Commands (コマンド, Komando^?) are a recurring game element in theKingdom Hearts series. They are the primary mechanic for actions in the field. There are two Command systems that appear in theKingdom Hearts series: the Command Menu and the Command Deck.

The Command Menu appears inKingdom Hearts,Kingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-, andKingdom Hearts III.

The Command Deck appears inKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep,Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, andKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Command Menu[edit]

The Command Menu as it appears inKingdom Hearts II when set to a generic design and/or when in theDive to the Heart

TheCommand Menu contains various options that the player can choose from. The player can browse through the menu and select commands using the D-pad, then use, ( in Japan) or (depending on the platform and the game) to execute the highlighted command.

In certain circumstances, some commands in the menu may be blanked out or disabled, either before certain functions are introduced to the player, during periods when certain abilities cannot be used, or when an ability or attack has disabled commands. Additionally, in games with theMP Charge system, commands that empty the MP Gauge and trigger MP Charge have their named colored in yellow.

In some cases, such when using specificTeam Attacks (such asTangled Twist) and Situation Commands, or during battle phase changes, the Command Menu will entirely disappear, only reappearing once the related sequence has ended.

The recurring commands that appear in the Command Menu are:

• Attack (たたかう, Tatakau^?): Allows the player to execute a basic attack combo with their equipped weapon. The Attack command is the default action for the player, as it will be highlighted automatically after executing other commands. In certain situations, Attack will be replaced by a secondary function, such as "Talk" or "Shoot".
• Magic (まほう, Mahou^?): Allows the player to select a basic magic to cast from a sub-menu. In PS2 releases ofKingdom Hearts, the Magic sub-menu includessummons.
• Items (アイテム, Aitemu^?): Allows the player to use an equipped consumable item from a sub-menu.

InKingdom Hearts II, additional commands are added to the Command Menu, along with a second page accessible by pressing on the D-pad.

• Drive (ドライヴ, Doraivu^?): Allows the player to activate aDrive Form.
• Summon (しょうかん, Shoukan^?): Allows the player to summon allies to the field.
• Party (チェンジ, Chenji^?, lit. "Change"): Allows the player to switch out members of their party.
• Limit (れんけい, Renkei^?, lit. "Combination"): Allows the player to select a Limit to initiate with one or more members of the party. InKingdom Hearts II Final Mix, it also allows the player use Limit commands while inLimit Form.

Kingdom Hearts III replaces the Limit, Drive, and Party commands with theLink Summon Command. The player is also able to switch between up to three equipped Keychains by pressing or on the D-Pad. In addition, the Magic and Link entries are automatically disabled in areas populated with NPCs, such as Port Royal's Settlement inThe Caribbean.

Several game mechanics may temporarily replace the Command Menu with other types of control options, directly mapped to input buttons. This includes boarding askateboard, usingTrinity LimitChicken Little'sFPS Mode Limit, and playing asRiku inKingdom Hearts II, as well asAttractions,Link Summons, certainTeam Attacks, boardingGigas and boardingpirate ship inKingdom Hearts III.

The Command Menu can also be impacted by enemies, whose attacks may replace some commands with disruptive effects or restrict their functionality. This includes games initiated byLuxord andGamblers inKingdom Hearts II which force the player to select a correct command to win the game, theSneeze andCloud statuses inKingdom Hearts III which scramble in damage-inducing commands, orZexion's recreated data replacing the Command Menu entirely with a different interface and different gameplay.

Context-sensitive command[edit]

The bottom-most command in the Command Menu inKingdom Hearts changes in function depending on the situation. For example, it will change to display "Open", "Save", or "Examine" when approaching aTreasure Chest,Save Point, or an object of interest, respectively. In battle, this command will also change to allow access tospecial abilities.

This command only appears in PS2 releases ofKingdom Hearts, being replaced with Reaction Commands inKingdom Hearts II. In theKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX re-release ofKingdom Hearts Final Mix, the bottom command is replaced with the "Summon" command, with Reaction Commands assuming the role of the context-sensitive command.

Context-sensitive Attack command[edit]

Main article:Attack#Special_Attacks

Main article:Attack#Other_actions

In several games, the Attack command is context-sensitive and may change its name and functionality in certain situations. This includes a variety of functions, including for instanceCounterattack inKingdom Hearts, using Limits withLimit Form inKingdom Hearts II, opening treasure chests inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and activating reprisal commands such asCounter Blast inKingdom Hearts III.

