Ah, 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The game where I think the Kingdom Hearts series went from slightly confusing to “OMG, you have got to be kidding me!!”
3D picks up right after the secret ending in Re:coded. Sora and Riku are summoned by Yen Sid to take the Mark of Mastery exam. They are to save a bunch of worlds that are still asleep (i.e. not fully restored) and awaken a new power. Both set out on their journey into the sleeping worlds together, but they get separated right away. Each youth travels to versions of new and familiar worlds inhabited by creatures called Dream Eaters. They team up with the helpful Spirits and take down the Nightmares so that they can find seven Keyholes to become Keyblade Masters.
In the original game, 3D operated on something called the Drop system. You could only spend so much time as Sora or Riku before they would fall asleep and force you to play as the other character. Kanemaki decided to write 3D: Dream Drop Distance The Novel as separate adventures, the opposite of the jumping around worlds in Birth by Sleep: The Novel. (Like several other Kingdom Hearts novels, the English version combines two Japanese releases into one.) While this format makes it easy to follow the story, I wish Kanemaki had included a few scenes of Sora/Riku suddenly getting sleepy. (Well, outside of the initial time that the game uses as a tutorial.)
Sora and Riku only visit one completely new Disney franchise (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), but most of the worlds are not just rehashes. In Traverse Town, for instance, the two protagonists run into the cast of the game The World Ends With You, and Pinocchio’s world focuses on Pleasure Island instead of Monstro. This helps breathe new life into the boys’ adventures. I love them, but it’s not nice to run into characters like Aladdin and Phil for about the 1,000th time. And unlike some of the other novels, this one covers all the worlds in the game. Hooray! It’s not an abridged version of the game!
Also great is the fact Sora’s personality shines brilliantly right from the start, like when he worries that the Mark of Mastery exam is going to be a written test on Keyblade history. (LOL.) The novel also shows him trying techniques like spinning on lampposts or kicking off a wall (Flowmotion). Riku’s is not quite as strong, but that’s partly due to his more subdued personality. The two halves are almost exactly the same length despite Riku’s story having an extra chapter plus a short epilogue, so his time in the worlds feel a little lighter than Sora’s. Both halves include a short interlude featuring a fan-favorite character, and these two are also excellent as they try to piece together what happened and the next course of action.
But I haven’t tackled the best character in the book: Meow Wow is adorable! The cover cannot capture its charm enough. Even Sora and Riku find time to give the cat-dog Spirit some well-deserved belly rubs.
On the downside, though, 3D is still confusing regarding its overall story. Or, arguably, a mess. The more the series tries to explain things, the more questions and “coincidences” arise. Maybe it was because I knew what to expect, or that Sora and Riku think to themselves enough to break up a lot of the long exposition. but I…almost felt like I understood? Mostly? I was pretty surprised. The main ideas and revelations still probably prevent this from being a great way to jump into the Kingdom Hearts series, but it is critical to anyone who wants to play Kingdom Hearts III. I wish it could have been released a year ago, but hey, the big DLC for the game is due out soon, so you have plenty of time to enjoy Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance The Novel before it comes out.
…And even if you have played all the games, buy the book anyway. You need more Meow Wow in your life.