Well, guys, this is it: Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep hits American shores tomorrow and European waters in another three (somewhat painstaking) days. As a side-note before this last entry begins, I'd just like to request that if you are going to post on the site (please do - we'd love to hear from you!) that you keep spoilers in all allocated sections so our job here is easier for us in these busy times! Without further ado, let's begin!

If you're any kind of Kingdom Hearts fan at all you'll know that this spectacular installment in the series takes an alternative ‘narrative' in comparison with the previous titles: this time we don't just follow Sora around on his journey across the worlds, but we get our hands on three very different characters whose individual paths lead them into the hands of destiny - hands which have shaped the entire series so far. Each character's path is different and unique and although they all visit the same worlds and interact with the same people there, there really is a surprise in store at every twist and turn the game takes.

The beauty of it, however, is that it all intertwines so well: where Ventus rolls around on a ball of wool, doing away with pesky Unversed, Aqua traverses the beautiful outdoors of Lady Tremaine's home; while Terra faces off against the immortal flying boy Peter Pan, Ventus finds himself in a bit of a flap with Captain Hook; as Aqua teams up with Prince Philip to slay Dragon Maleficent, Terra is hopelessly dragged in by the evil witch's hooks; but there are also times when the three heroes team up and form a terrific trio to not be trifled with as seen in Radiant Garden where they take on a powerful, gargantuan Unversed together. Though each character may seem distanced from his or her counterparts, the reality is that they could never be closer.

As advised by Mr. Nomura himself, we'll be looking at the scenarios in the order of Terra, Ventus and then Aqua.

Terra's scenario is perhaps the one that fans have been looking forward to the most: with his Xemnas-like bangs and an eerily identical face, Terra is at the centre of what is a somewhat fan controversy. Ultimately we ask - or rather, you ask (I hold the key of knowledge!) - ourselves what becomes of Terra; whilst we are interested in the events that constitute his experience, what troubles us the most is who, what, where, when and why at the end of it. Does Terra's experience lead him to become the infamous memory-less Apprentice Xehanort - and by extension, Xehanort's Heartless/Ansem Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas - as many have speculated? Or does it confine him within the lost prison that is the Lingering Sentiment, a powerful enemy who questioned Sora's authenticity as a Keyblade wielder? Only by playing through Terra's story will you find the answers you seek.

While you play as the brunet hero (anti-hero?) you'll find yourself stomping through the worlds and smashing away at the Unversed that simply adore proving themselves as a big problem whether it be due to sheer power or defense or the fact that they drone in numbers. During these battles you'll find yourself with magic and power at your command as you play as Terra: taking on a power-based approach to combat, you can use Terra's unique Rockbreaker ability to make the earth quiver at will and force those enemies back to the holes whence they came - but don't despair, for Terra can also utilize Ven's speedy delivery and Aqua's magical methods as well as a plethora of summons and other allies, known as D-Links. Add in the fact that you can play switcheroo with your moves and a battle with Terra will never be boring.

Whilst there remains a large air of mystery surrounding this stalwart teen, we do know several things about him: first of all, he is very keen to prove himself. What that is, we don't really know, but we know he has a heart of pure gold at his core and that makes us ask ourselves just how far Terra would really go to achieve his ambitions and to protect what he cares about. Secondly, he's a little too close to the dark side for our liking - and for the liking of his friends Aqua and Ven. Without saying anything too spoilerific, Terra treads a path much more at the heart of what Kingdom Hearts is built on which sometimes puts him in the company of villains we'd rather keep away from - one of those being the crafty Maleficent, the antics of whom have made the hair on the back of our necks stand right up on end for too long. What's more is that she's twisting Terra's mind so much he's taken it upon himself to visit some very special girls whose hearts he is immensely intrigued by - the beauties known as the Princesses of Heart.

The most intriguing of these perhaps is Master Xehanort, a Keyblade Master whose sudden disappearance is Terra's primary concern. Most of us know that he pretty much leads Terra on a merry chase but we don't know why. Actually, I do but I'm not going to tell. What I will say, however, without dishing too many spoilers, is that Terra changes quite visibly throughout and Master Xehanort, no matter how indirectly, is always at the heart of this. Does this mean Master Xehanort is good for Terra? Absolutely not. Does it mean he's bad for Terra? Not sure. Only time, experience and a good run-around in Terra's bothered boots will give you those answers.

Here's what a few of our members had to say about Terra's scenario:

Several of our members sent in submissions of Terra, all of them fantastic! They are Lonelyness21, KeyOfDestiny1313 and SquarePhoenix (whose cosplay is great) respectively.

In contrast to Terra's internal conflict, Ventus is very Sora-esque in his mannerisms and is therefore much more happy-go-lucky, a welcome addition to this installment whose events are considerably darker than that of its predecessors. On the other hand, when in comparison with Terra, Ven's scenario is also much anticipated for reasons we see through-and-through: most notably, Roxas' disturbing identicalness to Ventus - a boy ten years his senior - and that one time Xigbar laid eyes on Xion and saw her as Ven. What does this spell for Ven? A popular theory amongst fans is that Ven has some sort of connection with Sora (from Ven's heart being inside Sora to Ven being Sora's Nobody to Ven being Sora's older brother, etc.) and when you consider Roxas, you could be bang on the dot if you think that Ven's journey leads him into a position where he means much more to Sora than previously thought.

