We're back to Sora who has just exited the cathedral. Out of curiosity I run back inside to see if that weird frog Dream Eater that I fought as Riku is there. He's not.
Back outside I run into Phoebus who is now wearing ordinary clothes instead of armor. He says he doesn't want any trouble and asks if Esmeralda is safe inside the cathedral. Sora says she's escaped which upsets Phoebus. He tells Sora that he's no longer guard captain because he objected to Frollo's tactics. We switch over to Quasi as Phoebus says Frollo is looking for something called the Court of Miracles, a gypsy hideout. Quasi drops a pendant he was holding which alerts Sora and Phoebus to his presence. Quasi picks up the pendant and tells them that she said it would help them find her. After studying it for a few moments Quasi realizes it's a map that shows the route from the cathedral to the Court of Miracles. Sora and the others race off to rescue her. I suppose I should mention that while I forgot about the pendant I recall that part now that I watched this cutscene.
I enter the town section of Notre Dame and am told I need to kill three flower Dream Eaters to destroy these thorns that are blocking off the path we need to take. Come on game, enough with the padding.
I finish killing them and head onto the bridge that Riku was chased across by the gargoyle thing. Nothing really exciting happens so I run across to the Town Outskirts at the other side. I notice the path to the windmill is blocked while a road that Riku couldn't enter is now open. I travel along this new path and enter a graveyard. That's actually a cool idea for a hiding place.
While in the catacombs under the graveyard I encounter an environmental hazard I've never heard of or seen. It takes the form as a stream of purple smoke that spills from this pot and covers the floor. When I step into it my drop gauge speeds up. I use flowmotion to avoid the smoke and notice a lock on mark as I pass over the pot. Curious I double back and use a shock dive to smash it which eliminates the smoke. Cool.
Ughh...this path is long! I'm almost out of drop time and I want to finish Sora's story in this drop cycle. I open my items to see if there's anything I can do about this and I notice something called a Drop-Me-Not. It apparently functions as a potion for the drop gauge. I enter the Court of Miracles and save right before talking to Esmeralda.
She asks what we're doing here and Quasi says she needs to leave. They're interrupted by Frollo who apparently followed us here. Frollo says "I have you at last you witch." Two things I want to not before I continue. 1. When I first saw this scene I didn't read the subtitles and thought he said bitch which surprised me. 2. Frollo, you're the one calling on magical creatures of Darkness. Why are you saying she's the one in league with Satan?
Moving on. Frollo grabs Esmeralda before saying that he's going to have a bonfire in the square. Sora tries to stop him but is clobbered over the head. When he wakes up Quasimodo and the others are gone. Fortunately I don't have to backtrack and am immediately taken to the square following the cutscene. Sora enters the square and sees Esmeralda sitting in the middle of a firepit. Before he can do anything Quasimodo swings down on a rope and saves her. Frollo...just stands there for some reason while Quasi frees Esmeralda and carries her up to the top of the cathedral with one hand. He raises her above his head and shouts "Sanctuary!" Frollo gets pissed and runs to the cathedral. Sora tries to stop him but the gargoyle that attacked Riku appears. Based on the animation it wasn't really flying down, it was almost like it got knocked off the top of the building by something.
I now fight Wargoyle, who is so cheap it's ridiculous. It pretty much never stops attacking and has multiple attacks that are apparently impossible to dodge unless you're flowmotioning. Unfortunately you can't heal during flowmotion so if it hits you it's impossible to avoid getting killed by another attack without making yourself a sitting duck. This is compounded by the fact that I don't have leaf bracer yet which makes you invincible while you're healing. Fortunately it seems to lose it's balance so I run up and hammer at it like mad only to get killed when it jumps back up and unleashes a fire storm in the form of a pillar that shoots up and surrounds it (this attack is similar to what Chernabog does in KH 1).
You...you...althjeoirusaklhslkjdthlsathskdrts!
I die at least five times (fortunately the drop gauge is always reset) before realizing I can abuse Dream Eater link attacks to get invincibility frames. Using this I finally manage to kill it.
