Melody of Memory is a surprisingly fun rhythm game that doesn’t have quite enough new story content to make it feel like a main game. The screen can get a bit busy at times, but being able to jam out to some of the best Kingdom Hearts songs is a blast regardless.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
Developer: Square Enix and indieszero
Price: $60
Platforms: PS4 (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a PS4 code for review
Nothing says Kingdom Hearts like a spin-off that has essential plot information. Be it a Nintendo DS game, a phone game, or a brand new rhythm game, there’s always new and important plot points to be found in the strangest of places. Melody of Memory is the latest Kingdom Hearts game, and though it has some issues as a rhythm game, it’s undeniably fun to play along to so many of the series’s classic tunes.
In Melody of Memory, you play as Kairi as she relives all of the past Kingdom Hearts games to try to find where Sora has disappeared to in the present. Most of the game’s story is essentially a recap of everything from the original Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts III and everything in between, which gets a bit dull but is understandably handy for new or confused players. A few Disney worlds are missing, but they aren’t especially important to the overall plot. All the new story info comes from the last half hour or so of the game, and it feels more like a transition than a progression of the story. That’s nothing new for Kingdom Hearts fans, but I do wish there was either more progression, or it was more evenly distributed throughout the game.
The gameplay is unique in that it works a lot better than I had originally expected. The demo made me concerned about how much was going on, and while the screen can sometimes get a bit too busy with the multitude of enemies and effects happening at once, I found it pretty easy overall to follow what was happening while playing along. I think a more straightforward Theatrhythm-style system would have worked better, but Melody of Memory’s system is completely fine for what it is. It can be a lot of fun to properly hit notes on your favorite songs, and that’s really what a rhythm game is all about.
“There are also some notable songs missing, which is expected in some cases but strange in others.“
I do wish the music was the orchestrated Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 versions instead of the original MIDI versions for so many tracks, as they feel very out of place in a game based on the beauty of these soundtracks. There are also some notable songs missing, which is expected in some cases but strange in others. The lack of Tarzan makes sense since there have always been legal issues there, but the exclusion of Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie the Pooh, Twister, and Face My Fears is peculiar.
Visually, Melody of Memory is a bit strange. It uses the PS2/PSP models for most of its characters, except in the end. It makes sense in a way since this isn’t a main title, but I would have liked to see them use the sharp Kingdom Hearts III models throughout. Either way, it looks fine and it’s a bit nostalgic to see the classic models again.
The Final Word
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a fun but flawed rhythm game that focuses more on gameplay than plot. Anyone who likes Kingdom Hearts music will have fun with the game, though don’t expect too much story progression.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
