Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for Game Boy Adv

GF Rating

8

Very Good

The series` debut on GBA! But, does it stack up?

posted by RPGamer (SAN DIEGO, CA) Apr 16, 2006

Member since Dec 2005

22 out of 23 gamers (96%) found this review helpful

The idea of Square meets Disney surprised me at first but, it turned out being an incredible series. Now, that the series is coming to GBA, I am excited to see how the upcoming version compares.

STORY:
The story still manages to entertain just as well as in the original PS2 version. It tells of the adventures of Sora and the gang`s travels inside castle oblivion. Each level is built up from Sora`s memories. So, it may be a disappointment to some that aside from a few levels, they are all recycled from the original. However, they entertained me anyway. Also, the bigger story aside from the separate worlds is very entertaining and it sets the stage for kingdom hearts 2.

GAMEPLAY:
When I first popped the cartridge into my GBA, I thought "Kingdom Hearts has been ruined!" However, as I continued playing and started to understand the gameplay mechanics, I realized that this game really had some great gameplay. As you travel through Sora`s memories, you need map cards, which you obtain from defeating enemies, you can open the doors to different rooms. And every time you travel to a story room, there is a cutscene in this room. Each world has 3 story rooms and in the third story room, you fight a boss. If you defeat the boss, you may move on to the next world. Now, let`s talk about the battle system. The battle system is done with cards. However, this is not done like a Yu-Gi-Oh game because, you move around freely but when you attack you use the card at the top of your deck and you can also shuffle through your deck with the R and L buttons. And if two cards are summoned at the same time, the higher card wins.

LASTING APPEAL:
This game has pretty good standing power. It took me 30 hours to complete the main game and about 20 more were spent on the extras that were unlocked after beating the main game.

This game definitely appeals more to the hardcore role player but, if you plan on playing KH2, I would play this game so that you aren`t lost.

Overall:8/10

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

One of the best GBA games I've played

posted by AkuTenshi7 (ASHLAND, OR) Jan 12, 2007

Member since Jun 2006

8 out of 8 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game was exceptional for the limited technology it was made for. The storyline was a bit dry for my tastes, but it tied Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts 2 perfectly and after I played it, KH2 made so much more sense to me.

I also had a great time playing Reverse/Rebirth, even though Riku's storyline was much shorter and a bit more irritating due to the fact that I couldn't build his deck properly, but I also enjoyed the ending scenes and the fact that the credits were were set to REAL music and not cheap 8-bit sounds.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Best GBA game I ever played

posted by darthl1378 (SAINT HELENS, OR) Jan 31, 2007

Member since Jul 2006

5 out of 5 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game is a game that RPG lovers [like myself]will love this game or kingdom heart lovers will like

POSITIVE

+ Great title fits w/the game

+ Amazing combat

+ Good graphics for a GBA game

+ I love the kingdom heart series

+ There making a ps2 version soon!

NEGITIVE

- Kind of hard bosses

- Takes forever to level up when you get far into the game

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Goood Follow-up, Great for a GBA game

posted by flyinmight (GLADSTONE, OR) Sep 28, 2006

Member since May 2006

3 out of 3 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories was pretty good, the card battle system is a little hard to master for awhile, but you can get the hang of it after a few fights.
The storyline was good too, it helped fill in the gaps between KH 1 and KH 2 so things made more sense.
I'd definitely suggest this game to anyone who likes
the Kingdom hearts series

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Review

posted by Jester23 (BETHLEHEM, GA) Nov 26, 2008

Member since Feb 2008

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I am a fan of the Kingdom Hearts series,and once I played this game I loved it. Sure this game is a little difficult,but it's an exciting game. The story line makes sence, but going to the worlds from Kingdom Hearts was kind of boring because it didn't really make sence, but going to Destiny Islands and Twilight Town was fun because those were the worlds that had a meaning to the story. The thing that I loved the most about this game was the new battle system, a.k.a. the cards. I also loved playing as Riku because his style of movement and fighting are better than Soras, especiallt when you can use your darkness form. Here's a tip, whenevr your fighting a boss like Riku with Sora, don't use combos so much because it will make you have less cards. Overall this is a fun game, but the PS2 remake will be better than this though.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

exellent

posted by khplayer (SALISBURY, NC) Jul 16, 2008

Member since Nov 2007

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

this game connects KH1 and KH2
and though cards dont sound fun usually in games this took it to a whole other level

this is a good game for KH lovers and fans

also check out Kingdom Hearts RE:chain of memories
it comes with Kingdom hearts 2 final mix+

:]

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

THIS IS THE BEST GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED!!!

posted by ykbane (PRINCETON, WV) Apr 21, 2007

Member since Apr 2007

7 out of 8 gamers (88%) found this review helpful

I am new to the series, and this is the first one I've played. I am very impressed!
Storyline:
10
this game has the best storyline in any games I've ever played! I liked how it was sad, funny, and even suspenseful. If you are a gamer who likes games with story, GET THIS!!!

