Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories: Underrated Exercise in Intrigue

[@horrornation1118]

I like that Sora got pissed off and frustrated as the story progressed, it makes him more human.

[@devyboo2]

I always liked that the game ends with Sora just straight up killing a dude

[@Crafty_boy70]

you could also see it as Sora slowly losing himself, the fact that he got angrier despite his personality really shows the effect of losing his memories.

[@blaze-kz7nz]

This is what the main games lacked, or at least had so little if it had. Also, I loved Sora's interactions with Donald and Goofy here. It shows a deeper level of their friendship when the three showed anger and frustration at each other but at thw same timw also giving each other love and support as they slowly lose their memories.

[@videogamerNattie98]

@@blaze-kz7nz My absolute favorite moment is when you go up to the final floor where Donald proclaims that he is scared of what they might face. The three always promise to look out after each other but what really makes that scene for me is the fact that the fear of the unknown is truly gripping the party creating a very deep sense of terror along with the fact of the worry, concern, and silent panic amongst the party for how much they lost. That while Donald, and Goofy amongst there mythos have encountered fear it was for the most part topical this though this is not a topical fear this is a true feeling of dread of what will happen to them if they don't succeed if there is even a chance to succeed for them in there eyes. Donald is very flamboyant and outgoing, but to see him like that Ill be honest is incredibly disheartening, thankfully this promise gives a sense of certainty and faith that the party lacked. And the reward for that promise is the omnidirectional full screen non elemental nuke, known as trinity limit. This is arguably the best ally based slight in the game and that is besides just its power Donald, and Goofy are always with Sora that this slight can be used pretty much anywhere to boot.

[@docxy7331]

Sora seeing a guy be murdered: what are you people!? Sora 5 minutes later: all the other kids with pumped up kicks

[@raymondc9513]

"Kingdom of Hearts Chain Memories? Wut that?" -Your dad, not mine

[@AxelPaul307]

Again a man of culture. CoM has always had a special place in my heart among the KH games. Like you stated, the intrigue and character interactions are amongst the best in the series, and I was truly pulled in by the 'mythos' of Castle Oblivion. The threat was small scale, yet hit closer to home. I genuinely became scared for Sora on my first playthrough when Oogie Boogie had a psychotic breakdown after unlocking his 'true memories'. Like KH1, IMO this game really made the Disney Worlds feel relevant to the story, if only to play on the growing dread or theme of diving deeper into the castle.

[@zingodoom]

"It's one hell of a show" coupled with that background footage - I see what you did there

[@ccghidorah1]

I remember getting this game for Christmas the year it came out. It was one my first Gameboy Advance games next to Pokemon Sapphire and Donkey Kong Country.

[@Afrohawk512]

Man I never really thought about CoM this way but it really was written so well. I like what you said about it being so enclosed that it forces everyone to talk to each other, it's something the other games don't get a chance to take advantage of but this really sells well. It's a case where I think the limitations worked out well; being limited to the GBA meant they had to do most of the story telling with just characters talking. As a kid it went over my head but now it's something I can really appreciate. Great video!

[@ragingo]

I haven't seen much conversation on how good CoM was both as a GBA game and a narrative experience, so this was a fun video to see in my recommendations. In addition, it's just nice to hear someone mention how good the Organization was in this game. All the backstabbing and politicking made them the most compelling group of villains in the entire series, in my opinion, and gave them an proactive role in the plot. The KH2 members were fun bosses but they felt largely disconnected from what Sora was doing - people that just turned up to summon a heartless or occasionally fight. The twist related to defeating heartless benefiting them was cool, but it also gave the writers an excuse to just have the organisation as a whole sit back for most of the game when it came to what Sora was doing. Marluxia on the other hand was actively using Sora's journey against him, continuously gaslighting him more and more.

[@A23Channel1]

Well, you've just about summed up everything I love about this game. I only wish a game would come that could generate as much intrigue as COM did.

[@solregis148]

ive always hated com, ive always struggled with this kind of gameplay, and ive never been that good at handling so many little different things all at once in real time battles, 2d or otherwise. i did try to play the original com ((on an emulator cause unfortunately zelda held my ass for the majority of my childhood)) and i did try to play recom, but i could never bring myself to make it past wonderland. it was frustrating, not what i was used to after playing so many other kh games, and i didnt have the energy to play it fully. that being said, i recently watched a full playthrough of recom and honestly? i vibe a lot with what youve said. the gameplay is different which isnt bad but i vastly prefer the bbs command deck style gameplay, and com is super overlooked, but watching these happy-go-lucky disney characters ascend through the castle and fight with such human problems and emotions really resonated with me. it made me uncomfortable at times ((in a really good way like a well written way)) and i was always on the edge of my seat when the organization appeared on screen. it was so mysterious and thrilling and engaging story that, maybe once im done with my kh streams, i might try out streaming recom again, and watching this video while winding down after work and after watching recom, its just been a really good time. anyways this is just a long winded way to say hey i vibed with your video and i liked it lots lmao

[@Xpwnxage]

GBA CoM was my first KH game. It was the newest at the time and I had zero clue wtf Kingdom Hearts was. So while I was very confused about all of the plot references to KH and the characters, I was absolutely enamored by the plot and the game as the whole. I fricking loved it and most of all, I loved Riku! The first time I saw him I was like "omg his darkness attacks are so cool and I want to be him!". His final boss fight was so hard for me, it took me so many attempts (I was 10 years old in 2004) and I'm pretty sure the GBA version is harder than ReCoM right? I haven't played it in so long. Anyways I beat the game, I freaking loved Marluxia too, I thought his pink scythe and long, pink hair was so cool. So I beat the final boss, feel a mystical euphoria listening to Simple and Clean and think "that was an amazing game!". And then I reload back to the main menu and... What's this... I CAN PLAY AN ENTIRE DIFFERENT STORYLINE AS RIKU???. I was amazed. I was so happy. I understand why a lot of fans look down on this game, but it will always be my favorite. The memory plot, the organization, Namine's theme, freaking RIKU MODE, etc. I will always cherish it.

[@ryanofheartz4611]

I’ve been playing through RE:COM again and it’s wild how many times they say the word DIE in this Disney game.

