Music Stage

Music Stages (ステージ, Sutēji, lit. "Stage") are the main gameplay mode in Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory. In a Music Stage, the player presses buttons to the beat of the music to earn a high score.

Music Stage types

Field Battle

In Field Battles, the party runs down a musical staff, defeating enemies to the beat of the music. The team leader and party members use the same set of buttons to attack, with simultaneous enemies necessitating two or three simultaneous button presses. A set of arrows will indicate when the team leader needs to jump, whether to attack an enemy in the air or dodge an attack. Glide targets require holding the jump button to glide. Ability crystals also appear on the track, and activating them will unleash powerful abilities

If an enemy or target is hit in time, points will be added to the score. Special star targets will award extra points when hit. If an enemy is missed or an oncoming attack is not dodged quickly enough, the player will lose HP, and losing all HP ends the Field Battle. Some stages also have boxes and barrels, which will add to the score on a successful hit but will not penalize the player for a mistimed attack.

Certain enemies require multiple attacks to be defeated, with the number of attacks being displayed as a number above their timing guide. Sometimes, a successful hit will stun the enemy, determined by the party's strength; stunned multi-attack enemies will not damage the player if subsequent attacks are missed.

On certain stages, guest characters will temporarily join the party by replacing one of the side party members. While the guest character is present, some enemies will be replaced by friend orbs, which give bonus Rhythm Points for hitting on time. Using a Summoning Star will add King Mickey as a temporary fourth party member, replacing some enemies with royal targets, which likewise provide a Rhythm Point bonus.

Controls

• , , and : Attack
• : Activate ability crystals
• : Jump (hold to glide)
• : Move left and right while gliding

Memory Dive

In Memory Dives, the party glides down a music sheet as cutscenes from across the series play. Instead of defeating enemies, the player has to land on the correct notes, using , , and/or . For hold notes, the player needs to hold at least one of the buttons.

Boss Battle

Boss Battles pit the party against a boss. Gameplay is mostly identical to Memory Dives, though with the addition of ability crystals from Field Battles. During a Boss Battle, the track my sometimes enter a Dark Zone. When a Dark Zone is cleared, the boss will perform a powerful attack that the party will defend against or evade; the player's performance affects the party's defense against the attack.

Styles

Basic

The Basic style is the default, standard gameplay. All mechanics function normally.

One Button

One Button style is a significantly easier mode of play.

Notes:
- Horizontal movement and team members' attacks are automatic
- Scores recorded separately
- Many records unavailable

Performer

The Performer style is a more challenging mode that adds additional performer targets.

Notes:
- Additional performer targets ({{button|square}}, {{button|l2}}, {{button|r2}} (no penalty for missing, hit consecutively for performer combo)

Special modes

Co-Op mode

Co-op mode places two players against each other in a select few Field Battles. The first player plays as Sora while the second plays as Riku.

Mechanics

Scoring

In all stages, each note is worth a score that varies depending on timing; for higher scores, hit the note when the outer circle of the timing guide aligns with the inner circle: The score has four different ranks: "Miss" (which does not add any points), "Good", and either a gold or rainbow "Excellent".

Letters to be replaced with rank images

Rank		Score range
EN	JP
A+++	SSS	9000000 – 9999999
A++	SS	8500000 – 8999999
A+	S	8000000 – 8499999
A		7000000 – 7999999
B		6000000 – 6999999
C		5000000 – 5999999
D		4000000 – 4999999
E		2000000 – 3999999
F		0000000 – 1999999

Rewards

At the end of a Music Stage, Rhythm Points are awarded based on score and various other performance criteria. Music Stages will also drop several types of items upon a successful clear: Collector's Cards, consumable items, and synthesis materials. The number of materials earned can be increased by upgrading the Key Art Collector's Level bonus or equipping an Item Boost.

The Collector's Cards dropped by a given Music Stage are determined by the Collector's Card pack the stage belongs to. There are 37 different packs, each with a different set of Character, Enemy, and Keyblade Collector's Cards. There is also a random chance that a Treasure Chest will spawn at the end of a Music Stage, granting a random Key Art Collector's Card.

The five consumable items are dropped at a fixed rate that is the same for every Music Stage.

Nearly every Music Stage can drop three types of synthesis materials, but the advanced Crystal materials will only drop once they have been unlocked by reaching the appropriate Moogle Level. Each material type is associated with a specific group of stages based on the origin of the songs. The number of synthesis materials earned is also dependent on score, with higher scores awarding up to 12 extra materials.