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Disney Is Taking a Darker Approach...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...Or so it seems, in its joint participation with Square Enix in the gigantic, confusing project we know as Kingdom Hearts. Alas, I must wait until Christmas comes around to play Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but after playing the original game for the Playstation 2, I have high expectations.

Although both the original game and this new release were (and are) littered with Disney characters, lots of cute symbolism, and lighthearted fun that made it appeal to many children (and most probably gave it the "E" rating), they are also sufficiently dark and intriguing as well: probably the reason older people who might not have given it a second thought are drawn to it as well. Although the protagonist himself, a naiive little boy named Sora, is silly and innocent, as his journey continues through the original game, we begin to realize that there is much more to his story. His two friends that we meet in the very beginning of the game are also used in symbolism: his semi-rival Riku is arrogant and chooses the path of darkness (and Heartless, which are usually very cute contrary to the havoc they can wreak.) Meanwhile, the girl Kairi, whose past is shrouded in mystery has chosen the path of light. Although they might regret these choices once in a while, these are the main motives that they have chosen... making Sora's life beneath his quest. very difficult.

Darkness and light are the main focuses of the storylines. It seems that Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories will cover more of the spaces in between. For instance, we are introduced to a new character who looks strangely like Kairi, save that she is blonde and pale. Her name is Namine, and from what I get, she is being pressured by the Order (men and women supposedly on the side of darkness, or somewhere in between, who wear dark cloaks and have insecure motives) to replace Kairi in Sora's mind. For all those who haven't quite finished Kingdom Hearts, or haven't played at all, (tsk! tsk!) Sora had promised Kairi that he would come back to her. Namine's purpose, whether it be her own or someone else's, is to make Sora forget his promise.

More about gameplay, less about the very confusing story... at first, I thought the card system would be a flop. Just a gimmick added by Tetsuya Nomura, (the director of the Kingdom Hearts series and other projects by Square Enix,) to try and promote the series and get more money... Nomura, how could you?! But now that I see that he merged action with cards, I'm beginning to think that it may turn out better than I thought. The new graphics engine will be a great asset to this game and to others. The CG animation looks spectacular: just like the cut scenes from the Playstation 2 game. Hopefully the sound will be just as good... and the pixelated characters in gameplay are endearing.

Anyway, I hope this helped you more than it bored you. I truly think that Kingdom Hearts is a very succesful merge of two empiric companies... and that Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories will be just as good. (I mean, come on, how can you not resist Winnie the Pooh and moogles in the same place?!) Kupo!

impressive for gameboy but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: May 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I think I'm being a little generous with my rating becuase honestly this game didn't hold my attention as well as I thought it would. After Kingdom Hearts for playstation 2 I rushed out to get this game. I was very impressed with the graphics. The music is the same as the first game which made me happy and the game makes a perfect transition from ps2 to gameboy. This wasn't anywhere near as fun as the first, however, if you want to fully enjoy Kingdom Hearts 2, you HAVE to play and beat this. I know becuase I waited until after KH2 to beat this. Do yourself the favor and catch up before moving on with the story.

A first time Kingdom Hearts player becomes a fan

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've never played a Final Fantasy / Kingdom Hearts game before, but I became hooked on this game. I like role playing / adventure games as long as the action part and beating the "bosses" isn't so hard that only video game freaks can win. It's cute to fight alongside Disney characters. The story line is interesting but isn't deep. I haven't beat the game yet, but I'm definitely motivated to finish it.

I think this would be a good game for kids and fun loving adults alike because it's not gory or sexist or vulgar. It's challenging but not impossible to win.

impressive

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As a KH fan, I was leery when I first heard that this game would be released on GBA. It seemed like a good way to ruin a great series. I tried to be optimistic, though, because I wanted the story line continuation. Besides, those of us who are eagerly anticipating KH2 need a teaser to last us another year, right?

I'm halfway through the game, and I must say, I'm impressed. The short video clip at the beginning is incredible for a handheld, and set the rest of the game up as a positive experience. There are more of these short clips in the game, and they really enriched the story line for me and almost made me forget I was playing a GBA. The game play graphics are good, too.