[@Mqstodon]

I think honestly the biggest problem is the balancing. The worlds are sk different difficulty wise and you have no idea which is harder, and once you enter you can't go out and choose another world. Like, halloween town? Oogie boggie is literally impossible if you don't grind card or if you get unlucky and choose at as your first, and i think that's the biggest problem, skill just doesn't matter that much and i think it makes the game worse

[@blueshellincident]

As an aside you can really feel chain of memories genetics in certain parts of the rest of the series, the command deck is actually somewhat reminiscent of slights in my opinion.

[@Mqstodon]

I mean, it's not tho, they're completely different. The only thing in common is using two or more things to make a better thing

[@blueshellincident]

@@Mqstodon @@Mqstodon Some of the sleights from recom are directly used in later games. As I said before, the way sleights work and the deck as a whole is reminiscent of the command deck IMO. I think it's there still.

[@Rydernort]

I think at this point, you have enough people to take out the Persians

[@andleepfarooqui7874]

for reference, I remember getting ReCoM when it came out and I believe it was $30 when I got it? might have been $20. Unfortunately, it didn't run well on my backwards compatible PS3 and had to bust out the PS2 for it.

[@NexGenration99]

ive always held the idea of "i see your complaints, and they are valid complaints, but i dont care because i had fun" when it comes to this game

[@Xpwnxage]

Lol yep same and for Dark Souls 2, that is my mantra.

[@Crafty_boy70]

me with Pokemon Sword and Shield:

[@LupineHero]

Me whenever Pat criticizes KH2 (my favorite game of all time)

[@Satchmeat]

@@Xpwnxage Dark Souls 2 best souls

[@sjoldzic10]

This is you right now: I recognize that the Council has formed an opinion. But given that it's a stupid ass opinion, I have elected to ignore it. 😂

[@handsoaphandsoap]

It should also be mentioned that CoM is the most invested Sora is in defeating the main antagonist. Fighting Ansem SoD, Xemnas and even Xehanort are kind of equivalent to chores to Sora, just something that would be nice of him to do, but the outright contempt in Sora’s expression when he beats Marluxia in CoM is unparalelled. This is a man that robbed him of basically everything, messed with his entire identity and fucked Sora up to an almost irreversible state, Xemnas could never.

[@Schizobateman]

In terms of story and Soras Characterisation its all downhill from there

[@zachanikwano]

It's funny that even fighting Saix didn't 😊get that response. With how incredibly hateful Sora was towards Nobodies as a concept in KH2, and Saix making it personal with Kairi (and unknowingly being INCREDIBLY abusive towards the Sea Salt trio), AND Roxas being in Sora... Sora should have gone absolutely mental towards Saix. Like how he beat Davy Jones with his bare hands lol

[@familytablet6453]

@@zachanikwano I forgot about the Davy Jones scene, now I'm on the floor rolling!

[@fruitlion8]

"Me, Riku... ...And Namine." That was a very powerful moment for young me, especially because Sora says it with a total smile on his face.

[@KodasGarden]

Yep, it's a chilling moment

[@alexanderzafiris6843]

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." Maybe Nomura was secretly signaling that Chain of Memories would be very dark by describing it as striving for a more light-hearted tone.

[@AtomicF0x]

That's very poetic and would have been cool. But who knows what he was really thinking as the game was being made.

[@AttestedFire66]

It wasnt very dark though? It was just like every other KH game and only maybe a little edgy here and there, but no E rated game is gonna be very dark. Edit: Ahhh I see, you're saying that because he said it was a dark game in the video, still doesn't change my comment any tho..

[@maurice7002]

@@AttestedFire66 “no e rated game is gonna be dark” you have not played enough games

[@creature6715]

@@AttestedFire66 sora gets gaslit and kills a bunch of people is just another kingdom hearts game to you?

[@AttestedFire66]

@@creature6715 yeah because just like every other KH noone dies... they all come back. I love KH, its my favorite piece of media by far but it's definitely gotten silly with all the 'noone really dies' etc. stuff that they started pulling. KH had edgy, dark undertones before I'll give it that, that's what I loved about it, but now they've undermined all that and took away the more mature aspects by u doing it all in KH3.

[@awkwardtonberry5459]

The card system is very easily explained. Aqua is HUGE fan of Uno. Absolutely loves it. It even says so in her character data(lie).

[@RegularPat]

lmao YO it would've been so funny and classic Nomura if BBS had Aqua like, actually really into card games or something.

[@trulymrword]

Thinking back on it COM feels like a Tabletop Game and Eraqus loves that (Command Board and Chess) lmao.

[@Vigriff]

I thought she was a fan of a certain children's card game.

[@ribbonfly]

@@RegularPat In the BBS novel, Aqua likes baking sweets. Terra is not much of a sweet tooth but Eraqus and Ven love her treats.

[@usernamepassword4517]

69 likes

[@coockabura8685]

"What the heck is a Kingdom of Hearts?!" Haha! My dad would always call it "Kingdom of Hearts"

[@TackyRackyComixNEO]

I remember my partner and I went to the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World of Tres concert when it came to NYC, and the person they had both to give general announcements and to act as the translator for Yoko Shimomura (*yes, she was there, and she played piano in the encore, and it was amaziiiiiiiiing*) said "Kingdom of Hearts" nearly every time he had to say the name of the series. Everyone would groan or clown on him when it happened, but then at one point, he finally said "Kingdom Hearts." And all rejoiced. He did it again! Further merriment! And then finally, the final time...he got it wrong once more, but by that point no one really cared enough to knock him for it.

[@zexionienzo4183]

My sister also calls it “Kingdom of Hearts”

[@ZahnGamingx]

Same my mom did the same thing!

[@morganwhite4788]

All of these people must be dysfunctional at spelling then. Lol

[@peebopelican6119]

@Bau Cap. I remember that scene lol, then Goku goes super keyblade master and kills 1000 heartless

[@TheJbrown60]

this game is just organization xiii gaslighting sora and its great

[@Gamechamp3000]

You speak good words~

[@acesamm]

Hello, Gamechamp.

[@evopug9154]

This was not someone who I expected here but is welcome

[@pyguy7]

You speak words goodly* ; )

[@Thisisthegreatestatofalltime]

@Barrett Zaid and @Orlando Alvaro Two spamming bots saying the same thing in every comment section isn’t fooling anyone (unless your a very unintelligent creep). Welp, talking to a bot is pointless, so it’s time to report you.

