Universe of Kingdom Hearts: Difference between revisions
| Line 208: | Line 208: | ||
In an upcoming Kingdom Hearts game, Tron returned as a summonable Character, but Space Paranoids |
In an upcoming Kingdom Hearts game, Tron returned as a summonable Character, but Space Paranoids |
||
itself is not |
itself is not playable. |
||
== End of the World == |
== End of the World == |
||
Revision as of 16:21, 2 June 2006
Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series features a large world map with numerous worlds to explore over the course of play. These worlds are visited by using a gummi ship save the 100 Acre Wood, Castle Oblivion, Timeless River and Space Paranoids. The sequel of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II introduces more worlds to the player, some taken from live action Disney movies. The following is a list of major locations visited by the player while playing the game.
Some of the information here was found on Kingdom Hearts Ultimania
Destiny Islands
Destiny Islands is an island chain where Sora, Riku, Kairi, and their friends Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie grew up. It is an archipelago that consists of several land masses, the smallest of which being the island where the children used to play. Close enough to the main islands to be reached by small boats, this was an idyllic haven for Sora and his friends to get away from adults and enjoy the island sunshine. It is also the location of the keyhole of the island, which Riku discovered as a small boy and Sora later encountered when the Heartless attacked their world. A key feature of the Island is also the paopu tree, whose fruit of the same name is said to bind together the destinies of any two people who share one. The legend is long-standing among the island people.
The main island houses a school where the teenagers and the younger children are given an education, but it is comparatively simple when one takes into account the vast libraries and knowledge possessed on other worlds. Riku, Sora, and Kairi were the first people in the known history of the Islands ever to leave the sandy beaches. Indeed they are the first people that had even considered leaving the peace of the island chain, but they are not the last.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Sora and Riku finally return to their homeland after restoring peace to all worlds. The Destiny islands are playable for a short period of time at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts and are not playable in Kingdom Hearts II.
Disney Castle
Disney Castle is the home to Mickey Mouse, Donald, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Daisy Duck, Pluto and Chip & Dale. Although it was featured in the original installment, it was not a playable world. Disney Castle is a peaceful kingdom ruled by King Mickey, a wise and kind ruler, and his queen, Minnie Mouse. Many different people reside in this realm, but all are kept happy and safe by the benevolent monarchy. Unfortunately for the kingdom, Mickey has been absent for more than a year, having left without warning at the outset of the first wave of the Heartless war. Life continues, however, under the guidance of Queen Minnie and her lady Daisy Duck, who watch over the land in the king's absence.
Also present along this journey, are Chip & Dale, who are the gummi ship technicians in the castle.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Queen Minnie uses her power to summon Donald and Goofy back with Sora, meeting him for the first time. Minnie, then asks Sora to lead her to the throne room while Donald and Goofy check on the other occupants, past the Heartless that have invaded her castle. It was here that Minnie led Sora to the chamber of the Cornerstone of Light which served to protect the world from the darkness. However, gigantic thorns had cover the room's walls around the same time as the light on the Corner Stone weaken and the Heartless began to appear. It was soon revealed that Maleficent is having the Cornerstone removed so she can take control of the castle.
The Disney Castle is only playable in Kingdom Hearts II
Timeless River
Based on Steamboat Willie and other early Disney cartoons of that era, The Timeless River is the "Past" of Disney Castle, shortly before it was built. This world is accessed via the door Merlin created in the Hall of the Corner Stone chamber.
In this grayscale world, Sora's character model has been simplified (making him look more like a 1960s' Osamu Tezuka-style character) while Goofy and Donald Duck reverted to the designs they had when they first appeared in Disney cartoons. Sora also has the original clothes from Kingdom Hearts 1. A grayscale Pete was also present, attempting to remove the unguarded Cornerstone for its resting place for Maleficent. Also there are "Past-Pete" (who Sora and company attacked in their first encounter, but who later fights alongside them against his future self) and "Past-Mickey", who's more reminiscent of the "real-life" Mickey rather than the Kingdom Hearts Mickey. Characters like Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow and Clara Cluck are also seen in this world.
Traverse Town
Traverse Town is a world in the Kingdom Hearts universe. This world is shrouded in perpetual nighttime, and its architecture bears resemblance to a typical early 19th century European city. In this sense, it is similar to Fantasyland at Disneyland. A world between light and darkness, Traverse Town was created from fragments of the worlds destroyed by the Heartless.It served as a home for people who had barely escaped the destruction of their own worlds and unknowingly drifted through the Dark Corridor, a pathway between worlds that many beings like the Heartless use.
Wonderland
Wonderland is a strange and often confusing world where the inhabitants speak in riddles and the very scenery is mutable. Filled with odd creatures, talking plants, and walking cards and unhindered by the laws of physics and perspective, it can be off-putting for those who can't navigate its quirks. Wonderland is ruled by the despotic Queen of Hearts.
Wonderland starts of with Alice being prosecuted for an attempt at stealing the heart of the Queen. When Sora and company arrive, they volunteer on retrieving the real thief of the theft. With the help of the Cheshire Cat, the thief is found but the Queen refuses to believe them and sends her guards to attack them. After defeating the queen's guards, they go to rescue Alice who has already been kidnapped by Maleficent.