While Ven's potential connection to Sora is the highlight of this scenario, what also catches our attention is the snaky individual Vanitas. From several screen shots that have been released over the wait for the English version of this game, you'll probably have seen Vanitas lounging around casually with Ven intensely on edge. Does this mean Vanitas has been caught red-handed hiding water balloons in Ven's bed? Who knows: it could be something mediocre or extremely important, but either way we know that Vanitas is more interested in Ven than anybody else leading us to believe that the helmet-bearing soldier probably has his part to play in Ven's clouded fate. And with Ven's hostile reactions to Master Xehanort's apprentice - again, as observed by screen shots - we can only assume that Ven is working for the ‘good side' which means he's not a fan of the missing Keyblade Master.

On the topic of Master Xehanort, you'll know that this old man is weirdly interested in Ventus for a reason which is entirely unknown. Does Ven have something extraordinary about him? It's assumed so since we think Master Xehanort is very, ah, elite in his interests. From those infamous, cryptic screens of Master Xehanort telling Ven to ‘give it up in order to obtain it' at Olympus Coliseum to that extremely thought-provoking trailer of Master Xehanort pretty much turning Ven into an ice cube, we know for sure that the Keyblade Master has his fingers in pies which could more than likely affect the outcome of Ven's journey - a journey sparked out of the concern for his Master Xehanort-obsessed friend, Terra.

While Ventus tails Terra across the universe, hoping to get him back no matter what, he becomes best of friends with the folks of the worlds he visits. From Jaq the mouse to Stitch the alien to the Lost Boys, Ven is an all-round favorite and can even team up with some of his buddies during battles with the waves of Unversed using the D-Link feature. Unlike Terra's tough techniques and Aqua's enchanting approach, Ven chooses to make use of his deftness and speed, often zipping and slashing his way through hordes of enemies at lightspeeds to send them sprawling - but the youngster still proves a tour de force under the influence of Aqua's spectacular spells and Terra's brute force.

Ven's story is proving to be a hit with many of our members! Here's what keyblader007 had to say about him:

Some of our members have also sent in their Ventus media! Check out Veggga and BlackFireX5656!

Lastly we come to Aqua, the only girl in the trio of Keyblade Master-wannabes at Land of Departure. Aqua's tale has had quite divided opinions, we could say: is it because the limelight has been taken by Terra and Ventus, whose presences have been felt throughout the entire series, or is it just because we don't know that much about this fabulous femme at all? On the other hand, many fans are raving to play as Aqua (forty per cent of people asked said they'd want to play as her first) due to the fact that, well, she's packing girl power. As a fan of Aqua, I'm glad to say that we haven't seen anyone quite so powerful in this series since the cruel Larxene and that her story is really running on all cylinders. While not as dramatic or protagonistic or conflicted as her male counterparts, Aqua's events really stand out by themselves.

Firstly: how to describe Aqua? A lot is said for itself by the situation into which Aqua is thrown: after Master Xehanort and his apprentice Vanitas disappear, Aqua has no choice but to hunt down her friends Ventus and Terra, both of whom are chasing someone. While Ven has a certain air of naivety about him concerning Terra's true disposition, Aqua is much more tuned-in; she really sees Terra for what he is and for the troubles which he faces. As someone with a great sense of maturity and understanding about her, Aqua greatly disagrees with Terra's antics but cannot spend her time chasing him and only him; Ven is also a concern for her as he is something of a little brother. Undoubtedly this puts her at odds with both of them, but she must fight for what is best for them no matter what it takes.

She does this much like Donald in the previous Kingdom Hearts titles with magic as her main arsenal. Though she's great with the Keyblade, she feels much more at home tearing through waves of Unversed with her specialty, Diamond Dust, as well as other spells that induce effects such as fire, gravity and lightning to name but a few. Like her boyish friends, Aqua is also able to link with other characters via D-Link: in the same way, she can connect with Terra and Ven and show that girls are just as fast as boys and even stronger. You can boost these strengths by playing the mini board game and throwing together insane combos with the command deck. Will Aqua ever be outdated? Not a chance.

On the topic of Ventus, Aqua seems to be a little more in touch with Vanitas than Terra as witnessed by her near-removal of his mask. Of course, he ruins the moment by laughing like a maniac and taking off and consequently it's something that grates on both her and us for the rest of the story. Does her interaction with Vanitas hold any significance? I can't tell you; but it does seem that Master Xehanort, unlike Terra and Ventus, holds little interest in Aqua. Maybe that's just because he's a... well, because he's a guy, but we have the feeling that Aqua's influence is a little more backbench than the other two - which isn't to say she's unimportant, of course: it just means that she's probably more indirectly essential than Terra and Ven to the events of the game and consequently to the entire series.

Aqua has gone down a storm with fans by the look of it. Here's what a few of our members had to say about her:

Forum member Rebmakash even sent in a fantastic painting of Aqua, seen below (personally, I think it‘s gorgeous):

Well, guys, that's the end of this episode and the end of the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep count-down! This is the first community count-down I've ever participated in as a staff member and as a member in general, and I have to say it's been great talking with all of you! This could be somewhat emotional for you guys: the game comes out tomorrow and feelings will be running high. While we're thrilled to be finding out what happens in the game, too, we ask that you keep behavior in check so it's easier for us during this busy time. Meanwhile, we'll continue with updating as normal and we wish you happy playing! Please take the pleasure to watch one last video again before the box of sleeping secrets is opened and all your questions are answered!