I was worried about the battle system, and it did take some getting used to. I loved the hack and slash, realtime system from the first game (even if the faulty camera made it maddeningly difficult at times) and I was glad to realize that this feature has not been completely lost in the new game. If you wish to play it this way, you can build up your CP and stock mostly keyblade attack cards, then hack and slash just like in the original. If not, you can up your strategy by stocking magic cards and other special cards and put them together to create powerful chain attacks. A word of advice, though. When building a deck, be careful about the order you place your cards in and the numbers on the cards you place. Lower cards will be broken a lot even in small battles when you get higher up in the castle, and you don't want to have to shuffle around looking for your cure cards. Introducing cards into the battle system really creates an element of strategy, which makes the game more interesting.

As everyone else said, the story line is shallow. Don't bother getting the strategy guide. While I had my KH guide glued to my lap throughout the entire first game, I found myself putting the CoM guide away after the second world. It was useful to learn the basic gameplay, but I had to figure out the best strategies on my own and there aren't a lot of game making or breaking secrets like there are in KH. If you haven't played the first game, you may want to, or most of the story won't make sense. The strategy guide does bring you up to speed if you haven't played the first game, though, so that's something to take into consideration.

The mini stories that unfold in each world are suspiciously similar to those in KH, but the layout of the worlds is different. My husband saw this as a boring flaw, but I had to remind him that there is really only one world in the entire game, and that's Castle Oblivion, an entirely new world. Remembering that and keeping an open mind helps, since the stories and boss fights tend to be a bit predictable.

I keep thinking I must be approaching the end of the game, and new worlds keep popping up. So far, it hasn't seemed too short. For the graphics and sound they packed into this game, the length is somewhat impressive.

It's important to remember that this game is not it's predescessor. You can only do so much when working with a GBA as opposed to the PS2. The graphics obviously won't hold a candle to those in the original game, and there is no spoken dialogue. However, it was well done for it's platform, and fans of the original will not be disappointed.

A Good Game to Set the mood for KH2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Following the events of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories takes place right where the first game left off. Sora, Donald, and Goofy find themselves in a place known as Castle Oblivion. Here, they will travel back to the worlds they visited in the first game and gain some more information, but loose something as well.

I was really excited wjen this game came out. I bought it right here on Amazon.com and began to play it the moment it came to my house. In this game you meet a whole bunch of new and old characters. You also meet this group called the Originization. This game is good but not as good as the original Kingdom Hearts. This game also sets the tone for KH2(can't wait for KH2!!!) Also after you have completed the game, and extra bonus version of the game comes out and you get to play that as well. I strongly recomend this game for those of you who wanted to see King Mickey in the first one a lot more because he is in Chain of Memories quit a bit.

I hope they do another on GB Advanced!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Two words.
Love It!
I think this is one of the best games I have or have ever had! I love the gameplay because it can be challenging at times but If a game is too easy It isn't fun.
I also like the fact that Donald and Goofy aren't running around. In Kingdom Hearts it got to be really annoying when they would use up all the items I bought them. Money doesn't grow on trees, even in this game!
All in all. Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories are wonderful games and Im sure KH2 will do the same.

Good, but not for everyone.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Having played through all of the first one and halfway through the second one I decided to postpone KH2 and play this for a while. First off this game is VERY different from KH and pretty much different from any other game you have ever played. It is card based but not in the boring "I lay a card, you lay a card and we see who wins" style. Its better to think of the cards as regular commands you would see in any Final Fantasy game. Basics such as, Attack, Magic, Potion etc. You also have to keep in mind that you can throw enemy cards which have various effect like "Auto Revive" once you lose all your HP.

As far as the story goes, you kind of have to force yourself to sit past the first 10-15 hours because the first 10 floors have the SAME repeat story from the game. Sometimes once you finish a floor it will show a cutscene that involves the new story, but it is usually short and doesn't make much sense until later. There are 13 floors in all so you really don't get much into the actual story until floor 11. From there the story is magnificent! Bottom line is everything in the game revolves around Sora's memory and his perspective on his own past. Its also cool to see what happened between Axel, Sora and Namine before KH2. You also get to find out what happened with Riku and King Mickey once you complete Sora's story.

Overall this is a fun game with a few annoying flaws.

Pros
-Unique battle system. Involves thinking and strategy
-Donald and Goofy are not following you around
-PSX quality cutscenes
-Good story around the end of the game
-Reverse/Rebirth story once you beat Sora's story

Cons
-Every world is exactly the same with different colors and tile
-Game slows down a lot if too much is happening
-Some bosses are extremely annoying

Also the game does not point out where you need to go next so if you go to the Olympus Colusium before going to Monstro you are going to be ripping you hair out trying to beat Hades!