[@0yourmom019]

i didnt expect to see you here i-

[@topsykrett1744]

Ooo that line though. "6 Members of the Organization walk into the Castle, and one Flurry of Dancing Flames walks out."

[@bobbackwards8481]

I wonder if Castle Oblivion Oogie's "true memories" were from the real Oogie Boogie or if this one came to realize that he and his entire world are mere illusions in the party's heads.

[@caldw615]

There's a lot about Oogie we never really know even from the original Nightmare Before Christmas. Why is he a sentient bag of bugs? Why does he live isolated from the rest of Halloween town? Why does Oogie try to hurt people instead of just scare them like the rest of the town? Maybe his true memories were him recalling some of the things left unanswered by the movie or like you said maybe he realised he was just an illusion. Or perhaps because he is just an illussion and has nothing to draw out the potion just presented him with "nothing" like a void or "darkness". True darkness in KH's universe is terrifying like the realm Aqua was trapped in so maybe he got some kind of sense of what that was like being much bigger than himself and it terrified him. That or maybe we're overthinking it and the potion was just a bust.

[@Star-rd9eg]

wadafak thats deep

[@zaqareemalcolm]

@@caldw615 it's also implied that since the 1st Floor/Traverse Town, Namine was trying to send subtle coded warnings to Sora about what the Organization was doing to him through her, by using the memory worlds. Having Oogie react so scared and negatively to a potion supossedly revealing his true memories might've been an attempt to deter Sora from going up further, since early on they've assumed the memory loss was helping them remember important things.

[@caldw615]

@@zaqareemalcolm That's an interesting take, perhaps the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland also believing the made up memories Alice gave to her to try trick her was also a warning from Naminé too. Sora later in the story kind of does the same thing as the Queen where he doesn't head his friend's warnings and blindly believes his new memories.

[@WednesdayMan]

@@caldw615 no I think when Oogie drank the potion he remembered Sora and his team killing him. why else did he tell Sora, Donald Goofy and Jack to get away from him?

[@jackbrownio3]

8:53 Pat literally describes the exact way I feel about Pokémon and Assassins Creed while I mindlessly play Pokémon and listen to his podcast style video. This is more meta than Verum Rex

[@daric_]

It seems like CoM on GBA makes more sense than in 3D in Re:CoM. The gameplay fits a limited system rather than shoehorning it into the original 3D system.

[@RegularPat]

Very much so

[@daric_]

@@RegularPat I am going through the KH series the first time when I get the time after buying the entire series for PS4 last year. I skipped Re:CoM and just watched the cutscenes because the card system was so different. But this convinced me to eventually go back and play it. Thanks. :)

[@jembozaba4864]

But the GBA doesn’t have Lethal Frame.

[@rendomstranger8698]

@@jembozaba4864 Who needs lethal frame when you have zantesuken for the bosses and can clear any group of normal enemies with just 2 deck rotations? Seriously, screw damage against bosses. Just block the sleights with a few 0's, heal back up to full and burn the remainder of their deck.

[@mr.mcklockwork3828]

@@jembozaba4864 I'm still waiting on a romhack full of new content

[@thelemonadestandman]

"Thankfully this was only a phase that would last a minimum of... Eighteen years...." Fuck, I why you gotta call me out like that? But it's nice to hear someone give a defense to CoM. It's an easy target and I don't blame people for making it the butt of jokes. But there is enjoyment to be found in this game, and I love how twisted this game can get with Sora having his mind screwed up to the point he bails on Donald and Goofy. If anyone is like me and found Sora's characterization in DDD and KH3 skewed a bit too far in "happy ball of sunshine 24/7", then CoM is a great reminder of there's a still darkness in every Heart, even Sora.

[@RegularPat]

YES I meant to highlight that scene where Sora abandons DG, that's like the definitive low point of the relationship lmao. Sora has his angst set to 100 in this game.

[@GodOfOrphans]

well darkness in every heart except the seven princesses of heart anyway.

[@ma.2089]

I think DDD does manage to show some of CoM Sora in that both CoM Sora will obsess over memories or people in his heart and want to help them. He goes crazy trying to help Repliku and Namise and in DDD even after being warned multiple times he ran after Namine, Xion, Roxas, Aqua, and Terra. And i think KH3 does it a bit too, in (granted it’s in the worst world of the game) Arendelle. He continuously asserts that Elsa won’t go to the dark side and that pushy “I’ll be the savior!” attitude pisses Larxene off (just as she was w/ his actions in CoM) cuz she knows it’s only Elsa’s decision. We can blame the darkness of Sora’s obsession due to the memory manipulation, but that kind of attitude still remains in later games, albeit way less obvious since Sora isn’t getting as fucked with internally.

[@Emu-]

What about that part in kh3 pirates of the carribian where he goes up to the villain and starts punching him?

[@TheKabuto90]

Also uh, Sora spends most of KH3 in a funk, showing itself mostly through his interactions with the villains and perhaps more importantly, getting very sad when things go wrong in some way, the latter being very important to keep in mind to contextualize the events in the keyblade graveyard.

[@caldw615]

I always liked the story of CoM expanding on the main cast and actually implementing conflict within the main trio. Sora struggling to trust his memories or his friends and actually straight up bailing on Donald and Goofy later in the game. When I originally played this game I made an effort to always talk to Donald and Goofy in between floors to see their reactions and thoughts on the events that just unfolded. I think the usage of sprites for specific emotions and expressions made the first CoM interactions with the NPC's more engaging than the other 3D titles where the characters just repeat the same dumbfaced expression and mouth flap animation regardless of context. The original CoM actually showed Donald, Goofy, Sora and everyone else actually happy, sad, angry or worried as the events unfolded throughout the whole story but in the remake you only see them emote in the actual dedicated cutscenes and the inbetween conversations or non-voiced Disney events seem much more bland due to them not using detailed facial expression outside of a few key anomations. A character could have just had a cutscene where they are questioning their own memories and who to trust and then when you speak to them 2 seconds later they just stand there with a derpy dead eyed expression and repeated mouth flaps. Really enjoyed the video, nice to hear people give props to CoM.

[@Xpwnxage]

Oh yeah that's a good point, GBA had those different facial expressions on their dialogue, I totally forgot about that.

