Editing Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

'''''Kingdom Hearts Dark Road''''' is the twelfth game set in the ''{{c|Kingdom Hearts|series}}'' series. It was released on iOS, Android, and Amazon smartphone devices on June 22, 2020 globally, as part of ''[[Kingdom Hearts Union χ]]'s'' second rebranding. Now titled '''''Kingdom Hearts Union χ Dark Road''''', the app makes both games available for play. The fully completed offline version of the game was released on August 26, 2022. As of August 2024, the game has been delisted from all app stores.

The game was first hinted by series creator {{w|Tetsuya Nomura}} on January 22, 2020 in a Q&A, to celebrate the release of ''[[Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind]]''. He stated that it would be announced by the ''[[Kingdom Hearts Union χ]]'' team the following day.<ref>[https://twitter.com/_kingdomhearts/status/1219954323951517696?s=21 ''@_KINGDOMHEARTS'']</ref><ref>'''Tetsuya Nomura''': "We still need some time with regards to main line Kingdom Hearts, but first up the KH UX team will have a surprising announcement tomorrow." [https://www.khinsider.com/news/Nomura-discusses-Kingdom-Hearts-3-Re-Mind-new-teams-and-future-projects-in-Twitter-Q-A-16466 Translation via Goldpanner]</ref> On January 22, 2020, the ''Kingdom Hearts Union χ'' twitter posted a sketch artwork depicting a young Xehanort and Eraqus, along with other, blurred-out characters.<ref>[https://twitter.com/kh_ux_na/status/1219952888874594304 ''@kh_ux_na'': "Stay tuned for an important announcement tomorrow at 5pm PT!"]</ref>

On May 18, 2020, amid the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}, Square Enix announced that the game's development would be delayed.<ref>[https://twitter.com/kh_dr_na/status/1262578807300673536 ''@kh_dr_na'': "Due to current conditions, development for KINGDOM HEARTS DARK ROAD has been delayed."]</ref>

On June 22, 2020, The ''Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]'' app was rebranded as '''''Kingdom Hearts Union χ Dark Road''''', which contains both ''Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]'' and ''Kingdom Hearts Dark Road''.<ref>[https://www.dualshockers.com/kingdom-hearts-dark-road-mobile-xehanort-union-x/ '''''dualshockers''''': Kingdom Hearts Dark Road Details, Screenshots Released]</ref>

On May 30, 2021, the app's servers were shut down and the game was no longer playable, leaving the plot of ''Dark Road'' incomplete. However, Square Enix assured that the offline version of the game would be released with the finished storyline at a later date.

On September 29, 2022, the app received its 5.0.1 update. Along with some minor bug fixes, this update slightly altered some cutscenes. Most notably:

* Xehanort is no longer referred to as the "great-great-grandson" of a Keyblade wielder in "[[Child of Destiny]]" (only "share[s] a bloodline").

* All of {{c|Player|khx}}'s appearances have been reworked to keep their appearance and gender ambiguous.

* Multiple instances of vague dialogue have been replaced with explicit references to a "child of destiny".

* Xehanort attempts save the main antagonist before deciding to slay them, as opposed to immediately deciding to slay them.

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<!-- Base -9 years -->Living quietly on [[Destiny Islands]], child [[Xehanort]] and his blue-hooded mentor rest at a bonfire on the beach. The mentor believes Xehanort to be the "child of destiny", who is said to come from the Destiny Islands and able to feel what is in the hearts of others, combine hearts with another to become one, and save the world from darkness. The mentor's belief is affirmed by Xehanort's dreams, which accurately represent the mentor's previous life as {{c|Player|khx}}, and by Xehanort's shared bloodline with [[Ephemer]]. As the years pass and Xehanort grows into a young man, his mentor eventually passes away.

