Finally, die-hard Kingdom Hearts fans received the long-awaited musical love letter to their beloved series. Inspired by the musical spin-off Theatrhythm, Melody of Memory grabs your hand and happily guides you through some of the most poignant moments in the long-running Kingdom Hearts series, which now spans 14 games (yes you also include entries. minor like Re: Coded and Kingdom Hearts 0.2).
One of the best parts about this rhythm-based game is that you don’t have to be a huge Kingdom Hearts fan to come in and enjoy little tunes thanks to the plethora of iconic Disney music and gameplay. easy to learn.
However, it ends up feeling superficial after several hours of playing. Considering its simple controls and on-rail levels, very little of it feels extraordinary or unique in practice compared to other rhythm games, and you could. find yourself browsing it without thinking.
Make no mistake: this isn’t a new Kingdom Hearts RPG, nor an in-depth rundown of the franchise, and while part of the story is touched on, only the broader features are covered. In fact, not much is added except for a section at the end that explicitly tells us where developer Square Enix plans to set the next Kingdom Hearts game and includes an interesting story about Kairi, but not much. else.
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It’s a story clearly focused on reliving those nostalgic moments rather than creating many new ones. If I hadn’t had the context in my head, the soundtracks alone wouldn’t have given me so much strength to continue.
There is a synthesis system elegantly reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts 2.
You progress through the World Tour system by earning enough stars to unlock the doors that contain the next set of levels. Fortunately, it’s pretty straightforward and you do it by completing challenges like “Complete the level with over 50% health” or “Break all barrels and boxes,” and they can also unlock new treasures and even more. new playable characters.
This reward cycle is satisfying when you’re on a hot streak, but there were times I felt like I was floating on the water when I had to go back and challenge again until I can earn enough stars to advance to the next level sequence. . You can often choose which route to go (there are usually at least two) and there are also a few side routes to follow if you want to spend the extra time digging deep, but the way to the end is pretty straightforward and cared for.Everyone’s here for a ride. You can play with Sora, Riku, Roxas and even Kairi.
And you can also bring in iconic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse or other supporting characters to accompany you along the way, although it’s disappointing that there isn’t much of an impact on the game. depending on the characters on your team. Speaking of which, you gradually level up your teams and there are stats like Strength and Defense in play. However, I didn’t notice any impact on them either.
The main attraction here is the World Tour campaign, which allows you to collect stars and progress through a world map that represents almost every soundtrack in the entire series. There were a few that I skipped, but overall the build felt solid. Regardless of that wonderful trip down memory lane, to the beat of the music from Kingdom Hearts 1 to Kingdom Hearts 3 last year. A single match won’t take more than five to 10 hours, depending on what you choose to explore.
If you do, you’ll find substance here – you can earn and craft items like healing potions that can keep you from failing a level if you skip too many notes, while also gaining experience points and by improving the level of a team. In fact, there’s even a synthesis system that’s elegantly reminiscent of the one fans will remember from Kingdom Hearts 2.
It’s unfortunate that items often feel junk and unhelpful at the time, and as such, the crafting system can be totally ignored or become little more than a showcase. Unless you really struggle with the basic pace of the game, nothing you do or prepare here really matters, even during the most difficult boss battles. This does not mean that the synthesis is totally useless. The best section of the summary menu is where you can access special levels and collectibles, which are definitely worth it if you want to see it all.
In addition to the normal tracks, Melody of Memory offers boss fights and memory units. The latter shows iconic scenes from previous Kingdom Hearts games, including the boss fight with Ansem and even classic Disney parts like Toy Story and “Let It Go” from Frozen. The only problem here is that Melody of Memory is happening too much at once, forcing you to focus on the notes at the right time as the scene is just happening in your peripheral view, making it hard to appreciate. .
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to enjoy the wealth of Kingdom Hearts memorabilia included in Melody of Memory, including a track select mode and a museum mode that lets you go back to those special scenes and explore. live them as wanting. The story theater is the best part of this, as it allows you to go back and catch up with the most important parts of the story without being overwhelmed by the games.
If you want to tweak things like latency, volume, and other options, there is a Music Stage menu that gives you a decent level of precision on those items. Having said that, I couldn’t find an option to reduce the often-pitched soundtrack inside the menu screen, which would have annoyed me if I tried to stream with Melody of Memory backwards- plan. Accessibility isn’t a big deal here, as you can just turn on demo mode and let the entire levels play on their own if you just want to watch. Or you can play around with the One Button style mode if you still want a little challenge but not too much. It’s also great that the Proud difficulty mode and super stimulating Performer-style mode also exist for those looking for a more difficult challenge, although the latter two modes really make Melody of Memory want a special controller like the one in Guitar Hero.
For the first time in a Kingdom Hearts console game, there is a multiplayer element to share with your friends. You can jump into the split-screen co-op multiplayer and experience it all with a friend on the same couch, or you can go online and participate in the VS Battles mode. Battles are fun but effective; Two people compete against each other and use tricks like blurring the other player’s vision to trip them up while you get your own victory by beating them on points. It’s great that they included it here, especially since we haven’t seen a lot of Kingdom Hearts multiplayer before.