Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories



"Adventure is in the cards."

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is the second game in the Kingdom Hearts series. It's a sequel to the original Kingdom Hearts and bridges the gap between that game and Kingdom Hearts II. The only game in the series on the Game Boy Advance, it follows Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy in their adventures in Castle Oblivion. Rather than the usual Action RPG style of combat, Chain of Memories uses a combination of action and "card battling". A deck of cards must be prepared before battle, and every action in battle requires a card. Cards can also be combined in "sleights" or special moves.

This game introduces Organization XIII, the main antagonists for both Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 358 Days Over 2. (Though they were also the protagonists for the latter. Wrap your head around that one.)

Chain of Memories was later remade as a Play Station 2 game (called Re:Chain of Memories) as part of the Japan-only release of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+. It was (much later) released as a standalone Play Station 2 game in North America. However, Europe and Australia never got it.

""As long as you're around, I'll never be anything other than a shadow!""
 * Another Side Another Story: Reverse/Rebirth.
 * Artificial Human: Vexen made one,
 * Ascended Extra: Jiminy Cricket has a significantly bigger role in this game compared to others, appearing in almost all scenes.
 * At the Crossroads: There's one in front of Castle Oblivion. This is where Riku Takes a Third Option regarding walking the path of light or the path of darkness.
 * Awesome but Impractical: Half played. Warp Break on Riku mode has a chance of randomly one-shotting trash mobs. However, it doesn't work on bosses for obvious reasons.
 * When you play as Riku, you actually get to use Dark Aura. You remember That One Attack move as possibly having screwed the heck out of you on Sora's story (not to mention KH, where it was one of the reasons Riku was That One Boss in that game). Unfortunately, when playing as Riku, it tends to fall into this category - it's unavailable for a large percentage of the game because to use it you need to A) be in Dark Mode, and B) stock three 9-cards (the rarest and strongest cards) together. And if you can pull it off on bosses, you'll have to get them in just the right spot for them to not dodge it or break it. Still, though, it's very useful for clearing out trash mobs.
 * Batman Gambit: The whole game is one of these for . While in the short-term, it worked perfectly... it didn't last.
 * Berserk Button: "No, I'M me." is all it takes to send over the edge.
 * Beta Test Baddie: The . So much so that he wanted to to have a sense of originality and self.


 * Big Bad: Marluxia
 * Bigger Bad:
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Bragging Rights Reward: Any cards you get during a new game  such as the Ultima Weapon and Ansem cards are these, because you've already beaten every challenge the game has to offer at that point.
 * Breather Level: The 100 Acre Wood once again.
 * The Chessmaster: Zexion.
 * Cloning Blues:.
 * And Vexen in the manga.
 * The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Sora's last 2 fights with Riku has him cheat. In order for you (playing as Riku) to use Dark Aura, you have to use three "9" cards. Riku  can use it with any values, so long as he uses 2 of "Card A" & 1 "Card B."
 * However, it's possible for you to cheat against Ansem in the original. Go into Dark Mode, activate Maleficent or Jafar, double jump, then attack. You hit Ansem multiple times, and you don't deplete Overdrive or Attack Bracer's counts, while still having the effects!

"Riku : "What can you possibly think I ever had? . But there is one memory I'll keep,. Whether it was a or not, I will protect Naminé!""
 * Dawson Casting: In the remake, Sora is supposed to be fourteen at this point like in the original Kingdom Hearts, yet the voice of Haley Joel Osment sounds nothing like a kid anymore. Averted in the original Game Boy Advance, however, because Sora's voice came from sound files reused from Kingdom Hearts.
 * Distressed Damsel: Naminé. Half of this distress is real, while half of it
 * The Dragon: Larxene to Marluxia, and Lexaeus to Zexion.
 * Dreamworks Face: Donald and Goofy sure look smug about something.
 * Dummied Out: Deep Jungle was almost featured in this game, but was more or less removed from the series (sans the first) because of copyright infringements with Edgar Rice Burroughs's estate.
 * Exploding Barrels: The Barrel Spider, a type of Heartless Chest Monster that likes to explode in your face during battle.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Even though it's part of their plan, the Organization members seem genuinely confused as to why Sora would strive so hard to protect Naminé even though  Justified, since they have no hearts and therefore have only a theoretical understanding of emotions.
 * Evil Versus Evil: Many of the Organization members are working against each other, even though they're all villains.
 * Fake Memories: A major plot element.
 * Forgotten Friend, New Foe: Naminé.
 * Fight Like a Card Player
 * Fire, Ice, Lightning: While you slowly obtain them, three of the six villains have an element each
 * Five-Bad Band: An odd example in which the Five-Bad Band is just as much antagonists to each other as they are to Sora and Riku. The basement dwellers (Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion) are actually in opposition to the others, with Vexen pretending to provide assistance to them.
 * Big Bad - Marluxia
 * The Dragon - Larxene
 * The Brute - Lexaeus
 * The Evil Genius - Vexen
 * The Dark Chick - Zexion
 * Sixth Ranger Traitor - Axel
 * Gambit Pileup
 * Glamour: Namine's power to insert herself as a trusted friend of Sora's.
 * Glamour Failure: The screen will flicker when.
 * Glass Cannon: Zero cards. They can break any card regardless of value, and against bosses can halt their sleights instantly stopping their attack and staggering them. However, zero cards in turn can be broken by a card of any value.
 * Gratuitous Italian: The titles of a few pieces on the soundtrack.
 * Hot-Blooded: Riku, arguably moreso than Riku in KH.
 * Interface Screw: In the Game Boy Advance version, Lexaeus knocks the screen down so you fall towards him - Don't ask how he doesn't destroy Castle Oblivion, considering he's doing this in the basement.
 * I Will Protect Her: Sora and Riku towards Naminé. Even when they both discover, they still resolve to protect her.