Wonderland's keyhole was locked by Sora during his first repulsion of the Heartless. Though still subject to attack, the world's heart is no longer in danger of destruction.
Other inhabitants of the world included; The White Rabbit, The Doorknob, The Card Guards and The Trickmaster, a heartless that attacked the world.
Wonderland is not playable in Kingdom Hearts II.
Olympus Coliseum
In Kingdom Hearts, Olympus Coliseum was the training grounds on which Sora could become stronger by participating in competitions and fights against powerful optional bosses. In Kingdom Hearts II, the world returns and the group must journey to the Underworld.
In Kingdom Hearts, Olympus is basically a place where tournaments are held. Battles with famous Final Fantasy characters like Sephiroth can be fought here. When Sora and company first arrive here, they work hard to earn the title of 'JUNIOR HERO' by Phil. They also battle one of Hades' minions, Cerberus. These tournaments are named for various characters: Phil Cup, Pegasus Cup, Hercules Cup, and later the original Hades Cup.
In Kingdom Hearts II, upon arriving in the world, Sora & Co. are greeted by Megara who is being attacked by some Heartless. In the Underworld, Hades is again trying to get rid of Hercules. He decides to summon Auron, in order to help him defeat Hercules. Displeasing Hades, Auron refuses to help destroy Hercules, so Hades decides to try and kill Auron. At this moment Sora & Co. arrive, noticing the events that are taking place.
After disputing who will defeat Hades, they realise that in their current location, they don't have a chance. Because of this, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Auron start running from Hades, but he catches up to them and goes into his berserk mode, in addition to summoning heartless and throwing huge fireballs. The group have to defeat the amount of heartless in one spot before a barrier breaks down, then they move onto another spot, while repeating the same process.
But even when reaching the exit of the area, things go no better, as Hades decides to summon Cerberus. With Donald & Goofy safely in the nearby Keyhole, Sora & Auron decide to battle Cerberus. Still, Hades succeeds in destroying the once mighty coliseum leaving in rubble with the help of the Hydra which Hercules is unable to defeat. Continuing on, Sora & Co. later have to protect Megara from Pete, in addition to facing off for the first time against Demyx, a member of the Organization XIII. After seeing the Coliseum in ruins and blaming himself, Herc loses faith in his reputation as a hero.
After defeating a Heartless army in Hollow Bastion, Sora and co. return to find that Hercules has come down to the Underworld to face Hades down. Hades then proposes his 'Hades Cup' tournament, which takes place in the Underdrome, a giant and savage Underworld counterpart to the noble Olympus Coliseum. Sora and co. fight their way to the final match, which is against Auron, whom Hades is manipulating by using a magical statue. Sora recovers it, and returns Auron's essence-contained within-to him just in time to save Hercules from dying in their one-on-one battle. Auron and Hercules then team up with Sora to fight Hades, after Herc regains his confidence by saving Megara. Hades is then knocked into the river Styx. Sora and co. then plead with Phil to appoint them heroes, but he claims that it is not his call, but that he would do so if he could. The unseen gods of Olympus then reward Sora and co. by creating a constellation of them.
In Kingdom Hearts II, the Underdrome serves as the new location of tournaments. These tournaments include Pain and Panic, Cerberus, Titan, and Goddess of Fate Cups. The Hades Paradox Cups are later accessed by completing a variety of level and skill based challenges elsewhere, and are accessed by speaking to Hades in his private quarters on the far end of the Valley of the Dead.
Deep Jungle
The heart of the sweltering jungle is the core of this world, filled with lush flora and curious fauna. The primary inhabitants of this world are gorillas, who live in secretive corners of the jungle and resist intrusion. The jungle also plays home to leopards, hippos, and many other jungle creatures, including the Heartless' mimicry of the local animals. Travelling in this world is done by climbing up trees and jumping onto vines. Deep Jungle's keyhole was locked by Sora during his first repulsion of the Heartless.
This is a slightly longer world than the first, and includes Tarzan, as the first character that can be added to your party; Jane; Clayton and several gorillas. The story here starts with Jane persuading Tarzan to take them to the gorillas so that she can make a documentary out of them. Clayton on the other hand, wants to meet them to hunt them down. The party finally come to a final showdown with Clayton where he is defeated.
Kerchak, after the defeat of Clayton, allows Sora and party to be lead by Tarzan to their home to seal the keyhole in the Deep Jungle.
Deep Jungle is not playable in Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
Hundred Acre Wood
The Hundred Acre Wood was an optional world in the series that includes several mini-games which are unlocked by "Torn Pages" found in other worlds.
In Kingdom Hearts, the player is introduced to a book which Cid asks you to deliver to Merlin. Merlin tells Sora that the book is missing many pages and that he can help by finding them across many worlds. By finding more "Torn Pages", the player will earn many valuable items and magic. This world is optional but upon completion, it allows the player to view the secret movie, Deep Dive.
In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Sora must visit this world between the seventh to tenth floors of Castle Oblivion. In it, Pooh is looking for his friends, and Sora helps him. Meeting with various friends and completing various tasks (such as bringing Pooh to Piglet, or jumping across some stumps to attract Tigger's attention) allows Sora to gain cards and sleights, although he does not have to meet with any of them to progress. Sora gains the Bambi summon card for completing this world, and can go back to help Pooh any time.
