/__/' _ _/ _ )__/_ _ __/ _ / )//)(/(/()//) / /(-(// /_) _/ .-,--. ,--.. , ,-,-,-. , `|__/,-.:;| `-'|-.,-..,-. ,-.," `,| | | ,-.,-,-.,-.,-..,-.,-. )| \ |-' | .| |,-||| | | ||- | ; | .|-'| | || || ||-'`-. `' ``-':;`--' ' '`-^'' ' `-'| ' `-'`-'' ' '`-'' '`-'`-' ' KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories North American Release PlayStation 2 FAQ & WALKTHROUGH By S. L. Richardson (a.k.a. Falconesque) Guide Version: 2.3.1 Last Revised: Friday, July 10, 2015 Best viewed with a monospace font, such as Monaco or Courier. 123456789|123456789|123456789|123456789|123456789|123456789|123456789|123456789 =============================================================================== Welcome! If you find this guide helpful, thank you for clicking its "recommend" link at GameFAQs.com to help the next player find assistance. --- HEAD'S UP! ------------------------------------------------ REMIXOLOGY! --- If you play KH HD ReMix 1.5, a few changes have been made since ReCOM U/C PS2, the release (as stated above) for which this guide was written. 1. Four KH2-style attack cards were replaced with Days-style attack cards. PS2 Attack Card PS3 Replacement Card-Stat Changes ----------------- ---------------- -------------------------------------------- Hidden Dragon Maverick Flare None (just looks different) Monochrome Total Eclipse None Follow the Wind Midnight Roar None Photon Debugger Two Become One Element: Physical, Strike B+, Thrust B+ Two other KH2 attack cards -- Star Seeker, Bond of Flame -- also appear in Days and remain the same. The new cards are found in the same place and unlock the same way as the old cards, so search this guide for the old card by name to learn how to obtain the new card. 2. The trigger for unlocking the second treasure chest -- and the second special treasure -- in each floor's Room of Rewards was changed. Completing ALL of the collection's Days-related tasks and unlocking the KH 358/2 Days PS3 theme is now required. Your progress in ReCOM itself doesn't matter. 3. Sora's Lethal Flame sleight has been renamed Lethal Frame. 4. Riku's sleights have been nerfed. Expect some or all to inflict less damage. As far as I know, that's it other than trophies and the aesthetic "upgrades". Caveat emptor: I don't play ReMix 1.5. I've been reading the ReCOM topics on the ReMix 1.5 board at GameFAQs and the sources are reliable enough to give credence to the above, but remains wholly unconfirmed by me. Anyone wishing to donate a PS3 and ReMix 1.5 is welcome to contact me; I'd gladly update this guide in exchange and trumpet your contribution. As you continue with this guide, PLEASE keep these changes in mind and MAKE YOUR OWN ADJUSTMENTS as needed. Most everything else should still help out. --- END WARNING! -------------------------------------------------------------- .:| CONTENTS |:. A. Overview A.1 Spoilers A.2 Expectations A.3 Preliminaries B. Walkthrough, Part I C. Walkthrough, Part II D. Menus D.1 Menus - Common * D.1.1 Review Decks D.1.2 World Map D.1.3 Map Cards * D.1.4 World Cards * D.1.5 Status * D.1.6 Journal & D Report D.1.7 Settings D.2 Menus - Sora D.2.1 Review Decks * D.2.2 World Map * D.2.3 Map Cards * D.2.4 World Cards D.2.5 Status D.2.6 Journal * D.2.7 Settings D.3 Menus - Riku D.3.1 Review Decks * D.3.2 World Map * D.3.3 Map Cards * D.3.4 World Cards D.3.5 Status D.3.6 D Report * D.3.7 Settings E. Reference E.1 Cards E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora E.1.2 Battle Cards - Riku E.1.3 Enemy Cards E.1.4 Map Cards E.1.5 World Cards E.1.6 Gimmick Cards E.1.7 Special Cards E.2 ASCII World Maps E.2.1 Maps - Sora E.2.2 Maps - Riku E.3 Miscellanea E.3.1 Controls E.3.2 Save Files E.3.3 Deck Building E.3.4 Boss Lifebar Stats E.3.5 Battle Spoils E.3.6 Battle Record Screens E.3.7 Game Manual Errata E.3.8 Event Room Criteria F. FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions F.1 Series & Storyline F.2 Cross Platform F.3 Journal & Report F.4 Maps & Map Cards F.5 General Gameplay F.6 Challenges F.7 Cheat Devices F.8 Known Problems F.9 Trivia & Favorites G. Transcripts G.1 Journal Transcript G.2 D Report Transcript G.3 Annotated Bestiary G.3.1 Random Heartless G.3.2 Heartless Bosses H. About this Guide H.1 Legal Info H.2 About the Author H.3 Revision History H.4 Acknowledgements * Shared topic; defers to or augments other same-named section(s). . SEARCH TIPS . Copy and paste the desired contents heading (such as "E.1.3 Enemy Cards" or simply "E.1.3") into your program's search or find feature. Do NOT select any "case sensitive" or "match case" option if offered, however. This guide adheres to the spelling as seen in-game, exactly as shown on the screen. The game has a few inconsistencies, however, so consider searching for singular instances -- "friend" rather than "friends". When searching for phrases, remember that "hard-wrapped" line breaks may fall between words and confound your program; try a single word instead. .:| A. OVERVIEW |:..........................................................:.: Welcome to this walkthrough for the North American release of Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (KH-ReCOM) for PlayStation 2 consoles. This section contains a few brief topics of import, and then you can jump right in. .: A.1 SPOILERS :.............................................................. Spoilers are avoided throughout. This isn't a record of the game's script, so no story recapping along the way either. The walkthrough sections are spoiler-free, insomuch as presuming all events leading up to a particular passage have been played through. Bosses are identified only as they're encountered, not beforehand. Read ahead at your own peril. The Menus section sticks mainly to usage information. Minimal context. Reference sections are devoid of most context that could spoil the game-play story. However, for some gamers even character and location names may constitute spoilers. Gauge accordingly. The FAQ sections vary in spoilage. The first subsection focus on those new to the game, or wanting details about differences with other releases; low risk. The General Gameplay and beyond speaks frankly; avoid as needed. The Transcripts section records in-game texts, so expect to have the story and plot developments spoiled at every turn. .: A.2 EXPECTATIONS :.......................................................... KH-ReCOM is part of a series of games from Disney developed by Square Enix. The series' myriad releases may prove confusing. AUTHOR'S EXPERIENCE. "What DO I know?" as Goofy said. The author has played the North American releases of both the original Kingdom Hearts (KH) and its sequel Kingdom Hearts II (KH2) numerous times across all difficulty modes. The author has NOT played the original Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (KH-COM) for GameBoy Advance, nor the version of KH-ReCOM that was the "plus" portion of the Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix + (KH2-FM+) Japanese release. The author does not read any form of Japanese and does not have access to any of the Ultimania guides. Section "H.3 Revision History" documents experience with KH-ReCOM. Visit GameFAQs.com for more info on any earlier Kingdom Hearts release: KH* ........ http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/home/516587.html KH-COM ..... http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/home/919011.html KH2 ........ http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/home/915410.html KH2-FM+ .... http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/home/935702.html KH-ReCOM ... http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/home/954016.html * Including info for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (KH-FM). Note: In case of future link breakage, try the following pattern, substituting the appropriate ID number for KH-ReCOM's "954016": http://www.gamefaqs.com/954016/home RECOMMENDATIONS. Playing the series in RELEASE ORDER is strongly recommended on your first time through all of the games. Since KH-ReCOM only slightly modifies KH-COM's story, playing KH-ReCOM after KH but before KH2 is recommended. KH-ReCOM alludes to (if not quite retelling) some events that played out in KH, so playing KH first is highly recommended, in fact. Both the game and this guide presume a familiarity with KH. --- PlayStation 3 COMPATIBILITY ----------------------------------------------- BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY. While this guide presumes you're playing on a PS2 console, by all reports KH-ReCOM plays well on most U.S. PlayStation 3 systems that specifically support backward compatibility (BC) with PS2 games. Visit PlayStation.com to learn more about your console's model. FIRMWARE. However, some PS3 80 GB models may get stuck at the beginning of the game's tutorials. The problem was quickly fixed with firmware version 2.60 and newer firmware releases should solve the problem as well. If your PS3 exhibits this problem, consider updating its firmware. Warning! Updating your PS3's firmware may carry severe risks of permanently disabling your PS3. Learn all you can at PlayStation.com before proceeding. (Dated.) One player also reported success by downloading the PS2 system data, listed as an Add-On at the PlayStation Store. http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=954016&topic=48493790 Alternatively, you can transfer KH-ReCOM save files made after the tutorial to your PS3 and continue onward from there. You can do this from your own PS2, with the appropriate memory card, adapter, and cabling, or download a save file from GameFAQs or another site. Unfortunately, you'll be limited to the save file's game mode. An "80GB PS3 FAQ" was posted and may help if you choose to download. http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=954016&topic=47155461 REGION. KH-ReCOM is coded for Region 1 (U/C) and will only work on North American PS3 BC models. Nothing like SwapMagic has surfaced for PS3 consoles. --- END WARNING --------------------------------------------------------------- Section "F.8 Known Problems" details these and a few other issues. .: A.3 PRELIMINARIES :......................................................... KH-ReCOM is played in two parts. The first part must be completed through to its end before the second part becomes available. Both parts must be completed at least once before 100% completion is possible. Power up your console. Ensure your PS2 8 MB memory card has at least 100 KB available. Then insert your KH-ReCOM game disc. To start the game, either in the Browser select the game disc, or press your console's reset button. Note: KH-ReCOM has been reported to balk over third-party memory cards. Learn more in sections "E.3.2 Save Files" and "F.8 Known Problems". After the Disney and Square Enix logo screens, and other copyright info is displayed, the title screen appears. Tip! Select nothing on the title screen and after a few idle moments the opening credits sequence automatically begins, consisting of "Simple and Clean" (the Planitb remix of KH's theme song) over a compilation of full-motion video (FMV) and cutscene elements from KH, including one KH-FM moment. Interrupt the sequence by pressing any button on your controller and the title screen again displays afterward. If you're continuing with a previously saved KH-ReCOM game, select LOAD. Choose the appropriate memory card slot, then your save file. (The most recently saved game is highlighted by default.) Skip ahead in this guide to where you left off. Reminder: In the North American release, select options by pressing the cross (X) button on your controller; cancel or back up one screen by pressing the circle (O) button. In this guide, the terms "select" and "choose" mean moving the highlight with either the directional pad (D-pad) or left analog stick to the appropriate option and pressing X. If you're missing the game's manual, section "E.3.1 Controls" includes a facsimile of the manual's Controls table and other explanations. .:| B. WALKTHROUGH, PART I - SORA'S STORY |:................................:.: If you're new to KH-ReCOM, from the title screen choose NEW GAME. Decide which game mode you wish to select. Note: If a choice other than game mode is offered first, choose Sora. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- For this guide, Standard Mode is presumed. Beginner Mode presents easier enemies, while Proud Mode serves up tougher battles, but storywise both follow along the exact same lines as Standard Mode. The game mode you select for Sora doesn't limit your choices for Part II, and Part II is unlocked regardless of which mode you choose. Concerning bonus content, in KH-ReCOM only the artwork shown at "The End" differs based on the game mode selected. A statistical tally is displayed for all three modes at game-end, as well. KH-ReCOM contains no "secret ending" or similar extras. Unlike other new-game options, the game mode cannot be changed in the middle of a game. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Next select whether you wish the vibration setting on or off. This setting may be changed later. Lastly, select your audio settings. Stereo divides sound between the left and right speakers, Dolby Pro Logic II provides four-channel surround sound for compatible systems, while Mono channels sound through your center speaker(s). Confirm your settings to proceed. (Or select No to back up and change your selections.) The title screen "shatters" and the opening credits sequence plays. Tip! This sequence and all of the game's cutscenes may be paused by pressing the Start button. Choose Continue to resume the scene. Or choose Skip Event to move on to the next event (regain control, begin battle, and so on). Skipping scenes in KH-ReCOM has no ill effect on the completion percentage, if such concerns you. More cutscenes follow and serve up some exposition. Note: The heart-shaped Kingdom Hearts icon in the lower-right corner of the intervening black screens indicates when the game is loading. You receive your first world card, Traverse Town. Approaching the doors is automatic this first time. Press X once you've read the Help text, then press X again to make the actual selection -- no other choice is possible. Tip! For loads of details on all of the cards found in KH-ReCOM, see the "Cards" reference section. .: B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN (1F) :.................................................... Note: Traverse Town is KH-ReCOM's "tutorial world". Lots of gameplay mechanics to introduce and discuss, so it's perhaps no surprise this section is longer than usual for the remainder of the walkthrough. Next up is some standard dialogue. The keyblade icon bounces when the text is complete and you need to press X to continue. Proceed through the conversation and the introductory "battle." WARNING! Some PlayStation 3 systems may get stuck during the upcoming tutorial. If your system exhibits this problem, read about "PlayStation 3 Compatibility" in "A.2 Expectations". .: TUTORIALS :. Take your time as the game's battle system is explained, especially if you're new to card-based gameplay. Examine everything on the screen and try out any controls or commands you see. Note: Buttons used in these tutorials reflect the game's default settings, but several controls may be adjusted later, when you gain access to the Settings menu. First, friend cards are explained. IMPORTANT! Helpful texts appear within a black rectangle the first time a new feature is encountered. These are ONE-TIME ONLY instructions and no log is available within the game to review these Help texts. So read the black Help texts completely before doing anything, otherwise the button you press may immediately dismiss the Help text. And if the text won't dismiss during tutorial segments, cycle through each of the allowed actions (usually listed) until the text goes away. Perform Sora's two basic moves -- press square to Dodge Roll, and O to jump. Then you need to "attack" with three cards; watch the card revolver in the lower-left corner. Next, learn how to lock-on to a target. Using cards from and reloading the card revolver is explained -- notice that pressing up-arrow takes you immediately to the reload card. The whole "focusing" bit means to hold down X as the reload card "fills". Release X and the reload card holds the partial refill as-is. Tip! In normal gameplay, you can start the reload before all cards are exhausted. Leave yourself the option of cycling to a card as needed, then returning (by pressing up-arrow) to complete the reload. Easily forgotten since it's explained this early in the game but key to winning many battles, how to change card categories using Select is explained. Notice the area pointed out, beside the revolver. Receive the Key of Beginnings card (or simply "Beginnings keycard"). Then you're taken through commands available in field rooms. Be sure to chase down the Blizzard magic card that pops out of the barrel. Notice the small "Card Obtained!" banner, too; until the banner appears, the card has NOT been "obtained". After tossing the "marked" crate, run into the stunned heartless to engage a real battle. Watch for any green friend cards that appear (the game also uses an aural cue, a subtle "ping!", when your attack releases a friend card) and experience crystals (blue or red, large or small) dropped when an enemy is defeated -- chase down everything to "pick up" the objects; they won't hang around forever. EXP is NOT always automatically picked up or awarded. This tutorial battle can be a little tricky (more so if you're a seasoned Kingdom Hearts player). Remember that pressing X in battle expends a card. Practice watching your enemy's deck in the lower-right corner while cycling left and right through the card revolver to find a card valued higher than your opponent's card. When an enemy's card is played in the middle, card break it quick. .: ROOM SYNTHESIS :. Tip! Before examining the closed doors, you can explore this Unknown Room untroubled by random encounters. Once through the doors, that changes. Next up are the basic mechanics of room synthesis. Approach the closed doors and when the green triangular ("reaction") prompt appears press triangle. The Help texts can be a little difficult to see on this busy screen. Scroll through the few card types present, watching the description at the bottom of the screen. Select the Moment's Reprieve card, your only option for this tutorial. Select "1" (one), also your only option for now. Once the map card is selected, Sora automatically enters the new Moment's Reprieve room, and receives a brief tutorial on saving. Note: The value of the map card you choose (in this case, one) has no bearing on anything other than meeting the criteria to unlock the door and setting the criteria from the next door. CONTROL! You finally gain some real control. .: SAVE POINT :. Jump up onto the higher platform and use the save point. The first time, pick an empty slot. Two files are written to your memory card: a System Data file, 40 KB; plus the game save, 53 KB (on SAVE screens, games played in Beginner or Proud Modes are so noted; in the Browser a filled star means Proud Mode, an open star notes Standard Mode, and no star is added for Beginner Mode). Subsequent times, you're prompted before overwriting an already-used save slot. Press O repeatedly to exit from the SAVE screen. If you use a third-party memory card and experience a problem while saving, see the "Save Files" reference section for a possible workaround. Tip! Even the best games and memory cards are susceptible to occasional data corruption. Pick two slots and alternate saving between the two as your game progresses. .: MENUS :. Now is a great time to explore the menus and read all about everything. In Status, new sleights are marked as "New!"; the mark dims as you scroll over the sleight's name, but take the time to read the Help text for each sleight. Sleight help is also accessible from some commands under Review Decks. Press up-arrow to reach the tab row. Notice how obtaining the one Blizzard magic card gave you both the Blizzara and Blizzaga sleights. Third tier magic, right from the start! Note: Sleights must be learned and listed by name in the menus before they can be used. Until then, stocking a sleight's required cards simply produces a combo. In Journal, headings displaying "New!" include at least one unread entry; once read, "New!" appears dimmed until Journal is exited. The article for your first attack card, Kingdom Key, lists the weapon's detailed statistics as well. Be sure to examine your deck. Edit Deck is where you'll spend the most menu time in KH-ReCOM, so start by adding the Blizzard card to Deck 1. The Cure card also sports a big "S" because it's the default shortcut, preset for the deck. In battle, press down-arrow and, poof, the revolver instantly cycles to the shortcut card, Cure in this case. If you don't use Cure so much, choose the Shortcut command and pick another card. Any battle card other than item and enemy cards may be selected. A second shortcut, up-arrow, always cycles to reload card and can't be changed. Use the two shortcuts to your advantage. .: FIELD ROOMS :. For the moment, restrict your exploration to these first two rooms (Unknown Room, Moment's Reprieve) -- to level up, collect a few cards, practice moves described in the game manual, review new things in the menus, and get a feel for the game. Also, be sure to adjust the game's Settings to your liking, such as setting Camera Vertical to Reverse or trying out the alternative buttons. Many walls have a narrow lip around the upper edge. Practice jumping onto the lip and scooting back and forth. You can also dangle from edges overhead and practice releasing your hold or pulling yourself up. Hit the lamp post and any barrels or crates standing around. Doing so may at random yield green HP (Health Point) replenishing orbs, red MP (Moogle Point) orbs, a variety of battle cards, or nothing at all. Don't miss the smaller lanterns hanging from walls, though you may need to jump to reach them. Tip! KH-ReCOM is all about cards and breaking up the scenery is the easiest way to acquire more cards. What you find varies room by room and, a little later, world by world. Watch for targets on banners, trees, presents, or blocks. (You can't lock-on to these targets, however.) If nothing happens, try jumping atop the feature, or striking it repeatedly. But be ready to chase after your spoils; cards in particular like to bounce around the field. As you collect new battle cards, be sure to add them to your deck (Menu > Review Decks > Edit Deck; see the "Menus" reference section for more help using these or any other menu commands). Experiment with rearranging your deck too. .: RANDOM BATTLES :. Be prepared for battle. Heartless, the random foes of the game, are either plainly visible in Unknown Room or only appear as you walk around. A heartless may wink out again if you walk out of its designated area. Some may chase you. Remember, battle doesn't start until you attack or run into a heartless in the field. Attacking is the better choice, by far; enemies are then stunned for a few seconds at the outset and slightly damaged (more so later on.) Alternatively, you may pick up (by pressing triangle) any marked crate or barrel and hurl the object (press triangle again, or X) at a targeted enemy in the field to stun, or even confuse it if the markings include question marks. Then simply walk into the stunned or confused enemy -- when battle starts those enemies, too, are stunned or confused. (Attacking a confused enemy in the field, however, results in stunned enemies in battle, not confused.) Tip! Stunning enemies with crates and barrels is also handy for keeping the heartless at bay while collecting goods from broken scenery. Be sure to use a Cure card to heal up during battle. Or run at what looks like an exitway to bring up the Escape gauge -- any damage taken resets the gauge, so keep moving side to side, but once it fills you immediately leave the battlefield. Once back in the field, break up scenery for HP orbs or dash back to the save point as needed. Then come back for more -- at least until the heartless stop appearing in Unknown Room. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- When Sora obtains a new level, you're offered two or three choices: +15 HP, +25 CP, or learning a new sleight. When a new sleight is offered, take it! These skills come up in a set order, every fifth level-up (LV 2, 7, 12, and so on). But whether you accept the first sleight at LV 2 or LV 62, the first sleight learned is always Sliding Dash. When a new sleight isn't available, you're always offered the other two choices; they never dim. And you have a decision to make based on your playing style or dexterity. More HP gives you a little leeway for taking damage while choosing among the cards in your deck. More CP (Card Points; sometimes called capacity points) gives you elbow room for adding more or better cards to your deck. In general, lean toward more CP (and carefully arranging your deck so you're not hunting for cards), say, two or three boosts to CP for every one time you choose more HP. For some excellent discussion on leveling as well as deck building, read Cody Trombley's Advanced Deck Building Guide for KH-COM: http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/file/919011/46554 Note: Many improvements were made to KH-ReCOM. Keep that in mind, because the information in a KH-COM guide often does NOT apply here. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Backtrack all the way to the first-floor (1F) Entrance Hall, even though it doesn't appear on the World Map, where you can talk to Goofy and Donald. What they say in any hallway changes as the story moves forward, so speak with them whenever you have the chance. (What's said is often of no great consequence, but these exchanges are among the few missables in the game.) There's now a save point in the hallway, too. Note: The hall is actually in the castle, rather than the Traverse Town "world." You won't be able to view the world map from the hallway, either. When you're ready to move on, return to Moment's Reprieve and save. Press Select to bring up the world map (or press Start and choose World Map). . World Map - First Floor . [E1] [E2] [E3] : : : Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F2] - [F3] - [F5] + [E4]...[F4] - [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (1F); Exit, Exit Hall (1F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] Note: Field rooms in this guide's ASCII maps are numbered from the top down, starting with the left-most column. The numbering has no significance beyond a counting; visit field rooms in whatever order you like. How field rooms are labeled in the on-screen world map depends on the map cards used to unlock (or "synthesize") each room. If you choose a Tranquil Darkness map card, for example, the room appears as "Tranquil Darkness" on the world map. Note: Map card values have no significance on anything other than meeting and establishing criteria. Use the D-pad or left analog stick to move the pointer and explore the map. The keyblade icon hovers over your current location. A small icon rotates above Moment's Reprieve, handy for finding save points at a glance. And since you have the Key of Beginnings, the room the keycard unlocks is outlined on the world map. Review the map often to plan your route. Note: Access to the first three event rooms vanishes after you visit each of those story rooms. The fourth event room cannot be accessed without a rare keycard, not available until later in the game. For more help reading on-screen world maps, see the "World Map" reference section. Fill out Traverse Town as you please. Head toward the Beginnings event room, but take your time and clear the heartless from all levels of the field room you synthesize. Remember everything the hooded man explained, especially the bit about picking enemy cards in battle by pressing Select. Easily forgotten, since you have none at the beginning, but most random heartless may occasionally drop an enemy card at battle's end. Like other battle cards, enemy cards must be added to your deck and played in battle. For more on collecting and using enemy cards, see the "Enemy Cards" reference section. --- MINI CHALLENGE! ----------------------------------------------------------- Four different heartless infesting Traverse Town are commonly encountered in random battles. (There's a fifth, as well, found only in Black Rooms, but solely for extremists this early in the game.) Your challenge, should you choose to accept it: Obtain an enemy card for each of the four heartless, but do so BEFORE visiting the third event room. Tip! The Teeming Darkness map card is valuable toward this end. --- GAUNTLET STOWED! ---------------------------------------------------------- A maximum of 99 map cards may be held at one time. You needn't worry for a time yet, but strive for keeping at least one of every value (0-9) for each color group. Excess cards may be discarded through the Map Cards menu, or they may be used to resynthesize field rooms you've already visited. Yes, rooms may be synthesized anew if you seek more heartless to fight. When you move near an already opened doorway -- including doors leading into the world's first (Unknown Room) and last (Conqueror's Respite) rooms -- and the green "reaction" prompt appears, press triangle. Select a map card to resynthesize the field room lying beyond the doorway, or press O to cancel. Review the world map first and take care you don't wipe out needed rooms unintentionally (the save point in the last room is MIGHTY handy). Note: If you're familiar with KH, simply moving two-rooms-away-and-back does NOT regenerate enemies in KH-ReCOM. For all that, Traverse Town has a straightforward path. When you attempt opening the Beginnings event room, a Help text explains crown-emblazoned doors. Note: The map cards used to open event rooms have no bearing whatsoever on the events themselves. Winnow a few unwanted map cards, if you like. .: CARD BREAKS & STOCKING CARDS :. Inside the Beginnings room, Leon teaches you about card breaks, stocking cards, and the benefits of combos. (Tip! Watch Leon's deck in the lower-right corner. The next card he'll play is face-up and, looking carefully, his deck includes a gray-backed enemy card. Not all enemies have a visible deck, however.) He also introduces the concept of "sleights", stocked cards that invoke a special attack rather than a combo. All big considerations in developing your gameplay. Card break an enemy with a single card when you can. When a shadow heartless plays a two card, for example, you can answer in several ways. If you play a one card, your card just gets brushed aside and Sora takes a hit. Answering with a two card blocks the shadow's card and prevents Sora from taking any damage. But playing a three card breaks the two AND damages the shadow. (KH-ReCOM has nothing like an "overkill" or "critical hit" bonus, by the by.) When an opponent plays a higher card, one you can't break, then stock up cards for a combo or sleight. Tip! A very frequent question for many players is how to obtain "bigger" cards. High-valued cards are not the answer! Many mistakenly discount low-valued cards as "useless"; they're far from it. Stock cards for a combo instead -- 1 + 2 + 2 will card break and damage any random heartless in Traverse Town. Take Leon's warning to heart, however. The first card in each stock you play, whether a combo or a sleight, becomes "unreloadable" for the moment. For instance, if you stock a zero card, a five, and a two, then play the stock, the zero card won't return when your deck is reloaded. (Not good, considering Leon's advice on zero cards.) Stock up a two, five, and zero, however, and the two becomes unreloadable. The first card itself isn't lost, only your ability to use it again in the current fight. But relying solely on stocked cards depletes your deck over the course of a fight and leaves you with fewer and fewer cards. Later on, better item cards CAN reload unreloadable cards mid-battle, but the black-and-white reload card never will. For now, keep an eye on retaining your cards. Rearrange your deck as needed. The initial deck includes a zero card and one Cure card; guard them well until you obtain more. Stock these and other "good" cards second or third, never first. You may soon come across cards with a "shimmer" to their border. These are "premium" cards. In practice, premium cards follow EXACTLY the same rules as any other card and reload just fine when used singly or as the second or third card in stocks. But regardless of their face value, premium cards require only as much CP as a 1-valued card! (For more on premium cards, start with Premium Room in the "Map Cards" reference section.) At the end of Leon's tutorial, you receive a Simba summon card, plus the Key of Guidance. Visit Status to learn about several new sleights you just learned. Be sure to add Simba to your deck and try out his card, excellent for foiling a horde of heartless. Practice card breaking, too; it's the most essential skill to learn. Make your way to the Guidance room for a scene, and you receive the Key to Truth card. Note: Keycards are nearly always obtained in this fashion. From now on, this guide won't mention the first two event rooms unless more happens than viewing a scene and obtaining the next keycard. Save before using the Key to Truth card. And consider editing your deck, arranging cards for sleights, adding new cards, and so on. Or build up Deck 2 or Deck 3 specifically geared for tougher boss battles. Without exception, a fight of some sort is part of the events unlocked with the Truth keycard. Warning! The author aims to emerge from boss fights victorious as simply as possible and wholly unscathed. If you crave additional boss strategies, download the KH-ReCOM Boss FAQ found at GameFAQs.com or search the topics and questions posted for KH-ReCOM. Boss strategies for KH-COM may prove useful, but the same boss can behave very differently in KH-ReCOM. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Guard Armor is a good first boss. You need to take down its torso, but must remove its hands and feet for a clear shot. Target a body part, but take care not to limit your attacks. Dodge roll away before reloading -- the battlefield is bigger than most. Use all the deck techniques you've learned. And button mashing works fine, too. Tip! The single most successful boss strategy, bar none, is card breaking the boss's attacks before they're played. For this boss, single-card breaks are usually sufficient and prolong the life of your deck. But if you face a high card, stock up a combo or sleight to break it, a good tactic until you find a few high cards for yourself on higher floors. The boss may play its own enemy card (unlikely, but possible). Just as when you play one, the ability unleashed (Wide Attack, in this case) and a counter are displayed beside the boss's revolver (when shown). You can't do anything about it (yet), and a boss's deck may not be visible, but for now get accustomed to watching for it. With an invisible deck, watch the numbers on the cards for color changes, such as seen with map cards like Martial Waking. Also, keep an eye on the battlefield for when the gimmick card turns up. It's green and sports King Mickey's silhouette. Gimmick cards only appear in select boss fights and can appear repeatedly, but never more than one at a time. Like the Donald and Goofy friend cards, the gimmick card bounces around the battlefield and must be picked up. It won't stick around long or after battle, so use it! You may need to do something specific for a gimmick card to appear, such as card break the boss or land a finisher in a combo. Gimmick cards have different effects for each boss; in this fight, it briefly stuns Guard Armor so all of its parts collapse to the ground within easy reach. Tip! Gimmick cards are always zero cards! Time its use well to card break the boss AND get the special effect. Another card can turn up in boss fights (as well as random battles), the Pluto friend card. He digs up HP orbs, MP orbs, or the spent cards from your deck, perhaps unreloadable cards. (Or a slobbery bone, something to avoid slipping on.) Wait until you can stock more than one Pluto card for better rewards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For winning, you receive the Guard Armor enemy card. And you've been moved to the last room, Conqueror's Respite, which contains a save point and the way out of the Traverse Town world. Unlock the remaining field room, if you like, but be sure to save before exiting Traverse Town. . Exit Hall (1F) / Entrance Hall (2F) . Another boss awaits in the Exit Hall. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Axel teleports around, so try to keep a lock on him at all times. He stocks up his cards, has one sleight (Fire Wall), but also needs to reload the same as Sora. Tip! Press Start to pause the fight and look over Axel's deck. His deck holds an enemy card, but in other fights you might spot item cards, too. Fire heals Axel, so avoid calling on Donald. Blizzard is a good choice against Axel since he's weak to ice. If you have a Blue Rhapsody enemy card to play, even better. Use a zero card to card break his sleight. Keep an eye on your deck and lead with Goofy when you can. Pluto may lend a paw, too, if your cards run low. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After defeating Axel, you receive a Fire magic card as well as five new world cards (Block A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town). Tip! A good precaution after an exit-boss: Step back into Conqueror's Respite and again save. Take a moment to review Jiminy's Journal. The Traverse Town story and character entries are now available. In the Exit Hall, approach the up staircase for a Help text warning that continuing up to the next floor erases all of the rooms you've synthesized throughout Traverse Town. Note: Whether going up or down, leaving a floor resets the world's rooms. For example, if you're in Entrance Hall (3F) and take the stairs down to Exit Hall (2F), the world on the third floor is reset as if you'd never visited (save for completed event rooms). When you then enter the world on the second floor, it too is reset but you enter from Conqueror's Respite. --- RECAP! -------------------------------------------------------------------- One floor finished. Each floor consists of an Entrance Hall, which includes a save point, where you use a world card to move into an Unknown Room for the selected world. The keycards -- Beginnings, Guidance, Truth -- lead from one to the next. With the Truth keycard, you face a battle and afterward move into Conqueror's Respite, which includes a save point and an exit from the world. The last stop is the floor's Exit Hall, where stairs lead up to the next floor. You may face an Organization boss in the Exit Hall, or up in the next floor's Entrance Hall. Each world also includes a fourth event room that opens with a rare keycard not found until later in the game. More on that then. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, if you haven't already done so return to the Exit Hall (1F) and ascend the stairs. After the scene walk over to the black globe for a Help text on these warp points. Take a look at the World Warp interface (ah, it's an elevator) then press O to exit without warping. (At this point you can also walk back down to Traverse Town, though its Entrance Hall now sports a warp point, too.) Tip! If you run short on map cards or want a cheap way to level up or hunt down random enemy cards, use the warp point to return to an already visited world. The destination's first room is generated without eating up a map card and once the room is cleared you can duck back out to the Entrance Hall to warp again. Use the save point, talk to Donald and Goofy, who have something new to say, then examine the big doors. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- While this guide takes the worlds in the order they come up, you can use the five new world cards ("Block A" in this guide) however you like between floors two through six (2F-6F). Once a world is synthesized, however, the world can't be reassigned to another floor for this playthrough. The higher the floor, the more HP (and EXP) enemies have. With bosses the difference is about half a lifebar between adjacent floors, but the diff between the block's lowest and highest floors might give you trouble. All bosses are not created equal, however, and many worlds also include a minor boss or one (or more) forced fights. The difference may seem practically unnoticeable with random enemies, but with some worlds the random foes go much easier on you on lower floors in the number of waves, number of heartless per wave, or difficulty of a particular heartless. Some worlds may prove a better match for tackling early on, too, when you may have only a handful of cards at your disposal. Note: If you've played KH, the difficulty of some worlds may surprise you. An "easy" world in KH may not be so easy here. The last consideration is the usefulness of the world's spoils -- summons, sleights, enemy cards, broader skills, attack cards found, and so on. Block A, default order: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town Random enemies, easy -> hard: Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Monstro, Agrabah, Halloween Town Boss, demi-boss, & forced fights, easy -> hard: Halloween Town, Monstro, Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah Goodies, greater -> lesser usefulness: Monstro, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, Wonderland, Halloween Town Note: All but the default order is gauged by the author's opinion at this writing. Agree or disagree, but hopefully food for thought in making your own decision. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Select the Agrabah world card, or one of your own choosing. .: B.2 AGRABAH (2F) :.......................................................... . World Map - Second Floor . [E1] [F1]...[E2] : | Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F3]...[E4] : + [E3] [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (2F); Exit, Exit Hall (2F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] Note: "World Map" is a bit of a misnomer. The map above shows the layout for the second floor, regardless of which world card you used. See the "ASCII World Maps" section to view all maps independent of any world. A forced fight welcomes you to Agrabah, a few waves of the local heartless. Nothing for winning except the usual spoils and the Beginnings keycard. .: FIELD ROOM SYNTHESIS :. Okay, a little more exposition before pressing onward. With all the tutorials in Traverse Town, some fine points were absent or glossed over, such as room synthesis. Call up the world map, press X, and view the synthesis criteria for the next room. Usually, criteria for normal field rooms is set dynamically. If a door needs a map card valued at one or more, as the first door does, but you use a map card valued at three, doors leading from the next room will ask for cards valued at four or higher -- a value of "one more than the last door" you opened. Something to keep in mind as you explore. Exit the world map screen. .: BOUNTY! :. You begin obtaining Calm Bounty cards on the second floor, the first of three "bounty" type map cards. Be sure to use at least one in every world to learn something new. Tip! Hold off returning to Traverse Town for the time being. Another reason to return reveals itself soon. Here in Agrabah, synthesize a Calm Bounty room for a Gravity magic card. Once you unearth this first card, gravity cards spring from barrels, other chests, and so on. You won't find gravity cards anywhere, however, until this first one is discovered. (Tip! Open the treasure chest before breaking any of the bounty room's scenery.) Many new cards act this way, in fact -- the first is linked to some action or storyline event, and only afterward will others turn up. .: HEY, KUPO! :. Another new map card of note synthesizes moogle rooms. Moogles trade packs of cards for your MP, or you can trade in battle cards for more MP. (There IS a limit on the number of battle cards allowed, but it's a big number and usually not a problem.) Tip! Moogle shops are upgraded on higher floors, with better offerings at higher prices. Also, you always receive five battle cards free when visiting a new moogle shop; better to resynthesize a few moogle rooms than deleting these map cards. (For more on Moogle Rooms, read the "Map Cards" reference section.) .: OTHER WORLDLY CARDS :. Also, break up scenery for the Three Wishes attack card -- from now on many worlds introduce a new, usually more powerful, world-themed attack card. Watch out for barrel spiders, rare heartless that can pop from any smashed barrel, pretty common around Agrabah if you want their enemy card. Abuse Aladdin whenever his friend card appears; he damages enemies, but also drops lots of MP orbs. Stock up two or three cards for loads more. Training-wise, Agrabah is good ground for acclimatizing to the game's at-times odd perspective shifts and how far away things (like heartless?) really are. Observe the difference in the size of jars and barrels as you draw near or move away in the field. Wooden shutters over windows can provide a step up to higher platforms, but drop if you take too long. Okay, on with the show. Save before entering the Guidance room. - - - Boss? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Another forced fight. Several waves of this world's heartless, a bit tougher. Take care depleting your deck. If your cards get low, a solid combo may call up Pluto, who can dig up HP and MP orbs, or some of your spent cards. Hold off on the pooch until the third wave if you can; Lucky Bounty LV2 or LV3 can be worth the wait. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive an Ether item card for winning this time. Save again before using the Truth keycard. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jafar-Genie can be annoying. Target the tiny thing flying around, Iago carrying the lamp. Keep an eye on what Jafar's up to, however, and dodge roll when beams shoot your way, or duck down to a lower level. Jafar's deck includes an eight (8) card. Card break it with a zero card, or groups of lower cards totaling nine or higher. Or better yet use the platforms to your advantage and don't get hit. Use the gimmick card whenever it turns up to level the platforms at their highest. Perspective seems the biggest hindrance in this fight. Make good use of the right analog stick. The Guard Armor enemy card extends your reach, too. