Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is the fourteenth game and the third game in the 2nd Phase in the  series. It was officially announced in the Kingdom Hearts 2020 trailer on June 16, 2020, and released later that year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch and released on March 30, 2021 for PC via the.

The game takes places after the events of Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, as following the disappearance of Sora, Kairi attempts to go through her memories to find clues to look for Sora.

Development
The game was first hinted by series creator on January 22, 2020 in a Q&A to celebrate the release of Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind.

Disney proposed the idea for a Kingdom Hearts rhythm game.

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.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory was official announced on June 16, 2020 in the Kingdom Hearts 2020 trailer for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and will feature over 140 songs and 20 characters from across the series. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory mark the return of a 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. The Nintendo Switch version of the game will have a exclusive Free-For-All mode, for up to eight players to compete in local multiplayer.

Story
In search of Sora's whereabouts, Kairi allows herself to be put into a deep sleep in order to search her heart for clues. Recounting the events of her past and Sora's adventures as a Keyblade wielder, Kairi finds herself in The Final World. Kairi remembers being taken by Terra-Xehanort as a child and being sent to the outside world in the hopes of using her power of as a Princess of Heart to find a Keyblade wielder. Before being sent off, Terra-Xehanort mentions that if she finds herself in a world that is "neither light nor darkness, but somewhere on the other side", she is to abandon her search and the experiment has failed.

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 and defeats Xehanort, freeing the final fragment of her heart. Before disappearing, Xehanort reminds her 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 to Even, Ienzo, and Ansem the Wise. Ansem the Wise surmises Xehanort is talking about a world beyond reality. Riku arrives to check on Kairi and to share share their findings, but are interrupted by the Fairy Godmother, who 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. The Nameless Star informs that Sora is in Quadratum based on Riku's descriptions. While Riku uses the star as a portal to go to Quadratum, Kairi returns to the Mysterious Tower and chooses to stay behind to train under Aqua's tutelage.

Music
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory features over 140 songs from across the Kingdom Hearts series. Disney songs that have not been used in Kingdom Hearts are also available.

Demo
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 Sora, Donald, and Goofy at level 30. Progress isn't saved, so all scores and EXP are lost upon closing the demo.