In Kingdom Hearts II, when Sora visits Hollow Bastion, the Heartless steal the book and once again steal all the pages in the book. Sora has to find these torn pages once again. The Hundred Acre Wood returns in Kingdom Hearts II with more side missions but serves the same purpose. Also, when completed, it allows the player to view the "Secret Ending".
While again not completely essential to finish the game, its completion is crucial, as it contains several of the maps and treasures, as well as characters and link, needed to finish Jimminy's Journal. It also contains the fourth Orichalcum+, the rarest and by far the most powerful synthesis item, used to forge the Ultima Weapon, and gives you the final Cure element making it Curaga.
Agrabah
Agrabah is a desert city ruled by a sultan, a city of mystery and enchantment. It is situated in the middle of a vast sea of sand which also contains the legendary Cave of Wonders. Legend holds that those who are worthy of entrance to the Cave will find untold treasures within.
In Kingdom Hearts, Sora and company arrive in Agrabah to find Jasmine hiding from the evil vizier of Agrabah, Jafar. They try to stall Jafar in order for Jasmine to run. Their efforts fail and eventually, Jasmine and Genie are kidnapped by Jafar.
With the help of Aladdin, they travel to the Cave of Wonders where Jafar uses Genie's powers against Sora, Aladdin and company. He also uses genie's power to make himself into an all powerful genie but forgot the fate that befell every genie -- they are all trapped in lamps until beckoned by someone. Using this to his advantage, Sora traps Jafar in his lamp and disposes of it. Later, the optional Heartless boss Kurt Zisa appears in the desert.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Iago, who was once Jafar's sidekick, became good and beckoned for Sora and company to put in a good word for him so that Jasmine and Aladdin would forgive him for his past alliance with Jafar. Also, Pete is trying to release Jafar from his lamp, causing the whole group to try their best to prevent this. This leads the group to the Cave of Wonders. During their time in the cave, Abu steals a giant ruby, which served as the special item for Sora to unlock the path to the next world. After the defeat of the two Heartless generals that Pete summons (Blizzard Lord and Volcano lord, an element-wielding duo), Genie is unlocked as a Summon.
Eventually, Sora returns to Agrabah, to learn that a greedy Peddler has stolen the Lamp of Jafar, and has used it to grow wealthy. Iago, acting under orders from his revitalized master, leads Sora and Co. away from the city, while Jafar tries to level the palace. Sora learns the truth, so he decides to face off against him in a mid-air battle atop the flying carpet. Upon victory, Genie rebuilds the annihilated town and Sora and Co. move on to Pride Rock.
Monstro
In the belly of the huge whale Monstro lies a world of luminescent acid and blubber, peppered with the wrecks of ships that the leviathan has swallowed. It was here that the clockmaker Gepetto found himself while searching for his "son," the puppet Pinocchio. Monstro is a hazard to interworld travelers; he swims through space as if it was water, attacking and swallowing any ships that pass his way.
Monstro is the last remnant of the world Gepetto and Pinnocchio came from, a world that was among the first victims of the Heartless. The whale escaped into outer space when it was destroyed, and the status of the world itself is not known. When Sora restored the first worlds to fall with his closure of the door to Kingdom Hearts, Pinocchio and Gepetto found themselves at Disney Castle rather than their home. It is presumed unrecoverable.
In Kingdom Hearts, Sora, Donald and Goofy are swallowed by the huge whale while travelling in their gummi ship. Inside, they meet Pinnochio and Gepetto who have been inside the whale for quite a while. Jiminy Cricket, who was with Sora at the time, was also reunited with Pinnochio. All of a sudden, Pinnochio disappears. Sora and friends volunteer to search for him and finally find him with Riku, who gets Pinnochio captured by a Heartless, the Parasite Cage, which nearly kills Pinnochio. The party confronts Riku, who kidnaps him. He escapes, and leaves the party to fight the Parasite Cage again. Pinnochio is then finally reunited with Gepetto. They later settle in Traverse Town, where they buy a home and make it their permanent residence.
Monstro is not playable in Kingdom Hearts II.
Atlantica
Atlantica is an underwater kingdom ruled by King Triton. Its inhabitants are mermaids and sea creatures, all living out their lives beneath the waves. Most of them have never seen the world above the ocean, much less the other worlds the Heartless threaten. In Kingdom Hearts II, Alantica becomes a world based on music and button coordination. Due to this, Atlantica becomes a much smaller world in Kingdom Hearts II.
In Kingdom Hearts, Ursula manages to fool Ariel into giving her Triton's trident. She then uses the trident to cause havoc in the seas. Sora and company confront Ursula, who now has full control over the trident, and try reclaim the it. They manage to defeat Ursula and rid themselves of Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula's two eel comrades. Ursula retreats, but the group follows her into a large, open area of water. Ursula then shouts out at the group, "You pathetic fools! I rule the seas now! The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!" With this declaration, she uses her powers to grow into an enormous version of herself and proceeds to battle the group. Despite her onslaught of powers, the group defeats Ursula and retrieves the trident. King Triton then reveals the keyhole to Sora for him to seal.
