Presenting the first title in the Kingdom Hearts (hereon KH) series developed for smartphone, to begin service in September!

Kingdom Hearts Unchained X

*Screens are from a work in progress.

See the history that led up to the very first event in the timeline of the KH series, the 'Keyblade War', in Kingdom Hearts Unchained X. Service is planned to begin in September and is currently accepting pre-registrations, so we will tell you about the basic gameplay and the flow of the game, as well as new information our writer has ascertained from an actual play!

> FIRST CREATE YOUR OWN PLAYER

[Pre-registration information is on the official site! http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom/uc]

> When you start a game, you create an avatar and select the Union you will align with. It's possible to change it after that, but to switch Unions you need jewels (=in-game currency).

PREPARE FOR YOUR ADVENTURE IN DAYBREAK TOWN

Daybreak town serves as the home base for the Keyblade Wielders such as the player. Here you can customise your Keyblade, check the rankings, get medals at the shop, and speak with party members. Align yourself with huge parties of up to 30 people and you can work together to face the giant Raid Bosses. You should join parties that match your own play style.

> Party guidelines on things such as frequency of play etc. vary. It's okay to create your own party and recruit members, and it's also ok to to look at recruitments and participate in them.

YOU CAN EXCHANGE INFO WITH PARTY MEMBERS IN A CHAT

> You can exchange information with your party members in a chat, where you can also use stickers such as

these.

> There's also a feature called the 'Avatar Board', where you can gain avatar abilities and outfits using the avatar coins you obtain from clearing stages etc.

[GAMA DATA: Kingdom Hearts Unchained X (Key) | Maker: Square Enix | Service to run: Estimated to begin September | Price: Free to play (in-app purchases) | Genre: RPG | Cero: ---- | Creators: Director Tetsuya Nomura, Producer Hironori Okayama]

GO ALONG STRENGTHENING YOUR KEYBLADE AND MEDALS

As mentioned, battles are fought using the medals you have set to your Keyblade. Medals have set statuses such as rare abilities, type affinities, cost, abilities, and skills, and you can raise their rarity by putting special medals into them after maximising their levels through synthesis. You should nurture your favourite medals and use them for a long time.

> Raise the rarity of a medal and the properties will change, of course, and its appearance may also change.

> The level of a medal can be raised by synthesising it with other medals. Munny (money) is also necessary for synthesis and evolution.

NURTURE MEDALS WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR INDIVIDUALITY

KEYBLADES ALSO CHANGE APPEARANCE WHEN STRENGTHENED

> Strengthen your Keyblade with the materials obtained as rewards from quests. Pass certain levels to unlock more slots to put your medals in.

EXHILARATING BATTLES WITH SIMPLE CONTROLS

> In battles, tap to perform a single attack with the Keyblade, and flick to execute an area attack. You can also utilise strong abilities held by medals.

QUESTS YOU CAN PLAY SMOOTHLY AND QUICKLY

Progress through the game by clearing quests. Each quest is cleared by defeating a set target enemy. They all only take a short amount of time to do, and being able to pick it up and play in any small moment of free time is nice. Also, each quest has three set challenges, and if you fulfil them you will receive a reward. This is something extra to enjoy that extends playability.

> Your avatar moves to where you touch on the screen. When your avatar touches a glowing point, you can get material items that correspond to the place.

EXPLORE EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF THE STAGE

> Choose the quest you want to try from from the lineup at the bottom of the screen. You can see the content of the challenges and the affinities of the target enemy, so you should prepare accordingly each time.

CLEAR TO GET REWARDS!

> You will receive the challenge rewards when you clear the quest. You may also obtain titles.

MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH QUESTS AND RAID BOSSES APPEAR

> Raid Bosses appear suddenly and interrupt your progression through the quest. You won't be able to continue the quest until it is defeated or until it disappears after a certain amount of time!

> There are many merits in defeating them. Work together with your party members and aim to defeat it!

[impressions you didn't ask for: smooth and stress-free! | What surprised me during my play was the overall smoothness, you don't even feel load times. The battles are turn-based with an eye on action, and there's also an element of strategising in deliberately arranging attacks to aim for 'one turn finishes' where you defeat the enemy in one turn. HP fully regenerates after each battle, so you don't have to bother with healing. It's very well thought out!]