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive Jafar's enemy card; it's a good one for single-carding strategies. You also get the Genie summon card. Take the exit.... . Exit Hall (2F) / Entrance Hall (3F) . ...for a scene. Up the stairs for more scenes. Then save and pick the next world. Note: Events in hallways are also linked to the castle floor, not the world visited on that floor. So if you picked a world other than Agrabah, it makes no difference in the hallways. .: B.3 OLYMPUS COLISEUM (3F) :................................................. . World Map - Third Floor . Enter - [UR] [E4] [E3] | : : [F1] - [F2] - [F3] : | [E2] [E1]...[F4] + [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (3F); Exit, Exit Hall (3F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] A bounty room here yields the Blizzard Raid sleight, which is extremely useful. Expect to unearth Olympia attack cards, too. Flaming vessels cause damage, but striking the pot puts out the fire -- no magic needed -- so you can jump on them. Cupidic statuary zing confusing darts across field rooms. Confuse just reverses your directions for a time -- up is down, left is right, and so on. When the Guidance room is unlocked, you face.... - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cloud. Pretty powerful. With a big eight and a zero card, lots of card breaks can quickly deplete your hand. Pack your deck with either a zero or a stock valued near 20, so you're prepared to break his Cross-slash sleight. Or he can be pretty simple. Dodge roll to the side before his attacks land and smack him in the back. Lather, rinse, repeat. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive a Hi-Potion item card for the win, much more useful than Potion cards if you stock lots of attack cards. Before using the Key to Truth, banish fire magic from your deck and stock up on some icy goodness. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hades likes fire, shrugs off lightning, and hates ice. Donald may heal Sora with Cure, or he may heal Hades if he happens to call Fire; you decide if the risk is worth it. Don't want to "feel the heat"? Quick, dodge roll in the same direction Hades is turning. Or just card break him. If you have a Blue Rhapsody card, play it to boost your blizzards; beefs up Blizzard Raid, too. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Hades enemy card is yours. With a scene, you add Cloud as a summon card to your arsenal. (Aside: Eerie, but Cloud looks closer to his FFVII FMV self in scenes here than he ever does in KH.) Save and exit. . Exit Hall (3F) / Entrance Hall (4F) . After a scene, take the stairs and choose your next world card. .: B.4 WONDERLAND (4F) :....................................................... . World Map - Fourth Floor . [F2]...[E4] | [E1]...[F3] [E3] | : [F1] - [F4] - [F5] | : + Enter - [UR] [E2] [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (4F); Exit, Exit Hall (4F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] A bit tricksy getting out of field rooms. Beat the heck out of the giant purple flowers until they explode; the vines girdling the doors vanish too. Watch out for daffodil that fire off confusing mists. Use a Calm Bounty map card in this world and your bounty the first time is a Stop magic card. Look, too, for Lady Luck attack cards popping out. Save before entering the Beginnings room, where a battle is brewing. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Card Soldiers, three waves of them -- first black cards, then red cards, then both black and red cards. They're fast and like to gang up on you. Stick 'em and run. Dodge roll is your best hope for survival. Use only single-card attacks for the first wave of black cards. Try for the same with the second round of red cards; use sleights or combos with care. And use friend cards as they appear to lead your stocks so you don't deplete your deck. If you can, save your Potion cards for the third wave, which is a reprise of the first two waves combined and a good bit tougher. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive the Card Soldier enemy card for winning, good against any fast foe in the future. Continue on. The Key to Truth reveals a most tricksome boss. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Trickmaster can be grueling. The boss doesn't stock cards and yet seems to card break nearly everything thrown at it. Patience is key, along with a carefully planned deck. This is a slow fight, mostly fought with single cards. Stocks of magic cards do the most damage. Blizzaga from the tabletop is very effective, a good opening move, but even up there you need to jump to reach. Fire magic connects from anywhere, as long as the boss is targeted AND the target can be seen; good to break the boss and do a little damage. After a solid hit -- single attack cards, one after the other -- the boss bends low, stunned, spits out a few HP orbs, and presents an easy target. Unleash a Goofy card now if you have one -- about the only time he's useful in this fight -- and sting the boss again with single cards as you gather the orbs. Safeguard against running out of cards. Don't stock cards, except for magic sleights you're certain sure will hit. Grab Donald's card every chance you get. WAIT for opportunities and avoid taking damage. The table is good cover for refreshing your deck or blocking the boss's fire attack. When Trickmaster plays an eight card, get under cover and be ready to jump. Hang from the table. For all that, Trickmaster's biggest weakness is its big wind-up. Most of its attacks are telegraphed and can be interrupted. Time your jumps well to avoid groundshaking damage, which adds up in nothing flat. Use the table to hurl Sora at the boss, not as a boxing ring. Dodge roll to evade the homing fireballs when the table's gone. The gimmick card raises the table again. Tip! If Trickmaster proves frustrating, bigger cards won't help; they're not worth the CP this early. Synthesize a Moment's Reprieve nearby, meet the red and green criteria for the Truth room's door, then save. Good place to use Skip Event. Choose "Return to Title" as needed and focus on honing your deck. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After battle receive its enemy card. It's a good card when a world's random heartless all seem to have high cards. . Exit Hall (4F) / Entrance Hall (5F) . Exit to the hallway for a scene, take the stairs for another scene, and save. Pick the next world. .: B.5 MONSTRO (5F) :.......................................................... . World Map - Fifth Floor . Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F5] + [CR] - Exit | | | [E2]...[F1] - [F3] [F6]...[E3] | [F4]...[E4] : [E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (5F); Exit, Exit Hall (5F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] Synthesize a Calm Bounty room for the Fire Raid sleight and look out for the Wishing Star attack card here. After visiting the Beginnings room, Sora learns the High Jump ability -- one good reason to tackle Monstro early. Lots of barrel spiders lurk 'round these parts. Watch for clocks in field rooms. Strike them for goodies, but they also put a full stop on nearby heartless. Save before using the Key of Guidance. You face the world's real boss. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Parasite Cage is surrounded by platforms that sink after a short time. The green pool quickly saps your HP, so don't just stand there. Jump to another as soon as the platform wobbles. Jump too to keep the boss from knocking you off. Stock up magic cards for distance attacks; use attack cards when you're close in. A solid hit can stun the boss and produce HP orbs. Grab 'em and land a combo. The gimmick card drains the poisonous pool and briefly gives you a nice stable playing field, but reload first if needed so you have a full deck. Tip! The platforms always circle clockwise, so a good tactic is to attack with magic from afar and then jump counterclockwise. Fire, jump, repeat. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You receive the Parasite Cage enemy card, a formidable defensive weapon and a worthy addition to your deck prior to facing future bosses. Save again before the Truth room, though what lies ahead is pretty straightforward. - - - Boss? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A minigame closes out the level. You have two minutes, a meter, and shadows galore! Taking 'em down fills the meter, but it's a leaky meter. Tip! Press Start and the Pause menu includes a Help command that redisplays the minigame's rules and instructions. Stockpile Simba to whiz through masses of the little guys. Anything that hits multiple nearby enemies is your friend. Magic-ga, Cloud, whatever you have. No Continue screen on this one. If you didn't quite make it you can choose to go again right away, or hold off a bit (say, to refine your deck). Nice touch: With either choice, the entry scene is abbreviated, not that it was very long to begin with. Tip! This is a leveling hotspot, the only one in the game. Experience is dropped by every defeated shadow, even if the time limit isn't met. But leave at least one shadow alive so you can play and lose ad infinitum. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Dumbo summon card is yours for winning, a good foil against fiery foes. Also, a Minigames section has been added to Jiminy's Journal. (No repeating this minigame, however.) Save and head out to the Exit Hall. . Exit Hall (5F) / Entrance Hall (6F) . Watch the scene. Up the stairs for another, and then it's time to use the last world card you have left. .: B.6 HALLOWEEN TOWN (6F) :................................................... . World Map - Sixth Floor . Enter - [UR] [E1] | : [F1] - [F5] - [F6] | | [E4]...[F2] [E2]...[F7] | [F3] | [E3]...[F4] + [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (6F); Exit, Exit Hall (6F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] Things begin with a forced fight. A couple of waves, not too tough with Jack's help. And afterward Sora learns the Terror sleight. A bounty room here returns the Gifted Miracle sleight. Ravish the scenery for Pumpkinhead attack cards. Lots of dual-target objects in field rooms, but beware the fountains. Guillotine only pay out for landing a full combo, and they can nick you, too. As always, save before using the Key to Truth. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oogie Boogie time. He likes tossing a seven card, so use Splash LV2 to douse the trio of dice. Blitz work well too if you're practiced in adding hits; less costly, CP wise. Watch for when the spike fence falls then lay into Oogie Boogie. Single cards will do, but there's room for Sonic Blade. Take care with stocking cards and getting knocked off Oogie's platform, however. Gimmick cards result from card breaks and bashing the dice; they drop the spikes AND stun the bag o' bugs for a good long time. If Pluto cards appear pretty regularly, stock up two or three if you can for better rewards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You get Oogie Boogie's card, which lends you Regen. Save before leaving Conqueror's Respite. Tip! From now on you'll hear a lot about Sonic Blade and Lethal Flame, the game's two most-recommended "killer" sleights. Sonic Blade is difficult for hallway bosses in particular to card break if you can add every hit through to the "Finish" prompt. Lethal Flame has the advantage of using lower cards -- its composition is set, not the value -- and for continuing to execute while you're free to stock your next sleight. Against sleight-using bosses, compose your Lethal Flame sleights with total values over 20 whenever possible. . Exit Hall (6F) / Entrance Hall (7F) . In the Exit Hall (6F), a pretty foe awaits (no, not Axel, though he has scenes to steal). - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Larxene relies on thunder magic. Fire and ice whittle away her lifebars in short order. She moves fast enough, though, blizzard can be a near-miss. And sleights are her real weakness. If you have Sonic Blade by now, then now's a good time to start practicing and watch her lifebars get slashed. If you're low on HP, the Card Soldier enemy card speeds up your chances. For fun, take her out with a three-card Dumbo-cide, er, Splash LV3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thunder magic is yours for the win. Also, Sora obtains four new world cards (Block B: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, 100 Acre Wood) to use on floors seven through ten (7F-10F). Take the stairs for a pair of scenes. Review Jiminy's Journal for new story data and save. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- Now that you've seen all of what Block A offered, take a moment to review your decisions when picking world cards. With Block B, 100 Acre Wood provides a new wrinkle. Consider Pooh's world a respite from random enemies and boss fights (if you've played KH or KH2, you have an idea of what to expect). Tip! Pooh has a scene on leaving his world, for two scenes to replay if Exit Hall events lead to Continue. You can press Start and select Skip Event for each scene, of course, but if that's distasteful consider placing Pooh on the ninth floor. The three other worlds are a near match overall, with scant few factors swinging the gauge. The world maps vary in breadth, so you may wish to preview all five side-by-side in the "Maps - Sora" reference section. Note: Yes, five. 100 Acre Wood has a special map that replaces the usual world map for its assigned floor. Block B, default order: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, 100 Acre Wood Random enemies, easy -> hard: 100 Acre Wood, Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion Boss, demi-boss, & forced fights, easy -> hard: 100 Acre Wood, Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion Goodies, greater -> lesser usefulness: Neverland, 100 Acre Wood, Hollow Bastion, Atlantica Again, all but default order are gauged by the author's own variable scale. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Save and approach the doors. Choose the Atlantica world card, or another of your choosing. .: B.7 ATLANTICA (7F) :........................................................ . World Map - Seventh Floor . [E3]...[F3] + [CR] - Exit | [F1] - [F4] - [F7] | [E1] [F5]...[E4] : | [F2] - [F6] - [F8] | : Enter - [UR] [E2] Enter, Entrance Hall (7F); Exit, Exit Hall (7F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] Beginning with the seventh floor, regardless of the world, the Key to Rewards card may come up as a random drop after battle. The Rewards keycard must be used before another will drop. You can carry the keycard to another floor, however. And when you are carrying one, on the world map its event room (E4) is outlined in cyan. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- Now is a good time to revisit the lower floors to explore their Rewards rooms (as well as a bounty room in Traverse Town). Look to the maps to determine if the Rewards room is nearer a floor's entrance or exit, then warp accordingly. Return to the seventh floor for another Rewards keycard. Naturally, you can move forward instead. More opportunities for backtracking lie ahead with every warp point. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Moogle shops see an improved inventory, too, more costly and varied. Card packs may now include moderately rare cards, though the rarest cards still lie ahead. You also see the remaining two bounty-type map cards dropped after battle beginning on this floor. Okay, back to the world. No swimming, thank goodness. Hurl marked objects to open any jack-in-the-box; some give goodies, some explode. Sea urchins are generous and stun nearby heartless. In your first bounty room obtain the Shock Impact sleight, while a second yields the Homing Blizzara sleight. Smash scenery for Crabclaw attack cards. Unlock the Rewards room for the Quake sleight, quite devastating. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ursula has four tentacles Sora must eliminate to reach her, but handle them as pairs since they regenerate independently, or you could spend hours tackling them one after another. Pluto cards appear pretty regularly, depending on your Max CP and deck. Stock up three or use him as the lead in a stock so he's not wasted. Sonic Blade is a big help, taking out pairs of tentacles in nothing flat. Gimmick cards stun the sea witch briefly for easy pickings. Just take your time; it may not be a quick fight, but it needn't take too long either. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ursula forks over her enemy card. Save before leaving Conqueror's Respite. . Exit Hall (7F) / Entrance Hall (8F) . In the Exit Hall, a pretty foe awaits (no, not Axel this time either). - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ah, Riku. Wicked fast and his hits can stun, but no sleights for him. Lucky for Sora. Include a few sets for Sonic Blade. Add in Card Soldier to match speeds with Riku, and a Hi-Potion if you like, to reload premium attack cards. If Riku plays an enemy card, having Parasite Cage on hand is helpful. Dodge roll to avoid getting stunned, unleash Sonic Blade, then repeat. Lethal Flame makes a nice finale, if available. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gain an Aero magic card. Climb the stairs for more scenes. Save and choose your next world. .: B.8 NEVERLAND (8F) :........................................................ . World Map - Eighth Floor . Enter - [UR] [E4]...[F5] [CR] - Exit | | + [F1] - [F2] - [F4] - [F6] - [F8] | : | : [E2]...[F3] [E1] [F7] [E3] Enter, Entrance Hall (8F); Exit, Exit Hall (8F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] After the opening scene, Sora learns the Glide skill. Gliding time, with KH rather than KH2 rules -- brushing against a wall drops you like a stone. The first bounty room nets you the Teleport sleight, good against shields and large bodies. Crates and such may yield Fairy Harp attack cards. Visit the Rewards room for the Thunder Raid sleight. Pirate heartless can stun you, beware. Peter Pan joins you in the Beginnings room, but leaves again in Guidance; his sleights can also drop MP orbs, so pick him up before prospecting. He returns for the showdown in the Truth room (and thereafter). - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hooky's back. He throws exploding things and has a slightly nasty sleight involving barrels. Keep an eye on his cards. Pack a zero card to break his sleight. Button mashing works just fine, but Sonic Blade or Omnislash can shorten the fight considerably if you've learned either of those. Firaga works wonders, too, especially if you can play a Red Nocturne enemy card. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Obtain the Hook enemy card, plus the Tinker Bell summon card. Save and exit to the hallway. . Exit Hall (8F) / Entrance Hall (9F) . - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Riku, round 2. Still fast, a little stronger. A sleight and no enemy card. Second verse, same as the first. Sonic Blade and Lethal Flame still whittle down his lifebars in nothing flat. What worked in the last fight works here, too, and Card Soldier still gives you a good edge if you're going toe-to-toe with Riku. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Learn the Magnet Spiral sleight; quite useful against swarms of heartless, especially floaty types. Take the stairs up. Save and choose a world card. .: B.9 HOLLOW BASTION (9F) :................................................... . World Map - Ninth Floor . [E3] [E1] : : Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F4] - [F6] - [F8] | [F1] - [F3] - [F5] - [F7] - [F9] : + : [E2] [CR] - Exit [E4] Enter, Entrance Hall (9F); Exit, Exit Hall (9F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] In your first bounty room learn the Reflect Raid sleight. The scenery may yield Divine Rose attack cards, highly regarded in many quarters. And unlock the Rewards room for the Mushu summon card. Note: Mushu's flare sleights are fire based, not nonelemental as flare is often categorized in other Square titles. Beast doesn't join you until the Guidance room, so save any field-room prospecting until then if you like. Stars on platforms are stunners, but the pyramids let you wreak havoc, too. Strike the blue crystalline sunbursts to activate platforms between tiers. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Maleficent's dragon can be tough work -- spewing gas, snapping at you, and stomping around. Good time to pack in a few Hi-Potions. She plays a lot of low cards, though. The key here is to abuse gimmick cards. They create a platform that gets you above the green gas and concussion waves, and at eye level for sleights like Sonic Blade. Don't worry about falling off; the platform whizzes back and forth as needed for sleights, combos, or analog stick movement; pretty cool. Goofy and some stuff WILL knock you off, though. On the ground, button mashing does good damage. Jump over concussion waves and, if you have it, glide away from the gas clouds. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive the dragon's enemy card; it's a good one. Save, then exit. . Exit Hall (9F) / Entrance Hall (10F) . After the scene, ascend the stairs for another and save. Time for the last world in Block B. .: B.10 100 ACRE WOOD (10F) :.................................................. . World Map - 100 Acre Wood . Note: Unlike other maps, this one is specific to the world, wherever you position 100 Acre Wood in Castle Oblivion. If you choose another world, the tenth floor's usual world map is found in the "Maps - Sora" section. Enter - [PB] - [RH] - [HT] - [TP] - [MR] - [FI] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (10F); Exit, Exit Hall (10F) PB, Pooh Bear's House; RH, Rabbit's House; HT, Hunny Tree TP, Tigger's Playground; MR, Muddy Road; FI, Fields Note: 100 Acre Wood in KH-ReCOM differs significantly from the same world in KH-COM, according to that earlier game's guides. Watch the route Sora uses approaching the house so you'll know which is the opposite direction when it's time to leave for the next room. Okay, all the talking with Pooh gets things going. From then on, Pooh automatically follows Sora around; you needn't lead or wait for Pooh. Everything in 100 Acre Wood may be skipped, but simply running from room to room misses quite a few goodies, too. If you've played KH or KH2, in KH-ReCOM only minimal scores are needed for 100% journal completion. Ring the bell, then enter Pooh's house for a few orbs. Back outside, walk around the side of the house and talk to Piglet. He hides among the bushes; to stop him, press triangle when the reaction prompt appears. You learn the Confuse sleight for your efforts. Move on to the next room. VEGGIE PANIC. Lots of things to break for spoils in RH. (Tip! Best MP farming spot in the game.) Then help sort Rabbit's veggies. When Pooh skips onto the path, watch for reaction commands to hurl the keyblade. It may tag intervening veggies, too, but stay ready to bat away any that slip past Pooh. The other tricky bit involves carrots rolling down the hill and a jumbo-sized pumpkin. You need to hit the pumpkin five times -- press square or O to clear some carrots, then get in a few swipes at the gourd, clear more, then finish it off. The margin for error is six misses, which includes veggies rolling past, sent the wrong way, hitting Sora, or hitting Pooh. Get a score of 30 for the Cross-Slash+ sleight. Play again in Challenge Mode and for a score of 120, you receive a Fire card. Tip! With any of these minigames, first obtain the good prize with the minimal score. DON'T go for the top score on your first try, however hard it is to purposely "miss". BALLOON GLIDER. In the next room, float up past the jumbo-sized hunny glob to reach the top of the Hunny Tree for the Firaga Burst sleight. The margin for error is three balloons, but replacement balloons lie along the path. Get all 500 in Challenge Mode for a Stop magic card. With no time limit, this is the easiest challenge to complete. TIGGER'S JUMP-A-THON. In TP, jump up onto a stump and look over to the left for a chest on a ledge. Glide over to open it for the Spellbinder attack card. Now bounce along with Tigger. Mimic his bounces for 25 jumps and receive the Idyll Romp sleight. (The minigame doesn't automatically end, so anytime after 25 correct jumps is fine to intentionally miss and stop it.) Play again in Challenge Mode and for 75 bounces, receive an Ether. The margin for error is a single incorrect jump. Note: If you haven't yet learned Glide, remember to return for Spellbinder after visiting Neverland. WHIRLWIND PLUNGE. In MR are two minigames. First, jump up on the blustery well to get started. Survive the first freefall for a Mega-Ether. Get a score of over 2400 in Challenge Mode for a Gravity magic card. BUMBLE-RUMBLE. Still in MR, climb the ledge beside the well, talk to Eeyore, then look at the hole Pooh found to start the minigame. The Help screen reveals a two-card sleight (Honey Storm); be sure to lead with a keyblade, though. Use the special deck to fight off 50 bees and reveal Eeyore's tail for an Elixir. Fight off 70 bees in under a minute forty seconds (1:40) in Challenge Mode for a Hi-Potion. Traverse the fallen log to reach the exit to the last room. In the Fields is a save point. Take a moment to adjust your deck or do any housekeeping. Try to climb the log and you're prompted to leave. (If you balk for now, walk to an edge of the field to backtrack to the previous room, then return.) After the parting scene finishes, you receive the Bambi summon card. . Exit Hall (10F) / Entrance Hall (11F) . Right into a scene, and a boss fight. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vexen is an ice man, so banish any blizzard magic from your deck. And avoid the Duck. Vexen telegraphs his moves, be ready to dodge roll. His shield can get mighty annoying; Teleport or Cross-Slash+ can get you behind him, however. He often starts out playing a zero card. Fire works very well and may stun Vexen, but Sonic Blade and Ars Arcanum -- along with a few Hi-Potions or Cura stocked with that nifty new Elixir -- drain all those lifebars pretty fast. If you've learned Lethal Flame, experimenting on Vexen is only fair. Deck the Parasite Cage enemy card to dispel Vexen's Blizzard Boost as soon as it appears beside his revolver. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Afterward, learn the Freeze sleight -- it's a great opening move in a random encounter deck -- and receive the next world card. Head up for more scenes. Save and take a look at the new world. .: B.11 TWILIGHT TOWN (11F) :.................................................. . World Map - Eleventh Floor . Enter - [UR] [E4] [E1] | : : [F1] - [F4] - [F5] - [F6] | + [F2] [CR] - Exit | [F3] Enter, Entrance Hall (11F); Exit, Exit Hall (11F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] Watch for Mingling Worlds map cards to start turning up. Moogle shops see another upgrade; their best card packs are now available and worth a look. In the first bounty room, you learn Warpinator, one of only two things to KO a white mushroom. No new attack cards, alas, but open the Rewards room for the Stardust Blitz sleight. Tip! Gather your green map cards while you may. None will drop on the next two floors. In the Beginnings room, a boss awaits. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vexen returns. Still slow, still telegraphing his moves. And his moves can be formidable, especially near the end when he hauls out his icy sword, but better to disappoint him with card breaks. Firaga and Mushu's Flare Breath sleights do good damage -- excellent, played in concert with Red Nocturne -- and may stun him. Sonic Blade and Ars Arcanum still drain all those lifebars pretty fast if you can make every hit count. And Lethal Flame can flatout punch his ticket. Want to really lay on the hurt? Bring out your Card Soldier to speed in even more attacks. If Vexen proves too tough, call on Hook; the extra protection is often just enough. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Defeat Vexen, get his card, a lifesaver when you're close to winning. Hmm, and straight to Conqueror's Respite. Go back for any skipped rooms first, if you like, then come back to save. . Exit Hall (11F) / Entrance Hall (12F) . Wouldn't you know, another boss fight. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Riku, round 3. Still fast, a little stronger. Still has a zero card, but no enemy card visible on deck. Third verse, same as the first. Recruit your Card Soldier to help keep time. Firaga has a nice knockback factor, keeping Riku out of your face. Sonic Blade works wonders against, though each hit does a bit less damage than last round. Try Strike Raid in close, or Lethal Flame if he's troublesome. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mega-Potion is yours for the win and, after Goofy states the obvious, so is the next world card. Upstairs, a few scenes, a save point. .: B.12 DESTINY ISLANDS (12F) :................................................ . World Map - Twelfth Floor . [CR] - Exit + [F1] - [F2] - [F3] - [F4] | : | Enter - [UR] [E1] [E4]...[F5] | [F6] : [E2] Enter, Entrance Hall (12F); Exit, Exit Hall (12F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] A bounty room nets you the Judgment sleight, the very best of the "raid" sleights. Again, no world-specific attack cards. In the Rewards room you find a Megalixir, the pinnacle of item cards. Tip! Try out every item card, if you haven't already. Switching in a few premium cards leaves room for the high-end item cards. Worth it to gain repeated use of otherwise unreloadable cards. Stocking one in behind a Cura sleight -- Cure + Cure + item card -- even low-valued item cards work well. As you might suspect, no friend cards appear during random encounters. A boss lurks in the Guidance room, behind a door valued at 50, yikes! - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Darkside is back...to KH vets, at least. Reaching him can be challenging (where are all the aerial combos, eh?), but Judgment works surprisingly well. His attacks are easily avoided, too, except maybe when he emits dark clouds. Gimmick cards raise rock pillars that you can climb to better reach the big bad. Or just wait for him to hand you his hand; the black puddle doesn't hurt and the shadows are more distraction than threat. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You obtain Oathkeeper, one of the better attack cards. Save and exit this world. . Exit Hall (12F) / Entrance Hall (13F) . Ah, the next confrontation. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Riku, round four. A good bit stronger. Still resists magic, but NOT immune. Even now Sonic Blade, Firaga, and Lethal Flame are formidable weapons. Card Soldier remains a big help with an attack-card heavy deck. Make room for the better item cards and save a ton of time. If things come down to the wire, don't hesitate to put Hook or Vexen in play. Tip! You may want Parasite Cage on hand in case Riku plays his enemy card, but hold off if he plays Incrementor -- his nine-heavy deck is suddenly zero-land, removing the threat of Dark Aura. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Riku's card is yours, worth adding to your deck. But WAIT, don't move on just yet. Step back out and save. Come back into the Exit Hall and speak with Namine first. (It's only one inconsequential line, but you miss it otherwise.) Now talk to Riku for a big scene. Yep, and another boss fight. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Larxene is still a power girl. Set aside any lightning attacks; they won't touch her. She's fast as lightning, too. Donald and Goofy are back to assist. Yes, Sonic Blade still reigns, but Lethal Flame may top the damage done. Riku's enemy card can reduce lightning damage. You get double duty from your sleights, too, but thunder resistance can keep you alive, so don't let the counter run out. Have Parasite Cage ready to dispel her Thunder Boost if needed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Get Larxene's enemy card. After the scene, receive Oblivion, another top attack card. And you're STILL in the Exit Hall. Go on up the stairs and save there. More journal entries are now available, by the by. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- Now is a good time to make use of the warp point and pillage the Rewards rooms on the lower floors, if you haven't already. Since only one Rewards keycard can be carried at a time, and since that keycard only drops on the higher floors (7F-13F), be prepared to warp around a bit. Good time for leveling up, too, exploring bounty rooms for the special goodies offered on every floor, collecting enemy cards, and so on. Tip! Enter the top floor first for a very helpful sleight. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- No world card needed, so head through to the thirteenth floor. .: B.13 CASTLE OBLIVION (13F) :................................................ . World Map - Thirteenth Floor . [F5] - [Fa] [E1] | | : Enter - [UR] [F6] [Fb] - [Fd] | | | [F1] [F7] [Fe] | | | [F2] [F8] [Ff] | | + [F3] - [F4] - [F9] - [Fc] + [Fg] - [UR] - Exit : [E4] Enter, Entrance Hall (13F); Exit, Exit Hall (13F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] You learn the Trinity Limit sleight before you even see how ruddy big this floor is. Tip! Though Trinity Limit's Help shows Donald first, swapping him and Goofy works fine too, as long as you lead with an attack card. Be prepared. The first random encounter on 13F may prove tougher than any boss on the lower floors -- hordes of heartless, many immune to magic, and possibly including nearly a dozen neoshadows. This floor could take a while. Tip! Hold one Random Joker in reserve for entry into the Beginnings room. Head for the Rewards room pronto. (Jokers are useful there too, if you have extras; save up map cards for winnowing on this door otherwise.) You learn the Super Glide skill, better soon as late. Handy for ringing those bells. Note: Super Glide works different in KH-ReCOM than in KH. Press O to jump and immediately press O again to stay aloft and speed along faster and for longer distances before your trajectory declines. (KH's Superglide required another button combination and cornered crisply with the shoulder buttons. A period of adjustment may be necessary.) A bounty room yields the Raging Storm sleight. Floor medallions may stun nearby heartless or harmlessly glow green after opening. Shades of KH2, take out the black-centered defense pods when you run into them, before they target you. Brief scenes occur partway -- entering F3 and F5, by the map above. And yes, a boss fight lurks in the Beginnings room (past a costly door indeed), so save up before entering. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Axel, once more with feeling. Far stronger now, with a couple of sleights that may wear on you. Fire bad, heals Axel. Sonic Blade works...IF the first hit connects, odds are he won't card break you. Ice sleights do far better damage. Freeze works, but with Axel's mobility Blizzaga and Homing Blizzara are better choices. Deck a couple of zero cards to counter his sleights if they prove troublesome. Serving Axel a cold lunch? Be sure to invite a Blue Rhapsody. Otherwise, play your Riku card for the reduced fire damage. If at all possible, have Darkside standing by to copycat Axel's own ability, Quick Recovery, if it appears and gain immunity to fire. Tip! Axel often teleports after he's hit. Stock your next sleight, but wait a heartbeat until Axel vanishes and rematerializes before unleashing it. Getting trigger happy can cost too many cards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Got Axel's card memorized? Doorways now lead into Fg, per the map above. Make sure to save before entering the last UR, however, as another boss fight awaits. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Marluxia's appearance is not the final battle, not just yet. He has one sleight that can cause you serious grief. Build your deck for big attacks and view this fight as a prelude. He has only a slight elemental resistance, so use magic as much as you like. Sonic Blade works like a charm, as will any physical attack sleights, though you want a few zero cards ready in case his sleight gets stocked. Or employ Zantetsuken instead, since its nines can break any single card he plays. Deck Parasite Cage in case his Double Sleight gets played. He's weak to all of your sleights while it's in play, however. Tip! Pay attention to his audible cues for his impending sleights; you'll be glad you did. Pause and look over his deck, too, while you're at it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive Marluxia's enemy card for the win. Review the Journal's new entries, do any housekeeping. Save at the save point, because you've reached, drumroll please, THE POINT OF NO RETURN. Note: Okay, technically KH games have no "point of no return," since you're given a choice to Continue after a defeat. And unlike KH or KH2, KH-ReCOM also allows saving after the final battle. But this IS the point where the closing events of Sora's story begin unfolding. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- Before rushing onward, two new attack cards have just been unlocked, a reward for reaching the final save point. You can pick them up right here on the thirteenth floor, too. If you're interested, backtrack one screen and synthesize a new moogle room. The two attack cards, Diamond Dust and One-Winged Angel, can be found by striking objects in the field room or by purchasing the two best red or mixed card packs (black and white ribbons) from the moogle shop. Tip! Save first so you can reset if neither card turns up. The cards can also appear in treasure chests if you have extra bounty map cards, and some have said they see better results on other floors, but a moogle room on 13F often yields quick results (six field objects, plus four card packs that may hold red cards; up to twenty-six chances per room). And if you've been hoarding MP, now is a good time to spend some of it. Note: Not your first playthrough? Several other cards may have been unlocked at this time, too. When you're ready, return to (and again use) the final save point. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- This is it. Approach the final doorway and pick "It's our last battle!" - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Marluxia's final confrontation can take a while. In his first incarnation he has a pair of scythe-like appendages, plus his own self. And he's airborne. Attack sleights work well against the body (not so good against the scythes), though it's a bit of overkill. At this stage he's easily beaten by keeping an eye on his stock and countering each card, slipping in extra hits when you can. Each scythe drops HP orbs when it breaks, and won't regenerate. When the first form is defeated, your deck and HP are both refreshed. For his second incarnation, grounded again, save the sleights for when you're nose-to-nose with Marluxia. He looks like he's shielded, but a glance at his lifebar shows it depleting, so swing away. Two attacks of note: 1) He scatters your deck over the battlefield. Run around and pick them up, listening for his cues and card breaking him as needed. You shouldn't lose any cards in this maneuver, other than any enemy card in play. 2) Doom! The trick here is breaking every card he plays, before the countdown ends -- tapping X as fast as you can works well. Tip! During Gale of Severance is an excellent time to reload your deck. It does no damage and you can quickly Super Glide back to him. When he's down to his last three lifebars, keep an ear out for "the beginning of the end" or "Behold!" -- break him fast, because these precede a block of killer moves, several sleights coming one right after the other. Parasite Cage him immediately if his Double Sleight ability shows up; a single barrage is bad enough. An alternative approach to this fight is to pack your deck full of nines, along with a few sets of Cure and reload cards. Play only single cards, no sleights at all until the end of each part, then Zantetsuken every sleight he plays and single-card him into oblivion. Also, Firaga under Fire Boost (Red Nocturne) or Thundaga under Thunder Boost (Yellow Opera) inflicts plentiful damage very economically and nicely augments an all-nines deck. A definite boon when he's airborne, too. And if you are foiled just as you're about to finish him off, playing Vexen's enemy card might afford you the needed edge. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After the final scenes, credits role. Stick around, after the still frames there are some cute if incidental animations especially for this sequence. And when the graphics shift to the left side you're treated to a glimpse at a few scenes NOT taking place in KH-ReCOM. A brief scene plays out following the credits, and an epilogue of sorts. Last up is the Battle Record screen. Write it all down for posting at GameFAQs.com, if you like. Here's a template you're welcome to copy. . BATTLE RECORD - SORA . Game level > xxxx Mode Journal covered > nnn% Card Collector Rank > xxxx Enemies defeated > nnnn Special treasures obtained > nn/24 Card Breaks > nnnn times Sleight most often used > xxxx nnnn times Clear time > nn:nn A very frequently asked question about KH and KH2 -- how to get past this screen -- has been addressed in KH-ReCOM. Notice a pair of prompts at the lower-right. Press X (Save Menu) to save your "clear" data; choose a new save slot if you like. IMPORTANT! Don't skip saving now! A clear save for Sora is needed to unlock Part II of KH-ReCOM. It's also vital if you want Sora to collect all of his remaining cards and achieve 100% completion. The clear save displays a gold card, and in the Browser a musical note is appended to the file name. WARNING! Not recommended, but from Battle Record instead pressing O, End Game, prompts if you're sure. If you then answer Yes, you're returned to the title screen WITHOUT saving. Selecting No takes you back to your Battle Record, where you can rethink the choice and instead press X to save your clear data. Done saving, back out and the title screen appears. But wait! New artwork, touting "Reverse/Rebirth" in blue. Your options are now NEW GAME, LOAD, and THEATER. Note: In KH-COM, this menu included a LINK command rather than THEATER. Linking into Versus (VS) mode is not a feature of KH-ReCOM. LOAD takes you through the familiar loading screens. With Sora's clear save, thirteen new cards are unlocked: One in each world's Rewards room and one bounty-room extra in Traverse Town. You can LOAD the clear data you just saved and get them now, but six additional cards are only unlocked following Part II, so this guide covers collecting all nineteen at that point. (Can't wait? Skip ahead to "CLEAR BONUS!") THEATER lets you replay all of the cutscenes thus far -- select the chapter, then the scene to replay. NEW GAME now leads to a choice: Sora or Riku. If you choose Sora, return to the top of this walkthrough. But most likely you'll choose Riku at this point, so read on. .:| C. WALKTHROUGH, PART II - RIKU'S STORY |:...............................:.: Note: To be clear, Riku's story is NOT a "new game plus". Nothing carries forward from Sora's story, other than a presumption that you have played as Sora and remember all the mechanics of battle, room synthesis, and so on. If you're continuing with a previously saved game, from the title screen choose LOAD, your memory card, and the desired saved game, then skip ahead to the appropriate section in this guide. Otherwise, choose NEW GAME, then Riku. Select the game mode. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- For this guide, Standard Mode is presumed. Beginner Mode presents weaker enemies, while Proud Mode serves up tougher battles, but storywise both follow along exactly the same lines as Standard Mode. Note: The game-end artwork varies for Riku, too, depending on the mode selected. Still no "secret ending" type of extras, though. The game mode cannot be changed in the middle of a game. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Choose your vibration and audio settings. These two options can be changed later from the Settings menu. Your selections are displayed; select Yes to continue, or No to change your selections. The title screen "shatters". When the opening scene is complete, you obtain the Hollow Bastion world card and gain control of Riku in B12F Entrance Hall. Save at the save point. IMPORTANT! Choose a separate save slot for Riku's game. Do NOT overwrite Sora's saved game if you wish 100% completion of his game. Game saves for Riku require 53 KB each, the same as Sora. Games played in Beginner or Proud Modes are so noted on SAVE and LOAD screens. Note: Game-saves in Standard or Proud mode show an open or filled star, respectively, appended to the file name in the PS2's Browser. For more details, see the "Save Files" reference section. Take a moment to see how Riku moves. Press X to swing Soul Eater, his weapon. Press O to jump. Press square for Riku's variation on Dodge Roll, more of a Dodge Roll Hop (or Spring Roll, if you will, though the manual's Controls table calls the move Side Step). In basic movement, Riku seems to have greater strength and reach but less speed and agility than Sora. Explore the menu, too, especially Review Decks for a one-time-only Help text explaining Riku's "closed" deck. Also of note is the D Report, which replaces Jiminy's Journal and includes many "New!" entries to peruse (detailed in the "D Report" section). Adjust your Settings as needed. Save again once all is read, if you like. Approach the doors and press triangle. Press X to confirm using the Hollow Bastion world card. .: C.1 HOLLOW BASTION (B12F) :................................................. . World Map - Twelfth Basement . [E2] : Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F3] - [F5] + [CR] - Exit | | : [F2] - [F4] [E3] : [E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B12F); Exit, Exit Hall (B12F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Defender WARNING! Take care to let the voice's dialogue completely appear. Unlike normal dialogue "balloons", pressing X immediately dismisses the voice's words. .: RANDOM ENEMY CARDS :. Unlike Sora, random enemies drop no enemy cards for Riku. Instead, Riku automatically learns at least one new random enemy card with each new world synthesized, as noted above the Defender enemy card in Hollow Bastion. These cards are world specific and won't be included in decks elsewhere. Beast doesn't join Riku. In fact, the vacancy of all but heartless seems the theme of this floor. No tutorials, not as Sora went through, but for most rooms simple button mashing suffices. With the closed deck, playing stocked cards only depletes your options at this point. And don't forget about playing your enemy cards -- press Select to bring up that revolver. Tip! Be sure to visit Review Decks often. Your available cards may change when you move into a new room or hallway. Shortcut must be reassigned with every deck change, too, such as when returning to Entrance Hall from an Unknown Room and vice versa. All sorts of map cards turn up right away, though still fewer room types than with Sora. Build up a good balance and remember the 99-card limit. Hold off using Meeting Ground map cards until a friend is available. Something to keep in mind at all times is Riku's inability to cure himself. HP orbs from smashing scenery in the field become vital. Break up only as much as needed to heal. Barrels and such don't hide anything else anyway. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- Like Sora, Riku is offered up to three bonuses when he levels up. The +15 HP boost is always available, while the +1 AP boost only appears every third level-up (LV 2, 5, 8, and so on). The +2 DP boost is dimmed until Dark Mode is learned (more then). HP is much more important to Riku since he has no cure magic. AP is vital, increasing the power of Riku's Soul Eater attack card and how much damage he can inflict; grab it without fail whenever it appears. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Use the Beginnings keycard for a scene, and the Guidance keycard for another. But a boss fight awaits in the Truth room, so save up first. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Maleficent's dragon is pretty straightforward. The biggest threats are the green gas that steadily drains Riku's HP and the concussion waves that can come in a flurry. Gimmick cards may appear. They work the same as with Sora, creating a platform that gets you above the green gas and whizzes back and forth as needed. Single-card break the dragon until you get a gimmick card. Then jump on and combo away. Jump over concussion waves as needed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You obtain the dragon's enemy card with the win and the card is added to your deck right away. Its handicap isn't a handicap for Riku, since his deck reloads in a flash. While random enemy cards are world specific, boss enemy cards can carry forward with Riku's deck. Unlike Sora, Riku is NOT auto-transported to Conqueror's Respite, but this time you're only one room away. Be sure to save in Conqueror's Respite, though, for another confrontation awaits in the Exit Hall. Tip! Most of Riku's world maps contain more rooms than strictly necessary. Since the worldly boss often drops an enemy card, try tackling the boss on a direct route (rather than filling out the map first) so you can use the new enemy card along the path to Conqueror's Respite. . Exit Hall (B12F) / Entrance Hall (B11F) . - - - Boss? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ansem returns (which, if you've played KH2, can be mighty puzzling). But this is a tutorial battle more than anything, if in a convoluted manner. You learn about Rapid Breaks...as soon as one is pulled off, whether on your first move or your twenty-third. To score a Rapid Break, keep an eye on Ansem's deck and break his card the instant he settles on the top card. There is a bit of elbow room, but you still need to be quick. A successful Rapid Break earns an "AP Bonus" displayed and temporarily increases your hitting power. Trivia! Enjoy the "quicky" typo. Next, Ansem introduces the notion of card duels, which may prove hell for anyone not a wiz with maneuvering through the card revolver, until you understand what's going on. Instead of breaking Ansem's card, MATCH it. Since for this battle Ansem only plays sevens, matching him is pretty easy. With the match, the Duel reaction command appears; quick, press triangle. Now you have four seconds to match three cards Ansem plays, usually a 9, 8, and 7 for this fight, though they come up in random order. You can reload during a duel, but with the time allotted often it's not much help. Tip! Time is too short, in fact. Just tap X as fast as you can. Even with a reload midway, you'll probably garner a Successful! Pulling it off executes a Duel Attack sleight. In fact, the fight ends after you win one card duel...and THEN the game explains card duels. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You learn D Mode (or Dark Mode). --- ABOUT D MODE! ------------------------------------------------------------- Those Dark Points (DP) shown on the Status screen now have meaning. The higher the Dark Points shown under Status, the longer D Mode lasts. In battle, Rapid Breaks and card breaks landed against foes increase a counter and fill a gauge by Riku's health bar. The gauge is blue while filling (l-r), but appears white (depleting r-l) while in D Mode. Note: Despite in-game help, Dark Mode always activates when the counter reaches "30", regardless of whether Max DP is 8 or 99. Reaching 30 can take more effort at LV5 than at LV99, however. Once the gauge fills, Riku enters Dark Mode. His attire changes, he hits much harder, his side step move changes, and he can invoke several "dark" sleights. The counter now reflects Max DP and regulates how long D Mode endures. DP is depleted only when Riku takes damage (the more, the faster) or suffers a card break. If you take no hits, you won't leave D Mode the rest of the battle, but some bosses inflict enough damage to knock you out of D Mode with one hit. When the counter reaches zero and the gauge empties, Riku returns to normal. Trivia! If Riku is KOed in D Mode, he floats in his dark outfit on the Continue screen. Level-up bonuses now always include +2 DP boosts in addition to +15 HP and the intermittent +1 AP boosts. Continue grabbing any AP bonus offered, but your best bet the rest of the time is balancing out HP and DP boosts. Tip! If enemies -- including bosses -- aren't making a dent on Riku's health meter, treat yourself to an extra DP boost or two. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- You also receive a block of four world cards (Block C: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town). Before climbing the stairs, review the menus. Lots of new info, especially under Status (or go to Review Decks > View Decks and press square) -- Riku has learned all of the Attack and Duel Attack sleights. All righty. Take the stairs for another scene. A warp point is available here (and another has appeared in B12F Entrance Hall), but just save at the save point. Notice that the King now appears under Friends beside Riku's health meter. Check Status again, because all of the Friend sleights have been learned, too. And check D Report > Story for an update. When you're ready, approach the doors and press triangle. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- While this guide takes the worlds in the order they come up, you can play your new world cards however you like between basement floors eleven through eight (B11F-B8F). Remember, world maps and hallway events are linked to the floor, not the world synthesized on that floor. By now you know what you'll face with bosses (they're no different here, except Riku relies on the King for healing), and most of the true goodies are received in hallways. The notable difference between worlds is reduced to how tough the random heartless may prove. Boss enemy cards need consideration, too. If reaching Iago was troubling with Sora, for instance, let Riku visit Traverse Town beforehand to garner Guard Armor's enemy card and to have hope of finding it in your Jafar-facing deck. Block C, default order: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town Random enemies, easy -> hard: Traverse Town, Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- So select the Agrabah world card, or one of your own choosing. .: C.2 AGRABAH (B11F) :........................................................ . World Map - Eleventh Basement . Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F3] + [CR] - Exit | | [F2] - [F4] : [E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B11F); Exit, Exit Hall (B11F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Fat Bandit Unlike Sora's story, for this block of world cards Riku is simply presented the Beginnings keycard without any fanfare. These worlds all lack the Guidance and Truth event rooms, too. Time to get accustomed to how D Mode works and try out all those sleights. Let Riku react to enemies' cards in battle rather than initiating the attack, watch his gauges. Notable, too, Dark Firaga is NOT a fire elemental attack. Card duels can be wrangled up from now on, too, a valuable skill to master. Tip! Take care playing the King when D Mode's gauge nears full. Sneak in another card break to enter D Mode first. Using the Beginnings keycard throws you into a boss fight without preamble. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jafar-Genie plays some high cards, but he isn't your target. Swat down Iago, the bird carrying the magic lamp. The perspective is just awful. Make your hits count as best as you can. Limit your sleights to card breaking Jafar or when you have a King card with which to lead -- or better yet, two! Try for D Mode, where Dark Break can clobber Iago. Use the platforms to reach Iago or avoid Jafar's attacks. And if you get stuck, a gimmick card levels them to your advantage. Remember your enemy cards, too. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive the Jafar enemy card for your troubles, a good choice in single-carding random heartless. Move on to Conqueror's Respite and save. . Exit Hall (B11F) / Entrance Hall (B10F) . Exit and take the stairs up for a scene and a save point. Approach the doors and use the next world card. .: C.3 MONSTRO (B10F) :........................................................ . World Map - Tenth Basement . Enter - [UR] - [F1] + [CR] - Exit | [F2] | [F3] | [F4] : [E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B10F); Exit, Exit Hall (B10F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Search Ghost Again the Beginnings keycard throws you straight into a boss fight. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Parasite Cage plays middling cards. It swings and spits at you, but the biggest threats are the poisonous bog and sinking platforms. Jump for some airborne combos to keep Riku's feet out of the green goo. Get to D Mode and Dark Break keeps you out of it too, while dealing some nice damage. Gimmick cards drain the pool, worth chasing down. Mix in the King for the healing, though the boss drops HP orbs after you land a solid hit. Duels require 5 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The boss's enemy card is yours, a very good one for Riku's needs. Trek over to Conqueror's Respite and save before exiting. . Exit Hall (B10F) / Entrance Hall (B9F) . Another boss fight awaits. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vexen likes ice. His big shield can be a pain, so go aerial with attacks. One attack tries to impale Riku on ice spikes, homing in relentlessly, and can hit multiple times. Run, jump, spring roll to avoid if you can't card break it. He falls easily to well-timed card breaks and sleights. Get to Dark Mode; the deck has several nines and Dark Aura is a nice way to cut down Vexen. Duels need 5 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nope, nothing for the win. (Vexen's D Report entry is revealing.) Take the stairs up and save. Choose your next world card. .: C.4 NEVERLAND (B9F) :....................................................... . World Map - Ninth Basement . Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F4]...[E1] | | [F2] - [F5] | | [F3] - [F6] + [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (B9F); Exit, Exit Hall (B9F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Pirate If you've been button mashing up to now, things get a little tougher in this world -- about half the single cards played are broken. Not a great deck, and the Pirate enemy card can be a pain. Tip! Play Pirate to rack up the Rapid Breaks and get into Dark Mode, then press Select and play another enemy card to cancel out Pirate. Save before the Beginnings room and retain the option of taking a break if you feel the need. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hooky's back. He loves retreating to the quarterdeck, out of reach. Hook throws things that explode, including a barrage of barrels. Save your sleights for D Mode and whittle away at the old codfish. Mind your health, in case the King doesn't appear too frequently. Dueling with Hook needs 5 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For defeating Hook, you receive his enemy card, good for foiling near-death experiences when things get tough. Make your way over to Conqueror's Respite and save. . Exit Hall (B9F) / Entrance Hall (B8F) . Head out and up to the next floor for a scene. Save and pick the next world card. .: C.5 TRAVERSE TOWN (B8F) :................................................... . World Map - Eighth Basement . [F1] - [F4] - [F7] + [CR] - Exit | | Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F5] - [F8] | | [F3] - [F6] - [F9]...[E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B8F); Exit, Exit Hall (B8F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Shadow Skimpy deck. Duels are challenging, even with the shadow enemy card. Red nocturne heartless aren't healed by Riku's Dark Firaga; don't shy away from it. And don't overlook the District 3 styled globe lights or red banners when hunting down HP orbs. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Guard Armor has multiple targets on it. Don't be fooled by the short lifebars -- each part has one of its own. Take it apart piece by piece to gain a shot at the torso. Dark Break can achieve some spectacular heights. Gimmick cards make this boss fall to pieces, appropriate enough, for easy meat. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive the Guard Armor enemy card. Save in Conqueror's Respite before exiting. . Exit Hall (B8F) / Entrance Hall (B7F) . In the B8F Exit Hall, a surprising foe confronts Riku. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Riku's replica is always in dark attire, if keeping the two straight proves difficult. He hits pretty hard, too. Concentrate on card breaking the replica until you can get into D Mode. Then play Maleficent's enemy card. Look to the end of your deck for a block of nines. Between Riku's dark sleights, the replica should quickly fall. Once again, duels require 5 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You get nothing for winning. Ascend the stairs for a couple of scenes and a new block of four world cards (Block D: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town), which can be used in any order on basement floors seven through four (B7F-B4F). --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- A brief evaluation of random foes is again in order. Also you may wish to peruse the maps ahead; they vary a bit more with this block. Block D, default order: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town Random enemies, easy -> hard: Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Atlantica, Halloween Town --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Save and choose your next stop. .: C.6 ATLANTICA (B7F) :....................................................... . World Map - Seventh Basement . [F1] - [F4] - [F7] + [CR] - Exit | Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F5] - [F8] | [F3] - [F6] - [F9]...[E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B7F); Exit, Exit Hall (B7F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy cards automatically learned: Sea Neon, Darkball Trivia! The Darkball enemy card is unique to Riku. Sora never sees it. Two random foes in Atlantica favor five-card duels. Best avoided while the Darkball enemy card is in play -- against three-carders, you can squeak in up to three duels per reload and devastate the battlefield. As with Block C, the Beginnings keycard is presented without fanfare. All Block D worlds lack Guidance and Truth event rooms as well. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ursula, plus two pairs of tentacles, which have their own lifebars. Take out the tentacles so you can get to her. Even then, Riku needs to jump. The sea witch doesn't sleight, but she has some big cards. Luckily, your deck includes a couple of zero cards. Slow 'n steady, this is NOT a fast fight. Take care with depleting your deck. Gimmick cards dismiss the tentacles and make her faint long enough to get in some good damage, especially with Dark Break. Darkball can duel the tentacles out of your way, as can the King's Burst sleights. Duels need 5 card breaks; eww, Maelstrom is not very tasty against Ursula. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Get her enemy card, a hand up against magical foes. Save and exit. . Exit Hall (B7F) / Entrance Hall (B6F) . Go upstairs for a scene -- an extension on scenage in Sora's story, in fact, so don't be too quick to skip it. Save and pick your next world. .: C.7 OLYMPUS COLISEUM (B6F) :................................................ . World Map - Sixth Basement . Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F3] | | [F2] - [F4] - [F6] + [CR] - Exit | | [F5] - [F7] : [E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B6F); Exit, Exit Hall (B6F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Powerwild Gangs of simian heartless can make this challenging, but the King's sleights are quite effective. No Cloud, though. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hades likes fire and may get a Fire Boost from an enemy card. Don't "feel the heat" if you can dodge the attack. Get to D Mode, use Maleficent, and pound on him. Don't bother with Dark Break. Save your zero cards to break his sleights and stock up two or three of the King's cards for healing. Parasite Cage can handily dispel that Fire Boost. Dueling Hades needs 7 card breaks. Tip! Riku's deck has a trio of one-valued cards at the end. Shortcut the block! Save the Powerwild enemy card for Dark Mode and turn the ones into nines for Dark Aura. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Get the Hades enemy card. Save and exit. . Exit Hall (B6F) / Entrance Hall (B5F) . Go upstairs for a scene. Save and pick the next world. .: C.8 WONDERLAND (B5F) :...................................................... . World Map - Fifth Basement . [F1] - [F5]...[E1] | | [F2] - [F6] + [CR] - Exit | | [F3] - [F7] | | Enter - [UR] - [F4] - [F8] Enter, Entrance Hall (B5F); Exit, Exit Hall (B5F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Large Body Arguably the worst deck in Riku's game. Time to get creative with the King, enemy cards, and most important, card duels. The Hades enemy card is a good choice against red nocturnes. If doors are strapped in vines, strike at the large violet flowers until the vines wither away. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Trickmaster has the same moves as against Sora. If the boss plays a 7 or an 8, just avoid taking damage; the deck is too slim to afford stocking cards. Riku easily reaches the tabletop, no chair required, but the boss floors it in nothing flat. Timed jumps avoid floor-slamming damage. Go for the duels, the quickest road to victory with the feeble deck. Trickmaster has a brief lapse after Maelstrom, nearly stunned, so quickly sneak in a few single-card attacks. Play Hook right at the start. Stock up the King for MM Miracle sleights. Duels need 5 card breaks, which surprisingly the deck accommodates. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Trickmaster card is yours. Find your respite and save. . Exit Hall (B5F) / Entrance Hall (B4F) . Climb the stairs for a couple of scenes. Save and move on. .: C.9 HALLOWEEN TOWN (B4F) :.................................................. . World Map - Fourth Basement . [E1] : [F3] - [F7] | | [F1] - [F4] - [F8] - [Fb] | | [F2] - [F5] - [F9] - [Fc] + [CR] - Exit | | Enter - [UR] - [F6] - [Fa] Enter, Entrance Hall (B4F); Exit, Exit Hall (B4F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Enemy card automatically learned: Wight Knight Scary Riku, scary. Big floor, though. And a good deck for trying out Dark Aura. The guillotine is fun to play with in the field and yields HP orbs, but mind its bite. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oogie Boogie throws dice from behind a barrier. Card break him to drop the barrier, bit by bit. Gimmick cards do likewise all at once, and stun him for a while. In D Mode just single-card him into a hasty adieu. The boss duels for 5 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Receive the bugman's enemy card, an invaluable aid with bosses yet ahead. Save before leaving for the hallway, don't skip it. . Exit Hall (B4F) / Entrance Hall (B3F) . A BIG big-bad waits. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lexaeus is brawny. He's resistant to physical attacks, so don't bother with plain combos. He has one sleight, and it's a killer. As is his enemy card, so the moment Warp Break appears, play Parasite Cage. Go for the duels. Duel sleights, regular or dark, inflict big damage. Plus they afford time to get ready to reload or select a nine, his favorite move right after a duel. He may even match whatever card you have showing, so don't be too quick with the reloading. Otherwise, Lexaeus doesn't play any item cards so work on depleting his deck. Concentrate on card breaking his single cards and getting into D Mode, but hold your zero cards until his sleight comes up. D Mode is where you can unleash even bigger damage with sleights, his weakness, and bring Lexaeus crashing down. Duels need 7 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You obtain his enemy card -- one of Riku's best tools for clearing a battlefield of random heartless, and the passive bonuses are nice, too. After the scene plays out, take the stairs for another scene and then save. World cards come one by one from now on. Note: Riku's story takes a slightly different tact from KH-COM right about here. If consulting those guides, be aware that a blanket loss they mention does NOT occur in KH-ReCOM. .: C.10 DESTINY ISLANDS (B3F) :................................................ . World Map - Third Basement . [E1] : [F1] - [F4] - [F6] | | [F2] [F7] + [CR] - Exit | | Enter - [UR] - [F3] - [F5] - [F8] Enter, Entrance Hall (B3F); Exit, Exit Hall (B3F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] Hey, an entry scene. Synthesize a Moment's Reprieve before using the Beginnings keycard. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Darkside has multiple target points. Hit any of them, whichever is nearest the ground. He also tries to distract you with some shadow buddies; small potatoes, but defeat them anyway to release a gimmick card. Gimmick cards raise rock pillars you can climb to get in Darkside's face. Swing away with Soul Eater while you can. Duels take 7 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Winning nets you the Darkside enemy card, which can lend you some nice abilities both active and passive. A door appears, which can take you out to the last room (F4, above; Moment's Reprieve, right?). When you're ready, talk to the lad on the beach for a lengthy scene leading to another boss. Note: If you bobble this next fight you needn't face Darkside again, even if you didn't go through the door and save. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Zexion puts up a fun fight. His deck includes an elixir and he has several special attacks of note. Riku's in perma D Mode. Sleights inflict good damage while breaking up Zexion's deck, though there's a hefty downside. All of Zexion's attacks syphon cards from Riku's deck, whether one or many. Debilitating enough without your own sleights compounding the problem, though an opportunity exists for recovering your cards. Zexion likes conjuring a dark tornado (Cyclone Snatch) that does paltry damage, but makes a big dent on your deck. Dodge roll away from the vortex to reach clear sand (with a tree), or tag a zero card to break out. After he sucks up enough cards, Zexion projects illusions of himself and starts playing those Soul Eater cards. DON'T target him or them. Rather, attack the floating books from which issue pink fountains; those are the power source of the illusions. A replica may grab Riku from behind (Dark Punisher), or they may glide around triangulating beams of light (Catastrophe). Break out as best you can and keep as many cards in your deck as possible. Eliminating all four of the power-source books also strews your syphoned-off cards across the battlefield. Pick 'em up and finish him off. If you stick with single-card breaking and dueling Zexion, however, you may well never see any of those attacks. If he plays his enemy card, call in Parasite Cage if you like, though with Riku's reach confuse isn't a real bother. Use the King and Oogie Boogie to keep healthy. Jafar and Hook can give you an added edge, as well. Note: This boss fight is an addition to KH-ReCOM. In KH-COM's guides, Zexion simply flees after the combined cutscenes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Zexion's enemy card is your well-deserved reward. Head out.... . Exit Hall (B3F) / Entrance Hall (B2F) . ...And up to the next floor. After the scenes, receive the Twilight Town world card. Save and then use it. .: C.11 TWILIGHT TOWN (B2F) :.................................................. . World Map - Second Basement . [F1] - [F4] - [F6] - [F8]...[E2] | Enter - [UR] - [F2]...[E1] | [F3] - [F5] - [F7] - [F9] + [CR] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall (B2F); Exit, Exit Hall (B2F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] After the entry scene, review your card collection -- you've gained a Potion card. In the Beginnings room a boss lies in wait. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Riku's replica has powered up. And he may play enemy cards that extend his sleights or just prove annoying. First up, quickly enter D Mode -- for the harder hitting rather than the dark sleights, which miss too often. Know your zeroes, and be ready the instant Dark Aura shows on-deck. If the replica shows Sleight Lock for his enemy card, play your Darkside card. Mainly, focus on pounding on him and card breaking single cards when you can, saving zeroes for defeating his sleights. Duels do decent damage, too. Gather every King card when one appears. If your health dips to near half-spent play Oogie Boogie and run away, evading attacks while doing nothing but card breaking until your health is topped off again. Duels need 7 card breaks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nothing but a long scene for the win. Continue on, and use the Guidance keycard for a scene. . Exit Hall (B2F) / Entrance Hall (B1F) . Move out to the Exit Hall for another scene, and the next world card (why a world card is needed is a bit odd, possibly answered in KH2). Speak to the King then take the stairs. Several new report entries to peruse. Save before using the final world card. .: C.12 CASTLE OBLIVION (B1F) :................................................ . World Map - First Basement . Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F2]...[E1] Enter, Entrance Hall (B1F); Exit, Exit Hall (B1F) UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] One very short floor. And here come the hordes of neoshadows, which completes your D Report. The deck includes a block of nines, so be sure to set a Shortcut. WARNING! Using the Beginnings keycard is THE POINT OF NO RETURN -- drop in a Moment's Reprieve or backtrack to the Entrance Hall to save first. - - - Boss! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This is it. Ansem, and his trusty guardian. Duel city. No joke, the shortest route to victory is through card breaking and dueling. Dodge roll away from most of his attacks. If Ansem pulls out his Sleightblind, immediately call on Parasite Cage. Tip! Don't rush into action. Ansem's deck may mirror yours amazingly well and make dueling a breeze. Don't rush to reload, either, unless your deck's empty, of course. Ansem gets truly nasty on his last lifebar, so once you hit that mark don't hold anything back. Being in Dark Mode and taking a shortcut to Dark Aura is a quick way to close him out, but all of the dark sleights inflict heaps of damage. Unleash them all. Caution: If you're susceptible to game rage, take precautions before tackling Riku's final confrontation. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After the final scenes, credits role. Stick around! After a few in-game stills, some amusing posing takes place. And when the graphics shift to the left side you're treated to a glimpse at a few scenes NOT taking place in KH-ReCOM (or KH, or KH2). A brief scene plays out following the credits. All different from Sora's end-game cavalcade. Last up is the Battle Record screen. Write it all down for posting at GameFAQs.com, if you like. Here's a template you're welcome to copy. . BATTLE RECORD - RIKU . Game level > xxxx Mode D Report covered > nnn% Card Collector Rank > xxxx Enemies defeated > nnnn Rapid Breaks > nnn times Card Duels won > nn.nn% Dark Mode activiated (sic) > nnnn times Clear time > nn:nn Notice a pair of prompts at the lower-right. Press X (Save Menu) to save your "clear" data; choosing a new save slot is recommended. IMPORTANT! Don't skip saving now! If you want Sora to collect all of his remaining cards or achieve 100% completion, you need a clear save for Riku, too, required to unlock those goodies. Not recommended, but pressing O (End Game) instead asks for confirmation then returns you either to the title screen WITHOUT saving or to Battle Record so you can save Riku's clear data. Note: The clear save displays a gold card on SAVE and LOAD screens, and in the Browser a musical note is appended to the file name. Done saving, back out and the title screen appears. But wait! Sora's artwork is back, and "Reverse/Rebirth" is gone. Your options are still NEW GAME, LOAD, and THEATER, however. THEATER now includes a pair of tabs; press L2 and R2 to shift between Sora and Riku. Note: From now on, the title screen's artwork alternates depending on the clear file most recently saved. Congratulations on beating KH-ReCOM, not once but twice! .: WALKTHROUGH: CLEAR BONUS! :................................................. Now that you have saved the clear data for both Sora and Riku, six more cards may be obtained by Sora, for nineteen all told. Note: The clear saves unlock no "secrets" for Riku. His only extra is the Battle Record artwork, available by playing again in a different game mode. --- YOU DECIDE! --------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to hunt down the new cards on your own, here's a quick reference. (Skip the INTELL! otherwise.) The following special treasures are now available and are also considered clear bonuses. SPECIAL TREASURE TYPE WORLD ROOM Star Seeker attack card Castle Oblivion Rewards Photon Debugger attack card Destiny Islands Rewards Follow the Wind attack card Neverland Rewards Bond of Flame attack card Halloween Town Rewards Monochrome attack card Olympus Coliseum Rewards Roxas enemy card Twilight Town Rewards Xigbar enemy card Hollow Bastion Rewards Demyx enemy card Atlantica Rewards Xaldin enemy card Monstro Rewards Xemnas enemy card Wonderland Rewards Luxord enemy card Agrabah Rewards Saix enemy card Traverse Town Rewards The following clear bonuses are also available, but are NOT considered special treasures. CLEAR BONUS TYPE WORLD ROOM Ultima Weapon attack card Castle Oblivion Bounty Hidden Dragon attack card Traverse Town Bounty Zexion enemy card Destiny Islands Bounty Ansem enemy card Twilight Town Bounty Lexaeus enemy card Castle Oblivion Bounty Gold Card* special card any floor Bounty Platinum Card* special card any floor Bounty * Found only after Card Collection reaches 100% and you achieve Collector Rank of Card Master. --- END INTELL! --------------------------------------------------------------- Note: The following includes ASCII-map references, all of which are found in section "E.2.1 Maps - Sora". For notations like "(Fg > Fc)", in the first room (Fg, in this case) approach the doorway between the two rooms and press triangle to resynthesize the room beyond (Fc). Choose LOAD, select the memory card, then Sora's clear save. From the final save point, backtrack one screen. Resynthesize the first room (Fg > Fc) with a bounty-type map card. Open the chest and obtain Ultima Weapon, Sora's best all-around attack card. Skip the Room of Rewards for now. If its doors are standing open, you must leave 13F before resynthesizing reveals the room's second special treasure. (If you skipped picking up Super Glide earlier, however, you can obtain that ability and the Star Seeker attack card both right now.) Resynthesize the next room (Fc > F9) with another bounty-type map card. Open its chest for the Lexaeus enemy card. Make your way to Entrance Hall (13F). Along the way, pick up the Diamond Dust and One-Winged Angel attack cards if you haven't already. (A Moogle Room on 13F provides ample opportunity for finding one or both.) Note: You will need a constant stream of Key to Rewards map cards, twelve in all. Fight random foes and warp as needed. Remember, the Rewards keycard is a common drop on floors 7F-13F, so don't drive yourself nuts trying to find one on lower floors. Random Jokers can be a big help, too. From Entrance Hall (13F), take the stairs down and then enter Destiny Islands by way of Conqueror's Respite. Tip! Since you're picking up new attack cards, skip raiding for field-room spoils until after opening the world's Rewards rooms. Synthesize a bounty room (F4) and open its chest for the Zexion enemy card. Make your way to E4 and open the Room of Rewards for the Photon Debugger attack card. Rewards rooms now feature two chests containing either the room's two special treasures or, if you collected the first treasure earlier, a second special treasure plus a more ordinary reward. The second special treasures are all either attack or enemy cards. Backtrack to Conqueror's Respite, pillaging spoils, and exit. Take the stairs up. Use the warp point and choose Destiny Islands. (Yes, Destiny Islands.) Tip! The default Unknown Room is a good source for another Rewards keycard. Take the stairs down and enter Twilight Town. Synthesize a bounty room (F5) and open its chest for the Ansem enemy card. Open E4 next to obtain its second special treasure, the Roxas enemy card. Backtrack to Conqueror's Respite and exit. Take the stairs up. Use the warp point and choose whichever world you synthesized on 2F (Agrabah, by this walkthrough). Take the stairs down and enter Traverse Town. Synthesize a bounty room (F3) and open its chest for the Hidden Dragon attack card -- the last of the bounty room clear bonus cards. Now open the Room of Rewards (E4) for the Saix enemy card. Backtrack to Conqueror's Respite, exit Traverse Town, and take the stairs. How you proceed from here is at your whim. Consult the ASCII maps to determine your course, specifically whether E4 is nearer the world's Unknown Room or its Conqueror's Respite. Reopen the Room of Rewards for each world on floors 2F-10F (except 100 Acre Wood), plus 13F, to obtain the remaining special treasures. SPECIAL TREASURE TYPE WORLD ROOM Luxord enemy card Agrabah Rewards Xemnas enemy card Wonderland Rewards Xaldin enemy card Monstro Rewards Demyx enemy card Atlantica Rewards Xigbar enemy card Hollow Bastion Rewards Monochrome attack card Olympus Coliseum Rewards Bond of Flame attack card Halloween Town Rewards Follow the Wind attack card Neverland Rewards Star Seeker attack card Castle Oblivion Rewards The last step may prove the most time consuming. To complete Card Collection and achieve 100% completion of Jiminy's Journal, track down any random enemy cards you may be missing. Section "E.1.3 Enemy Cards" can assist you to that end. Once Journal displays Card Collection at 100% with a Rank of "Card Master", two final cards may be obtained. Wherever Sora is -- any floor and any world will do -- synthesize a bounty room. Open its chest to obtain the Gold Card. A new entry has been added to Journal. Choose Card Index and scroll to the very bottom. Select Special Cards, then Gold Card to view the card's data. (See the "E.1.7 Special Cards" section to learn more.) Notice the string of question marks? One more card to go. Synthesize another bounty room and open its chest for the Platinum Card. Check Journal again, because Card Collection and Card Index have FINALLY gone golden. You have achieved 100% of Jiminy's Journal. Congratulations! Now, return to Castle Oblivion's final save point, to save and again face off with Marluxia. After winning, the Battle Record touts Journal covered at 100% and Special Treasures as 24/24. And if you played on Proud Mode, you get one last bonus -- Battle Record artwork from KH2. Other than taking both guys up to LV99 and maxing their stats, that's it. .: WHAT'S NEXT? :.............................................................. With the data for two clear-saves on your memory card, the game acts a little different. Starting a new game as Sora, the Rewards rooms each contain two chests with the world's two special treasures from the beginning and you can play some pretty good attack and enemy cards throughout much of the game. Hidden Dragon is also available as soon as you can synthesize a bounty room in Traverse Town. The four other bounty-room clear bonuses are unlocked at the same time as Diamond Dust and One-Winged Angel. The special cards need only a complete collection. IMPORTANT! Section "E.3.2 Save Files" contains technical information about save data, how the System Data file interacts with saved games and can affect your future gameplay. Vital if things occur out of order or you wish to setup your system for someone else to play KH-ReCOM from scratch. But what's really next is KH2, of course, the next title released in the series. Even if you've played KH2 previously, things may make more sense now that you know KH-ReCOM's complete story. Visit the author's web site, linked in section "H.2 About the Author", for an unadulterated copy of the KH2 Synthesis Additions guide, portions of which are included in KH2's Bestiary/Synthesis FAQ. === ADDENDA =================================================================== .:| D. MENUS |:.............................................................:.: Menu commands differ between Sora and Riku. What's common between the two, including usage, is followed by what's unique to each. . START MENU . When the game loads, the title screen displays a menu of two or three options. NEW GAME ... Start a new game from the beginning. LOAD ....... Return to a game already in progress. THEATER .... Review FMVs and cutscenes from completed game(s). Note: THEATER replaces KH-COM's LINK command. No "versus" (VS) mode is available in KH-ReCOM. NEW GAME is available from the start, leading you through several options. Note: Once Sora's story has been beaten, a choice is first offered between playing the new game as Sora or playing as Riku. Game Mode: May be reviewed but NOT changed via Settings menu Beginner Mode ... Easier enemies, recommended for first-timers Standard Mode ... [Default] Normal difficulty Proud Mode ...... Harder fights, preferred by "experts" In KH-ReCOM, a Battle Record screen is displayed at game-end for all three game modes. Only the artwork displayed on that screen differs based on the mode selected, and for some modes when 100% completion is achieved. Unlike KH and KH2, no "secret" movies or extra "endings" are unlocked based on mode or completion percentage. Vibration: May be changed later via Settings menu On .... [Default] Enables the DualShock 2 controller's vibration feature Off ... Disables vibration of the controller Vibration is (very) rarely used in KH-ReCOM. Audio: May be changed later via Settings menu Stereo ......... [Default] Divides sound between left and right speakers Pro Logic II ... 4.1-channel Dolby surround sound for compatible systems Mono ........... Channels sound through the center or solitary speaker(s) LOAD is available from the start. Select between the two memory card slots, then choose which saved game to load. Section "E.3.2 Save Files" includes greater detail on how saved games are displayed on LOAD screens. THEATER becomes available once Sora's story has been beaten. Once Riku's story is also beaten, pressing L2 or R2 changes the selection between Sora and Riku, respectively. Play All is offered at the top of a list of floors. Choosing the command here plays every scene from every floor, one after another, from the opening credits through to the closing sequences. Navigate through the floors using the D-pad or the left analog stick. Press X to display the scenes for the highlighted floor, including hallway scenes. Play All is again offered, but only plays scenes from the selected floor. Press O to back up a screen, or to return to the title screen. Note: The world shown for each floor varies depending on the order in which worlds were synthesized in the most recently saved complete playthrough. Hallway scenes are specific to the floor, however. While a scene is playing, press Start to display the Pause menu. Select Continue to resume playing the scene (or play-all sequence), or select "Return to Theater" to cancel the scene and return to the Theater menu. If a scene includes dialogue balloons, those balloons remain and still require your interaction. Note: Remember to save from the Battle Record screen. NEW GAME and THEATER options vary depending on the "clear" saves recorded by System Data. .: D.1 MENUS - COMMON :........................................................ Common features of the menus, whether playing as Sora or as Riku. If something works the same for both of them, you'll find that info here. .: D.1.1 REVIEW DECKS :. Customize the character's decks. Commands available vary. SORA RIKU Edit Deck View Decks Equip Deck Shortcuts Shortcuts Clear Deck Rename Deck Delete Cards See the character sections for further details on these commands. . SHORTCUTS . Assign the shortcut button to one battle card per deck. Arrow through the decks and select the desired card. Item and enemy cards may NOT be selected. Press square to display sleights, both known and unknown. For Sora only, press L2 or R2 to cycle between decks. In battle, pressing the shortcut button (down-arrow) instantly spins the card revolver to the deck's assigned shortcut card, or does nothing if the card isn't available (reload as needed) or no shortcut has been assigned. Note: Since none of the KH-COM guides mention shortcuts, this is presumably new to KH-ReCOM. .: D.1.2 WORLD MAP :. Can also be accessed directly from any field room by pressing Select. Inaccessible from Entrance Halls and Exit Halls in Castle Oblivion. Press triangle to zoom out from (or in on) the world map. Press X to display synthesis criteria into the selected room, if known. Use the D-pad or left analog stick to move the pointer; with criteria displayed, movement is limited to known rooms. Current room is filled in cyan and also noted by a bouncing weapon icon. Next event room is outlined in white. For Sora only, the Rewards event room is outlined in cyan when a Rewards keycard is in inventory. A subtle bit of sparkling appears around all event rooms, visited or not. Small blue cards rotate over rooms synthesized with a Moment's Reprieve map card or, for Sora only, a Moogle Room map card. . ROOM ICONS . ! ... Unsynthesized event room; keycard as yet unidentified ! ... Event room already synthesized with Key to Rewards Crown ... Unsynthesized field Room Keyblade ... Unsynthesized event room; requires Key of Beginnings Heart* ... Unsynthesized event room; requires Key of Guidance Heartless ... Unsynthesized event room; requires Key to Truth * Trivia! The heart is more accurately a Kingdom Hearts icon. Revisiting worlds after storyline events have played out, inaccessible event rooms sporting ! icons remain dimmed throughout your visit. . PATHWAYS . Red ... Path between field rooms; not yet taken Blue ... Path to castle halls Yellow ... Path to unlocked rooms Pathways may change to yellow when you're teleported out of a completed event room and into a room not previously visited. When this occurs, such rooms synthesize as an Unknown Room. Note: Pathway colors differ from arrow colors on the mini map. .: D.1.3 MAP CARDS :. Maximum allowed in inventory: 99 IMPORTANT! Entering the menu with 99 map cards in inventory displays a message alerting you the limit has been reached. No further map cards are awarded in battle until the total is reduced. You can delete excess map cards from the Map Cards screen. The screen is split into left and right portions. On the left side, at the top, the total number of map cards in your inventory is displayed (0-99), as is the maximum number of map cards you can carry (99), such as "86/99". Just underneath are the number of map cards in stock for each color group, such as "R 29 G 11 B 46 ! 