I do recommend this game but, if you are more the Hack n' Slash type you may not like the battle system (which would suck because you spend about 80% of this game in battle).

KINGDOM HEARTS FANS MUST HAVE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: July 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you are a fan of kingdom hearts and have played KH1 and KH2, in the beginnning of KH2 it shows you what you have missed in Chain of memories. For those who want to know what it was like, you must get this game to fully understand the KH saga.

If you dont play it, then youll never fully understand the organization 13.

Am I even allowed to review this game?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 19 / 51
Date: January 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that no, I have not played all the way through this game, and from the looks of things, that might never happen. However, I have played a large percentage of this game, and I feel I am in a position to tell you, honestly, a few things about it.
This game revolves around how Sora, Donald and Goofy, after their adventure in the first Kingdom Hearts, enter a place called Castle Oblivion and are very nearly destroyed/controlled by something called "the organization." All of Castle Oblivion, according to the required tutorial character near the beginning, is one huge territory where everything is ruled by cards.
Joy.
Now, for those who have never played another RPG, let me say that card-based battle has a reputation for being just plain bad. I don't like it, and chances are you won't either. Squaresoft has added some minor improvements to their card battle system that makes it bearable for most of the game, but only because I was a fan of the original and felt I owed it to the franchise to play this game.
So as I progress through the game, I discover that Sora is reliving (with some significant differences,) memories of his journey in KH1. Each floor of the Castle represents a world Sora has visited in the past, and for a while, that's that. You go back over the same territory, which is a little tedious depending on how well you remember the first game, while Sora and the others say depressing things about how much they've forgotten. Ultimately, the story takes a couple of nice turns near the end, but you hardly have any time to enjoy it.
This game, however, suffers from some pretty massive gameplay issues. First, it tries to be both an RPG and an action game and fails pretty miserably. The first Kingdom Hearts did RPG level gaining properly, allowing you to get upgrades for HP, MP, AP, defense power, attack power and special attacks. This game gives you HP upgrades, and a type of unweildy special attack called a "sleight" that forces you to arrange your cards in a certain order, which, even if you manage it, you wind up losing one of your cards for the rest of the battle. They also allow you to upgrade your "CP," which is short for "card power," and influences how many cards of what sort you can have in your "deck." Each card type costs a certain amount of CP if you want it in your deck, so, the more CP, the better.
In theory.
I think you may already begin to see an issue here. No strength upgrades means that later battles against stronger enemies with more health quickly become tedious and what's more, the bosses are very poorly designed. After the first boss, the bosses are all either MUCH too hard or so easy as to be tedious. Hades is very hard, Maleficent is hard, Hook is MUCH harder than anyone has a right to be as are the final forms of Riku and all the organization members, and virtually every other boss in the game is so easy, I could practically beat them in my sleep.
Normally, making one boss enormously harder than another is a big no-no for video games. I seriously doubt anybody but six or seven gamers out of everyone in America will EVER beat Axel, much less Marluxia, a person I have only once gotten past the first (of four no less) health bar of.
The original Kingdom Hearts was at least new gamer friendly with a difficulty setting to allow less experienced gamers to learn the game's story and appreciate its characters without banging their heads against a wall. This game doesn't even have that.
Is this game worth playing? Are you looking for a challenge? If so, you may find one in this game. I haven't screamed at a game so much since Earthworm Jim 1. I think I may keep playing this game every so often just for humility's sake, but I don't expect to ever find out what happens to Sora at the end of the castle.

How can you NOT be charmed by this game?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: December 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought a PS2 specifically to play kingdom hearts. I know that sounds crazy, but my whole paycheck was saved just for that purpose. And jeez. I loved that game. Its the only game I have sense played to completion. And my brothers and sisters, they adored watching me play it because of the disney characters! so anyway, KH is my favorite game of all time.
So naturally, when the GBA game showed up, I made sure to get one along with KH chains of memories. Another system only to play the series. ^^;; I'm weird.
At first I was kind of frustrated, but I adore this game. I'm stuck in the coliseum right now. (hades is difficult. heh.) I think what I love most about it is the creating your own fate thing--how you choose what lies beyond the door. That, and though I was quite fond of the slashing and such, the card game aspect is fun, because it takes thought and strategy to build your own deck.
Once you get the hang of it, the game is pretty awesome, and a must-have! the graphics are spectacular for a GBA, and though the story goes by much quicker than the original, its cute and entertaining.
My enthusiasm knows no bounds for this game!

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