 

<!-- Base time period (+0) -->Two years after his arrival in Scala ad Caelum, Xehanort, now a Keyblade wielder, and his classmates [[Eraqus]], [[Urd]], [[Bragi]], [[Vor]], and [[Hermod]] are told by their master [[Odin]] that seven upper classmen - [[Heimdall]], [[Helgi]], [[Hoder]], [[Sigrun]], [[Vala]], [[Vali]], and [[Vidar]] - have gone missing while training for their [[Mark of Mastery exam]]. However, fellow lower classman [[Baldr]] has been assigned a different task, and has not been informed that his older sister Hoder is missing. While the lower classmen are far from ready, Odin tasks the youths with finding the missing seven by scouring the many worlds.

They next go to [[Wonderland]], where they find the world has some inhabitants, including the [[Queen of Hearts]], who appears to have darkness in her heart. After experiencing the Queen's darkness, Xehanort and Eraqus begin to deduce their own theories about the nature of darkness, and suspect the upper classmen were consumed by darkness themselves. Xehanort and Eraqus simultaneously recall a statement from [[Brain]] that darkness can hide within people, and they wonder if they could fight a being whose darkness was so deep-rooted that it was unaware of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Olympus Coliseum, [[Hades]] assists the lower classmen in reaching the Underworld, but splits them into two groups. Xehanort, Eraqus, and Bragi request to talk to Hoder, even though she died in a different world. Hades complies, with the stipulation that one of the lower classmen must stay in the Underworld as his pawn. Hades finds Hoder along with a group of others, and directs Xehanort's group on where to find them. On the way, the group is obstructed by [[Cerberus]], but Baldr appears and suggests that Xehanort and Eraqus go on while he and Bragi fight the beast. Xehanort agrees and runs with Eraqus past it, where they find Urd and Hermod just regaining consciousness. The latter two go to help Baldr and Bragi, while Xehanort and Eraqus continue down the path, where they find Hoder alongside Heimdall, Helgi, and Sigrun.

The upper classmen had been investigating Enchanted Dominion, but determined that they could not offer help to [[Aurora]], as doing so would upset the world's order. Despite this, Hoder split off from the group in the night to fight Maleficent alone. Heimdall, Helgi, and Sigrun went to investigate, only to find Hoder just as she faded away. The three faced Maleficent to avenge their fallen friend, but were slain themselves, and their hearts went to the Final World. Heimdall suggests that light and darkness are a matter of perception, and are born of conflicting beliefs - he wonders if finding a middle ground would be better than maintaining a divide between light and darkness, but Xehanort and Eraqus disagree with this advice. The upper classmen start to vanish, and Hoder asks Xehanort for a favor.

Xehanort and Eraqus return to where Cerberus was, and discover Urd alone while Hermod searches for Baldr and Bragi. Hades suggests that one of them will be staying in the Underworld, but Urd rejects the deal and starts a fight with Hades. Hermod arrives to aid his friends, leading Hades to get angrier and ready a strong attack, but a dark portal suddenly appears and pulls the four lower classmen into a corridor of darkness before he can use it. Hades is stunned by the development, and sees a familiar entity nearby.

Inside the corridor of darkness, Xehanort locates Eraqus, and the two quickly put on their [[Keyblade Armor]] to buy time while they search for a way out. Urd and Hermod do the same, but Hermod is overwhelmed by the darkness and collapses. Urd recognizes a shadowy figure as a friend, but it then kills both her and Hermod. Eraqus and Xehanort collapse in a similar manner, but Odin arrives, and his light prevents the shadowy figure from finishing them off. With the [[Master's Defender]] Keyblade in hand, Odin opens a portal leading out of the corridor.

After Xehanort and Eraqus have recovered, Odin confirms that they are the only ones who came back. Odin is surprised to hear that Baldr met with the lower classmen, but before he can elaborate, Scala ad Caelum comes under attack. Odin summons the [[No Name]] Keyblade from its display overhead, and leaves the room to evacuate other students. Xehanort reasons with Eraqus that the attacker is likely Baldr, overtaken by darkness at the loss of his sister, and that Baldr likely killed Bragi. Eraqus and Xehanort run outside, where they witness conflicts across the city. Vidar, Vala, and Vali arrive through a portal, and Eraqus immediately lashes out at them for not protecting Hoder. Eraqus calms down after a battle, at which point the group is approached by Baldr, hovering and shrouded in darkness. Xehanort feels Baldr's pain sharply in his heart, confirming his suspicions of where Baldr's darkness originated. Baldr ridicules the group for failing to gather the seven lights, and Eraqus declares that he will save Baldr, only for the darkness to tell him it is too late. Vidar raises his Keybalde to fight, but Baldr quickly leaves for the tower to pursue Vor.