In Kingdom Hearts II, Ariel falls in love with a human named Prince Eric. She dreams of marrying him and becoming human. Ursula, taking this to her advantage, fools Ariel and steals her voice and pretends to be her, stealing Eric's feelings for Ariel. Sora and company confront Ursula in a final battle and ultimately defeat her. Ariel and Eric are reunited in the end and proceed to marry each other.
It is worth noting that in Kingdom Hearts II, this is the only world that has no movement-based combat. Even the 100 Acre Wood had bees to fight, but in this world, Sora is reduced to interactive cutscenes.
Halloween Town
Halloween Town's existence is centered around the holiday by the same name. Its inhabitants, under the guidance of Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King, create Halloween each year for those who celebrate it. It is a spooky town, the embodiment of a cliche that manages to take fear to the level of an art form. There is also a secret portal in the woods of Halloween Town leading to Christmas Town.
In Kingdom Hearts, the party is introduced to Jack Skellington who has just come to know about the Heartless. Though Sora warns him that the Heartless are evil beings, Jack ignores them saying they would be great for the Halloween festival. To attract more Heartless, he visits Doctor Finklestein to make a heart. Oogie Boogie comes to know about Jack's plans and with the help of his sidekicks, Lock, Shock and Barrel, he steals the heart from them. The Heartless have now started to harm the locals.
Sora, Jack and company confront Oogie who plans on swallowing the heart to make an army of heartless come by his side. The heart experiment was actually a failure and Oogie, realizing this, attacks the party. The party defeats Oogie Boogie in a final battle and seal the keyhole in Halloween Town.
In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, a false version of Halloween Town is constructed from Sora's memories. The story is basically the same, except that it is not a heart, but a memory potion that is developed and stolen. Plus, Sora only has to fight Oogie once.
In Kingdom Hearts II, The Pumpkin King, Jack is now growing tired of the same old Halloween routine and with the help of Zero, discovers a portal in the forest to a place called Christmas Town. Jack becomes so fascinated with what he sees taking place in this town that he decides himself to throw Christmas. Later, Sora & Co. arrive and aid in Jack's quest to have Christmas, although unlike the movie, the group's approach to talking to Santa is less "invasive" as we see them visit Christmas Town and converse with Santa.
But Jack's former nemesis, Oogie Boogie is back with the help of Maleficent. The group encounters Oogie Boogie, who has kidnapped Santa Claus, and empty his bugs. Thus defeating him once again. However, the troubles do not end, as Dr. Finklestein is conducting an experiment with Lock, Shock, and Barrel as assistants. Sora and co. return and find Jack surrounded by fallen Christmas presents, which they help him return to town. However, Jack is then suspected of having stolen them. Determined to clear his name, Jack sets out to find the real culprit. It is revealed through a clever deception of Sora's that the culprit is a powerful robot, created by Doctor Finklestein. The monster, lacking a heart, attempts to make one out of the ruined presents.
Neverland
The haven for lost boys who don't want to grow up, Neverland will preserve the youth of any children who happen upon it. An island populated by Indians and harried by pirates, it was a fantastic dream for any young boy, until the Heartless appeared. Though saved from destruction by Sora's strength, Neverland is still harried by Heartless, who serve as a constant reminder of the adult world outside its borders.
In Kingdom Hearts, Sora arrives at Neverland and meets Peter Pan who is searching for his friend, Wendy in Captain Hook's ship. Hook has mistakenly kidnapped Wendy thinking she was one of the Princesses of Heart. Also present on his ship is Kairi, who has lost her heart, and Riku. After Peter finds Wendy, he leaves Sora and company in the ship all by themselves. They are caught by Riku and made to walk the plank by Hook. Unbeknownst to Hook, Peter was actually hiding behind his ship, saving Sora and company from the crocodile which lives under the sea. They battle Hook who is finally thrown into sea, chased by the crocodile. Afterwards, Sora and co. go to the London Clock Tower, where they seal the Keyhole and gain Tinkerbell as a Summonable ally. There is also an optional boss battle against the Phantom Heartless later on.
Because Hook was never actually defeated, it is presumed he is still alive in Neverland. However, he is no longer a threat to the characters, and he may have been devoured by the crocodile. In Kingdom Hearts II Peter Pan and Tinkerbell return as Summonable characters, but Neverland itself is not playable.
Hollow Bastion/The Radiant Garden
The Radiant Garden was once a peaceful kingdom ruled by Ansem the Wise, a good king who dwelled in the castle Hollow Bastion, and populated by happy people. He was concerned with the spread of darkness in the worlds, and with his six apprentices (all now Organization XIII members) experimented on the depths of the human heart. Xehanort, his top apprentice from parts unknown, volunteered himself to be a test subject for these experiments. Unbeknownst to Ansem, his six apprentices gathered a great amount of test subjects and began dangerous experiments into the darkness of the heart. While Ansem ordered them to stop their experiments, Xehanort's experiments accidentally created the beings who he called 'Heartless' when he and the apprentices destroyed the hearts of their test subjects. Xehanort, behind his mentor's back, began creating artificial Heartless (known as "Emblems") in the basement beneath Hollow Bastion. Through further study, he uncovered the Keyhole of the Radiant Garden and discovered that behind it lay the world's heart.
