Developer: Square Enix, Indieszero
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: Switch, Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: PS4
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory – Review
What started out as a nice collaboration between Square Enix and Disney became one of the most convoluted game franchises in the history of video games. The Kingdom Hearts series reigns supreme in making complicated storylines that sometimes squeeze in-between already-existing entries of the franchise thus making things even more complex. With titles such as 358/2 Days, HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue or even Birth By Sleep, things aren’t getting any easier as more and more games are added to the ever-growing universe of Kingdom Hearts. Nonetheless, for once we can tell you to relax and just enjoy the impressive soundtrack of all the games combined in the rhythm-based Melody of Memory. Sure, we get some story in the game, but for now, that can take the backseat of this musical game.
Story
As it’s a bit too much to delve into the specifics of the Kingdom Hearts universe, Melody of Memory presents you with some key points of the franchise as you play through the songs of the different games. These are placed in chronological order and offer sidetracks to some spin-off games. What’s there is fun to wade through story-wise, but it will make you none the wiser if you haven’t played the original games yet.
Graphics
Graphically, Melody of Memory sports the typical Kingdom Hearts look, albeit not as lush and impressive. We reckon as you play through the story of the original games, the developers opted for the classic visuals of the earlier games, albeit their remastered counterparts. The game does look appealing and colorful, but how the different levels are represented becomes a bit stale and boring as you progress. Nonetheless, the different Disney characters and the occasional new enemy model look decently made and get you in that proper Kingdom Hearts mood. We think the developers chose to keep things somewhat simple, as when playing you will not have time to properly enjoy your surroundings anyway.
Sound
The cinematic feeling is off the charts for this Kingdom Hearts release. With over 140 tracks for you to enjoy, ranging from a few you know from the actual Disney classics to many of the originally created tunes for the KH series. We were thoroughly impressed with the massive soundtrack of this title, and as the icing on the cake, there’s a proper amount of voice acting present in the game to narrate the story segments you can unlock by playing through the game.
Gameplay
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a rhythm-based game in which you press the right buttons when prompted. The game doesn’t follow the typical formula where you just see the icons appear on the screen as you will also be able to see the action unfold on the screen. You can as well take in certain backgrounds, if you are able to multitask and also focus on the button prompts. The game’s meat lies in its World Tour, where you get to unlock all the different songs, as well as enjoy some story content. Outside the World Tour, you can also play competitively against other players (or CPUs), replay the songs you have unlocked and even aim for a co-op experience.
Most of the game’s content is quite straightforward, as you will just have to press the correct button(s) at the right time. You’ll have to make sure that you time your presses just right, and sometimes you will have to press buttons simultaneously. During boss battles, for example, you will also have to tilt your stick in the right direction for the command to trigger. Certain aspects here were not always completely clear, but after some trial and error, things worked smoothly. We did notice a few mishaps with the input not being able to keep up if you keep using the same attack button, rather than alternate between the different buttons for the ‘normal attack’.
Even though you can blast through this experience in a few hours, there is a lot of content to unlock in the form of collectible items. For these, you will have to replay levels on different difficulty levels and reach certain goals in order to unlock said items. While these are purely fun for completionists, it’s still nice to have a certain goal to work towards.
Conclusion
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is certainly a fun rhythm-based title, albeit with a few bland graphical aspects. Nonetheless, the impressive soundtrack, the different difficulties and the many unlockable items will keep fans of the series occupied for many hours. Even those new to the Kingdom Hearts universe, who happen to love rhythm games will certainly enjoy the stellar musical experience of this title.
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