means no more mobile games in the future and that we are back to consoles and PC only. As much as I liked the main story of Union X ( not the Disney stuff) It should of never been told as a mobile game in the first place.

Although I’ll admit I’m slightly disappointed because I wanted Union X to last until the next Kingdom Hearts game was announced, now that it’s ending there isn’t any new Kingdom Hearts stuff coming out

 

[Alpha Baymax]

What's even more surprising is that they're converting the game into an offline version.
Though it's a shame UX will only be a theater mode, and that you can't back up your data in any way to transfer to a new device.
Kind of insane to think that, for the first time in the better part of a decade, there will be nothing releasing between May and September. Not even a Disney filler episode.

I'm guessing Union Cross is relegated to cutscenes for storage purposes. Still, that's such a jarring thought.

Yay...I guess?

For me it is more like a shoulder shrug since I never invested anything in any incarnation of UX anyways and while I found the storyline of the original Browser-Chi to be pretty interesting and engaging it got progressively worse and less coherent the further it got with what I would certainly call "twist overloads" and the unnecessary addition of present day characters forcing overly thick and blatant direct connections to the distant past era.

I personally liked the connections with Ventus and Lauriam. The problem was that the activities with the new union leaders were interrupted by visits to Disney worlds. It was only in Wreck-It Ralph where they bothered to actually have story cutscenes and Disney cutscenes happen in one update, but doing that just felt too little too late by then.

That being said, Elrena being from the Age of Fairy Tales feels heavily forced just to justify her partnership with Marluxia.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

First I want to thank @Sign and @Goldpanner for all of their hard work over the years. Without their dedication and endless push, we may have never seen x[chi] come to the west. You both make sure that this game has a better translation than the one by Global.

To @Chaser for putting up with this game. You’ve been such a great help and support to Sign despite hating this game haha

To all of the staff and support who came and went like @faemarch, @Solo, @Kazr10, @Saken and anybody else I’m forgetting.

To @Antifa Lockhart, you damn psychic. God damn it. ()

Special thanks to @Gexus and @Taochan for being there in the background looking for answers to the questions this game refused to answer hahaha

Thank you to every user here for using our site for UXDR news for all of these years.

Thank you all for everything and all of the memories! Let’s make these last few months uncovering the mysteries behind this game our best times yet



NO THANKS TO SE. God, why did we have to suffer for years like this...shitty official translations, worse deals than Japan...

 

[Vanitas666]

This, just this
Okay, I meant to quote Chaser and someone else but yeah, I'm glad it's over, super excited for the ending and I hope they re-release it in another format, maybe even as an anime or cartoon