Why KINGDOM HEARTS: MELODY OF MEMORY Might Be The Scariest Thing I Played This October
No. Please, no. Why on earth is this game here? I’m not exaggerating. Who on earth is in charge of the Kingdom Hearts franchise? A demon? The devil himself? Ansem? Xehanort? Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here…
Kingdom Hearts boasts some of the greatest games of the PS2 era. But we had to wait 14 years for Kingdom Hearts 3. KH1 came out in 2004, KH2 came out in 2005 and KH3 came out in 2019. That is a massive, unreasonable gap in my opinion, especially because they kept making half-baked games for years and years while waiting for KH3 (there are a few good games that stand as exceptions, but most of them were just cash grabs). Why? Why not just focus and make KH3 good? It was crazy how long we had to wait, and the game wasn’t even all that great.
Now, we are getting a rhythm game? COME ON! What is this? You left us on a massive cliff hanger and teased a new game at the end of KH3. Why are developers bothering with full game systems and creating new assets for these side games? I obviously know why; money. But I am seriously worried that we won’t get a real sequel, Kingdom Hearts 4, until 2025 AT THE EARLIEST. The fan base for the series is getting old. I’m getting old. But the childish, easy gameplay and nonsense of the franchise are not growing up with the fans. Am I going to really care about Sora and his power of heart and friendship when I’m in my mid or late 30’s? Nope, not really.
Is this really necessary? Even if it is good, who needs this game? Who? WHY?!
Anyway, the game itself is okay. It uses assets from the latest remaster and puts players on a journey (conveyor belt) through various songs and levels through a lot of the Kingdom Hearts games. This is a pretty fun idea, but the gameplay wasn’t super smooth or all the entertaining. And for being a full $60 game, I find it to be almost abusive towards the fan base to entice them with another KH game and force them to pay this much.
I’m losing steam to care about the Kingdom Hearts franchise. I’m sure their games in the future will continue to have a strong sense of quality, but will the KH fans really care by the time KH4 comes out? I’m not so sure about that. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory seems like it will be a solid game that showcases the music, strong story beats, and worlds of the franchise, but perhaps a $60 price tag is asking for a lot.