Reaction Command[edit]

Main article:Reaction Command

Reaction Commands are context-sensitive commands that can be used by pressing when the command appears above the Command Menu. The command that appears may be determined by abilities that are equipped, enemies that are being fought, or objects that are nearby.

Reaction Commands appear only inKingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and the HD re-release ofKingdom Hearts Final Mix forKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX.

Situation Command[edit]

Main article:Situation Command

Situation Commands are context-sensitive commands similar toReaction Commands, and can activate techniques such as Formchanges, Grand Magic, talking to characters, or other context-specific actions. Situation Commands appear inKingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- andKingdom Hearts III.

Unlike Reaction Commands, multiple Situation Commands can appear at a time. The player can use the currently highlighted Situation Command with, and browse through multiple commands by pressing. Many commands have a timer attached, with the command disappearing once the timer expires. Unique toKingdom Hearts III, this timer may be damaged by theTime Break status effect, reducing the duration of their availability.

Shortcuts[edit]

Certain types of commands can be set to face buttons for easy access during battle:

• Magic spells can be set as shortcuts in all games with a Command Menu.
• InKingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- andKingdom Hearts III, equipped items can also be set to shortcuts.
• In addition to the above, Link Summons can be set as shortcuts inKingdom Hearts III.

Commands set to shortcuts can be accessed by holding down the shoulder button and pressing the corresponding face buttons.

InKingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- andKingdom Hearts III, shortcuts have respectively two and three separate decks for commands to be issued to instead of one, enabling players to set up different types of decks for shortcuts, rather than constantly having to modify the same deck.

Setting Shortcuts[edit]

InKingdom Hearts,Kingdom Hearts II,Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- andKingdom Hearts III, shortcuts are set in the main menu under "Customize". All four face buttons can be used, except inKingdom Hearts.

InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, shortcuts are added by highlighting entries from the Magic or Item menus, then holding down and pressing the standard buttons of,,, or. Subsequently, the player can hold down while in the field, then press the face button corresponding to the desired command. However, if all thepanels for that command are removed during panel management, or if the current stock of a item has been used up during a mission, a new shortcut is required to be set up for that button.

Design[edit]

InKingdom Hearts, the Command Menu changes color, being blue in noncombat situations and red during fights. InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the menu always retains a silver and black appearance, with the currently selected command highlighted in red. In other games, the menu is blue outside of combat, yellow during regular fights, and red during mandatory story sections that involve enemies.

Additionally, the Command Menu inKingdom Hearts II andKingdom Hearts III has a unique design in most worlds^[1], as well as in certain areas, such as theMysterious Tower and the White Room in theOld Mansion; this can be turned off in Config settings to use a universal style similar toKingdom Hearts instead.

InKingdom Hearts II, each design also features aHidden Mickey symbol, though some require opening sub-menus or letting animations play out in order to be seen.

InKingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- andKingdom Hearts III, the top segment of the command bar separately changes design and names, mostly when usingStyle Changes andFormchanges.

InKingdom Hearts III, a small glitch occurs if the player changes the design while in the openingOlympus chapter that causes the "???" fourth slot to change to "Link", even without aHeartbinder in the inventory, though the command itself remains unusable.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

Kingdom Hearts III[edit]

Command Deck[edit]

The Command Deck as it appears inKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

See also:Deck Command (KHBBS),Command Matrix, andDeck Command (KH3D)

The Command Deck is a set of Deck Commands and actions that the player can equip for use in the field. Deck Commands can include weapon techniques, magic, or consumable items. The Command Deck is set from the main menu, where players can equip commands in its slots to use in the field and combat.

Equipping Deck Commands[edit]

The number of equippable commands in a single deck is limited by the amount of available slots. Most attack, magic, item and friendship commands (such as basic techniques likeQuick Blitz andThunder) occupy only one slot, while more advanced techniques can occupy up to three slots (such asUnion Rush). InKingdom Hearts Re:coded, the choice of equippable commands is further limited by the amount of Memory each command takes up in theCommand Matrix.

In addition, inKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, action abilities likeDodge Roll,Block, andHigh Jump are incorporated into the Deck Command system in a separate list of slots. Each slot can only accept a specific type of commands, e.g. dodging actions can only be equipped in the slot that is equipped by default with Dodge Roll.

