Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
| Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Jupiter |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release | November 11, 2004 (JP) December 7, 2004 (US) May 6, 2005 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a video game for the Game Boy Advance and the second installment in the Kingdom Hearts series, bridging the gap between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II.
This game was released in the United States on December 7, 2004 and in Europe on May 6, 2005.
Plot summary
The story of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories takes place directly after the ending of the first installment, Kingdom Hearts. We find Sora, his two friends Donald Duck and Goofy, as well as Jiminy Cricket, walking down a seemingly never-ending path, when suddenly a mysterious, hooded man dressed in a black trenchcoat tells Sora, "Ahead lies something you need. But to claim it, you must lose something dear." As they continue down the path, Sora and his companions find a massive castle called Castle Oblivion. When they enter, they find the mysterious figure.
When Sora and his companions attempt to engage the figure, they find that their abilities seem to have no effect. The figure then explains that at the moment our heroes entered the castle, they forgot every ability they had known. This figure continues by creating a deck of cards made from Sora and his friends' memories, and tells them that everything they encounter in this castle will be based on their memories. But the higher they go, the more memories they lose in the process.
Meawhile, floors below, Riku somehow returned from the the World of Darkness and fights his own inner demons as he battles upward himself. But neither he nor Sora are aware they were being targeted by a mysterious group called: the Organization...
Characters
Sora
With the Keyblade and his pals, Donald Duck and Goofy, he defeated Ansem and saved all the worlds from eternal darkness. In Castle Oblivion, Sora was targeted by the Organization, who tried to erase his memories so that they could use the Keyblade's power in their evil plans. Ultimately, Sora traveled through worlds created from his memories of his previous adventure and met many old friends and enemies. After he conquered the worlds of his memory and defeated several members of the Organization (Vexen, Larxene, and Axel) and made it through to the top floor of Castle Oblivion, he engaged Marluxia, the one in charge of the Castle, in a final showdown. Upon Marluxia's defeat, Naminé informed Sora that none of his memories had actually been lost. Instead, she told him, they had been rearranged to suit the Organization's plans. Naminé then offers Sora two choices; to give up his memories in Castle Oblivion but forget his old memories, or to restore his old memories but forgets everything that ever happened in Castle Oblivion, including Naminé. Sora chooses to restore his old memories, but tells Naminé he will never forget her. Restoring Sora's memory takes 1 year, bridging the gap between this game and the long waited sequel, Kingdom Hearts 2.
Donald Duck
The royal magician of the Magic Kingdom. Since Ansem's defeat and his stumbling into Castle Oblivion, Donald has forgotten his magic abilities. As he and the others go further within the castle, he even begins to forget his main mission, which is to find the King.
When 2 Donald cards are stocked, Donald double-casts from the selection of Fira, Blizzara, Thundara, or Cura. When 3 Donald cards are stocked, Donald double-casts from the selection of Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, or Curaga.
Goofy
The captain of the Royal Knights of Disney Castle but despises weapons. Since Ansem's defeat and his stumbling into Castle Oblivion, Goofy begins to forget his main mission, which is to find the King.
Goofy's card allows him to physically attack enemies. When 2 Goofy cards are stocked, Goofy performs the "Goofy Charge". When 3 Goofy cards are stocked, Goofy performs the "Goofy Tornado".
Riku
One of Sora's best friends who lived with him on Destiny Islands until the Heartless came. He is available to play in the "Reverse/Rebirth" mode of the game, which is unlocked by beating Sora's story in the game.
After being used by Maleficent and Ansem, Riku helped King Mickey and Sora seal Kingdom Hearts. Unfortunately, in order to seal it he and the king were forced to stay in the world of darkness. But due to being "half-dark", Riku somehow escaped the World of Darkness and appeared in Castle Obilivion, where he had to overcome the darkness within him and what remained of Ansem in him once and for all. This proved to not be an easy task, as Riku was said to be afraid of the darkness, or rather, that allowing it into his heart would mean his corruption and downfall. But when he saw a vision telling that his fear of the darkness was what corrupted him, he turned into a being halfway between light and dark in the "twilight." This allowed him to gain powers far beyond what he had before, which he used to overcome Ansem at the ground level of Castle Oblivion.
Unlike Sora, Riku plays with a closed deck, which means that he is unable to create, arrange, and rearrange is own deck. Instead, his deck changes as he proceeds deeper into Castle Oblivion.
