Sora diving into La Cité des Cloches.

Dive Mode (ダイブモード, Daibu Mōdo) is a mini-game in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. When traveling to a world for the first time, Sora and Riku must complete a themed free-falling stage with a given objective, such as earning points or defeating enemies.

Mechanics

As Sora or Riku fall, the player can control their movement with the control stick, and perform an array of actions with the buttons. Enemies and other targets can be attacked once the targeting reticule appears and changes from red to yellow. The Goal Ring opens once the Dive's mission has been completed, and the Dive ends once Sora or Riku pass through the ring. The character then receives a score based on how many prizes they collected and how quickly they reached the Goal Ring, and the score is recorded in the Reports. Each course will reward the heroes with a prize once either of them clears the Dive with an "A" rank, and each character can acquire the Divewing Keychain by achieving an "A" rank in each of their Dive courses.

During a Dive, Sora and Riku's maximum HP becomes 100, and all of their normal abilities are restricted. Attacks in Dive Mode deal a fixed amount of damage.

Controls

• Diving Strike (ダイブアタック, Daibu Atakku, lit. "Dive Attack"): The character performs a charging attack that provides a short boost in speed and closes in on targeted enemies.
• Aerial Brake (エアリダクション, Ea Ridakushon, lit. "Air Reduction"): The character decelerates by spreading out their limbs.
• Dodging Deflect (リフレクトドッジ, Rifurekuto Dojji, lit. "Reflect Dodge"): The character performs a barrel roll that briefly generates a barrier around the character.
• Magic: The character casts an offensive spell, either Mega Flare (メガフレア, Mega Furea) or Laser Spin (レーザースピン, Rēzā Supin), if they have picked up the appropriate magic prize.

List of Dives

Special Dives

Chernabog battle

Near the end of Riku's story in Symphony of Sorcery, he is brought to Bald Mountain by Young Xehanort, where he battles Chernabog. Although the field of battle is horizontal, rather than vertical, it uses the same mechanics as Dive Mode. Riku must reach and attack Chernabog three times, while dodging fireballs, columns of flame, and evil spirits.

Dive to the Heart

Goal

Tag 30 Soras!

When Riku dives into Sora's heart, he must touch 30 of the floating phantoms of Sora in order to clear the stage. After tagging ten Sora's, dark phantoms resembling AntiSoras will start appearing and attacking with X's of energy.

After Riku clears the stage, he faces off against the Armored Ventus Nightmare on Sora's station.

Credits

For the staff credits, Sora dives down an endless shaft, through the credits themselves. Sora can touch the letters in the credits to add to his score. Touching normal letters adds 1 to the score, while touching glowing, gold letters adds 5 to the score and displays the letter on the Nintendo 3DS's lower screen.

Tagging all of the golden letters completes the phrase "Secret Message Unlocked" and unlocks the "Secret Message" in the Glossary.

See also

• Gummi Missions

• Mini-games
• Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance