Set straight after the first Kingdom Hearts, Chain Of Memories is a direct sequel. Despite the numbering, it’s vital for understanding Kingdom Hearts 2, making its 2004 release as a Game Boy Advance game an odd choice. But we’re here to talk about the Re:Chain version – a completely rebuilt, refurbished, and, yes, rechained PlayStation version that allowed it to sit next to the others as it always should have. It launched on PS2 in 2008 in the US, though we didn’t get it until 2013 on PS3 here.
There comes a point in a series when developers consider experimenting, perhaps by changing core mechanics. What’s strange about Kingdom Hearts is that this point came when the second game in the series was being developed. Chain is a standout entry for breaking the not-yet-established moulds and being an action RPG deckbuilder in a world where that was decidedly not a thing.
