5 tips to master the music of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is finally available on PlayStation 4, bringing rhythm-action gameplay to the songs and stories of the beloved Kingdom Hearts series. While many of you have already been perfecting your skills via the available demo, we asked Producer Ichiro Hazama to share some of his best tips to help you master the music. Below are five ways you can better your beats!

Pick the perfect pace for you

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory features three play styles across three difficulties. If you’re new to rhythm-action games, or just want to enjoy the music, One Button mode on beginner is the setup for you. You can still use items and get help from team members as you unlock trickier songs, but you’ll be able to experience things at your own pace and learn the ropes of the game more easily. As you progress, of course, you’ll want to switch things up until you’re playing Performer mode on Proud difficulty, and really bringing the action to the rhythm.

Learn the difference between attacks and magic (and don’t forget to jump)

Just like in other Kingdom Hearts games, there are a number of ways to attack enemies in Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, and the key(blade) to getting those top scores is learning the enemy types and which attacks are used to defeat them. Looking ahead and preparing for your next attack, jump, or magic in anticipation will lead to better chains and higher scores.

Feel the Rhythm

Battles may look a bit like a classic Kingdom Hearts encounter—what with the familiar enemies and abilities up your sleeve to deal with them—but as your team runs along the tracks to the beat of the music, you’ll have to time your strikes to perfection. Keep an eye on targeting reticules that close in on your enemies. You’ll need to strike on the beat of the music as the shapes align to get that perfect hit. Your team will showcase spectacular moves, so don’t get distracted – keeping an eye on your targets will help perfect those scores!

Memorize your chains

The biggest scores are achieved by getting huge chains of attacks. You must consistently hit the enemies without taking damage to keep your chain going. It’s not only enemies that hinder your progress however, crates and barrels will also be an obstacle to your success. These can’t reduce your HP, but they will break your chain! Make sure you’re hitting them in time to keep your chain going and get those high scores.

Practice to perfection

Once you beat a track on the World Tour, you unlock it in Track Selection mode. Here you can choose your favourites songs and replay them with the same or different team! This is a great way to learn each track, hone your skills and build those chains – and then you can take them to VS mode and challenge the world in online multiplayer!