The release history of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a somewhat long and strange one.
Commercially overshadowed by its immediate predecessor and successor, it was initially released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. After several years, the game got a remake in 3D for the PlayStation 2 as Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, included as a second disc with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. Since its initial remake, Re:Chain of Memories has been remastered and ported several times. Having played (and loved) the original, I was always intrigued by the remake and was curious to see how its unique, innovative card-based battle system translated to a 3D environment. I also wanted the chance to experience the game with new voice acting and refresh myself on the story, which is a necessary, core part of the series plot.
Taking place immediately after the first game’s conclusion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy find themselves in “Castle Oblivion,” searching for the lost King Mickey and Riku. Upon entering, a mysterious hooded figure informs Sora that while he may find what he is looking for, it will come at the cost of ever-increasing memory loss as he ascends the castle’s floors. Amnesia isn’t the only strange property caused by Castle Oblivion. From its outset, Re:Chain of Memories establishes its central gameplay through its distinctive and complex battle system. In essence, basic attacks, magic, and summons that Sora utilized in the first game are now all assigned to individual cards, each with a value between zero and nine.
Using one of these cards executes the ability; however, enemies also use their attacks with similarly numbered cards. The highest card wins. If a card gets played when another is active, the higher card will “card break” the lower one, causing the user of the lower card to be temporarily stunned. The zero card functions as a “wild” card — it can break any active card, but any card played afterward while it is active can break it.
Players can use cards in groups of three, known as “sleights,” which have a numerical value equal to the added value of the three cards. These sleights will execute powerful chain attacks or other abilities. The tradeoff, however, is that the first card of a sleight is lost and becomes unusable, meaning you cannot strictly rely on sleights. As you use or lose cards in your deck through sleights, your available abilities eventually dwindle. Although you can reload your deck to varying extents, this ability eventually slows, and it is entirely possible to be left unable to act further.
If this all sounds a bit overwhelming and you are questioning how it works in practice, trust me, I felt the same way during my playthrough. You might feel confused and find yourself scratching your head, particularly in the first couple of hours. However, with a little patience, the combat system eventually comes into its own and clicks in a very satisfying manner. It is conceptually fantastic and rewards players with gripping, demanding fights. The structure of your deck and the eventual scarcity of cards encourage careful, strategic selection of abilities and how to use them.
The actual execution of the card system in gameplay is mostly positive, although I did become increasingly frustrated at various points. This frustration can be attributed to the fundamental challenge of porting mechanics from a two-dimensional game to three dimensions. The added dimension sometimes works to great effect, but it flounders on numerous occasions and wears thinner the more you progress. Regular encounters make excellent use of the game’s systems for much of the game. For example, luring and grouping together fire-based Red Nocturnes and obliterating them with the single blizzard spell in your deck or lining up a group of enemies for a sliding dash feels incredibly rewarding.
On the other hand, battle does have a rare tendency to break down. Chiefly, in encounters with high numbers of enemies, the combined chaos of shuffling through your deck, rotating the camera, and trying to target enemies can often lead to misusing a card or misdirecting an attack toward the wrong enemy. This causes your deck to break down and combat to ultimately unravel from your initial plans. When this happens, it is usually due to an inability to reach the appropriate card in time, often because of control-related issues.
The worst problem with Re:Chain of Memories is that suboptimal controls keep the gameplay from blossoming into its full potential. Targeting and switching between enemies is clunky and slow in the same way it was in the original Kingdom Hearts. This is unsurprising, given this game uses the same engine, but the problem is amplified significantly in a more strategic system. Removing the auto-target feature and allowing the general aiming of spells and sleights would have gone a long way toward tightening player control.
While the game has a shortcut function intended to ameliorate some of the mayhem of battle, having the ability to only jump to one card unnecessarily limits player control. Although you can set your most potent card as your shortcut, it is equally important to have quick access to your 0 cards. Deck arrangement did allow me to place my 0s near my preferred abilities, but it made it difficult to access the sleights in a timely manner. Had the game used the unused directional pad buttons for multiple shortcuts, navigating decks would have been flawless.
Unfortunately, the game’s control issues are even more evident in boss encounters. Each floor of Castle Oblivion sees you revisit a world from Kingdom Hearts, complete with direct carbon copy bosses. While the Disney-based bosses are tolerable and some work better than others, they were clearly not designed for the combat system; the simplified format in the GBA version felt balanced more appropriately. Between floors, you occasionally fight members of the “Organization,” a mysterious group of hooded figures central to the game’s plot. These fights are unique to the game and frequently bring out the absolute best of the card system — unyielding, strategic combat and relentless use of sleights. Some of the fights, sadly, do suffer from some balancing issues.
