Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
| Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| キングダム ハーツ メロディ オブ メモリー Kingudamu Hātsu Merodī obu Memorī | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix, Indieszero |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Release date(s) |  November 11, 2020[1] / November 13, 2020[2] / November 13, 2020[2]PC:  March 30, 2021/ March 30, 2021/ March 30, 2021
|
| Genre | Rhythm-action |
| Game modes | Single player, local co-op, online multiplayer |
| Ratings | CERO: N/A ESRB:  Everyone 10+PEGI:  12+
|
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Personal computer |
- "Experience the music of Kingdom Hearts like never before."
- —Tagline
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is the thirteenth game in the Kingdom Hearts series. It was officially announced in the Kingdom Hearts 2020 trailer on June 16, 2020[3], and released later that year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch and released on March 30, 2021 for PC via the Epic Games Store.[4] The game was co-developed with Indieszero, developers of the Theatrhythm series, which Melody of Memory takes cues from. [5] It is the only Kingdom Hearts game to be made in the Unity engine.
Part of the Lost Master Arc, the game takes places after the events of Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind. Following the disappearance of Sora, Kairi attempts to go through her memories to find clues to look for Sora. The game serves to recap the events of the Dark Seeker Saga and set the stage for the Lost Master Arc's story and themes.
Development[edit]
The game was first hinted by series creator Tetsuya Nomura on January 22, 2020 in a Q&A to celebrate the release of Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind.[6][7]
Initially, the concept was created by the Theatrhythm team after the development of Theatrhythm Dragon Quest, but was declined by Nomura. [8] Later on, Disney proposed the idea for a Kingdom Hearts rhythm game, and the idea was greenlit.[9]
On June 15, 2020, after the launch of the Kingdom Hearts Dark Road's website, the game's logo was discovered in the website's data.[10]
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory was officially announced on June 16, 2020 in the Kingdom Hearts 2020 trailer for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and was stated to feature over 140 songs and 20 characters from across the series. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory was the first Kingdom Hearts game to appear on a Nintendo system since Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance in 2012.
On August 26, during the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, the game was announced with a release date of November 11, 2020 for Japan and November 13, 2020 for the rest of the world.[11] The Nintendo Switch version of the game has an exclusive Free-For-All mode, for up to eight players to compete in local multiplayer.[12]
The Nintendo Switch version is also tied to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; having save data of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory unlocks "Dearly Beloved -Swing Version-" as a track.
The PC version was released on March 30, 2021 as an Epic Games Store exclusive, alongside the rest of the Kingdom Hearts series. Unlike the other titles in the series, a Steam release has yet to be announced.
Story[edit]
In search of Sora's whereabouts, Kairi allows herself to be put into a deep sleep in order to search her heart for clues. She spends a year slumbering in Ansem the Wise's computer lab this way while he, Even, and Ienzo study her. Recounting the events of her past and Sora's adventures as a Keyblade wielder, Kairi eventually finds herself in The Final World, causing the equipment Ansem is using to monitor her to fail. Kairi remembers being taken by Terra-Xehanort as a child as their world was being overrun by Heartless. He sent her to the outside world on a lifeboat in the hopes of using her power as a Princess of Heart to find a Keyblade wielder. Before being sent off, Terra-Xehanort tells her, "If you arrive in a world that's neither light nor darkness but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy."
