Slashing keyblades to the beat of the music. Here are the first impressions from the demo in this preview of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
One of the historical peaks of the Kingdom Hearts series is definitely the soundtrack. Not just the most famous Dearly Beloved or Awake, each chapter boasts numerous original songs born from the mind of Yōko Shimomura, historical composer of the saga. In Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory the soundtrack is the fulcrum on which all gameplay mechanics leverage, but let’s find out how in our preview. The trial is based on the demo available now for everyone on the PlayStation Store.
The post Kingdom Hearts 3
Although it is a rhythm game, therefore rather distant from the classic canons of the saga, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is in effect a chapter considered canon in the timeline of Sora and his companions. The plot follows the events of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re: Mind DLC, telling a new portion of the plot that will bring players closer to a future Kingdom Hearts 4. Nomura, however, has ensured that there will be only small portions of the plot in order to reveal some background on characters, unfortunately so far neglected, such as Kairi.
From the demo tested in preview, however, we can not know more as the story mode of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is not available. Only during the review will we have the opportunity to evaluate the impact of the story in the narrative economy of the saga. The rehearsed portion of the game offers 4 tracks; two from Kingdom Hearts, one from Birth By Sleep and one from 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage. Within the full game it will be possible to play over 140 songs from all chapters of the saga.
The secret is in simplicity – Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory preview
The gameplay of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is quite simple and immediate. Sora, Donald and Picco will face several enemies (from the Heartless to the Nesciens we all know) who will be eliminated to the rhythm of the music. Pressing a key between X, L1 or R1 defeats the enemy, if there are two enemies, two of these many must be pressed at the same time, while in the case of three simultaneous enemies, all three keys must be used. The choice of using one or the other key is indifferent and gives a certain simplicity to the gameplay.
However, we encountered a problem that excessively trivializes the gameplay. If each enemy is pressed simultaneously all three keys, the game will always register our action correctly. In this way it is possible to continue without taking into account the number of contemporary enemies. However, we expect that in the final version this small exploit can be solved.
In addition to the basic actions, there are sections in which Sora will have to use Glide (holding down the O key) and then be directed with the analog stick to collect notes. Also there is the possibility of jump with the same time to avoid attacks or hit enemies in the air. Finally Sora can use at certain times the typical skills or spells of the series with the Triangle key.
Follow the Music – Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Preview
The responsiveness of the actions is immediate and well suited to the game genre. In addition, an option allows you to adjust any lag between the TV and the controller. However, we would also have expected a test that allows us to calibrate this lag, unfortunately absent for now. In the tested tracks, the positioning of the enemies is excellent fits perfectly with the rhythm of the song. The patterns seem to be pretty clear, except in some more excited situations at the highest difficulties. We will see by trying the final version of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory if Square Enix has managed to put the same care in the rest of the songs not present in this preview.
Based on the timing we will get an evaluation to every action ranging from good to excellent that will determine the final score of the song. In case of lack of pressure or wrong timing the enemy will hit us, going to damage Sora. The song failed when Sora’s health drops to zero. In the demo you can see the icons of objects such as potions or other, but without being available. Probably this is a help you can use to recover life points or other useful effects to complete the songs, but we have no other clues to understand it. A statistical component with lots of attack and defense levels and statistics are visible in the menu, but even this is a detail that is currently unclear in its operation.
Modular difficulty – Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory preview
Since this is a title dedicated to fans of the saga, many may not be accustomed to rhythm games. For this Square Enix has added a level of difficulty that can be customized at will. It goes from the lower levels that will not give you any thought and will make you enjoy the song, up to the higher levels that require a lot of technique and training. For each song there are three levels of difficulty: Beginner, Standard and Hero. In addition, each song has a numerical value that indicates the difficulty of the same, useful for understanding which are the most difficult or easy songs.
You can also choose the style of play: Basically, One and an Artist. The first presents all the mechanics described in the previous paragraphs. The second is a simplified version that allows you to play with a single button. Finally the third is the more hardcore style, which introduces additional artist targets to hit with the other keys on the pad, dramatically increasing the skill needed to complete the levels.
The premises are good
We can be satisfied with this first test. The game is aimed at fans of the saga and lovers of the soundtrack of the various Kingdom Hearts, but seems to be able to satisfy both those who do not want to bang their heads too much and those looking for a complex challenge. Probably some purists of the rhythm game genre might have a fault in the cleanliness of the pattern, but overall the formula seems to be spot on.
Before a final judgment the modality will be tested in the review World Tour, which represents the countryside, and VS Battles. In addition, the quality of the rest of the songs will be evaluated, as well as the actual impact of the plot. The preview of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory ends here, we hope our first impressions have been useful. The game will be available from 13 novembre su PS4, Xbox One e Nintendo Switch. We remind you to continue to follow us on the TechGameWorld.com pages to stay up to date on all the news from the world of video games and more!