Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (Game Boy Advance)

100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.

User Reviews

Pushed The Technical Limits Of The GBA. Guy Chapman (1746) 5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars
The only truly bad game in the franchise Pixelspeech (943) 1.83 Stars1.83 Stars1.83 Stars1.83 Stars1.83 Stars

Our Users Say

Category Description MobyScore
Overall MobyScore (31 votes) 3.8

The Press Says

RPG Kingdom
Je pense que vous l’aurez compris (bien que j’ai essayé de rester au maximum objectif), j’adore ce jeu. Je le considère comme une digne suite de la version PS2, et ça se sent qu’ils ne l’ont pas fait pour se faire de la thune.
CoM is a true marvel on the GBA. Rarely does a game come along that makes me want to continue after I have beaten it (twice!), and rarely does a portable game contain as much depth and polish as CoM does. Its addictive gameplay complements the well established plot and technical achievements, providing for a must-play experience on the GBA. Square-Enix once again shows us what can be done with a portable machine, providing us with a welcome addition to the Kingdom Hearts mythos and tiding us over quite nicely until the PS2 sequel comes along.
Do you ever stop and wonder who the daring genius was that decided to combine two totally awesome on their own things together to make something entirely new? I mean, who looked in the cupboard and saw the peanut butter sitting next to the jelly and thought, “You know what, I wonder what those two things would taste like together?” There are so many examples like this in our lives where two things you’d normally not picture together are combined to create something new and often times better.
Game Chronicles
While Square Enix has had a few stumbles in the merger, you can still tell when they get behind something and really want a quality stamp on it. For story, gameplay and graphical tasty goodness this is one of the best titles for the GBA this year.
Sora has been one of my favorite characters to appear in a game, from the moment I bought Kingdom Hearts for the PS2. Just looking at the game’s cover, I knew he was different from so many other effeminate heroes. Maybe it was the fact that he was hanging out with Donald and Goofy, but I think it was because of the way he was looking up at a starry sky with an expression of innocent interest on his face. As opposed to so many other heroes who look like they are ready to meet whatever comes their way with angry defiance, Sora was just waiting there with a calm expression on his face… sort of like he was just curious to see what destiny was going to bring his way. With that look, he was asking, “So, what’s next? I’d really like to know.”
Next Level Gaming
Ever since E3, I have been positively salivating over the prospect of having 2 new Kingdom Hearts games to play in the coming year. This fire was fueled even more by getting some hands-on time with Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the Game Boy Advance. It played very differently from the first Kingdom Hearts title, but that was to be expected, as it was on a completely different system.
In jeder Welt erwartet Euch ein vergnügliches Abenteuer: Das neue Teamspiel der "Final Fantasy" - und Disney-Helden inszeniert Square-Enix mit aufwändigen Renderfilmen, mächtigen Zauber-Effekten und witzigen Episoden. Der Sturm zum Obermotz dürfte aber ruhig rätselreicher ausfallen, denn abgesehen von Schatzkisten und gelegentlichen Kraxeleien erwarten Euch nur Dauerkämpfe. Diese gehen zum Glück recht locker von der Hand und fordern Euren Grips mit cleveren Ungeheuern, die Euch mit Block und Bodenrutscher überraschen. Außerdem erhaltet Ihr laufend Karten, mit denen Ihr die Kämpfe taktisch variieren könnt. Trotzdem werden die Matches manchmal eintönig, zumal besiegte Schurken nach wenigen Augenblicken wieder in den Raum rennen.
Pocket Magazine / Pockett Videogames
Adepte du premier volet sorti sur PS2 il y maintenant trois ans, c'est avec une certaine délectation que l’on se plonge dans Kingdom Hearts : Chain of Memories sur GBA. Bien que cet épisode débute exactement là où nous a laissés Kingdom Hearts premier du nom, ce n'est pas vraiment la suite, mais plutôt un prolongement de ce dernier, faisant ainsi la jonction scénaristique avec le prochain épisode prévu pour fin 2005, toujours sur PS2. Un épisode à part donc ? Dans la forme oui, mais le fond de la série est évidemment conservé, avec son mixage caractéristique des univers de Final Fantasy et de Disney.
G4 TV: X-Play
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories combines two much-maligned RPG staples, random dungeons and card battles, and somehow pulls it off with aplomb. This is a great little action/RPG, and well-suited to portable play. If you didn’t like the original Kingdom Hearts, you probably won’t care much for Chain of Memories, but fans of the original or card battle games should give it a go.
80 (UK)
I was totally charmed by Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2. Though it had its share of problems, I was captivated by the mix of Disney and Square characters. The storytelling was more than enough to keep me satisfied. As you can imagine, I was super psyched for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The thought of a new adventure with Sora and the gang on my favorite platform (the last two years anyway) had me drooling. After playing through the game I was pleased to find that it met all my expectations and exceeded a few more. It had many of the elements that I loved about the PS2 game, but the combat is far more interesting.
