Impressions of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
Edcel Javier Cintron Gonzalez, Contributing Editor
The Closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes… But don’t be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all… (From the original Kingdom Hearts)
I think I speak for a lot of the fans when I say that listening to the iconic theme songs of Kingdom Hearts – songs such as “Simple and Clean,” “My Sanctuary” and “Face my Fears” – recalls the euphoric feeling of playing the series. I can still picture Sora falling into darkness, only to discover his destiny as the wielder of the Keyblade. Kingdom Hearts was my favorite title for the PS2. I still remember the friendship and personal connection Sora, Riku, and Kairi had for each other as they planned to build a raft and escape their tropical paradise in search of new worlds. I still remember the misleading conflict Sora and Riku had, as they traveled to the many Disney-themed worlds and saved them from darkness using the iconic power of the Keyblade. Besides the complex game mechanics, convoluted plot structures, and the excitement that the Kingdom Hearts franchise has offered over the years, nothing beats its incredible musical score. This musical magic has culminated in the franchise’s most recent game, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a rhythm action game developed by Square Enix and indieszero. Rhythm action games focus on creating an environment where the player simulates a performance through playing a musical instrument, dancing, or adapting to the rhythm of the song by pressing a sequence of button commands. Think of titles like Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance, Guitar Hero, PaRappa the Rapper, or the more recent Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. In Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, players get to experience a mash up of traditional Kingdom Hearts combat mechanics with more musically-driven gameplay. You get to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy bashing enemies, dodge attacks, and casting spells by jumping and collect music notes to the beat of the song. What really sells this game is the way it leverages the musical strength of the Kingdom Hearts franchise in a music-forward genre.
As far as game mechanics go, the player has can press the A, L, or R button (on the Nintendo Switch) to attack enemies. While it’s possible to use just the A button for the attack command, strategically, it’s easier for players to coordinate the different buttons so that they represent each character’s attack. The previous image shows how Sora, Donald, and Goofy are placed in a different lane. Unlike other rhythm action games, where a player would see body language or a color pattern as indicators of what buttons to press, here Donald, Sora, and Goofy represent the L, A, and R buttons of your controller. Besides normal attack commands, Sora’s can also use his magic and special abilities by pressing the X (or triangle) button to defeat bigger foes.
Co-op mode offers an entertaining way to experience the musical score in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. Here, players work together to survive the stage, while also competing for the highest individual score. Although Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is available for the Xbox One and PS4, the Nintendo Switch’s portability and its ability to turn joycons into 2 controllers makes the game’s coop that much more accessible.
As my screenshots suggest, the player will find songs from every game of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Each song is themed from the world it was played on. The scenery and the amount of heartless and other foes that appear depend on which stage the player selected. Players get to enjoy the memorable music scores as they travel across different worlds in hopes of beating their highest score. For me, Melody of Memory is an opportunity to reminisce about what got me into this series in the first place. I started my Kingdom Hearts journey with Sora, Donald, and Goofy saving the world from darkness in one game after another. Now, I’m ready to see how the franchise evolves.