You might recall me saying earlier that I remember one particular scene from this movie. We've finally arrived at that scene. Frollo is standing on the roof of the cathedral and threatening Esmeralda and Quasi with a sword. Frollo says he should have killed Quasi twenty years ago like his mother which promotes a Heroic BSoD from Quasi. Frollo makes a lunging slice and misses which sends both him and Quasi over the edge of the guardrail. Quasi hits his head and gets knocked unconscious but Esmeralda grabs him. Frollo, unfortunately, landed on some kind of gargoyle/lion head thing. He regains his footing and raises his sword above Esmeralda's head. Since she's currently the only thing keeping Quasi from falling to his death she can't run away.
Frollo laughs and raises his sword while saying "And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit, forever!" He's interrupted by the gargoyle head shaking from his weight. He loses his balance and drops the sword to grab the head so he can save himself from falling to his death. The head's eyes glow read and it hisses at him before snapping off and sending him into the raging fires at the foot of the cathedral (Irony!). And so ends the only part of the movie that I actually remembered after all these years.
...
...
What?
Okay fine they didn't change the ending that drastically (even though I thought that's how the movie ended before I played this world). It turns out Phoebus was right below them and he manages to catch Quasi without getting pulled over the edge himself. Quasi watches as Esmeralda and Phoebus walk away afterwards. Sora and the gargoyles appear and say Quasi shouldn't stay cooped up in the cathedral. Quasi agrees and leaves the cathedral to see what's outside.
We cut to Sora who's talking to himself about how Quasi is trapped in the nightmares Frollo gave him. Black Cloak arrives and calls Sora a hypocrite because his own heart is a prison. Sora is understandably confused and asks what he's talking about. We then see a shot of Vanitas standing beside Black Cloak as both say "Even if you are not the prisoner. Explanation for Vanitas*
Anyway I get something called Chronicle: Birth By Sleep. Black Cloak vanishes and the keyhole appears. Sora seals it while thinking about what just happened and how his heart could be a prison. I get the Guardian Bell keyblade which is better than my current one in every way so I equip it. I am then given the option of viewing the Chronicle. Here's what it says in summary:
Birth By Sleep: Master Xehanort abandoned his student, Venus, on the Destiny Islands where he (MX) grew up. Ven's heart had been fractured and was about to perish when a "new heart" made contact with Ventus and stabilized him.
Ventus acquired amnesia and Xehanort took him to the Land of Departure, the ancestral home of the Keyblade Masters. There he trained under Master Eraqus alongside Terra and Aqua.
Terra and Aqua were tested for the Mark of Mastery but Terra failed as a result of Xehanort's manipulations. Master Eraqus was alerted to the presence of the "Unversed" by his former Master, Yen Sid. Terra left to track down Xehanort, who had mysteriously vanished, and discover the source of the Unversed. Ventus followed him while Aqua was told to watch over both of them and try to get Ventus to return home. (This leaves out the part that Ventus ran after Terra because Vanitas threatened him shortly before).
While Terra journeyed Master Xehanort slowly convinced him to accept the dark powers he wielded. Meanwhile Ventus met Mickey, another keyblade wielder, who assisted him against Vanitas.
The three reunited in Radiant Garden but it was not a happy reunion. Terra felt Eraqus and Aqua couldn't trust him and so he became even more devoted to following Xehanort. Ventus was also upset that Aqua refused to trust Terra and ran off again. Aqua was left alone and resolved to make sure no harm would come to her friends. (It, sadly, leaves out that this is where Aqua meets Mickey and that she unknowingly gave Kairi the power to use a keyblade.)
Terra arrived at the Destiny Islands and met Riku, a boy with a bright light inside his heart. Terra granted the boy the ability to wield the keyblade in the hopes that if his friends failed this boy could champion the light in the future. Aqua visited the islands the next day and realized what Terra had done. She found another heart full of light in Sora, Riku's friend and told the boy to make sure his friend stayed on a path of light. Meanwhile Ventus was rescuing Mickey when he found out that Master Xehanort planned to use him to create a "X-Blade".
