review
Kingdom
Hearts
Chain of Memories
Review By: Travis Mcfarland
Version: US
Company: Square-Enix
Rated: G (Cartoon violence and malevolent bad guys in hoods. Possible paper cuts)
System: Gameboy Advance
Players: 1
SHORT VIEW
Having sealed the keyhole to
darkness, Sora, Donald and Goofy continue their quest to save the
King. They reach a crossroads, and as Sora gazes into the night sky
he is approached by a mysterious hooded man who speaks; "Ahead
lies something you need, but to claim it you must lose something
dear." The man vanishes, and what was once a crossroads is now
a single path leading towards Castle Oblivion. Sora and his friends
set out to discover its secrets and gain what they must possess. Yet
what will they lose in the process?
THE LONG VIEW
THE
HOOK: Developed as a sort of Kingdom Hearts 1.5, Chain of Memories
serves as an intermediary point between the original Kingdom Hearts
and its forthcoming sequel, Kingdom Hearts 2. But with its new card
based battle system and isometric sprite based graphics, is it a
worthy follow-up?
HOW
IT LOOKS AND FEELS: It's funny how you can still get nostalgic for
the pixilated days of sprite based games. Chain of Memories, like a
lot of Gameboy Advance games, looks like a very polished and
professional Super Nintendo game. The sprites and characters are
extremely detailed and crisp with little noticeable nuances popping
up from time to time. I'm surprised to see how well the designs
behind a lot of the characters such as Sora translate into tiny
pixel-based counterparts. You don't lose any of the personality
already established in the characters; from Goofy's
well-intentioned, but somewhat slow, bravery to Cloud's skulking
intensity.
The
animation is somewhat hit or miss in places however. Certain moves
seem a bit jumpy, as if they're missing a few frames here or there.
Attacks can be a bit repetitive looking as well and you'll see a lot
of the same moves over and over again. On the other hand, the usual
Square-Enix trademark flare for magic effects makes its mark well
known. Summons are great and higher level magic spells pack quite a
punch. A few of the bosses and stronger enemies also seem to have
had a bit more attention paid to them.
The
levels, while looking distinct and recognizable, are a big letdown.
All the original areas from the first game return. You will travel
from Agrabah to Halloween Town; maybe take a left at the Olympus
Coliseum and end up in Wonderland. One of the mechanics of the game
is that you build the world as you explore it. What this amounts to
is collecting certain Map Cards that you use whenever you pass
through a door you haven't explored before. This gives a chance to
basically pick which room you will enter next. Some Map Cards create
rooms full of weak enemies while other cards may create a save point
or a Moogle Shop (where you can buy decks of cards). It sounds like
a good idea, and there can be some strategic value to placing one
room instead of another, but the actual design of each room is dull
and uninspired. There is absolutely no exploration in the game and
secrets are practically non-existent. The rooms are just randomly
laid out cubes that vary in elevation and the amount of objects
placed within them. Hardly the movie set-pieces brought to life in
the original Kingdom Hearts game.
Using
a fairly simplistic control scheme, Chain of Memories is quick to
pick up. 'B' jumps, 'A' attacks and the shoulder buttons cycle your
cards in battle. A handy map is accessible by pressing select and
most menu-based selections (such as equipping your card decks) are
available in the pause menu. About the hardest skill your going to
have to work at when it comes to controls is pressing both shoulder
buttons at the same time. Even I can master that, and I have a hard
time putting pants on in the morning....though admittedly that may
be due to events from the night before.
HOW
IT SOUNDS: Square-Enix did the best they could given the GBA's
somewhat poor sound quality. Memorable tunes from the original
Kingdom Hearts game make their return in scaled back MIDI form.
Though simplistic upon first listen, the songs actually exhibit a
nice sense of charm if you give them some time. Especially if you're
a fan of the original game's soundtrack to begin with. There are
numerous instruments and a fullness to the music that grows on you.
You won't be blasting this out of the Kenwood system in your car,
but it's pleasant enough whilst playing.
As
you'd expect, voice overs are non-existent (that blasted Haley Joel
Osment eludes me again!) and the sound effects present are cheap
feeling. Nothing is really wrong with them, they just resemble
extremely down sampled versions of their Playstation 2 counterparts.
Blips and bloops are present in spades.
EXTRAS:
Sorry, no extras to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Just
remember though that all your friends who don't own a GBA will only
be able to play Kingdom Hearts 2. They'll miss out on this little
transitional storyline. Everyone from all around will come flocking
to you for answers! That should make you feel good about
yourself...or terrified if you're afraid of crowds.
CINEMATIC
EXPERIENCE: Hold on a minute. FMV on the GBA?! OMG WTF? Sorry...yes,
there are a few actual cinematics in this game and how Square-Enix
got them to look so nice is still a mystery to me. They lack any
sound effects or voice overs, but it's still a nice unexpected
touch.
BEST
PLAYER: Sora is initially the only playable character, but passing
the game unlocks a secret that I won't go about spoiling for you.