[@NickyLaurienzo]

Fantastic point, love the character expressions in addition to the story/dialogue with the organization members. Love this game!

[@bleachbleachBLEACHER]

Basically, this canonically means that Aqua invented the card system of Castle Oblivion as a method of confusing trespassers and making navigation within its halls even more impossible than it already would have been.

[@MrAuthor3DS]

Hey, whatever keeps Ven safe.

[@aleisshiki3649]

Alright fine, I’ll give CoM another shot. You convinced me haha

[@RegularPat]

YASS

[@MightyOwl_01]

so, did you enjoy it? (I haven't actually played CoM, ended up watching multiple story recaps but I kinda want to play it at some point, but after 100%ing kh2 recently, I think I will wait a bit before I jump back into kingdom hearts lmao)

[@skylerbehunin7777]

@@MightyOwl_01 the gameplay sucks but it’s the best story IMO

[@laststrike4411]

@@skylerbehunin7777 If you were to make a final mix of the gameboy version, how would you go about it?

[@xvc918x8]

should have left it 2d

[@Saturn537]

18:55 Actually Kingdom Hearts Union X brings up this very point again, by saying that even though all the Dandilion's memories of the drama and rifts leading up to The Keyblade War, along with The Keyblade War itself were all erased the scars on their hearts remained.

[@RegularPat]

That's interesting! I have a very fuzzy sense of awareness when it comes to Union X so thank you for sharing that!

[@billybrown9185]

Necro replying, buy this was also Young Xehanorts whole deal. He had to come forward in time to experience his master plan so it would remain engraved on his heart even though he lost his memories when he returned to his time.

[@corbinmarkey466]

Small brain: Sora in KH2 represents all the kids who didn't play CoM Big brain: Riku in KH2 represents all the kids who *did* play CoM

[@bookfan1239]

And in the end, they both unite to defeat Xemnas and go home. Poetic

[@IvanHas2muchTime]

Re: chain actually added a lot to the gameplay, dodging has its own button, you can compile 2 cards on their own, you have more slights to learn (som of them would be later reused in bbs), gliding is added, worlds actually have new objects and traps to interact (in GBA there were none), the Winnie the pooh world has brand new minigames (one of them would later be reused in 3d as the dive mechanic), riku's unique draw feature, new bosses like Zexion and Marluxia's final battle, also they have the ability to scatter your cards, thing that would be used in the mysterious figure in bbs. The only issues are the in-battle camera and the world design, they could have had a semi-flat perspective like the og GBA version instead of the 3rd person one, and make every room bigger with more objects to interact similar to the sin migami tensei series to make it feel more like a maze with more exploration. Also remaking the Disney world cutcenes cause they feel pretty soulless in comparison to the other cut scenes.

[@RegularPat]

There's definitely solid additions to ReCoM! I think, like you said, the shortcomings for me boil down to those issues with the battle perspective and the world design on a console. But I did appreciate the addition of the new battles and especially the movement abilities in ReCoM.

[@DeathGodRiku]

I remember playing a little bit of Re:CoM and my first fight felt awkward due to the 3D movement combined with the card system. Something about it felt...off to me

[@zaqareemalcolm]

You can play two card stocks in GBA, its just really, _really_ awkward to do so (select reload card and press L and R with two cards in stock) Not many people know this because it's only mentioned in the game manual; I checked it afterwards on an online pdf of the thing since I actually only found that out by accident.

[@shikitohno47]

@@zaqareemalcolm wtf square Enix lmfao

[@zaqareemalcolm]

@@shikitohno47 this is why deck building is important lol

[@jacksonhill7552]

I'm just upset that Luxord, you know, the member of Organization 13 who's whole shtick is that he is a gambler of fate and uses cards and dice for his attacks and abilities, was excluded from Chain of Memories, I mean, look me straight in the eye and tell me that Luxord would not have been a perfect fit for this game

[@TheKlamotte]

Yo. A luxord boss with an enemy card that randomizes your deck-order would have been SICK

[@TheAzulmagia]

Luxord just physically beats you with oversized versions of the cards in his deck.

[@krzysztoftarnowka8747]

@@TheAzulmagia Comically large cards

[@sideways5153]

Luxord would not have been a good fit for this game 😐 FR tho, the game is a psychological thriller about a young boy being brainwashed and manipulated so his chosen one powers can be exploited by others. The ex casino dealer who in life was fired for cheating rude players out of their chips and in new life smugly plays with his food wouldn’t mesh with the other Organization members or the danger Sora was in. Thematically his gambler aesthetic would clash with the idea that Sora is in some way digging through a metaphorical full deck in order to see what cards are hiding near the bottom Actually the game not including Luxord retroactively makes the symbolism of a deck of cards and a chain make more sense. The point is the immutability of your personhood, and the way you never truly lose the things that are a part of you. That symbolism actually ties really well into the stories of the Nobodies and their quest to regain what they lost - many links down the chain of their memories, hidden in the cards left in their decks when they awoke as nobodies, are their true selves, left behind after their heart was lost. So yeah, no Luxord in CoM, plz. Wrong vibe lol

[@drowsy7921]

He would've slayed too much

[@LazerzZ]

Chain of Memories slaps. I didn't start playing Kingdom Hearts until mid 2015 so this is definitely not nostalgia talking. The unique gameplay system is incredibly challenging, but once you master it, damn it's satisfying. The story also is one of the most intriguing. The disney stuff is very meh, you've got essentially rehashing of KH1 but Sora is being an idiot, other than that though, the game really is just banging. Great video too, this was really nice to watch!

[@V8chump]

Someone give this man an award, he must be some kindve clairvoyant to know so much about me in such fine detail.

[@GNOtaku13]

I’m really glad you highlighted the importance of the Disney worlds! Usually on my CoM playthroughs I skip through the unvoiced scenes, but after hearing you talk about them I definitely want to go back to them

[@NN-ge2wf]

I always really appreciated that they tied the core theme of memories to the worlds in COM. Right off the jump with Aerith's warning in Traverse town, it really sets the tone that something is off here, and then wonderland happens with the whole planting false memories thing, and the queen just blindly accepting it because she lost her memories so she will take whatever is offered to fill the void and thereby manipulated, and you can see Sora actually take a moment to ponder it. Potentially thinking on if it is relevant to his current adventure. KH games tend to loosely tie the world's plotlines to some of the overarching themes of that particular game, by COM was a masterclass on it, even if it had to retread old ground to do it, even THAT ultimately served the plot line and gave space to ask these questions about memories and who you are without them.