"Axel: "Remember the order: 'You must eliminate the traitor.' I always follow orders, Marluxia.""
 * Jerkass: Most of the villains, but particularly Larxene and Vexen. No wonder they get on each others' nerves...
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Let's Get Dangerous:

"Second Naminé: "No, Sora! Don't listen to me!""
 * Limited Special Collectors Ultimate Edition: Re:Chain of Memories. Which was, for once in this series, actually released in America. It wasn't in Europe.
 * Lip Lock: Hits the remake hard, leading to weird pacing or dialogue that doesn't match the lip movements, possibly owing to its use of pre-rendered video instead of in-engine cutscenes like previous games. The fact that the scenes are superficially identical to in-engine rendering just makes it grind even more.
 * Arguably applies to the GBA game's ending videos as well, although it's not as noticeable because they're not actually voiced.
 * Living Memory: The characters in the castle (other than Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jimminy, and the Organization members plus Naminé) are all memories of Sora's.
 * Lovable Traitor: Axel.
 * Mad Scientist: Vexen, the Chilly Academic.
 * Magic Misfire: There is a sleight where Donald screws up a Fire spell. He then runs around the screen while on fire.
 * Taken Up to Eleven in the manga when Donald (having being set on fire by Axel and driven over the edge), spams Blizzard multiple times until the whole room is an ice rink.
 * Mind Screw: The scene in Destiny Islands when Sora talks to the two Naminés. Just look at this beauty of a line:

"Axel: "Now, Sora! Naminé! Riku! Marluxia! Larxene! It's about time you gave me one hell of a show!""
 * Mr. Fanservice: The Organization members and Repliku. The manga even portrays Repliku as a Woobie in the epilogue, even if it's Played for Laughs.
 * Nintendo Hard: The GBA version, mostly.
 * Non Dubbed Grunts: The Organization in the GBA version.
 * Nostalgia Filter: Discussed in-universe. Dr. Finklestein is making a potion that will show someone their "True Memories." He comments how the heart, specifically, emotions, can distort memories.
 * Ominous Pipe Organ: "Struggle Away," "The Force in You," "Revenge of Chaos," "Castle Oblivion," "Forgotten Challenge," "Graceful Assassin," and "Scythe of Petals."
 * Petal Power: Marluxia.
 * Precision F-Strike : Axel gives a Disney-level one in the GBA version which fully cemented him as awesome in the eyes of the fans.

"Axel: "You give a challenge like that to Vexen, and he'll... seriously want to eliminate Sora." Marluxia: "That would be an unfortunate denouement.""
 * Psycho Electro: Larxene. One of the most out and out CRUEL people in the series. Even Maleficent comes across as more sympathetic in the next game, and she's the freaking "Mistress of all evil!"
 * Pun-Based Title: Reverse/Rebirth. Transliterated into Japanese, both words would be "ribāsu".
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Marluxia is probably supposed to sound elegant and sophisticated, but it really just sounds like he's throwing words together in the English dub of Re:CoM. Could be justified Trope by the Lip Lock effect.

"Vexen: "As if you have such a heart to speak of yourself!""
 * Vexen does this as well.

"Vexen: "If you remain bound by the chain of memories and refuse to believe what is truly found inside your heart, then throw it away." Marluxia: "Imebeciles! You would knowingly shackle your heart with a chain of memories born of lies?!""
 * Smug Snake: Vexen and Zexion.
 * The Starscream:
 * Throwing Your Sword Always Works: The four Raid sleights, where Sora throws the Keyblade... and it returns.
 * Title Drop: Several times.


 * Took a Level In Jerkass: As Sora's heart is manipulated by Namine, he definitely becomes more Jerkass compared to his original self.
 * Trading Card Lame: Sadly, this page used to have Collectible Card Game, but, after less than 2 years and 4 sets(in the US), it folded.
 * Trick Boss:
 * Unwitting Pawn: Sora spends thirteen floors walking straight into the Organization's trap.
 * Use Your Head: Using Goofy as a battering ram in a sleight exclusively for the PS2 version.
 * The Very Definitely Final Dungeon: Castle Oblivion's thirteenth floor. All the previous levels have been changed to appear as one of the worlds from Sora's memory. For the final level, all the illusions have been stripped away, and it is simply... Castle Oblivion.
 * Villainous Breakdown:.
 * Voice Grunting: The GBA version features this in battles only. The trope is applied more literally in the English version, where all voice clips containing actual words by newly introduced characters like the Organization were cut (seeing as they were in Japanese, which would jar badly with the English-speaking recurrers, of course) and only the grunts, laughs, etc. were left in.