The concept of Chain of Memories is that it encompasses all of the events after Kingdom Hearts and before Kingdom Hearts II. As an avid fan of this franchise I purchased Chain of Memories straight after replaying the first game in the hope of discovering some great missing bits of the untold storyline.
 

Handheld Vs Console – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

I was wary that this game was on a handheld device and not the Playstation but despite this I was so excited about the possibilities of unraveling the mysteries of Organization XIII and figuring out what happened to Riku. In short I ignored my own internal warning bells and dove straight in. (A very easy thing to do for any Kingdom Hearts fan).
 

Repetitive Gaming – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

I’ve been playing video games since before kindergarten, so after many years of gaming on at least a dozen different consoles, I like to think I can tell a good game from a bad one. In regards to Chain of Memories, I believe I was in the midst of reliving the experience on Monstro when I came to realize that this game was aggravating, tedious, time-consuming and the most repetitive thing I had played in years.
 

New Characters & Stories – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

New characters and stories were being introduced and it was all within my grasp but the absurdity of fighting with cards had gotten me so frustrated that by the time I was locked out of the last room (because I did not have a blue number 1) I was in danger of losing all my hair from the stress and frustration this game was bringing out.
 

More Story Telling Please – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

The sole desire that burned so strong within me to complete Chain of Memories was still with me, but the short moments in between the floors of the castle where Sora would finish fighting yet another Organization member always left me praying for some real juicy story bits.

I’m a Kingdom Hearts fan through and through so I’m not going to give up on my favourite franchise that easily but like most fans I’m used to the glorious story telling of the series which quite frankly just wasn’t there for me. I mean how about slipping in some bits on Riku or King Mickey!

In fact I craved so badly for something to happen after opening up each and every door to a world I had already been to, that the floors with the save spheres actually became a little entertaining.
 

Playing As Riku – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

The excitement I had after playing the first Kingdom Hearts game set me up expecting more of the same quality story telling from its sequel. Unfortunately things remained slow and didn’t really pick up until I had beaten Sora‘s story and moved onto playing as Riku.

Now thankfully Riku‘s story wasn’t a recycled version of the first game, but actually came with some good story telling and juicy bits. As well as a better story line his card system was also much easier to wield and I had a great if not short time before I hit the end of the game.
 

Why The High Scores – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

I look to the scores Chain of Memories received from official game review magazines and I can see how the game’s unique fighting system deserved to be put into the spotlight, but in terms of story and play-ability, I couldn’t and still cannot understand why it has been given marks higher than a 7/10.

Now I’m not saying the game was completely rubbish but I do believe it needs to be given separate scores for each of the two story lines in the game. Sora‘s story most unfortunately I feel is nothing but a 5/10, whilst Riku‘s story (and this is not because he’s my favorite character of anything) deserves a 7 or 8/10.
 

Playstation Version – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

Square Enix produced a re-mastered version of the game for the Playstation which I also bought as soon as it was released (again letting my love of Kingdom Hearts cloud my better judgment). While they did add many new features and the fighting was much more enjoyable on a 3-D plane verses the flat screen of a Game Boy, Re: Chain of Memories still suffered from the same dismal plot which is something the beautiful graphics couldn’t save me from and I ran out of steam halfway through the game, feeling, “I beat the game once, why am I bothering a second time?”
 

Just Play Kingdom Hearts 2 – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

For those who haven’t beaten the game or have no desire to play it, fear not, the entire story of Chain of Memories is basically told in the opening to Kingdom Hearts 2.
 

Screenshots – Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review