Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories Is Ridiculous

My review of Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories from the 1.5/2.5 ReMix Collection on PC from Epic Store, also available on Steam June 13, 2024
Music by me except for
The Force In You • Kingdom Hearts Re:Chai...
Lazy Afternoons • Kingdom Hearts Re: Cha...
Frontier Village, Dali • FINAL FANTASY IX OST -...
#kingdomhearts

[@Keykeeper02]

You will be very pleased with the days movie!!! Also there's a brand-new version of 358/2 days you can play on a ds emulator on your PC called "melon mix" if you decide to play the story. Also I'm anxiously waiting for you to make it to KH2. It's the best game ever made hands down

[@davidblainescharizard]

Oh nice! I didn't know about DS mods, that's really cool! I'll keep that in mind if i decide to play that one or just watch it

[@KHhero]

@@davidblainescharizard I've actually started playing through the 358/2 Days "Melon Mix" MelonDS emulator version recently and it's so sweet to finally be able to play the game on PC with upscaled graphics, single widescreen instead of dual screen (97% of the time ;), and actual modern camera/controls like the 1.5+2.5/2.8/3 games on a usb analog stick gamepad controller instead of Nintendo DS's ancient limited buttons... Best way to play Days 3582%! 😎🍦

[@Keykeeper02]

@@davidblainescharizard kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYOceGSimaudiacsi=-u426kGiKkuJmxYx heres a link to a video with links to the emulator. And how to install it.

[@wolfpackflt670]

KH2 will show you why the love for this series exist.

[@davidblainescharizard]

I'm already seeing it!

[@SunnySunblade]

Thanks for quenching my Kingdom Hearts youtube thirst since new gamefest announcements/updates were totally dry this week! 😿 August gonna be lit though thanks to Visions of Mana? 😻 At least there's the Complete KH Series Steam re-releases tomorrow~ 😽🎶 Hope more people check out your review too! 😸 Would adding "Kingdom Hearts" into the title help youtube's algorithm show it to more KH fans? 😺

[@davidblainescharizard]

Yeah I'm surprised SE is still so quiet about KH4, I was thinking after Rebirths release that'd be the next big title for em. Visions of Mana looks great though, I'm definitely picking that up! Also yeah you might be onto something there, I'll probably switch the title over later and see if that gives it a lil push

[@tikitravels]

7:01 Axel x Reno ...ok welp I swear I've been corrupted for life now lololmao...

[@davidblainescharizard]

Oops well hey at least I had safe search on!

[@AsmrRolePlayGirl]

A new Kingdom Hearts Letsplayer who actually played Chain of Memories rather than just reacting to KZbin Cutscene Movies? How refreshingly real for a change! 🍻 May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key! 💘

[@davidblainescharizard]

I won't let the darkness take me!

[@dxxb]

Great review David! Can't wait to see KH2!

[@davidblainescharizard]

Thanks dxxb! Excited to finally get to it!

[@CollectedG]

Im excited to see you play Kingdom Hearts 2. Easily the best game in the franchise.

[@davidblainescharizard]

Yooo yep that seems to be the general consensus. I'm looking forward to it!

[@KHhero]

Impressively thorough review of a new fan's honest 1st time experience in 2024 with sweet editing/effects especially mixing ReCoM with gba versions of the same scenes! ^_^ Very fair critique as well since majority of new KH fans these days or at least blindplay "reaction" streamers just youtube the ReCoM cutscenes rather than actually grinding the gameplay/bosses, so congrats/props getting the authentic KH experience! ;D Hopefully if CoM ever gets any "future" remake treatment, they'll consider redoing the combat like how FF7R's combat is fully reimagined/remodernized compared to og (not that there's anything wrong with 1997's ATB lol) XD I guess in 2004 it made more sense that the 2nd KH game ever "Chain of Memories" could be a bit more experimental in the gameplay by introducing radically different card combat rather than just trying KH1's standard action rpg battle system but in 2D gba. Then 2008's ReCoM team had many devs from gba returning, so I guess they wanted to stay faithful to the game/play they'd made already on gba but now in 3D on PS2? 🥲 Tho given how most KH games by now have stuck with the action rpg combat from KH1, KH2, and now KH3... That's why I say hopefully in case of any future ReCoM Remake possibility, they'll just straight up reimagine/remodernized the combat to be more like the rest of KH lol

[@davidblainescharizard]

Thanks for noticing that scene! I was thinking about just doing a side by side comparison shot but ended up with something much trippier. Do you think at some point we could see full remakes of KH 1, CoM, and 2? I could definitely see 1 getting a nice overhaul eventually. I'd actually like to see a touched up 2D chain of memories with some updated sprites, music, voice acting and any additions that the remake got but that feels highly unlikely as the best time for something like that would have been like... 3DS era

[@KHhero]

@@davidblainescharizard Yup! Perfect editing techniques to use for a "reunion" of CoM x ReCoM which ReMinded me of Nomura's creative directing the end scenes of Rebirth XD... KH1/KH2 Unreal Engine Remakes have been a topic here n there in "what if" KH youtube vid content for sure lol. Tho tbf im fine still with how kh1 plays, and kh2 doesnt feel clunky at all to me yet. Tbh I'd want new KH games more than remakes but if any KH games deserve rerelease they should do the games they only gave cutscene movies for in 1.5/2.5/2.8! 😤 Very unlikely Square would touchup 2D Chain of Memories again, but given how much of 2D touchup is possible with emulators/mods these days I wouldn't put it past the fan community to give it a go if enough demand exists like the fan mods that remade FF7 og as an HD remaster of sorts with fully voiced script or the new KH 358/2Days Melon Mix! 😁

[@TheTacosKey]

I suppose you could say this was a Simple and Clean review Joke said I do need to mention that good movement can actually be far more useful then a Zero sometimes

[@davidblainescharizard]

Trueee but there are a lot of moves that get you locked into a combo if you do get hit, where as just breaking the attack saves you a lot of grief!

[@twilightguardian]

You're welcome for holding your hand through the game lol My help is immortalized in a few seconds of footage where I'm trying to help you with Vexen 😺 It's a good summary of your thoughts and feelings on the game. Surprisingly enough I actually haven't played all that far into the GBA version of the game despite having the physical copy since well before the compilations came out. I guess I can chalk that up to not being as into KH back then as I became later on. But I'm very much looking forward to you playing KH2. It was my introduction to the series, and with how a certain element plays out at the beginning, I can tell you that I was right there with them in all the confusion and mystery and that really intrigued me. But I played KH2 when Re:CoM came out so it had been a while since KH2 was released and I spent a number of years on the internet seeing all these people talk about this game franchise and characters I knew nothing about so I was excited to meet Sora, Kairi and Riku! Really impatient. The meeting was bittersweet and I'll always love KH2 for giving me such a profound experience. But I still had no idea about the plot before then, and playing KH1 didn't actually help solve all the mysteries. Mysteries like "Why is it called Organization XIII but there are only like 6 members!" and how did Sora end up in the sleep chamber? Where did DIZ and Namine come from? It wasn't until playing CoM that I finally understood and the story became my favourite overall. I adore Namine so much.

[@davidblainescharizard]

I definitely would have struggled through this one a lot more without your pro tips! I bet you're not alone in starting with 2, I'm sure a lot of people jump into that one based on the games reputation alone. I agree Namine is so sweet and i really hope she gets to a happier place than where she's at at this game's end!