Gameplay:
9
I thought fighting with cards was really cool. Especially because it wasn't take-turns like pokemon! Other than battle, moving around was pretty easy. The only thing I didn't like was reloading cards.

Graphics:
10
These are the best graphics I have ever seen on a GBA game! I really liked how some of it was PS2 animation!

Music:
10
AWESOME!!! I can't get the Halloween Town song out of my head! Sometimes I would go back to a certain world just to listen to the music!

Funny Things:
Axel and Vexen look like a girl.
Vexen looks like Fergie
Riku wears a hula skirt on dark mode

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Handheld Superfun!

posted by Xehanort (MT HOREB, WI) Apr 24, 2006

Member since Mar 2006

7 out of 9 gamers (78%) found this review helpful

When I saw that a Kingdom Hearts for Gameboy Advance came out, I had mixed emotions of 'this has got to be a total flop' and 'oh boy! Another Kingdom Hearts game to play for hours on end!'. When I played it, I knew that this wouldn't be a flop! Storyline: flawless! What else would you expect from a Kingdom Hearts game? Battle form: ehh... but still a good strategic twist. You use 'cards' to attack, not like you throw cards at people and give them papercuts, but you get this deck that basically sets what you can do. There are magic cards and attack cards that you can use to your liking. Also, you can use things called 'slieghts' in order to power up your attacks or exicute special moves! Anyway, I'm not going to plunge too deep into what happens but when the game starts off, it basically picks up from where you are. You see Pluto, and you follow him up the road that seems to never end. Then a few 'suprises' that I'm not going to tell about 'cause you gotta rent the game yourself!!! But overall, this game is a great way to have fun and kill your time.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Annoying game play but furthers great story

posted by Justy8 (BURBANK, CA) Apr 12, 2006

Member since Jan 2005

7 out of 11 gamers (64%) found this review helpful

This is actually Kingdom Hearts 2. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories picks up where the original left off, only now on the GBA! In this sequel you are introduced to Organization XIII, Diz, and most importantly, Namine. The story you progress through introduces you to new faces that will come back in Kingdom Hearts 2, such as Axel. Sora's continued quest to find his friends leads to a castle where as they progress further, their memory of their friends and their adventures are forgotten. If you loved the first Kingdom Hearts you will play this game despite any flaws. The main flaw is the card battle system that has been introduced. While done in other games, its never an interesting battle. Cards based on attack, magic, etc. have numbers. This is basically a speed version of War. With as many battles you will be in, the fighting becomes dull and repetitive, but you will go through it just to further the story. Although not the best Kingdom Hearts game, it is a nice introduction to Kingdom Hearts 2, which will make much more sense if this game is played first.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

This game was really great, the battles were cool!

posted by number1 (EKWOK, AK) Jul 1, 2006

Member since May 2006

2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

What I have to say about this game was cool! It was the battles,places,and bosses were cool, but if you ain't a Kingdom Hearts fan you may not like this, but if you wanted to try to play this game it would be really fun!

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

As fun as the 1st but it gets boring when u win it

posted by gamerman53 (DIX HILLS, NY) Jan 30, 2007

Member since May 2006

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

When i was 7 years old i went to a friends house and played the original KH game. i loved it! About 2 years later i was watchin the tv and the commercial for this game came on. GBA was the only console i had and i was walkin on air until i got it. i played for a long time.I became glued 2 it. My friend also got it and he was always further then me. We enjoyed multiplayer and my other friend also got it.Eventually i got farther then my other friend and i felt good.the friend i first mentioned had long beat sora and riku mode but i didnt care.one night i finally beat sora mode and the next day i beat riku mode. it took me about 5 months 2 complete the entire game. the reason that happened was because i needed a specific card 2 get 2 a story room and it took 4ever 2 get it!!! i spent 2 months on the final level. One day a while after i beat it i sat down 2 play it but it just wasnt as fun and exciting as the first time. the reason i am telling u this story is 2 tell u that it is really fun until u beat it.This game still does good because of the breathtaking graphics awsome gameplay and suspending story.All u KH fans i highly recomens this game!!! It is truly worth it!!

