SK Future: Universe of Unreality
The Soul Princes stand in an area similar to real life Shibuya, stunned. Sly comments, "It's like something out of a fantasy novel. You have allies here, Sora?" "I was stuck here for a couple years after the incident with the Kingdom. The Kingdom was very, very angry at seeing its king-you're looking at him- leave its grasp. One of my first friends here was an alternate Riku named Yozora. I helped him out with a mech war going on. I thought he was a video game character." "You're joking." "I wish I was. Sadly, I accidentally brought the Heartless here as well. Did I mention that light and darkness don't exist here?" "Interesting. Should we get going?" "I think so. I first met Yozora on top of Building 104… we should check there first." The Soul Princes look up at the skyline and almost immediately see their destination. "That was easy. Do we head right for the building, or do we explore around first?"
SKSKSK
And so we head to gameplay in the most massive open zone in the entire Soul Kingdom project. There's references to Kingdom Hearts 4 fan theories all over… such as Reaper's Game remnants, as well Kingdom Hearts video game boxes in the window of game shops. There's also new Storytime levels talking about the Power of Waking. To get some of the collectibles here, you have to… Scrap and Build, referencing the unknown entry in the command menu in the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer. There's also some nods to Marvel in this zone, such as newspapers you can see specifically being The Daily Bugle, and some human enemies using Stark Tech. Another one of my favorite references is a civilian name dropping Springfield, when talking about a chili cook off. Yes, I went there. Disney owns Fox now, so the Simpsons legally can be referenced. Specifically it's a reference to the episode The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer from Season 8. There's also references to various theories, with Landi Lodge and HMK theories being prominent… Seriously, go give those two channels a watch.
Anyway, the Soul Princes make their way to the 104 building only to find it being attacked by Heartless. "Yozora. What. Did. You. Do?" "What I had to." "Sorry, Soul Princes. I forgot to mention that Yozora's organization is anti-Keyblade…" "Sora, Riku, Kairi, you ready?" "I think Yozora's organization took our weapons while we weren't looking, but we can work with that…"
And we head to gameplay. The Universe of Unreality is supposed to not feel like any other in the game, with its combat sequences almost tower defense like thanks to the building mechanics. It's something simple, and I imagine it as similar to Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault, just a lot better quality wise. You're going around reclaiming your confiscated weapons, while making sure the central power room is protected… After that, we head into a cutscene. "I feel like that was a test… Another universe saved, another multiversal disaster averted. Are you sure you can handle clean up, Yozora?" "We're trying as best we can. Oh, and Sora, just so you know, I think we've figured out what was in the Master of Masters' black box. It's literally a black box." Bentley comments, "In airplanes, the black box contains flight data in case something goes wrong." "Right. Sora, even now, the black box is continuing to gather data on your home universe and the people within it so that the master can recreate it in a space without light or darkness. The cost? The entirety of this reality." "Point taken. Actually, now that I think about it, I should probably research if the box will only affect the Galaxy of Hearts." "What do you mean, Sora?" "I'll tell you later. Me and my friends have unfinished business back home… but we won't leave you behind. That's a promise. "Fair enough." The Soul Princes walk out of headquarters. "That went better than expected." I know right? The first time I met him, he injured me so badly that Kairi made me an "I Survived Yozora" T-shirt when I got home. I think I still have it somewhere. Remind me to check…" "Oh, we definitely will. Ready for the final battle with the Sins?" "As I'll ever be." "Remember: The journey doesn't end here." Yozora gives Sora a playful shove. "But your speech does…" "Huh. Yozora doing something fun? Now I've seen it all…"
End chapter.