
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an action RPG developed by Square Enix Product Development Division 5, released in 2010 for the PlayStation Portable. The game centers on a Command Deck system, through which players assemble a personalized set of techniques and abilities — known as Deck Commands — that can be executed freely in combat alongside standard attacks. Landing hits and using these commands gradually fills an onscreen gauge, and meeting specific conditions triggers a Command Style that replaces the basic attack with a "Surge" command capable of chaining powerful combos. Filling the gauge a second time under the right circumstances elevates the character to a higher-tier Command Style, substituting "Surge" with the stronger "Storm" command. This layered combat structure encourages players to think carefully about deck composition and battle rhythm in order to unlock progressively more powerful offensive states.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep begins in the Land of Departure, where three Keyblade wielders and close friends—Terra, Aqua, and Ventus (more commonly known as Ven)—train to become Keyblade Masters under Master Eraqus. To achieve this rank, Keyblade Apprentices must take the Mark of Mastery exam once they come of age. Terra and Aqua take this test together and in the first round Master Xehanort sabotages the exam, forcing Ventus to intervene. In the second round Terra and Aqua fight each other, but while Aqua passes the test, Terra is deemed unfit to become a Keyblade Master due to the abundant darkness in his heart. Afterward, a group of mysterious creatures called the Unversed begin to surface in other worlds, and another Keyblade Master, Xehanort, disappears without a trace. Terra is sent to destroy the Unversed and find Master Xehanort, who had earlier encouraged him to embrace the darkness in his heart if he desires the strength to become a Keyblade master. Ven, meanwhile, is goaded into following Terra by Xehanort's mysterious apprentice Vanitas, against Eraqus's wishes. Aqua is dispatched by Eraqus to survey Terra and keep him from falling into darkness, as well as to bring Ventus back to the Land of Departure.
![Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III]](https://images.igdb.com/igdb/image/upload/t_cover_big/coc7m9.jpg)
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