After recovering pieces of her shattered heart, Kairi is confronted by a manifestation of Master Xehanort created from her heart. Kairi attempts to defeat Xehanort, but she is overpowered by the latter. Before Xehanort can deal the finishing blow, Sora takes over her body to save her, though Xehanort notes his voice cannot reach them from where he is. Sora defeats Xehanort, freeing the final fragment of Kairi's heart. Before disappearing, Xehanort reminds Kairi of the words he had said to her before he had cast her from Radiant Garden as a clue to Sora's whereabouts. Kairi awakens in Radiant Garden and relays Xehanort's final words, as well as the claim that Sora's voice "cannot reach them," to Even, Ienzo, and Ansem the Wise. Ansem the Wise surmises Xehanort is talking about a world beyond reality; a fictional world. Riku arrives to check on Kairi and to share his findings, mentioning recurring dreams of a large, unfamiliar city that Sora might be found in. The group fits the two pieces together, but are unsure what to do next. They are then interrupted by the Fairy Godmother, who notes that she was sent at the behest of Yen Sid and reveals that Riku and Kairi are two of three keys to Sora's disappearance. The Fairy Godmother transports herself and the two Keyblade wielders to The Final World, where they meet the third key, the Nameless Star, who tells them of her past encounter with Sora. Based on Riku's descriptions of his dreams, the Nameless Star informs them that Sora must be in the city of Quadratum. Riku uses the star as a portal to go to Quadratum while Kairi stays behind.
Later, Kairi returns to the Mysterious Tower to relate recent events. Yen Sid tells Donald Duck and Goofy to inform their allies of what they've learned and have them halt their own searches. Kairi chooses to continue her training under Master Aqua's tutelage. Yen Sid tasks King Mickey with investigating the new world and how it relates to the ancient Keyblade Masters, starting with Scala ad Caelum.
Gameplay[edit]
There are three different Music Stage types - Field Battles, Boss Battles, and Memory Dives. The player is able to choose between four different teams of characters: Team Classic (Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy), Team Days (Roxas, Xion, and Axel), Team 3D (Riku, a Meow Wow, and a Komory Bat), and Team BBS (Aqua, Ventus, and Terra). Each team's HP, Strength, and Defense stats are combined, treated as one character. Teams do not affect score, only HP and the amount of damage taken. The player can also equip five different items to give their team a boost.
Field Battle stages show the player's chosen team running along a track. By pressing buttons to the rhythm, the player will attack enemies or containers once they're in range, jump and glide to collect targets and avoid obstacles, and activate special abilities through crystals. Guest characters may replace a team member during specific tracks, such as Aladdin or Ariel, and while they're out, Friend Orbs will appear as attack targets. If Mickey is part of the team thanks to a Summoning Star, he will heal the team and provide point bonuses.
Boss Battle stages show the player character running around a field where the boss is located, attacking and dodging enemy attacks. Instead of attacking directly, the player must use the attack buttons on red hit targets, or hold the button on green hold targets. Yellow slide targets require the analog stick (or both sticks for multiple at once) to be tilted in a specific direction, and ability crystals work the same as in Field Battle stages. Occasionally, the boss will activate a special attack, leading to a "Dark Zone" where the player must hit all targets in order to avoid the attack. Once a Dark Zone section is completed, a short cutscene will show the lead character evading or guarding against the special attack.
Memory Dive stages play similarly to Boss Battle stages, but without Dark Zones or ability crystals. However, instead of a real-time battle against a boss, the player's team will be shown gliding along a track similar to Field Battles to a backdrop of pre-rendered cutscenes.
World Tour mode, the primary story mode of the game, sees the player traveling between various worlds, completing missions for each stage to earn Stars, which can then open gates to more worlds. Each world has two stages, though "Darkened Worlds" are revisits of previous worlds that have one stage each. Once the final normal stage is completed, a path is unlocked that leads to "Melody of Memory's End," a long sequence set in the Final World. The sequence features two Memory Dives where the player controls Kairi on her own, with the second one requiring her to collect the crystal flower petals that represented her heart in Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind. The section ends with a Boss Battle stage where the player controls Sora alone, and one last Memory Dive that serves as the game's end credits.
An item synthesis system is included, where players can use synthesis materials gained during music stages to create stage items, keys to unlock new music stages, Collector's Cards, and icons for the player's ProfiCard. Collector's Cards increase the player's Collector Level, which provides various bonuses such as drop rate/EXP boosts and stat bonuses. The Museum section contains the Collector's Cards a player has gained, as well as in-game cutscenes, Memory Dive cutscenes, and the player's records. The records section also contains a Feats section, which serves as the game's achievement system.