Using Commands[edit]

In the field or in combat, the player can scroll through commands equipped in the deck by using and on the D-Pad, and execute the highlighted command with or (depending on the game and the platform). Attack, magic and friendship commands go through a cool-down period before they can be used again. By contrast, item commands store in single command slot a limited amount of the corresponding item; if they are all used in a single battle, the command cannot be used until the battle ends.

While most of these commands will cause the user to quickly drop to the ground to activate them in bothKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts Re:coded, all of them can be used in midair inKingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance.

The availability and properties of these commands (such as their reload times) can be impacted, both positively or negatively, by status effects such asHaste, Julius's unnamed status effect, orCommand Lock. Commands can also be forcefully removed in battle from the player's deck: techniques such asYoung Xehanort's Whirlwind to the Void or other players'Deck Scramble (inMirage Arena'sVersus Mode) can force the player to drop their current commands to the floor as prizes, requiring them to collect them in order to regain their access. InVersus Mode, players may even collect and then use commands that were dropped by other players.

Design[edit]

While the Command Deck does not change its design from world to world, it changes colors inKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, being blue outside of combat and yellow in fights. The deck remains blue at all times inKingdom Hearts Re:coded.

InKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts Re:coded, the top section of the Command Deck is occupied by theCommand Gauge and theClock Gauge, respectively. In the former game, this section changes its design wheneverCommand Styles orD-Links are active.

Base Command[edit]

TheBase Command (ベースコマンド, Bēsu Komando^?) is permanently mapped to a single action button, ( in Japan) forKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and forKingdom Hearts Re:coded andKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The command is displayed immediately below the Command Deck. The default Base Command isAttack, but it may change in different contexts, replacing the role of Reaction Commands.

InKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, when the Base Command is replaced by something other than Attack, it is called aSpecial Command. Cooperation attacks with party members andReprisal commands are also considered Special Commands, although some use different inputs than the ordinary Base Command button. The appropriate button is displayed on screen.

InKingdom Hearts Re:coded, a green square indicator will appear on top of targets that can be interacted with, such as Save Points, Treasure Chests, and characters with dialogue. Pressing the Base Command will activate the interaction if Data-Sora is close enough to the target.Finish commands are also activated with the Base Command.

InKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, the Base Command encompasses all of the functions of Special Commands fromKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. In addition to Attack, the Base Command can change to "Talk", "Open", "Examine", "Shop", "Save", and "Rescue". The Base Command also performs the commands related toLink Attacks,Flowmotion attack commands, and mostReprisal commands.

Sub-Menus[edit]

In certain games, additional Deck-like sub-menus are available to the player, allowing them to browse through other available techniques with a user interface similar to the standard Command Deck.

InKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the player may press on the D-Pad to access a "deck" filled withD-Links commands, and activate an enabled link from the list by selecting it with. D-Links cannot be activated if there are temporary allies in the party, and during the battles againstEraqus andTerra-Xehanort in Terra's scenario.

InKingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, two separate "decks" were added to the game to use theLink System or to switch SpiritDream Eaters party members (as a replacement for the Nintendo 3DS's dual screen system fromKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.)[?]^[2] The player can use and on the D-Pad to swap between the regular Command Deck, a "deck" for the Link System, and one more for swapping Dream Eaters in the party. These sub-menus are automatically populated by a list of the party's Spirit Dream Eaters, and their corresponding Link techniques.

In either game, the Base Command remains available to use with (or in Japan), no matter which Command Deck sub-menu is currently selected.

Shortcuts[edit]

In all games with a Command Deck, one attack, magic or friendship command can be set as a shortcut. InKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep,Kingdom Hearts Re:coded andKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, pressing on the D-Pad will immediately focus the Command Deck on the shortcut command, allowing the player to execute it immediately with or. InKingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, this shortcut is available instead by pressing.

Additionally, inKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, switching active Dream Eaters or using the Link System is also possible through separate shortcut controls. Similar to games with a Command Menu, the player can hold both shoulder buttons simultaneously (on the 3DS) or (inKingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD) to open either shortcuts for switching Dream Eaters, or shortcuts to activateLink Attacks orLink Styles corresponding to currently active Dream Eaters. The player can switch between both shortcut options with or on the D-Pad, and activate these shortcuts by pressing the corresponding face button.

Notes and references[edit]

• Game elements

• Articles with unconfirmed statements