kingdom hearts birth by sleep

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (キングダム ハーツ バース バイ スリープ Kingudamu Hātsu Bāsu bai Surīpu^?) is an action roleplaying game developed and published by Square Enix for thePlayStation Portable. The game was released in Japan on January 9, 2010,^[4] and it is planned to be released by Summer 2010 for North America and Europe.^[5] Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleepwas also released with a limited edition PSP-3000 as a bundle in Japan featuring designs from the Kingdom Hearts series on its back.^[7] Nomura has referred to the game as "Episode 0"^[8]saying that the game is on the same scale and plays as big an importance as Kingdom Hearts andKingdom Hearts II.^[9]

The game is a prequel to the original Kingdom Hearts, taking place ten years before, and features many previously unseen characters and unexplained plot elements from the series. The game centers on the journeys of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, characters briefly featured inKingdom Hearts II, in their quest to locate the missing Master Xehanort. The game also utilizes an overhauled battle system different from previous games in the series with new elements such as the Command Board, Command System and Dimension Links added in.

Gameplay

Terra battling an Unversed with Aqua and Ventus.^[10]

Player as Terra using the Shoot Lock "Ultima Cannon" in the Mirage Arena.

Birth by Sleep is an action roleplaying game. This game allows players to customize their "deck" by choosing which techniques and abilities to display.^[11][12]

Another new gameplay aspect is the Command System; when the command gauge is filled and requirements have been fulfilled, the Command Style of the character will change. When the gauge fills up and the requirements have been fulfilled for the second time, the character will change to an even higher level Command Style.^[13]

A new feature of the game is the Command Board, which appears whenever the player completes a world, and can be accessed from save points and the world map once unlocked. Each world has its own unique Command Board with its own tricks and mechanisms. The Command Board plays like a regular board game where a die is thrown and the player moves, each space having its own unique effect on the player. Various Disney characters from throughout the game also appear on their respective Command Board to either aid or hinder the player. Special panels in the board game can trigger "special events" when landed on by the player.

Ventus using a D-Link with Experiment 626

The game does not utilize a Magic Points (MP) system for spell or magic casting, unlike in previous games in the series. Instead it uses a new system known as "Focus" which is displayed in a gauge on the interface, involving targeting spells using what is known as the "Shoot Lock Mode". It also involves the characters casting spells in a first person mode, where each character is able to cast their own unique magic attacks.^[14]

Another new aspect of the game is the Dimension Link (D-Link) which can be used to summon allies to lend their power to aid the player from different worlds. Companions such asExperiment 626 who have been left behind in previous worlds can be called upon once again to temporarily aid the player in his or her, by providing player with an entirely new range of new attacks in their command decks replacing the usual ones. At the end, a new powerful finishing move is activated to take out enemies. Each ally used will have a unique set of attacks and finishing move. Each finishing move has two levels which can render a finishing move more powerful than before, similar to that of the Command System. The D-Link can be activated by pressing right on the directional pad to access the D-Link menu, followed by selecting the chosen ally namely Experiment 626, Aqua, Ventus, Terra and several others.^[13]

Characters

Further information: Characters of Kingdom Hearts

The three main characters are Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, a trio of close friends and apprentice Keyblade-wielders under Master Eraquswho aspire to become Masters themselves. Another Keyblade Master, Xehanort, and his mysterious apprentice, Vanitas, serve as the game's antagonists. Other characters from the previous games return, such as Sora, Riku, and Kairi, though they are younger than their original incarnations and given less prominent roles. A number of characters who later come to form Organization XIII also appear, particularly the first five apprentices of Ansem the Wise (Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo) as well as Lea and Isa.^[20] As with the Heartless in Kingdom Hearts and the Nobodies in Kingdom Hearts II, Birth by Sleep introduces a new type of enemy: the Unversed, beings who oppose human life and feed off of negative emotions, created from those who are not well-versed in their own existences.

As with the other games in the series, Birth by Sleep features an extensive cast of Disney characters.^[12] The most prominent of these characters is King Mickey,^[11] who serves as a student under Yen Sid at this point in the series chronology. Donald Duck and Goofy, who served the main protagonist Sora in most other games, appear in smaller roles. Most other Disney characters remain in their respective worlds regardless of their overall importance to the story in previous installments, such as Maleficent and Pete, who served as major antagonists between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, and a number of the Princesses of Heart. Some characters (such asExperiment 626, Prince Phillip, and even King Mickey) occasionally fight alongside the player characters in battles as partners similar to the other games, providing assistance and performing combos to help the player proceed. However, they do not follow the player around constantly like Donald and Goofy in the other games. Unlike the other major installments, which also featured casts of various characters throughout the Final Fantasy series, Birth by Sleep only features two of these characters: Zack Fair from Final Fantasy VII, and Moogles, from several of the Final Fantasy games.^[21] As Birth by Sleep is a prequel of the first Kingdom Hearts title, the staff decided to add Zack to the title as he is protagonist from the Final Fantasy VII prequel, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.^[22]