Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is the thirteenth game 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. 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 of 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 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 their findings, but they 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, 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.

In a post-credits scene, Kairi returns to the Mysterious Tower to relate recent events. Yen Sid tells Donald 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 Mickey with investigating the new world and how it relates to the ancient Keyblade Masters, starting with Scala ad Caelum.

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.