[@DMTInfinity]

Chain Of Memories is amazing. I Love the gameplay, the story, the music, the worlds, the cards, EVERYTHING..! In my personal opinion, this game is an absolute masterpiece..! 😍

[@TheKlamotte]

I Personally love that Bit in wonderland . The Queen "remembering " something that never happened because she is too proud and full of herself to admit

[@AtomicF0x]

I'm really glad CoM turned out so inversely-themed compared to the "lighter tone" Tetsuya Nomura originally had planned. The themes and moments you described, like the overarching, yet intimate air of psychological oppression hanging over Sora and company as they progress through Castle Oblivion, (where Sora, Donald and Goofy actually _talk_ more to each other), the plotting and intrigue of the Organization (Zexion is my favorite), the disturbing, emotional plight of Riku Replica coming to terms with his tumultuous existence...I love it all.

[@seemangalbj]

Really well thought out video. Chain of Memories I have a soft spot for. Can't entirely blame the mediocre overall reception for it but I don't think enough people give it a chance mostly due its combat. To be fair I didn't for a while either but it eventually clicked with me.

[@bigben3922]

I recently started replaying CoM on my old gameboy advanced after hearing you mention it was underrated in a different video, and now I’m blown away at how I never realized that CoM has the most character interaction between Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

[@RegularPat]

It really does! Even in 1, which I love, there's a steep drop off after Deep Jungle, and in 2 and 3 it's mostly just quips and inconsequential scenes, barring a few moments.

[@enriquea4160]

Amazing video overall. I always appreciated CoM as one of the best storylines in the series. Things like suddenly remembering Namine are presenting in such a way that when see through the eyes of an adult feels like a repressed memory of the death of a friend. One thing not many people discuss is how com and ddd are REALLY similar in many aspects, specially how both serve as interquels to present elements for the next big installment. And in these regards, com does extremely good and ddd fails completely. Whereas ddd totally spoils out most of the plot and motivations for KH3, com introduces us with many concepts that are later expanded in KH2 and at the same time does not tell us anything of what is the organization in the first place, their goal, their members, how Namine or diz fit into everything... It would be worth a more in deep analysis of the matter.

[@RegularPat]

Great point about CoM and DDD, they're the true bridge games of the series and both attempt that mysterious atmosphere...to varying results lol

[@VideogamePianoMan]

I loved this analysis, mostly because you actually took the time to consider the context we received it in! I feel like it's easy to talk down on the game while forgetting how pivotal this game was to the overarching storyline -- not only by being the first true sequel to the OG KH, but also by being the first introduction to the organization, and the first game to center Riku as a secondary protagonist (not to mention replica technology, and how serious "being connected" can be in the KH universe), all with only 10 buttons and a 3.5" screen! This made me super excited to replay this game, although I think I might give the original GBA version a spin this time, since I've only ever played ReCoM before! (Side note, it took me until watching this video to realize why Axel controls assassin nobodies -- I must've forgotten how ruthless he is in this game after playing 358 too much...)

[@RegularPat]

Glad you enjoyed! Yeah I think it's such an important piece to the puzzle that gets overlooked because of the card stuff. There are some fun little differences in CoM that I totally forgot about! I recently remembered that the whole post-Lexaeus battle sequence plays out entirely differently in CoM than ReCoM.

[@abelmoreno4836]

The original recom was full price because it came in a package called “KH2 Final Mix plus” which featured both Kh2FM and recom, but this was a Japanese exclusive

[@CarbonKingZach]

Finally! I found someone who actually likes Chain of Memories. I'm tired of these people totally dismissing this based gameplay.

[@BlueBladeofFate]

I'll admit, you have the best commentary style of all the... KHTubers, I dread to say? Of all the ones I've seen. You have the wit and just enough cynicism packed in your scripts to be genuinely interesting and funny... but not to the point where you're disparaging like most other people who seriously analyze Kingdom Hearts. Yeah, you have the heart (ho ho) to enjoy this blessed mess but you're also not a sucker that just eats it all up. The perfect balance.

[@RegularPat]

I'm gonna frame this comment

[@mogfoil]

thank you for helping sustain my kingdom hearts hyperfixation.

[@JSeedProductions]

Looking at just the stories, the first three games really fit quite well as a trilogy, especially with CoM being the darkest.

[@GreenRequiem]

You're so clear in how you express your thoughts on CoM and I often found myself laughing at some point ya made and agreeing to some statement because I'd never heard it expressed that way before. Such a great video; love it when you upload

[@jaystrange]

So hype for another one of your videos! The way you build a compelling argument in such an entertaining way makes your videos so easy to enjoy. Please keep it up!!

[@nightcloud9700]

Since Dark Road also has card combat & Eraqus technically is the "master" of the Land of Departure / Castle Oblivion, maybe he decided people who walk upon this sealed off land will have to fight with cards, to make their traversal harder?

[@destinyweb1311]

i think that CoM EXCELLS when it comes to its story. It's the right amout of entertaning, emotional and in some point straight up terrifying. The memory loss and Namine plot points in Sora's story and Riku's slow redemption are some of the highlights on the entire saga, and so is the new cast. Axel especially *peaked* in CoM, and i think Maluxia is a far more compelling main "original" Organization XIII final villain than Xehanort unfortunately,,, it's the gameplay that really turns me off when it comes to this game, and so is the repetitions in the Disney worlds. I think they did great in Halloweentown and in Wonderland, but the rest fell a little flat

[@TheKeyblader133]

Yeah, agree with you so much on the first part. I do still really enjoy Xemnas in KH2 (And think they just kinda threw him in the dumpster by placing most/all of his motivations onto the machinations of Xehanort's grand scheme and "Well I had this big plan but it failed cause my other selves kinda fucked off and did their own thing"). But CoM's plot was new and exciting, especially with how many great scenes it had, and one of the things that made Re:CoM such a worthwhile experience. Almost every character nailed their lines (To this day David Gallagher's performance during Repliku's speech to Riku before their final fight gives me *_C h i l l s)_* But even just with dialogue boxes, it still was an interesting experience.

