Card

Cards (カード, Kādo) are the main gameplay feature in Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. They are used in battle to attack enemies or provide positive effects to Xehanort.

Mechanics

Cards come in six different colors: Light Red, Light Green, Light Blue, Dark Red, Dark Green, and Dark Blue. Five different Cards of each color are placed in the deck. Players can use Cards by tapping or swiping them on the screen. Five Cards appear on the screen at a time, with the used Cards replaced with new ones until the deck is empty. To play the Cards, three Cards need to be selected.

Abilities

All Cards have abilities (アビリティ, Abiriti) which determine the strength and effect of the Card. Each ability has an element and power stat. Only the ability of the first Card selected will activate. If the other two Cards played have the same color, the power of the first Cards is multiplied. If one of the two Cards is the same color, the first Card's power gets multiplied by x1.1, if all three Cards are the same color, the first Card's power gets multiplied by x2.0. When playing Cards, Light and Dark colors are counted as the same color, so playing a Light Green Card and two Dark Green Cards gives a x2.0 multiplier.

Cards have one of three types: Physical, Magic, or Support. Physical Cards deal damage relative to Xehanort's Strength stat, Magic Cards deal damage relative to Xehanort's Magic stat, and Support Cards have supportive effects.

Sub-Abilities

Some Cards also have a sub-ability (サブアビリティ, Sabu Abiriti). Sub-abilities are activated when a Card is played as the second or third Card. Sub-abilities do not deal damage, but provide supportive effects.

Reloading Cards

When all Cards from the deck are played, the reload timer (リロードタイム, Rirōdo Taimu, lit. "Reload Time") appears. Once the timer is full, the Cards are reloaded. Tapping the reload timer speeds up the process.

Bonus Time

When playing Cards, a yellow gauge behind the Cards slowly fills. When the gauge is filled, bonus time (ボーナスタイム, Bōnasu Taimu) activated. During bonus time, any combination of Cards gives a x2.0 multiplier. During bonus time, the gauge empties again, and bonus time ends when it is completely empty.

Duplicate Cards

When two copies of the same Card are obtained, they will merge and increase in power. The power stat of the ability will increase, and a +1 will be displayed at the bottom left of the Card. Merging Cards can go up to +10. ANy duplicate Cards obtained after will be exchanged for either BP or Shop Points.