Since Kingdom Heart HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue's initial announcement at Sony's SCEJA TGS 2015 Press Conference the HUD for Dream Drop Distance HD has brought up quite a few questions. In the earliest trailers for the game, the HUD was entirely missing from the screen, as seen in the announcement trailer.

Later on in development, trailers began to display a HUD for Sora, Riku, and their Dream Eaters. However, the Drop gauge was noticeably missing from various trailers, as seen in this screenshot from the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue trailer shown at Tokyo Game Show 2016.

The Drop system is a mechanic that was introduced in the original Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS. As the game features both Sora and Riku taking their Mark of Mastery exams within the Dream Realm, the Drop system is a way for players to switch between both characters. Players can drop from Sora to Riku and vice versa willingly, however, players will also forcibly be dropped into the other character's story once the Drop gauge runs out. There are also items available in the game to extend the amount of time in the Drop gauge.

With the Drop gauge noticeably missing from the HUD, there had been some debate as to whether or not the Drop system would return. While the Drop system offered the chance to play as different characters more evenly without having to repeat certain storylines like Birth by Sleep, it often caused frustration with players due to the fact that Drops could happen in the middle of a boss battle and force you to start over from the beginning when you returned to that character.

However, in the most recent spread for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue in Famitsu Weekly, it seems that the Drop gauge has made its return to the HUD in Dream Drop Distance HD.

Kingdom Hearts series Co-Director Tai Yasue also

How do you feel about the return of the Drop system? Let us know in the comments!