01". Note: The maximum of 99 maps cards includes red, green, and blue cards only. The ! (gold) group of map cards is excluded from the limit. Below this, you can scroll freely through ALL types of map cards. Or from the top row press up-arrow to move the highlight to the tabs (ALL, R, G, B, !), then scroll left or right to select a color group of map cards, then down-arrow to scroll through only the selected group of cards. While not on the tab row, pressing L1 and R1 pages through the cards. Only the map card types and values currently in inventory are shown. Tip! All known map cards are catalogued under Journal or D Report, whether or not any cards of that type are currently held. The right-hand side displays details of the selected map card. Pressing X to select a map card moves the highlight to the right, where you may scroll between the available values of that card. Pressing X again then prompts if you'd like to delete one card with that value. Select Yes to delete the card; select No (or press O) to back out without deleting a card. No option is available for deleting more than one card at a time. See character-specific sections for tables of the map cards available to each. See section "E.1.4 Map Cards" for individual map card data. .: D.1.4 WORLD CARDS :. Graphical display of the world cards you've received. Shows the castle's known floors and, if assigned, how the world cards are currently assigned to those floors. Press X to view the highlighted world's terse description. Assigned world cards display the floor number and are arranged in ascending order along a yellow connecting path. Unassigned world cards display no floor number and are grouped following the assigned world cards. The current world features a red background, while assigned world cards have a cyan background and unassigned world cards have a gray background. The difficulty level of each world's enemies and the amount of EXP earned is tied to the castle floor -- the higher the floor, the greater the difficulty and reward. With random encounters the difference may seem negligible at times and other factors (more waves, more or tougher heartless) can outweigh the boss's increased prowess when choosing between world cards. Note: Difficulty is weighed within the world itself, not in relation to other worlds. A higher floor is a step tougher; where the gauge starts and how high a step depends on the world. See the character-specific menu sections as well as "E.1.5 World Cards" for more on world cards. Section "E.3.4 Boss Lifebar Stats" contains data on how boss strength varies, both by floor and by game mode. . WARP POINTS . Black spheres found in a floor's Entrance Hall, opposite the save point, for teleporting between the castle's floors. Stand beside the warp point and press triangle to display the graphical World Warp display. Each floor displays the world assigned to that floor. Unassigned worlds are not shown, and the highest floor may appear blank if no world is yet assigned. Select a completed world or the highest known floor as your destination, then confirm the selection. You arrive in the destination's Entrance Hall. .: D.1.5 STATUS :. The Status screen is divided into two sections. On the right Sora or Riku's vital statistics are displayed. Both Sora and Riku gain levels at the same experience intervals, across all game modes. LV EXP LV . EXP LV .. EXP LV .. EXP LV .. EXP LV ... EXP 1 0 18 8441 35 59645 52 192925 69 447585 86 862929 2 25 18 9885 36 64829 53 204161 70 467185 87 893205 3 61 20 11485 37 70305 54 215825 71 487349 88 924181 4 125 21 13249 38 76081 55 227925 72 508085 89 955865 5 225 22 15185 39 82165 56 240469 73 529401 90 988265 6 369 23 17301 40 88565 57 253465 74 551305 91 1021389 7 565 24 19605 41 95289 58 266921 75 573805 92 1055245 8 821 25 22105 42 102345 59 280845 76 596909 93 1089841 9 1145 26 24809 43 109741 60 295245 77 620625 94 1125185 10 1545 27 27725 44 117485 61 310129 78 644961 95 1161285 11 2029 28 30861 45 125585 62 325505 79 669925 96 1198149 12 2605 29 34225 46 134049 63 341381 80 695525 97 1235785 13 3281 30 37825 47 142885 64 357765 81 721769 98 1274201 14 4065 31 41669 48 152101 65 374665 82 748665 99 1313405* 15 4965 32 45765 49 161705 66 392089 83 776221 16 5989 33 50121 50 171705 67 410045 84 804445 17 7145 34 54745 51 182109 68 428541 85 833345 * Actual max attained may be marginally higher. At level-up, each is offered a choice from among as many as three bonuses. In the Status screen's left section are listed the sleights and skills Sora or Riku has learned. Once a sleight has been learned and is named in the menus, stocking the required cards produces the designated special attack rather than a combo. Sleights are generally (sometimes considerably) more powerful, deal (much) greater damage, and may inflict debilitating side effects. From the top row, press up-arrow to move to the tab row. Scroll left or right to select a group of sleights, then down-arrow to limit the display to only sleights of that type. Press L1 or R1 to page up or down through the lists. Newly added sleights sport a yellow "New!" icon, which dims when the highlight moves over that sleight's name and remains dimmed until the menu is exited. Sleights may also be reviewed under Review Decks. Select a sleight to view detailed help on use, requirements, and tips. Tips may reveal extra features of the sleight. Note: The display always shows "PAGE 1/1". While seeming to imply some help might contain more pages, no sleight's help exceeds a single page. See each character-specific section for more about his stats and sleights. .: D.1.6 JOURNAL & D REPORT :. Jiminy's Journal (Sora) and the D Report (Riku) record various aspects of the game, including a card reference (see section "E.1 Cards") and the nearest thing in-game to a bestiary. Update (v2.0): This guide now includes its own "G.3 Annotated Bestiary" section.) The "New!" label appears when data is added to the journal; yellow while unread, then dimmed once the article has been read and until the journal or report is exited. Labels on categories (and subcategories) stay yellow so long as even one article within that category is undimmed. . 100% COMPLETION . As each category and subcategory is completed, its King Mickey icon turns golden. Overall, attaining 100% completion of Jiminy's Journal is not difficult in KH-ReCOM. Minigames are marked complete on the first and easiest instance. Collecting all of Sora's enemy cards is the most time-consuming task. Riku's D Report is 100% complete almost as a matter of course. . CONTENTS . See Sora or Riku's subsections for details found within the following categories. See section "G. Transcripts" for the actual article texts. STORY Textual recap of all story developments. When viewing a particular article, press L2 and R2 to cycle through all available articles (total shown at top-right). Pressing down-arrow or up-arrow on the D-pad scrolls the text a line at a time, while pressing R1 and L1 pages up or down through the article. CARD COLLECTION Graphical layout of all known cards, grouped by type. Also displayed are your Collector Rank and a completion percentage, though the percentage pertains to the card collection and not the journal or report's completion. Note: The "New!" label remains yellow until "New!" on the Card Index dims. Use the D-pad or left analog stick to scroll around the screen. Press X to zoom in on (or zoom out from) the highlighted card. Press square to view the Card Index data for the highlighted card; press square again to return to the collection, or press O to back out through the index. CARD INDEX Textual list of all known cards, grouped by category. When viewing a particular card, press L2 and R2 to cycle through the cards within the selected subcategory (total shown at top-center), or press square to view the card's placement on the Card Collection screen. Pressing down-arrow or up-arrow on the D-pad scrolls the text a line at a time, while pressing R1 and L1 pages up or down through the description. See section "E.1 Cards" for data on individual cards. CHARACTERS Textual list of all characters met in the game. Some names remain unlisted until a face-to-face confrontation with that character. Press triangle to view the character; use the left analog stick to rotate the image; press O to dismiss the image. Pressing L2 and R2 cycles through the characters within the selected subcategory (total shown at top-right). Pressing down-arrow or up-arrow on the D-pad scrolls the text a line at a time, while pressing R1 and L1 pages up or down through the article. MINIGAMES Displayed for Sora only. See Sora's Journal section. .: D.1.7 SETTINGS :. The help text at the bottom of the Settings screen provides details for each option. Camera Vertical Default Reverse Camera Sideways Default Reverse Battle Controls Type A Type B Vibration On Off Audio Stereo Pro Logic II Mono Mini Map On Off Game Mode* Standard Mode * Alternatively displays Beginner Mode or Proud Mode, as selected during the game's initial setup. Can't be changed. Tip? For what it's worth, the author sets Camera Vertical to Reverse at the beginning of every new game. . BATTLE CONTROLS . TYPE A TYPE B Spin card revolver L1 / R1 L2 / R2 Use stocked cards L1 + R1 L2 + R2 Release stocked cards L2 L1 Lock on (off) target R2 R1 The lock-on button works in battle, but not in field rooms or hallways. See section "E.3.1 Controls" for the manual's complete controls table. . MINI MAP . The point of the weapon's icon "points" your way. Pathways leading out of the world to the castle's hallways feature more distinct arrowheads. ARROW COLORS Red ... Path between field rooms; not yet taken Blue ... Path already unlocked Yellow ... Path to an event room Note: The mini map's arrow colors differ from the colors used for pathways on the World Map screen. .: D.2 MENUS - SORA :.......................................................... Sora's specifics about the menus. .: D.2.1 REVIEW DECKS :. Available commands are listed on the left. Cards and the equipped deck are partially displayed on the right. Arrow up or down to select a command. . EDIT DECK . See section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora" for individual battle card data. Total battle cards allowed: 999, Journal 100% complete Maximum battle cards per deck: 99 IMPORTANT! Entering the menu with the maximum battle cards in inventory displays a message alerting you the limit has been reached. No further battle cards spring from struck scenery or (with a few exceptions) are awarded from treasure chests until the total is reduced. Excess battle cards can be deleted from the menu in a pinch, but unwanted cards are better sold for MP in moogle shops. Total battle cards allowed steadily increases as a game progresses and your Card Collection grows in the number of cards obtained (not the percentage shown), but it's a generous number from the start. (Reaching the limit is more challenging than avoiding it, in fact.) Every "new" card found -- first-time bounty-room chests, like Gravity in Agrabah; special treasures; clear bonuses; special cards; storyline events -- increases the maximum. Sora obtains a total of 111 different battles cards (the full count begins section "E.1 Cards"). In all likelihood, the maximum simply accounts for the pending discovery of each new card and is never lower than 888 battle cards. This remains unproven, however. The Edit Deck screen is divided into three panels. Left ...... Cards data Center .... Data for the highlighted card Right ..... Deck data Select .... Organize, closes up any blank spaces in the current deck Square .... Displays all sleights; known by name, unknown as question marks Up-arrow, down-arrow: scroll through the list L1, R1: page up or page down through the list X: view help for highlighted sleight O, square: return to Edit Deck screen L1 / R1 ... Move between left and right panels L2 / R2 ... Cycle through decks, as displayed in the right panel Tabs rotate between NO. 1, NO. 2, and NO. 3. Note: Sleights are categorized as Attacks, Magic, Summons, and Friends, which differs from the Status screen, where Summon and Friend sleights are combined under the same tab and Skills like Glide are also listed. LEFT PANEL Several stats top the panel and vary depending on what deck is selected. IN .... Number of cards assigned to the selected deck ALL ... Total number of battle cards in inventory (Sum of the type breakdown, below, plus those IN the current deck) Total additional cards in inventory, broken down by type: Red ......... Attack cards available to add Blue ........ Magic cards available to add Green ....... Item cards available to add Heartless ... Enemy cards available to add; NOT excluded from ALL Note: The above stats are reflected on the Review Decks screen as they change and until the menu is exited. Tab row ....... ALL, Attack, Magic, Item, Enemy Cards From the top row of cards, press up-arrow to enter the tab row. Then arrow left or right to navigate between tabs. Press X or down-arrow to highlight the first card of that tab's type, or press up-arrow to highlight the last card of that type. From the bottom row of cards, pressing down-arrow wraps around to the top row. X ............. Select from available values listed in the center panel R1 ............ Navigate to the right panel to adjust the deck's layout Note: Some cards appear twice in the left pane, once for the regular variety of the card and twice for any of the same card that are marked as "premium". For more info, see "Premium Cards" under "E.3.3 Deck Building". CENTER PANEL Displays data for the card selected on the left, or nothing from the tab row. Card name and large graphic ATTACK ...... Average of Strike, Thrust, and Combo Finish stats ELEMENT ..... The card's Element stat RECOVERY .... The card's Break Recovery stat CP .......... Cost of the selected value Available card values are shown in two columns (0-4, 5-9), along with the number of each. Press X to select a card value and navigate to the right panel. Use the D-pad to highlight where you want the card placed, then press X; the highlight returns to the left panel. RIGHT PANEL Tab row ..... NO. 1, NO. 2, NO. 3 Deck name ... Defaults are Deck 1, Deck 2, and Deck 3 DECK ........ Number of cards in deck / total number of cards allowed CP .......... Cost of cards in deck / Max CP From the left panel, press L1 to move to the right panel. X ........... Removes the highlighted card from the deck O ........... Exits from the Edit Deck screen Triangle .... Selects a card to sort Arrow to the desired location and press triangle again or X Press O to cancel the sort L1 .......... Returns to the left panel . EQUIP DECK . Lists all three decks by name, with the currently selected deck in red and marked as "Ready" (on the left; "READY" on the right). Arrowing up or down, the partial deck on the right reflects the highlighted deck. Select another deck as needed. The "Ready" mark moves instantly. The equipped deck is also automatically selected when entering Edit Deck. Use the D-pad or L2 and R2 to cycle between decks. Details of the highlighted deck display on the right. Press square to view Sora's sleights, known and unknown. . SHORTCUTS . See section "D.1.1 Review Decks" for help using Shortcuts. One shortcut may be specified for each of Sora's three decks. Press L2 or R2 to cycle through decks on the Shortcuts screen. . CLEAR DECK . A quick way to start fresh. Clearing a deck removes all cards from the deck and returns the cards to inventory. Use the D-pad or L2 and R2 to cycle between decks. Details of the highlighted deck display on the right. Press square to view Sora's sleights, known and unknown. When a deck is selected, you're prompted to confirm clearing the deck; select Yes to proceed, or No to cancel, leaving the deck unchanged. Cards removed from the deck are not deleted. Those cards remain in inventory and again appear on the left when editing the cleared deck. Clearing a deck is handy for maintaining your card inventory, deciding the cards you have in excess for selling in a moogle shop, for instance. Note: The equipped deck must include at least one attack card. . RENAME DECK . Sora's three decks, by default, are named Deck 1, Deck 2, and Deck 3, as displayed beside the current name. These names appear in several places and assigning a more descriptive name to your decks can make selecting between them an easier process. For example, you may have Deck 2 arranged solely for battling mushrooms, and Deck 3 ready for boss fights. Renaming Deck 1 as "Random", Deck 2 as "Mushroom", and Deck 3 as "Boss" shows at a glance which is which. Or maybe your decks are arranged by elemental affinity and renaming them "Blizzard", "Fire", and "Thunder" makes more sense. Rename Deck selects the equipped deck by default. ("Ready" appears to the right of the current name.) Press L2 or R2 to cycle between decks. The current deck's name remains in the edit field; press square to delete the old name first, a character at a time (notice the insertion point's movement). Arrow around to move the highlight -- both lowercase and uppercase characters may be selected, as may a blank space and several other ASCII characters. WARNING! Deck names are not exclusive or even required. Ensure Sora's decks may be correctly identified. The deck name may include up to ten characters; when ten characters is reached, END is automatically highlighted. Otherwise, arrow down to END when the new name displays as you like. Press X -- the name is instantly changed and you're returned to the Review Decks menu. Pressing O, however, exits Rename Deck without changing the name. . DELETE CARDS . Tip! Don't delete, SELL! Trade in excess battle cards for moogle points in moogle shops. With the MP earned, buy new card packs possibly containing better cards. Learn more about moogle shops in section "E.1.4 Map Cards". A maximum number of battle cards is allowed in inventory. Entering the menu with the maximum cards in inventory displays a message alerting you that the limit has been reached. (Moogle shops alert you when your inventory won't accept five more cards.) Some cards must be sold or deleted before any further battle cards can be added to your inventory. In the Delete Cards screen, only those cards not assigned to any deck are listed. The IN and ALL stats are as currently shown under Review Decks. Cards that may be deleted, broken down by category: Red ......... Number of attack cards Blue ........ Number of magic cards Green ....... Number of item cards Heartless ... Number of enemy cards Tab row ....... ALL, Attack, Magic, Item, Enemy Use the D-pad to scroll through the list of ALL cards. Or, from the top row, press up-arrow to highlight the tab row, arrow left or right to a specific category, then down-arrow to scroll only through the selected category of cards. Select the desired card (such as Fire) and an available value (0-9) to delete. When prompted, select Yes to delete one (1) card of the selected value; or select No to back out without deleting a card. No option is provided for deleting more than one card at a time. .: D.2.2 WORLD MAP :. See section "D.1.2 World Map". The weapon icon appears as a Kingdom Key for Sora. .: D.2.3 MAP CARDS :. See section "D.1.3 Map Cards" for help using the Map Cards screen. RED (11) GREEN (7) BLUE (7) ! (4/2) Tranquil Darkness Martial Waking Calm Bounty Key of Beginnings Teeming Darkness Sorcerous Waking Guarded Trove Key of Guidance Feeble Darkness Alchemic Waking False Bounty Key to Truth Almighty Darkness Meeting Ground Moment's Reprieve Key to Rewards Sleeping Darkness Stagnant Space Moogle Room (Unknown Room) Looming Darkness Strong Initiative Mingling Worlds (Conqueror's Respite) Premium Room Lasting Daze Random Joker White Room Black Room Bottomless Darkness Roulette Room A variety of map cards are dropped post-battle from the beginning -- six red, all seven green, but no blue cards other than the solitary Moment's Reprieve. Other map cards begin dropping once higher floors are reached. FLOOR CARDS 1 Tranquil Darkness, Teeming Darkness, Feeble Darkness, Sleeping Darkness, Premium Room, Black Room; all seven green map cards 2-6 Almighty Darkness, Looming Darkness, White Room, Bottomless Darkness, Roulette Room; Calm Bounty, Moogle Room, Moment's Reprieve, Random Joker 7-10 Guarded Trove, False Bounty, Key to Rewards 11 Mingling Worlds Conversely, map cards common on lower floors may become rare drops higher up. The heartless defeated and other factors (world, current room's synthesis, and so on) may also affect the map card drop rate. Sora obtains no green map cards on the castle's top two floors. Section "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria" can help with planning ahead, if desired. Roulette selectors adhere to the room's map card preferences, as well. See section "E.1.4 Map Cards" for data on individual map cards. .: D.2.4 WORLD CARDS :. See section "D.1.4 World Cards" for help using the World Cards screen. Sora's story takes place in Castle Oblivion, where he begins on the first floor (1F) and works his way up to the thirteenth floor (13F). Note: On Sora's World Cards screen, floors are abbreviated in the reverse of what's seen elsewhere in the game and the game manual, as F1 rather than 1F, for instance. (Not to be confused with this guide's notation of field rooms on its world maps.) Warp points display the same deviation on the World Warp screen. Floors are revealed over time, with F1 coming first, then F2-F6 in a block, followed by F7-F10, and the remaining floors (F11-F13) learned one by one thereafter. World cards are acquired at the same intervals. Some worlds are assigned to specific floors, but others are acquired in blocks and may be assigned to any of the new block of floors. Also known as "world synthesis". Floor(s) World(s) F1 Traverse Town F2-F6 A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town F7-F10 B: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, 100 Acre Wood F11 Twilight Town F12 Destiny Islands F13 Castle Oblivion* * Listed, though Sora doesn't receive a world card for the castle itself. See section "E.1.5 World Cards" for more on world cards. Note: Sora's story does not coincide exactly with Riku's arrival. A graphical depiction of how their stories overlap was published in the KH2-FM+ Ultimania guide, as shown at: http://www.kingdomhearts3.net/khiifm-ultimania-timeline-for-com/ .: D.2.5 STATUS :. Displays sleights Sora has learned as well as his current statistics. . STATS . Level Sora's current level EXP Total amount of experience gained To next level Amount of experience needed to level up HP Health Points; measures Sora's health Max CP Card Points; maximum capacity of a single deck Equipped Deck Name of the deck marked as READY Friends Names of friend cards that may appear in battle Also listed on most menus are the amount of Moogle Points, or MP, Sora has accumulated, as is the elapsed game time. At the beginning of a new game, Sora's stats are: Level 1 EXP 0 To next level 25 HP 80 Max CP 275 Equipped Deck Deck 1 Friends Donald Duck, Goofy MP 0 At level-up, Sora is offered a choice from among as many as three bonuses. Move the highlight from one bonus to another to view (in the lower-right pane) how the bonus would benefit Sora. HP Boost ... Adds 15 to Max HP; always offered, until max is reached CP Boost ... Adds 25 to Max CP; always offered, until max is reached Sleights ... Learns the sleight named; offered at LV2 and at every fifth level-up thereafter (7, 12, 17, ..), until all twelve level-up sleights are learned Once offered, a sleight bonus remains available until selected. If ignored through several bonuses, the sleights stack up as they would otherwise become available, until the intermittent schedule again takes affect. For instance, if the sleight offered at LV2 (Sliding Dash) is only accepted as the LV25 bonus, starting with LV26 a sleight is offered with each level-up, until at LV30, no sleight is offered and the regular interval resumes. Some of Sora's stats have a cap above which they can rise no higher. When concentrating on maxing a single stat from the beginning of a new game, the LV shown below is the earliest the maximum is reached, if applicable. MAXIMUM LV Level 99 99 EXP 1,313,405 99 [1] HP 560 33 Max CP 1,625 55 MP 99,999 -- [2] [1] Computed from LV98. Actual max upon reaching LV99 may stop at a marginally higher number, such as 1,313,431. Even though EXP continues dropping in battle, on the Status screen EXP stops increasing. [2] Presumed. Maximum MP exceeds 9,999 into five figures, but how much higher remains unverified. Once HP or Max CP reaches the maximum, its bonus appears dimmed on the level-up screen. Maxing all three level-up bonuses is achieved at LV99. Tip! When maxing Sora's HP or CP, put Monstro on the second floor and repeat Monstro's Belly Brawl for as long as you can stomach the minigame. You could level-up every two or three rounds, at least for a while. A complete how-to is found in the "F.5 General Gameplay" FAQ section, as are other grinding ideas. . SLEIGHTS . Textual list of the sleights and skills Sora has learned. Tab row: ALL, Attack, Magic, Summons/Friends, Skills Note: The sleights list's format differs under Review Decks, with Skills omitted but as-yet-unknown sleights "named" by series of question marks. LV, the earliest a sleight is offered as a level-up bonus Value, sum total of the cards used must fall within the specified range Cards, cards in the order required (compare Trinity Limit to Wild Crush) Tips for using extra features of Sora's sleights include: S, using the left analog stick to aim or direct the action; X, pressing X attacks, or attacks sooner (and weaker); R, pressing triangle when the reaction prompt appears on screen (ill-timed cancels the sleight), sometimes adding a number of attacks (R[n]) or creating a greater effect when tapped rapidly (RR). ATTACK SLEIGHTS LV VALUE TIP CARDS Sliding Dash 2 10-15 -- Three attack cards of the same type Stun Impact 7 20-23 -- Three attack cards of the same type Strike Raid 12 24-26 -- Three attack cards Blitz 17 10-15 R3 Three attack cards of differing types Zantetsuken 22 0, 27 -- Three attack cards Sonic Blade 27 20-23 R7 Three attack cards of differing types Ars Arcanum 42 1-6 R13 Three attack cards Ragnarok 52 7-9 SX Three attack cards Trinity Limit -- -- -- attack card + Donald + Goofy MAGIC SLEIGHTS LV VALUE TIP CARDS Fira -- -- -- Fire + Fire Firaga -- -- -- Fire + Fire + Fire Blizzara -- -- -- Blizzard + Blizzard Blizzaga -- -- -- Blizzard + Blizzard + Blizzard Thundara -- -- -- Thunder + Thunder Thundaga -- -- -- Thunder + Thunder + Thunder Cura -- -- -- Cure + Cure Curaga -- -- -- Cure + Cure + Cure Gravira -- -- -- Gravity + Gravity Graviga -- -- -- Gravity + Gravity + Gravity Stopra -- -- -- Stop + Stop Stopga -- -- -- Stop + Stop + Stop Aerora -- -- -- Aero + Aero Aeroga -- -- -- Aero + Aero + Aero Warpinator -- -- -- Stop + Gravity + Aero Warp -- -- -- Stop + Aero + Aero Blizzard Raid -- -- -- Blizzard + attack card + attack card Synchro -- -- -- Cure + Gravity + Aero Fire Raid -- -- -- Fire + attack card + attack card Aqua Splash -- -- S Blizzard + Fire + Aero Terror -- -- -- summon card + summon card + Jack; or, Simba + Mushu + item card Gifted Miracle -- -- -- summon card + magic card + Jack; or, Bambi + Blizzard + item card Bind -- -- -- Gravity + Stop + magic card Shock Impact -- -- -- Simba + attack card + attack card Homing Blizzara -- -- -- Aero + Blizzard + magic card Quake -- -- -- Gravity + Simba + magic card Teleport -- -- -- magic card + magic card + Peter Pan; or, Stop + Aero + item card Thunder Raid -- -- -- Thunder + attack card + attack card Confuse -- -- -- Genie + Tinker Bell + summon card Firaga Burst -- -- -- Fire + Fire + Gravity Reflect Raid -- -- -- Cloud + attack card + attack card Magnet Spiral -- -- -- Gravity + Gravity + attack card Lethal Flame 32 -- -- Stop + attack card + attack card Tornado 37 -- S Aero + Gravity + summon card Freeze -- -- -- Blizzard + Blizzard + Stop Judgment -- -- -- Aero + attack card + attack card Holy 47 -- -- Mega-Ether + Megalixir + item card Raging Storm -- -- S Aero + Fire + Fire Mega Flare 57 -- -- Mushu + Fire + Fire SUMMONS SLEIGHTS LV VALUE TIP CARDS Proud Roar LV2 -- -- -- Simba + Simba Proud Roar LV3 -- -- -- Simba + Simba + Simba Showtime LV2 -- -- -- Genie + Genie Showtime LV3 -- -- -- Genie + Genie + Genie Cross-slash -- -- -- Cloud + Cloud Cross-slash+ -- -- -- Cloud + Stop + attack card Omnislash -- -- R5 Cloud + Cloud + Cloud Splash LV2 -- -- S Dumbo + Dumbo Splash LV3 -- -- S Dumbo + Dumbo + Dumbo Twinkle LV2 -- -- RR Tinker Bell + Tinker Bell Twinkle LV3 -- -- RR Tinker Bell + Tinker Bell + Tinker Bell Paradise LV2 -- -- -- Bambi + Bambi Paradise LV3 -- -- -- Bambi + Bambi + Bambi Idyll Romp -- -- -- Bambi + attack card + attack card Flare Breath LV2 -- -- SX Mushu + Mushu Flare Breath LV3 -- -- SX Mushu + Mushu + Mushu FRIENDS SLEIGHTS LV VALUE TIP CARDS Magic LV2 -- -- -- Donald + Donald Magic LV3 -- -- -- Donald + Donald + Donald Stardust Blitz -- -- R3 Donald + Fire Goofy Tornado LV2 -- -- -- Goofy + Goofy Goofy Tornado LV3 -- -- -- Goofy + Goofy + Goofy Goofy Smash -- -- R1 Goofy + attack card Wild Crush -- -- S Goofy + Donald + attack card Lucky Bounty LV2 -- -- -- Pluto + Pluto Lucky Bounty LV3 -- -- -- Pluto + Pluto + Pluto Sandstorm LV2 -- -- -- Aladdin + Aladdin Sandstorm LV3 -- -- -- Aladdin + Aladdin + Aladdin Surprise! LV2 -- -- -- Jack + Jack Surprise! LV3 -- -- -- Jack + Jack + Jack Spiral Wave LV2 -- -- R2 Ariel + Ariel Spiral Wave LV3 -- -- R3 Ariel + Ariel + Ariel Hummingbird LV2 -- -- RR Peter Pan + Peter Pan Hummingbird LV3 -- -- RR Peter Pan + Peter Pan + Peter Pan Furious Volley LV2 -- -- R2 The Beast + The Beast Furious Volley LV3 -- -- R3 The Beast + The Beast + The Beast SKILLS High Jump Reach higher places with an aerial flip. Glide Fly through the air by jumping then holding O. Super Glide Fly through the air with velocity by holding O. Sleights are learned as level-up bonuses or as friends join Sora, after boss fights or minigames, or at certain fixed points throughout the story. Search this guide for the sleight by its name for greater detail on how or where it's learned. Until a sleight is named in the menus, stocking its cards produces...a combo, and nothing more. Sleights must be learned in-game first. .: D.2.6 JOURNAL :. In his Journal, Jiminy Cricket records the details of Sora's journey. Achieves 100% completion once ALL topics and subtopics appear and are marked "complete" by a gold King Mickey icon. See section "G.1 Journal Transcript" for the actual article texts. . STORY . Worlds are included when the floor's Exit Hall is reached. Sora's Tale I The story up through Traverse Town Sora's Tale II The story up to the seventh floor Sora's Tale III The story up to the tenth floor Sora's Tale IV The story up to the thirteenth floor Traverse Town Briefly recaps this world's story Wonderland Briefly recaps this world's story Olympus Coliseum Briefly recaps this world's story Agrabah Briefly recaps this world's story Halloween Town Briefly recaps this world's story Monstro Briefly recaps this world's story Atlantica Briefly recaps this world's story Neverland Briefly recaps this world's story Hollow Bastion Briefly recaps this world's story 100 Acre Wood Briefly recaps this world's story Twilight Town Briefly recaps this world's story Destiny Islands Briefly recaps this world's story Castle Oblivion Briefly recaps this world's story . CARD COLLECTION . RANK COMPLETE Rookie Collector 6-24% Card Fanatic 25-44% Elite Collector 45-54% Card Reaper 55-67% Rare Card Hunter 68-79% Cardjacker 80-84% Prime Collector 85-91% Ace of Cards 92-99% Card Master 100% Once Card Master rank is achieved, two special cards may be obtained, required for 100% journal completion. See section "E.1.7 Special Cards". . CARD INDEX . See section "E.1 Cards" for individual card data. Attack Cards Powerful cards used to attack with the keyblade Magic Cards Types of magic learned Summon Cards Characters who aid when called Item Cards Help with reloading the deck Friend Cards Allies who aid you in battle Enemy Cards Includes heartless, bosses, and Organization members Map Cards Types of rooms to synthesize World Cards Used for assigning worlds to the castle's floors Gimmick Cards A unique card providing help in boss fights Special Cards* Bonus cards for achieving Card Master rank * Unlike other categories, doesn't appear as question marks first. . CHARACTERS . Worlds are included once the floor's Exit Hall is reached. Characters I Characters common throughout the KH series Characters II Members of the Organization Others Summoned characters* and the moogles Traverse Town Characters specific to this world Wonderland Characters specific to this world Olympus Coliseum Characters specific to this world Agrabah Characters specific to this world Halloween Town Characters specific to this world Monstro Characters specific to this world Atlantica Characters specific to this world Neverland Characters specific to this world Hollow Bastion Characters specific to this world 100 Acre Wood Characters specific to this world Destiny Islands Characters specific to this world The Heartless A bestiary of non-human enemies * Summons integral to a world's story are listed within that world. . MINIGAMES . A quick look at KH-ReCOM's minigames, and your achievements. Appears in the journal after completing the Monstro world. While playing any minigame, press Start to display the Pause menu. Continue ... Resume the minigame Retry ...... Starts the minigame again, without the instructions Help ....... Redisplays the minigame's instructions Quit ....... Exits out of the minigame In Monstro, Retry and Quit aren't available, but the minigame may be repeated until cleared. (This is the only leveling "hotspot" in the game.) Once beaten, however, the event room closes and the minigame may not be replayed. In the 100 Acre Wood, your first goal is clearing the minimum requirement for story (and 100%) completion. Challenge Mode presents a higher target goal, but isn't required for journal completion. Two prizes are awarded per minigame, a new card or sleight for first clearing the minigame, then a known card for beating Challenge Mode. You can continue playing for higher scores, where possible, but no additional prizes are awarded. Monstro Monstro's Belly Brawl 100 Acre Wood CLEAR MINIMUM CHALLENGE MODE Balloon Glider Reach the top 500 Points Whirlwind Plunge Reach the end 2400 Points Bumble-Rumble 50 Bees 70 Bees, Time: 01'40"00 or faster Tigger's Jump-a-Thon 25 Points 75 Points Veggie Panic 30 Sorted 120 Sorted .: D.2.7 SETTINGS :. See section "D.1.7 Settings". .: D.3 MENUS - RIKU :.......................................................... All of the menus according to Riku. .: D.3.1 REVIEW DECKS :. Riku has only two commands available. . VIEW DECKS . Maximum number of cards in Riku's deck: 99 Visit often. Riku's deck is "closed", automatically defined, and can't be edited, not even so much as rearranging his cards, but the deck can change from one room to the next. Use the D-pad or left analog stick to scroll through the current deck. Press square to view all of Riku's sleights, known and unknown. . SHORTCUTS . See section "D.1.1 Review Decks" for help using Shortcuts. One shortcut at a time may be specified for Riku's deck, but must be set anew every time the deck changes. For example, moving from an Entrance Hall into an Unknown Room, the shortcut is cleared; returning to the Entrance Hall, the shortcut is again cleared -- what was set previously is NOT remembered. Whenever the shortcut is cleared, no card is selected as the shortcut. .: D.3.2 WORLD MAP :. See section "D.1.2 World Map". The weapon icon appears as a Soul Eater for Riku. .: D.3.3 MAP CARDS :. See section "D.1.3 Map Cards" for help using the Map Cards screen. RED (9) GREEN (5) BLUE (3) ! (3/2) Tranquil Darkness Martial Waking Moment's Reprieve Key of Beginnings Teeming Darkness Meeting Ground Mingling Worlds Key of Guidance Feeble Darkness Stagnant Space Random Joker Key to Truth Almighty Darkness Strong Initiative (Unknown Room) Sleeping Darkness Lasting Daze (Conqueror's Respite) Looming Darkness Black Room Bottomless Darkness Roulette Room Riku may see any of his allowed map cards from the beginning of a new game and on every floor. See section "E.1.4 Map Cards" for individual map card data. .: D.3.4 WORLD CARDS :. Inaccessible from B12F Entrance Hall at the start of a new game until the first world has been synthesized, even though the Hollow Bastion world card was received and appears in the D Report. See section "D.1.4 World Cards" for help using the World Cards screen. Note: Unlike elsewhere in the game and manual, floor numbers use a shorter abbreviation under World Cards, as B12 rather than B12F, for example. Warp points display the same deviation on the World Warp screen. Riku's story takes place in Castle Oblivion. He begins in the deepest basement (B12) and works his way up to the first basement floor (B1). Note: Riku's arrival does not coincide exactly with Sora's story. A graphical depiction of how their stories overlap was published in the KH2-FM+ Ultimania guide, as shown at: http://www.kingdomhearts3.net/khiifm-ultimania-timeline-for-com/ Floors are revealed over time, with B12 coming first, then B11-B8 in a block, followed by B7-B4, and the remaining floors (B3-B1) learned one by one thereafter. World cards are acquired at the same intervals. Some worlds are assigned to specific floors, but others are acquired in blocks and may be assigned to any of the new block of floors. Floor(s) World(s) B12 Hollow Bastion B11-B8 Block C: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town B7-B4 Block D: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town B3 Destiny Islands B2 Twilight Town B1 Castle Oblivion* * Unlike Sora, Riku DOES receive a world card for Castle Oblivion. See section "E.1.5 World Cards" for more on world cards. .: D.3.5 STATUS . Displays the sleights Riku has learned alongside his current statistics. . STATS . Level Riku's current level EXP Total amount of experience gained To next level Amount of experience needed to level up HP Health Points; measures Riku's health Attack Points AP; strengthens Riku's Soul Eater weapon Dark Points Max DP; duration of Dark Mode (D Mode) Friends No one or The King, Riku's only friend At the beginning of a new game, Riku's stats are: Level 1 EXP 0 To next level 25 HP 80 Attack Points 10 Dark Points 8 Friends --- At level-up, Riku is offered a choice from among as many as three bonuses. Move the highlight from one bonus to another to view (in the lower-right pane) how the bonus would benefit Riku. HP Boost ......... Adds 15 to Max HP; always offered, until max is reached Attack Boost ..... Adds 1 to AP; offered at LV2 and at every third level-up thereafter (5, 8, 11, ..), until max is reached Darkness Boost ... Adds 2 to Max DP; after learning D Mode, always offered, until max is reached Once offered, an AP bonus remains available until selected. If ignored over several level-ups, AP bonuses stack up and are continually offered until the stack is exhausted and the regular interval resumes. For instance, if the AP bonus offered at LV2 isn't accepted until LV10, at LV11 and LV12 AP bonuses are also offered and, if accepted, then does not appear at LV13. Riku's stats have a cap above which they can rise no higher. When concentrating on maxing a single stat from the beginning of a new game, the LV shown is the earliest the maximum is reached, if applicable. IMPORTANT! Riku relies on Attack Boosts to power up his Soul Eater attack cards. Skipping AP bonuses is NOT advised. LV in the following table presumes accepting Attack Boosts along the way, as well. MAXIMUM LV Level 99 99 EXP 1,313,405 99 [1] HP 560 49 Attack Points 30 59 Dark Points 99 -- [2] [1] Computed from LV98 level-up screen. Actual max upon reaching LV99 may stop at a marginally higher number, such as 1,313,482. While EXP continues dropping in battle, on the Status screen EXP increases no further. [2] Although DP is usually raised by two, its last bonus adds only one to Max DP. LV varies, depending on at what level D Mode is learned. Once HP, AP, or DP reaches the maximum, its bonus appears dimmed on the level-up screen from then on. Maxing all three level-up bonuses is achieved at LV99. . SLEIGHTS . Tab row: ALL, Attack, Friend, Duel Attack Riku learns all of his Attack and Duel Attack sleights at the same time, in B12F Exit Hall, and all of the Friend sleights shortly thereafter, in B11F Entrance Hall. More than half of Riku's sleights work only while in Dark Mode (DM). His Duel Attack sleights are accomplished during card duels, by exactly matching a certain number of cards within the specified number of seconds. Random enemies commonly duel for 3-in-4, while bosses lean toward requiring 7-in-8 duels. All are possible by rapidly tapping X repeatedly. ATTACKS DM RANGE Dark Break Y 5-15 Three Soul Eaters Dark Firaga Y 16-25 Three Soul Eaters Dark Aura Y 27 (9 + 9 + 9) FRIENDS DM CARDS MM Miracle LV2 - The King + The King MM Miracle LV3 - The King + The King + The King Holy Burst - The King + Soul Eater + Soul Eater Inverse Burst Y The King + Soul Eater + Soul Eater DUEL ATTACKS DM SECS CARDS Impulse - 4 3 Dark Impulse Y 4 3 Maelstrom - 6 5 Dark Maelstrom Y 6 5 Barrage - 8 7 Dark Barrage Y 8 7 D Mode Accumulate max DP via card breaks, rapid breaks Note: The sleights list's format differs under Review Decks, with D Mode omitted but as-yet-unknown sleights "named" by series of question marks. Until a sleight is named in the menus, stocking its cards produces...a combo, and nothing more. Sleights must be learned in-game first, though for Riku this occurs early in a new game. .: D.3.6 D REPORT :. A report chronicling the details of Riku's story. Reaches 100% completion through the normal course of the game. Note: Just as Sora's Journal is a record kept by someone other than Sora, so too is Riku's D Report kept by another's hand, though the chronicler is not revealed in KH-ReCOM. . STORY . Riku's Tale I The story begins Riku's Tale II The story up to the eleventh basement floor Riku's Tale III The story up through the eighth basement floor Riku's Tale IV The story up through the fourth basement floor Riku's Tale V The story up through Destiny Islands Riku's Tale VI The story up through Twilight Town . CARD COLLECTION . COLLECTOR RANK COMPLETE One Who Wishes Cards 6-32% One Who is Drawn to Cards 33-57% One Who Seeks Cards 59-74% One Who Leads Cards 76-89% One Who Rules the Cards 91-98% One Who Reigns over Cards 100% . CARD INDEX . Battle Cards Attack, item, and other cards Enemy Cards Abilities obtained from foes and bosses Map Cards Types of rooms to synthesize World Cards Used for assigning worlds to the castle's floors See section "E.1 Cards" for data on individual cards. . CHARACTERS . Characters I Characters met in Riku's story Characters II Disney-world bosses The Heartless A bestiary of non-human enemies .: D.3.7 SETTINGS :. See section "D.1.7 Settings". .:| E. REFERENCE |:.........................................................:.: Details on a few of the game's broader aspects. .: E.1 CARDS :................................................................. Cards rule all in Castle Oblivion and come in a variety of flavors. TYPE SORA RIKU Battle (total) (111) (27) Attack 23 1 Magic 7 -- Summon 7 -- Item 7 2 Friend 8 1 Enemy 56 22 Gimmick 1 1 Special 2 -- Map 29 20 World 12 12 TOTAL 152 59 Trivia! Sora obtains ninety-six cards Riku never sees, and Riku obtains three cards Sora never sees. .: E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA :. Maximum battle cards allowed: 999 Number of battle cards per deck: 99 ALL, as displayed under Review Decks and in moogle shops, includes all categories (Attack, Magic, Item, Enemy) of battle cards currently held, whether assigned to a deck or unassigned. The maximum number of battle cards increases as the game progresses and your card collection grows, only topping out at 999 when Jiminy's Journal -- not just Card Collection -- reaches 100% completion. An alert notifies you when the limit has been reached when you enter the menu or attempt to open a mundane treasure chest. Moogles alert you when you're at the max or have no room left for a new card pack. Tip! If you suspect the max is looming too large, save and then visit a moogle shop. If you're capable of purchasing a new card pack, then you're at least five cards from reaching maximum capacity. To learn the current max, purchase new card packs until told you can't hold any more cards. Then open bounty-room chests until the maximum is reached. Reset once you're satisfied. Amounts shown for CP and Sell throughout this section are as-observed by the author, not calculated or taken from any publication. . ATTACK CARDS . Attack cards are the foundation of Sora's fighting skills. New attack cards are obtained in each Block A and Block B world. Others are first obtained as Sora's story progresses and only spring from struck scenery or appear in moogle card packs from then on. Select attack cards can only be obtained once Sora or Riku's stories are cleared. Missing a card? The following table lists the attack cards in Journal order to aid in decoding those enigmatical question marks. World ..... primarily found in the noted world Story ..... first obtained following a storyline event Special ... a special treasure found in a Room of Rewards Clear ..... a bonus found after clearing Sora's (S) or Riku's (R) game ATTACK CARD WORLD STORY SPECIAL CLEAR NOTES Kingdom Key - - - - Default attack card Three Wishes Y - - - Agrabah Crabclaw Y - - - Atlantica Pumpkinhead Y - - - Halloween Town Fairy Harp Y - - - Neverland Wishing Star Y - - - Monstro Spellbinder - - - - 100 Acre Wood; chest, Tigger's Playground [1] Metal Chocobo - - Y - Olympus Coliseum Olympia Y - - - Olympus Coliseum Lionheart - - Y - Traverse Town Lady Luck Y - - - Wonderland Divine Rose Y - - - Hollow Bastion Oathkeeper - Y - - Destiny Islands; boss Oblivion - Y - - Exit Hall (12F); boss Ultima Weapon - - - R Castle Oblivion; bounty [2] Diamond Dust - - - - Reach final save point; top three floors, anywhere [3] One-Winged Angel - - - - Reach final save point; top three floors, anywhere [3] Star Seeker - - Y S Castle Oblivion Monochrome - - Y S Olympus Coliseum Follow the Wind - - Y S Neverland Hidden Dragon - - - S Traverse Town; bounty Photon Debugger - - Y S Destiny Islands Bond of Flame - - Y S Halloween Town [1] Glide or Super Glide is needed to reach the chest. [2] In subsequent new games, obtained after reaching the final save point. [3] Obtained from broken scenery in field rooms, from moogle shops in black belt or white moogle card packs, or from chests after any clear bonuses are obtained. Tip! Confused about what special treasure or clear bonus cards are unlocked when? Search ahead for a handy "flowchart" in section "F.5 General Gameplay". Once a particular attack card has been obtained, the card may appear elsewhere, especially in moogle shops, bounty rooms, or on the castle's top three floors. Worldly attack cards appear with slightly higher frequency on their "home" worlds, however. Some attack cards "shimmer" and appear twice under Edit Deck. For more info, see "Premium Cards" within section "E.3.3 Deck Building". Each attack card is graded on a variety of statistics, as displayed in the Journal's Card Index. Best <-------------------> Worst Stat grades: * A B+ B C+ C D+ D Stocked cards coincide with the first three stats to form a full combo: 1st Card 2nd Card 3rd Card Strike Thrust Combo Finish Note: These actions correspond with the animation of a standard three-hit combo. Your mileage may vary depending on the sleight, if one is invoked, or the enemy faced. In the following table, element is Physical unless otherwise noted. Cards with a neutral elemental affinity can "break through" an enemy's physical defenses -- good against large body and fat bandit heartless or a boss's guard. ATTACK CARD STRIKE THRUST FINISH RECVRY CP ELEMENT Bond of Flame * C+ B B C Fire Crabclaw C C B+ * B -- Diamond Dust B+ B+ B * C Ice Divine Rose A D+ C C B -- Fairy Harp C+ C+ C * B -- Follow the Wind C+ A D A B -- Hidden Dragon D+ C+ B+ A B -- Kingdom Key D+ D+ D+ B B -- Lady Luck C+ C+ D B A -- Lionheart B B B A B Fire Metal Chocobo C+ C+ B+ B B Neutral Monochrome D+ B B+ C B Neutral Oathkeeper B * B+ B C -- Oblivion A A D A C Neutral Olympia C+ D+ B A A -- One-Winged Angel C C * C C Fire Photon Debugger B C+ B+ B B Lightning Pumpkinhead C+ C+ D+ A A -- Spellbinder D+ A D+ A B Lightning Star Seeker C D+ B+ * A -- Three Wishes C+ D+ B B A -- Ultima Weapon * * A B D -- Wishing Star C C D+ A A -- The Attack stat displayed on cards under Edit Deck (and in the following tables) is the average of the Strike, Thrust, and Combo Finish stats. Kingdom Key ================ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: D+ Description: The default weapon. Not Element: Physical very powerful, but reliable Recovery: B and easy to handle. