DDD is originally a 3DS game released in 2012 that follows Sora and Riku's adventures right after the events of KH2. It is a lore-heavy setup for KH3, but this is KH, nothing is ever simple and clean in this franchise...
Sora and Riku are taking a test to prove themselves worthy of the title of Keyblade Master. They need to awaken 7 sleeping keyholes to pass it. Unfortunately the test was rigged in the get-go and Sora is constantly stalked and harassed by the antagonists which culminates in him getting put under multiple layers of sleep, so to 'prepare' him as one of Xehanort's (the big bad) vessels. Riku, on the other hand, goes on an impromptu journey of self-discovery and acceptance before swooping in to wake Sora from his deep slumber. In the end, Riku was the only one named Master, which is bullshit in my opinion, give my baby boy Sora some recognition!
Yeah, this whole game is essentially a sleeping beauty story. It took me too long to realize but it's so genius it hurts my brain to comprehend Nomura's vision. This is a meta soriku parallel - Sora as the sleeping beauty and Riku as the prince that awakens him. A classic Disney romance.
Why can't Sora and Riku progress at the same time? Gameplay integration aside, it's foreshadowing: Riku subconsciously became Sora's dream eater - a spirit (beings that consume nightmares) when he sensed something was wrong with the test, so he only 'works' when Sora is sleeping, and rests when Sora is awake. Regardless of interpretation, isn't this love? To unknowingly transform into an entirely new being, change oneself permanently with no qualms just to protect and save someone? This isn't the first time either; Riku took on Ansem SOD's form to win a fight against a 1-year-old (Roxas) for Sora's sake, and continued to antagonize said 1-year-old in the digital world (lol).
In the penultimate world - Symphony of Sorcery - their heart songs combine to become fucking Dearly Beloved. The main theme of the entire series. DEARLY BELOVED THE FUCKING MAIN THEME. And the mouse, THE MICKEY FUCKING MOUSE says this and I quote: "Your hearts are always in tune, so they're free to sing." I'm- huh? What? Is this not straight up romantic? Is there any other possible interpretation?
Riku's 'impromptu journey of self-discovery and acceptance also implies A LOT. Much of it can be read as him dealing with his inner darkness, but others are less ambiguous as to what it's referring to, case in point:
Quasimodo speaks of hiding away from the world and building walls around his heart, and Riku says the advice he gives are from personal experience. The other NPCs note on how he must have things he keeps locked in his heart still, at least until he has them figured out. Is Riku referring to the darkness... or something else? It shouldn't be about the darkness because everyone and their mother knows about what transpired in KH1, unless... he's referring to yet-to-be revealed motivations for that fateful night on the islands? Like maybe... his possible feelings for a certain best friend that led to jealousy? Or being a closeted gay? Hmmm...
Riku is not only designated gay by the mouse (see Symphony of Sorcery above), his gay ass was also kinna clocked immediately by Shibuya's own gay jesus Joshua from TWEWY. Mention Sora in Riku's presence and "now I've got your attention."
And the mechanic that solidifies DDD as an OTP masterpiece is none other than... the Combined Keyblade, aka the Gayblade™. It doesn't have an official name, and the two keyblades that combine into it do not have official names either, other than the names of the reality shifts that trigger it (Nightmare's End and Mirage Split, both references to waking up from dreams). But the keychain of the Gayblade™? It's a paopu fruit, a fruit depicted with romantic connotations throughout the series, dangling from its hilt. A FRUIT WITH ROMANTIC CONNOTATIONS AS THE KEYCHAIN OF AN AGGREGATE KEYBLADE BETWEEN SORA AND RIKU. Nomura you sonovabi-
Anyways. I am not normal about DDD.
Movement and battles are fun, but most bosses are 'I may be stupid' moments for me because I keep dying to attacks that should be easy to dodge or block. 4 years of FFXIV and I still cannot read attack telegraphs damn... And I also hurt my right wrist doing Ansem SOD's first phase, which apparently is the easiest part of the fight. People were also not kidding when they say Zero Graviza + Thundara combo is deadly because I went from level 37 to 45 in less than an hour doing nothing but casting these two spells on the same enemy spawn. Flowmotion also makes for really good platforming puzzles for treasure hunting and finding the little nooks and crannies of the maps.
All and all an enjoyable gaming experience, if I was more precise and consistent with my button presses I think I'd enjoy the combat more. It's also the first time I unlocked anything extra out of a game just by playing normally? Managed to get the secret ending on my first standard run so that's something...
As for what this entails for the future... #sorikuendgameactually truthers believe that the ship would be actually confirmed at the end of the series, not necessarily in KH4. We are at least going to see more development in their relationship. Again, the series' main focus are the connections between hearts, and Sora has a lot to learn about these familial, platonic, and possibly romantic bonds, so his relationship with Riku and Kairi will be addressed in some manner.
Me personally? I'm jaded by the world so I don't count on soriku getting explicitly confirmed at all, and the most I'm expecting is something ambiguous enough to be read both ways. Worst-case scenario it's a bait-and-switch, which can happen given Disney's track record (and current events in the states).
But ask yourself this for any queer pairing: if you change one of the characters to be cishet, would their interactions be read as romantic? For soriku, it certainly does, especially on Riku's part, and that's telling.
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