KHCoM Chain of Memories anniversary

[Kasaix 9]

This May 6th marks the ten year anniversary of the European launch of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the GameBoy Advance, having shipped roughly 200,000 units in Europe and 1.55 million copies worldwide. Though it is considered the least successful game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it has still received generally positive reviews, with the most praise directed towards the story. The tagline for this is "Adventure is in the cards."

 

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was first announced, along with Kingdom Hearts II, at the Tokyo Game Show in September of 2003. The idea for a intermediary game began after Tetsuya Nomura and his team had already begun plans for Kingdom Hearts II. The original title then was Kingdom Hearts: Lost Memories, but the title was changed to match the premise of game, while keeping the theme of memories. It also provided a way to start Kingdom Hearts II with Sora and co. not having access to the abilities and equipment earned in the first game. While Nomura was hesitant to release a Kingdom Hearts game on the GBA, after considering his options and planning accordingly, and hearing that children wanted a Kingdom Hearts game for the GBA, he changed his mind. Since then, Chain of Memories has been released for the PS2 as Re:Chain of Memories and for the PS3 as part of Kingdom Hearts: 1.5 HD ReMIX.

 

Of note is Jupiter's involvement in game development. The card system employed by Chain of Memories inspired the gameplay of Jupiter's next game "The World Ends With You".

 

While many people clearly had fun with Chain of Memories for the GBA, PS2, and PS3, I want to know what you thought about the game. Did you have fun? What do you remember most about this unique entry in the Kingdom Hearts series?

Edited May 4, 2015 by Justin James

[Revolart 431]

Kh Chain of Memories was my first Kh game , so i have a lot of fond memories with it. I remember dying a lot to Vexen , Riku Replica , Axel  , Captain Hook(God i hate those bombs and combo attacks) and Hades ( his fire attack does quite a lot of dmg). I also remember asking my cousin who those original characters were and why were they with Disney characters in a white area.He gave me an explanation(i forgot what it was) which confuses me so much that i decide to play it myself and BAM thats where the journey started.I personally love it and liked the gameplay of using cards to defeat foes (cards were rather big during those years which is probably why i dont mind it that much).

Edited May 3, 2015 by Revolution23

[VexenReplica 154]

CoM is, was, and will probably be my favorite entry into the Kingdom Hearts series, since it was the game that not only brought me into the series, but introduced me to my favorite antagonist, Vexen. Also being the first entry with multiplayer was super-cool, even though I didn't have a GBA cable at the time. (It was also one of the reasons I forced my brother to get the game as well haha)

 

One of the main things I enjoyed in this game was that it actually forced you (in a way) to actually be strategic about where you placed your cards in your deck. This was not a "mash A to win" game, which was something that differentiated it from I and II. Also, shoutouts to Riku's deck in Wonderland for being absolutely *fantastic.* (grumble grumble)

 

Yoko Shimomura's soundtrack is fantastic in the game. Twilight Town's theme is <3333333 and it really gave me an appreciation for the music in Kingdom Hearts. I might've just stayed in Twilight Town right before I went to sleep, because it was so gorgeous.

 

I personally prefer the GBA over the PS2 one, but I know more people enjoy the graphics and the ability to glide (lol) and the Org. XIII character cards that you can unlock post-Riku's story. 

[Setrex 1,031]

I absolutely love Chain of Memories and it's a great game for the Gameboy Advance. I'm not as enthusiastic about Re:CoM due to the transition from 2D to 3D, but the voiced cutscenes were neat.

 

The card system is easily the most underrated battle system in the series.

[Forever 3,550]

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.

 

 

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we should gather up all the crazy scientists we know, and have a bonfire!!

[Jake 1,488]

I used to personally despise CoM and just played it to get it out of the way. However when I played Re:CoM on the 1.5 version, I loved it so much. Its definitely one of my top KH games I've ever played.

[Fates Chance XIII 307]

CoM was my first game in the KH series, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. It was also the first game i ever got really into. Like in the theory crafting, laying awake at night thinking about it and playing it every chance i could sorta way. 

 

I really like them both, but for different reasons so i dont really have a favorite. I like Re:CoM  because of the awesome visuals, but also because the characters speak how they speak in the rest of the games. Like how  Axel says, "Got it memorized?" like he does in all the rest of the games in Re:CoM, rather than "Commit it to memory." like he did in the original.

 

But that is also why i like the original too. It shows an origin, what the game and series first was rather than having it be made in hindsight like Re:CoM. I really like reading through the dialogue and finding the differences in how they speak in the two CoM games and in the rest of the series as a whole. Also, I dont know if it was just me, but when i play the original, i get chills from how dark it can be at times- versus in Re:CoM where it seems the serious tone has been watered down a some. I cant explain why i think that, and i cant really give examples, but thats the feeling i get playing the original versus the remake.  I think though that it is the fact that it is just text rather than voice acting. The plain text allows you the reader to put on the text any tone or subtext you want or see fit with what you think the mood should be in that particular scene. In the remake, the voices help to set the tone and mood.

 

I also love the story and the theme of memories more than anything. Memories, false memories, and their power over people has always been a topic i like to think about. So this game really appeals to that part of my brain when i play it, and i love it! I love all KH games, and i love all their stories, but CoMs story i think will always be my favorite.

[BlankShell 638]

I never finished the GBA version, but I liked it a lot. Need to pick up a secondhand copy one of these days.

[RikuFangirl2008 1,368]

There are a lot of things I remember about CoM for the GBA. 

 

I started off good, without loosing against the bosses. The card system was challenging and I was struggling using Sleights. Then later on, the bosses were getting harder and harder. There are times, I would leave the game alone for a while, pick up where I left off, and try to defeat the bosses. At the time, I think I wonder why Deep Jungle wasn't in there (and I know the reason why years ago).

I always wonder who were these guys are in the black coat. lol 

I was shocked to see Axel saying: "hell" in the game. I was like: "Oooooo, he said the H word." lol

My younger brother gives me Re: CoM for Christmas years ago, and I begin to play it more than original. I didn't even know they remade for the PS2. 

It took me years, to beat Sora's story in the original. I beat his story back in 2012. And now, I'm STILL stuck on Riku's final battle against Ansem. I haven't been picking the GBA up in so long... 

Edited May 3, 2015 by RikuFangirl2008

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Happy European Anniversary, Chain Of Memories!  I still don't understand why so many people hate on this game!  Sure, the gameplay takes some getting used to, but once you know the nooks and crannies of it, you can strategize and therefore impede your enemies from ever attacking you, and the combinations one could make with sleights was awesome!  I enjoyed the story, of course, especially Riku's side, since Chain Of Memories began Riku's journey of redemption!  Haha, I really enjoyed the game's story, and I got Re:Chain Of Memories when it came out in 2008, plus got it once again when I played 1.5!  Overall, Chain Of Memories was an enjoyable experience! 

Edited May 4, 2015 by Shigehiko