[@jonoinvielleicht4803]

Yeah, I recommend the manga in case you are interested in the story. There are much more interesting character moments, some are funny, some are even darker then the game AND you can see the fake memories Namine created in Sora's and Replica Rikus heads.

[@brannycedeno6823]

You know, I am so proud the GBA was the console to get this story. I feel the same about Mother 3. And I dunno if you're like me - I prefer 100 times more to watch the cutscenes with no voice over and with text boxes - the GBA version, because that makes ME tell the story in my head. And it does drive me more into it believe it or not.

[@roxasuzumaki6628]

originally rechain came bundled with kh2fm in Japan

[@Zarolea]

I played it on GBA. It was nice cause you could hit like 5 enemies at once. Couldn't do that with the 3d version. Axel was far more savage than on the later games too.

[@carriganreilly]

playing re:com for the first time a few months ago in the hd collection was such a blast. i had ALWAYS heard bad things about it and enjoyed setting up an overpowered deck and having to build new ones to out maneuver the stupid hard bosses. it’s very enjoyable even though it’s gameplay is sorta bland lol

[@carriganreilly]

every interaction with the organization and its so enjoyable to just,,, watch them exist and talk it’s so charming

[@procrastinator99]

I'd really like an analysis on Riku's side of this story, I find it SO interesting and feel that it fleshed out Riku's feelings about his flaws and the damage that not only he caused, but the lasting harm Ansem did to him. Also, I find the original COM's translation of Axel's line to be FAR better than the subsequent games, "got it memorized?" In the Original COM, he says, "my name is Axel, commit it to memory!" I find having it be a command rather than a question to be MUCH more powerful and compelling.

[@unclebun639]

You know, CoM was actually my intro game to the KH series. It's a crazy different experience when you play this game for the first time, I gotta say. You're lied to the whole time and child me was constantly like :O

[@magma41158]

I was literally playing COM on my GBA a few days ago. Also my first kh game was Days, so when the events of COM was referenced I was so interested in finding out what happened in Castle Oblivion. Not only that they build up alot of mystery behind it in days since Sora is there, Xion finds out about her origin, met Namine and Diz and Roxas going there pretty much made him blue screen.

[@bigboi8028]

I literally just finished Riku's story in Re:CoM and while the battle style could get annoying, the thing I hated the most was trying to get the next map card so that I could actually continue the story. It drove me mad

[@steelseraph7413]

Wanted to get into the game, but the re:com version's combat was too bad. The best option for re:com probably would've been just to directly translate kh1's combat.

[@skibot9974]

I’ve tried the gameplay on two occasions (once on a gba emulator and once on the PS4) and got to the point where I hit a wall as I’m not good about watching my deck, keeping track of cards and eye on the enemy. I admire the effort of the devs but I feel it would’ve been better to just make a traditional turn based RPG. Though I do plan or replaying KH1 soon and maybe I’ll give chain of memories another go after that Regardless I love the story. It cemented Riku as my favorite character. Made Sora more developed, introduced Axel and the organization. Also Namine is best girl in the franchise without hesitation

[@OneColdRepublican]

The GBA version of Kingdom Hearts was my first experience. If one of the complaints was that this was just a retreading of old, then I personally didn't feel that. I didn't even know there was a first game. I'm fact it actually made the whole KH experience that much more exciting from a meta perspective. Blissfully unaware, child me played this game and said "it's cool that I'm traveling to different disney worlds with Donald and Goofy". This was before I started making connecting dots and asking questions, the first of which "wait why am I traveling with these two????". And then I found and played KH1 and to this day in glad I went that direction. To play CoM is like getting an appetizer before the main dish which is the first game. I just found it more exciting that way. TLDR; *Child me took it at face value and assumed Sora was just a random kid who happened to know Donald and Goofy and just decided to go into a mysterious castle one day. Because of course your friends with Disney characters, there EVERYBODY'S friend.*

[@kevintyson1947]

completely agree with all of this. CoM was my first kh game as well and didnt even know kh1 was a thing until I think later on when Sora said some stuff about beating Ansem and I was like wtf is Ansem? lol but the gameplay was fun

[@sig_natural]

i was under the impression that the cards themselves were the memories that you chain together, hence the title. isn't that how castle oblivion works? also dope channel

[@jacksonwww5]

I like how this game treats Donald and Goofy as real characters, even though in other series they have their moments, only in KH1 and CoM I could see them as genuine characters, and not only Sora's companions, precisely because they have their own questions, conclusions, they disagree with Sora and that's good, because a friendship is not just about support, it's about growing up together, and sometimes that involves falling out. I also like how Sora seems like a better built character in this game, he really acts like a confused person and lets it all consume him until he realizes he's made a mistake.

[@jacksonwww5]

And I'm not even going to start talking about Riku in this game because I would write an essay here

[@almondmilkbone]

I remember Re:CoM being 20 USD when it first came out, presumably because it was an add-on to KH2FM in Japan, so thankfully it wasn't full retail.

[@sorasnow650]

Glad to see another video, man! I love Chain of Memories. I know it’s not the best in the series but it’s definitely unique.

[@danielevans7439]

I remember loving COM, but then again I really like procedurally-generated dungeons in games, especially when you have a part in constructing the world map. The story held up really well for a GBA game, and the second story was an absolute surprise and a ton of fun. I hope I can find a copy again and play through at least one more time. Edit: the “murder” is the part that was really intriguing. I played COM after KH2, so I was wondering why not all the members of OrgXIII were there. Turns out they were dead. Unfortunately, that had to all be taken away in 3D and KH3, but I’m sure that wasn’t the plan way back when Org members were assasinating one another.

[@Mqstodon]

I mean why not? It was saïx that wanted to get them killed, so it makes sense xemnas or xehanort would bring them back instead

[@danielevans7439]

@@Mqstodon idk. I’m almost done replaying COM and will get to 358/2 Days sometime this year. I just don’t recall it being address how killing OrgXIII members helps if they’re going to come back anyway. I haven’t finished BBS or KH3, so maybe I’m missing something. Still, the story still felt solid before anyone knew they’d come back.

