This game is only aimed at fans of the original, and doesn't do a lot entertain newcomers
- A sort of interesting card battle system
- Plenty of familiar characters
- Same good graphics and sound from the original
- Good enemy variety
- Story is worth following
Negative
- Cards battle system becomes tedious and it's fairly fun
- Awful exploration
- Exactly like Kingdom Hearts 1 in every aspect
- Very few save points
- Osment not a great fit for Sora this time around
Kingdom Hearts Re-chain of Memories could have been an interesting game if it wasn't for its major flaws. Fans of the original Kingdom Hearts will mostly likely like this remake. But those who loved Kingdom Hearts 2 only, will find very tedious, slow and sometimes frustrating gameplay.
The story happens immediately after the end of the original, where Sora, Donald and Goofy where going to search for Riku and King Mickey. Later on they enter castle which are welcomed by a man. This mysterious man (who played KH2 might recognize) tells them that they are that in Castle Oblivion they will find what they want, but to the price of losing their memory. In Re-chain of Memories one will encounter a lot of Final Fantasy and Disney characters, all of those found in Kingdom Hearts.
The battle system is fresh and can be fun for a while but its way too tedious. This is not a turn-based game. You're alone; you have to summon your friends through cards. Seems fun, that's the way of Castle Oblivion the mysterious guy said. Or something like that. When using the key blade you will be utilizing cards. Everything uses cards, including summon, recovery and special attacks and even items. This might sound fun and interesting but the fun is diminished when one has to charge up for the cards and against bosses this can turn out to be a big disadvantage. Since you need to charge for cards this is take some seconds but in some boss fights you need to be quick. If you don't have cards you can't attack. There is always magic at your disposal though. Another thing, when you start the game, Sora and co. will forget all their skills learned in KH1.
Unlike the previous installments, when the combat was free to attack everywhere, this one is "action-packed". If a roaming enemy hits you, you will enter a battle against heartless. In case of victory you will obtain a card which you can use it near doors to move through another area. This is a big problem because you end up going in circles. Plus, the lack of save spots in big. There is one in Castle Oblivion for sure. I played it for a little time, but my sister played it. She spent 1 hour 43 minutes without saving having to do some annoying bosses and using the cards becomes tiresome.
The exploration is simply awful. You will have to spend a good deal of your time in this. Not to mention that there are lots of fights. The original gameplay of KH1 was indeed a bit heavy and slow but this is ridiculous. Combat style is recycled from KH1 and KH2. Graphics are the same as Kingdom Hearts 1. But the environments have changed a little, not to the better.
Sora is voiced by Osment, which he was a great fit for Sora for the first 2 games, but now he's too old. The voice that Sora has now is that he had in KH2, and since Sora is young, it doesn't fit him well. Aside from the annoying voice of Donald, the other characters sound great as one might expect. Music is recycled from the original but some people don't mind.
Kingdom Hearts 1 was an exactly if sometimes frustrating, and even if I didn't play it throughout, I was the one who did the final bosses. So I got the hang of that. I played Kingdom Hearts 2 and that got a superb rating from me. The gameplay was fast, engaging and it looked awesome, even if the gameplay was due to button mashing, but I don't mind. But Re-chain of Memories can only be enjoyed by the biggest fans of 2002's Kingdom Hearts, the original. The combat system is similar to KH1, the graphics, characters; environments will only appeal to those who enjoyed that one.
While it's not a horrendous game, if it maintained the same gameplay as the previous 2 games, this game would have been something better. Introducing the cards seems like a good idea and it is at first, but it quickly wears out because of poor exploration, recycled things from the original and it's not fun for those who didn't enjoy Kingdom Hearts 1, and those who never liked Kingdom Hearts, this won't change your mind.
Graphics = 7.2
Exactly like they where in 2002. Environments are good if not confusing and the models are good. There's a good variety of recycled enemies.
Music = 7.5
Nothing basically changed. The voice acting is decent, but Sora sounds like an older person than he actually looks. The music is pleasant, like it once was.
Presentation = 7.7
Cutscenes are mostly voiced and look good. The dialogues are that great. Production values aren't as high as KH2 but they are still good. Load times aren't a pain.
Gameplay = 5.2
The card battle system is a fun while it lasts. But this is stepped aside but the awful exploration and frustration of lack of save points. Plus, the bosses could have been fun if the whole recharge card thing didn't exist, 'cos enemies can hit you while recharging. Combat gets tiresome.
Camera = 6.5
If you only played the original, you probably won't like the camera. The placement is ok, but this time you have to use the right analog stick.
Story = 8.1
The story is worth following, for it tells what happened immediately after KH1. Castle Oblivion is a good place to explore. This will appeal to fans mostly; no one outside the KH world should play this.
Difficulty = 6.1
It doesn't matter which difficulty you play, the game is still frustrating.
OVERALL SCORE = 6.7 / 10
If the gameplay remained as it was, I would recommend this to everyone. But the exploration and some frustration diminish the fun, leaving a game which is only aimed as fans of the series, real fans of the original mostly. Those who never play Kingdom Hearts, stay away from this.