Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory was featured in the surprise Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase Wednesday, giving players a more in-depth look at what they can expect from the rhythm game that will continue the story of Kingdom Hearts 3's Re:Mind DLC with a focus on Kairi. Fans of the action RPG franchise are no stranger to the odd spin-off title, and some are excited to revisit over 140 songs in a new way.
One such fan is Caleb Moore, a student from the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games & Animation who mocked up the concept for a limited-edition Melody of Memory Switch. Moore's design is simple, primarily black with gold lettering on the right Joy-Con to match the circular staff on its dock. The simplistic piece really stands out because it uses silhouetted versions of chibi Sora, Donald, and Goofy from the game's marketing underneath the Switch logo.
Though the Nintendo Direct Mini fostered a lot of attention online, with Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura trending on Twitter after the reveal that Melody of Memory has a Switch-exclusive game mode, it was not the impetus for Moore's upload. Their Switch design was posted to Twitter Monday, and they say it was actually designed in July before being forgotten about.
Other games like Survios' Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions and Sega's Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 were showcased during the Direct Mini, but the draw of a series like Kingdom Hearts is somewhat hard to eclipse. Even after Kingdom Hearts 3 provided what was meant to be a conclusion to the overall arc of the nearly 20-year series thus far, games like Melody of Memory and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road on mobile continue delving into its lore.
So many are attached to the blend of Final Fantasy and Disney characters found in the Kingdom Hearts series that there are plenty of fan-made projects to be found online beyond Moore's Switch concept. For example, a recent Dark Souls 3 mod lets players become Kairi wielding a Keyblade.
Creating limited-edition consoles is a prominent way for some to express their interest in a series, as huge studio releases often have this kind of specialty product made by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. Graphic artist XboxPope has made a name for himself on social media designing next-generation console mock-ups for various games, with one recent endeavor being a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-themed Xbox Series X.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory launches November 13 for PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Sources: Melody of Memory, Gnomon