Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
2012’s Dream Drop Distance was the final setup game before Kingdom Hearts III, and it manages to spin a lot of meaningful character development into weighty lore dumps, though the latter sure takes some time to show up. Unlike a lot of other spin-offs, Dream Drop Distance isn’t as reliant on old worlds, is one of the best versions of Kingdom Hearts’ combat on a handheld, and properly sets Sora on a path to personal growth in Kingdom Hearts III. It took several years for Square Enix to follow up on its world-shattering cliffhangers buried after a lot of filler, but Dream Drop Distance was a reminder that when Kingdom Hearts has intention, the team can cook. It also gave us the iconic scene of Mickey getting choked out by Xemnas. Your fave could never.
