It's not the Power of Waking, it's the actual Time Travel.
I'm going to be pedantic and point out that it actually doesn't matter. Both are vague, unreliable plot devices that Nomura has deliberately avoiding committing to any kind of legible explanation or hard rule structure. That's KH for you, it's par for the course with this series. The real problem, again, is that this isn't going to materially move the needle in terms of providing characters with a sense of presence and relevance that is already absent from the existing, core narrative. It's smoke and mirrors.
No, that's a "not enough time" thing.
Feels more like a "writing is hard" thing.
They pretty clearly already have a plan for what they are, it's the exact sort of thing they did with Xigbar alluding to BbS in 2.
You're missing the point. Xigbar had one throwaway line referencing "other wielders" in KH2, so not only was less time spent on it, but it also wasn't his entire reason for being present in that title. He had a role to play in KH2 that progressed the storyline of KH2; Larxene and Marluxia don't progress anything in KH3. They don't even effectively meddle in the Disney worlds. Luxord chases a box that might as well not exist because it ultimately has zero bearing on the events of KH3. Demyx really goes for broke and does exactly one superficially plot-relevant thing and then is never heard from again.
But there's not enough time to give Namine a story arc.
The box isn't even the main focus, it's gathering the seven lights and meeting for the war. Honestly I feel like some of DDD's events and plots would have been part of this game had vs13 gone as planned originally.
KH3 doesn't have a main focus, it has various undirected story threads that lead in circles, having either no resolution or resolutions which are completed with checklist expediency, reserving only the barest hints of emotionality from previous and better games. Nomura carved out the material from DDD because he apparently believed a plot with 1 1/2 Acts and a paucity of character interaction was too much to handle in combination with a title that offers basically those same stunning points of strength. His explanation, not mine.
I meant it was a world that was actually meshed well with the plot and wasn't a very badly done retread of a film that the gang barely participated in or not at all.
Again, proving my point.
Kairi has the benefit of being a main character
Coulda fooled me.
To get the overall game done, sure. They clearly didn't have enough time to do everything they wanted though.
This isn't a time issue. Nomura has made it clear the FF characters were cut because he felt they were no longer relevant to the KH brand. Not even that they weren't relevant to the story, just that they didn't capture a unique enough market because now FF is in everything unlike Disney haha oh wait.
I don't think they would have been relevant enough to warrant an entire act in the first place though. They really don't have a lot of relation to this plotline like they did in 1, nor is there a reason for their home to be in danger like in 2.
The more natural storyline is the one in which they are made relevant through decent writing and direction. I know that Nomura chose not to make the obvious, logical choice here. We all do. That's the critique.
The other ones weren't as affected by Disney as this one though. I still hold to it that if Vs13 had gone as planned, we wouldn't have had all the plot saved for 3 spread out across DDD, 0.2, and 3. Re:Coded was a perfect interquel that wouldn't have had 3 require as much plot knowledge or build up like CoM did.
That's probably a feasible theory, but KH3's issues run deeper than a glorified tutorial and a bottom-tier filler arc can cover. That's why this DLC won't do the trick, either. It'll throw in a few extra fireworks and service the fan craving for a skirmish with Sephiroth (keepin' that sweet dream alive) while leaving all the meat for Luxbar and not!Noctis to chew on. Sora's already warned Kairi about getting in the way of the main plot before, I'm sure he won't hesitate to do so again here.
I do think it's funny that SE's MO for handling leaks is to issue total radio silence (even when it's their own internal bungling that led to it). This really is a callback to KH3's pre-release marketing.