Visually, Chain of Memories has the same style as the PS2 game. After a successful jump from 2D to 3D, all of the Disney characters make an equally successful trip back. Characters aren’t as expressive as they can get considering the GBA’s limitations and manage to add some emotion to text box narrative. Each of the worlds fit their locales, whether it’s the rose gardens in Wonderland or spooky Halloween Town. Admittedly, worlds can look rather sparse and have a repetitive flow, but otherwise, they get the job done.
The aspect that will really get people talking is the use of CG cut-scenes during some story sequences. Most of the game’s story sequences take place using the game’s in-game graphics, but a few key elements are presented using cut-scenes that are rendered using the graphics from the PS2 game. The video quality is actually pretty good, but expect to see some blurring and graininess. Still, the movies are impressive, especially for a GBA game.
Audio is just as great as the visuals. Chain of Memories reuses many of the songs from Kingdom Hearts, only toned down for the GBA’s sound card. Even in their “diminished” form, the songs are still top notch and a lot of fun to listen to. A few voice effects are used, mostly in combat, and consist mainly of Sora yelling out the names of spells or the battle cries of summon spells.