As a big fan of the Kingdom Hearts games from developer Square Enix, I didn’t really know what I would be getting into with the release of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. From the first glance, this seemed like other music games with just a different theme. Even though the plot is over (possibly), I was hoping this would tie into the story somehow.
The game features our favorite trio of characters. Goofy, Donald and of course, Sora. The three take a journey through pretty much every land and major songs from those areas. As each level progresses, players can add new members to their team. So, you can choose to play as whoever you want from the list. These characters will all pretty much play the same by hitting enemies where music notes would be, but they may add an additional skill every so often. Melody of Memory is not an RPG like hardcore fans are used to playing. The intro to the game is also quite easy to pick up to get started right away.
With the style of three characters running down a set path, this is more like Guitar Hero, with a bit more nostalgia packed in. Square Enix spared no fan service here. As players fight enemies through levels, or keep up with music notes, big scenes play out in the background from some of the game’s best moments. Unfortunately, with everything going on at the same time, seeing these scenes is extremely hard to do. Eventually there is an option in the galley to go back and look at the places you have already visited.
I found it interesting that there are cutscenes within the game. Most of the game is a re-telling of the story in bit sized amounts but there is an interesting ending that could have something to do with the next Kingdom Hearts. Somehow this game has been used in a way to bridge the gap between Kingdom Hearts 3 and whatever may be coming next. Devoted fans to the games will enjoy playing this as a walk down memory lane and because all the characters are revisited. Kids could play this as well with ease.
Overall, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is an easy game to play. Some might go as far as to say the game can become stale due to the ease of playing. This is a casual play style you can roll through. For lovers of the other games, this will be another that is easy to get into just because they can and because they love the characters. Quite simply, the game is not too hard and not too easy either. If some type of controller like the guitar for Guitar Hero came out though, I’m here for it.
7 / 10
Available on Switch, Xbox and PS4