Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (Game Boy Advance)
Reviewed by: bill
Reviewed on: 20-Jan-2005
- Summary
- I think this is one of the best RPG games for the GBA. A must-have for Disney and Square-Enix fans!!!
- Ratings
- Overall: A+
- Gameplay: A+
- Graphics: A+
- Learning Curve: A+
- Replay Value: A+
- Sound: A+
- Pros
- Easy system to use
- Easy to play
- Great characters
- Fun battle system
- Great replay value
- Fun game to kill time with
- Cons
- Game is too short (although still fun)
- Links
- Gamefaqs.com
- Images
Description
I saw a few reviews giving Kingdom Heart a low rating of 3 or a 5 and such. I just looked at them and said to myself, "These reviews need A LOT more reason to say why this game deserves that score" because to tell you the truth, the game is not bad. It's a great game for its genre and for the system it's on. Of course, there are flaws because no game in the history of gaming is perfect. The flaws that it has are not that bad, not enough that it should stop you from buying the game.
To start off, I'll just have to say this -- best...graphics...ever. This game's animation is truly pushing the GBA to its limits. The beginning cutscene looks just like the PS2 version of Kingdom Hearts! Yes, like I said, just like PS2 version. As for the in-game graphics, they are also great. The character models are surprisingly good for a GBA game. Even when they are talking, you see a model of them in the left or right side of the text. Just looking at them shows that Square-Enix did a great job in this area. While the character models are great, the environments make the graphics even better. Everything is detailed and colorful; it just makes it fun to look at. When you're fighting, the background looks absolutely beautiful, just as great as the enemies you fight.
The graphics may be good, but you have to remember that looks can only take you so far. Because of that, Square-Enix provides a great battle system. When you fight, everything turns to 2-D, like a fighting game. The battle system consists of using cards to attack, heal, or summon. You use the L&R buttons to switch between cards in battle, and press A to use them. By pressing L&R both at the same time, you put them in something called a sleight. You can put three cards in your sleight and then save them for later use. When you do use them, it does a much faster combo then with a regular card by card. By leveling up your sleight, you get one extra move before using the three cards. Also, I noticed that one of the people who gave this game a low rating said he lost because he did not notice that he lost all his cards. To me that means you need to pay more attention. That's not the game, it's you.
As for non-fighting gameplay, everything works well. You use B to jump and press A to swing your keyblade. If you go near an enemy and swing your keyblade, you will start the fight, but your opponent will be stunned for a few seconds. This makes it easier for you to attack and heal in the fight. While you run around exploring the area, you are in isometric view. Like I said before, when you fight you are in 2-D view, like a fighting game. There is nothing wrong with this view, nothing at all. You can see your enemies perfectly and see the doors perfectly.
With good graphics and gameplay, you need something good to listen to, and this game has that as well. The music completely matches the environment, same thing goes for the battle music. Unlike other RPGs, the boss music is different for each boss. And each one of them is nice to listen to. Not once did I want to play my own music and turn down the volume on my GBA. It's just great. The sound effects were also awesome and sounded crisp and clear. I heard each hit clearly without asking myself, "Did I hit him?" It's just great.
Of course, you also need to have the reason for RPGs, the story. Kingdom Heart's story is great. The main character, Sora, is still looking for his friends. He find this castle called Castle Oblivion. As you go through the castle, you find Sora losing more and more of memories from KH-1. Same thing for Goofy and Donald. Even if they're losing their memories, they never forget their friends or their mission. Or do they? Play the game to find out.
If you look at the other reviews that gave this game a 3-6, you'll see that they're missing either a complete section, or some very important information. Please guys, review something with MORE detail and reason if you're going to give it a low score.
Special thanks to:
zerofan102 for his review
To start off, I'll just have to say this -- best...graphics...ever. This game's animation is truly pushing the GBA to its limits. The beginning cutscene looks just like the PS2 version of Kingdom Hearts! Yes, like I said, just like PS2 version. As for the in-game graphics, they are also great. The character models are surprisingly good for a GBA game. Even when they are talking, you see a model of them in the left or right side of the text. Just looking at them shows that Square-Enix did a great job in this area. While the character models are great, the environments make the graphics even better. Everything is detailed and colorful; it just makes it fun to look at. When you're fighting, the background looks absolutely beautiful, just as great as the enemies you fight.
The graphics may be good, but you have to remember that looks can only take you so far. Because of that, Square-Enix provides a great battle system. When you fight, everything turns to 2-D, like a fighting game. The battle system consists of using cards to attack, heal, or summon. You use the L&R buttons to switch between cards in battle, and press A to use them. By pressing L&R both at the same time, you put them in something called a sleight. You can put three cards in your sleight and then save them for later use. When you do use them, it does a much faster combo then with a regular card by card. By leveling up your sleight, you get one extra move before using the three cards. Also, I noticed that one of the people who gave this game a low rating said he lost because he did not notice that he lost all his cards. To me that means you need to pay more attention. That's not the game, it's you.
As for non-fighting gameplay, everything works well. You use B to jump and press A to swing your keyblade. If you go near an enemy and swing your keyblade, you will start the fight, but your opponent will be stunned for a few seconds. This makes it easier for you to attack and heal in the fight. While you run around exploring the area, you are in isometric view. Like I said before, when you fight you are in 2-D view, like a fighting game. There is nothing wrong with this view, nothing at all. You can see your enemies perfectly and see the doors perfectly.
With good graphics and gameplay, you need something good to listen to, and this game has that as well. The music completely matches the environment, same thing goes for the battle music. Unlike other RPGs, the boss music is different for each boss. And each one of them is nice to listen to. Not once did I want to play my own music and turn down the volume on my GBA. It's just great. The sound effects were also awesome and sounded crisp and clear. I heard each hit clearly without asking myself, "Did I hit him?" It's just great.
Of course, you also need to have the reason for RPGs, the story. Kingdom Heart's story is great. The main character, Sora, is still looking for his friends. He find this castle called Castle Oblivion. As you go through the castle, you find Sora losing more and more of memories from KH-1. Same thing for Goofy and Donald. Even if they're losing their memories, they never forget their friends or their mission. Or do they? Play the game to find out.
If you look at the other reviews that gave this game a 3-6, you'll see that they're missing either a complete section, or some very important information. Please guys, review something with MORE detail and reason if you're going to give it a low score.
Special thanks to:
zerofan102 for his review