“Where words leave off, music begins.”
― Heinrich Heine
Anyone who knows me even a little knows I love The Kingdom Hearts franchise, since the beginning (2002), the perfect marriage between anime and Disney. Yet, one thing about the series that makes my head spin (other than the complex plot) is that every game in the series, even ones that seem like side adventures have components that are critical to the overall story! So, if you want all the information, you cannot miss a game (including the mobile app…*sighs*).
So, back in 2019, when Kingdom Hearts III, the final main game, was released, I figured it would be a while before we got another game since this almost two-decade arc was finally over. Sure, we did get a DLC, an alternate perspective of the ending of KHIII (same results) within the year, but that didn’t surprise me. That’s ‘the thing’ now and it only took 6-7 hours. I also keep up with current Kingdom Hearts news. So, when I found out there was another game, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory released TWO MONTHS before I found out about it, my mouth dropped.
Yet, I didn’t take it seriously. I discovered it was a rhythm game. Now, don’t get me wrong; I don’t mind rhythm games and I am decent at them. Plus, the music in Kingdom Hearts (several of the songs Disney beloveds) is stunning. Yet, I couldn’t take it seriously. Why would I pay $60 for a rhythm game? Yet, a few of my friends played it and praised it. So, I decided ‘Eh, what the heck?’
I am very glad I did. A few weeks later, my husband sadly got diagnosed with covid. We were not allowed to be near each other for ten days. He stayed in the bedroom and I camped out in our living room, where the PS4 is… With all this extra time (I am ALWAYS busy so this was stranger to me), I spent two full days writing a D & D homebrew campaign (that I am running now) and a few hours each day of my ‘break’ playing Melody of Memory.
HA! I must admit; it was fun. Is it groundbreaking? No. But I am glad I got it. Below, I will review why! Please recall: this is just MY THOUGHTS.
“Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory” Game Review:
Story (11/15):
I must stress again: this is a rhythm game. Yet, it DOES have a story! For about 70% of the game, as you travel through most of the Kingdom Hearts games in timeline order (release date), there are video clip icons. When you get to them, Kiari does a voiceover, recapping what happened in the game you just did music levels for. So, if you need a colorful and musical summary of a lot of the KH adventures, this addition is for you, lol!
With that being said, I figured that was the format of this installment. Until I got to the clouded world on the map in the far right upper corner. It warns you that once you get to this point, you cannot save until this part is over. With that, you dive in, literally, being transported into a world of flawless blue skies, a tony ocean of crystal clear water, and the most breathtaking clouds ever created. Our narrator, Kiari, is there, in person, the playable character! I was floored!
I will do MY BEST NOT TO SPOIL TOO MUCH but be warned. Kiari was more than a simple recap beauty; she was on a quest to try to locate Sora, diving into her and his memories to see if they held the key to locating him. She is helped by Ansem the Wise and a few of the other bright ex-members of Organization VIII. Of course, a villain tries to stop their advances, cryptic mysteries arise, and old friends come into the fray, all for their friend Sora. He is the light that guides, connects the worlds. I must admit, it ends in a cliffhanger, making me ask more questions than be gifted more answers.
More money for me to spend someday, HA!
This story was for sure more than I expected, even if it was only for thirty minutes. I was expecting none, maybe just a cameo from Kiari (since she is on the box of the game). Yet, the purpose of this game if you are not obsessed with the story is a rhythm game. It does do that and is an excellent recap to boot.
Characters/Teams (12/15):
Once more, this was more of a fun title in the franchise, not solely story-driven. I did not expect any new characters. Melody of Memory did not surprise me there (except for one sort of invisible, disembodied voice towards the end. Not to spoil. Yet, the ‘character’ said they knew Sora. I never did figure out how. Don’t tell me if you know who; I’m dumb, I know. LOL!) Since I wasn’t expecting new faces, I am not taking off points here nor am I adding.
It was nice to see an array of characters, in recaps or cut-scenes towards the end. Some of the cameos in the new content were fantastic (my favorite being The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. This does not ruin the plot, but she was great and had an important role).
