Kingdom Hearts has been around since 2002 when the Square franchise started on the PS2 and shows no signs of slowing down even after the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3. Soon, new legions of fans will jump on board once the series heads to PC.
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While not every single game is here, most of the important spin-offs are included, and going through all of them tells the entire Kingdom Hearts story. If you are planning to play these for the first time on the PC, titles that are only available on the Epic Games Store for the time being, here are some little tidbits you should know before diving into Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.
10 It Gets Pretty Tough At The End
If you are playing on Proud Mode, which we ultimately recommend to anybody at least somewhat versed in action-RPGs, the difficulty spikes near the end. Every other world is completely manageable when going through them at the recommended level. However, the last world, which is the beefiest, has extremely tough enemies that require most to be at least five to ten levels over what the games recommend.
9 Where To Grind
There is not a whole lot to do in the game other than the main story, so grinding can be a chore. If you do need to grind near the end of the game, there is one solid place to do so. For both Riku and Sora, going through the Symphony of Sorcery several times over is a great way to level up quickly and easily. You should level up at least once every few rooms, so just put on a podcast or some music and slash away.
8 You Can Ignore Flick Rush
Instead of a traditional colosseum, players can involve themselves in a minigame called Flick Rush, which is a colosseum purely for the Dream Eaters. It has its own set of controls and unique strategies. Ultimately, it is not worth your time and seems more like a diversion from its days as a game on the Nintendo 3DS. Most of the rewards can be obtained through other means.
7 The Evidence Of A Portable Game Shows
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance first came out in 2012 on the Nintendo 3DS. While the remaster brought to consoles and eventually the PC as a part of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 does a great job of upgrading the visuals and gameplay, some evidence of its portable origins still shows.
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The camera sometimes gets in the way and the characters sometimes blink in primitive ways. Except for these, you could not be blamed for believing the game was built from the ground up for consoles.
6 How To Get The Hidden Ending
Every Kingdom Hearts game has a hidden ending, though it is pretty difficult to achieve in Dream Drop Distance. To unlock it, you first have to answer the questions Ventus asks Riku correctly. Select "Losing something that's important", "My close friends", and "To recover something important". If on proud mode, you have to collect five trophies throughout the adventure. Finally, you have to collect all the golden letters during the interactive credits.
5 Keep Those Drop-Me-Nots In Good Supply
The game forces you to switch between Sora and Riku regularly. Based on your performance during the run, you earn points to buy either items or extra attack, defense, or magic during the other character's run. With this in mind, it is a good idea to have Drop-Me-Nots in stock, which extends the character's time before having to switch. Longer time means more points to spend on the other character once it is time to play as them.
4 Do The Worlds In The Recommended Order
While the game provides choices on how to approach the worlds, it is ultimately recommended to do them in the order recommended based on the levels while on the world map.
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There is no reason to do harder worlds first unless you have something to prove. If you do the easier worlds first, you will more than likely be well-equipped enough to take on the harder challenges without having to grind.
3 Change Your Abilities For Bosses
Some abilities are excellent for taking out groups of enemies, such as the Gravity magic or ones that draw in enemies like a magnet. However, these abilities are almost completely useless against most of the bosses. With this in mind, it is a good idea to switch up abilities before heading into a boss fight. The game rarely tells you a boss fight is approaching, so you may end up dying once before getting the chance to switch up the command deck.
2 Pay Attention To Dream Eaters
Just as important to making strong characters as leveling up is ensuring you keep the Dream Eaters strong. Keep on cooking up new recipes and spending the experience points to earn new abilities for Sora and Riku. Also pay attention to whether you want more attack boosts or magic boosts and adjust your Dream Eaters' party accordingly. The Dream Eaters also help exponentially in combat.
1 It Is A Separate Purchase From Kingdom Hearts 1 And 2
It is imperative to play Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2 before diving into Dream Drop Distance. You should play Birth by Sleep too, especially because it is arguably the best in the series. However, all of those games are on a different purchase. Ultimately, getting the whole Kingdom Hearts experience on PC costs more than $100, which is a little steep for some, and more expensive than playing it on PS4.