On the night that Xehanort glimpsed the heart of this world, he also observed a meteor shower, the products of which were foreign like himself. He quickly concluded that travel between worlds must be possible, but did not know how to accomplish it. On the same night, Ansem was visited by King Mickey. On Mickey's advice, he decided to re-examine the data from the underground laboratory. He discovered many "Ansem Reports" that carried his name, written by his apprentice, but he had only written the one entitled Ansem Report 0. Ansem quickly learned that Xehnanort deduced that the goal of the Heartless was to find and consume the hearts of all worlds, just as they sought to consume the hearts of living beings.
Ansem's other disciples, Even (now Vexen), Ienzo (now Zexion), Braig (now Xigbar), Dilan (now Xaldin), and Elaeus (now Lexaeus) have ceased to be human, becoming Nobodies. Xehanort later exiled Ansem to the world of nothingness and took his name and place in Hollow Bastion. There, Ansem took the name DiZ and became obsessed with revenge. Xehanort was obsessed with his newfound knowledge of darkness, hearts, other worlds, and the Keyblade. He cast off his body and disappeared to search for answers, plunging himself into the darkness without reservation and creating his own Nobody, Xemnas, in the process.
Hollow Bastion is also the home of several beloved Final Fantasy characters, such as Squall Leonhart (Leon), Cid Highwind, Aerith Gainsborough, Yuffie Kisaragi, Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife.
In Kingdom Hearts, Maleficent took control over the decayed remains of Hollow Bastion to serve as her base of operations. When Sora and company arrived to find Kairi, they encountered Riku who claims the Keyblade from him. Due to King Mickey's orders to follow the Keyblade bearer, Donald and Goofy unwillingly abandon Sora and follow Riku. Sora makes his way through the castle with the help of Beast, whose strong heart withstood his world's destruction and led him to this world. There, Donald and Goofy rejoin with Sora and battle Riku. Due to the strength of Sora's heart, the Keyblade comes back to him permanently. At the time, Maleficent was gathering the seven Princesses of Heart to open the keyhole to the heart of the world. Sora and company finally encounter Maleficent in battle and defeat her but with the help of Xehanort who has returned to the castle to witness the opening of the keyhole, she becomes a huge dragon which the party defeats. Riku has now been possessed by Xehanort, who still referenced himself as "Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness" at that time, and Sora had to battle a very powerful Riku without his companions. After this battle, Xehanort reveals to Sora that Kairi's heart remained sealed in his. As Destiny Islands was ripped apart, her heart left her body and used his as a vessel. To unlock Kairi's heart, Sora used the Keyblade that Riku possessed on himself. In doing so, Kairi's heart was freed, but his own heart was lost in the process, and he became a Heartless with Naminé born as a result. Because of Kairi, Sora regained his human body and because of this, [Roxas]], the Nobody of Sora, was born without memories of his former self due to Sora's short period of time as a Heartless. Now that the keyhole was completed, Sora and company ventured inside, sealing the keyhole once and for all.
Hollow Bastion plays the biggest role in Kingdom Hearts II, in a similar fashion to that of Traverse Town back in the original game. This time around in the world, Squall, Cid, Yuffie, Merlin, Aerith and others are attempting to rebuild the town. When Sora & Co. arrive, they are asked by Cid to help in the redevelopment.
However, later on in the game the world will come under attack by Organization XIII, which results in possibly the most dramatic and some of the best scenes in the game. During this battle we'll witness fights between Cloud & Sephiroth in addition to Sora & Co. facing off against thousands of Heartless as well as encounters with Maleficent and Organization XIII member No. 7, Saix, and No. 1, Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort. Tifa, Cloud, Squall, Aerith, Stitch, and King Mickey also fight alongside Sora in the war scenes against the Heartless. This world also plays host to the destruction of Organization member No. 9, Demyx.
Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts II also contains the entrances to two other worlds: Space Paranoids and the Hundred Acre Wood. Space Paranoids is accessed through the use of Ansem the Wise's computer, which the gang accesses hoping to find information on the Heartless and various other subjects.
Space Paranoids
Space Paranoids is a world inspired by the 1982 live-action science fiction cult film, Tron. Sora & Co. get immersed into a computer world to find clues regarding the past of Hollow Bastion and a caption they found behind Xehanort's portrait in Ansem's study saying Door To Darkness a.k.a. D.T.D, fighting alongside Tron to defeat the evil MCP and its equally villainous commander, Sark. There is also a Light Cycle mini-game which strongly deviates from the original game. The term Space Paranoids comes from one of the games Kevin Flynn created in Tron.
When they first enter the world, Sora and co. are arrested by Sark. They find themselves inside a Pit Cell, where they meet Tron. He then aids them in escaping, asking that they find the password to the Dataspace so that he can reboot himself and challenge the MCP. They succeed, and Tron changes the password from the names of the Princesses of Heart to SoraDonaldGoofy, as a thank you to his new friends. They also battle the Hostile Program.
Later on, the MCP uses Heartless creation machines to send virtual Heartless into the real world. Attacking Hollow Bastion with its own defense systems, the MCP also forces Tron onto the game grid. After Sora and co. rescue him, they head to the I/O Tower to pick up a special Eradicator developed by Cid Highwind and Merlin. They then use the solar sailer to travel to the MCP's mainframe, where they battle Sark. Following this, the MCP appears and enhances Sark, making him larger. The gang then uses the Eradicator, de-rezzing both the MCP and Sark. Tron bids goodbye to his User friends, sending a thank you to the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. He then digs up an image of Hollow Bastion as it first was: the paradise of Radiant Garden.