I'll just tell you that it will provide for a very different second
play through the game.
CHEAT
CODE YOU NEED: No cheats...sorry. I mean, you might be able to work
out some system whereby you mark all your cards with a special magic
marker so that you and your security guard accomplice can cheat the
casino out of millions of dollars. However, you're not in Vegas and
stealing is wrong.
CHEAT
CODE YOU WANT: A pair of scissors. Being able to replace the
Keyblade with a nice, sharp pair of scissors (none of these rounded
tip safety scissors either) would be extremely handy. Then you could
just cut your enemy's cards in two, throw them in their face and
then proceed to beat that Heartless montser senseless with your own
cards. Survival of the fittest!
OH
MAN! MOMENT: A few of the boss battles, notably the final battle,
exhibit such a frantic mix of dodging attacks, queuing up cards and
trying to counter-attack that you will quickly learn that hitting
your Gameboy will not help.
GLITCH
ITCH: Not a glitch in sight.
FAN
SERVICE: There is a surreal sort of pleasure in seeing original
characters, classic and modern Disney icons, and trademark Final
Fantasy personae all interacting in the same storyline. I summoned
Simba from the Lion King to lay the smack down on Cloud from Final
Fantasy 7 whilst on my way to defeat Hades from Disney's Hercules.
How is that in any way normal?
THE 2 VIEW
I
loved the original Kingdom Hearts. There was something about it all
that really felt original and compelling. Whether it was the
storyline or the gameplay, I've always held it in high regard
amongst the action-RPG genre. We should face facts too, Disney was
always a part of our childhood and I'm sure that the vast majority
of you reading this have fond memories of at least one or two
classic Disney movies. (What Disney has become now is an essay unto
itself - I'll get you some day Michael Eisner!). I suspect my
admiration for the first game is part of the reason I was
disappointed with Chain of Memories.
The
game felt insubstantial; as if the decision to make this game a
follow-up, but not a true sequel, somehow inhibited its potential.
There is an intriguing storyline to follow, but not a meaty enough
gameplay experience behind it to warrant countless hours of
playtime. You'll find yourself hoping for something to break the
monotony of moving from room to room collecting cards and battling
bosses. If you're like me, you'll also feel sort of alone. Goofy and
Donald don't follow you around anymore (they've been relegated the
duty of serving as magic cards) and there is little to no NPC
interactions at all. Any other characters present only show up
during in-game story breaks.
What
hampers the game most however is its battle system. The idea behind
the card based battles is actually quite original and sounds fun,
but it's an idea that can slowly degrade under the right
circumstances. You are given cards to choose your attacks from and
you have complete control over their order and place within a deck.
Most cards are standard attack cards; you just smack the enemy with
your keyblade. Other cards can range anywhere from heal cards to
summons to special ability cards. You also have the ability to queue
up a combination of cards to unleash more powerful attacks. For
example, queuing up three Donald Duck cards will result in a much
more powerful magic attack then if you had played each card
individually.
The
trouble stems from the fact that the battles take place in real
time. While you are running around, trying to queue up cards for
stronger attacks or shuffling through your deck, your opponent is
blasting you with attacks and laying waste to your carefully
concocted plans. Enemies use cards for their attacks as well, and
it's possible to counter them and negate their effects, but
everything moves at such a fast pace that it can grow disorienting
at times. The key to success lies in how you arrange your deck of
cards to deal with a certain opponent. You're going to want to stick
your healing cards right next to each other; this way you don't have
to go searching through your deck for that third Cure card so you
can queue it up and cast Curaga.
I
do enjoy the amount of customization you have over your deck of
cards however. It can be quite fun to sit around and build that
perfect deck so that you can really show Oogie Boogie who is boss.
It's a trial and error sort of approach to success however and the
level-up grind gets tough once you reach that mid 40's level. Unless
you have the patience to collect just the right cards and build a
strong deck, you're going to get frustrated quickly.
Chain
of Memories isn't a long game either. It's over in around 5-6 hours
depending on your skill level. If you bother to try and collect all
the secret cards or you just enjoy leveling up, you might be able to
push that into the 10-15 hour range but that's pushing it. Passing
the game does unlock a secret mode that allows you to play through
the game again. I'm surprised as to the differences presented in
this mode and I'd encourage you to give it a shot.
Maybe
the card based battles turned me off to the game. It's possible I
didn't accept such a distinct departure from the original design as
I could have. I just couldn't get into Chain of Memories though.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I played through it as it has me all
pumped up to find out what happens in Kingdom Hearts 2, it's just
the game started feeling like a chore towards the end. Much of the
personality of the first game seems to have been stripped away and
Chain of Memories can be a bit of a rehash at times. You might have
more fun with it then I did, however don't be surprised if you come
away with a feeling of shallowness. A feeling that Square-Enix is
somewhere off in your peripheral vision dangling a copy of Kingdom
Hearts 2 whilst whispering "you'll get it eventually."
Back to the Pop Culture Review Page