Ventus returned to Eraqus for answers but his Master realized that as long as Ventus lived Xehanort's plan could still succeed. He attempted to destroy Ventus but was stopped by Terra. Terra sent Ven to the Destiny Islands and defeated his Master. Xehanort appeared and delivered the killing blow to Eraqus before unleashed a maelstrom of darkness to destroy the Land of Departure. He left Terra alone but not before instructing him to come to the Keyblade Graveyard.
While on Destiny Islands Ven met Vanitas who told him "Join with me now so we can complete the X-Blade!" Ventus's memories returned and he realized that Vanitas was really his dark half. Ven followed him to the Keyblade Graveyard, determined to protect his friends.
Terra, Ventus, and Aqua reunited again at the Keyblade Graveyard and prepared to face Master Xehanort and Vanitas. The five fought fiercely with Mickey and Braig, one of Xehanort's cohorts, also joining the fray.
In the end Terra's body was possessed by Xehanort though his anger caused his armor to become animate. Ventus combined with Vanitas and the X-Blade was forged. However, Aqua managed to defeat Vanitas with Mickey's help which gave Ven the opportunity to destroy the X-Blade and expel his heart from his body. Ventus's heart was almost destroyed but he managed to find refuge within Sora's heart, the same one that saved him once before.
Following a massive explosion Mickey found Aqua and Ventus and brought them to Yen Sid. When Aqua awoke she was told that Ven was trapped in sleep until his heart returned while Terra was nowhere to be found.
Aqua took Ven to the Land of Departure to keep him safe. She recalled something her master had told her and, using her keyblade, locked the world. It turned into "Castle Oblivion" and from now on only Aqua could enter this castle to find Ventus.
Aqua confronted Xehanort however she was sent into the Realm of Darkness while Xehanort lost his memory.
Aqua wandered the darkness for a decade before meeting another man. He told Aqua about a boy that made it his mission in life to save the worlds and people from darkness. When Aqua heard the boys name tears filled her eyes and hope returned.
edit: Okay I took a break because this was so long but this next part is new. I will go from where Riku starts to the end of this world.
Okay so I go to the square where Esmeralda was being burned and find Quasi and her...on the ground? Wait, Quasi saved her and then swung up onto the top of the Cathedral. Why are they on the ground? Riku and Quasi look up to see Wargoyle flying near the top of the cathedral. Riku runs up to engage him. Quasi offers to help but Riku says he can handle it. He then asks if Quasi's heart had the answer which is answered with a nod.
I enter the cathedral to find the gargoyles who say they'll take care of the Dream Eaters in here while I go to fight Wargoyle. Atop the cathedral Riku finds Frollo laughing maniacally as the enter city burns. Frollo monologues about how the flames will destroy all (Frollo confirmed as a pyro!). Riku arrives which prompts Frollo to say "You see? This is the power that has been granted to me!" (What, the power to rub two sticks together?). Riku responds by saying he just sees an old man with a dark heart (Hmm, sound familiar?) which pisses of Frollo. Wargoyle flies up and prepares to engage Riku as Frollo...falls to his death? I'll explain why that confuses me later on.
Suddenly, Ansem Seeker of Darkness and Black Cloak. WTF is pretty much my reaction along with Riku's. ASOD picks up the sword that Frollo dropped as Black Cloak tells Riku his best friend is never far. ASOD talks about how he embraced the darkness rather than letting it overpower him as Frollo did. He says unless Riku does the same he'll die like Frollo did. Riku's response?
Black Cloak says he's still afraid of the dark and the two leave through a dark corridor. Riku says they're wrong, he isn't afraid of the dark as long as he has the keyblade. Using it he can find the path to the light.
