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.

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
After recounting the events of her and Sora's past Kairi finds herself in the Final World. An old memory rushes to her mind of her being taken by Terra-Xehanort and being sent to the outside world in the hopes of using her power of a Princess of Heart to find a keyblade wielder. She was also told 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 they have failed. After Kairi regains herself she finds the crystalized flower made of her heart that Sora put together and it splits into seven parts. After Kairi chases down 6 of them she encounters Master Xehanort made from her heart. After Xehanort taunts her, she goes on the offensive only for Xehanort to constantly stop her by grabbing her keyblade and telling her that the answer she seeks to find Sora are in memories that are long gone. Kairi attempts to defeat Xehanort; however, he stops playing defensive and summons his keyblade to knock Kairi down. Before Xehanort can deal the finishing blow Kairi summons Sora's Kingdom Key and turns into Sora. Xehanort notes that because his voice cant reach where they are, he is certain where Sora's heart is. After Sora defeats Xehanort the seventh and final heart fragment releases and Sora retrieves it for Kairi and he vanishes. Xehanort states that because he is a manifestation of Kairi's heart he will give her the answer she is looking for. He proceeds to transform into Xemnas, Ansem (both with his normal body and bodiless form) and then into Terra-Xehanort. He tells her that the clue to where Sora is in a world that is neither light nor darkness but somewhere on the other side. He then disappears, leaving Kairi confused. Kairi wakes up in Radient Garden and tells Even, Ienzo and Ansem the Wise about what she learned. They all ponder on what he could mean when Riku arrives to see if they made any progress as well as inform them that he finally has a clue to find Sora. Riku and Kairi gladly reunite.

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.