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GF Rating

7

Good

Almost A Must

posted by Toasty (FORT MYERS, FL) Jan 26, 2007

Member since Jun 2006

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

To tell the truth I really wanted to like this game. It was fun for the first few levels but over time the Kingdom Hearts license couldn't save this repetitive title. Story is great, but the levels are too simplistic. You start a world, and watch a cutscene(Key To Beganing). Then you run around collecting cards, to open up the next main room. Once you open that room you watch yet another cutscene(Key To Truth). Same as before, but this time when you open the next main door with the Key To Ruin you fight a Boss, who will either be Hard or Easy. The first 8 or so will be Easy, but then the difficulty will shoot up and make you want to toss the game in the gutter. It's just the same over and over, but the story really helps and actually is part of KH2. In the opening scene of KH2 CoM ties right in where it left off. The Combat is weak as well, but hey you can you expect from a GBA game. Also it's very dark, so use a DS or SP.

Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 7.5/10
Story - 8.5/10
Replay - 5/10
Difficulty - 9/10 (Ranges)

Overall 7.6

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GF Rating

7

Good

A FAIRLY GOOD GAME FOR THE GBA

posted by gamer0 (PARMA, OH) Apr 20, 2006

Member since Jul 2005

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

This is a decent kingdom hearts extensio for the GBA. the game play can get boring after a while but some of the boss battles can breethe some life back into it. On the contrary the story is great and although there is no real voice acting, unless you count the themesong, the animated movies are still pretty good and if you saw the secret movie in the first Kingdom Hearts or the trailor forKingdom Hearts 2. Overall I would recommend this game and although the console versions are better this is still a pretty good game

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GF Rating

3

Bad

no conpaired

posted by ratchetfan (HOUSTON, TX) Jun 15, 2006

Member since Aug 2005

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

In this version of kingdom hearts things aren't as fun as the other two games. If you compare the other two games to this one it lacks in good battles and much of it is the same. I played it for one day before I sent it off. You should try playing this one before the second one just because it is the link between the two games. Things defiantly would make more sense if you play it.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Good story, But boring and repetetive gamplay.

posted by Sleezebag (DELAWARE, OH) May 5, 2006

Member since Oct 2005

1 out of 7 gamers (14%) found this review helpful

GAMPLAY: the gamplay in KH:COM is very much like the gamplay in KH1 only you play with cards. I wont get into much detail but i will say that it is very confusing and VERY repetetive because most of the time, youll just keep killing heartless looking for the cards needed to open certain doors and whatnot. ALSO, teh enemies keep coming even after you kill them, and it may seem liek you hit one enemy, but then it brings you to this battleground type thing and you fight at least 5-10 monsters in that spot. Then once you beat them you leave, and then another enemy wil reappear right in the same spot! So it gets really repetetive and boring REALLY quick!
STORY: Id say the ONLY reason to play KH:COM is to see what lead up to KH2 ( although it isnt really needed if beacuse you can figure out most of it by just reading ansems reports or just reading about KH:COM from other reviews or whatnot). The story is cool and is what SS does best!
GRAPHICS: The graphics in KH:COM are very impressive for a GBA game! I was really impressed by the cutsceens and how the faces of the characters talking actually change by how they are feeling! I was realy impressed by the grapohics in KH:COM!!
OVERALL: Good story, great graphics but really boring gamplay that gets old very quick!
RATING:5/10

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

Stick to what you know, Sora.

posted by KingEDiaz (SACRAMENTO, CA) Dec 2, 2011

Member since Nov 2011

Like any Kingdom Hearts game, it has an amazing story that sews Kingdom Hearts one and two together. However, the card system killed the game for me. Some people complain that the PS2 games are too easy due to its button-mashing, but at least it was fun! Spending countless battles looking for good battle cards was redundant, and looking for cards to open doors was downright infuriating. Oh, and after you save, quit, and start up again? You lose all of your cards.

Kingdom Hearts fans, you should either:

1) Hope a remake is made that gets rid of the card system

2) Watch a Let's Play to enjoy the game without the hassle

or 3) read the plot on the internet so the KH1-KH2 transition makes sense.