Now, the game is played with trios, there being many in the series. The choices of teams were good but different. We have the classic: Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Then there is The Days Team of Roxas, Axel, and Xion. Riku is paid with two of the Dream Eaters from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (which was odd since they are like knock-off Pokemon, lol). The last team was the Birth by Sleep group of Ven, Terra, and Aqua. All the teams work the same way with one being in the middle, one on the right, then another on the left. They also can move as one or a pair can at the same time depending on the controls. I kind of wish there was at least one or two more teams, even as a bonus after you beat the main story, like Riku, Sora, and Kiari or Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey.
His big-eared Highness is an item for the game, so he can be played in a way.
Just like the core games, some of the levels replace one of your players with one from that Disney world, such as Mulan in the Land of Dragons OR Peter Pan in Neverland Or Adult Simba in Pride Rock. They have special orbs with their symbols when they join you. The first time you enter a level with their icon in the corner, they are your partner, taking either the left or right position. However, after that, if you see or play with them again, it is very random. After the first time, it took me A LONG TIME to see any of them again and they would just show up, lol! Still, even if it doesn’t add much, it was a cool nod to a cherished feature.
I HAVE TO SAY! It took me FOREVER to find the Team Game Menu! It was hidden well (had to look online.) The main game menu that accesses the map, settings, and extras pop up automatically, but having two menus and a menu you NEED to change Team stats, get items, and check your progress was silly and annoying. If like gaming and you want to have real experience go and check the info from https://bonuses.co.uk.
Graphics (12/15):
I am a little split down the middle for this score. The graphics for the levels you run through look like the original Kingdom Hearts I or II for the Playstation II consoles; very genetic. They run also bent over way too far, especially Sora and Axel. I thought their weapons were a ton and their backs would break. Yet, Sora did run like this in the Gameboy DS games back in the day. I didn’t expect works of art, but the graphics have come a long way, especially in the last decade of the franchise. It felt they slapped old graphics into the game (they may have; probably cheaper and easier for a non-main addition game).
The running designs were still not grand for Riku’s Dream Team or Days team, but I think since those games/characters were introduced later/newer, the figures were at least smoother and slicker, matching their story counterparts. They looked a little bit better.
The designers also just took clips from each game for the recap sections as Kiari did the voiceover. I am pretty sure they were at least the HD remastered graphics. This didn’t surprise me much. In fact, it actually showed how much the series has grown visually.
With the negative out of the way, let’s take a whirl in our only for decoration Gummi Ship (Thank Moogle; I loathe this staple of KH games,) the new content scenes starring Kiari were breathtaking. I described the world she was in a little in the story section. Watching her soar in this version of reflective heaven, I was in awe. All these clips were done in the smooth theatrical style introduced in Aqua’s side story and Kingdom Hearts 3, everything flowing from dialogue to combat effortlessly, a living film. The tones were vibrant, the details meticulous and magnificent, and it is always an honor hearing the voice cast brings these characters to life, making this world tangible.
It is lovely. I can’t get over it and it gives me hope for the games in the future. I mean, you could see moving SPARKLES in Kiari’s keyblade in her parts! Every part was a piece of art, a marvel for the eyes! I still am enraptured by the world in the clouds. I admit I paused it a few times just to soak it all in.
The map was nicely animated as well, but not revolutionary.
Game Play/Controls (10/15):
This section is critical for this game. Yes, controls are essential to all games, but since 90% of this installment is dependent on hitting the controls at the correct time, how they function is your arsenal.
Let us begin with the explanation of the controls (I am basing mine on the Playstation 4 controls:)
You control three characters at once. There are three lines of buttons in time to the song in the background (each song snippet is about two minutes). The middle (leader) character is the “X” button, L1 for the left, and R1 for the right hero. Sometimes, you can just press the X if you need a single hit, but you have to do it in rhythm. These are for Melle (close up) attacks.
The circle is jump and holding it will allow the middle character to fly for sometimes there are rows of notes to obtain.