Riku has the ability to enter 'Dark Mode' when he has broken enough cards and when he takes enough damage. But returns to normal when he is completely depleted of DP (Dark Points (DP can be raised when he levels-up)). When in Dark Mode, Riku becomes more agile; he can jump higher, evade at larger distances, even jump towards the target enemy's back, and his combos become much stronger. It is only when Riku is in Dark Mode that he can use his 3 main sleights; Dark Break, Dark Firaga (non-elemental), and Dark Aura. Advantages of his closed deck is that he can use ANY of the boss cards he has and he can reload his deck much faster.
Since we last saw the King in Kingdom Hearts, he was sealed with the realm beyond the door to the light, that is "Kingdom Hearts". Since then, he has been not only fighting the darkness and finding a way out of Kingdom Hearts, but also guiding Riku in spirit, at Castle Oblivion. At times when Ansem's essence would most surely conquer Riku's heart once again, Mickey's spirit, his light, would be there to help hold the darkness down. When the King eventually makes it to the castle, he doesn't even understand how. After Riku defeats Ansem, the King vowed to follow Riku, as he walks a path that is rarely taken, that is Twilight, the power to use both light and darkness.
The King's card replenishes Riku's HP, stuns and deals damage to all enemies, and reloads Riku's deck.
A young witch with mysterious powers, Naminé can rearrange memories at will and "draw" new ones when the need arises. She was forced by the Organization to alter Sora's memories in an attempt to gain control of the Keyblade. She restored Sora's memories in the end, though he would not remember the events in Castle Oblivion. She even tried to help Riku with his darkness, though he turned her down so that he could defeat it on his own.
Riku Replica
He was created by Vexen using data from his battle with Riku. He has the appearance of Riku in his "Dark Form." He is first sent to dispose of Riku, only to retreat. Afterward, Vexen tells Riku Replica that the memories of the original Riku will be implanted in him by Naminé, he rejects because he thinks of the original Riku as a coward because he shuns the darkness, but they continue with the implementation. So his memories become manipulated by Naminé, believing that he is the real Riku and that Sora will hurt Naminé to make them fight. After Sora's final battle with Riku Replica, Larxene reveals the truth, after Sora defeats her, which Riku Replica overheard, thus he remembers that he was a mere replica of the original Riku. He returned later to save Naminé from Marluxia and vanishes at the end of Sora's story. He is picked up by Axel (who appears after he fakes his death when he and Sora fought) and is sent to destroy Zexion so that he could become "real". Riku Replica understood, however, that the only way he could become real was by destroying the original. He was eventually defeated by the real Riku, and died with his last thoughts being where someone like him (having a fake heart) would end up.
He is also called 'Nisemono' in the Japanese version, which means 'Imposter'.
The villains, these 13 black-trenchcoat figures are those who walk the "Path of Twilight", neither of light nor of darkness. The known members are Axel, Larxene, Vexen, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Zexion, and DiZ, who is assumed to be "the Superior" of the Organization. This is only an assumption, as the members never actually call him the superior to his face. There appear to be some issues among its members. The numbers imply both rank and the order that the members joined, with lower numbers indicating older members and higher rank. This is assumed when Vexen tells Marluxia rather smuggly the difference of their numbers and when the D Report calls Marluxia a "neophyte" to the Organization. They all wear the same black cloaks, except for DiZ, however, who wears a red cloak with black down the center.
No. 4 in the Organization He is a boss fought twice by Sora (between Floors 10-11 and during Floor 11) and once by Riku (between Basements 10-9). He wields a large blue shield as well as ice magic as his weapon in battle, and his card has the Auto-Life ability on it.
He appears to help in Marluxia's plot, but is really siding with Zexion and Lexaeus. At first he can be easily mistaken for a woman, due to his long dirty-blond hair. After giving Sora the card to access Twilight Town, Marluxia decides that Vexen is a traitor and sends Axel to kill him. Just after Sora defeats him in Twilight Town, Axel arrives and finishes him off. Vexen created Riku Replica from data he obtained while fighting the real Riku.
No. 5 in the Organization
He is a boss fought once by Riku (between Basements 4-3). He wields a massive tomahawk and earth magic as his weapon in battle, and his card has the ability to instantly destroy any heartless in front of the user at the final attack of a combo.
He and Zexion join forces to try to stop Marluxia from claiming Sora to overthrow the Organization. He is a born warrior who does the dirty work of his alliance. He intends to claim Riku to combat Sora, and challenges him in battle. Riku, however, defeats and kills him. With his death he expels a great tide of dark energy, hoping it would swallow Riku.
