By Steven Asarch
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Kingdom Hearts 3 combines all of the battle mechanics of the franchise's dozen or so spinoffs, creating a fluid and awe-inspiring experience. Wielding a keyblade is no longer as simple as slamming the A button a bunch of times and hoping for the best. With magic, Flowmotion and Keyblade formchanges added to the mix, it might be hard to grasp what you are actually supposed to do to win fights. Here's a breakdown of the gameplay mechanics in Kingdom Hearts 3 and how to use the fighting skills of Sora, Donald and Goofy to the best of your ability.
Basic Combat- Basic combat in Kingdom Hearts involves pressing A lot to swing your Keyblade. You can dodge by pressing X on Xbox, allowing you to maneuver yourself in battle. Lock onto enemies by tapping the right button, then let the Heartless have it. The camera can be controlled with the right stick, so try not to let it get in your way.
Flowmotion- KH3 brings back Flomotion from Dream Drop Distance . When you are near a pole that flashes white, you can tilt your L-stick into its direction when jumping to activate a Flowmotion attack. Getting the knack of this mechanic can take some time, especially on some of the later levels.
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Magic- As you level up, you'll gain access to element-based attacks. These have been a staple of Kingdom Hearts from the beginning, and KH3 doesn't change much about the established formula. You have an MP gauge that drains when using these abilities, so make sure you keep track of how much magic you spam.
Keyblade Formchanges- By attacking enemies, you'll build up a meter that allows you to transform your Keyblade into another weapon. The timer lasts for 30 seconds before you have to build up a combo again. Each keyblade has its own distinct second form, like a shield, gun or hammer. Once your weapon is in second form, you can use a finisher to deal massive amounts of damage. Some keyblades even have a third form, which can be activated by keeping combos up.
Combo Attacks- While you are fighting Heartless, you can activate certain combo attacks by pressing Y. These can be a Goofy Bombardier, a Donald meteor shower or any number of combo attacks from the allies you find on each world, like Rapunzel's Tangled Twist You can cycle through Formchanges, Attractions and these combo attacks by pressing the shoulder buttons on your controller.
Links- As you continue your journey, you'll unlock special characters to summon using the Link tab by moving down on your D-pad. Summoning a Link will use up all of your mana, but will heal you completely. The first Link you'll unlock is "Meow Wow Balloon," one of the spirit links from Dream Drop Distance.
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Attractions- When you see an enemy with a green circle around them, attack them with your Keyblade, you'll be able to activate one of these attractions by pressing triangle or Y.
- Splash Run- Summon a river raft that leaves a trail of water behind you. Once the timer runs out, you travel on the water path left behind you.
- Blaster Blaze- Ride in the "Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster" and shoot enemies with a laser you gain points. Your finisher shoots an AoE dazzler that can clear a whole horde of enemies.
- Pirate Ship- Swing back and forth by pressing the A or X button to knock enemies into the air.
- Mad Tea Cups- Summon a giant tea cup that deals damage when colliding with enemies. Definitely the weakest of the attractions, but it's finisher can clean up a crowd.
- Magic Carousel- It's a merry-go-round that deals a ton of damage. Press A when the circle of light hits the outer rim to deal as much damage as possible.
Shotlock- Holding down the right shoulder button will enter Shotlock mode, which puts the camera in Sora's first person perspective. Pointing at enemies and pressing the A or X button will unleash a swarm of attacks at your enemy. Using these attacks will drain your Focus Gauge, which comes back over time. This mechanic allows you to destroy large amounts of Heartless in a short period of time, which you can be useful when you feel overwhelmed. This mechanic comes from Birth By Sleep and is Aqua's main way to deal damage.
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