For any of the buttons in all levels, the more notes you get hit in time with the music in a row, you get a chain. The longer the chain of correctly hit notes, the more points you get towards the end. And yes, you can get a perfect (which I have done a handful of times, BOO-YAH!)
There are diamonds on the stage. You hit these with the triangle button. This is the range attack and makes the character make a magic spell that they use from a game they are in (a cool nod.)
As mentioned earlier, sometimes you have to hit multiple buttons at the same time. This becomes increasingly more difficult when you change the difficulty. There are three difficulty settings: Beginner, Standard, and Proud. You can beat the story mode without doing the Proud mode. The teams also level up, gaining experience points after each level depending on how many hits they get and the types. The max level is 100 (and the further you go along, the more points it takes to gain another level. Again, like raising a Pokemon. Sorry/not sorry for all the Pocket Monster references, lol!) IF you want to complete the game, part of that is getting all four teams to level 100. They level up separately, so it’ll take a LONG time and repetitive song play. I think the highest level I got is with Sora’s trio to level 74.
You can also get star/coins a few times per level.
Now, with each note you run into, you can get three different ratings: Excellent, Good, or you fully Miss it. Each time you miss, you lose health. If you lose all your health before you finish the level, you lose that level. The better your timing, the better your score (added with how long your chain is).
To advance, you have to get so many of a certain color stars (categorized by the game). Each level has three challenges (each world has one to two songs, each with three challenges). They range from attacking all the flying enemies on Standard mode, getting a chain of 75, completing the level on Proud mood with 35% HP (beating a level without potions or items is a common one. They know how to rip my heart out, HA!) Just to name a few. The last 30 were hard for me. Now, you don’t have to get ALL of the stars; we all have a variety of skillsets. Yet, if you want to unlock all the levels/songs, including the three bonus ones post-game, you will need to complete 280 stars out of over 340.
You can beat a song without completing none of the three challenges to move on in story mode at least. Just have to finish the level with some HP remaining, lol!
After I explained all this, how do the controls actually work?
Not bad, but not good either. Now, I am going to give the game the benefit of the doubt a little. Sometimes, my fingers would slip or I would get tired. Also, our controllers are older. Often, my buttons would not register. HOWEVER! There were several times the game did not register my button no matter how I did, making me lose my chance to get a challenge star! I got very upset several times, especially during those hard, critical final stars I yearned to earn post-game. I am not really a completionist, YET, I always finish the story and if it is a component of the game I am passionate about, I will work hard to finish it! Getting access to all the songs was one of those things.
The controls did get me agitated many times and in a game where timing is everything, it does ruin some of the experience. So, be forewarned. Hopefully, it was just my controllers or extreme hard mashing/clumsy fingers that messed me up, not you, future player, LOL!
Items (9/10):
Like every adventurer, a supply of supplies is a must. Kingdom Hearts has had a slew of them.
For your ‘combat,’ there are five pieces of equipment you can obtain completing levels or purchase at the store:
Potion (the staple): Once you are down to 20% health, it will regain a little bit of your health.
Mega Potion (classic): Same as a potion, but increases when your HP is 40% or less. You can combine it with a regular potion.
Item Boost: Increases the number of items you get when you complete a level.
EX Boost: DOUBLES your experience gained after you finish a level I used this feature A LOT)!
Summoning Star: This allows you to summon King Mickey. He runs behind the main/middle character of the team and helps you get combos and higher ratings on a hit.
During levels, in addition to these items and experience, you also earn jewels or gems. These have been at the games since the start. I will be honest; I have NEVER been good at recalling which jewel/gem does what or even the difference! Thank Zeus that it has gotten easier as the series grew. I DID still have to look online at which of them could be converted into other harder-to-obtain ones (GRRR), but I was able to collect a TON in the beginning. I went Synthesis crazy! But, this is how you get certain extra songs, playable items, and really fun bonus collectibles.
