Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory Review: Good News, As Critics Praise New Release


Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory may be a departure from the series’ usual gameplay style, but fans of the JRPG series will be excited to see the game is off to a good start with review scores!

The series’ first rhythm game manages to be both surprising yet expected turn for the series that exploring their characters and story in weird ways.

For any fans picking up the game when it releases on Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo consoles in Japan tomorrow, November 11, or releases elsewhere Novemer 13, check out the scores so far below!

What is Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory?

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is latest game in the Kingdom Hearts series.

The title will see players revisit moments from throughout the Kingdom Hearts Series by casting spells, jumping and hitting enemies in time to a music track. Given that the music is always one of the best parts of Kingdom Hearts, Melody of Memory’s soundtrack is guaranteed to be amazing!

Though the music isn’t Melody of Memory’s only draw, Square Enix has promised fans that the game will begin to explore the loose threads left behind at the end of the series’ last mainline title, Kingdom Hearts 3. 

In particular, the game will seemingly focus on Kairi, one of the series’ oldest protagonists (appearing in the game alongside main heroes Sora and Riku) who has often been sidelined by others. We’re excited to see what will come next in the Kingdom Hearts series, and the reviews available so far do nothing to diminish that!

Read More: Xbox Series X Review: Is This Microsoft's Best Console Ever?

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory Review Scores and Previews

So far the only score we have for the game comes via Famitsu. 

The Japanese Magazine has given the game a 34/40, which was earned by Melody of Memory for having 4 reviewers give it two 9s and two 8s respectively. While Famitsu’s review system cans seem a little odd, it places Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory firmly in the good category, which is especially hype-inducing.

This is because here in the West, rhythm games aren’t as popular so we could expect slightly lower scores due to unfamiliarity. However in Japan where Famitsu is based, rhythm games are way more popular, so the high score Melody of Memory achieves means that it must stand out above typical games from this genre!

Other previews are generally positive so far too.

IGN have yet to officially score the game, but their preview courtesy of Jonathon Dornbush is equally glowing. His impressions, based on the game’s demo, commend the game’s fresh take on a classic series, and the replayability that comes with chasing high scores on the hardest difficulties!

High praise from as respected review sources as Ign and Famitsu certainly has us ready to bonk enemies to the beat with our favourite over-sized key.

We’ll let you know our own thoughts as soon as we get our hands on the game, so stay tuned as we all wait for November 13th! 

For more articles like this, take a look at our Reviews, Kingdom Hearts, and Gaming News pages.