Space Paranoids is only playable in Kingdom Hearts II.
In an upcoming Kingdom Hearts game, Tron returned as a summonable Character, but Space Paranoids itself is not playable.
End of the World
End of the World is the final world in Kingdom Hearts. This world is made out of all the worlds that lost their hearts to the Heartless. It is also the home of Chernabog, the huge winged demon from the Fantasia segment: "Night on Bald Mountain."
Sora and company try to stop Xehanort who is proceeding to find Kingdom Hearts while collecting all the worlds' hearts to call forth the source of all darkness in order to obtain the knowledge he had sought. Sora, Donald, and Goofy confront him while he had the opportunity to achieve his ultimate goal at the remains of what used to be the Destiny Islands, Xehanort's Heartless fights the trio along with his partner in battle, Gate Guardian. Defeated, he opens a giant hole in the island and confronts Sora alone before bonding onto the World of Chaos, a living Heartless ship, and revealing the door to Kingdom Hearts. Despite his efforts, World of Chaos is defeated and he barely escapes alive. He succeeded in forcing Kingdom Hearts to open. But from it comes a blinding light that envelops and destroys him; in an ironic twist, Xehanort's Heartless vanished, questioning why there was light in the darkness.
The World Terminus is also located here, which serves as a passage for the Heartless to other worlds.
Castle Oblivion
Castle Oblivion is only playable in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The castle is thirteen floors high and twelve basements deep. The lord of the castle is Marluxia, a newer member of Organization XIII. Since Marluxia manipulates and attacks with flowers, particularly the rose, the entire castle is decorated with them.
Sora's Story
As Sora progresses through Castle Oblivion, his memories start fading but also starts remembering a girl named Naminé. They eventually learn that she is actually a witch who replaced Sora's memories of Kairi with herself. She also used her power to create "worlds" made to mimic the place he has been before. She did this all under the orders of Marluxia. Naminè promises to help Sora get his true memories back when they could reach the thirteenth floor. At the top, Sora and Naminè find an odd, flower-like structure made of crystal. Naminè explains that if he sleeps in this, he will get his memories back if he forgets what happened in Castle Oblivion. He is still in the crystal structure as of the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II.
Riku's Story
- Note: Riku's story takes place the same time as Sora's story.
Riku follows a strange voice out of the World of Nothingness; it leads to the basement of the castle. Riku receives the card given to his that takes him to Hollow Bastion. There he finds and kills a Maleficent made out of his memories. The voice he heard happened to be Xehanort who tried to possess him in Kingdom Hearts. He plans on bringing him back into darkness so that he can control Riku again. Naminé tells Riku that his darkness is his own and he shouldn't be afraid to use it. At the highest basement, he learns that the real Ansem is in fact DiZ, an enigmatic man who knows a lot about both Riku and the castle, but unfortunately is very vague about this knowledge. DiZ reveals to Riku that the real Xehanort/Ansem lurks in his own heart, and gives him a card to draw him out. After using the card, Riku engages and defeats Xehanort/Ansem. He then leaves the castle with King Mickey, having decided to walk the path to dawn, a path in-between light and darkness.
Twilight Town
Twilight Town was briefly introduced in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, in which Sora explored the memories of the other side of his heart. By Kingdom Hearts II, it is a major part in the story where Hayner, Pence and Olette reside at. DiZ created a simulation of the town and its people to keep Roxas in a false sense of security and away from Organization XIII until Sora's restoration was complete.
Twilight Town is split into two parts, the shopping district and the residential district, with a train that connects the two. There is also a huge clock tower in the middle of the town that is part of a train station. This gigantic station is on top of a hill that overlooks the shopping district. The trains from here head to the ocean as well as the Sunset residential district. The clock tower is seen as the symbol of Twilight Town and is loved by its citizens. Toward the end of summer vacation, the station sets up a campaign of free use of the trains, so the station becomes filled with children.
Following on, in Twilight Town were introduced to the second playable character of ‘’Kingdom Hearts II’’, Roxas. He hangs out with the rest of his friends in a little place near the shopping district. At this place we can see sunlight coming in from the cracks. Originally, it seems to have been a passageway, but is now a hideout for Hayner and his friends, Olette and Pence. They've brought a lot of stuff into this place. From the cracks in the ceiling, you can see part of the train tracks, and sometimes you can hear the train as it passes by.
In the middle of the shopping district, there is large Tram Plaza. There are plenty of stores here, including an accessory store, as well as lots of houses lined up. The tram that travels through the plaza is a very important vehicle, and the citizens use it often. Around the suburbs of the town is Sunset Residential District. This place overlooks the ocean. Streetlamps line a small river that passes through the middle of the district, and not too many people are seen walking around. This area has Sunset Station, where the train from Central Station takes you, and Sunset Hill, where you can seen the most beautiful sunset in town. The monument on top of the hill is a tribute to the building of the clock tower.
Within the world of Twilight Town is also the Tower, the residence of Yen Sid and Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. The Tower is located on something of an island in space, and is only reachable through a special train, colored blue with golden stars and adorned with a large wizard's hat. Yen Sid explains the Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII in detail to Sora, Donald and Goofy here. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, also create Sora's new outfit, granting him the power of Drive. Maleficent is revived here, and Pete is also met for the first time.
