Melody of Memory – Musical journey to the heart

Análisis from Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory for Xbox One.

The saga Kingdom Hearts has accumulated since its first delivery to PlayStation 2 in 2002, a total of 20 sets. This franchise of Square Enix it has played the vast majority of consoles, even having a game for mobile devices. To make matters worse, all of the titles have their own stories that connect to each other based on sequels and spin off, creating a huge as well as complicated plot. Fortunately, the latest draft of Tetsuya Nomura, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, offers us a recap of the most important moments of the adventures of Sora and company with a very special game system.

Personally, when I heard that the new Kingdom Hearts opus would be a musical video game, I thought the saga had reached its limit. It was weird to see a game where Sora, Donald and Goofy defeated hordes of Heartless to the beat of the music, Guitar Hero style, while watching the title cutscenes in the background. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised when reviewing Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, as it has a lot more content than it looks.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of memory. Repasando the saga as a musical clave

If there is something that has marked every Kingdom Hearts games in their history, it is their impeccable soundtrack. This is precisely the centerpiece on which this whole new title is based.

The main campaign of KH: Melody of Memory is called “World Tour“. In this game mode We will explore each of the worlds who appeared in the series in its nearly 20 years. On board the more than famous Gumi ship, we will travel to emblematic places such as Islands of fate O Paso City. In each of these worlds we will find mainly two songs, the one that was used at the time to define the world and the battle.

When the melody of the level begins, our goal will be advance through an infinite staff with the three characters on duty. At the beginning and in the order that follows the saga, we will manage the mythical trio formed by Sora, Donald and Goofy. As we go we will be allowed to change our protagonists, be able to play with Roxas, Axel or Xion (among others). There will also be no shortage of Disney films that are relevant to the world we are in for the duty assistants.

Recurrently, throughout the game, they will appear scenes as video summaries where Kairi, as the narrator, will remind us of the events that happened in each of the installments. This will give us some context on what is happening on the screen. As an epilogue, in about the last half hour of play, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory will provide new details that will help understand the ending of KH III with its Re Mind DLC and what could happen in the future with a possible fourth opus. of the main saga.

Giving the note

The goal to overcome each mission (or song, rather) will be complete the pentagram by eliminating all enemies that appear on our way to the rhythm of the music. To do this, we have three buttons to hit the exact moment with each note. [LB], [RB] or (A) to attack when there is a Heartless in one of the three lanes; [LB] Yes [RB] at the same time when there are two simultaneous enemies in the end corridors or all in a hurry at the same time for when all three rows are occupied.

According to our precision, we will receive in each note a Multicolored Good, Excellent or Excellent score when we squeeze it at the perfect moment. Although if we fail and collide with the Heartless or are struck by an attack, our life will be diminished. If the life bar reaches 0, the melody and the game end.

To avoid these attacks, we will have to jump with the button (B). Jumping will also be used to reach flying enemies or to hover while holding it down to accumulate floating notes which will increase our score. Finally, there won’t be spells, which we can use by correctly pressing (Y) at the times indicated, when green triangles appear on the staff.

At the end of each song, the game This will give us a rating that varies between C and A +++, the latter being the maximum score if we obtain a perfect melody. The boss fights They will also be present, changing the arrangement of elements on the screen, adding new button combinations and making it a bit more difficult to manipulate measurements.

Replay Moguri

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory gameplay could be repetitive or boring considering all levels will be similar. Nothing is further from reality. Each song from different worlds has different requirements this will have to be accomplished to advance to the new planets. In addition, all songs will have three difficulty variations, these being beginner, normal and expert.

This last level is the most difficult and motivates you to make a big effort, since the triple the number of enemies will appear, that is, more notes to play. In some of these advanced modes, there will be more chances that after the melody ends, a chest with crafting materials, potions or playing cards for our collection.

As in all Kingdom Hearts, we will have at our disposal the “Silversmith Moguri“. In this game it will be included in the option “Equipment menu“. Here we will be creating potions and powerful new items (like the one that allows us to summon King Mickey to our team) to help us in each symphony. We can equip them at the start of the levels. When making any lens will increase Moguri’s experience, giving us the ability to create new and better recipes when leveling up.

The perfect tribute to Yoko Shimomura

The strong point of Melody of Memory lies in its vast musical repertoire. In the mode “Selection of topics“We will find a range of 150 themes in total which are icons of the saga. All of these songs can be unlocked in World Tour mode or by crafting them at Moguri Goldsmith. The latter, called “mnemonicThey put the nostalgic part in the game based on cutscenes that follow one another in the background while Sora flies on the staff and the mechanics vary slightly.

In the selection of subjects We can choose to play with the standard World Tour mode system or with the Simplified style. This allows songs to be completed using just one button; ideal for the most inexperienced in the world of video games. On the other hand, there will also be the Advanced styling, which adds additional objectives that involve greater player response with new buttons that join the function.

Finally, in the “Museum“We will be able to see all the cards we have obtained so far. Cards are nothing more than collectibles that will add hours of playtime if you’re one of those who love to unlock everything. Illustrations of the saga, scenes, characters and all the Keyblades that have accompanied Sora and his friends throughout the history of Kingdom Hearts. We will also find a Gramola to freely play one of our favorite songs.

Somewhat out of tune

When we talk about the multiplayer facet, this is where we realize that Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is weakening a bit, especially in the cooperative.

To begin with, in the mode called “Duels“We will compete against other players in online games for top marks and scores, each choosing a song. The funniest thing about it is that even We can send “stuff” to our rival to get him out of the way. Among these tricks there will be the ability to make enemies tiny, crash against the screen hitting them so that the rival will lose sight or even make them invisible.

The cooperative is more limited. To play with friends, the staff will be divided into two sections within a single song. The melody will be played by both players, but the score will be divided to decide which of the two has better tuned the notes. As I mentioned before, this mode is missing a lot when you consider that Square Enix has only enabled 21 songs for this mode, which I still don’t quite understand.

Finally

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Of a Twist on the Tetsuya Nomura saga and it’s a real surprise in its game mechanics. Mixing an action RPG with a musical title is a long plan that has finally paid off. He knows how to make the most of all his possibilities, avoiding falling into monotony and encouraging us to keep playing to get the highest score and unlock new Museum rewards. The lack of themes in cooperative mode is corrected by the fun online multiplayer offers. In my opinion, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is the perfect tribute to one of Square Enix’s star franchises and a soundtrack that only someone loves. Yoko Shimomura could have created.