Random Video Game Review - Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

 

A franchise that celebrates its milestone 20th anniversary.... and it is still as confusing as ever. Even III took advantage of that by making most of the heroic characters be like "don't care" or "whatever, let's fight". But seeing as many of us missed out on the spin-off games the first time round (and only get condensed cutscene versions of them nowadays), this newest game may still be a condensed version of all the games so far. But at least it's for all fans, and not just hardcore ones or those very much into action RPGs. Let't have a play:

Kairi (reprised by Alyson Stoner) retells the story of the "Dark Seeker Saga" as she ventures into a deep sleep under the observation of Ansem the Wise (reprised by Corey Burton). In her dreams, she finds herself in a dream world based on her memories of Sora (reprised by Haley Joel Osment) which she uses to figure out his whereabouts within her own heart following the events of III and Re Mind. Unlike the rest of the series, which are all action RPGs, this one is a rhythm action game that can be played alone or with others. The dream world Kairi has sent up, allows her to visit most of the worlds seen over the course of the series starting with the very first game. With each world, there are at least two songs from the series, often that world's ambience and battle themes. Some levels have just one song, but most play out the same way. Three characters and you have to press certain buttons in good timing to defeat enemies on a track as well as to pick up items and notes. Within the game are several groups of three characters to play as (i.e. Sora, Donald and Goofy in one and Roxas, Xion and Lea in another) with guest ones appearing on their respective worlds (i.e. Simba in Pride Lands and Aladdin in Agrabah). After each track is complete, you get a ranking and a certain amount of stars (usually up to three) if you complete with certain conditions met. There are also boss battle levels too and a few well-known Disney tracks as well (particularly those that have won awards).

For this to be the next KH game after III, it's different but in a good way. Its fun, not too difficult and is a more engaging recap of the series than an hours worth of cutscenes. Plus, it's great for the fans that just want to hear the story and not put too much work into playing the actual games (as confusing as the story is already). 9/10