[@twilightguardian]

@@davidblainescharizard (╹ ◡ ╹) That’s all I’ll say about that lol But it was my introduction because my mom didn’t know 2 goes after 1 lol

[@KHhero]

@@twilightguardian Hey there's no blaming when it comes to knowing the number order of KH games ;) *Especially* after the video by Just a Pancake "How to count to 3"

[@davidblainescharizard]

@@KHhero lmao that video is so good 🤣

[@twilightguardian]

@@KHhero Poor KH gets picked on for something that happens so much with Japanese games! 🤣

[@Joe_334]

I am not sure about this version. Years ago, on the GBA version, I was able to cheese the few final bosses left in the game, trying to dodge a lot of their Sleights, so that they only have little cards to only attack(You know, they have elixirs in their decks to refill their raging wild sleights). Perhaps the power of No Pants got you through this one. I still haven't completed this one on the PS2.

[@davidblainescharizard]

Yeah I'm still not sure either. On one hand the story is solid but man some of those fights are just frustrating as hell to get through!

[@genkiian]

At least *title* won't trigger like: I Was Wrong About Kingdom Hearts RE CHAIN OF MEMORIES the Retrospective experience in a nutshell Re:Chain of Memories almost made me QUIT Kingdom Hearts! Everything Wrong With This Ridiculous Game! Should you play Chain of Memories on GBA, Re:CoM in 1.5, KZbin the cutscenes, or just skip to KH2? Why Chain of Memories will make you RAGE! Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Worth it on Steam in 2024? I was Wrong! The Problem with Chain of Memories - Is the worst Kingdom Hearts yet even a good game? Why it sucks Why my Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories Journey was worse than you think! A Disappointing Sequel? Chain of Memories has the most underrated story & music in Kingdom Hearts despite the trash gameplay So I tried Chain of Memories as a Final Fantasy fan. Would I recommend it to Kingdom Hearts newbies? or Can You Beat Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories with no pant? (in 24 minutes) might, enraging fans to swarm the comments with all their strong polarizing opinions like any of these ones could risk lol 😇

[@davidblainescharizard]

Hmmmm... if i rename this video later you'll know why, you've got some good ones in there

[@GeekyGami]

Something interesting When the games released initially, two of them were on PS2. KH1, KH2. People looked at COM, and thought "... GBA game of the franchise I like. It'll be like the GBA version of that GameCube Spongebob game won't it. Spinoff. Not worth playing." So, the large majority of players in that time played 1, then 2. Then Days came out on DS. So, people played that, and they were like "Holy shit, THAT's where he comes from!" So on so forth. So, Chain of Memories is in a weird position in this instance, where usually it gets played after Days because Days makes fans realize the spinoff games aren't actually spinoffs. Having played in the order of KH1, 2, Days, and RE:COM, COM is barely needed if at all. It's nice for a little bit of information, but its gameplay is the black sheep of the series. It's not very good, and it's very easy to cheese Sonic Blade even on the final boss. It's a real shame they turned Days into cutscenes, because the actual game does a lot to use the DS for doubled memories and things like that, and you end up missing a lot of context that is inherent from the game's initial design, which lessens its impact as cutsenes. COM should've been cutscenes, but not Days. Play Days in MelonDS with upscaling if you wish to actually play it.

[@KHhero]

Re:CoM released 2008 in America on PS2. Days released 2009. Anyone who skipped Chain of Memories before playing KH2 would naturally have questions about the "gap" since KH1 given how KH2 starts its prologue and could then play Re:CoM on PS2 *before* Days released 9 months after Re:CoM assuming they even owned a DS. Chain of Memories story *is* important for games after kh1! Only the card combat gameplay is unimportant as it's never used again after Re:CoM

[@GeekyGami]

@@KHhero You say that, but Days also happens before 2, at the same time as Chain of Memories. If you play it before Chain of Memories, you end up having questions as to what happened, that Chain of Memories then answers. It also acts as a prequel to KH2 as well, so y'know

[@MatheusHenrique-py1ki]

If I sucked this bad I would rant about this game too

[@AsmrRolePlayGirl]

He beat ReCoM AND Reverse Rebirth. How is that "sucking" lol... This game has the steepest learning curve for all new Kingdom Hearts players their first time too. 🥲