Even though there was a small selection of items, I had all I needed and the items were delightful and useful, which I think blends well with this simple game. The designs of the items were pretty too.
Music (12/15):
With rhythm, the selection of music is so important. Kingdom Hearts also has almost twenty years of incredible scores and songs (the theme is one of my favorite songs of all time still), some original. With access to Disney’s masterful library, the choices of songs should be legendary. There was no doubt and the team knew that. It is even more amazing experiencing the music in an active role, it becoming the world and star. Not every Disney KH world is included (such as Tarzan for KH1 due to Disney losing their rights to Tarzan in the early 2000s. There is also no Pirates music oddly).
There are three ways to interact with the songs, depending. The most common is straightforward, running with your weapons, defeating enemies in your path. The controls I mentioned above are for this method that makes up about 70% of the gameplay. You are running on a musical staff with a five-line scale (a nice touch).
Then there is the cinematic one they use for the Kingdom Hearts 3 levels, Kiari new stages, and the for fun songs in the Extras menu. A gorgeous movie plays on the entire screen, your team Peter Pan flighting through the air. No weapons, but you are hitting the same buttons and combos in a similar style as the main game. I really struggled with this styling for a bit with these. SIDENOTE: for the “Frozen” level, you have to do the ENTIRE “Let IT Go” song; all FOUR minutes of that sucker! It is tiring!
Last is the boss-type battles. In the background, it looks like the team is attacking/running from the baddie in the beloved classic Kingdom Hearts fight. In a cylinder motion at the bottom of your TV, in three lines, you are doing your melee, magic, and jumping button hitting. The format took me forever to adjust to and yes, these are boss fights because they are a tad harder than the basic levels. The Birth By Sleep Maleficent one was a real growth experience for me, an achievement.
BACK TO THE MUSIC ITSELF! It was a treat to be able to casually play the songs once you unlocked it (all three levels available per song). What is fantastic is you can play casually AND gain experience points and items from playing for your team. WOO-HOO! There are certain songs only accessible in this playlist mode, such as all the theme songs and some Disney classics, like “Beauty and The Beast,” “A Whole, New World, “Part of Your World,” and my spiritual jam, “Can’t Wait to be King!” Each main character also has their own cinematic level with their theme song, the movie showing clips of them (or important moments at least) throughout the history of Kingdom Hearts. A few exclusive pieces are included, such as some from the KH symphonic tour.
Most of these beauties for your ears and souls (in the form of sheet music in the Moogle Shop) you earn by either finishing a certain level or buying with gems that you can be gifted randomly when you finish levels.
Special Features (13/15):
Kingdom Hearts always likes to experiment with bonus features, some hit home, others are totally flat. Other than the chance to play songs at your leisure, I wasn’t sure what the possible extras could be. Yet, what they gave me became a fun activity:
Collectible, virtual cards!
Every design of a character had a card (so Sora had one from every game AND with each outfit changed he had, lol). There were FIVE categories: Characters, Bad Guys, Poster Art (in age order), Important Scenes, and Keyblades. AND, you could get them either in GOLD OR PLATINUM! Every time I received a new one, I became giddy. I maybe collected 50% of them. Some you got when you finished a certain section. Others were randomly given. Several you had to purchase with your gems and jewels (again, I Synthesized like mad!) Getting invested in this was a pleasant delight.
Similar to all Playstation games, you can get trophies after hitting game milestones. Those were nice.
There is also online co-op play and I heard it works fairly well although I haven’t done it.
********************
This game truly took a beautiful, overlooked element of this powerful franchise and made it shine, turned into the game. TO HAVE a series that has over 140 songs that can be turned into its own entity is incredible and shows the love the creates and fans have for sora and his beloved protectors of light. Allowing Kiari to have some spotlight time was a treat, a feast for my eyes, and happiness for my heart. She proved that music has the power to transport and transform us, another amazing component of life that connects our hearts together.
It made me look forward to the next installments. Let your heart be your guiding key, my friends.
My Stats:
Total Rating: 78/100- B-/C+
54% Game Complete