Roxas and Hayner later enter a mid-summer tournament at the sandlot of Twilight Town called "The Struggle" in which he must face off against several others. The battles are one-on-one, and the basic premise is to pick up little balls that the opponent drops. The popularity of the event is enormous. Other competitors taking part include Seifer Almasy, who is with Raijin and Fujin from Final Fantasy VIII, Setzer Gabbiani from Final Fantasy VI and Vivi Ornitier from Final Fantasy IX. Also lurking around at the time of the competition is Axel, who briefly fights with Roxas.
On the outskirts of the town is a mysterious large mansion. Going from the Tram Plaza, you have to pass through a forest to get here. The gate is locked, and it seems impossible to enter or leave, but there are rumors of 2 shadows being seen in the second floor windows. DiZ transported Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy who were in the process of restoring the memory from Castle Oblivion to the basement of the mansion to speed up the process for his revenge against Organization XIII. It is revealed later in the game that the portal to the final world of the game, the World That Never Was, was actually hidden under the basement of this mansion via the Twllight Town simulation.
Twilight Town has plenty of jobs to offer Roxas, including mini-games that feature delivering letters on a skateboard, in addition to placing posters. Twilight Town is not playable in Kingdom Hearts.
The Land of Dragons
The "Land of Dragons" is based on the classic animation Mulan. Like the film it follows Mulan who disguises herself and impersonates a man to join the army, to fight the Huns lead by Shan Yu. Mushu helped Sora and friends in their previous adventure, but it turns out Mushu's day job is to help Mulan (Ping) anyway he can. Sora, Donald and Goofy agree to help them and set out to join the Imperial Army and stop the Huns.
The story here starts with Captain Shang declining Mulan's, disguised as Ping, from joining the army. Sora tries to back Mulan up and says that they'll prove to him that Mulan is worthy of joining the Imperial Army.
Shang gives them a few tasks to complete to prove their worth. They succeed and move to an encampment attacked by Shan-Yu. Soon, Sora and company find themselves ambushed by Shan-Yu's massive army of Heartless. In order to save them, Mulan fires a rocket at a nearby mountain, causing an avalanche. After Mulan's victory, everybody finds out that Mulan is actually a woman dressed as a man after a disgruntled Mushu calls Mulan by her real name. Rather than kill her as required by law, Shang leaves her, as well as Sora, Donald and Goofy, who knew her name and gender and did not say anything. While Mulan, Sora and company move down the mountain with despair, they see Shan-Yu awakening from the depths of the thick layer of snow he was buried under. Mulan and company go to warn Shang about Shan-Yu's plan of kidnapping the Emperor. They battle with Shan-Yu and manage to defeat him, saving the emperor.
During a later visit to the Land of Dragons, Sora and co. encounter Riku, disguised as a member of Organization XIII. After a brief battle, he escapes without revealing his identity. Meanwhile, one of the Land's dragons is turned into the Storm Rider Heartless, and flies off towards the Imperial City. Following it, Sora and co. see Xigbar's face for the first time, and learn of Riku's previous visit to the Emperor. They engage Storm Rider in battle and defeat it, and Mulan is chosen by the Emperor to assist Shang in his duties as bodyguard.
The Land of Dragons is not playable in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
Beast's Castle
While exploring Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts, you were provided the ability to have Beast in your party. He was searching for his kidnapped love, Belle, who was one of the Princesses of Heart. In Kingdom Hearts II, Sora & Co. will journey to the homeland of Beast & Belle.
Sora, Donald and Goofy find themselves in a soundless castle foyer. The castle's lord is the Beast, who fought alongside Sora in his previous adventures. However, Heartless lurk in the castle halls and worse, Beast is not himself. He has locked his servants in the dungeon and seems to be overtaken by some type of uncontrollable rage. Belle and the servants are concerned.
The world starts off with Sora & Co. entering the castle to find a Shadow Heartless. The group decides to follow it throughout the Castle. Later, more Shadows appear but then Beast arrives and kills them. When the group attempts to talk to Beast, they get attacked by him. Beast then takes the nearby rose in the room and disappears.
Later, you meet Belle who explains that Beast has imprisoned the entire castle's staff in a dungeon. Belle is obviously concerned and pretty scared, which leads Sora to offer help. Journeying throughout the castle leads to the group finding Wardrobe, the only one among all of Beast’s servants who is not imprisoned; the Wardrobe then informs them of the staff's location. Upon arriving, the group has to face off against a boss in the form of a door.
Later, Beast and Belle hold a ball, but Organization XIII member Xaldin interrupts it. He steals the rose while Belle runs to safety, causing Beast to blame her. Beast then becomes deeply depressed at his lack of self-control, asking Sora and Belle to leave the castle, but while Belle leaves, Sora convinces the Beast that he is courageous at heart, and they join forces against Xaldin. Xaldin kidnaps Belle and forces Beast to decide whether he keeps her or the rose, but Belle takes the rose and escapes. Sora and the Beast defeat Xaldin, and Beast and Belle reconcile.
Beast's Castle is only playable in Kingdom Hearts II.