Nevertheless, the game gives you enough options to overcome any combat encounter, and I should emphasize I had an outstanding time throughout most of the game. The card-based game structure, frankly, is a stroke of genius, and it is a shame not to revisit it in future games. Card-based RPGs have become more commonplace in modern times, particularly after the meteoric success of titles like Slay the Spire, but the gameplay here was truly revolutionary for its time. Even if the combat can eventually wear thin, the game redeems itself in its closing hours and with its final boss, which feels like one of the most appropriately balanced, paced, and well-designed encounters in the entire series.
The final boss also brilliantly concludes a compelling plot. Castle Oblivion’s premise is intriguing, and the game’s central theme of memory is significantly more mature and thought-provoking than the straightforward, enjoyable romp in Kingdom Hearts. As Sora progresses through the castle, memories are eventually lost, but new memories are gained as well. The conclusion of the plot reveals why Castle Oblivion has memory-altering properties, which threw me for an unexpected and delightful loop. That said, revisiting Kingdom Hearts levels and their mini-plot threads is less engaging than the Organization-centered plot and cutscenes between floors. Not having the voice cast return for the Disney-based worlds in this game takes away much of the charm and immersion that made these work so well in the first game.
While the Organization members drive the plot positively, the constant, incessant teasing and intentional vagueness towards Sora when monologuing about their scheming, especially towards the game’s end, becomes slightly aggravating. A notable exception to the sometimes-obnoxious writing and tiresome broodiness of the Organization is Larxene, whose sadistic demeanor is played straighter and, as a result, is more entertaining, particularly due to the performance of her voice actress.
Aside from Larxene, the voice work across the board is superb. Riku’s voice actor has wildly improved his grating, excessive performance from the first game, sounding drastically more subdued and mature. The voice acting punctuates an overall sonically pleasing game; effects for attacks, battles, enemies, and movements sound deliberately crafted and responsive. The game’s score comprises mostly remixed tracks from Kingdom Hearts, most of which are fantastic, although the incessant droning of “Under the Sea” in Atlantica grows tired very quickly. As usual for Yoko Shimomura, the game’s new tracks are well-composed (the final boss music floored me) and masterfully flesh out the mystique and intrigue of the Organization and Castle Oblivion.
In terms of atmosphere, the game does not soar as high visually, and I felt let down in this aspect, specifically when compared to the absolutely gorgeous spritework of the original game. Re:Chain of Memories utilizes the same engine and visuals as Kingdom Hearts. Though this looks visually fine, much of the previous game’s appeal was due to its level design and attention to detail; the randomly generated rooms here lack the same charm. The cutscenes, for the most part, are visually beautiful and spectacularly choreographed and acted, although there are moments where Sora or other characters’ faces become unusually flat and blocky, which detracts significantly from the otherwise strong presentation. Once players beat Sora’s portion of the story, they can experience “Reverse/Rebirth,” which is Riku’s side of the story. This is a significantly shorter playthrough, totaling no more than ten hours, even at a leisurely pace.
Although the foundational gameplay remains the same, Riku is limited to a preset card deck for every castle floor, which has an unalterable and set order but replenishes more easily. As he battles, he can enter “dark mode” if the player is quick enough at card breaks, granting him access to powerful sleights and greater maneuverability. The best way to sum up Riku’s gameplay is that it brings out the best and worst of the card-based battle system to greater extremes. The limited decks often tested my mastery and led to tense, exciting battles. However, I frequently encountered control issues, particularly with the shortcut function, since deck reorganization for optimal card access isn’t possible.
Plot-wise, Riku’s section is significantly weaker than Sora’s, as he is dealing with an internal struggle with darkness. While the core themes and plot considerations surrounding the implications are compelling, the execution of dialogue and writing, especially at the beginning of the game, borders on atrocious. The sheer repetition of the word “darkness” becomes nauseatingly annoying in some early cutscenes. Luckily, Riku’s side eventually gets much better and more absorbing toward the end, and there are several poignant character-based moments that redeem his story into an overall positive.
Ultimately, after completing Re:Chain of Memories, I was blown away by the sheer genius of the card-based combat system but was also left wanting by its subpar controls. If players are willing to invest a few hours of patience, the game rewards them with an enthralling, well-crafted experience. Despite the plot’s occasional sparsity and moments of annoyance, a superb score and an enigmatic setting enhance it.
