| Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix 1st Production Department |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) | Tetsuya Nomura Tai Yasue |
| Producer(s) | Rie Nishi |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) |
|
| Writer(s) | Masaru Oka Tetsuya Nomura |
| Composer(s) | |
| Series | Kingdom Hearts |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance[a] is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS, revealed at E3 2010. The game is the seventh installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and was released in Japan on March 29, 2012. It was released in Europe on July 20, 2012, in Australasia on July 26, 2012, and in North America on July 31, 2012.
The game takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, and focuses on Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam, in which they have to protect parallel worlds in preparation for the return of Master Xehanort. Besides controlling the two playable characters across a single scenario, the player is able to recruit creatures known as Dream Eaters to assist them in fights.
The Square Enix staff decided to develop Dream Drop Distance after being impressed by the quality of the Nintendo 3DS. Taking advantage of the console's functions, they increased the action elements from the series based on the system previously seen in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Additionally, both the gameplay and the plot are meant to give a glimpse of what the following title in the series, Kingdom Hearts III, would be like. The game has been well received in Japan and in the US, selling over 250,000 and 180,000 units on its debuts respectively. Critics generally praised the gameplay and graphics, while criticizing aspects of the plot.
A high-definition remaster of the game entitled Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD was released as part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue compilation for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Nintendo Switch.
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