Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (2020)
Nintendo.com
"Play as familiar faces from the KINGDOM HEARTS series, including Disney guest characters who will appear to lend you a hand.
This new title in the Kingdom Hearts franchise released about a month ago. As it's part of my favorite gaming franchise, I thought I'd state my opinions on it.
I've never been one for rhythm games, but that didn't stop me from getting addicted to this one. Every time I play it, I still go into it with the notion that it's a dumb easy game, but it actually gets challenging. I've played both solo and co-op, and I have fun every time. If you're a fan of the ordinary Kingdom Hearts combat, and have a particular disdain of rhythm games, this installment isn't for you. But if you love the music, and don't mind this new style of game, you'll probably enjoy it.
The only thing I really disliked was how they represented Kingdom Hearts 3. KH3 had such an amazing soundtrack with plenty of new tracks that would've been fun to play. Instead, we got one song represented from each world in the form of a "memory dive," which is a bit of a let down.
Again, if you are expecting hours of cutscenes, don't waste your money. Melody of Memory is, I believe, the 3rd "recap" game in the series. I'd say it's the most fun, but story driven - it is not. However, there is still about half an hour of new content (which can easily be found on YouTube). And a lot happens in that 30 minutes. If you played Kingdom Hearts 3: ReMind at the start of 2020, then you most certainly have questions - and MoM has answers. The final cutscene reveals who the "star" from KH3 is, where she came from, and what Riku will have to do to bring Sora back. This game sets up the next big chapter of the series, and I couldn't be more excited.
The soundtracks of the Kingdom Hearts series are undeniably beautiful and epic. That's all thanks to the talented composer, Yoko Shimamura. I've listened to many of her works, and she is one of my favorite composers by far. I saw Melody of Memory as a little celebration to her contribution of 18 years. The series wouldn't be the same without it's music, and the music wouldn't be the same without Yoko.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