No. 6 in the Organization
He is a loyal member of the Organization and seeks to stop Marluxia from toppling it. He creates an alliance opposing Marluxia with Lexaeus and Vexen. Later on, he even sides with Axel for a short time. He is quite cunning and never fights in battle himself. During Basement 3 he appears before Riku and attempts to beat him with mind games and even disguises himself as Sora and attempts to kill him with a beam of light. Riku, however, finally accepts the darkness as his own and uses it to fend off Zexion. Afterward, Axel sends Riku Replica (a.k.a. Nisemono in the Japanese version) to kill him. While his death was never confirmed, he is assumed to be dead. Zexion is crafty, but cowardly.
No. 8 in the Organization
He is a boss fought twice by Sora (between Floors 1-2 and during Floor 13). He wields two round objects with blades at the sides, known as chakrams (chinese weapons) as well as fire magic as his weapon (though his only source of it is his sleights). His card allows the user to use cards even while being attacked.
Axel manipulates a lot of members in this game. Larxene and Marluxia let him in to their mutinous plans after he kills Vexen. He quickly betrays them by suggesting to Naminé that she explain the situation to Sora. Later on he attempts to kill Marluxia, only to be stopped by Sora because Marluxia was using Naminé to protect himself. Afterward, he assists Zexion somewhat, picks up Riku Replica (Nisemono), and then orders Riku Replica to kill the real Riku as well as Zexion. He claims he and Sora have something in common, probably implying they both know much about the heart and still have much to learn about it. He vanishes after sending Riku Replica to kill Riku. Many fans believe that Axel is the real villain of the game, and indeed he is the one manipulating the situation from beginning to end. Of all the members in Chain of Memories, Axel appears to be the most loyal to the Organization's cause, as evidenced by his interest in the uniqueness of Sora's heart and his work to eliminate all traitors within the Organization. Axel just faked his death and is still alive and will appear in Kingdom Hearts II.
No. 11 in the Organization
The main antagonist of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, he is a boss fought once by Sora (Floor 13) in his normal form and once in his Redux form, in which he appears to be riding a battle mech (Floor 13 as Sora). He wields a pink scythe and magic represented by roses in battle, and his card allows the user to use sleights twice before the cards are recycled.
Blossom-loving Marluxia is the leader of the side attempting to overthrow the Organization. He plans to use Naminé to rewrite Sora's memory so that Sora would do anything to protect her, even join Marluxia. He also appears before Sora at the beginning of the game (he has his hood up at that time) and instructs him how to navigate Castle Oblivion. Sora beats him at the end of his game. Though both Axel and Vexen aided him for a time, his only true ally is Larxene, a thunder user. Only one other known member (Larxene) has a higher number than him.
No. 12 in the Organization
She is a boss fought twice by Sora (Floor 6-7 and Floor 12-13). She uses small kunais as well as lightning magic as weapons. Her card grants the user increased movement speed.
She sides with Marluxia and is the only person (other than Riku and Ansem) who doesn't seek to bring him down. She places three kunais between her fingers and a fourth between her thumb and index finger. This is meant to charge electricity into them so she can use her natural lightning more effectively. She likes to insult and put others down, especially Sora, but is eventually beaten by him in battle. She is the second member to be revealed and sort of introduces Axel to Marluxia. Of all the members of the Organization, Larxene is probably the most naive and least in control though she believes otherwise. In personality and appearance she is very similar to Elena in Final Fantasy VII.
Not much is revealed about him. It is assumed that he is the one known as "the Superior", but this rank might not imply that he is No. 1 in the Organization, and it is not even clear if he is a member of the Organization at all. All signs point to DiZ being Ansem's body and soul that was discarded when Ansem plunged into Darkness. He is responsible for pulling Riku and Mickey out of the World of Darkness. In the end of the game he presents Riku with the choice to walk the path of Darkness or Light. Riku takes the middle path, to which DiZ responds "the twilit road to nightfall". Riku says no, and responds that he plans to take "the road to dawn". DiZ is one of the few new characters in Chain of Memories that reappears in Kingdom Hearts II. Trailers for Kingdom Hearts II have shown DiZ saying that he intends to destroy the Organization, but other trailers seem to suggest that he is friends with members of the Organization. Though DiZ guides and aids Riku throughout the game, it remains unclear whether he is a hero or a villain. DiZ is obviously a reference to Walt Disney.
- New Heartless
- Crescendo: A hopping horn-like Heartless that summon other Heartless.
- Creeper Plant: Flower Heartless that is rooted in only one place but can attack by shooting seeds and attacking with its roots from underground.
- Tornado Step: Strange Heartless that spins around and uses its arms as weapons.