This story lives up to the series, the game shames it.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Kingdom Hearts 1.5

posted by Vegito (SAN ANTONIO, TX) Aug 26, 2010

Member since Jun 2010

It wasn't a terrible game and explained what happened between Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

....GAH...

posted by BULLY123 (PRATTVILLE, AL) Jun 4, 2010

Member since Jul 2008

It isn't good. But the story is decent for the Kingdom Hearts series.
But it isn't that fun of a rent. Maybe it would have been more funner if it didn't have hideous mazes of dungeons. It was so...GAH....

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GF Rating

5

Fair

More like Kingdom (F)ARTS!

posted by NatoWorld (LOS ANGELES, CA) Sep 3, 2009

Member since Jul 2009

I've played both Kingdom Hearts entries on the PS2, so felt it was my duty to finish-up and round-out the series on the GBA. However, after sinking nearly thirty hours into this title, I never warmed up to the card system, the story, or the characters... While it was refreshing to gain a little insight into what that mess at the beginning of KH2 was all about, this game was sorely lacking the special ingredient that worked so well for its predecessors: Playability. This is the game that forced me to break my only Gamefly rule: The end boss was so cheap, so frustrating, so difficult, that I stuffed the cartridge back into the envelope and YouTube'd the ending sequence. Now that I know all about it, I can't recommend one reason to play this!

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Repetitive game play

posted by JimDScott (SAINT PAUL, MN) Nov 18, 2008

Member since Sep 2007

I found the game really boring. A lot of tapping A to fight.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Kingdom hearts... The best series ever!

posted by acra123 (MINNEAPOLIS, MN) Feb 24, 2008

Member since Jun 2007

This game is awesome! I have all the kingdom hearts games in the series (kingdom hearts, kingdom hearts chain of memory's and kingdom hearts 2). This game is the exciting sequel to the first kingdom hearts. Sora and his friends go into a castle (castle oblivion) and the farther they go the more memory they lose but the more they figure out about the mysterious organization (organization 13). the game uses a card battling system and has a great story line that is funny and suspenseful. i highly recommend it.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

awkward but fun,remind anyone of the bucket game?

posted by ConWal (TYLER, TX) Feb 1, 2008

Member since Dec 2007

This game is awesome. theres nothing better if your into a jump in-out game on gameboy. the controls work well, (but dont break the L or R buttons or your screwed) the story is not any better than the pokemon games for a gameboy, but its executed much better than most on the GBA. I got it for my birthday when it came out, broke my L button, and sold the game. I got it off of here a while ago, and am already almost done with Soras story. ITs something that you can play before bed, on the school bus, before dinner, on the john, and other places you cant play your ds because the motion controls are too distacting from whatever your doing. The only real bad part i had with it was the saveing. you can quicksave if theres no save point nearby, but if theres more than one person playing on the same cartridge than they can either: 1. take you to a save point which is eassy cuz its to linear, or 2. be a jerk and erase the quick save. its all up to you. but like i said, linear. The hardest fights arent even bossfights, but trying to find the cards with the right number to open the doors. thats a pain in the neck when it wants a nine or a zero, which are pretty randomly obtained.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Not the Best Kingdom Hearts but good

posted by Bloos1RP (PHOENIX, AZ) Jul 24, 2007

Member since Nov 2005

KIngdom Hearts for the game boy is pretty good. The game has great graphics including a few 3D scenes and great sound for the others games. THe bad part is that the gamplay is a little annoying due to the fact that you just cards insted of attacking whenever you want which is bad because the run out quick and you can't attack when others enemies attack. The game is not as good as the others Kingdom Hearts but it's still good. But if you're looking for a good Kingdom Hearts game get the second one.
game play:B
graphics:B+
sound:A-
over all:B

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Great Game With Addicting Gameplay

posted by maddad (OCONTO, WI) Nov 26, 2006

Member since Nov 2006

This game is awesome. The story is true to the series, and the gameplay is different but very good. One problem I had were the levels overall, which is basically going from point A to point B in rooms that look very similar to each other. All in all, get this game if you are looking for something different or are a fan of Kingdom Hearts.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

ok

posted by AJNNJJ (PORTAGE, PA) Oct 2, 2006

Member since Dec 2005

not my fravert game. I,d rather play kingdomhearts2.

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Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for Game Boy Adv Reviews by Gamers

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ESRB