Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a rhythm game coming to consoles later this year

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is the surprising new rhythm game set to release on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One later this year. Check out the trailer here.

The trailer and subsequent information has thus far only been released in Japanese, but we can glean quite a bit from the trailer and the official website. It looks like Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (or, as one GR+ writer pointed out: KH: MoM) will feature 140 songs and several fan favorite characters from the franchise. That includes Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, Hercules, Aladdin, and likely many more.

But what may be the most interesting take away from the trailer comes after the title sequence. At around 1:05 we hear the voice of a man, who is shown closing a character show only in first person view in some type of casket. That character is Kairi, who appears to be trapped on castle grounds teeming with Heartless. It certainly looks like Kairi will be a playable character in Melody of Memory - and that's a first.

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The trailer drop is certainly a surprise, as no one expected the first Kingdom Hearts title for Switch to be a melody game not unlike Beat Saber or Guitar Hero. Many were hoping for a Switch port for the franchise, but Melody of Memory is not something to complain about. The soundtrack from the Kingdom Hearts franchise is, quite simply, banger after banger, so it'll be fun to get a chance to rock along with it later in the year.

We'll update this piece accordingly with any new information as it is revealed.

Add it to the list. Here are the upcoming games of 2020 we just can't wait for.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.