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 19 5: 14 0: 12 5: 08 Strike: D+ 1: 10 6: 15 1: 06 6: 10 Thrust: D+ 2: 11 7: 16 2: 06 7: 10 Combo Finish: D+ 3: 12 8: 17 3: 08 8: 10 Element: Physical 4: 13 9: 18 4: 08 9: 12 Break Recovery: B Premium: 10 Premium: 16 Required CP: * (open star) Bond of Flame ============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B+ Description: A special attack card with Element: Fire fire-based attacks. Recovery: B Delivers exceptionally ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- powerful strikes. 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 Strike: * 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 Thrust: C+ 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 Combo Finish: B 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 Element: Fire 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Break Recovery: B Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Required CP: C Crabclaw =================== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: Obtained in Atlantica. Easy Element: Physical to handle with an Recovery: * impressive recovery time ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- after card breaks. 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: C 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: C 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Physical 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: * Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Diamond Dust =============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B+ Description: A special attack card with Element: Ice ice-based attacks. Recovery: * Powerful and the easiest to ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- handle. 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 Strike: B+ 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 Thrust: B+ 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 Combo Finish: B 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 Element: Ice 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Break Recovery: * Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Required CP: C Divine Rose ================ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: Obtained in Hollow Bastion. Element: Physical Features a powerful strike Recovery: C and fast swing. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: A 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: D+ 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: C 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Physical 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: C Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Fairy Harp ================= --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: Obtained in Neverland. Easy Element: Physical to handle with a formidable Recovery: * swing speed. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: C+ 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: C+ 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: C 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Physical 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: * (open star) Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Follow the Wind ============ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: A well-balanced weapon with Element: Physical a powerful thrust and a Recovery: A short recovery time from ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- card breaks. 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: C+ 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: A 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: D 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Physical 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: A Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Hidden Dragon ============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: An attack card with weak Element: Physical strikes but powerful combo Recovery: A finishes. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: D+ 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: C+ 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Physical 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: A Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Lady Luck ================== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C Description: Obtained in Wonderland. A Element: Physical balanced weapon that is Recovery: B easy to handle. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 Strike: C+ 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thrust: C+ 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 Combo Finish: D 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 Element: Physical 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Break Recovery: B Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Required CP: A Lionheart ================== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B Description: A special attack card with Element: Fire fire-based attacks. Recovery: A ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: B 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: B 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: B 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Fire 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: A Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Metal Chocobo ============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B Description: A special attack card that Element: Neutral can break through physical Recovery: B defenses. A bit difficult ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- to handle. 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: C+ 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: C+ 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Neutral 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: B Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Monochrome ================= --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: A special attack card that Element: Neutral can break through physical Recovery: C defenses. Takes time to ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- recover from card breaks. 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: D+ 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: B 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Neutral 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: C Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Oathkeeper ================= --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B+ Description: A well-balanced weapon with Element: Physical a very powerful thrust. Recovery: B ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 Strike: B 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 Thrust: * 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 Element: Physical 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Break Recovery: B Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Required CP: C Oblivion =================== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B Description: A special attack card that Element: Neutral can break through physical Recovery: A defenses. First-class ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- strength. 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 Strike: A 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 Thrust: A 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 Combo Finish: D 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 Element: Neutral 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Break Recovery: A Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Required CP: C Olympia ==================== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: Obtained in Olympus Element: Physical Coliseum. Powerful with a Recovery: A quick recovery after card ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- breaks. 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 Strike: C+ 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thrust: D+ 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 Combo Finish: B 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 Element: Physical 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Break Recovery: A Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Required CP: A One-Winged Angel =========== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B Description: A special attack card with Element: Fire fire-based attacks. Recovery: C Exceptional combo finish. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 Strike: C 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 Thrust: C 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 Combo Finish: * 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 Element: Fire 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Break Recovery: C Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Required CP: C Photon Debugger ============ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: B Description: A special attack card with Element: Lightning lightning-based attacks. Recovery: B ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: B 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: C+ 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Lightning 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: B Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Pumpkinhead ================ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C Description: Obtained in Halloween Town. Element: Physical Easy to handle with a fast Recovery: A recovery after card breaks. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 Strike: C+ 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thrust: C+ 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 Combo Finish: D+ 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 Element: Physical 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Break Recovery: A Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Required CP: A Spellbinder ================ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C Description: A special attack card with Element: Lightning lightning-based attacks. Recovery: A ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Strike: D+ 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Thrust: A 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 Combo Finish: D+ 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 Element: Lightning 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Break Recovery: A Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Required CP: B Star Seeker ================ --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: An attack card with a Element: Physical powerful combo finish and Recovery: * the shortest recovery time ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- from card breaks. 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 Strike: C 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thrust: D+ 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 Combo Finish: B+ 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 Element: Physical 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Break Recovery: * Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Required CP: A Three Wishes =============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C+ Description: Obtained in Agrabah. Fairly Element: Physical strong with a fast swing. Recovery: B ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 Strike: C+ 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thrust: D+ 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 Combo Finish: B 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 Element: Physical 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Break Recovery: B Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Required CP: A Ultima Weapon ============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: * Description: The strongest attack card Element: Physical to be found. Recovery: B ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 57 5: 42 0: 38 5: 28 Strike: * 1: 30 6: 45 1: 20 6: 30 Thrust: * 2: 33 7: 48 2: 22 7: 32 Combo Finish: A 3: 36 8: 51 3: 24 8: 34 Element: Physical 4: 39 9: 54 4: 26 9: 36 Break Recovery: B Premium: 30 Premium: 30 Required CP: D Wishing Star =============== --------------- Detail -------------------- Attack: C Description: Obtained in Monstro. Not Element: Physical very powerful, but very Recovery: A easy to handle. ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 Strike: C 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thrust: C 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 Combo Finish: D+ 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 Element: Physical 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Break Recovery: A Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Required CP: A . MAGIC CARDS . Magic cards are first obtained following particular events in Sora's story. Blizzard ... Barrel tutorial in Traverse Town Cure ....... Default deck in Traverse Town. Fire ....... Boss in Exit Hall (1F). Gravity .... First bounty room in Agrabah. Stop ....... First bounty room in Wonderland. Thunder .... Boss in Exit Hall (6F). Aero ....... Boss in Exit Hall (7F) Once found, magic cards may appear in card packs purchased in moogle shops or from struck scenery (slightly more common in the card's initial world). Some magic cards "shimmer" and appear twice under Edit Deck. For more info, see "Premium Cards" within section "E.3.3 Deck Building". o Fire homes in on a single targeted enemy, whether airborne or on the ground, up to about halfway across the battlefield. o Blizzard hits enemies straight ahead from the point of attack, whether Sora jumps in the air or stands on the ground, and splinters to strike enemies to either side. o Cure targets Sora. o The remainder can hit any heartless within a set range centered around the targeted enemy's location at the time of attack; enemies may wander into or out of the area before the attack strikes, however. Fire ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that deals fire damage. Stock two 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 cards for Fira and three cards for Firaga. 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Blizzard ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that deals ice damage. Stock two 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 cards for Blizzara and three cards for 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Blizzaga. 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Thunder ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that deals lightning damage. Stock 0: 24 5: 19 0: 16 5: 12 two cards for Thundara and three cards for 1: 15 6: 20 1: 10 6: 12 Thundaga. 2: 16 7: 21 2: 10 7: 14 3: 17 8: 22 3: 10 8: 14 4: 18 9: 23 4: 12 9: 14 Premium: 15 Premium: 20 Cure ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that restores HP. Stock two cards for 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 Cura and three cards for Curaga. 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Gravity ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that deals damage relative to the 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 enemies' remaining HP. Stock two cards for 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 Gravira and three cards for Graviga. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Stop ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that halts enemy movement for a set 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 time period. Stock two cards for Stopra and 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 three cards for Stopga. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Aero ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Magic that blows away nearby enemies and 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 inflicts damage. Stock two cards for Aerora 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 and three cards for Aeroga. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 . SUMMON CARDS . Also considered magic cards. Excepting Mushu, summons are first obtained as Sora's story progresses. Once a summon card has been found, others may turn up from broken scenery anywhere (though more common in its original world) or in card packs purchased at a moogle shop. Simba ......... Beginnings room in Traverse Town Genie ......... Truth room in Agrabah Cloud ......... Truth room in Olympus Coliseum Dumbo ......... Truth room in Monstro Tinker Bell ... Truth room in Neverland Mushu ......... Rewards room in Hollow Bastion Bambi ......... Fields room in 100 Acre Wood Two- and three-card Summon sleights produce greater effects. Watch for green reaction prompts; pressing triangle may chain or augment a summon's attack. See section "D.2.5 Status" for details on all of Sora's summon-related sleights. Some summon cards "shimmer" and may appear twice under Edit Deck. For more info, see "Premium Cards" within section "E.3.3 Deck Building". Simba ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Simba lets out a mighty roar that deals 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 damage to enemies in front of him. Stock 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 more than one and his roar will also stun 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 enemies. 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Genie ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Genie casts Thundara, Gravira, or Stopra. 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Stock more than one and Genie will cast 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 multiple spells. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Bambi ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Bambi bounds around and drops HP orbs. 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 Stock more than one to boost the effect. 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Dumbo ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Dumbo douses enemies with water over a set 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 time period, dealing ice damage. Stock more 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 than one to prolong the attack. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Tinker Bell ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Tinker Bell restores HP over a set time 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 period. Stock more than one to boost the 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 effect. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Premium: 20 Premium: 22 Mushu ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Mushu breathes fire at the enemy, dealing 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 fire damage. Stock more than one to prolong 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 the attack. 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Premium: 25 Premium: 26 Cloud ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Cloud unleashes two successive sword 0: 43 5: 33 0: 28 5: 22 attacks. Stock two cards to use Cross-slash 1: 25 6: 35 1: 16 6: 22 and three cards to use Omnislash. 2: 27 7: 37 2: 18 7: 24 3: 29 8: 39 3: 18 8: 26 4: 31 9: 41 4: 20 9: 26 Premium: 25 Premium: 26 . ITEM CARDS . Help with reloading the cards in your deck. Good for one use only per battle, though Pluto has been known to dig up used item cards on occasion. Unlike the black-and-white reload card, item cards reload your deck instantly, with no delay whatsoever. Item cards are faster, even for Riku. Item cards are first obtained after particular events or in other ways. Once an item card has been found, others may turn up from broken scenery or in card packs purchased at a moogle shop. Potion ........ Default deck in Traverse Town Ether ......... Guidance room in Agrabah Hi-Potion ..... Guidance room in Olympus Coliseum Mega-Ether .... Whirlwind Plunge minigame in 100 Acre Wood Elixir ........ Bumble-Rumble minigame in 100 Acre Wood Mega-Potion ... Boss in Exit Hall (11F) Megalixir ..... Rewards room in Destiny Islands Item cards never appear as premium cards. Item cards may reload: 1-attack cards; 2-magic cards; 3-unreloadables; 4-resets reload counter Potion 1 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads attack cards with no charge 0: 57 5: 42 0: 38 5: 28 time required. It does not work on cards 1: 30 6: 45 1: 20 6: 30 that cannot be reloaded. 2: 33 7: 48 2: 22 7: 32 3: 36 8: 51 3: 24 8: 34 4: 39 9: 54 4: 26 9: 39 Hi-Potion 1, 3 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads attack cards with no charge 0: 76 5: 56 0: 50 5: 36 time required. Even normally unreloadable 1: 40 6: 60 1: 26 6: 40 cards are restored. 2: 44 7: 64 2: 28 7: 42 3: 48 8: 68 3: 32 8: 44 4: 52 9: 72 4: 34 9: 48 Mega-Potion 1, 3, 4 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads attack cards with no charge 0: 81 5: 61 0: 54 5: 40 time and resets the reload counter. Even 1: 45 6: 65 1: 30 6: 42 normally unreloadable cards are restored. 2: 49 7: 69 2: 32 7: 46 3: 53 8: 73 3: 34 8: 48 4: 57 9: 77 4: 38 9: 50 Ether 2 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads magic cards with no charge 0: 38 5: 28 0: 24 5: 18 time required. It does not work on cards 1: 20 6: 30 1: 12 6: 20 that cannot be reloaded. 2: 22 7: 32 2: 14 7: 20 3: 24 8: 34 3: 16 8: 22 4: 26 9: 36 4: 16 9: 24 Mega-Ether 2, 3 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads magic cards with no charge 0: 62 5: 47 0: 40 5: 30 time and resets the reload counter. Even 1: 35 6: 50 1: 22 6: 32 normally unreloadable cards are restored. 2: 38 7: 53 2: 24 7: 34 3: 41 8: 56 3: 26 8: 36 4: 44 9: 59 4: 28 9: 38 Elixir 1, 2, 3 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads attack cards and magic 0: 81 5: 61 0: 54 5: 40 cards, including normally unreloadable 1: 45 6: 65 1: 30 6: 42 cards. 2: 49 7: 69 2: 32 7: 46 3: 53 8: 73 3: 34 8: 48 4: 57 9: 77 4: 38 9: 50 Megalixir 1, 2, 3, 4 ---- CP ---- --- Sell --- Quickly reloads attack cards and magic 0: 95 5: 70 0: 62 5: 46 cards, including normally unreloadable 1: 50 6: 75 1: 32 6: 50 cards. The reload counter is also reset. 2: 55 7: 80 2: 36 7: 52 3: 60 8: 85 3: 40 8: 56 4: 65 9: 90 4: 42 9: 60 . FRIEND CARDS . Two- and three-card sleights yield greater or multiple effects, or can stun enemies. Watch for green reaction prompts; pressing triangle can chain or augment some friends' attacks. Additional Friend sleights produce other individual effects. See section "D.2.5 Status" for details on Sora's Friend sleights. FRIEND BASIC EFFECT Donald Two spells: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Cure Goofy Spinning attack Aladdin Sword attack, MP orbs Ariel Whirling attack Jack One spell: Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Gravity Peter Pan Dagger attack, MP orbs The Beast Volleys enemies with Sora Pluto Digs for spent cards; HP orbs, MP orbs; bone For exact descriptions, see section "G.1 Journal Transcript". Donald and Goofy may appear in regular and (most) boss fights. Most of the remainder may appear in either, but only in his or her own world and only when he or she appears under Friends. Pluto can be an enigma. He can turn up anywhere, especially when Sora's deck dwindles, quite regularly against random heartless when playing with low CP. In a typical game, however, he's very rarely seen in random battle, but commonly pops up in select boss battles and other forced fights. He can lend a paw against Organization members, too. If he digs up a bone, however, avoid stepping on it. Note: It's easily possible to reach the final save point without ever seeing the Pluto friend card. The card is NOT missable, however. Visit Traverse Town, Wonderland, or any "easy" world. The trick is using a deck of about a dozen cards, depleting it by half through combos and sleights, then half again as needed. The pooch shows up soon enough. . ENEMY CARDS . In addition to boss drops, Sora can receive enemy cards from all but one random heartless. After beating Sora's game and its clear data is recorded by System Data, a few new enemy cards become available, as will a few more once Riku's clear data is likewise saved. See section "E.1.3 Enemy Cards" for more info, and search ahead for a handy "flowchart" of exact details. . GIMMICK CARDS . See section "E.1.6 Gimmick Cards" for more info. . SPECIAL CARDS . See section "E.1.7 Special Cards" for more info. .: E.1.2 BATTLE CARDS - RIKU :. Riku has a limited selection of battle cards at his command. Two- and three-card sleights with the King yield greater effects over a larger area. Item cards reload Riku's deck even faster than usual. NAME TYPE EFFECT Soul Eater Attack Damage inflicted on enemies increases with Riku's AP Potion Item Quickly reloads all reloadable attack cards Hi-Potion Item Quickly reloads ALL attack cards The King Friend Damages and may stun enemies within range; heals Riku; reloads Riku's deck Gimmick Cards Special help in boss fights Riku also has select enemy cards available to him. Some are awarded for defeating bosses, as with Sora, but Riku has one or more random enemy card automatically assigned per world, rather than found as random drops, including one enemy card Sora never sees. The next section, "E.1.3 Enemy Cards", goes into greater detail. IMPORTANT! While Sora finds more powerful attack cards as he goes along, Riku must depend on powering up his Soul Eater attack cards. To increase the amount of damage Soul Eater inflicts, accept the intermittent Attack Bonuses as soon as they're offered at level-up. The difference may be noticeable before advancing beyond B12F. Rapid Breaks only temporarily increase Soul Eater's power for the duration of the battle. .: E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS :. Also considered battle cards, enemy cards invoke special abilities for a limited duration. For Sora, a random enemy card may drop after battle instead of a map card, but only for the last enemy standing on the battlefield. For Sora, too, some unique enemy cards are obtained in Rewards or bounty rooms. For Riku, select random enemy cards are automatically available within each world. For both, a boss commonly drops its own enemy card, though sometimes not until the final confrontation against returning bosses. For Riku, once acquired boss enemy cards appear in his closed decks from then on. . USING ENEMY CARDS . One of Sora's tutorials talked of card "categories" and walked through choosing an enemy card, but the lesson occurred so near the start of a new game it's rarely useful except in hindsight. Note: The following also applies for the two special cards Sora may obtain, which work exactly like enemy cards. 1. For Sora only, before battle add the desired enemy cards to the equipped deck. Riku's closed deck automatically includes one or more enemy cards, but enemy cards must be added to Sora's decks like any other battle cards. 2. In battle, press Select to switch the card revolver and display all enemy cards available in the current deck. 3. Highlight the desired enemy card and press X. Tip! Do so quickly. If you pick up a Friend card before an enemy card is selected, the revolver automatically switches back to normal and you'll need to press Select again, though the revolver retains its last position. With most enemy cards, the named ability immediately displays to the right of the card revolver, along with a limit counter above the name. Once the limit is exhausted, the ability (and any ancillary effects) ends and the display clears. A few enemy cards inflict a one-time effect and have nothing to display. . USAGE TIPS . Already-used enemy cards do not reload for the remainder of the battle. Multiples of the same enemy card can be added to one deck, CP allowing, and played sequentially. If you have obtained five Red Nocturne enemy cards, for instance, all five may be added to a deck (at 20 CP each, for a total cost of 100 CP; very effective, and a bargain to boot). Once an enemy card has been played and its ability and limit are displayed, playing another enemy card immediately cancels the first card. To get the most from your enemy cards, wait until one is finished before playing another enemy card. Limits enduring for a number of reloads are depleted by any sort of reload, whether by way of the usual black-and-white reload card, an item card, or a sleight that also reloads the deck. Best played at the start of battle or immediately following a reload. Playing a stock of multiple item cards can instantly exhaust an enemy card's reload limit. Limits based on a number of attacks may deplete whenever the weapon is swung. The blow connecting or inflicting damage is not necessarily required. Unique enemy cards that also list certain ancillary effects (such as an elemental resistance), known as "passive" abilities, only provide those added effects while the card is actually in play. Simply including the card in your deck does not afford you the extra protection, nor does the effect continue once the card's limit expires. . ALL ENEMY CARDS . The following table lists every possible enemy card, in the order they appear in Sora's Journal. S ......... Y = obtainable by Sora C = only after completing Sora's story + = only after completing Riku's story, too * = only after achieving Collector Rank of Card Master - = never obtained by Sora Enemy cards may be added to any deck, costing the specified amount of CP. Random enemy cards may also be sold in moogle shops for the MP shown; boss and unique enemy cards can't be sold. R ......... A = auto-acquired by Riku B = boss drop - = never obtained by Riku Enemy cards are automatically included in decks, though which and how many varies by deck. For Riku, the CP and MP columns do not apply. CP ........ amount of CP required to add the card to Sora's deck MP ........ amount of MP received if sold in a moogle shop -- = card can't be sold ABILITY ... name of the card's ability; defined in the next section LIMIT ..... duration of the card's effects; may endure longer than expected ENEMY NAME S R CP MP ABILITY LIMIT Shadow Y A 25 16 Incrementor 2 reloads Soldier Y - 15 10 Combo Plus 3 reloads Powerwild Y A 30 20 Retrograde 1 reload Bouncywild Y - 10 06 Draw 5 reloads Large Body Y A 40 26 Guard 1 reload Fat Bandit Y A 40 26 Back Attack 2 reloads Sea Neon Y A 20 12 Random Values 1 reload Darkball - A -- -- Duel Trigger 1 reload Bandit Y - 30 20 Combo Finish 1 reload Pirate Y A 30 20 All Zeros 1 reload Red Nocturne Y - 20 12 Fire Boost 1 reload Blue Rhapsody Y - 20 12 Blizzard Boost 1 reload Yellow Opera Y - 20 12 Thunder Boost 1 reload Green Requiem Y - 20 12 Cure Boost 1 reload Wizard Y - 30 20 Magic Boost 1 reload Air Soldier Y - 30 20 Reload Kinesis 3 reloads Barrel Spider Y - 30 20 Quickload 3 reloads [A] Wight Knight Y A 15 10 Float 3 reloads Air Pirate Y - 30 20 Item Bracer 3 reloads Gargoyle Y - 30 20 Vanish 1 reload Search Ghost Y A 35 22 Drain 1 reload Aquatank Y - 30 20 Auto-Reload 1 reload Screwdiver Y - 15 10 Decrementor 1 reload Wyvern Y - 20 12 Reload Lock 3 reloads Defender Y A 30 20 Protect 1 reload White Mushroom Y - 40 26 Hyper Healing 3 reloads [B] Black Fungus Y - 40 26 Random Flush 1 reload Creeper Plant Y - 35 22 Leaf Bracer 1 reload Tornado Step Y - 30 20 Reload Haste 1 reload Crescendo Y - 30 20 Summon Boost 1 reload Neoshadow Y - 30 20 Bio 1 reload Guard Armor Y B 30 -- Wide Attack 30 attacks Hades Y B 40 -- Berserk 30 attacks [1] Trickmaster Y B 25 -- Value Break 10 card breaks taken Jafar Y B 65 -- Attack Bracer 20 attacks Ursula Y B 50 -- Shell 5 hits taken Oogie Boogie Y B 40 -- Regen 10 uses Parasite Cage Y B 60 -- Dispel 1 use Hook Y B 35 -- Second Chance 3 uses [2] Dragon Maleficent Y B 70 -- Overdrive 30 attacks Darkside Y B 99 -- Mimic 1 use Riku Y - 80 -- Sleight Lock 5 sleights [3] Card Soldier Y - 55 -- Attack Haste 30 attacks Ansem + - 40 -- Sleightblind 10 sleights [3] Xemnas C - 65 -- Quick Barrier 3 reloads [4] Xigbar C - 80 -- Shot Charge 2 reloads Xaldin C - 65 -- Aero Guard 3 hits taken [4] Vexen Y - 60 -- Auto-Life 1 use [6] Lexaeus + B 99 -- Warp Break 50 attacks [9] Zexion + B 65 -- Confu-Strike 50 attacks [4] Saix C - 80 -- Combo Boost 20 attacks [4] Axel Y - 75 -- Quick Recovery 10 hits taken [7] Demyx C - 80 -- Water Charge 2 reloads [4] Luxord C - 99 -- Omni Break 15 uses [4] Marluxia Y - 99 -- Double Sleight 3 sleights [5] Larxene Y - 65 -- Dash 15 cards [8] Roxas C - 99 -- Double Strike 20 attacks Gold Card * - 99 -- Premium Guard 5 reloads [*] Platinum Card * - 99 -- Invincible 20 attacks [*] [A] Masquerade as plain barrels; common in Agrabah, Monstro. [B] Can be KOed, but only by using Sora's Warp or Warpinator sleights. [1] Resists fire; stunned by ice [2] Resists lightning; stunned by fire [3] Resists fire, ice, lightning [4] Resists fire, ice, lightning, special attacks [5] Resists fire, ice, lightning, special attacks; weak to physical attacks [6] Immune to ice; stunned by fire [7] Immune to fire; stunned by ice [8] Immune to lightning; weak to special attacks [9] Immune to ice; resists physical attacks; weak to special attacks [*] See section "E.1.7 Special Cards". As noted, several unique enemy cards enable one or more "passive" abilities in addition to the "active" ability listed. Passive abilities, like "resists fire", remain in force for the enemy card's duration. Tip! When playing an enemy card expressly for its passive abilities, avoid actions that deplete the limit counter to keep "buffed" longer. . ENEMY ABILITIES . Quickly decipher cards played against you. Rooms affecting card values (such as Martial Waking) may take precedence over enemy card abilities (like Incrementor). Like effects do NOT compound. Aero Guard Activates Aero for a set time, inflicting damage to enemies who touch it. All Zeros Changes the value of all cards to zero. Attack Bracer Stops enemies from breaking attack cards you use. Attack Haste Increases the speed of attack cards. Auto-Life Revives you automatically when you HP reaches zero. Only a small amount of HP is restored. Auto-Reload Automatically reloads cards when they run out. Back Attack Deals more damage when striking enemies from behind. Berserk Boosts the power of attack cards when low on HP (when the gauge is flashing red). Bio Causes enemies' HP to gradually drop. Blizzard Boost Increases the strength of ice-based abilities. Combo Boost Boosts power with every strike with an attack card. Returns to normal when a card is broken. Combo Finish Makes the first strike as powerful as a combo finish. Combo Plus Adds an extra hit to normal combos. Confu-Strike Causes attacks to confuse enemy at a certain rate. Cure Boost Increases the potency of healing abilities. Dash Increases running speed. Decrementor Decreases the values of all cards by one. Dispel Nullifies an opponent's enemy card without fail. Nothing happens if your opponent has no enemy card in play. Double Sleight Use stocked cards and sleights twice in a row. Double Strike Doubles the damage dealt by an attack card. Drain Absorbs enemy HP when striking with attack cards, but enemies will drop fewer items. Draw Attracts fallen cards and items for easy retrieval. Duel Trigger Activates duels no matter the value. [1] Fire Boost Increases the strength of fire-based abilities. Float Alters gravity to boost jumping ability. Guard Deflects frontal physical attacks and completely nullifies damage. Hyper Healing Restores some HP every time you use a friend card. Incrementor Increases the value of all cards by one. Invincible You will receive no damage. [*] Item Bracer Stops enemies from breaking item cards you use. Leaf Bracer Stops enemies from breaking Cure abilities you use. Magic Boost Disables use of summon cards to power up magic cards. Mimic Copies the enemy card your opponent is using. Nothing happens if your opponent has no enemy card in play. Omni Break Breaks enemy's card no matter what the value. Overdrive Sacrifices reload speed to power up attack cards. Premium Guard Allows premium cards to be reloaded. [*] Protect Decreases damage from physical attacks by the enemy. Magical attacks do normal damage. Quick Barrier When receiving consecutive attacks, guards beyond the second strike. Quick Recovery Allows use of cards even while staggering from damage. Quickload Reloads cards instantly. Random Flush Activates a random enemy card effect. [2] Random Values Randomizes the values of the cards you use. Regen Gradually restores HP. HP returns more quickly when low. Reload Haste Subtracts two from the reload counter. Reload Kinesis Allows reloads while in motion. Reload Lock Stops the reload counter from counting reloads. Retrograde Reverses the values of all cards. Zero cards are unaffected. Second Chance Retains one HP after a critical hit, provided you have two or more HP left. Shell Halves the damage from enemies' magic attacks. Shot Charge Powers up missile attacks such as Strike Raid and Fire. Sleight Lock Keeps cards used in sleights available for reloading. Sleightblind Grants Sora resistance to certain elements. [3] Summon Boost Disables use of magic cards to power up summon cards. Thunder Boost Increases the strength of lightning-based abilities. Value Break Decreases value of the enemy's card when your card is broken. Vanish Makes you invisible and reduces your chances of being hit. Warp Break Obliterate enemies with the finishing blow of a combo with a high success rate. Water Charge Dramatically boosts power of ice-based attacks, such as Aqua Splash and Blizzard. Wide Attack Slightly extends the range of attack cards. [1] Seen only in Riku's story. [2] Randomized from all enemy cards, not just the ones you've obtained. [3] Sleights can't be seen by opponent and are harder to counter. [*] See section "E.1.7 Special Cards". Note: In testing, the Premium Guard ability had no effect whatsoever. . ENEMY CARD LOCATIONS . Chasing down enemy cards for completing Sora's journal? Here's a breakdown of the heartless you'll find, world by world. Enemies found nowhere else appear in ALL CAPS. See also section "G.3 Annotated Bestiary". TRAVERSE TOWN Shadow, Soldier, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody AGRABAH Shadow, FAT BANDIT, BANDIT, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem, Air Soldier, Barrel Spider OLYMPUS COLISEUM Shadow, POWERWILD, BOUNCYWILD, Large Body, Blue Rhapsody, Barrel Spider WONDERLAND Shadow, Soldier, Large Body, Red Nocturne, Creeper Plant, Crescendo MONSTRO Shadow, Large Body, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem, Air Soldier, Barrel Spider, Search Ghost, Tornado Step HALLOWEEN TOWN Shadow, WIGHT KNIGHT, GARGOYLE, Search Ghost, Creeper Plant ATLANTICA (Shadow), SEA NEON, Search Ghost, AQUATANK, SCREWDIVER NEVERLAND Shadow, PIRATE, Yellow Opera, Barrel Spider, AIR PIRATE, Crescendo HOLLOW BASTION Shadow, Wizard, Wyvern, Defender, Tornado Step TWILIGHT TOWN Shadow, Soldier, Air Soldier, Barrel Spider DESTINY ISLANDS Shadow, Barrel Spider, Creeper Plant, Tornado Step, Crescendo CASTLE OBLIVION Shadow, Red Nocturne, Blue Rhapsody, Yellow Opera, Green Requiem, Wizard, Wyvern, Defender, NEOSHADOW Darkball heartless never drop an enemy card for Sora. For confirmed sightings of darkball heartless, see section "G.3 Annotated Bestiary". Shadow enemy cards may drop in every world, but in Atlantica shadow heartless appear in Bottomless Darkness rooms and nowhere else. White Mushroom and Black Fungus enemy cards may be dropped from encounters in White or Black Rooms synthesized in any world. Barrel Spider enemy cards may drop anywhere barrel spiders are found, which is any world with plain barrels in its field rooms, including White and Black Rooms. The worlds listed above represent verified sightings. Tip! Barrel spiders are often found in the initial Unknown Room of several worlds. Find two worlds you like (Monstro and Agrabah have good encounter rates and barrels within easy reach), then warp back and forth between those worlds until you obtain a spider's card. No room synthesis or extraneous encounters required! . IMPROVE SORA'S CHANCES! . Rarity of Sora receiving an enemy card is dependent upon the room type for certain, and perhaps other factors to a greater or lesser degree. Enemies may drop their enemy cards in any type of room, but a select few map cards feature a marginal boost to the standard drop rates. Enemies often have drop-rate percentages assigned to common, uncommon, or truly rare instances. A shadow heartless, for example, seems to drop its enemy card without much effort, while garnering a white mushroom's enemy card may need real determination on your part. Certain random factors may be set when your game is loaded, too. A card may drop right in your lap one day, then appears not once the next. Stop, save, and reload -- your odds may improve. The best results are achieved through a combination of the following. 1. Teeming Darkness, Almighty Darkness, and Looming Darkness map cards synthesize rooms with an increased likelihood of random enemy card drops. Initial Unknown Rooms seem to mimic this behavior, too. 2. REQUIRED: Ensure the last heartless on the battlefield is the one whose enemy card you seek. 3. Reload your game whenever enemy cards are few and far between, or reset your console when even a soft-reset doesn't help. While some reports claim that card breaking the enemy or dealing a solid finishing blow may improve your odds, extensive testing has failed to prove the theory. Roulette rooms are handy for gathering lots of useful map cards, but the chance of enemy cards dropping after battle in a Roulette Room is next to nil. For assistance with defeating a particular heartless to obtain its enemy card, see the "G.3 Annotated Bestiary" section. Tip! When hunting a particular enemy card, if the random battle doesn't produce an enemy grouping that includes the heartless you seek, Escape from the battle before the last heartless falls. Back in the field room, the same heartless immediately respawns, but the resulting enemy groupings may be different. Repeat until you meet your target. Works only with enemies that appear when you approach, however; already visible enemies do NOT respawn after an Escape. .: E.1.4 MAP CARDS :. See section "D.1.3 Map Cards" for help using the Map Cards screen. More overlap between Sora and Riku's tales occurs with map cards than with battle cards. See their character sections for who sees which map cards. Rooms affecting card values (such as Martial Waking) may take precedence over enemy card abilities (like Incrementor). Like effects do NOT compound. . RED . TRANQUIL DARKNESS Heartless: * Room Size: ** Description: A room where only a few Heartless appear. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room A basic encounter room. Layout has modest complexity. TEEMING DARKNESS Heartless: *** Room Size: *** Description: A room where many Heartless appear. Enemies often drop enemy cards in this room. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Increased chance the last enemy may drop its enemy card instead of a map card after battle. Count on more battles than with any other map card. The layout features large terraces on two or more levels. FEEBLE DARKNESS Heartless: * Room Size: ** Description: A room where Heartless with weak cards appear. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In battle, ALL heartless card values are decreased by two. Values may be reduced to as low as one (1). ALMIGHTY DARKNESS Heartless: ** Room Size: ** Description: A room where Heartless with strong cards appear. Enemies often drop enemy cards in this room. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In battle, ALL heartless card values are increased by two. Values may be raised as high as nine (9). Increased chance the last enemy may drop its enemy card instead of a map card after battle. SLEEPING DARKNESS Heartless: * Room Size: * Description: A room where Heartless are drowsy and easy to ambush. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In the field, heartless snooze and all are visible, excepting any lurking barrel spiders. Attack enemies to damage the first wave, or run into them and the first wave is asleep when battle starts. The smallest field room of all. Only White and Black Rooms harbor fewer heartless. LOOMING DARKNESS Heartless: ** Room Size: *** Description: A room where Heartless attack relentlessly. Enemies often drop enemy cards in this room. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In the field, heartless always chase you. Increased chance the last enemy may drop its enemy card instead of a map card after battle. Large field room, bordering on vast, of elegant simplicity. PREMIUM ROOM Heartless: ** Room Size: ** Description: A room where victory often leads to Premium Bonuses. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Increases the chance that a premium bonus is dropped during battles. If the black-and-gold "P" card is picked up, after the fight a selection of battle cards cycles around the screen -- the cards in your current deck, excepting item and enemy cards, that may be (but are not already) designated as premium cards. Let the cards cycle while you choose a card. Wait until the desired card is under the target (no inertia; this wheel stops on a dime), then press X. Or, if you wish to choose none of the cycling cards, press O to cancel the selector. (Advisable early in a new game, in fact.) Tips! Keep your deck stocked with regular cards you'd like made into premium cards. Make excess one (1) cards premium prior to selling for an extra ten MP or so apiece; one-valued premium cards have no other benefit. Only one of the selected card is elevated to premium if you have more than one, not your entire supply. For example, if you have four normal Cure-6 cards, after selecting Cure-6 you'll have three normal Cure-6 cards and one premium Cure-6 card. See section "E.3.3 Deck Building" for a practical discussion on using premium cards. WHITE ROOM Heartless: * Room Size: *** Description: A room where only White Mushrooms appear. What happens when you defeat White Mushrooms? Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Three white mushrooms appear in the field room, wander, wink out, and so on. They don't chase you, but they may "run" at the sight of you only to reappear elsewhere. Tip! The field room may include a good number of barrels when synthesized on worlds where barrel spiders live, such as Monstro. Except in the case of barrel spiders, in battle your only opponent is the white mushroom, or a whole passel of them (one to five mushrooms per battle). As each mushroom is magically dispatched, it gives up EXP crystals and HP orbs. Your reward for clearing the battle is most often some sort of bounty room map card. Tip! Only the Warp and Warpinator sleights can KO a white mushroom, in which case no HP orbs are dropped (Warpinator) nor any EXP crystals (Warp). Handy for collecting a white mushroom's enemy card, though. See section "E.3.5 Battle Spoils" for even more on what else may drop. BLACK ROOM Heartless: * Room Size: * Description: A room where only Black Fungi appear. What happens when you defeat Black Fungi? Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Three black fungi appear on the field, wander, wink out, and so on. They don't chase you. In battle your only opponent is the black fungus, or a whole passel of them (one to five fungi per battle). Sora's reward for clearing the battle is commonly a Calm Bounty map card after advancing above the first floor. Riku, however, usually receives a Roulette Room card. See also section "E.3.5 Battle Spoils". BOTTOMLESS DARKNESS Heartless: *** Room Size: *** Description: A pitch-dark room where many Heartless appear. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room The field is dark and featureless, all on a level but not strictly rectangular, with no targets other than shadow heartless. Opened doors glow white, however, useful for orienting yourself. Locating unopened doors by only a dim glow over the lintel can be challenging. Battles are likewise fought in darkness. While many battles may occur against numerous heartless, neither is truly "bottomless" and eventually no more enemies are encountered. Trivia! In Atlantica, a Bottomless Darkness room is the only place shadow heartless are found. ROULETTE ROOM Heartless: ** Room Size: *** Description: A room where victory often leads to Roulette Bonuses. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room; black fungus (Riku) Increases the chance that a roulette bonus is dropped during battles. If the black-and-silver "R" card is picked up, after the fight rather than receiving a random card, a roulette of select map cards cycles around the screen, along with a list of all map cards grouped by color and value. The number of each you hold in inventory is shown; values for which you have none display dimmed. For Sora, the selection of cards presented adheres to any restrictions imposed by the floor or world. Let the cards cycle. Choose a card you like, or one that fills a particular vacancy. Wait until the desired card is under the target (no inertia; this wheel stops on a dime), then press X. Unlike its premium counterpart, the roulette selector may not be canceled. If an R card is dropped but NOT picked up, no card is awarded after battle. If an R card is not dropped, a map card or (very rarely) an enemy card is awarded as usual after battle. Tip! Since enemy cards never appear in the roulette selector, when hunting for enemy cards you may wish to avoid synthesizing Roulette Rooms. The Key to Rewards and Random Joker map cards also never appear in the selector. One of the more complex layouts, arranged in shallow, broad tiers, up two sides like an amphitheater. . GREEN . Note: For Sora, green map cards NEVER drop on the castle's top two floors. MARTIAL WAKING Heartless: ** Room Size: ** Description: A room where attack cards are more effective. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In battle, attack card values are increased by two, including zero cards. The increase is unaffected by enemy cards. SORCEROUS WAKING Heartless: ** Room Size: ** Description: A room where magic cards are more effective. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In battle, magic card values are increased by two, including zero cards. The increase is unaffected by enemy cards. ALCHEMIC WAKING Heartless: * Room Size: ** Description: A room where item cards are more effective. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In battle, item card values are increased by two, including zero cards. The increase is unaffected by enemy cards. MEETING GROUND Heartless: ** Room Size: ** Description: A room where a friend card appears at the beginning of all battles (if your friends are with you). Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room A friend card appears at the outset of battle, if any appear under Friends. STAGNANT SPACE Heartless: * Room Size: ** Description: A room where the Heartless move slowly. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In the field, heartless move sluggishly. The layout is a zigzagging path all on a level. STRONG INITIATIVE Heartless: ** Room Size: *** Description: A room where striking first in the field does additional damage to Heartless. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In the field, attacking heartless deals increased damage to the first wave in the ensuing battle. The layout is tiered like a Roulette Room, but two-sided with stairs zigzagging between alternating landings. LASTING DAZE Heartless: ** Room Size: *** Description: A room where striking first in the field stuns all Heartless that join the battle. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room In the field, attacking heartless stuns ALL enemy waves in the ensuing battle. One of the most complex layouts, arranged in deep, narrow tiers, like scaling steep canyon walls. . BLUE . Note: Treasure chest behaviors described for Calm Bounty apply to chests holding treasures found in Guarded Trove and False Bounty rooms as well. CALM BOUNTY Heartless: -- Room Size: * Description: A room containing treasure. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room; black fungus (Sora) Contains a treasure chest. WARNING! If the number of battle cards is at its maximum, an alert displays when the chest is opened, but no card is obtained. Special and new-found cards are exceptions, since the max increases by one as each is obtained. The chest contains a unique treasure at least the first time Calm Bounty (or any bounty-type map card) is synthesized in a world. Once clear data has been saved for Sora and Riku, bounty rooms in select worlds contain another unique bonus (at variable points as noted in the walkthrough sections, as well as in "E.3.2 Save Files"). WORLD TREASURE CLEAR BONUS Traverse Town -- Hidden Dragon attack card Agrabah Gravity magic card -- Olympus Coliseum Blizzard Raid sleight -- Wonderland Stop magic card -- Monstro Fire Raid sleight -- Halloween Town Gifted Miracle sleight -- Atlantica Shock Impact sleight -- Homing Blizzara sleight -- Neverland Teleport sleight -- Hollow Bastion Reflect Raid sleight -- 100 Acre Wood -- -- Twilight Town Warpinator sleight Ansem enemy card Destiny Islands Judgment sleight Zexion enemy card Castle Oblivion Raging Storm sleight Ultima Weapon attack card -- Lexaeus enemy card 100 Acre Wood's one treasure chest is found in Tigger's Playground without room synthesis, but Glide or Super Glide is needed to reach the chest. Hidden Dragon may be obtained once Sora's clear data has been saved, and at the start of subsequent playthroughs. On a second playthrough after clearing Riku's game, the other clear bonus cards may be obtained after reaching the final save point. GUARDED TROVE Heartless: ** Room Size: * Description: A room where treasure is guarded by Heartless. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Bounty room containing a treasure chest. The obvious approach is guarded by a stationary heartless at the bottom (and sometimes the top) of the ladder. What pertains to treasures found in Calm Bounty rooms applies for this room, as well. FALSE BOUNTY Heartless: * Room Size: * Description: A room where only one treasure chest is real. Opening a fake chest leads to battle with Heartless. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Bounty room containing three chests, only one of which contains treasure. The other two engage in battle without a first-strike opportunity. What pertains to treasures found in Calm Bounty rooms applies for the real treasure chest in this room, as well. MOMENT'S REPRIEVE Heartless: -- Room Size: * Description: A room where you can save your progress. No Heartless. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Contains a save point. Layout is similar to Calm Bounty. MOOGLE ROOM Heartless: -- Room Size: * Description: A room where you can trade cards at the Moogle Shop. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Layout is similar to Calm Bounty. Approach the moogle in the field and press triangle to shop. On the first visit in a newly synthesized moogle room, you receive a free pack of five attack cards. Trade in your excess battle cards for Moogle Points with the right-hand moogle. The amount of MP varies from card to card. Also, your total number of battle cards is displayed. While talking with a moogle, pressing square switches to the other moogle. With the left-hand moogle, trade your MP for battle cards. Cards are offered in five-card packs of red attack cards, blue magic cards, green item cards, or in a "variety pack" of a random selection from all three card types. Note: If the total number of battle cards is (or grows to) within five of the maximum allowed, you're alerted to the limit -- on entering a shop, a special screen displays; when buying cards, the moogle's text says you can hold no more cards; while selling cards, pressing square is disabled. You can still trade cards for MP, however. Once your inventory is reduced enough, the square icon reappears and you can again switch to the other moogle. If it's a new shop, back out to the two-moogle main screen and automatically receive the deferred complimentary card pack. As you climb higher in the castle, moogle shops expand their offerings. The higher the price, the greater the chance of receiving rare cards in the pack. A better gauge for rarity, however, is the ribbon (and ornament) adorning the card pack. (The other comparative rankings, below, are all unofficial, but may aid in gauging your purchases.) Green (leaf) C * Common Brown (belt) B ** Uncommon Black (buckle) A *** Rare White (moogle) S **** Very Rare Qty, how many of each pack type are offered in a moogle shop FLOORS R B G V QTY RIBBON 1F 100 200 150 150 2 Green 2F-6F 100 200 150 150 4 Green 7F-10F 100 200 150 150 1 Green 200 250 200 200 2 Brown 300 350 300 300 1 Black 11F-13F 100 200 150 150 1 Green 200 250 200 200 1 Brown 300 350 300 300 1 Black 500 400 350 400 1 White Note: Certain cards (Gravity magic cards, for example) won't be included in any card packs until those cards have been duly "found" in their appointed place (in a bounty room in Agrabah, in this example). Some card packs include cards that "shimmer" as if turning in the light. See section "E.3.3 Deck Building" for more on these premium cards. Reportedly, individual battle cards have odds assigned for their appearance in each sort of card pack. Some cards never appear in common packs, some exclusively in only one or two ranks, while others may appear anywhere at all. White attack card packs, for instance, are often comprised solely of cards with a star for one of their stats, Fairy Harp as much as Oathkeeper. And Cloud summon cards rarely (if ever) appear in leafy green card packs. Tip! Save before visiting a moogle emporium. If you don't like the cards you were dealt, reset, reload, and try again. MINGLING WORLDS Heartless: ??? Room Size: ??? Description: A room where anything could happen. Acquired: Random drop; Roulette Room Synthesizes a room randomly selected from ALL room types. The room may reflect a known map card, whether or not one is in stock, or even a map card not yet obtained this playthrough (possibly facing mushrooms or fungi before the appropriate map cards are found, for instance). Tip! A good choice if a grab-bag style of room synthesis appeals to you. RANDOM JOKER Heartless: ??? Room Size: ??? Description: A card that can meet any criteria except for key cards. The room is randomly synthesized. Acquired: Random drop Rare. Meets any single requirement for room synthesis, except keycard requirements. For example, the joker works whether a door needs any 20 red cards, any single green card, or a card valued at 2 or greater. If a door requires a red card plus the Beginnings keycard, Random Joker can substitute for the red card but you still need to select the keycard before the door unlocks. However, if a red card, two blues, and a green are needed, playing a joker card takes care of only the requirement up next, not all three, though any remaining requirements can be met by playing additional joker cards. As with the Mingling Worlds card, the room synthesized is randomly selected from all room types. Tip! Best saved for unlocking Rewards rooms or other doors needing a large number of map cards. Or a particular card you're lacking at the moment. Never appears in a roulette selector. . GOLD . Gold-bordered keycards are NOT counted toward the maximum limit on map cards. With one exception, additional map cards are required before each keycard may be used. The extra cards needed are specific to the floor, rather than the world. The "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria" reference section lists all door criteria, floor-by-floor. KEY OF BEGINNINGS Heartless: -- Room Size: -- Description: A room where untold stories unfold. Acquired: At the end of a world's introductory scenes, if any First of three keycards commonly required to complete a world. Bares a keyblade symbol. Unlocks an event room that advances the story and may include a boss or other forced fight. Opening the Room of Beginnings requires more cards than the Beginnings keycard alone. See section "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria" for floor-by-floor criteria. KEY OF GUIDANCE Heartless: -- Room Size: -- Description: A room where untold stories unfold. Acquired: Following events resulting from using the Beginnings keycard Second of three keycards commonly (but not always) required to complete a world. Bares the Kingdom Hearts symbol. Unlocks an event room that advances the story and may include a boss or other forced fight. Opening the Room of Guidance requires more cards than the Guidance keycard alone. See section "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria" for floor-by-floor criteria. KEY TO TRUTH Heartless: -- Room Size: -- Description: A room where untold stories unfold. Acquired: Following events resulting from using the Guidance keycard Third of three keycards commonly (but not always) required to complete a world. Bares the heartless emblem. Unlocks an event room that advances the story. If present, the Truth event room always features either a boss fight or a minigame. Opening the Room of Truth requires more cards than the Truth keycard alone. See section "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria" for floor-by-floor criteria. KEY TO REWARDS Heartless: -- Room Size: * Description: Allows access to a secret room with rare cards and sleights. Acquired: Random drop after reaching the seventh floor as Sora Unlocks an optional event room on each floor. The Rewards keycard first appears after Sora reaches the seventh floor. Thereafter, the keycard drops with equal reliability on any of the higher floors (7F-12F). Only one may be carried at a time -- you must use the keycard before another will drop after battle -- and never appears in a roulette selector. The Rewards keycard can be used on any floor, not just the floor where it was found. Except on the first floor, opening the Room of Rewards requires more cards than the Rewards keycard alone. Unlike other event rooms, opening the Room of Rewards triggers no actual events. Rewards received are specific to the world, not the floor. On your first playthrough, each Rewards room yields up to three rewards, two of which are considered "special treasures" that are tallied on the end-game Battle Record screen as "Special treasures obtained". Up until you defeat the final boss, a Rewards room contains one chest that holds the first special treasure (or a regular card, if reopened before then). Once the final boss is defeated and you have a "clear" save for Sora, you can load Sora's clear save and reopen the Rewards rooms, which now contain two chests, one holding the room's second special treasure and the other holding an ordinary treasure. In subsequent playthroughs as Sora (New Game > Sora), as long as the System Data file remains intact on your memory card, Rewards rooms contain two chests from the start, holding both of the room's special treasures. Access to a Rewards room only vanishes once both of its special treasures are collected. Twenty-four special treasures can be obtained all told. WORLD INITIAL REWARD CLEAR BONUS Traverse Town Lionheart attack card Saix enemy card Agrabah Warp sleight Luxord enemy card Olympus Coliseum Metal Chocobo attack card Monochrome attack card Wonderland Synchro sleight Xemnas enemy card Monstro Aqua Splash sleight Xaldin enemy card Halloween Town Bind sleight Bond of Flame attack card Atlantica Quake sleight Demyx enemy card Neverland Thunder Raid sleight Follow the Wind attack card Hollow Bastion Mushu summon card Xigbar enemy card 100 Acre Wood -- -- Twilight Town Stardust Blitz sleight Roxas enemy card Destiny Islands Megalixir item card Photon Debugger attack card Castle Oblivion Super Glide skill Star Seeker attack card Note: Special treasure cards obtained in Rewards rooms are "new" and by that measure increase the maximum battle cards Sora's allowed. If you're concerned Sora's battle cards are nearing their maximum, however, before using the Rewards keycard first visit a moogle shop. If you're capable of purchasing a card pack, then you have room for at least five more cards. No further Rewards keycards are dropped once access to all twelve Rewards rooms has vanished. Never appears in a roulette selector. Trivia! The Key to Rewards is the only gold card seen in its entirety. Only the fronts of the other gold cards are ever shown. . OTHER . While both of the following are valid room types, no map card allows for synthesizing such rooms. Both may be resynthesized from the interior direction (complete with name change), but not from the castle's hallways. UNKNOWN ROOM Heartless: ??? Room Size: ??? Description: -- Acquired: Auto-synthesis Initial room created during world synthesis. Contains an open (and often ornate) doorway to the floor's Entrance Hall. Randomly mimics select features of other map cards, though the world map always displays the room as "Unknown Room". The first room's layout is specific to the world, however, and only the placement of doors leading onward differs. For Sora, may be generated (without ornamentation) following a storyline event if the destination room was not already synthesized. Mimics another random map card in all respects other than name. Also serves Sora as the final room of Castle Oblivion (13F), complete with the final save point. CONQUEROR'S RESPITE Heartless: -- Room Size: * Description: -- Acquired: Auto-synthesis Final room in most worlds. Contains a save point and an open doorway (also ornate) to the floor's Exit Hall. . FIELD ROOM SPOILS . The number of strikable objects per map card, per world. Anything but heartless that displays a target and may yield spoils is counted, including barrels that may turn into barrel spiders, traps, and other hazards. Marked barrels, marked crates, and various other objects that never yield any spoils are excluded, however. The following table shows the number of objects for Sora. The numbers are lower for Riku, but comparably lower across the board. RED MAP CARDS TRA AGR OLY WON MON HAL ATL NEV HOL TWI DES CAS Tranquil Darkness 8 9 6 6 6 10 4 7 3 7 6 6 Teeming Darkness 21 15 17 10 15 19 17 22 14 27 23 12 Feeble Darkness 13 8 8 6 7 12 7 14 5 7 8 5 Almighty Darkness 14 8 7 6 5 18 9 17 6 10 13 8 Sleeping Darkness 9 8 5 6 7 15 5 5 5 5 9 4 Looming Darkness 16 18 14 13 16 19 11 16 10 19 36 5 Premium Room 11 10 9 8 6 12 5 11 10 10 15 7 White Room 32 18 13 13 18 24 16 29 11 26 14 14 Black Room 11 10 5 10 7 12 8 9 4 11 12 6 Bottomless Darkness 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Roulette Room 15 14 12 12 17 16 15 32 13 23 27 16 GREEN MAP CARDS TRA AGR OLY WON MON HAL ATL NEV HOL TWI DES CAS Martial Waking 21 6 11 11 10 17 16 21 8 10 13 7 Sorcerous Waking 13 14 11 8 9 14 9 18 5 15 16 9 Alchemic Waking 17 11 5 8 4 14 8 8 6 13 9 5 Meeting Ground 13 12 8 8 6 16 9 9 4 13 11 6 Stagnant Space 13 9 8 11 13 13 7 7 6 11 7 7 Strong Initiative 25 12 11 12 12 16 16 26 6 20 15 12 Lasting Daze 20 21 17 21 21 24 20 30 11 24 12 18 BLUE MAP CARDS TRA AGR OLY WON MON HAL ATL NEV HOL TWI DES CAS Calm Bounty [1] 9 8 4 6 6 13 8 5 5 9 9 4 Guarded Trove [1] 16 11 8 8 12 13 8 12 6 17 13 10 False Bounty [1] 11 11 7 6 7 15 10 5 6 13 12 9 Moment's Reprieve 7 8 5 6 7 10 8 9 6 10 8 4 Moogle Room 5 7 6 5 4 10 7 10 5 13 7 6 OTHER ROOMS TRA AGR OLY WON MON HAL ATL NEV HOL TWI DES CAS Unknown Room [2] 14 12 4 5 9 11 7 7 7 11 15 8 Room of Rewards [1] 16 6 7 8 6 11 11 12 7 12 10 5 Conqueror's Respite 12 6 3 6 3 14 4 9 7 7 15 -- 100 ACRE WOOD Pooh Bear's House 4 Rabbit's House 28 [1] Excluding treasure chests [2] The world's initial room Mingling Worlds and Random Joker map cards synthesize no unique room of their own. For Sora, a midworld Unknown Room auto-synthesized after an event likewise mimics another room type. .: E.1.5 WORLD CARDS :. See section "D.1.4 World Cards" for help using the World Cards screen. SORA RIKU WHO FLOORS Traverse Town 1F C | Block A Sora 2F-6F Agrabah A C | Block B Sora 7F-10F Olympus Coliseum A D | Block C Riku B11F-B8F Wonderland A D | Block D Riku B7F-B4F Monstro A C Halloween Town A D Atlantica B D Neverland B C Hollow Bastion B B12F 100 Acre Wood B - Twilight Town 11F B2F Destiny Islands 12F B3F Castle Oblivion - B1F Although Sora visits Castle Oblivion and the castle appears on his World Cards screen, he obtains no world card for the castle. SPOILERS! Castle Oblivion's descriptions in the World Cards menu: Sora ... The castle's top floor, where Marluxia awaits. Riku ... Where the darkness in Riku's heart -- and Ansem -- are free. .: E.1.6 GIMMICK CARDS :. A zero (0) card sporting a green King Mickey icon (resembling a green Mickey balloon purchased at one of the parks). Appears in select boss fights when particular conditions have been met -- card breaking the boss or landing the finishing blow of a full combo, for instance -- and produces a special effect unique to that fight. Note: Often called a Trinity card, though the trinity symbol (seen beside Friends on the health meter) is actually a trio of hearts. Also referred to as "counter" or "emblem" cards (or some variation) in a few guides. Only one gimmick card appears on the battlefield at a time and must be picked up. The card can't be stocked, nor are gimmick cards retained after battle. Play it immediately to reap its benefits. WORLD BOSS EFFECT Traverse Town Guard Armor Collapses all its parts in a heap Agrabah Jafar-Genie Levels all platforms at highest point Wonderland Trickmaster Raises the table and chair Monstro Parasite Cage Drains the green pool, levels the field Halloween Town Oogie Boogie Banishes the railings and stuns him Atlantica Ursula Stuns her so she keels over Hollow Bastion Dragon Maleficent Conjures a floating moveable platform Destiny Islands Darkside Raises climbable rock pillars Tip! Since gimmick cards are always zero cards, gauge your timing to card break the boss AND produce the special effect. The effect's duration can vary depending on the game mode, longer in Beginner Mode and briefer in Proud Mode. WARNING! Technically missable, and the only thing that can prevent journal completion in fact. Gimmick cards are relatively commonplace, but the rare exception remains a possibility. Try to obtain a gimmick card before the end of the first block of world cards -- the "easiest" bosses, when resetting to "do over" a boss fight is the least taxing. Just one gimmick card in any one of the above boss fights is all journal completion requires. .: E.1.7 SPECIAL CARDS :. Appears in Card Index only for Sora, and ONLY once the Card Collection reaches 100% AND the first special card is obtained. Note: Although Card Collection displays its Completion as 100%, the Mickey icons for Card Collection and Card Index won't appear golden just yet. To obtain the special cards, synthesize two bounty-type rooms, in any world you like. Open the treasure chests to receive the special cards, each of which is heralded as a "Clear Bonus". Once both cards are obtained, the Mickey icons turn gold. Special cards shimmer almost like premium cards. On the Edit Deck screen they're listed with the enemy cards. Add special cards to Sora's deck and use them in battle exactly like enemy cards. GOLD CARD Ability: Premium Guard Limit: 5 reloads CP: 99 Description: Allows premium cards to be reloaded. PLATINUM CARD Ability: Invincible Limit: 20 attacks CP: 99 Description, Card Index: You will receive no damage. Edit Deck: Prevents any damage to be received. .: E.2 ASCII WORLD MAPS :...................................................... A compilation of the ASCII world maps appearing in the walkthrough sections. Each world map is specific to a floor (Sora) or basement floor (Riku) within Castle Oblivion, independent of the world synthesized on that floor (with one notable exception). The world cards accepted on a floor are listed, either a single, static selection or any one from a block of world cards (A-D). See reference section "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria" for floor-by-floor entry criteria. Note: Field rooms in the following maps are numbered from the top down, starting with the left-most column. The numbering has no significance beyond a counting; visit field rooms in whatever order you like. .: E.2.1 MAPS - SORA :. LEGEND - SORA Enter, Entrance Hall; Exit, Exit Hall UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room [1-9, a-g]; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth; 4-Rewards] -, | pathways :, ... pathways disappearing after the connected event room* + pathways appearing after the last storyline event room * Rewards room pathways vanish only after obtaining both special treasures. . World Map - First Floor . Static Assignment: Traverse Town [E1] [E2] [E3] : : : Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F2] - [F3] - [F5] + [E4]...[F4] - [CR] - Exit . World Map - Second Floor . Block A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town [E1] [F1]...[E2] : | Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F3]...[E4] : + [E3] [CR] - Exit . World Map - Third Floor . Block A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town Enter - [UR] [E4] [E3] | : : [F1] - [F2] - [F3] : | [E2] [E1]...[F4] + [CR] - Exit . World Map - Fourth Floor . Block A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town [F2]...[E4] | [E1]...[F3] [E3] | : [F1] - [F4] - [F5] | : + Enter - [UR] [E2] [CR] - Exit . World Map - Fifth Floor . Block A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F5] + [CR] - Exit | | | [E2]...[F1] - [F3] [F6]...[E3] | [F4]...[E4] : [E1] . World Map - Sixth Floor . Block A: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro, Halloween Town Enter - [UR] [E1] | : [F1] - [F5] - [F6] | | [E4]...[F2] [E2]...[F7] | [F3] | [E3]...[F4] + [CR] - Exit . World Map - 100 Acre Wood . Static Assignment: 100 Acre Wood Enter - [PB] - [RH] - [HT] - [TP] - [MR] - [FI] - Exit Enter, Entrance Hall; Exit, Exit Hall PB, Pooh Bear's House; RH, Rabbit's House; HT, Hunny Tree TP, Tigger's Playground; MR, Muddy Road; FI, Fields IMPORTANT! Depending on where Pooh's world is assigned, the 100 Acre Wood map replaces the floor's usual world map. Only three of the four Block B maps are seen in any one game; events and rewards are linked to the world, at any rate, not the floor itself. . World Map - Seventh Floor . Block B: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, (100 Acre Wood) [E3]...[F3] + [CR] - Exit | [F1] - [F4] - [F7] | [E1] [F5]...[E4] : | [F2] - [F6] - [F8] | : Enter - [UR] [E2] . World Map - Eighth Floor . Block B: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, (100 Acre Wood) Enter - [UR] [E4]...[F5] [CR] - Exit | | + [F1] - [F2] - [F4] - [F6] - [F8] | : | : [E2]...[F3] [E1] [F7] [E3] . World Map - Ninth Floor . Block B: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, (100 Acre Wood) [E3] [E1] : : Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F4] - [F6] - [F8] | [F1] - [F3] - [F5] - [F7] - [F9] : + : [E2] [CR] - Exit [E4] . World Map - Tenth Floor . Block B: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, (100 Acre Wood) [E1] [F3]...[E4] : | [F1] - [F4] [E3]...[F9] | | [F5] - [F7] - [Fa] + [CR] - Exit | : | [F2] - [F6] [E2] [Fb] | Enter - [UR] - [F8] . World Map - Eleventh Floor . Static Assignment: Twilight Town Enter - [UR] [E4] [E1] | : : [F1] - [F4] - [F5] - [F6] | + [F2] [CR] - Exit | [F3] . World Map - Twelfth Floor . Static Assignment: Destiny Islands [CR] - Exit + [F1] - [F2] - [F3] - [F4] | : | Enter - [UR] [E1] [E4]...[F5] | [F6] : [E2] . World Map - Thirteenth Floor . Static Assignment: Castle Oblivion [F5] - [Fa] [E1] | | : Enter - [UR] [F6] [Fb] - [Fd] | | | [F1] [F7] [Fe] | | | [F2] [F8] [Ff] | | + [F3] - [F4] - [F9] - [Fc] + [Fg] - [UR] - Exit : [E4] .: E.2.2 MAPS - RIKU :. LEGEND - RIKU Enter, Entrance Hall; Exit, Exit Hall UR, Unknown Room; F[n], field room [1-9, a-c]; CR, Conqueror's Respite E[n], event room [1-Beginnings; 2-Guidance; 3-Truth] -, | pathways ..., : pathways disappearing after the connected event room + pathways appearing after the last storyline event room . World Map - Twelfth Basement . Static Assignment: Hollow Bastion [E2] : Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F3] - [F5] + [CR] - Exit | | : [F2] - [F4] [E3] : [E1] . World Map - Eleventh Basement . Block C: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F3] + [CR] - Exit | | [F2] - [F4] : [E1] . World Map - Tenth Basement . Block C: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town Enter - [UR] - [F1] + [CR] - Exit | [F2] | [F3] | [F4] : [E1] . World Map - Ninth Basement . Block C: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F4]...[E1] | | [F2] - [F5] | | [F3] - [F6] + [CR] - Exit . World Map - Eighth Basement . Block C: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Traverse Town [F1] - [F4] - [F7] + [CR] - Exit | | Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F5] - [F8] | | [F3] - [F6] - [F9]...[E1] . World Map - Seventh Basement . Block D: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town [F1] - [F4] - [F7] + [CR] - Exit | Enter - [UR] - [F2] - [F5] - [F8] | [F3] - [F6] - [F9]...[E1] . World Map - Sixth Basement . Block D: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F3] | | [F2] - [F4] - [F6] + [CR] - Exit | | [F5] - [F7] : [E1] . World Map - Fifth Basement . Block D: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town [F1] - [F5]...[E1] | | [F2] - [F6] + [CR] - Exit | | [F3] - [F7] | | Enter - [UR] - [F4] - [F8] . World Map - Fourth Basement . Block D: Atlantica, Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Halloween Town [E1] : [F3] - [F7] | | [F1] - [F4] - [F8] - [Fb] | | [F2] - [F5] - [F9] - [Fc] + [CR] - Exit | | Enter - [UR] - [F6] - [Fa] . World Map - Third Basement . Static Assignment: Destiny Islands [E1] : [F1] - [F4] - [F6] | | [F2] [F7] + [CR] - Exit | | Enter - [UR] - [F3] - [F5] - [F8] . World Map - Second Basement . Static Assignment: Twilight Town [F1] - [F4] - [F6] - [F8]...[E2] | Enter - [UR] - [F2]...[E1] | [F3] - [F5] - [F7] - [F9] + [CR] - Exit . World Map - First Basement . Static Assignment: Castle Oblivion Enter - [UR] - [F1] - [F2]...[E1] .: E.3 MISCELLANEA :........................................................... Calling attention to a few of the game's trivial (or not so trivial) details. .: E.3.1 CONTROLS :. The soft-reset controller sequence common to many Square games is available in KH-ReCOM, too. On your controller, hold down all four shoulder buttons, then tap both Select and Start at the same time (L1+L2+R1+R2+Select+Start). WARNING! With a soft-reset, your game is NOT saved and you are immediately returned to the title screen. In Yes-or-No prompts, pressing O is the same as selecting No. Pressing R3 (depressing the right analog stick) instantly reorients the camera toward where Sora or Riku is currently facing. . BATTLE CONTROLS . Pressing up-arrow on the D-pad cycles the card revolver to the black-and-white reload card sporting a number from one to three. Pressing down-arrow on the D-pad cycles the card revolver to the card selected as that deck's shortcut. Nothing happens if no shortcut is assigned or the assigned card isn't currently available; reload as needed. Holding down L1 or R1 (or L2 or R2, dependent upon Settings) continually spins the card revolver in the appropriate direction. One- or two-card stocks may be played by pressing two shoulder buttons at once, either L1+R1 or L2+R2 dependent upon Settings > Battle Controls. Pressing triangle only works with a three-card stock. While holding the target-lock button (either R2 or R1 dependent on your Settings), use the right analog stick to change targets. May be disabled during execution of sleights, however. . GAME MANUAL CONTROLS TABLE . Missing the printed game manual? Following are the controls exactly as described in the manual's Controls table (pg. 3), verbatim and without alteration. Controls showing "--" appear blank in the manual. CONTROLS: BATTLE L1...................Deck rotates counterclockwise L2...................Un-stock a card L3...................-- R1...................Deck rotates clockwise R2...................Lock on/off a target R3...................Reset the camera behind the character Right-Arrow..........Rotate deck clockwise Left-Arrow...........Rotate deck counterclockwise Up-Arrow.............Reload Deck shortcut Down-Arrow...........Shortcut to designated card (see additional info) Left Analog Stick....Move Right Analog Stick...Move camera START................Pause game SELECT...............Switch to enemy cards Cross (X)............Use Card (hold down to reload cards) Triangle.............Stock a card (after stocking 3 cards) Use stocked cards Square...............Dodge Roll (Sora) Side Step (Riku) Circle (O)...........Jump, High Jump, Glide (hold down) CONTROLS: FIELD L1...................-- L2...................-- L3...................-- R1...................-- R2...................-- R3...................Reset the camera behind the character Right-Arrow..........-- Left-Arrow...........-- Up-Arrow.............-- Down-Arrow...........-- Left Analog Stick....Move Right Analog Stick...Move camera START................Display menu SELECT...............Display World Map Cross (X)............Swing Keyblade Throw objects (when holding an object) Triangle.............Lift objects (when approached) Throw objects (when holding an object) Square...............Dodge Roll (Sora) Side Step (Riku) Circle (O)...........Jump CONTROLS: OTHER (Moogle Shops, Room Synthesis, etc.) L1...................-- L2...................-- L3...................-- R1...................-- R2...................-- R3...................-- Right-Arrow..........Select a World Card when selecting a world Left-Arrow...........Select a World Card when selecting a world Up-Arrow.............-- Down-Arrow...........-- Left Analog Stick....-- Right Analog Stick...-- START................Skip event SELECT...............-- Cross (X)............Confirm Triangle.............Zoom in/out of the World Map (while on the World Map) Square...............Dodge Roll (Sora) Side Step (Riku) Circle (O)...........Jump, High Jump, Glide (hold down) .: E.3.2 SAVE FILES :. KH-ReCOM requires a minimum of 100 KB available on your PS2 memory card and recognizes both memory card slots. Unlike the other two PS2 titles in the series, KH-ReCOM writes a KH Re:CoM System Data file (40 KB) as well as individual game saves (53 KB each). . THIRD-PARTY MEMORY CARDS . KH-ReCOM can be picky about third-party (not Sony-brand) memory cards. The game may have trouble recognizing the memory card at all or report some sort of "insufficient free space" error. To circumvent the problem, instead plug in a Sony-brand 8 MB memory card, save, and quit the game. In your console's Browser, copy the KH-ReCOM save files -- the saved game AND the System Data file -- onto your preferred memory card. Could be right as rain from then on. . BROWSER . Game saves are titled as either Sora or Riku. Both feature the same rotating icon and show the elapsed time playing. The number in brackets corresponds to the in-game save slot. Other characters are added to the save file's name in special circumstances. Beginner Mode ... No star Standard Mode ... Open star (o) Proud Mode ...... Filled star (*) Cleared Game .... Musical note (~) Here are four examples. KH Re:CoM [03] KH Re:CoM [04] KH Re:CoM [05] KH Re:CoM [06] Riku/ 28:00 o~ Sora/ 43:42 o Riku/ 0:00 * Sora/ 0:05 Trivia! Examples 5-6 reflect minimal times needed to save a new game (skipping all events and button-mashing as needed). Without skipping events, Sora needs about 21 minutes to reach a save point, while Riku can save in 5 minutes. Deleting a saved game in the Browser leaves the in-game save slot empty. . SAVE / LOAD . On the right, save slots feature: Circled number ..... The save slot's number (1-99) Golden card icon ... Notes "clear" saved games only; resembles a crown World icon ......... Notes the current world or hallway Note: Castle Oblivion has two icons -- one for saves made in hallways before the next world is synthesized, and a different one for saves made from the story's top floor. Clear saves are games saved from the end-game Battle Record screen. Clear saves unlock a few special features and extra cards. Three lines of additional information may appear: [Name] LV [n] [n] MP [Mode] [Floor] [World] [Time] Name .... Sora or Riku; the background art reflects the playable character LV ...... Current level (1-99) MP ...... Amount of moogle points Sora holds; omitted for Riku Mode .... Blank for Standard Mode, or specifies Beginner Mode or Proud Mode Floor ... Current floor number (1F-13F; B12F-B1F) World ... Current world or Entrance Hall Time .... Elapsed game time Time elapses continually while a game is loaded. Pausing during battles or cutscenes doesn't suspend the game clock. No in-game facility exists for deleting saved games. Delete unwanted game-saves in your console's Browser instead. . SYSTEM DATA . The KH Re:CoM System Data file stores the milestones of your progress through KH-ReCOM and controls how new (and existing) games behave. System Data is created the first time you play and gets updated every time a game is saved. When a new game is started, System Data "flags" the new game with every milestone it knows about and then keeps games updated whenever they're saved. Among the known milestones: o Sora has reached the final save point. - Two extra attack cards become available. o Sora has had clear data saved from Battle Record. - Second special treasures plus another clear bonus card are available. o Riku has had clear data saved from Battle Record. - Sora can pickup the remaining clear bonus cards. o All of the above. - Sora can pickup two special treasures per world throughout a new game. - Remaining clear bonus cards available at the final save point, too. Note: Accurate in all practicality, but not a technical representation. When the System Data file is deleted, a fresh new one is created with none of its flags set, so KH-ReCOM begins as if for the very first time (Sora's artwork, without Theater). If an old game is then loaded and saved, System Data "learns" all of the flags known by the old game. It then passes along those settings to any other games as they are saved, which can produce some strange results. If something gets set incorrectly, you have two options. o For a pristine new game, delete the System Data file and then start a new game. o To recreate a System Data file as it was, open and save each existing saved game, starting with the oldest. Make a note of dates and slot numbers in the PS2's Browser, as saved date are not displayed in-game. Tip! When someone wants to borrow your game and play KH-ReCOM for themselves, ensure they use their own memory card as well. TECHNICAL OBSERVATIONS Warning! Only for bit-heads. o When created, System Data does not poll the memory card (no recovery- check on create). o As long as existing saved games are not saved anew, System Data stays ignorant of those games' settings (isolated read/write events). o Saved games include ALL set flags System Data knew at the file's last save, whether used by that game or not (indicates multiflagged integration). o Perhaps obvious, but confirmed nonetheless, when a new System Data file is created, existing save files are unchanged (no auto-update on create). Curiosity piqued? Here's a specific example. 1. In a 100% complete Sora game, win the final fight, clear-save the game. 2. Delete System Data. 3. New Game, Sora. 4. Play a while, get to the second world, and obtain a Calm Bounty card. 5. Warp to Traverse Town and save. 6. At this point, things can change. 