History VideoGame / KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance

''Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance]'' is the seventh (not counting remakes) entry of Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/SquareEnix[='s=] ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, first released for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS in 2012. Coinciding with the series' 10th anniversary, this game serves to link the [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI initial]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Sora-centric]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII trilogy]] to the [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded experimental]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 handheld]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep trilogy]], while setting the stage for the then much anticipated ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''.

* TitleThemeDrop: In the scene where [[spoiler:Riku explains to Mickey and the others why it has to be him that dives into Sora's heart to rescue him from the darkness,]] the version from the title screen of [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII the second game]] picks up in the background.

* OutsideTheBoxTactic: One way to make Sora's fight with [[spoiler: Xemnas]] easier is to [[ViolationOfCommonSense intentionally fail his]] DesperationAttack. While succeeding at it does stun the boss for a few seconds, it also shifts him to his second phase which is ImmuneToFlinching, has stronger attacks, and is much more aggressive. Failing keeps him in phase 1, making things more managable.

** Sora's Link with the owl is called [[Music/{{Rush}} Fly-by Knight]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dream_drop_distance.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[PsychologicalTormentZone Don't chase the dreams. They'll lead you nowhere.]][[note]]From left to right: [[TheGoodKing Mickey Mouse]], [[AllLovingHero Sora]], and [[RedemptionQuest Riku]][[/note]]]]

->''Darkness becomes light, light falls into darkness.''
-->-- '''{{Tagline}}'''

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* RecycledPremise: The story borrows a lot of its main plot beats from ''Chain of Memories'': Sora and Riku are separated and trapped inside a ClosedCircle, go through worlds that are not real (dream worlds in this game, memory worlds in ''Chain of Memories''), have to rely on a special power unique to the installment (the card battle system in ''Chain of Memories'', the Dream Eaters in ''3D''), are regularly antagonized by Organization members, the whole thing is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler: a trap for Sora]], Sora once again [[spoiler: falls into a deep slumber (lampshaded by Ansem the Wise when Riku meets him)]], Riku once again [[spoiler: stumbles upon Sora asleep near the end of his journey and resolves to wake him up]], and Riku's final adversary in the dream world is none other than [[spoiler: Ansem, who was also the final boss of his campaign in ''Chain of Memories'']]. Additionally both games heavily focus on Riku's quest for atonement, which he started in ''Chain of Memories'' [[spoiler: and successfully completes here.]]

* FauxAffablyEvil: Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, is quite soft-spoken to Riku for the majority of his screen time, but there's still no mistaking his malice. Right before the boss fight with him, he has a mutually civil and polite conversation with Riku.

* SlippySlideyIceWorld: The last room in Riku's visit to Symphony of Sorcerery is a winter wonderland based off of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'''s "The Nutcracker Suite" segment. It's covered in snow and there are large snowballs that he can use to crush enemies.

* BittersweetEnding: As per usual. [[spoiler:Riku is a Keyblade Master, Lea and Kairi are training to help the gang with their own Keyblades, Sora keeps his Spirit friends, Master Xehanort's plans to revive an army of his incarnations is delayed, and it's implied Riku now has the power to save the ''Birth by Sleep'' trio. However, Master Xehanort is still back with enough of his incarnations to keep working, he's going after the Princesses of Heart next, and another Keyblade War is on the horizon and averting it is seemingly impossible. Xehanort still plans on finding the one person who will become the thirteenth Xenhanort clone, and he'll stop at nothing to make sure that happens.]]

** Daisy Duck doesn't make an appearance as Minnie's lady-in-waiting in Country of the Musketeers, a world based on ''WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers''. Quite ironic, considering she's also already established as Minnie's lady-in-waiting in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' universe. Clarabelle, who is also a major character character in the movie, doesn't make an appearance, either, and her absence makes the scene when Goofy runs off from the palace rather stupid.[[note]]Instead of being tricked by her like in the movie, it looks like he just runs off for thinking he saw something that Sora (and the player) never even saw what the hell it was.[[/note]] Also, the scene where Donald is almost [[OffWithHisHead beheaded]] is understandably omitted because there's no way it could be included in a ''Kingdom Hearts'' game due to rating reasons. Unfortunately, this makes him seem like more of a coward than he was in the movie, because rather than running away after almost losing his life, instead he's just running away out of fear of ''[[GoldfishPoopGang Pete]]'' of all people.

* BossRush: The first fight against Spellican doesn't involve said Dream Eater at all; he instead summons Hockomonkey, Wargoyle, and Char Clawbster to battle Sora.

* PointOfNoReturn: [[spoiler:After defeating Xemnas, Sora is taken out of action for the rest of his game and you can only play as Riku. Beating the game and loading clear data will rewind time to before the Xemnas fight, but until then everything in Sora's half of the game is cut off.]]

** [[InteractiveComic Wonder Comic]]: The Reality Shift of [[WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers Country Of the Musketeers]], after preforming in an interactive comic sequence you unleash an [[CombinationAttack team attack]] with MickeyMouse, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}.

* OutsideTheBoxTactic: One way to make Sora's fight with [[spoiler: Xemnas]] easier is to [[ViolationOfCommonSense intentionally fail his DesperationAttack. While succeeding at it does stun the boss for a few seconds, it also shifts him to his second phase which is ImmuneToFlinching, has stronger attacks, and is much more aggressive. Failing keeps him in phase 1, making things more managable.

Taking place shortly after the events of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' and ''coded'', Sora and Riku have been summoned by [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse King Mickey]] for an urgent task. With the potential return of Master Xehanort at hand, the two must obtain the rank of Keyblade Master to prepare for this threat. To do this, they must undergo a Mark of Mastery test conducted by Yen Sid--a journey into the realm of dreams and sleep, where they are to find the seven Sleeping Keyholes and release the worlds trapped within. However, during their quest, a mysterious and malevolent young man in a black coat makes himself known, and villains from the past begin to follow suit...

[[caption-width-right:350:[[PsychologicalTormentZone Don't chase the dreams. They'll lead you nowhere]].[[note]]From left to right: [[TheGoodKing Mickey Mouse]], [[AllLovingHero Sora]], and [[RedemptionQuest Riku]][[/note]]]]

-->--'''{{Tagline}}'''