Marketing forKingdom Hearts Melody of Memoryhas made it evident that Kairi will be the game’s main character, but it’s still a mystery as to how exactly she will fulfill the role. All ofMelody of Memory’s trailershave released already, and none of them show gameplay of Kairi — she only appears in the cutscenes.
In an interview with Famitsu,Kingdom Heartsseries director Tetsuya Nomura cleared up exactly how Kairi will tie into the game’s main storyline and rhythm-based gameplay. According to Nomura, Kairi will beMelody of Memory’s “storyteller,” and will narrate the events of each world the player visits.
RELATED:New Kingdom Hearts Project Aiming for 2022 Release
For context,Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memoryis more or less a recap game. It summarizes the events of theKingdom Heartsstory so far — up to the ending ofKingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind. The player relives the series’s events through its music, and Kairi will apparently assist in retelling these stories through narration.
This wasn’t Nomura’s original plan. Initially, he was going to haveKingdom Hearts Union Cross' Chirithytell the story, but in the end he felt the role fit Kairi better. To compensate for the change in narrators, Nomura had to flesh outMelody of Memory’s story, which is where the trailer-teased cutscenes come in.
Nomura also claims thatKingdom Hearts Melody of Memorywon’t have a secret movie likemost otherKingdom Heartstitles. Thus the Kairi-based cutscenes will likely trigger every time a player completes a world, and the cutscene that comes after beating the game may be a hint at the series' next installment.
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memoryreleases November 13 for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
MORE:Final Fantasy Versus 13 Had a Profound Impact on Kingdom Hearts, FF7 Remake, and More