Now the fight with Wargoyle starts up. I can apparently jump over the edge of the cathedral without falling because the heat from the bonfire is creating such a powerful updraft that I can essentially glide. Wait, what? How does that work without the fire being hot enough to burn Riku to a crisp? And how did Frollo even fall to begin with if it's that powerful? I wonder if I should tally this in the mindscrew counter. What do you readers think?
Anyway the fight is annoying because Wargoyle spends most of its time over the edge and I can't move as well when I'm in that section of the arena. Either way I manage to defeat it without too much trouble once I get used to the wonky midair physics. I get an HP increase and some new drop bonuses for my trouble.
Following the fight Wargoyle's wings fall off and it plunges down below and I get Chronicle: Kingdom Hearts. This seems to be where it suddenly enters the arena where Sora fights it (it doesn't have wings during that fight) but I'm not sure if that's the case for reasons I will now discuss.
Overall this story doesn't make too much sense when you try to fit Sora and Riku in. For one thing Quasi saves Esmeralda and jumps up to the top of the cathedral while Frollo watches them in Sora's story. Afterwards Wargoyle falls down, presumably after Riku defeated him and stripped his wings. Can you see the problem?
When Riku confronts Wargoyle Frollo is on the top of the cathedral rather than the bottom. You could say he climbed up to face Esmeralda and Quasi but keep in mind that from Riku's point of view they're already safe whereas when Sora comes upon them Esmeralda is in danger. The events just don't line up as shown if you assume they both happen in the same world. The only explanation I can think of is that Sora and Riku are in two separate realities of this world that somehow influence one another (Riku knocking off Wargoyle's wings only for it to face Sora and something else in a later world support this) but the system is never adequately explained. Overall I am very confused by this system since it isn't adequately explained and will bump the mindscrew counter up.
The mindscrew count is now at 2.
Without further ado I will summarize the KH 1 Chronicle.
Kingdom Hearts: Sora, Riku, and Kairi had always dreamed of the outside world. On a beach in the Destiny Islands they began to build a raft.
One day, a stranger in a brown robe appeared before Sora. He said, "This world has been connected". That night a storm hit the islands and drowned it in darkness. Sora came into possession of a key-shaped sword called a "Keyblade" and was separated from Riku and Kairi.
He would later learn that other worlds met the same fate as his own.
Meanwhile the king of Disney Castle, King Mickey, had gone missing. His subjects, Donald and Goofy, set off to find someone with the "key" their king spoke of in his farewell letter.
Sora arrived in a place called Traverse Town where he learned of his destiny as a keyblade wielder. He joined up with Donald and Goofy and together they set off in search of Riku, Kairi, and the King.
Each world they visited revealed a "Keyhole" which led to that world's heart. Creatures called the "Heartless" were trying to destroy the hearts of the worlds. With his keyblade Sora managed to lock the keyholes to prevent any more worlds from being destroyed.
The Heartless were under the control of Maleficent and her league of villains. Riku had been tricked into helping them gather the pure hearts of seven princesses who would grant them dominion over all worlds.
By the time Sora reunited with Riku in Hollow Bastion his friend had been taken over by the darkness. Sora defeated Riku only to awaken Ansem the Seeker of Darkness, who had made Riku his vessel.
Sora defeated Maleficent only to find himself confronted by this new even greater threat. Ansem wished to complete the Keyhole, a doorway that lead to the heart of all worlds "Kingdom Hearts".
After discovering Kairi's heart rested within him Sora released her by freeing his own heart, turning into a Heartless in the process. Fortunately the light within Kairi's heart changed him back.
Sora got Kairi to safety and prepared to close the final Keyhole but not before Kairi gave him her good luck charm. Sora promised he would return someday.
The trio followed Ansem through the deepest darkness and at last confronted him at the gateway to Kingdom Hearts. They were victorious but not before the doorway was opened. (It leaves out that the light that shot forth from Kingdom Hearts vanquished Ansem)
Sora closed the door with the help of Riku and King Mickey who were forced to remain in the Realm of Darkness. Sora reunited with Kairi yet again but refused to return home until he had found Riku and the king.
Pretty good summary.