- Neoshadow: Nimble Heartless that swims through the shadows. Much like the normal Shadow Heartless, but more powerful (Neoshadows appear in the Final-Mix version of KH, so it's new to those who haven't played it yet).
Cast
Though many characters from Kingdom Hearts were voiced by the cast from before, the Japanese version had these voice actors (all voice acting was done only for the battle sequences of the characters below).
- Keiji Fujiwara ... as Axel
- Tatsuya Kando .... as Vexen
- Rieko Katayama .... as Larxene
It should be noted that the Organization characters only had vocal commands spoken in battle in the Japanese version of the game and not in the US released one. Why they were not simply re-cast and dubbed for the American version isn't known.
The US version had only horrible giggles for Larxene in battle and a Kefka-like laugh for Vexen, neither of which fit the characters nor reflected their original Japanese battle cries (Vexen is best known for his powerful scream when unleashing his icicle attack and a voice which clearly identifies him as a male, both are missing in the US version).
As for the others, Axel's "fire" vocal was entirely removed for the US version and the only remnants of Marluxia's voice are the deep grunts which were present in the Japanese version. His spoken commands, however, are entirely missing and were not redubbed.
Characters who appeared in Kingdom Hearts such as Riku, Sora and others simply had voice clips from that game inserted into the US released version.
Gameplay
This game's gameplay is a fairly even combination between a computer role-playing game and a computer card game. Every action you do (except moving and jumping) is based on cards (for example, for a physical attack, offensive/defensive magic, using items, summoning, and cards that are based off of the enemy that give you support (Where you use a it to give your character a temporary ability such as better offensive or better defensive capabilities)). Finally if you fuse two or three certain attack, magic, item, or summon cards in a certain order you can create a sleight where you can use a special move or ability, or just enhance the abilities of that specific magic or summon card, but the cost is that the first card in the combo becomes unreloadable (Except for Friend summon cards because they only appear during certain points of the battle). One unique way is you can even make your own slight as well as add in additional cards to increase the numbering of a single or double card combo of a magic, item, or summon card so it won't be as easy for the enemy to use a card break on you. Another aspect more unique to this game is the synthesis of new rooms: to advance through the game, you must utilize Map cards you have found after winning a battle to create rooms and everything in them, from enemies to items. Each card has a specific effect, ranging from creating a room with more enemies or slower moving-enemies to save rooms and treasure-containing ones.
Both Sora and Rikus card playing system is different. For Sora you have to obtain cards through playing through the game or through Moogle Shops, although in some cases you have to earn the specific card first through gameplay before it becomes available in a Moogle Shop. In Soras game you can use which cards to make a deck from one of three different card decks and make them into anything you choose as long as you don't go over the CP (Card Point) limit, and having at least one attack card in your deck, its effectiveness depends on both the opponent and how well your deck is organized. If you have to you can make a spare deck and you can even use any of the cards that were used in the previous deck even if it is still equipped to that deck. Finally there are special Premium Cards where that specific Attack, Magic, Summon (Except for the Friend Summon cards) and Item cards. They don't need as much CP to equip to any one of Soras decks but they become unreloadable unless if they are restored by a item card that can reload unreloadable cards (Using them as a second or third card in a sleight doesn't count).
For Riku you can't choose your deck, instead Riku has a deck put out for him which depends on the world he is in. Unlike Sora, Riku cannot use any summon (Aside from his King Mickey summon card), magic, and Premium cards as well as most of the item cards and some of the map and enemy cards. Riku also cannot use any of his attack cards in a sleight unless if he is in Dark Mode and he can't learn in new sleights during the game. But three clear advantages that Riku has over Sora is that Riku can use any of his Boss Enemy cards whenever he wants after he receives them (The Non-Boss Ememy Cards are only temporary and each one individually can only be used for one world), he can reload his cards at a faster rate than Sora and he can raise his attack power at certain levels instead of collecting cards of a new weapon that has higher attack power (Sora has to equip the new Keyblade attack cards that have higher attack power, but they take more CP to equip to that specific deck).
The graphics are excellent for Game Boy Advance. Its cinema-quality cut scenes look very similar to the normal gameplay graphics of Kingdom Hearts and uses the technology found in the Game Boy Advance Video (However, the cut scenes are of low quality on the Game Boy Player due to the fact that they were compressed to fit a GBA cartridge.).
Sequel
A sequel to Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II for the Sony PlayStation 2, is in the works. Its planned release dates in both Japan and the United States are confirmed to be in Q4 2005.
Links
| Previous game in series: | Next game in series: | |
| Kingdom Hearts | Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories | Kingdom Hearts II |
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