Baldr approaches an unsuspecting Vor and recounts his descent into the darkness: over seven days, his grief turned to self-blame, and eventually anger. A growing darkness goaded him to purge the world by plunging the thirteen lights into shadow. Baldr reveals his darkness to Vor, explaining that this darkness killed Hoder, and once it had taken Baldr's body, killed Heimdall, Helgi, Sigrun, Urd, Hermod, and Bragi. Vor raises her Keyblade to fight Baldr and is quickly overwhelmed, but Vidar, Vala, and Vali come to her aid. Xehanort and Eraqus reach the room to find the group locked in combat, but Baldr summons a massive Heartless that kills the three upper classmen in one slash. Xehanort and Eraqus fend off the Heartless while Vor attempts to strike Baldr, but he pierces her with darkness, taking her life. Baldr taunts the two survivors and escapes to the roof, deeming it more worthy for the occasion.

On the roof, Baldr explains that thirteen lights must be given to the shadows to summon Kingdom Hearts - his ultimate goal, as the world would be reborn in darkness. His initial plan was to kill Hoder, goading Vidar to seek revenge, then Heimdall, Sigrun, and Helgi as additional incentive. When Vidar would find out he had to kill Baldr, he would be unable to do so, and turn to gathering the seven lights to summon Kingdom Hearts instead. However, Vidar eventually abandoned that goal, so Baldr appeared before the lower classmen to slay them, summoning Kingdom Hearts with the thirteen darknesses instead.

Baldr takes the form of the giant Heartless, and battles Xehanort and Eraqus until both sides are exhausted. Eraqus deflects a finishing strike from Baldr, knocking them both down, and tells Xehanort to purge the darkness in Baldr's heart. Xehanort begins to gather energy in his Keyblade to do so, but stops and raises his Keybalde to end Baldr's life instead, to Eraqus' protest. Baldr takes advantage of Xehanort's hesitation, and shrouds the area in darkness to speak with him. Baldr's darkness asserts that it is neither an ancient darkness, nor born from Baldr's heart - instead, it was born from the darkness of the people Baldr met. Suddenly, Hoder's spirit appears from Xehanort's heart, and attempts to speak to Baldr. Baldr's serious composure is broken, and he frantically explains that he could feel what was in others' hearts for most of his life. He felt only light from Hoder and Eraqus, but felt darkness in most of the other people he met. That darkness frightened him, but slowly gathered in his heart and began to become his own. He felt safe with Hoder due to her pure light, but once she was gone, he fell further into his own darkness and finally submitted to it. Baldr asserts that there are two kinds of people: those with pure light in their hearts, untainted - and those with darkness, among whom that darkness would grow. Hoder and Baldr reach out to one another, but both suddenly summon their Keyblades, still distrusting one another. Baldr's darkness seizes control of his body and attempts to strike, but is suddenly held in place by glowing chains. The darkness shrouding the area is dispelled, and the chains are shown to come from Odin's No Name Keyblade.

Odin commands Xehanort to rid Baldr of the darkness, but Baldr can still fight - he clashes Keyblades with Hoder, knocking them both down and causing Hoder to fade away. Baldr remarks that he sees himself in Xehanort, and requests that he understand his cause: that those with pure light will coldly condemn those who have darkness, and that Xehanort must seek answers to the darkness and the unjust ways of the world. Xehanort points his Keyblade at Baldr, as if to purge his darkness, but swiftly changes his mind and kills Baldr instead. Baldr fades away, and Odin laments the loss of another one of his students.