After I finished reading it we see Riku and Quasi chatting outside the cathedral. Quasi says that it might have been Frollo that kept him inside the bell tower but the real walls were ones Quasi put around his heart. Riku says he was speaking from personal experience. Phoebus and Esmeralda say he still has a lot locked inside but tell him not to worry about it right now. Riku wonders what Ansem could have meant but decides to ignore him. He knows the road his heart walks. The keyhole appears and Riku unlocks it. I also get the Guardian Bell for him now.
Okay so now that I finished this world I get another cutscene of what's happening outside the Realm of Sleep. We see...Roxas and Axel?
The two are sitting atop the clock tower in Twilight Town eating ice cream. Roxas asks if Axel forgot which prompts Axel to ask what he would have forgotten about. Roxas says he promised them (He remembers Xion?) that he'd always be there to bring them back if they ran off. Axel says he remembers and Roxas asks "Got it memorized?" as he slowly fades away.
We get another first person viewpoint. This time it's from Axel's point of view. He stumbles to his feet as he asks where he is and what happened to him. "Roxas?" he asks which gives me Chronicle: 358/2 Days. He sees Zexion/Ienzo, Lexaeus/Aeleus, Xaldin/Dilan, and Vexen/Even lying beside him. Unlock him they're no longer in their Organization 13 cloaks. He examines himself in the mirror and notices that those teardrop marks under his eyes are gone. He realizes they're people again but says only those that joined up here are present. He says "I guess Xehanort doesn't count, but where are Braig and...Isa?"
Summary time.
358/2 Days: When Roxas first joined the "Organization" he spent his days on missions collecting hearts and befriending another member, Axel. However, when Axel was sent to "Castle Oblivion" on a special mission, Roxas teamed up with the fourteenth member of the Organization, a girl named Xion. The two became good friends over time.
Once Axel returned from his mission the three friends developed a routine of ending each busy day by having ice cream atop the Twilight Town clock tower. There they talked about work, friendship, their memories, and the meaning of a heart.
One day Xion was ordered to kill an impostor, Riku, who wore the Organization's cloak. She failed and was told her keyblade was a "sham". After failing another mission she slipped into a coma.
When Xion awoke things went back to normal but only for a time. Xion soon began to question her own existence.
On Roxas's 255th day with the Organization she discovered the truth. Roxas waited for her at the clock tower but she never came. The next day he learned she had abandoned the Organization and been branded a traitor.
Roxas tracked her down and tried to convince her to return but she drew her keyblade threateningly. Axel appeared and took Xion back to the Organization by force.
After learning some of the truth about Xion Roxas began to question his own existence. He lost faith in Axel and the Organization who had lied to him and ran away.
Meanwhile Xion tracked down a girl named Namine and asked her to return some of her memories to Sora, their original owner. Axel found her and said if she kept running he'd always bring her back. After defeating her Axel brought her back to the Organization and collapsed as Xemnas took Xion away.
Roxas wandered Twilight Town until he decided to sit on the clock towever like the old days. Xion appeared and said she was not a female at all. She was nothing more than a puppet created by the Organization to cage Sora's memories. The last of those memories were inside Roxas who was Sora's Nobody. She needed to kill Roxas to become a complete replica of Sora.
Roxas defeated her and released her memories which returned to Sora. Xion not only vanished, all trace of her was removed from the memories of those who knew her.
Confused and angry, Roxas tried to challenge Xemnas and the Organization to free the hearts they collected and destroy the false Kingdom Hearts. Roxas was not strong though so Riku confronted him.
Riku heard Xion's voice, despite forgetting her name, tell him that he needed to stop Roxas. He almost failed but managed to win when he allowed the darkness in his heart to take over.
Afterwards a boy named Roxas woke up in his room in Twilight Town after having another strange dream. He ran off to meet his friends at their usual spot. Only seven days remained in his summer vacation...
Sorry about that, I've just got something in my eye.
Anyway that's it for now. Next time we take on the third world.
Comments