[@jacobhill1782]

What an incredible video! Plus, as a person who always plays subtitles, it was great to see some available here! Although I've put off playing Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, and instead opting for timeline and plot summaries to fill me in, I've decided to give it a go this week due to this. Thanks!💜

[@RegularPat]

Thanks so much! I never understood why I often see scripted content on KZbin without subtitles, since literally all you need to do is copy/paste your script into the subtitle generator and it takes care of it for you. Then you just type up any improv parts, v easy.

[@movieboy01]

Yes, Chain of Memories had the BEST story of the franchise, and also yes, the only game that really showed actual conversations of the events and how it effects the trio.

[@Andrew-wl3hn]

Finally someone who gets it. This game is SO much more than its gameplay. I fell in love with these characters when the game came out and to this day, some of my favorite moments and cutscenes in the series come from this game. I remember watching the cutscenes RELIGIOUSLY as a kid (and i loved how this was the first game with theater mode). COM just hits different.

[@littlewinky921]

Wonderful video as always! CoM gets a lot of flack for its gameplay, and rightfully so at times. But I think what tends to influence a lot of discourse over the card system is personal player burnout, or at least that's what it was for me. My experience with Re:CoM was mostly positive through Sora's campaign, but then tanked in Riku's. But for the most part, it's not CoM's fault? It does what it should do in a NG+ and throws in new mechanics to keep you engaged, and Riku's premade decks are meant to be puzzled out on a world-by-world basis to keep things interesting. But as someone whose strategy it was to pop a Jafar card and then just whale on things, I found myself trying to brute force everything and then get upset when it didn't work. That's more on me than the game, though the barren Disney worlds certainly didn't make me want to take my time and not rush past them. Which, getting back to the main point of this video, makes me surprised that nobody talks about the Disney worlds in Sora's side. Everybody says that they're filler and skippable, but like you said, they're tied in to the story via their themes. You'd think that having actual Disney filler in the second playthrough would make that clearer, but I guess a lot of it really only comes into perspective on a replay. (Much like KH3's Disney worlds) And given the previously mentioned burnout, a lot of people probably didn't bother. That's really funny about it being meant to be "lighter than KH2", though. I wonder if there was some disconnect between thinking that if it doesn't involve the fate of the worlds meaning that it's lighter. CoM's story and especially its conflict is closely tied to its characters, one of the most so of the KH games. Or maybe being light was the original intent, but as the story developed, the characters took on a life of their own and the narrative transformed along with it. Idk. But whatever happened, I'm glad the story turned out the way it did. :)

[@RegularPat]

Yeah the one thing I did like in Riku's campaign was the duel system, I think it can spice things up a bit, but that also just results in spamming cards, since that was always quicker than shuffling around and finding a high card. Great point about the KH3 Disney worlds too, a lot of these things are better served by a second playthrough. I am also glad they failed spectacularly at making this a light and care-free KH experience lmao

[@handsoaphandsoap]

Tbh I think that could be a translation error or poor wording by Nomura. By “lighter story” I think he probably meant a smaller scale, more self contained story and not lighter in tone (I could be wrong, I’m just speculating but it would make more sense).

[@lunarshadow5584]

I have always found CoM to be a great game, especially when the remake happened for 1.5, I call it my guilty pleasure game because it is the game others often trash on that I just can't help but love. The combat is something that I was able to easily understand and master through the Sora playthrough as it introduces me to the basic concept of initiating a combo to use a powerful ability.

[@Rahnonymous]

If any of you have played a lot of RPGs and want something new and refreshing to try, then definitely give this one a go. There really isn't a single game I could think of that plays like CoM

[@blaa6]

The ReChain of Memories version of Scherzo Di Notte is FIRE! I feel like it's the basis for the versions in the HD 1FM and 2FM.

[@dragonsswarm1987]

Maybe everything is on cards because Nomine is associated with drawing and art? Cards often have drawn representations of people and things, so it could be Nomine physically inscribing memories, abilities, equipment, ect. on cards?

[@danieldorvil7683]

I'm probably one of the few who'd say that "Chain of Memories" is my favorite KH game, unironically.

[@ragnarok1310]

I tried playing the game but couldn't even get to the first dungeon, so I watched all the cutscenes both voiced and non-voiced, it felt like watching a mystery drama with the sheer amount of theorizing every few minutes, for me it's the most intriguing the story has been along with Days. I'm still going through the series but I also wonder about 3D's story too

[@RazzleTheRed1]

It's interesting to hear the perspective from someone who played the original version of CoM on release, sadly I never saw the trailers so I didn't know about it because information on games was a lot harder to come by back then. So I only ended up playing Re:CoM after already beating 2

[@pokeslob]

Man it’s really not often you find someone who not only also likes KH better than KH2, but recognizes why CoM was such a great story. OG KH will always be my favourite game, but I still hold that CoM had the best narrative in the series. Especially having grown up and losing two very close loved ones to dementia, I really appreciate how this game makes you think about memory. It’s brilliant! Also I think Re:CoM makes a lot more sense when you remember that it was initially bundled as an extra with KH2 Final Mix. I don’t think it was ever intended to be sold as a stand alone game, so the fact that it’s as polished as it is is pretty incredible.

[@brickdinero5468]

Dude I’m glad a started playing through these, and subscribed to you because you’re videos are not only hilarious but so factual it’s crazy to listen to by another grown ass man that loves these “childrens” games

[@blueshellincident]

I’ve been replaying The kingdom hearts series as of late and I actually just finished chain of memories gba. I played the game as a kid and playing it again reminded me just how much I love the game. I think the gameplay is super fun and extremely unique, no other game out there tries to even come close. The fourth Riku fight feels a little bit cheap in my opinion and it was pretty shitty but other than that I enjoyed the game wholeheartedly. To be honest a couple of level ups really made even that fight easier.