VS Battle mode features two players competing for the highest score. By filling the Trick Gauge, players can activate Tricks, detrimental effects that affect opponents in various ways. This can include creating fake enemies, shrinking enemies so players have a hard time seeing the targets, and more. Both online and COM battles are playable, with COM battles having a ranking system. Winning an online battle will give the player a copy of their opponent's ProfiCard. In the Nintendo Switch version, players can also play local battles, as well as eight-player Free-for-All battles.
Worlds and characters[edit]
Music[edit]
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory features over 140 songs from across the Kingdom Hearts series.[13] Disney songs that have not been used in Kingdom Hearts are also available.[14] The songs featured are their original versions, however, and not the orchestral versions featured in the HD collection.
Demo[edit]
A demo of the game was released worldwide on October 15, 2020 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The demo contains 4 solo stages, and 2 co-op stages, with all three difficulties and styles available. The party consists of Team Classic at level 30. Progress is not saved, so all scores and EXP are lost upon closing the demo.
Featured songs[edit]
Notes and references[edit]
- ^ @_KINGDOMHEARTS on Twitter
- ^ a b @KINGDOMHEARTS on Twitter
- ^ Kingdom Hearts 2020 Trailer
- ^ Epic Games Store's page
- ^ IGN: Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Is a Disney Re-Imagining of Theatrhythm: Masanobu Suzui: "This game itself is actually very similar in concept [to Theatrhythm], the underlying concept of using music to look back across the whole series."
- ^ @_KINGDOMHEARTS
- ^ Tetsuya Nomura: "We still need some time with regards to main line Kingdom Hearts, but first up the KH UX team will have a surprising announcement tomorrow." Translation via Goldpanner
- ^ IGN: Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Is a Disney Re-Imagining of Theatrhythm: Masanobu Suzui: "We thought, well, Kingdom Hearts has a lot of really great music in that series as well. Why don't we do a Theatrhythm Kingdom Hearts?"
- ^ JPGames interview with Ichiro Hazama and Masanobu Suzui: Ichiro Hazama/Masanobu Suzui: "It was even Disney who came up to us and came up with the idea for a rhythm game for Kingdom Hearts."
- ^ IGN: Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory Leak Logo
- ^ Square Enix Press Site: EXPERIENCE THE MUSIC OF KINGDOMS HEARTS AS NEVER BEFORE IN KINGDOM HEARTS MELODY OF MEMORY, LAUNCHING THIS NOVEMBER
- ^ KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory – Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase | August 2020
- ^ @KINGDOMHEARTS on Twitter
- ^ JPGames interview with Ichiro Hazama and Masanobu Suzui: Ichiro Hazama/Masanobu Suzui: "More precisely, it will not only be possible to play songs that have been heard in previous Kingdom Hearts titles, but also other songs from the Disney originals that were not used in Kingdom Hearts! We are very happy about that."
- ^ a b Only during the tutorial.
- ^ a b c Only during "Melody of Memory's End" in World Tour.
External links[edit]
| Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory |
|---|
| Characters |
| Party members |
| Kairi - Sora - Roxas - Aqua - Riku Donald Duck - Goofy - Axel - Xion - Terra - Ventus - Meow Wow - Komory Bat - Mickey Mouse Hercules - Aladdin - Ariel - Peter Pan - Beast - Fa Mulan - Simba - Stitch |
| Antagonists |
| Xehanort - Ansem, Seeker of Darkness - Xemnas - Maleficent |
| Non-playable characters |
| Aeleus - Ansem the Wise - Even - Fairy Godmother - Ienzo - Nameless Star - Terra-Xehanort - Yen Sid |
| Locations |
| Worlds |
| Mysterious Tower - Radiant Garden - The Final World |
| Terms |
| An Oath to Return - Another Key - Key Art - Keyblade - Museum - Music Stage - Rhythm Points - Story Scene - The End - VS Battle - World Tour |
| Music |
| Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory - Special Disc - Unnamed tracks |
| Archives |
| Artwork - Bosses - Enemies - Items - Trophy - Songs |