One month later, Xehanort places flowers on eleven graves, naming his fellow lower classmen as he does so. Eraqus arrives soon after with his own flowers, and does the same. Xehanort asks about Odin, who has grown glum over recent events, but wishes for Xehanort and Eraqus to take the Mark of Mastery exam as his final students. Afterwards, Odin wishes to have them replace him, and then retire to a world other than Scala ad Caelum. Eraqus suggests playing a game of chess to lighten the mood, and the duo leave the graveyard together.

Shortly afterwards, [[Luxu]] arrives in the graveyard, disappointed that he has not found a "chosen one", though optimistic that Xehanort may be useful. He recalls an interaction between Bragi and Baldr in the Underworld: Baldr threatens Bragi's life, though Bragi remains nonchalant, countering that returning without him would confirm Xehanort's suspicions. He also ponders aloud about how taking Baldr's body would be inconvenient for keeping a low profile. Baldr attacks but is outmatched, and Bragi begins to walk away, conceding that he won't interfere with Baldr's plan and will simply disappear. Baldr, confused and enraged, strikes down Bragi but leaves without confirming his death. Luxu removes his hood, revealing Bragi's face, and laments how Bragi's name in the graveyard means his current identity in Scala ad Caelum has been compromised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<!-- Base +54 years -->Fifty-four years later, at the [[Land of Departure]], Xehanort and Eraqus get into a heated argument about Xehanort's interest in the [[χ-blade]] and starting another Keyblade War. Eraqus is unable to sway Xehanort with words and attempts force, but Xehanort retaliates with darkness. Eraqus's face is scarred, and he is shocked that his old friend would be taken by darkness.

<!-- Base +64 years -->Sixy-four years later, Xehanort returns to the Magic Mirror and asks if the friends in his dreams truly existed at all. The Mirror states that some of them still live, and reveals the location of [[Ventus]] at the [[Keyblade Graveyard]].

 

 

 

After dropping off Ventus, Xehanort walks along a hall and speaks to Vanitas. Vanitas is glad to be rid of Ventus, but Xehanort clarifies that bringing Ventus to Eraqus was done for Ventus's sake, not Vanitas's. The two walk together down the hall, as Xehanort recounts the whereabouts of the thirteen ancient darknesses: seven are trapped within the Lost Masters, four are trapped in the data world, and two were supposedly destroyed when the world collapsed - but one survived, disguised as Ventus. Xehanort asks if Vanitas is that ancient darkness, and if he might know where the other darknesses are, since the darknesses were all once together as a whole - but Vanitas denies Xehanort's accusations. Xehanort wonders why a darkness would need to hide, and reveals that he knows Vanitas was not born from Ventus's heart, but was an outside entity that hid within him. This finally breaks Vanitas's façade, and he asks how much Xehanort knows. Xehanort returns the question, but Vanitas is unwilling to elaborate on the matter.

During battle, players have control of only Xehanort's actions. In story quests and world battles, Eraqus is always present as a [[Party members|party member]]. The player can select any one of Bragi, Hermod, Vor, or Urd as the third party member, each one bringing a unique support style to aid in battles. Whereas battles in ''Union χ'' were turn-based with the use of medals, ''Dark Road'' instead uses a real-time combat system with cards. Players can build a deck of cards (up to 30). Subtypes include attack, magic, and support, with all three additionally divided into upright and reversed cards, and split into three colors: red, blue and green. When a battle begins, the player is given five random cards - displayed in a row on the bottom - to "flick" or "tap" three at a time. The first card determines what the action will be (i.e., a standard attack or a [[Cure]] spell) while the two subsequent cards determine the efficacy - tapping three cards of the same color doubles the damage or effectiveness of the card effect. As soon as the attack is executed, the player is immediately given three new cards.  

Those who played the online version of the app had the option to locally backup their Dark Road save data on their device, prior to the online functionality being terminated. If they did so, kept Dark Road installed, and then opened the game after the 5.00 update, they would retain any earned cards, levels, BP, story progress, and certain items from their old save data. Items that were removed from the game, such as Jewels and Draw Tickets, would not be retained.

*{{c|Darkness|character}}

*[[Luxu]]

*Unnamed blue-cloaked figure

*[[Ephemer]] {{note|Pictured}}

*[[Skuld]] {{note|Mentioned}}