[@RegularPat]

Riku IV was absolute hell for me as a kid. I still remember the day that I beat it, I was ecstatic lol

[@kevintyson1947]

@@RegularPat same I remember as a kid being stuck on that fight for an ENTIRE YEAR then I realized the only way to win was to spam zeroes when he about to do his dark aura move...this game really made kids strategize lol

[@yojoehojo4291]

I started playing through Re:CoM recently again and I think at one point in the lower floors they contextualize, indirectly, the attack abilities and Worlds being cards by those being his drawn memories pulled out by Naminé and that he needs to literally look at them to remember how to do those attacks, spells, summons, and what those worlds were like because he literally can't focus his mind due to the "amnesiac fog" that he's had since stepping into the Castle. Like, you going through a world after raising the world card up is actually just Sora doing the mental acrobatics to truly remember the details of his time in that place which is why characters don't remember their lines or certain things are much more of a slow process than they genuinely were in KH1. This is also why it would be easy to place in new memories about Naminé and worlds he's never seen. I think while Naminé has general control over Sora's memory, I don't think it's as powerful as most people think. I think she can only "unweave" memories so they don't seem as tangible which would then make your mind foggy, kind of like a moment of personal disassociation but longer-term until she weaves them back together on her own time as she does in KH2 for Roxas (and for a little while with Xion in Days but thats because her presence was overpowering Roxas as you know). So, when the memories are foggy placing in a new element by simply having someone question if they knew someone or a place would be extremely easy. Basically, the overarching premise of CoM is about how relationships can be toxic and gaslighting. Which is extremely dark to think about, especially in the context of this happy go lucky series about how the relationships you have can make you stronger against the trials of your heart and how bad it can be to follow just logic. I'm like... the only person who puts this much thought into Kingdom Hearts besides you. I honestly should make a video about my thoughts at some point.

[@elementsofapigeon]

i find it very interesting to view a positive perspective to chain of memories, most people I see dont like it, and I personally do not enjoy it, so seeing the positives has been very eye opening, great video.

[@averageplayers5288]

I only played through GBA COM once and the feeling of pure wonder was only matched by the first game. This game toes the line between “fun friendly adventure” and “Watership Down death scenes” beautifuly.

[@tolkraft1883]

I'm enjoying reliving my childhood through a fellow man-child explaining it to me. Solid channel, nice hat.

[@ghosthand5552]

No matter how dark chain of memories is, the manga is darker. Especially when Marluxia crucifies Naminé.

[@skybluenerd219]

W h a t

[@ghosthand5552]

@@skybluenerd219 yeah the game itself is the darkest in the series but the manga is darker but that can be said for all the games in the series.

[@skybluenerd219]

@@ghosthand5552 I'm now morbidly curious

[@trulymrword]

@@skybluenerd219 If Remember correctly in the KH2 manga Sora went ham on Luxord and Saix after the former turning his friends into cards.

[@Keybladeanddisneyandmore]

I've enjoyed chain of memories a lot as a kid, even tought the cards combo were not easy to understand at the first try

[@SoraDonaldGoofy99]

I still don't have it mastered, but even my rudimentary understanding was enough to win, so I must be doing something right. I preferred playing with whatever the game gave me each playthrough, too. It made things either easier or harder depending on what I got. Loved that the most, and I did love the story the most. I still do.

[@lighteverbright1468]

Interesting video, I remember having it on release and it was so interesting, it really did add so much mystery and intrigue, I remember playing KH2 and realising how important playing Com was, though it w.always bothered me so much no one explained what happened to Sora, he killed like 2 people and doesn't even know

[@MarkOfAMaestro]

Re: Chain of Memories has actually grown on me quite a bit recently. At first, I tried the game as I went through the 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix on PS4 and the card-based battle system just did not click with me. Because of this, I dropped the game because I thought I knew the gist of the game’s narrative from various KZbin videos and went straight on to 358/2 Days and KHII. However, more recently as I began to play Melody of Memory I figured that I should probably finish playing Re: CoM so that the parts of MoM that focused on Re: CoM would resonate with me the way they were supposed to and in order to avoid potential spoilers. When I returned to my Re: CoM save file, the game’s battle system was still quite frustrating to me (especially regarding the Trickmaster boss). However, once I got the hang of the battle system, sleights, and got more engrossed in the game’s story and characters, the game got a lot more enjoyable for me. Because of this, I managed to play it pretty much every day that I could until I finished both story campaigns. Doing this, as you might expect, recontextualized characters like Riku and Namine for me, helping me to better appreciate those characters, their narrative arcs in the series, along with Riku’s dynamic and comradery with King Mickey in this and future games. Overall, Re: Chain of Memories really grew on me and now I consider it quite the “hidden gem” in the Kingdom Hearts series. If you haven’t gotten a chance to play/finish it, I would highly recommend doing so. Though the card battle system can be jarring at first, I found that it becomes much more enjoyable once you get the hang of it.

[@CaptainCJ97]

Another thing is underrated is namine's theme

[@Baka_Crazy]

I think you're right! I played with my brother the Kingdom Hearts games, when we were kids. We both were hyped about that game. I would never forget this moment, when I exactly (well I thought it, when the other games were not released yer) knew what happened to Sora when Kingdom Hearts II came out and I thought it confused many people who didn't play Chain of Memories. That was an epic moment... It really had a good frustrating plot. You can fully enjoy that game series when you're in the situation with the plot... *sniffes about the Ending of BBS and 358/2 days even if I rewatched these scenes countless times*

[@TheNja09]

Bro I love Re:Chain of Memories. It's so fun once you understand the card system. I've played through the game thrice now, and my biggest piece of advice: EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT! Don't immediately shrug off a sleight just because you prefer a different one; if you put in the effort to learn each sleight, you may come to love it! Also, each keyblade card has a different damage amount that what is listed in the "Deck" tab. Go to the Journal, then to Keyblades, and there you can find the information each keyblade carries, which also includes how much damage that keyblade does in a specific hit in a 3-hit combo.

[@annyske007]

My favorite non numbered kh game

[@aerrae5608]

I actually like the combat, especially mid to late game. Sora gets crazy strong and trivializes the heartless in ways KH1 Sora could only dream of. The boss fights were also some of the tensest story bosses of the series. I also appreciate Riku's story line cutting to the chase and eliminating deck building. While I did enjoy grinding and building the ideal deck for Sora's given encounter I appreciate that Riku's story hurries you along to the finish line.

[@JoFlo93]

One of my favorite storylines in the franchise! Your views of this game exactly echo mine! I have a fuzzy memory of whether I started CoM or KH1 first. Because I remember feeling like I was missing out on some info when I started CoM, but I think I started KH1 very soon after. So they’re kinda overlapped in my memory. But yes the organization is at its best in this game!

[@Boyaketeru]

I love how dark that game is honestly. It is so different from the other titles that it's like Wow this was a thing!