Gameplay
Cards are arguably one of the most well-known taboos within the Kingdom Hearts community. Although the card-based system from Chain of Memories was intuitive and strategic, many players found difficulty and frustration at the reliance on values and sleights. It's no surprise that when KHx was unveiled and the the word "card" came up through the impressions, the first move taken was almost an automatic step back in caution. That, however, isn't necessary.
How to Play
As per the series norm, Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] tasks the player with traversing through various Disney worlds and defeating Heartless. Upon starting the game, players are able to choose one of five factions (Anguis, Ursus, Leopardus, Vulpes, Unicornis) to fight for in the battle for the Light, otherwise known as "Lux." Lux can be obtained by defeating Heartless that you encounter throughout your journey, and taking down a Raid Boss will net you a tremendous amount, giving your team a significant advantage.
Every night, the Lux will be tallied in order to determine the winning team, who will receive a great reward, including Moogle Room tickets to exchange for powerful card packs. Give it your all, and don't let your teammates down!
Worlds
The player is controlled via the mouse. You can also hold down the left mouse button to direct your avatar torwards its destination, or just select the location and your avatar will dash towards it. You can also select various objects and enemies to obtain items, open chests and initiate combat. Health wil recover automatically after each battle.
While the game is free to play on PC browsers, players will also have the option to purchase additional bonus items, like those that can be found through treasure chests, to use in-game. These include potions, which recover AP, and ethers, which recover BP, although you can simply wait for these points to recharge on their own.
Performing actions in the world will cost a preset amount of AP, or "Attack Points", which will regenerate over time. The cost of each action varies depending on the target. Attacking smaller enemies, such as Shadows, as well as collecting materials lying around on the ground will cost less than opening treasure chests and striking down larger Heartless. It's worth noting that enemies will not attack you unless you make the first move. Enemies not only give out Lux upon defeat, but also experience for leveling up, munny, cards as well as materials to strengthen your Keyblade.
Leveling up will replenish your health, AP and BP, as well as grant new objectives for you to accomplish whilst on your journey, such as defeating X number of Heartless or collecting X materials. You'll receive a wide range of prizes from potions and ethers that restock your points, to Moogle Shop tickets to exchange for high level card packs.
Card Synthesis
Now, here comes everyone's favorite tools of the trade, the cards. Cards can be acquired through various means such as defeating Heartless, searching in treasure chests, and exchanging tickets in the Moogle Shop. Then, by selecting a base card, you can fuse others to it to increase its strength. Of course doing so will also require a small munny fee; nothing too extreme for the strong Keyblade wielders such as yourself.
There are no restrictions with what cards you can fuse together. Synthesizing those of the same type (such as blue for Magic, as depicted in the image) will allow the corresponding levels to rise quickly. Doing so with multiples of the same card will raise the card's overall level at an significant rate.
Deck Formation
The player can construct a small deck to use in battle, which can be built easily either manually or by using the "Auto-form" option. Every turn in battle, three cards from your deck will be available for use, similar to that of the sleights from Chain of Memories. However, these three will be randomly chosen; you will not have the option to select them beforehand, and the rate at which a battle progresses becomes unpredictable.
Overall, decks are comprised of two types of cards: Attack and Assist. Attack cards are assigned only one ability and set at a fixed level of attack and defense; these can be obtained in battle and through the Moogle Shop. Assist cards are crucial to determine the rewards you will receive in battle and can be found via treasure chests.
Keyblade Strengthening
Throughout the course of your adventure, you'll collect various materials and components that you can use in order to strengthen your Keyblade. A higher quantity and variety will be required with each upgrade and Keyblade, so be sure to collect as many as you can find! As depicted in the image, if your card and Keyblade type matches, the effects will be increased accordingly.
Additionally, the default Keyblade you begin the game with is called "Starlight" (depicted in the image above). These Keyblades are man-made, created in imitation of the legendary χ-blade that exists alongside Kingdom Hearts itself.
