I suspect people were caught so off-guard back in the day by this title. The direct sequel to one of the biggest PS2 titles was a GameBoy Advanced exclusive meant to appease younger fans and those on the wait for another console entry. With all that in mind, Chain of Memories is a far more compelling game than it had any right to be. While it obviously doesn't reach the same level as its predecessor, the story is still solid, if convoluted, and introduced elements that would be mainstays for the franchise as a whole. It recycles some assets from the first game, such as nearly all audio, levels, and story beats. But, what the developers managed to squeeze into a GameBoy Advanced cartridge is still very impressive. What stands out the most is the pixel art, which I consider to be the very best the system was ever graced with.

Now, the combat is what truly divided fans. This time around, all the combat resources from the previous game all tied to specific cards and card combinations. Honestly, as someone who is not into card-based games whatsoever, I find the combat to be a lot of fun, and even very challenging at points. Chain of Memories tasks the player with a lot of decision-making that can either make or break the experience, which is a level of detail not often found in games from this platform.

As for the story, despite being aimed at younger audiences, this Kingdom Hearts game loses none of the first's heart and dark implications. Sora as a character is driven to say things I couldn't believe at the time. And the main setting adds this dark sense of foreboding that almost makes it feel ripped straight out of Castlevania. It all culminates in yet another bittersweet climax that sets up the stage for Kingdom Hearts II. Not to mention that this is the first time we got to play as Riku, a fan-favorite character that did not disappoint. While his mechanics are bit different from Sora's, in that his deck cannot be customized, this is made up with the ability to change into Dark Mode, another mechanic that would be greatly expanded on. Now, it can't be ignored that Riku's story is a bit more barebones than Sora's. But, this is once again made up with the fact that his character development here might be his most significant ever. It balances out and ties a neat little bow in the Chain of Memories experience.