Port Royal
- See also: Isla de Muerta
Port Royal roughly follows the events that took place in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" alongside the addition of Heartless and the Organization member, Luxord.
Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive in Port Royal to meet Captain Jack Sparrow, who informs them not only is he trying to get back his vessel, the Black Pearl, but rescue Elizabeth Swann who was kidnapped under the orders of Captain Barbossa. On their journey, Jack will team up with the group to fight undead pirates.
Later when encountering Barbossa, he demands that Sora passes over Elizabeth's Medallion (Sora obtained the coin after retrieving it from an accursed pirate, who had in turn stolen it from Will Turner). Even after obtaining the Medallion, Barbossa does not let Elizabeth free. Regardless, we later see her safely in the hands of Will Turner. Pete then summons a heartless to darken the cave, making Barbossa nearly invincible. After defeating the two of them, Jack and Barbossa then battle and Jack shoots Barbossa.
Barbossa starts laughing stating that he is immortal but unbeknownst to him, Will has already dropped the last of the Aztec gold into the pedestal where all the medallions are being kept. Barbossa then dies. Later, the party will encounter another Organization XIII member, Luxord. Sora and the crew are then forced to recover several medallions and do battle with the Grim Reaper Heartless, who uses the curse to become an immortal ghoul. After breaking the curse and defeating the villains, Jack sails off. However, he attempted to take the Keyblade as payment for his assistance, but it returned to Sora's grip. He swore that he would return looking for it one day, and possibly with the ability to wield it. Goofy joked that he might be able to, since he and Sora are kind of alike, to which Jack and Sora replied simultaneously "Are not!"
When Sora, Donald, and Goofy first arrived here, they felt that it was somehow different from the other worlds they have visited, given the fact that it is a live-action world and it have more deeper graphic than the group.
Pride Lands
The primary inhabitants of The Pride Lands are lions, hyenas, zebras, leopards and many more. The events of this world follow closely the events that occurred in The Lion King.
The events of this world start off with Simba having a dream of the day where his father, Mufasa, was killed. Upon entering the Pride Lands, Sora & Co. notice that they've all changed into animal versions of themselves. Later, it is revealed that Mufasa was killed by none other that his brother, Scar who became jealous of Simba's position of heir and plotted to chase Simba away from the Pride Lands by blaming Mufasa's death on him.
The party then team up with Simba to get revenge on what Scar did. After a pitched battle in which Scar becomes a Heartless, they triumph. However, they later return to find the Pride Lands menaced by dark spectres resembling Scar. These "ghosts" prey upon Simba's hesitation and his worry that he won't live up to his father. After the gang helps Simba overcome this, they must defeat the giant Groundshaker Heartless. Other characters found in this world are Nala, Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa. The Pride Lands are only playable in Kingdom Hearts II. The makers did consider putting it in Kingdom Hearts, but that game's engine couldn't correctly handle a quadripedal animal as the player, so it was scrapped.
The World That Never Was
The World That Never Was was originally featured in a secret ending video known as Another Side, Another Story and Another Side, Another Story: Deep Dive,. It is the final world of Kingdom Hearts II. Here, Roxas and Riku co-op fend off Neoshadow Heartless and eventually fight each other because Riku questions why Roxas has the Keyblade.
The most distinct feature of this world is that is appears to be in a state of eternal night and a large moon shaped like a heart, Kingdom Hearts, continually shines in the sky. It also houses the headquarters to Organization XIII, which is portrayed as a huge white castle decorated with the emblem of the Nobodies.
Sora, Donald, Goofy and King Mickey arrive here with the help of Axel to encounter a member of the Organization (Roxas). While Sora's group heads to the fortress, Naminé helps Kairi to escape her prison and make a break for it. Though they are stopped by Saix, a hooded Organization member saves them and Saix escapes. Naminé identifies him as Riku and Kairi is overjoyed to see her dear friend again. She takes off his hood, only to reveal Xehanort's face underneath. Kairi knows that Riku is only wearing Xehanort's disguise and takes it in stride.
Sora's team enters the castle with King Mickey going on ahead to try and stop Xemnas. He encounters DiZ being ambushed by Nobodies and saves him as well as a machine that he was protecting. DiZ unmasks himself to reveal himself as Ansem the Wise, King of Hollow Bastion, who plans to use his machine to digitally seal away Kingdom Hearts before Xemnas can enter it. The two kings go off to set up the machine.
By this time, Sora, Donald and Goofy have reunited with Riku and Kairi and fight their way through the castle to reach King Mickey and Ansem. Eventually, they reach the two kings. DiZ's machine can't handle the digitization of something as large as Kingdom Hearts and begins to overload. Asking Riku to finish off Xemnas for him and asking King Mickey to forgive him for being so foolish, DiZ is killed when his machine finally reaches the breaking point and explodes. The explosion blows away Riku's Xehanort disguise and reveals the true Riku underneath. The remaining party members; Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Riku and King Mickey, head off to go after Xemnas.
Riku and Sora are left to face off against a gigantic metallic dragon and a "Twilight" version of Xemnas. Sora and Riku eventually defeat him and are warped to the World of Darkness before Kairi's poem (which she sent off earlier in the game) reaches them and the Door of Light opens to send Sora and Riku back home to Destiny Islands.