Review By

Brad Gallaway

Frequent readers of this site may remember that I covered the original Kingdom Hearts on PlayStation 2 and gave it one of the lowest scores on the Internet at a time when it was undeservedly racking up accolades and capturing a legion of fans.

That first game left an unexpectedly bitter taste in my mouth, and I probably wouldn't have ever tried Chain of Memories if I hadn't been stranded at an airport with 14 hours to kill and a GameBoy Advance in my pack. After putting the cart through its paces, I mostly agree with Tera's breakdown of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, although to be honest… I think she was a little too hard on it. Surprised? Me too.

The area where Tera and I diverge the most is the combat engine. Although she explains it in detail, I don't think she gave it nearly enough credit. Being very familiar with both action and card-based games, I was highly impressed by the hybridization on display. It's hard to understand the mechanics at first—-initially, it seems like nothing more than mashing. But, with a little experimentation (and reading the manual) the interplay between individual card values, the power of combinations, and the necessity of positioning and dodging in real time is revealed to be an intelligent, elegant creation.

Although the combat itself is ingenious, I do admit that the frequency of encounters can be a little over-the-top at times (much like the PS2 iteration), but it was only an issue when I played in extended sessions. In short bursts, it provided intensity in just the right amount. However, be warned that Square-Enix got a little crazy at the end and threw in a long slew of end-game boss fights. Most of these battles aren't difficult, but they can be very long and drawn out. (My advice to make things a little easier? Collect as many zero-value cards as possible.)

So, not only is the action satisfying, Tera is right on the money when she says that Chain of Memories delivers a subtle, fascinating story. I can count on one hand the number of Game Boy Advance carts that engaged me mentally as well as tactilely, but Kingdom Hearts easily makes the grade. The plot contained in this adventure is must-see stuff for fans of this franchise, and the "second quest" unlocked after completing main character Sora's game is absolutely worth the time and effort to complete. Between both chapters, I logged over 20 hours of gameplay without ever being bored—for the Game Boy, that's pretty amazing for something without "Pokemon" in the title.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a tight, solidly constructed outing that puts the original Kingdom Hearts to shame in terms of playability and design. I enjoyed it from start to finish and found it to simply be a better game overall. Going further, it actually made me want to see the rest of the tale and play Kingdom Hearts II—something that I never thought I'd say. Can there be any higher praise for a title than its ability to bring a self-imposed exile back into the fold?

Anon E. Mouse says...

This game is awesome. Even though I don't really care for the Card-based system, this game is great. But you have to have enjoyed the first Kingdom Hearts and understand what happened in it to understand and fully enjoy Chain of Memories. I totally disagree with the main review of this game, and the person obviously didn't understand anything in the game, but it wasn't hard to understand if you took time to try and understand the story. I guess you have to be a die-hard fan in order to fully enjoy this game. I would definitely pay $30 for this game (if I didn't already own it)

RATING: 9.5
Published: March 17, 2004

Mykas0 says...

If I had to talk about the game in a single phrase, it would be: "only for fans".

Fans may be wanting to play and complete the game only for its story (which is an introduction to the main game's sequel), but everyone else will probably find it plain boring.

Think "Kingdom Hearts", where you need to use cards to attacking and moving Sora while trying to avoid enemy attacks. You can't avoid them? Fear not, using a card with a value of 0 simply spares you the trouble!

Can't defeat a boss? Fear not, you just need to battle the same type of enemies over and over again and eventually you will be able to buy more cards (usually from a Moggle), acquire more "Cloud" (yep, the guy from Final Fantasy VII!) cards, use them in groups of 3, repeat, battle won. Repeat, repeat, boss defeat.

Eventually, you can reach specific areas (up to 3 in each world) where you'll see a small story sequence, and that's all.

"Fortunately", the game also features a 2P mode, with an option enabeling you to fight a friend with their own deck. It would be interesting, if the game wasn't so limited and made the player rely so much on "Cloud" cards to win.

What a pity. "Kingdom Hearts" fans may be be willing to get it, but everyone else should run away from this.

RATING: 8.5
Published: July 12, 2006

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