How To Be a Princess in Kingdom Hearts Union X

Kingdom Hearts Union X [cross] is a cell phone game that was originally released in America under the name Kingdom Hearts Unchained. It allows you to create a custom avatar and travel through the Disney movies to become a keyblade master. Even though it takes place within the canon Kingdom Hearts universe, it has many distinctive differences from the other games. First, this game is completely free to anyone who has a smart phone. There are certain bonuses that you can spend real money on, but it is absolutely possible to master the game without spending anything. Also, instead of playing as one of the main heroes from the Kingdom Hearts universe, you can essentially be anyone you want. You can name your character, decide if you want them to be male or female, choose a face and skin tone, and unlock tons of hairstyles, costumes, accessories, and descriptive titles throughout the game. Since I had so many options, I did everything I could to make my character as princess-like as possible.


The easiest step to being a princess in Kingdom Hearts Union X is to choose a princess name. It's best to pick one that's well-known so that other party members will get the reference right away. I named my character Ariel after my favorite Disney Princess. There are tons of descriptive titles you can unlock for your character that could apply to a princess such as "Darling," "Cherished," "Beloved," etc. There is also a "Princess" title, but according to my research, you need to log in for eight days in a row in order to unlock it, and I have only been playing for seven. I already unlocked "Prince," "Queen," "Queenly," and "Monarch." It just goes to show that you can become the most powerful player, but a true princess must also master the art of patience. Another great way to be a princess is by unlocking different "Avatar Boards" for your character that contain costume sets and hairstyles by spending "Avatar Coins" that you receive by playing the game often and leveling up. My favorite hairstyle that I've unlocked is called "Formal." It shows up as a high ponytail with large curls spiraling out all around it and small specks of stardust sprinkled inside them.


The first princess Avatar Board you can unlock by leveling up is called "Arabian Amythest." It resembles the purple outfit that Princess Jasmine wore at the very end of Aladdin. In the above image, I replaced her jeweled headband with a more eye-catching crown from a Queen of Hearts costume that is currently being promoted for purchase through in-game jewel currency, which is earned by playing the game a lot. Right now, all of the Avatar Boards that you can purchase with jewels are from Alice in Wonderland, including two versions of Alice's dress, a playing card, and a Mad Hatter costume. It looks like the game rotates its premium Disney character costumes every two weeks or so, as they cannot be earned just by leveling up. I've found a list of them here. It appears that in addition to Alice, Avatar Boards for Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Moana, Megara, Minnie Mouse, Kairi, and alternate versions of Jasmine have been available at some point in the past, so it's certainly possible to play the game looking like a real Disney Princess if you keep an eye on the Avatar Board rotations. I can't wait for the Ariel one to become available again! In the mean time, there are a few other dresses that you can unlock by leveling up, such as Japanese kimono and a Gothic Lolita-style demon dress..


Another thing that made me feel like a princess in Kingdom Hearts Union X was my charater becoming friends with all the Disney Princesses. In the first Kingdom Hearts game, most of the Princesses of Heart get kidnapped before Sora has a chance to meet them. When he finally does, they are all separated from their worlds and are too busy trying to use their light to prevent the world from being taken over by darkness to talk much. In this game, you stand alongside them throughout their stories and step forth to fight anything that gets in their way. There are some things about the timeline that don't make sense because this game is supposed to be a prequel to when these stories took place, but that's explained later when you meet a character called Ephemer who tells you that all of Disney worlds are just projections. It's also kind of weird that no one ever questions how you got into Cinderella's chateau, the Beast's Castle or other private residences without an invitation, but it's fun to imagine without having to work out all the details. Five of the six worlds in the app belong to official Princesses of Heart--Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland), Dwarf Woodlands (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Beast's Castle (Beauty and the Beast), Agrabah (Aladdin), Castle of Dreams (Cinderella) and Enchanted Dominion (Sleeping Beauty). The sixth world is the Olympus Coliseum from Hercules.




Most of the dialogue in the Disney worlds are lifted directly out of the movies, unlike in the other Kingdom Hearts games, where the characters say things that relate more to Sora and the Heartless. It's a lot of fun being able to play as someone who can step into Disney movies without getting in the way. The game makes it clear that your character is only there to fight monsters and not interfere with the story. For instance, when Aladdin releases the Genie and your character introduces herself, he says he's only talking to the guy with the lamp. I did get a kick out of the part where the Grand Duke from Cinderella asked my character to try on the glass slipper but changed his mind when she took too long to take off her shoes. She looked just as eager to try it on as I would have been. Your lack of direct interaction with the Disney movies results in your charater becoming lonely, which plays into the game's main subplot of becoming friends with Ephemer and wanting to protect the other keyblade wielders. Unfortunately, the American version of the game cut a lot of the dialgoue revolving around Keyblade War and reduced it to a short flashback sequence, but you can get a terrific abridged version of the story from Everglow's YouTube channel.

Even though I still need to wait another day to earn my "Princess" title, Kingdom Hearts Union X made me feel like a real Disney Princess by giving me the opportunity to create a custom character and play dress-up in the worlds of some of my favorite characters. I recommend this game to anyone who has a smart phone and loves princesses. Be careful though! It can become very addictive. There are over 700 story quests available so far, and I completed them in a matter of days. The game lets you skip over quests that don't have cutscenes, which is very helpful if you're only playing for the story. It's easy to win the battles and doesn't require much strategy, especially if you use your jewels to purchase some powerful medals at the in-game shop. If you're wondering which union to join, the Vulpes are led by Lady Ava, who is by far the most princess-like union leader in the game. Her backstory, along with the others, was revealed in the Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover cutscenes, which you can also find on YouTube.

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