I'm sure there were more than a handful of people thinking the designers at Square were off their rocker after they pitched the idea of Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2. An adventure that put Disney characters and Square characters in the same realm? Apparently the insanity paid off, as Kingdom Hearts turned out to be yet another one of the company's success stories, and one of the more popular games released in 2002. The series will continue on the PlayStation 2 next year, but to hold players over Square-Enix, Disney, and the GBA development team at Jupiter have created a side-story to bridge the original and sequel together in an adventure that definitely brings the emotion of the PS2 title to the handheld. The game itself is really something significant and unique for GBA gamers, though the storytelling far outweighs the slightly repetitive and basic gameplay.
Game Informer Magazine
Struggling to differentiate reality with fabrications of the mind, Sora is clearly troubled. As he works his way through events that could be memory pockets or complete illusions, an unfamiliar face warns, "When your sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be you." With esoteric dialogue that simply demands answers, Square knows exactly how to keep gamers glued to the events at hand. The introductory moments of this tale lead gamers along an irresistible breadcrumb trail that is loaded with intrigue and the promise of something spectacular.
What made the original Kingdom Hearts for the PlayStation 2 so endearing was not so much its action gameplay, but more the fascinating world it created using Final Fantasy and Disney characters. In a lot of ways, the same can be said for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. While the real-time card-battling system has its issues and the exploration elements cross a lot of familiar ground, Chain of Memories still creates an interesting place where Disney worlds and Final Fantasy cameo appearances work together well. This game is clearly aimed at hooking existing fans of the developing Kingdom Hearts series, and those fans will get the most value out of Chain of Memories.
Malgré tout, l’univers magique de Chain of Memories réussit à nous captiver jusqu’à la fin, tout au long d’un scénario peuplé de rebondissements, de rencontres, et qui surtout vous demandera pas moins de 20 heures de jeu pour en venir à bout. Pour sa réalisation, sa durée de vie, son gameplay original, mais surtout pour son atmosphère, Kingdom Hearts : Chain of Memories mérite que l’on s’attarde sérieusement dessus.
This is a great title, worth owning by any fan of Kingdom Hearts, card-based RPG's, or even Disney characters. Though the game has a few discrepancies against it, its not enough to prevent you from enjoying the experience, whether new to the series, or not. You have to give it to Square-Enix though, they did put the same effort into this title that they did with their fellow Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy 1 @ 2 titles.
Petite révolution dans le domaine de l'A-RPG, Kingdom Hearts : Chain Of Memories réserve un choc aussi grand que celui provoqué par l'arrivée de Sword Of Mana. Prenant, fascinant et magnifique, le titre de Square-Enix permet en outre de développer intelligemment la trame générale de KH en impliquant enfin l'Organisation. Peut-être lacunaire quant à l'originalité et à la force de l'histoire sous certains points, et parfois trop contraignant durant les combats, ce soft n'en reste pas moins une petite perle à explorer avec gourmandise.
Doté d'une durée de vie plus que raisonnable avec ses deux modes de jeux (Sora et Riku), d'un scénario indispensable à la compréhension de Kingdom Hearts 2, ce jeu est un jeu à faire. Malgré un système de combat qui aurait gagné à être plus comme celui du premier opus, cet épisode "1.5" est une valeur sûre du genre.
The Next Level
Nonetheless, credit must be given to Square Enix’s excellent job for its inclusion of CG footage during pivotal moments. Visually, the game overflows with detail and stellar animation, making it unquestionably one of the best looking handheld titles this year. The soundtrack is also exceptionally rich, but fans will be somewhat saddened to discover the game lacks voice samples of any form; (at the very least, their inclusion during cinematic sequences would have inarguably been a nice touch). All told, if you’re willing to look past the undeniable traces of déjà vu, Chain of Memories qualifies as a solid RPG that sets the stage for the next epic chapter.
Kingdom Hearts : Chain of Memories reprend hélas tellement d’éléments de son aîné que même les défauts sont encore présents. Hé oui, on retrouve des combats bordéliques qui réclameront toute votre attention, mais aussi une durée de vie un peu faiblarde, puisqu’il ne m’a fallu que douze petites heures pour en venir à bout. Pourtant, je ne peux m’empêcher de dire qu’il y a un paquet de bonnes choses, comme l’impression de voyager dans un conte et encore les quelques points obscurs du scénario qui se dévoilent. Si vous aviez aimé la version PS2, il y a de grandes chances pour que vous aimiez cet épisode sur portable. Pour les autres, ça reste un bon petit jeu, juste convenable, mais qui aurait pu être meilleur.
GamePro (US)
Bridging the gap between the original Kingdom Hearts and its sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories continues Sora and party's tale to find King Mickey. On their journey, our heroes stumble on a mysterious castle named Oblivion where time, space, and memories are affected. The strange inhabitants of the castle trap our heroes, converting Donald and Goofy into battle cards, and force Sora on a ponderous journey into his own memories to face his subconscious thoughts and fears. Sora must revisit past locations in his mind and find a way out of his own paradoxical head.
UOL Jogos
"Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories" não se esforça para inteirar o jogador dos acontecimentos do primeiro game, e com um sistema medíocre, é recomendado apenas para fãs do original que querem saber mais sobre o que acontece com Sora e seus colegas entre os dois títulos para PlayStation 2.