Did Chain of Memories need to do this? (Fun discussion)

[vaderskywalker]

I know the GBA was kind of limited in what it could do, but couldn't it have done without the card system? I mean there were already a lot of 2d side scroller games that didn't have such a system, and Chain of Memories could have done without it too, don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for Chain of Memories story, but not so much the gameplay, and every time I go back to play it, it feels like a choir to get through, like hunting for the right cards for the doors, or reloading the cards in the deck, I just don't have any fun playing the game because of the card system, and I know that you need the world cards to go to the worlds, that's fine, just why couldn't it have just been a normal side scroller, I mean it's already pretty much a side scroller anyway, and switching from topdown view to, well side scrolling could have still been there, just without the card combat system, what are your thoughts?

 

[Face My Fears]

I loved the card system for the GBA version. I didn't like it for the PS2 version.

Like you said, having to find the right cards to open rooms was annoying. However, I think that was done intentionally. Back in the day, things like that were done to extend gameplay time of games since there was only so much that could be packed onto the cartridge. So it forced you to keep fighting random heartless until you got the right cards to open the doors instead of just flying through to the next room.

Anyway, I think for the GBA version (original) it was a perfect idea to use cards and even worked with the theme of the game (memories of the worlds in cards). For the PS2 version, it felt like they forced the gameplay from the GBA onto a console and it didn't really pay off. I actually do find the PS2 version to be a chore to play and I only did it so I could see the cutscenes voiced (back in the day). Now that I can just YouTube the scenes, I don't go through CoM unless a new KH game is coming out and I'm doing a series replay.

Side note: I loved the GBA sprites and how they were used in the cards, so yeah I really liked the GBA card aesthetics.

 

[MATGSY]

Obviously a top-down/isometric ARPG was totally possible on GBA as there were a number of those on the system. Hell Square had Sword of Man, which was a replace of a game originally on the B&W Game Boy! Clearly a KH in that style was completely feasible. Hell, I'll go ahead & even the theorical control scheme:

D-Pad: Move character
A: Jump
B: Attack (Why they had it the other way around I'll never know)
L: Shortcut Menu
R: Block/Roll
Start: Pause
Select: Scroll through Command Menu

Camera controls & lock-on aren't needed in a 2D game, & no active party members means the triangle command isn't needed either.

That said, I also think the game could've worked well as a Metroidvania. Castle Oblivion as a maze of halls, all themed after the worlds of KH1. Sora needing to aquire spells, abilities, & items to progress. Like in order to swim in the Atlantica wing of CO, he needs the mermaid transformation, but to get that he has to go to the Mermaid Lagoon in Neverland Wing, but doing that requires the carpet from Agrabah Wing so he can fly.

 

[vaderskywalker]

I loved the card system for the GBA version. I didn't like it for the PS2 version.

Like you said, having to find the right cards to open rooms was annoying. However, I think that was done intentionally. Back in the day, things like that were done to extend gameplay time of games since there was only so much that could be packed onto the cartridge. So it forced you to keep fighting random heartless until you got the right cards to open the doors instead of just flying through to the next room.

Anyway, I think for the GBA version (original) it was a perfect idea to use cards and even worked with the theme of the game (memories of the worlds in cards). For the PS2 version, it felt like they forced the gameplay from the GBA onto a console and it didn't really pay off. I actually do find the PS2 version to be a chore to play and I only did it so I could see the cutscenes voiced (back in the day). Now that I can just YouTube the scenes, I don't go through CoM unless a new KH game is coming out and I'm doing a series replay.

Side note: I loved the GBA sprites and how they were used in the cards, so yeah I really liked the GBA card aesthetics.

I agree somewhat, I liked the graphics too, reminded me of the old SNES which was probably intentional because their both Nintendo consoles, and I could pretend that re chain never happened because sora's voice ruined the remake for me, and maybe they could have still kept the scavenger hunt for the cards, but the combat itself was boring.

Obviously a top-down/isometric ARPG was totally possible on GBA as there were a number of those on the system. Hell Square had Sword of Man, which was a replace of a game originally on the B&W Game Boy! Clearly a KH in that style was completely feasible. Hell, I'll go ahead & even the theorical control scheme:

D-Pad: Move character
A: Jump
B: Attack (Why they had it the other way around I'll never know)
L: Shortcut Menu
R: Block/Roll
Start: Pause
Select: Scroll through Command Menu

Camera controls & lock-on aren't needed in a 2D game, & no active party members means the triangle command isn't needed either.

I agree wholeheartedly, and the reason A and B are switched compared to ps2 and Xbox is because Nintendo has always done this for their systems, A has always been the confirmation button (the attack button), and B has always been the back button (the special or jump button), it would feel weird if it was the other way around for Nintendo, and I didn't even think they could do the command menu, I just thought they could do a side scroller in the same vein as a beatem up, but keep at least two spells, one being cure (Gotta heal yourself somehow) and another being fire or thunder, assigned to L and R, combined with the Topdown view, similar to how it already played, but I like your idea better.