6a. In Traverse Town, synthesize a Calm Bounty room; obtain a regular sort of treasure -- a Kingdom Key, a Cure card, and so on. 6b. Soft-reset, load the old clear save, and save (updating System Data); soft-reset again, load the new game, and save. In Traverse Town, synthesize a Calm Bounty room; obtain a Hidden Dragon card. In a nutshell, System Data can "learn more" but never forgets. While all this means it's probably safe to delete any and all of your saved games, keeping a clear save (or what you deem the "best" save) for Sora and one for Riku remains wise. Without them, losing the System Data file leaves you no option except starting over from scratch. .: E.3.3 DECK BUILDING :. KH-ReCOM centers around cards and maintaining Sora's battle decks can be an absorbing part of the gameplay. Not surprisingly, as new or better cards appear the composition of your decks may be under your constant scrutiny. Note: This section is not about creating "killer" or elite decks, but rather focuses on practical usage. When new to the game, you have a scant handful of cards (and Card Collection is at 6%). You may have enough CP to add every card to your deck. Button mashing is pretty typical early on, and growling at hitting a Potion card when you wanted the Cure card is a good introduction to deck editing -- reversing the position of those two cards stops the growling. (For help using Edit Deck, see section "D.2.1 Review Decks".) Before any sleights are learned, or when no sleight is invoked, stocking three cards produces a "combo" attack totalling the combined value. In the Attack Cards section of the Journal's Card Index, the first three stats -- Strike, Thrust, Combo Finish -- coincide with your stocked cards. The first card stocked deals the strike, the second focuses on thrust, and the third card provides the finishing move(s). Evaluate each card's strengths. For example, Divine Rose's best stat is its strike; Oathkeeper makes an outstanding second card; Metal Chocobo is strongest in the finisher position. Keep an eye out for cards with better stats -- two cards deal a better strike than Divine Rose, for instance, and another one equals it. (A table of stats is included in section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora" for easy comparison.) Tip! Just as attack cards feature a "recovery" stat, so must enemies recover after your attacks succeed. A weak attack or card has a far better chance when stocked behind an unbroken attack, like a two-card combo. The split-second delay can make a world of difference. Ordering cards in a deck gains another dimension as sleights are learned. Rather than grouping cards by, say, tiered values for combos (1, 2, 3), start building trios to invoke specific sleights. A deck aimed at boss fights, for instance, may center on executing Sonic Blade over and over. The same concepts for constructing combos can alter the effectiveness of your sleights, but remember to play to your own strengths, too. Be on the lookout for unusual card combinations that make a marked difference in the damage you deal. And always remember that the first card stocked, whether for a combo or a sleight, becomes "unreloadable" (more on that follows, under "Premium Cards"), so plan ahead for reloading. Interspersing Cure cards so they close out a two-card sleight is a good means for staying healthy. Or two Cures combined with an item card is great for quick reloads with even the least costly low-valued item cards. Another is keeping Cure cards in a block and setting the deck's shortcut to one end of the block (down-arrow to reach the block, then scroll to the neighboring Cure card). The same technique can give quick access to zero cards, or both. Every deck has a static shortcut as well (up-arrow to the reload card), both the start and the end of your deck. Overall, consider your style -- when you edit your deck, and under what circumstances you switch to another deck; what makes you remove or replace cards, and so on. Consider too what sleights you use and when. And what edits do you grumble over, forgetting you need this card or that for a certain enemy. Is it worth setting up a specialized deck for those enemies so you never need bother with it again? As an example, build a deck solely for battling mushrooms. Black fungi can be tough to KO; white mushrooms, even harder when you're farming for its enemy card rather than map cards or premium bonuses. Magic is your best weapon until you learn the Warp and Warpinator sleight. You may only have a blizzard or fire card at first, but resolve to build up the deck over time, adding new and better cards as they're unearthed. White mushrooms reward better if you play to what they need, so add all sorts of magic cards. Include one attack card, as the game requires, or fungi-trouncing sleight trios, perhaps marked as the shortcut. Then add as many reloading item cards as you can. And when you learn Warpinator or Warp, rearrange your deck to group the same magic cards for the sleight. (Section "E.3.5 Battle Spoils" contains lots of details on mushrooms and fungi.) Other deck compositions may include targeting out-of-reach enemies (such as Trickmaster, Darkside, gargoyle), breaking tough defenses (large body, fat bandit; neutral attack cards), facing a horde of heartless (Shock Impact, Magnet Spiral, Mega Flare), or countering magical assaults (Omnislash, Tornado, Judgment). Your most-used deck will no doubt include a bit of everything and probably see alterations from world to world, with your boss deck constantly customized for each boss's elemental affinity. Enemy cards play a vital role in your deck building, with some of the cheapest being most useful. Simple Firaga sleights take on new dimensions with a Red Nocturne enemy card's Fire Boost ability in play -- just ask Hades. Here are two of the author's favorite one-two-punch sleight combos. In Castle Oblivion, try coupling Freeze (damage, plus a full stop; devastating with Demyx enemy card) with Judgment (shattering all the icebergs) or Mega Flare (catching follow-on waves, too). Or try Magnet Spiral QUICKLY followed by Quake; often catches floating magical heartless near enough the ground. Another neat trick, courtesy of Ken Zhao (a.k.a. Kouli), consists of prefacing an easily broken sleight, such as Ars Arcanum or Ragnarok, with Strike Raid. Strike Raid can stun your target, long enough to successfully unleash the follow-on sleight. A great tactic against Organization members. The Jafar enemy card is a good alternative for helping low-valued attack cards find their targets. KH-ReCOM arms you with many different tactics -- try 'em all! . PREMIUM CARDS . Sora's attack, magic, and summon cards sometime appear to have a "shimmer" about them, as if winking in the light, with their values displayed in yellow rather than white. These are premium cards and they can add another level of strategy to your deck building. Cards are elevated to premium status by picking up a premium bonus in random battle and choosing a card from the selector afterward (common in Premium Rooms; see section "E.1.4 Map Cards"). Moogles, too, may include premium cards in their card packs. Cards found in field rooms and treasure chests rarely (if ever) sport a premium status, however. Premium cards have a big plus side. The cost of adding a premium card to a deck is equal to the CP of a card valued "1" for that type, regardless of the premium card's face value. For example, the cost of a premium Cure-6 is 25CP, the same as a Cure-1 card and not the usual 35CP needed for a regular Cure-6 card. Tip! Premium cards often (but don't always) sell for more MP in moogle shops, too. Extra cards valued from one through seven (1-7) are usually a safe bet to make premium before selling them off. (For exact data on individual cards, see section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora".) The downside is that premium cards are also classified as "unreloadable" and herein lie most of the reasons for concern and confusion over premium cards. In truth, premium cards are no more -- or less -- reloadable than a regular card. Consider the usual sage advice: 1) Play a premium card as the first card in sleights, it's lost anyway; 2) Play a premium card as the second or third card and it reloads. And that's no different from a regular card. So why worry over premium cards? Premium cards ARE unreloadable, the black-and-white reload card WON'T reload them, and there IS a risk you could get into a situation where your deck is suddenly sucked dry. But remember, the better item cards can indeed reload otherwise unreloadable cards (their descriptions even say so), and that includes premium cards. Develop a knack for playing item cards stocked behind a two-card sleight (like Fira) and the possibilities explode. Play it safe with premium cards while limited to Potion cards. Take care not to turn all of your highest cards into premium cards, cards you rely on for card breaking your opponents, or any rare cards, like that Cure-6 in the default deck. When Hi-Potion cards become available, expand your collection of premium attack cards; the same for Mega-Ethers and magic cards. Ensure your item cards won't get broken by knowing your opponent and using well-crafted stocks. Experiment with a deck that relies heavily on premium cards -- it may surprise you. Refashion a favorite deck so it makes room for bigger and better item cards. Valuable when playing low-CP, no-sleight challenges. At the high end, the Gold Card (99CP) allows even entry-level item cards like Potion to reload premium cards, for five reloads at least. Certainly something to consider, especially if your deck runs heavy to one type of card, whether attack or magic. .: E.3.4 BOSS LIFEBAR STATS :. A boss's lifebar is of a fixed length (excluding Guard Armor), with the fractional amount displayed first and the full lifebars shown as markers below the right end. For instance, a boss with 2.1 lifebars starts battle with a very short lifebar plus two markers; a boss with 1.8 lifebars starts with a near-full lifebar plus one marker. Because the lifebar's length may vary by a few pixels between bosses, the values following are close approximations, not absolutes, as measured by the author's hand-drawn ruler. Caveat emptor. Note: This is a long-term project that arose late in the first revision cycle. More data will be added as it's observed. Some early figures were rounded off (x.2 may be x.25), but most have been corrected. What follows should be sufficient to convey patterns, however. Don't let a few low numbers fool you! Some bosses have appendages or bring other tricks to the party that more than compensate for a short lifebar. . SORA - BEGINNER . Guard Armor ___ Axel I 1.5 BLOCK A 2 3 4 5 6 Jafar-Genie 1.8 2.1 ___ 2.6 2.8 Cloud 1.4 1.6 1.75 ___ 2.2 Hades 1.8 2.1 2.4 ___ 2.9 Trickmaster 2.2 ___ 2.8 2.99 3.2 Parasite Cage 2.2 2.45 2.7 2.99 ___ Oogie Boogie 2.1 2.25 ___ 2.6 2.8 Larxene I 3.4 BLOCK B 7 8 9 10 Ursula 2.1 2.25 ___ 2.5 Hook 2.7 3.1 3.3 3.5 Maleficent 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.5 Riku I 4.2 Riku II 4.2 Vexen I 4.7 Vexen II 5.5 Riku III 4.7 Darkside 2.4 Riku IV 5.6 Larxene II 5.9 Axel II 5.5 Marluxia I 6.6 Marluxia IIa 5.4, 1.2, 1.2, plus petals Marluxia IIb 7.3 . SORA - STANDARD & PROUD. Guard Armor 0.8, 0.5 ea. (feet), 0.4 ea. (hands) Axel I 2.1 BLOCK A 2 3 4 5 6 Jafar-Genie 2.4 2.75 3.1 3.5 3.8 Cloud 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.8 Hades 2.4 2.8 3.1 3.5 3.8 Spades, ea. 0.4 ___ 0.5 ___ ___ Hearts, ea. 0.5 ___ 0.6 ___ ___ Trickmaster 2.9 3.3 3.75 3.99 4.2 Parasite Cage 2.9 3.3 3.6 3.99 4.3 Oogie Boogie 2.7 2.99 3.2 3.5 3.7 Larxene I 4.6 BLOCK B 7 8 9 10 Ursula 2.8 2.99 3.2 3.4 Hook 3.75 4.1 4.4 4.7 Maleficent 5.2 5.4 5.75 6.1 Riku I 5.5 Riku II 5.5 Vexen I 6.25 Vexen II 7.3 Riku III 6.25 Darkside 3.2 Riku IV 7.5 Larxene II 7.8 Axel II 7.3 Marluxia I 8.7 Marluxia IIa 7.2, 1.6, 1.6, plus petals Marluxia IIb 9.7 . RIKU - BEGINNER . Maleficent 2.3 Ansem I 1.2 BLOCK C 11 10 9 8 Jafar-Genie 2.1 ___ ___ ___ Parasite Cage 2.7 2.9 ___ ___ Hook 1.9 ___ 2.3 ___ Guard Armor ___ ___ ___ ___ Vexen 4.1 Replica I 4.5 BLOCK D 7 6 5 4 Ursula 2.2 2.3 2.5 ___ Hades 3.2 3.3 ___ ___ Trickmaster 3.2 3.4 3.7 4.1 Oogie Boogie 2.8 ___ ___ ___ Lexaeus 6.9 Darkside 3.6 Zexion 4.2 Replica II 5.1 Ansem II 6.7 . RIKU - STANDARD & PROUD . Maleficent 3.0 Ansem I 1.6 BLOCK C 11 10 9 8 Jafar-Genie 2.8 3.1 3.3 3.5 Parasite Cage 3.6 3.9 4.25 4.6 Hook 2.55 2.8 3.1 ___ Guard Armor ___ ___ 1.8 1.95 Foot, ea. ___ ___ 1.1 1.1 Hand, ea. ___ ___ 0.9 0.9 Vexen 5.45 Replica I 6.0 BLOCK D 7 6 5 4 Ursula 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.5 Hades 4.2 4.45 4.7 4.99 Trickmaster 4.25 4.6 4.99 5.35 Oogie Boogie 3.75 3.99 4.2 4.45 Lexaeus 9.3 Darkside 4.75 Zexion 5.6 Replica II 6.75 Ansem II 8.9 Ursula's tentacles, Oogie Boogie's dice, and Zexion's illusions may display short lifebars as well. Lifebar data is identical between Standard and Proud modes, for Sora and Riku both. The "tougher" aspect of Proud Mode lies in the boss's behavior. For example, in Proud Mode Jafar's platforms bottom out more frequently and for longer periods than in Standard Mode. And by comparison, in Beginner Mode the platforms drop far less often. Also expect the duration of a gimmick card's effect to vary by mode. .: E.3.5 BATTLE SPOILS :. Random battles, defeated heartless may drop: Blue diamond-shaped crystals, large or small ............... EXP Red oblong crystals, large or small ................ greater EXP P card, black-and-gold ...... Premium card selector, post-battle R card, black-and-silver ... Roulette card selector, post-battle Boss battles, defeated enemy (or appendages) may drop: Blue diamond-shaped crystals, large or small ............... EXP Red oblong crystals, large or small ................ greater EXP Silver orbs ................................... even greater EXP Green HP-replenishing orbs ........ partially fills health meter Select friend cards may also yield red MP orbs, in any battle. Pluto may dig up green HP orbs, red MP orbs, used battle cards, or a juicy bone. These spoils lie on the battlefield for a short time and must be picked up; if left too long, they fade and disappear. However, any spoils on the battlefield when the last enemy is defeated are automatically gathered up. Tip! Bouncywild's Draw ability is invaluable for EXP farming, and lasts a long time, too (five whole reloads). Additionally, the last random enemy defeated drops a map card or, rarely, its enemy card, unless an R card was picked up, in which case the roulette selector instead appears. (Tip! When farming enemy cards, avoid Roulette Rooms.) . PREMIUM BONUS . The black-and-gold "P" card is a rare random drop during battle in any room, but a common drop in Premium Rooms. When acquired, the P card is immediately played at battle's end. Read about the Premium Room map card in section "E.1.4 Map Cards" for details on how the card is played. . ROULETTE BONUS . The black-and-silver "R" card is a rare random drop during battle in any room, but a common drop in Roulette Rooms. When acquired, the R card is immediately played at battle's end. Read about the Roulette Room map card in section "E.1.4 Map Cards" for details on how the card is played. . BLACK FUNGUS . Sora: Calm Bounty map card or Black Fungus enemy card; EXP crystals Riku: Roulette Room map card; EXP crystals Until Sora reaches the castle's second floor, black fungi drop any of the allowed map cards, with Premium Room map cards slightly more prevalent. Unlike KH, you receive no Mystery Goo or any extra goodies for landing combo finishers. . WHITE MUSHROOM . Sora: Map card or White Mushroom enemy card; P card, Premium selector; HP orbs; EXP crystals The first mushroom magically dispatched drops the P card. The map card dropped is most often for a bounty-type room, but the Rewards keycard and other map cards are possible if less common. Indiscriminately attacking a white mushroom makes it run from battle, leaving no spoils behind. The Warpinator sleight (Stop + Gravity + Aero) has a good probability of KOing a white mushroom. And if the sleight fails the mushroom won't run. Defeated this way, mushrooms do not drop HP orbs but the last mushroom to fall may drop its enemy card. The Warp sleight (Stop + Aero + Aero) also works, hitting all mushrooms at once with a higher degree of success, but neither HP orbs nor EXP crystals are dropped as a result. (Mushrooms pay only small amounts of those spoils anyway.) Unconfirmed whether white mushrooms flee if Warp fails. You may also give the mushroom the magic it's craving, as indicated by its behavior. Use the correct magic three times and the mushroom drops its spoils, but use the incorrect magic even once and the mushroom runs. Leans back, fanning itself ............. Blizzard (it's hot; cool it down) Crosses arms, hugs itself, shivering ... Fire (c-c-cold; warm it up) Droops, head bowed, its light dimmed ... Thunder (weary; give it energy) Tip! Take care with blizzard and thunder magic. The wider range may unintentionally scare off neighboring mushrooms. Walk into a mushroom to "nudge" it away from the others, if you like. Elemental attack cards can substitute for magic cards, such as using a Spellbinder card to deliver a dose of lightning. Good in crowds. Also possible (but never seen in KH-ReCOM by the author).... Lies flat on the ground ........ Cure Floats just above the ground ... Gravity Spins like a top ............... Aero Freezes in midstep ............. Stop White mushrooms may also look around distractedly from time to time, which requires no response. Unlike KH, no hurrying is ever needed. White mushrooms may wink off in the field room, but they always reappear. In battle, mushrooms that appear stick around until placated, defeated, or your actions make them run. Also differing from KH, supplying the exact same magic three consecutive times (Fire, Fire, Fire) gives no better spoils than mixing up the magic (Fire, Blizzard, Thunder; Blizzard, Fire, Fire; and so on). More powerful sleights (Fira, Firaga), higher card values (Fire-9), and enemy card boosts (Red Nocturne) likewise produce no better spoils. Note: Rare Truffles do not appear in KH-ReCOM, so no juggling for prizes is required either. .: E.3.6 BATTLE RECORD SCREENS :. After the ending credits roll and the final cutscene finishes, your Battle Record is displayed, tallying various statistics for the game you just completed alongside a piece of artwork. Depending on the game mode played, the Battle Record screen features different artwork, seven pieces all told. . ARTWORK - SORA . Beginner: Sora in color with cards & keyblade, plain white background, as on the KH-ReCOM disc Standard: Sora, same as above, over cross (X) layout, myriad (10+) others Proud: Sora, Donald, Goofy in color climbing stairs; monochrome Namine sits drawing on another staircase Extra! Reaching 100% journal completion under Proud Mode displays a special picture -- a piece of Battle Record art from KH2. Sora in color & KH2 garb, over golden stained-glass platform; Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Riku in gold at the four corners The usual artwork appears with "Journal covered" reaching 100% in Beginner and Standard Modes, however. . ARTWORK - RIKU . Beginner: Riku in color with cards & weapon, plain white background Standard: Sora & Riku, back-to-back, with their weapons Proud: Sora, Riku, myriad others in the KH-ReCOM case's backcover art Trivia! The backcover art was part of the cover of the KH2-FM+ Ultimania, as shown at: http://www.kingdomhearts3.net/images/ kingdomheartsiifinalmixultimaniaoutercover.jpg Remove the line break and extra spaces before copying this long link to your browser. Unlike KH-ReCOM, KH and KH2 both include somewhat meatier bonus content at game-end or following the ending credits (more than just the artwork) based on the game mode. This added content is often NOT available with "easy" modes, or requires arduous 100% completion of Jiminy's Journal with "normal" modes, but has been delivered without any extra requirements after playing though on "expert" modes. . BATTLE RECORD TEMPLATES . Always popular topics on the message boards, feel free to copy the following templates (board-acceptable formatting tags included) for posting your end-game stats at GameFAQs.com. Replace all xx's and nn's with your actual stats. Including Sora or Riku's level, as well, is usually appreciated by those worried if their level is high enough. . BATTLE RECORD - SORA . Game level > xxxx Mode Journal covered > nnn% Card Collector Rank > xxxx Enemies defeated > nnnn Special treasures obtained > nn/24 Card Breaks > nnnn times Sleight most often used > xxxx nnnn times Clear time > nn:nn . BATTLE RECORD - RIKU . Game level > xxxx Mode D Report covered > nnn% Card Collector Rank > xxxx Enemies defeated > nnnn Rapid Breaks > nnn times Card Duels won > nn.nn% Dark Mode activiated (sic) > nnnn times Clear time > nn:nn Note: The same templates without the formatting tags are found in the walkthrough sections and are preferred on GameFAQs.com's Answers page. .: E.3.7 GAME MANUAL ERRATA :. KH-ReCOM's printed manual appears to have gone to press before development (or localization, at least) was completed. Errors, vagueness, and inconsistencies may prove confusing. (And evinces how a professional writer's attentions might have benefited the project, certainly.) A verbatim reproduction of the manual's controls table is included in section "E.3.1 Controls". In general, this guide defers to what's actually seen on-screen during normal gameplay over the manual's contents. A few arbitrary choices were needed as well. "Title screen" is usually preferred over "start menu", even though a menu is the predominant feature. Both are used in the manual (pg. 8), but "Return to Title" appears with "Continue" after a battle is lost. HP refers to Health Points. The acronym is undefined in the manual. CP refers to Card Points, also undefined in the manual except as referring to "the cost of a card" (pg. 14). Many KH-COM guides define CP as "capacity points", however. KO, knock out. Variants: KOes, knocks out; KOed, knocked out; KOing, knocking out (sometimes abbreviated elsewhere, KO's and KO'd). Proper names of cards are capitalized; heartless species are not. .: E.3.8 EVENT ROOM CRITERIA :. While room synthesis is normally a progression of one value more than the previous door, the criteria for entry into event rooms is static, the same for a specific floor regardless of the world or the map cards used up to that point. The following tables list what cards are required, in addition to the keycard, to unlock the event room beyond the crown-emblazoned door. FL, Floor; KoB, Key of Beginnings; KoG, Key of Guidance; KtT, Key to Truth; KtR, Key to Rewards; ---, event room absent from floor [n]+ ... a single card from any color group equal to or greater than [n] [n]- ... a single card from any color group equal to or less than [n] [n]= ... a single card from any color group equal to [n] R ... any single red card, including zero cards G ... any single green card, including zero cards B ... any single blue card, including zero cards [n] ... any number of cards with a sum equal to or exceeding [n] R[n] ... any number of red cards with a sum equal to or exceeding [n] G[n] ... any number of green cards with a sum equal to or exceeding [n] B[n] ... any number of blue cards with a sum equal to or exceeding [n] Or any combination thereof. For instance, R3- means any red card valued at three or less, and a red zero card matches this criteria. Zero cards have no wildcard standing with event room doors. . KEYCARD CRITERIA - SORA . FL BEGINNINGS GUIDANCE TRUTH REWARDS 1F 1+ 3+ G (none) 2F G 15 R B 3F 5+ 7+ G 3- R0= 4F 8+ 1+ R G G9= R9= 5F 20 R 5- 0= G15 6F 3= 4= 6= 7= R3- G30 R20 7F R G B 30 8F 5= 6= 30 B15 9F R 9= 1= B2= 10F B 3- G 7+ R 0= G3= R7= 11F 5+ 5- B --- --- B8= R1= G20 12F 2= 8= 50 --- B33 R33 G33 13F B1= R3= 99 --- --- B30 R40 G20 PLUS: KoB KoG KtT KtR . KEYCARD CRITERIA - RIKU . FL BEGINNINGS GUIDANCE TRUTH B12F R G 5+ B11F R3+ --- --- B10F G5+ --- --- B9F B --- --- B8F R0= --- --- B7F B20 --- --- B6F R G --- --- B5F R30 --- --- B4F B5- --- --- B3F G7+ --- --- B2F B0= 50 --- B1F 13 --- --- PLUS: KoB KoG KtT .:| F. FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |:..................................:.: Always a toss-up whether these come first or last in a guide. Lumping the Qs in broad categories should help those on spoiler-avoidance, as should the spoiler warning inserted partway. .: F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE :.................................................... Q: Should I play KH or KH2 before playing KH-ReCOM? A: KH-ReCOM is advertised as the "bridge" between KH and KH2, so playing KH-ReCOM between the two main games in the series is recommended. Q: What are the differences, if any, between KH-ReCOM and the original KH-COM for GameBoy Advance? A: The author has never played KH-COM, or any other title for any sort of GameBoy, so caveat emptor applies. Consensus of opinion is that the improved graphics and addition of voice acting alone make KH-ReCOM worth a rental, at the very least. Going by KH-COM's published FAQs and other sources, however, the story is mostly unchanged, though a few lines were adjusted. The overall gameplay is largely the same, but has undergone several improvements. 100 Acre Wood differs markedly and several bosses have been beefed up. KH-ReCOM's Shortcut feature isn't mentioned in any of the KH-COM guides. New map cards, particularly Random Joker, help with some notorious room synthesis issues, and a few new enemy cards may be found. Sora learns some of his sleights differently, in manner or order; others were added, reprogrammed, renamed, or removed. He has several new attack cards, but attack card stats display different. For Riku, some of his decks were improved and the card duel system was added, along with a batch of duel sleights. He has other new battle options, as well. And an additional boss is encountered late in Riku's story. KH-COM included a Link command that's not found in KH-ReCOM. In a nutshell, if you're deciding between purchasing KH-COM or KH-ReCOM, go with KH-ReCOM unless you seek portability and VS competition. If you've already played KH-COM, the story is the same with different breaks to squeeze in the new boss fight, but the gameplay is much improved. Q: What are the differences, if any, between KH-ReCOM and the original that was released as part of KH2-FM+? A: The author has never played KH2-FM+, or any other Japanese-language title, so again caveat emptor. By the published guides for KH2-FM+, however, the on-screen text now appears in U.S. English. Also, the close tie to KH2-FM, affecting when clear bonus cards became available, was severed in the North American release and the requirements altered. Q: How much of the KH story does KH-ReCOM retell? A: Very little, certainly not enough for KH-ReCOM to suffice as a substitute for KH. Elements of Disney-world stories rehash the past, but most are couched differently or briefly enough not to feel too tired. Q: Can't I skip KH-ReCOM and go straight to KH2? A: You can. Many non-GBA gamers did, having no other choice at the time. However, KH2 directly builds on the story first told in KH-COM that's now available in KH-ReCOM. Some unanswered questions will arise, though they shouldn't prove too much of a barrier. Or they may nag at you. While a script guide can tell you what was said, it may not convey the story on a par with your own experience. Gauge accordingly. Without giving anything away, here in a nutshell are the major benefits of playing KH-ReCOM. Sora's story explains why KH2 opens the way it does. Riku's story relates Riku's view of things in KH, albeit in hindsight, and sets up his appearance in KH2. Both of the end-credits sequences include morsels that further bridge the two other games. Q: How does [another KH title] affect things in KH-ReCOM? A: Sorry, the author possesses limited prophetic skills. Only the titles mentioned herein were contemplated while writing this guide. KH-ReCOM alludes to nothing beyond KH2, but newer titles may fill in more of the gap leading to KH2 to greater or lesser degree, and revisions could alter gameplay mechanics. Square Enix to date has altered both in nearly every new release. Search GameFAQs.com for "Kingdom Hearts" to learn more about other titles and releases in the series, including rewrites of old or pending new releases. IMPORTANT! If you play a new game or release featuring the Chain of Memories story, turn to that new release's FAQs, message board, and answers pages at GameFAQs for assistance with its unique or revised features. KH-COM, KH-FM2+, and KH-ReCOM are already distinctively different games, and unfortunately a fourth (or fifth) revision is more likely NOT to conform with its predecessors. Q: If I have KH or KH2 save files on my memory card, is anything special unlocked? A: No, sorry. Square didn't hide any goodies of that sort in KH-ReCOM. Q: Why is voice acting still missing from the Disney worlds? A: Just a guess, but probably a matter of economy. New recordings might have proven too expensive, or the time required was too costly to the release schedule. While Disney voice actors are listed in the credits, the performances were clipped from existing sources and mostly consist of in-battle grunts and such. .: F.2 CROSS PLATFORM :........................................................ Q: Where can I learn the sleights Gravity Raid, Stop Raid, Homing Fira, and Blazing Donald? A: Many sleights found in KH-COM were either removed from or reprogrammed for KH-ReCOM. Gravity Raid was removed, Stop Raid was replaced by Lethal Flame, and the other two have functional near-equals under other names. View the complete list in section "D.2.5 Status". How Sora learns several of his sleights also changed. Search this guide for the sleight by its name (in KH-ReCOM) to find out how. Q: What's with the confusion over the "special treasures"? A: While informative, KH-COM's Special Treasures guide does not apply to KH-ReCOM. Only six of its eighteen listed treasures are deemed "special" in KH-ReCOM's reckoning. Also, as mentioned, some of KH-COM's sleights were removed from or reprogrammed for KH-ReCOM. Each of KH-ReCOM's twenty-four special treasures is found in a Room of Rewards. Twelve Rewards rooms, two special treasures per room. Q: What about the glitch that was reported regarding Riku's second appearance in Sora's story? A: The glitch was reported for KH-COM, but since 100 Acre Wood is markedly different in KH-ReCOM in all likelihood this has been corrected. If you wish to attempt duplicating the glitch in KH-ReCOM (the author abstains, courteously), there's some setup involved regarding 100 Acre Wood, as detailed in the FAQ section of Stephen Hsu's KH-COM walkthrough: http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/file/919011/37900 Q: There was a trick with stocking multiple item cards. What about that? A: Fixed, no more mega-megalixirs. Stocking several item cards now plays them in sequence, one right after the other. A better method for ensuring your item cards don't suffer card breaks is to stock one last, after a two-card sleight or combo (Fire + Fire + Mega-Ether, for example). You can make good use of low-valued item cards this way, too, as you can using enemy cards. Q: Aren't drop rates improved 150% in __________? Doesn't the __________ card have a 10% chance of appearing in white card packs? A: Sound like statistics quoted from an Ultimania guide. A good translation of the KH2-FM+ Ultimania is probably accurate enough for KH-ReCOM's North American release. The game WAS reprogrammed for the U.S. release, however, and Square HAS been known to alter percentages between releases, always something to consider, though the risk is pretty low in this case. Q: What are the differences with KH-ReCOM included in the KH HD 1.5 ReMix release? A: As yet unknown at this writing. (ReMix 1.5 is slated for a Japanese release March 14, 2013, with North American and European releases tentatively slated for later in the year.) Of the three preexisting releases, each one is different whether a little or by a lot; take a guess. WARNING! This ends the "prepurchase" sort of questions. If you're avoiding spoilers, turn away now. The remainder of section "F. FAQ" examines game mechanics in some detail and presumes a knowledge of the game. .: F.3 JOURNAL & REPORT :...................................................... Q: The journal displays as 100% complete, so why aren't the Mickey icons gold for Card Collection and Card Index? A: Understandably confusing. Your Card Collection has reached 100%, not your journal completion. You must pick up two special cards from bounty rooms, synthesized on any world, before those icons turn gold and your journal is truly complete. See section "E.1.7 Special Cards". Q: What extras are unlocked for achieving 100% completion of Jiminy's Journal? A: Most consider the two special cards completion bonuses, though they're for Card Collection completion; see section "E.1.7 Special Cards". The maximum cap on battle cards is raised to 999. And for Proud Mode games, the artwork on the Battle Record screen differs; see reference section "E.3.6 Battle Record Screens". Q: What extras are unlocked for achieving 100% completion of the D Report? A: Riku's D Report often reaches 100% completion as a matter of course with no added effort. No extras were observed. Q: What does the "D" in D Report stand for? A: DiZ, presumably. While this is not strictly defined in KH-ReCOM and "Dark" may seem as likely a fit, DiZ's role is clarified in KH2. .: F.4 MAPS & MAP CARDS :...................................................... Q: Why don't the ASCII maps include door criteria? A: The criteria for normal doors is dynamic, based on how you met the criteria of the last door. "One more than the last door" is the rule, wrapping around from nine to zero. Event room criteria is anchored to the floor and Sora's walkthrough warns about two costly doors ahead of time. Update (v1.1): To learn more, read section "E.3.8 Event Room Criteria", which includes complete tables of the door criteria for entry into ALL event rooms. Keeping the data separate to preserve some element of surprise for those who prefer things that way. Q: Why is the ASCII map of the tenth floor missing from Sora's walkthrough? A: A choice was made to let the walkthrough guide the reader on a first journey through the game. Intrepid readers will find "World Map - Tenth Floor" included in section "E.2 ASCII World Maps". With most KH-ReCOM guides, a text editor that allows for splitting a window into two or more panes might prove helpful. The author highly recommends BBEdit (http://www.barebones.com/bbedit/). Q: Why are no more map cards being dropped after random encounters? A: You can carry a maximum of 99 map cards. You need to delete some map cards before more are dropped at the end of battle. Also, no map card drops if you've picked up an R card during the battle. The roulette selector appears afterward and you may choose a map card from those offered. Under these conditions, no enemy card drops either, by the way. Q: Why aren't any Key to Rewards cards dropping? A: Three possibilities. 1. The Rewards keycard has zero (or darned near zero) chance of dropping on floors 1F-6F. Not once has the author obtained a Key to Rewards map card below the seventh floor, so don't drive yourself nuts. Warp up to floors 7F-13F instead. The keycard often drops before the enemies in the initial Unknown Room are exhausted, on any of those floors. 2. All of the special treasures have already been obtained. No Rewards keycard is needed (and none drops) if no Room of Reward is left to open. Compare your collections with the keycard's rewards list found in section "E.1.4 Map Cards". 3. You're playing Riku's game. He has no need for a Key to Rewards map card. .: F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY :...................................................... Q: I hit a box and got a card, so why doesn't the card appear in Edit Deck? A: Field room spoils must be picked up, not just freed. With a card, chase it down, hear the chime when you catch it, but wait until the "Card obtained!" minibanner confirms the card was successfully picked up. If you strike a heartless (entering battle) or exit through a door before seeing the banner, you won't obtain the card. Q: I hit a box, got a card, but it sank underground before I could pick it up. What can I do? A: When this happens, hang around. The card is actually bouncing around and eventually will run into you. You can try projecting its path and moving to a more likely spot, if you like, but beware of disturbing random heartless. Q: I'm fighting __________ and I'm down to three cards! What happened? A: Your deck has been depleted. Remember, the first card used in stocks, whether for a combo or a sleight, is tagged as unreloadable for the remainder of the fight. Most of the better item cards can reload even unreloadable cards -- use 'em if you got 'em -- but early in the game when those aren't yet available, don't go overboard stocking cards. Instead, use single cards to strategically card break your foe as often as possible and stock cards only as needed to break a high card or your opponent's sleight. Add a zero card to the deck and set the Shortcut so you can "zero in" in a pinch. Pluto may help out from time to time, but rarely once you're into the last handful of cards. Q: Is anything missable in the game? A: Updated (v1.2). Three things are entirely missable. 1. Every hallway exchange with stationary characters (such as Goofy and Donald) is missable. As you climb higher, what they say changes everywhere, even if you backtrack or warp to a lower floor. 2. One line of inconsequential dialogue with Namine, as noted in Sora's walkthrough. 3. Technically, the gimmick card is also missable, but the card NOT appearing is extremely rare. It's the only missable that can prevent 100% completion, however. Tip! If you're aiming at 100% completion, Oogie Boogie is a good boss to replay if you're still lacking a gimmick card by then. Save beforehand and then DON'T win until you obtain the card. To replay the boss, reset and reload your saved game. Or you can lose and choose Continue if you forgot to save beforehand. To be clear, resetting is the only option for replaying a boss fight, and gimmick cards only appear in boss fights. While the Pluto friend card may fail to appear before the final save point, it's not missable and can still be picked up in a random encounter if your deck gets exhausted. Q: Is there a trick for getting darkball to drop its enemy card for Sora? A: No. The card never drops for Sora. Darkball's Duel Trigger ability deals up card duels exclusively for Riku. Q: Argh! Why won't the __________ card ever drop for me? A: Random factors set at load time play into drop rates, and may be playing against you. Your best bet is to save, if needed, then reset and reload your game. Your results may improve. (True for most Square games, in fact.) Q: Where's the best place to collect ("farm for") __________? A: Adjust the following for your progress, as needed. EXP. For Sora, Monstro's Truth room provides a continual supply of shadow heartless as long as a single shadow survives. When time runs out, you're conveniently prompted to restart the brawl, too. Otherwise, the warp points are your best friends. Warp from one world to another, fight the random encounters in the floor's initial Unknown Room, then back out and warp to another floor. Map cards. Ditto on the warp points, though the world selected affects what map cards you may find. For instance, avoid Destiny Islands when seeking green map cards for Sora; green map cards never drop for him on the islands. Some heartless favor dropping particular map cards, too. If you're seeking a specific map card to open an event room, however, synthesizing a Roulette Room is the way to go. MP. Visit Agrabah and exploit Aladdin's Sandstorm sleights. (Neverland and Peter Pan are a lesser alternative.) Also, 100 Acre Wood is an excellent warp destination for harvesting field-room spoils. Pooh's house has a handful of targets, but Rabbit's house next door has a bounty of breakables and no battles; leave and return as often as you like. Traverse Town, Halloween Town, and Destiny Islands have high numbers of field-room objects, too. Tip! When MP farming, Premium Room map cards are great for turning excess battle cards into cash cows. Premium cards generally sell for the same MP as a regular 8-valued card, which means a premium 1-valued card usually sells for ten MP more. Battle cards. Ditto. 100 Acre Wood, Traverse Town, Halloween Town, and Destiny Islands are good bets overall for finding cards. Otherwise, moogle rooms are the way to go. The warp point serves when seeking a predominant worldly attack card, just as the top three floors are best for all sorts of the rarer battle cards. Some battle cards are more prevalent in the world where they were initially found; for stop magic cards, for instance, Wonderland is choice. Tip! For a neat farming trick, warp to the floor above Traverse Town, Halloween Town, or Destiny Islands. Walk down the stairs and enter your preferred world. Clean out Conqueror's Respite, then retrace your steps to the warp point a floor above. Since you're switching floors, you can repeat the scavenging trip until you keel over. See also, "Field Room Spoils" in section "E.1.4 Map Cards". Enemy cards. See "Improve Sora's Chances!" in section "E.1.3 Enemy Cards". Q: Must I load Sora's clear save to get Ultima Weapon? What's found earlier in a new game? Do I need to finish Riku's story first? And how is it different after that? A: Lots of questions surround what's unlocked when. Find where you are on this flowchart and that should help. 1. NEW GAME: Sora, first playthrough Rewards rooms, first treasure per room Reach final save point Diamond Dust ....... top three floors ... moogle/bounty/field One-Winged Angel ... top three floors ... moogle/bounty/field Clear Save 2. LOAD: Clear Save of Sora's first playthrough Rewards rooms, second treasure per room Hidden Dragon ........ Traverse Town ...... bounty room 3. NEW GAME: Riku, first playthrough Clear Save 4. LOAD: Clear Save of Sora's first playthrough Ansem ................ Twilight Town ...... bounty room Zexion ............... Destiny Islands .... bounty room Ultima Weapon ........ Castle Oblivion .... bounty room Lexaeus .............. Castle Oblivion .... bounty room Card Collection, 100%; Rank, Card Master Gold Card .......... any floor .......... bounty room Platinum Card ...... any floor .......... bounty room 5. NEW GAME: Sora, second playthrough Rewards rooms, both treasures per room Hidden Dragon ........ Traverse Town ...... bounty room Reach final save point Diamond Dust ....... top three floors ... moogle/bounty/field One-Winged Angel ... top three floors ... moogle/bounty/field Ansem .............. Twilight Town ...... bounty room Zexion ............. Destiny Islands .... bounty room Ultima Weapon ...... Castle Oblivion .... bounty room Lexaeus ............ Castle Oblivion .... bounty room ... And so on, continuing through the game. Note: These milestones are possibilities, not inevitabilities. No. 2 and No. 4 are entirely optional (or you can hold off on No. 2 until No. 4, of course), but the flowchart shows the shortest path to a 100% complete game. As long as a clear save was made for Sora AND a clear save was made for Riku, whether from the first or some subsequent playthrough, AND the System Data file isn't deleted, Sora's new games progress as in No. 5. Section "E.3.2 Save Files" contains greater detail on the part System Data plays in the sequence of things. Q: Why don't Diamond Dust and One-Winged Angel display the little "Clear Bonus" banner? A: Because they aren't clear bonuses. However, one thing setting these two cards apart is that both represent weapons introduced in KH-FM. Diamond Dust has a long history in Squaresoft lore. One-Winged Angel is a famous theme from FFVII as well as a moniker for Sephiroth, and as such serves as his only appearance in KH-ReCOM. Q: What percentage I can get my first game? Which cards can't I find? A: Card Collection's percentage doesn't strictly coincide with the number of cards found. The percentage reserves space for any new cards you've not yet seen, as well. The percentage may at times linger or jump ahead, but is a better gauge for a good idea of your progress than an accurate measure. Nineteen cards won't make an appearance in Sora's very first game prior to a clear save made following Sora's final boss. In the order commonly received (as in No. 5, above): CLEAR BONUS TYPE WORLD ROOM Hidden Dragon attack card Traverse Town Bounty Saix enemy card Traverse Town Rewards Luxord enemy card Agrabah Rewards Monochrome attack card Olympus Coliseum Rewards Xaldin enemy card Monstro Rewards Xemnas enemy card Wonderland Rewards Bond of Flame attack card Halloween Town Rewards Demyx enemy card Atlantica Rewards Follow the Wind attack card Neverland Rewards Xigbar enemy card Hollow Bastion Rewards Roxas enemy card Twilight Town Rewards Photon Debugger attack card Destiny Islands Rewards Star Seeker attack card Castle Oblivion Rewards Ultima Weapon attack card Castle Oblivion Bounty Lexaeus enemy card Castle Oblivion Bounty Zexion enemy card Destiny Islands Bounty Ansem enemy card Twilight Town Bounty Gold Card special card any floor Bounty Platinum Card special card any floor Bounty Trivia! These are the only cards to bear the "Clear Bonus" minibanner. Clear bonus banners appear on two of the enemy cards Riku also receives, even before his game is cleared. Every other card available to Sora may be found in the first playthrough before confronting the final boss sequence. A breakdown of the cards by type starts off section "E.1 Cards". Q: A boss keeps KOing me. What level should I be? A: Truly one of the most frequently asked questions. And largely immaterial in KH-ReCOM. There's no "good" level to strive for with any boss since the boss's difficulty changes with the floor and game mode (the difference in HP, if not difficulty, is found in section "E.3.4 Boss Lifebar Stats"). And your LV is the least significant factor since you can choose a different bonus at every level-up. HP, CP, AP, DP, sleights learned (and used) -- are all more important than LV. If a particular fight is giving you fits, Sora's deck is more likely where improvement might be found; look for tips in section "E.3.3 Deck Building". Riku might benefit from an extra level or two, but how his deck is handled remains key. Effective use of card duels and D Mode matter more. With Sora, leveling is only needed if you're within reach of a particular sleight bonus that might make things easier (usually Sonic Blade or Lethal Flame); see section "D.2.5 Status". Q: When and where is power leveling or "grinding" needed? A: None is needed for the normal course of the game. Seriously. In the author's experience (got salt?) the final confrontations are just as challenging at LV92 as at LV52. Your mileage may vary, of course. (And okay, things go a tad easier if you grind ALL the way to LV99.) Note: "Grinding" is a commonplace term for a repetitive, tedious process, most often for gaining experience. Much like milling wheat berries into flour. Q: How can anyone play a game without maxing every statistic!? A: Gonna grind anyway, eh? So be it. Only for stat maxers.... In either case, the best place for leveling is the top floor, Castle Oblivion, where heartless drop the most EXP. Sora has a number of good sleights for quickly clearing the battlefield, most notably Trinity Limit, though others serve nearly as well. But if you're maxing Sora's stats, you might as well go for 100% completion while you're at it. Hunting down enemy cards can carry you a good chunk of the way toward LV99. Riku, however, has no enemy cards to hunt down and his report's complete almost by rote. And a normal game finishes at a much lower level. So be prepared for a very long, boring grind to LV99. Strong Initiative map cards can be a huge help (along with Holy Burst). Lasting Daze is a good second choice. You may see more EXP in other rooms, but the battles can drag on and on, too. The Lexaeus enemy card can save your sanity, but card duels hold what you need. Riku's only great killer moves, really, are his duel sleights. Get to D Mode when you can, but don't skip any chance to duel. Q: What good are premium cards if they're unreloadable? A: Premium cards show their benefits as you progress in the game. At the beginning, when you have nothing better than Potion and Ether cards, you may want to consider canceling the premium selector by pressing O. But using "unreloadables" is just another level of strategy in the game. Pretty soon the Hi-Potion item card becomes available, which CAN reload unreloadable attack cards. So can Mega-Potion cards, and Mega-Ether cards do the same for magic cards. Elixir cards reload everything. (Mega-Potion and Megalixir have another benefit to justify their cost: They reset the black-and-white reload card in the revolver back to one. Very helpful in boss decks, positioned for the second or third reload.) Once the mechanics are down pat, a deck can be inexpensively composed of some otherwise costly cards, balanced by the hit needed by the better item cards to get all those premium cards back. There's a risk, putting that much faith in playing an item card while avoiding a card break, but you do have that choice. And you'll soon notice that premium cards are no more unreloadable than any other card. For more on playing premium cards, see section "E.3.3 Deck Building". Tip! A premium 1-valued card usually sells for an extra ten MP, making premium selectors great tools when farming for MP. Keep one or more low-valued cards (1-7) that you want to sell in the equipped deck, and then make them premium when an opportunity arises. Q: What's this leveling hotspot in Monstro? A: Monstro's Belly Brawl is a good spot for gaining a few extra levels early in a game. The brawl can also serve up an "impossible" challenge for those who like such things. Preparation: For the best results, synthesize Monstro on 2F. (The Room of Truth is connected to Unknown Room and near the save point in Entrance Hall.) Also, as soon as you obtain a Calm Bounty map card, use it in Monstro to obtain the Fire Raid sleight. Prepare a deck to make use of Fire Raid and Blizzard sleights, padding the deck with cards valued four or higher (shadows play threes here, in Monstro on 2F), along with one or two potion cards. Include Guard Armor if you can. Simba can wipe out the entire battlefield in one roar; too risky. How-To: Proceed as usual with opening the Room of Truth and playing through the minigame once, EXCEPT take care to leave one or (preferably) a few heartless on the battlefield when time runs out. You're after EXP crystals, not kills, so don't cut it too close. Press Start and then Skip Event (optional). Dismiss Goofy's line. Choose whichever you need. "Let's wait a while" returns you to Unknown Room, where you can exit to the hallway and save (recommended the first time, and regularly thereafter, so you can soft-reset if needed). When finished, return and reenter the Truth room. At that point, or if you instead choose "Let's do it again", the brawl begins anew. (Either way, the Rules are displayed again. There's no avoiding that.) Dismiss the Rules. Press Select and play Guard Armor. Take careful aim -- you wants lots of heartless hit, but not all -- and fire off a Fire Raid. Gather up the EXP crystals and then repeat. Sleight Goofy with an attack card to take out small clumps. Donald's Magic LV3 may be too much. Whittle away at the remaining heartless, taking time to gather up the EXP and letting a few shadows regenerate. Keep an eye on the timer. When time runs out, press Start, choose Skip Event, and so on, repeating everything. Results: Expect to go through three reloads and obtain 200-300 EXP per round. Takes two rounds to go from LV8 to LV9, but about four rounds to advance from LV15 to LV16. Q: Any other viable options for grinding out a few levels or farming spoils? A: Yes, something else has turned up. The game harbors a great Escape exploit. Warp to any world you like. Enter its Unknown Room and walk over to where an enemy either oozes from the floor or pops into existence. Get into battle with that heartless and defeat all but one enemy. Escape from the battlefield by running at either apparent exit. Once you're back in the field room, move away, because the heartless triggering the encounter respawns in the very same spot. The next encounter with the same heartless may even yield different enemy groupings, handy if you're hunting enemy cards from a map card in short supply. Note: Heartless already visible in the field room, such as the soldier pacing back and forth in Traverse Town's Unknown Room, don't respawn after escaping. Any floor will do, but the higher the floor the better the spoils. Gauging the number of enemies and waves may take some practice on higher floors, however, or if using a particular map card rather than the initial Unknown Room. Q: During a battle, why do the numbers on cards sometimes appear in blue? A: Blue numbers mean the card values have been increased or decreased, either by the map card used to synthesize the room or by an enemy card currently in play. Q: Why can't Sora obtain any more battle cards? The game says I've reached the maximum, but I don't have 999 battle cards in Inventory. An allowance is made for any battle cards you could unlock but may not have obtained yet. So in addition to the "total" counts visible in Edit Deck or a moogle shop, add in any cards still listed in Journal's Card Index as question marks. (Then add two more; learn why in section "E.1.7 Special Cards".) Technically, the warning may appear with as few as 886 battle cards, but seeing a first warning around 960 or so battle cards is more typical. .: F.6 CHALLENGES :............................................................ Q: Is KH-ReCOM well-suited for ODiNS games? A: Sure. Riku's a piece of cake, but Sora may present a fun, if small, challenge for those who enjoy one-day, no-save gameplay. The two together would be challenging, indeed. Tip! Any card awarded full-screen (like the Traverse Town world card or any post-battle map card) can be dismissed immediately, paring down your time. Q: What other challenges present themselves? A: No-HP is a (very) satisfying challenge. No-Sleights or No-CP, or both together, are other possible "bonus" challenges. For any of them simply eschew the particular bonus when one is offered at level-up, and maybe regulate how much CP or which sleights you allow yourself. One idea for a challenge involves adhering to random factors wherever possible; collect and abuse Black Fungus and Sea Neon enemy cards, as well as Random Joker and Mingling Worlds map cards. Another centers around using an All-Premium-Cards deck, with item cards [un]restricted or limited. The hardest challenge, however, may be a No-AP game. Playing as Riku and trying to beat the game while taking no Attack Bonuses at level-up may not be possible. With only 10 AP, you might feel the pain even before advancing beyond B12F. (For what it's worth, the author got past B12F Exit Hall, but weighed the difficulty and took it no further.) Q: Too easy. How about an insane challenge? A: Like KH and KH2, KH-ReCOM includes an opportunity to max-out Sora's level at an impossibly early stage. Synthesize Monstro on 2F (earliest possible) and repeatedly engage Monstro's Belly Brawl, as detailed in the preceding section. You want insanity? Try raising Sora to LV99 before winning the brawl. No bragging rights -- leveling outside the brawl instead is too easy -- so the accomplishment would be for your gratification alone. Q: Oh, and what about speed runs? A: Sure, why not? The completion time is even included in the Battle Record. The biggest challenge may be in the random distribution of battle cards, which prohibits planning a set path. Working out level-up strategies should prove plenty interesting. A few other issues of note. While all cutscenes can be skipped (including the opening credits), world-entry "intros" and tutorials cannot. Mashing X doesn't speed-fill text balloons. Cards obtained "full screen" (after random battles, for instance) can be dismissed immediately, however. KH-ReCOM can become painfully slow with SAVE or LOAD screens, hesitating after a memory card is selected. Usual tip -- use a blank memory card -- may lessen the effect somewhat, but the game's save mechanics may limit the improvement. See section "E.3.2 Save Files" earlier for other observations. To get you started, the author's fastest game as Sora clocked in at 18:42. .: F.7 CHEAT DEVICES :......................................................... Q: Where can I find Action Replay cheat codes? A: At last check, over three hundred codes were listed at CodeJunkies.com, Datel's official site. Their links change too often to include here, but their site has a handy search feature. Q: But I have a GameShark. What about codes for that? A: Sorry, but none were listed at GameShark.com. That can change, however, so visit their site regularly, and request a code if they offer the option. Q: Anything for Codebreaker? A: So far, none are listed at CodeTwink.com, the official CodeBreaker site, but try searching their forums. However, Codebreaker codes for KH-ReCOM were spotted at Neoseeker: http://www.neoseeker.com/Games/Products/PS2/ kingdom_hearts_re_chain_of_memories/code_breaker.html Remove the line break and extra spaces before copying this long link to your browser. Q: Isn't there anywhere else to look for codes? A: Searching kh-vids.net is widely recommended. But try your favorite search site, too, such as Google or AltaVista. Be sure to search topics and questions posted on GameFAQs' KH-ReCOM message board and answers pages. .: F.8 KNOWN PROBLEMS :........................................................ IMPORTANT! None of these problem reports were experienced first-hand or stress-tested by the author. The resolutions are reported as-is in the hopes they assist with your own investigation. Caveat emptor. Q: Why was I told my memory card has "insufficient space"? A: KH-ReCOM requires 100 KB free on your memory card the first time you save. Q: I checked and there's more than 100 KB free on the card. What's wrong? A: KH-ReCOM may not recognize some third-party memory cards. Try saving to an 8 MB memory card for PS2, one made by Sony. If that works, you may be able to copy the save files -- game saves, plus the System Data file -- onto the "fat" memory card and continue from there. Q: I tried, but I still can't save. What else can I try? A: While the SAVE screen is displayed, try (carefully) unplugging your DualShock 2 controller and plugging it back in. It's a last-ditch effort, possibly more prevalent on "slim" PS2 models, and no help if you use another brand of controller. To learn more, read "Appendix A: Controller Issue" of Maltzsan's Game Mechanics FAQ for Final Fantasy XII: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/459841/45900 Reformatting or replacing the memory card may be the only remaining option. Q: Is KH-ReCOM compatible with my PS3? A: KH-ReCOM is compatible with U.S. PlayStation 3 models that support backward-compatibility (BC) with PlayStation 2 games. To learn more about your particular model, visit PlayStation.com. Q: Can I get KH-ReCOM to work on my non-U.S. PS3 BC model? A: Sorry, but as of this writing, no. The main issue is KH-ReCOM's Region 1 encoding. PS3 games are coded region-free (so far), but all models respect region coding for PS1 and PS2 games. If you import KH-ReCOM, you may also need a software go-between, such as SwapMagic3 once did for PS2 consoles. Swamp Magic3, official site, http://www.swapmagic3.com Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swap_Magic To date, however, no PS3 equivalent of SwapMagic is known to exist. Write to Disney and Square Enix to request the game for your region. Let them know you want it! Other technical issues may also pose problems with using an NTSC U/C game, of course. By the by, if a solution becomes available and you go so far as importing, investigating KH2-FM+ may be worth your time and consideration. Q: Wait, I was told my PS3 model (40 GB, Slim, and so on) could be made backward compatible. What do I need to do? A: Your source of information was mistaken. To verify PS and PS2 game compatibility with your model, visit PlayStation.com. Q: I got as far as Sora's tutorials and the game froze. What gives? A: You ran into a firmware glitch. The problem only manifests on PS3 80 GB models still using old firmware. Check your PS3 and verify the firmware is v2.60 (circa January 2009) or more recent. If not, you have two choices: 1) Upgrade the firmware, or 2) download a saved game. The latter may be preferred by those who don't want to risk the former, but the firmware upgrade doubtless solves more than this bug alone. WARNING! Firmware upgrades always involve some level of risk. Learn all you can before deciding. Check with a parent or guardian, as needed, seriously. Q: Okay, how do I upgrade my PS3's firmware? A: Talk to the good folks at Sony by visiting PlayStation.com. Q: If I don't want to risk it (bricking scares me), how do I download? A: An "80GB PS3 FAQ" was posted and may help if you choose to download. http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=954016&topic=47155461 Otherwise, refer to your PS3 documentation, contact Sony, or search the web for a "PSV transfer how-to" more to your liking. Q: The cutscenes seem...fuzzy compared to KH. Do I need to adjust my display? A: No. That's normal. The difference in rendering quality is most noticeable when the games are played back to back. Do not adjust your set. Q: Can you help with my __________ brand of __________? A: Sorry, no. The issues here relate directly to KH-ReCOM and have been the source of numerous questions. For any other hardware issue, contact the manufacturer or search the hardware boards. .: F.9 TRIVIA & FAVORITES :.................................................... Q: Why does Riku need a Castle Oblivion world card when Sora didn't? A: Excellent question, a real puzzler. Play KH2 to find out. And if you already have, here are two words to ponder: Betwixt & Between. (Saying anything more constitutes a pretty substantial spoiler.) Q: Why are Namine and Saix's names misspelled? A: The diacritic marks were excused to preserve the guide's ASCII format. Apologies to any philologists and phonetists reading along. Q: Wasn't Riku a girl in Final Fantasy X (and FFX-2)? A: No, that's Rikku. She makes an appearance in KH2. Q: Hey, I heard the maximum level was LV100. Is that true? A: No, sorry. In the original KH Sora and company topped out at LV100, true enough, but in KH2 and KH-ReCOM the maximum level is LV99. Q: Isn't Lethal Flame really called Lethal Frame? A: No, the name has always appeared as Lethal Flame in the North American release. Deviating from literal translations is common practice during localization, when the translation lacks oomph, for instance, or results in an off-color phrase or a racial slur, as pigeon-English is classified. Q: What are your favorite sleights? A: Sonic Blade, most Organization members crumble before it, and Dark Break is just too much fun. Mega Flare and Trinity Limit are favored for quickly clearing the arena; Holy disappoints in comparison. Reference section "E.3.3 Deck Building" puts a few more in context. Warp recently earned new respect for hunting down enemy cards, as well. Q: What are your favorite enemy cards? A: Xigbar, especially with a deck based on Firaga and various Raid sleights. Demyx, in conjunction with Freeze and Aqua Splash. Bouncywild is invaluable when farming for EXP or any other battlefield spoils, including friend cards. When going for completion, Black Fungus's Random Flush can cure boredom. For Riku, Lexaeus, bar none when grinding. Q: What are your favorite bits during the end-credits sequences? A: In Sora's story, Leon shaking his head over the other antics, Cloud unimpressed with Herc, and Axel recruiting the replica. And yes, Roxas's semi-appearance was poignant. For Riku's story, the battle posturing amused, but Axel's reaction to sea salt ice cream was most memorable (is he surprised at the taste, surprised he likes the taste, or surprised that he can taste or like the taste at all?). And even knowing what happens in KH2, the almost-seen silver-haired someone at the end still elicited growls for being cut short. .:| G. TRANSCRIPTS |:.......................................................:.: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING SPOILER TERRITORY. Exact and with every string double-checked, herein are all of the in-game recordings as displayed in LV99 100% complete games. Unlike KH and KH2, the texts do not change as the story progresses. Note: Provided for your convenient access to the in-game texts, as a refresher to the story, not as a reproduction of the on-screen layouts. Blank lines may have been removed for brevity or clarity's sake. .: G.1 JOURNAL TRANSCRIPT :.................................................... A record of everything found in Sora's Journal that's not already covered elsewhere. The writing is from Jiminy Cricket's perspective at all times and may not account for stories unfolding beyond his knowledge. .: G.1.1 STORY TRANSCRIPTS :. Worlds are listed in the Journal in a set order, regardless of the order in which the worlds were synthesized. SORA'S TALE I Our friends may be here... It was that thought that led us to Castle Oblivion, where cards rule over all. A mysterious man gave Sora a card, and using it took us to Traverse Town -- of all places! It turned out the town was just a figment of our own remembrances, the first world of many that lie in Sora's heart. And so our journey through these worlds begins. SORA'S TALE II It seems we're slowly losing our memories of what happened before the castle. And all my notes about the last journey have vanished! But in exchange, Sora is remembering other things he must have forgotten until now -- like a girl he knew when he was little. While fighting Larxene, Sora finally remembered the girl's name... Namine. SORA'S TALE III Sora pressed on in his search for Namine, and can you believe it? He found Riku, his best friend whom we thought was lost. Sora was so happy, but Riku attacked him just like that, saying, "I'll protect Namine!" What could he mean? Will something happen if Sora finds Namine? Sora is chasing after Riku...and the answers. SORA'S TALE IV So Sora's memories of Namine were false... Marluxia wanted Sora's heart and the strength within, so he used Namine to create fake memories and place them in Sora's heart. Larxene is gone, so we're going to the top floor to finish Marluxia. We want our memories back. And Sora -- he wants to keep the promise he remembers. Namine may not be his friend, but in his heart, protecting her is the only choice. TRAVERSE TOWN The card the hooded man gave us took us to Traverse Town, where we were reunited with Leon, Yuffie, and our other friends. Leon acted like he'd forgotten Sora, but for whatever reason still knew his name. I guess his memory got mixed up somehow. Aerith sensed that the town and everyone there was a product of Sora's memories. It may sound crazy, but I think she was right. WONDERLAND When we chased after the White Rabbit, we stumbled upon a trial in progress. The Queen of Hearts accused Alice of stealing her memory and sentenced her to death! Angered by the shoddy trial, Sora freed Alice and hunted down the real culprit. But even after we bested the Trickmaster, the Queen refused to believe that Alice was innocent. Fortunately, Alice's quick thinking pacified the Queen and no one had to lose their head. OLYMPUS COLISEUM Sora wanted to take on Hercules, so we all decided to compete in the games. Hades, frantic to dispose of Hercules, hired Cloud to take him out. Cloud cooperated, thinking he would get his lost memories back. But not even Cloud could beat Hercules. Hades stepped in to finish the job, but we put his plans on ice. AGRABAH Aladdin brought the magic lamp back from the Cave of Wonders, hoping for a chance to meet Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah. Inside the lamp was Genie, who would grant three wishes to the lamp's bearer. Aladdin hoped to become a prince so he could see Jasmine whenever he wanted. But he used two wishes battling the Heartless, and then Jafar stole the lamp. Jafar turned into a genie, but we defeated him and Aladdin got the lamp back. Instead of becoming a prince, Aladdin used his last wish to set Genie free, and decided he wanted Jasmine to know him as he really is. HALLOWEEN TOWN Dr. Finkelstein invented a potion that restores true memories, but it drew the Heartless to Halloween Town. Intrigued, Sora went with Jack to look for Sally, who had nabbed the potion because she was scared of what it could do. Oogie Boogie swiped the potion and downed it in a single gulp. But his true memories drove him mad with fear. What if true memories do that to everyone's heart? Scary. MONSTRO Geppetto went out looking for Pinocchio and was swallowed up by the whale Monstro. But finding Pinocchio inside filled him with joy. But Pinocchio felt bad about running away from home and putting his father in danger, so he set off to find a way out of Monstro. After a run-in with a big Heartless, Pinocchio had a great idea! Why not make a commotion and get Monstro to spit us out? With our help, the plan worked, and Pinocchio and Geppetto escaped safely. ATLANTICA Ariel, Princess of Atlantica, was worried about her little friend Flounder, who was nowhere to be found. The sea witch Ursula told Ariel that Flounder was on the surface world, trapped, and King Triton's trident was the only way to save him. Ariel was so worried, she stole the trident for Ursula, but it was all a trick -- Ursula had Flounder all along. With the trident's power Ursula became a giant, but we stopped her and Ariel resolved to apologize to her father, the king. NEVERLAND Peter Pan stowed away on Captain Hook's ship to save the kidnapped Wendy. But no sooner had she been saved than Wendy told Peter she wanted to go home to London. Would Wendy grow up and forget about him and Neverland? Peter didn't like that one bit, and left in a huff. Meanwhile, we were just trying to get off the ship. Hook caught us on the deck, but Peter came back and bailed us out. In the end, Peter and Wendy said their farewells, but promised to meet again one day. HOLLOW BASTION The Beast came to rescue Belle from Maleficent's clutches, but to his dismay, Belle acted coldly and would not go with him. We felt bad for him, so we went to see Belle. It turned out she was only pretending to be cruel, to keep her heart and the love within safe from Maleficent. But faced with a choice, Belle couldn't hide how she felt for the Beast, and Maleficent stole her heart. Together with the Beast, we took care of Maleficent and restored Belle's heart. 100 ACRE WOOD Pooh seemed to have lost his friends, so Sora stopped to help him look. Maybe Sora saw something of himself in Pooh, since he's looking for friends too. TWILIGHT TOWN The card Vexen gave us led to a town none of use remembered. But Sora held fast to his promise to Namine, and we pressed on. Speaking of which, Vexen seemed ready to say something about that, but Axel showed up, and... Well, we won't be seeing Vexen again. DESTINY ISLANDS The last card led to the place where Sora grew up. Sora wandered the islet that was once his playground, wading through his memories to find the girl he cared for. But when he found Namine, she told him the bitter truth -- nothing he remembered of her ever happened. CASTLE OBLIVION Well, we've made it to the top, and many of our memories are gone. Sora can't even recall the name of the person he cares for most. But we've made a promise. No distance can separate us, and we'll be friends even if we can't remember it to be so. Axel is out of the way. We just have to stop Marluxia. He ordered Namine to wipe Sora's memory, but it doesn't matter. Sora knows that promises don't fade as easily as memories. .: G.1.2 CARD COLLECTION TRANSCRIPT . Nothing to transcribe. See section "D.2.6 Journal". .: G.1.3 CARD INDEX TRANSCRIPT :. ATTACK CARDS See "Attack Cards" in section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora". MAGIC CARDS See "Magic Cards" in section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora". SUMMON CARDS See "Summon Cards" in section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora". ITEM CARDS See "Item Cards" in section "E.1.1 Battle Cards - Sora". FRIEND CARDS Donald Donald randomly casts two spells from Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, or Cure. Stock more than one to power up Donald's magic. Goofy Goofy attacks the enemy as he spins around Sora. Stock more than one for more power and duration. Aladdin Aladdin runs around while swinging his sword, producing Moogle Point orbs. Stock more than one to stun enemies and produce more Moogle Point orbs. Ariel Ariel whirls across the field, striking many enemies. Stock more than one for multiple strikes. Jack Jack casts Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, or Gravity. Stock more than one and Jack will cast multiple, more powerful spells. Peter Pan Peter Pan attacks with his dagger. Quick taps on [triangle] speed up attacks and produce Moogle Point orbs. Stock more than one for more power and duration. The Beast The Beast knocks enemies towards Sora. Sora can then knock the enemies back to the Beast. Stock more than one for multiple strikes. Pluto Pluto digs up cards and orbs from the ground. Stock more than one for better items. ENEMY CARDS See section "E.1.3 Enemy Cards". MAP CARDS See section "E.1.4 Map Cards". WORLD CARDS Traverse Town Allows you to visit Traverse Town. Can be used on the first floor. Agrabah Allows you to visit Agrabah. Can be used on floors 2 through 6. Olympus Coliseum Allows you to visit Olympus Coliseum. Can be used on floors 2 through 6. Wonderland Allows you to visit Wonderland. Can be used on floors 2 through 6. Monstro Allows you to visit Monstro. Can be used on floors 2 through 6. Halloween Town Allows you to visit Halloween Town. Can be used on floors 2 through 6. Atlantica Allows you to visit Atlantica. Can be used on floors 7 through 10. Neverland Allows you to visit Neverland. Can be used on floors 7 through 10. Hollow Bastion Allows you to visit Hollow Bastion. Can be used on floors 7 through 10. 100 Acre Wood Allows you to visit 100 Acre Wood. Can be used on floors 7 through 10. Twilight Town Allows you to visit Twilight Town. Can be used on the 11th floor. Destiny Islands Allows you to visit Destiny Islands. Can be used on the 12th floor. GIMMICK CARDS Obtained under certain conditions during boss battles. Use the card to generate effects that can give you the upper hand. SPECIAL CARDS See section "E.1.7 Special Cards". .: G.1.4 CHARACTERS TRANSCRIPT :. CHARACTERS I Sora A bright and spirited boy chosen by the Keyblade to battle the Heartless. It was Sora who defeated Ansem, ending his plans to shroud all worlds in darkness. However, Sora continues his journey, seeking the friends he lost during the struggle. Donald Duck "The Wise Little Hen" (1934), etc. Court wizard at Disney Castle who set out with Goofy after the king's disappearance. His short temper sometimes gets him into trouble, but he is very brave. Donald is currently seeking clues to what happened to the king after he was locked behind the door to darkness. Goofy "Two Weeks Vacation" (1952), etc. Captain of the Disney Castle Royal Knights. He set out with Donald after the king's disappearance. He is cheerful and calm, and no one is more loyal to the king. Goofy and Sora are especially good friends. Jiminy Cricket "Pinocchio" (1940) That's right, me again. I'm keeping a journal of everyone's adventures. I also act as Pinocchio's conscience, so he'll know right from wrong. Pluto "The Chain Gang" (1930), etc. The king's faithful dog. The strength of their bond goes beyond that of master and pet. He had left Disney Castle with Donald and Goofy, but is now on his own. His keen sense of smell might lead us to secrets yet uncovered. Riku Sora's childhood friend. Baited by the darkness and used by Maleficent and Ansem, Riku once fought against Sora. In order to seal the door to darkness, Riku stayed with the king on the other side. His current whereabouts are unknown. Sora journeys in hopes of finding Riku. Kairi Sora's childhood friend. Sora's journey began as a search for Kairi, who disappeared when their island home was swallowed by darkness. Kairi was held captive by the Heartless, but thanks to Sora, she and the islands were saved. She waits there for Sora and Riku's return. CHARACTERS II Namine A young witch who, under orders from Marluxia, rewrote much of Sora's memory. Because Namine based the false memories on Sora's feelings toward Kairi, Sora believed he and Namine had been friends since childhood. But truth be told, the two had never met before Castle Oblivion. Riku Replica A replica of Riku created by Vexen from the real Riku's data. Through Namine's power he was infused with false memories and made to believe he was the real Riku. The truth has wounded him deeply. Vexen A man absorbed in his dubious research in Castle Oblivion. Vexen tried to destroy Sora by controlling Riku and pitting the two against each other. When this plan failed, he confronted Sora personally. Axel A mysterious figure who stands in Sora's path. Hard to read, half the time Axel seems to just be messing around...but for all we know, he's done more thinking than everyone else put together. Marluxia Lord of Castle Oblivion and a member of the Organization. In a move to bring the group under his control, Marluxia used Namine to manipulate Sora's memory and tried to claim the power of the Keyblade. Larxene A member of the Organization that controls Castle Oblivion. Larxene is unfeeling and loves nothing more than to bring other people down. She is on good terms with Axel but still mocks everyone and trusts no one. OTHERS Simba "The Lion King" (1994) Successor to his father as ruler of the Pride Lands. Sora need only call and Simba will appear and lend his strength. Dumbo "Dumbo" (1941) A small elephant born in a circus. The other animals laughed at his big ears, but the courage to fly made Dumbo the star of the circus. If Sora calls, Dumbo will come to the rescue. Bambi "Bambi" (1942) A young deer prince whose father is king of the Forest. Sora can call on Bambi for help anytime. Mushu "Mulan" (1998) Once a guardian dragon of a Chinese family. Due to past mistakes, he lost much of his former power. If Sora calls, Mushu will come to our aid. The Moogles "FINAL FANTASY III", etc. A strange race that seems to pop up just about anywhere. In Castle Oblivion, the moogles run shops where Sora can trade in unwanted cards. TRAVERSE TOWN Leon "FINAL FANTASY VIII" A cool and collected swordsman who wields a gunblade. His real name: Squall Leonhart. Leon once fought with Sora against the Heartless, but the Leon we met in Castle Oblivion is a product of Sora's memory, so he can't remember much of what happened before. Yuffie "FINAL FANTASY VII" A girl whose cheerful personality belies her painful memories. When she was still young the Heartless robbed her of her home. Never one to sweat the small stuff, Yuffie seems unfazed by her fuddled memory. Aerith "FINAL FANTASY VII" A young woman who fought the Heartless. Her calm demeanor hides an unbreakable will. Aerith also has a mysterious sense of truth, and is aware that Traverse Town and its inhabitants are a figment of Sora's memory. Cid "FINAL FANTASY VII" A gifted pilot who saved Leon and the others from the Heartless when they were just children. Cid lives in Traverse Town now. WONDERLAND Alice "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) A curious girl who fell down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Alice was falsely accused of stealing the Queen of Hearts's memory and put on trial, but we intervened and helped her clear her name. The Queen of Hearts "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) A selfish ruler who commands an army of card soldiers. A Heartless stole the Queen's memory, but she accused Alice and put her on trial. The White Rabbit "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) A loyal retainer of the Queen of Hearts. He always carries out the Queen's orders, no matter what they may be. Card of Hearts "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) A guard in the service of the Queen of Hearts. The card fears her temper and will do anything she orders. Card of Spades "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) A guard in the service of the Queen of Hearts. The card fears her temper and will do anything she orders. The Cheshire Cat "Alice in Wonderland" (1951) A mysterious, grinning cat who always talks in riddles. He appears when you least expect it, and disappears whenever he pleases. OLYMPUS COLISEUM Hercules "Hercules" (1997) Son of the gods Zeus and Hera, but not a god himself. With godlike strength and a gentle heart, Hercules is a true hero. He has never lost at the Coliseum games. Philoctetes "Hercules" (1997) Trainer of countless heroes, including Hercules. Nowadays Phil runs the Coliseum and manages the games. Hades "Hercules" (1997) Ruler of the Underworld. Hades can't stand Hercules. He tricked Cloud into challenging Hercules to the death, but we put an end to his plotting. Cloud "FINAL FANTASY VII" A swordsman hired by Hades to take out Hercules. Cloud seeks the true memories he has lost. Were they memories of someone dear to him, or memories of his own hazy past? AGRABAH Aladdin "Aladdin" (1992) A young man who lives in Agrabah and dreams of meeting Princess Jasmine. Aladdin became Genie's master when he found the magic lamp. At first Aladdin wanted to become a prince and impress Jasmine, but in the end he gave Genie his freedom and decided to show Jasmine his true self. Genie "Aladdin" (1992) Captive of the magic lamp. Genie must grant the lamp's holder three wishes. He longs for freedom, but can only get it if someone uses a wish to set him free. Jasmine "Aladdin" (1992) Princess of Agrabah. Jasmine feels cooped up in the palace and longs for the freedom outside its walls. Iago "Aladdin" (1992) A cunning and chatty parrot. Iago flies about Agrabah, serving as the evil Jafar's eyes and ears. Jafar "Aladdin" (1992) A sorcerer and Agrabah's royal vizier. Jafar stole the magic lamp from Aladdin and, with Genie's power, schemed to become ruler of Agrabah. Jafar-Genie "Aladdin" (1992) Jafar's genie form. After taking the magic lamp from Aladdin, Jafar wished for the powers of a genie and tried to do us in. HALLOWEEN TOWN Sora A bright and spirited boy chosen by the Keyblade to battle the Heartless. It was Sora who defeated Ansem, ending his plans to shroud all worlds in darkness. However, Sora continues his journey, seeking the friends he lost during the struggle. Donald Duck "The Wise Little Hen" (1934), etc. Court wizard at Disney Castle who set out with Goofy after the king's disappearance. His short temper sometimes gets him into trouble, but he is very brave. Donald is currently seeking clues to what happened to the king after he was locked behind the door to darkness. Goofy "Two Weeks Vacation" (1952), etc. Captain of the Disney Castle Royal Knights. He set out with Donald after the king's disappearance. He is cheerful and calm, and no one is more loyal to the king. Goofy and Sora are especially good friends. Jack "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) Halloween Town's master of the macabre. Jack is always looking for new ways to bring the spooks and shivers of Halloween to all. Sally "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) Dr. Finkelstein's helper at the lab. He created her from various odds and ends. Sally is secretly in love with Jack. Dr. Finkelstein "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) The mad scientist of Halloween Town. He's always immersed in his odd experiments. This time Dr. Finkelstein came up with a potion to restore true memories, only to have it guzzled by Oogie Boogie. Oogie Boogie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) A villain who's always plotting against Jack. Oogie Boogie stole Dr. Finkelstein's potion thinking it would make him stronger, but it drove him mad with fear instead. MONSTRO Pinocchio "Pinocchio" (1940) A wooden puppet Geppetto made, brought to life by the Blue Fairy. To become a real boy, Pinocchio has to learn bravery, kindness, and honesty. He and Geppetto were swallowed by Monstro, but they escaped with a little help from us. Geppetto "Pinocchio" (1940) A gentle and earnest clockmaker who carved Pinocchio from a block of wood. Geppetto was swallowed by Monstro, boat and all, while searching for Pinocchio. The two were reunited inside the giant whale, and escaped with our help. ATLANTICA Ariel "The Little Mermaid" (1989) The daughter of King Triton who longs to see the surface world. Worried by Flounder's disappearance, Ariel was cajoled by Ursula into forking over the king's trident. We helped Ariel save Flounder and recover the trident, and she resolved to tell her father the truth. Sebastian "The Little Mermaid" (1989) Triton's music director and Ariel's guardian. Sebastian is constantly scolding Ariel for her escapades, but only because he worries for her safety. Flounder "The Little Mermaid" (1989) A young fish. He's not exactly brave, but Flounder is Ariel's most loyal friend. Ursula kidnapped Flounder as part of her plan to trick Ariel and steal the trident. Ursula "The Little Mermaid" (1989) The sea witch. She once lived in the palace, but was banished for her scheming. Ursula deceived Ariel and stole the trident in an attempt to rule all Atlantica. NEVERLAND Peter Pan "Peter Pan" (1953) A boy who lives in Neverland, where no one ever grows up. Peter can be stubborn, but deep down he's brave and just. He was upset that Wendy wanted to return to London, but in the end he wished her well. Tinker Bell "Peter Pan" (1953) A fairy with a jealous streak, especially when Peter pays attention to other girls. Wendy "Peter Pan" (1953) A dreamy English girl. Peter showed her the way to Neverland. Wendy really likes Peter, but decided to return home to London. Hook "Peter Pan" (1953) A pirate who holds a grudge against Peter Pan. Hook kidnapped Wendy to lure Peter out. Normally proud, Hook falls to pieces the moment the crocodile that took his hand shows up. HOLLOW BASTION The Beast "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) A prince transformed into a beast because of his selfishness. Meeting Belle restored humanity to his heart. Though stunned by Belle's cold behavior, his faith in their love never wavered. Belle "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) A young woman who saw kindness behind the Beast's gruff exterior. Realizing Maleficent sought her heart, Belle acted coldly toward the Beast to keep her heart beyond the witch's reach. Maleficent "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) A witch who commands the darkness. Sora faced Maleficent and her Heartless once before. She stole Belle's heart to perfect her dark powers, though Belle had seen through her plan. Dragon Maleficent "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) Maleficent's dragon form. Her own sorcery mingled with the vast powers of darkness made Maleficent a fearful opponent. 100 ACRE WOOD Winnie the Pooh "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), etc. A bear who lives in the base of a tree in the 100 Acre Wood. Pooh loves to eat -- especially honey. He's gentle and easygoing, but a little absent-minded. Piglet "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" (1968), etc. Pooh's closest friend. Piglet is very shy, and when he's surprised, he covers his eyes with his floppy ears. Owl "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), etc. The wisest animal in the 100 Acre Wood. Sometimes he talks so much his friends fall asleep. Roo "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), etc. A feisty kangaroo who's full of energy. Little Roo wants to learn to bounce as high as Tigger. Eeyore "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), etc. A gloomy donkey whose tail keeps falling off and getting lost. Eeyore is timid and always a little down, and likes to take things slow. Tigger "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), etc. The one and only. Cheerful Tigger loves to bounce all day long. Sometimes his energy is too much for the others, but he always means well. Rabbit "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), etc. A diligent gardener who's always busy with his vegetables. Sometimes Rabbit is a bit short-tempered, especially when Tigger bounces around in his garden. DESTINY ISLANDS Tidus "FINAL FANTASY X" A young boy from Sora's islands with a sunny personality and lots of energy. Tidus has no shortage of confidence either, and considers himself a champ at everything. Wakka "FINAL FANTASY X" A boy from Sora's islands. Despite being the oldest, Wakka is modest and takes good care of his friends. Selphie "FINAL FANTASY VIII" A perky girl from Sora's islands. Selphie is assertive and tends to leap before she looks, and she also has a romantic side. THE HEARTLESS See section "G.3 Annotated Bestiary". .: G.1.5 MINIGAMES TRANSCRIPT :. Nothing to transcribe. See section "D.2.6 Journal". .: G.2 D REPORT TRANSCRIPT :................................................... A record of everything found in Riku's D Report not already covered elsewhere. As with Sora's Journal, all texts are recorded from a certain viewpoint and may not account for storyline events unfolding elsewhere. .: G.2.1 STORY TRANSCRIPTS :. RIKU'S TALE I Bored with his secluded island life, Riku dreamt of seeing other worlds. He got his wish when darkness devoured Destiny Islands and he was thrust into the outside world. While looking for his lost friend Kairi, he met Maleficent, and accepted her help. But Maleficent had her eyes on Riku's strength and was working to make him her underling. She gave Riku the power of darkness, but as he used it, it gained power over him. This is why Riku fought his best friend, Sora, and how his heart fell to Ansem, pursuer of darkness. But Riku's heart was freed by Sora's light. Riku, Sora, and the king worked together to close the door to darkness, but Riku was trapped inside, in the realm of darkness. Will he see the realm of light again? RIKU'S TALE II Led by a mysterious voice, Riku made his way through the card-worlds, but met only dark beings within. Riku was told that because he rejected the other things in his life to claim darkness, his heart is now devoid of anything but the darkness he sought. Unable to accept this, Riku encountered Ansem, who tried yet again to conquer him. The king intervened to save Riku, but Ansem had not let go of his heart. And so Riku must fight the darkness within. RIKU'S TALE III Embattled with the darkness in his heart, Riku met someone who looked just like him, a replica crafted by Vexen, a member of the Organization. The replica commanded darkness freely, and called Riku cowardly for shunning the dark. Meanwhile, agents of the Organization laid their rivalry bare. Sora and Riku seem to be the reason they control the castle -- but why? RIKU'S TALE IV Vexen took his replica of Riku and headed for the surface, but finally fell at Sora's hands. Lexaeus confronted Riku, intending to bring him to submission using all force necessary. It was then that the powerful darkness in Riku's heart awakened. The darkness defeated Lexaeus, then dragged Riku into the realm of darkness. There, Ansem's shadow loomed large, but Riku was again saved by the king's light. RIKU'S TALE V One by one, members of the Organization fell at Riku and Sora's hands -- even Marluxia, lord of the castle. Zexion, hoping to avoid a similar fate, tried to use memories of Riku's island home against him. Ignored by his friends and even attacked by Sora -- it seemed Riku would be washed away by the light, but Kairi's voice gave him curage. No longer afraid of the darkness, Riku saw through the fake Sora and thwarted Zexion's trap. RIKU'S TALE VI By embracing his inner darkness, Riku gained a great power, but so did Ansem. Guided by the enigmatic DiZ, Riku made his way through Twilight Town, defeating his copy and locating Namine. When he found her, he also found Sora and friends in a deep slumber, waiting to get their lost memories back. Namine told Riku he could seal Ansem away forever by giving up his memories, but Riku refused to forget his friends. Riku chose to fight with his own strength. With the king at his side, he now makes ready for the final battle with Ansem. Will his choice take him to the realm of light...or darkness? .: G.2.2 CARD COLLECTION TRANSCRIPT . Nothing to transcribe. See section "D.3.6 D Report". .: G.2.3 CARD INDEX TRANSCRIPT :. BATTLE CARDS Soul Eater Reacts to dark power. Riku's strength is greater when he wields darkness in battle. Potion Quickly reloads attack cards with no charge time required. It does not work on cards that cannot be reloaded. Hi-Potion Quickly reloads attack cards with no charge time required. Even normally unreloadable cards are restored. The King The king restores HP, stuns and deals damage to all enemies, and reloads cards. Gimmick Cards Obtained under certain conditions during boss battles. Use the card to generate effects that can give you the upper hand. ENEMY CARDS See section "E.1.3 Enemy Cards". MAP CARDS See section "E.1.4 Map Cards". Note: Despite map card descriptions to the contrary, NO random foes drop enemy cards for Riku. WORLD CARDS Traverse Town Allows you to visit Traverse Town. Can be used on basement floors 11 through 8. Agrabah Allows you to visit Agrabah. Can be used on basement floors 11 through 8. Olympus Coliseum Allows you to visit Olympus Coliseum. Can be used on basement floors 7 through 4. Wonderland Allows you to visit Wonderland. Can be used on basement floors 7 through 4. Monstro Allows you to visit Monstro. Can be used on basement floors 11 through 8. Halloween Town Allows you to visit Halloween Town. Can be used on basement floors 7 through 4. Atlantica Allows you to visit Atlantica. Can be used on basement floors 7 through 4. Neverland Allows you to visit Neverland. Can be used on basement floors 11 through 8. Hollow Bastion Allows you to visit Hollow Bastion. Can be used on basement floor 12. Twilight Town Allows you to visit Twilight Town. Can be used on basement floor 2. Destiny Islands Allows you to visit Destiny Islands. Can be used on basement floor 3. Castle Oblivion Allows you to visit 100 Acre Wood. Can be used on basement floor 1. .: G.2.4 CHARACTERS TRANSCRIPT :. CHARACTERS I Riku A boy who was born and raised on a small group of islands. Riku dreamt of seeing other worlds, and so he forsook the islands -- only to be seduced by the power of darkness. Enslaved by Ansem, pursuer of darkness, Riku clashed with his childhood friend Sora. But in the end he was able to regain himself and, together with Sora, close the door to darkness. Still, the dark wounds in Riku's heart have yet to mend. Riku (Halloween Town) A boy who was born and raised on a small group of islands. Riku dreamt of seeing other worlds, and so he forsook the islands -- only to be seduced by the power of darkness. Enslaved by Ansem, pursuer of darkness, Riku clashed with his childhood friend Sora. But in the end he was able to regain himself and, together with Sora, close the door to darkness. Still, the dark wounds in Riku's heart have yet to mend. The King "Steamboat Willy" (1928), etc. The king who reigns over Disney Castle. He set off alone to protect his world and all worlds from the dominion of the dark. When Riku fell into the realm of darkness, the king showed him the way, but the two were separated when the door to darkness was closed. The King (Halloween Town) "Steamboat Willy" (1928), etc. The king who reigns over Disney Castle. He set off alone to protect his world and all worlds from the dominion of the dark. When Riku fell into the realm of darkness, the king showed him the way, but the two were separated when the door to darkness was closed. Sora Riku's boyhood friend, and the hero of light chosen by the Keyblade to stand against the darkness. While Riku was bridled by the darkness, he fought Sora, but their friendship proved stronger, and they ultimately worked together to close the door to darkness. Kairi Riku and Sora's friend growing up. Kairi vanished when their home islands were devoured by darkness. Riku and Sora both journeyed to find her. Kairi was held captive by the Heartless, but thanks to Sora, she and the islands were saved. She waits there for Sora and Riku's return. Namine A young witch who can manipulate memories. As Kairi's shadow, Namine altered Sora's memory under orders from the Organization. But the forgiveness in Sora's heart moved her to disobey those orders. Now she watches over Sora until the reconstruction of his memories is complete. Riku Replica A replica of Riku created by Vexen from the real Riku's data. Unlike the real Riku, he wields darkness freely, but is burdened by the fact he is an imitation. DiZ Truly an enigma. DiZ appeared before Riku in the guise of Ansem, presenting him with choices regarding the darkness within his heart. It is said he and the king have met. Ansem Pursuer of darkness. To open the door to darkness, Ansem used the Heartless to steal countless hearts. He enslaved Riku, but met his demise at Sora's hand. Nonetheless, Ansem's shadow lives on in the depths of Riku's heart. Vexen No. 4 in the Organization. He, Lexaeus, and Zexion have been in the group since its inception, and there is no love lost between them and neophytes like Marluxia. After battling Riku, Vexen turned to events unfolding aboveground, but successive failures led to his termination by Axel. Lexaeus No. 5 in the Organization. A born warrior, Lexaeus effortlessly brandishes a gigantic tomahawk. To counterbalance his rival Marluxia's bid for Sora's power, Lexaeus tried to conquer Riku, but was defeated by Riku's dark powers. Zexion No. 6 in the Organization. Zexion generally avoids dirtying his own hands when there are deeds to be done. However, with the destruction of Vexen and Lexaeus, he was forced into action. Disguised as Sora, Zexion confronted Riku. But Riku no longer feared the dark, and victory was beyond Zexion's reach. Axel No. 8 in the Organization. He is a Nobody whose intentions and secrets are hidden from all. Axel has no qualms about exploiting others to suit his needs. He used Sora and Namine to silence Marluxia and halt his plot against the Organization. Axel claims that he and Sora have something in common, but that connection is unclear. Marluxia No. 11 in the Organization. Marluxia lured Sora to Castle Oblivion in hopes of using his power to seize the Organization. He ordered Namine to alter Sora's memories, and fooled Vexen into challenging him. All was going according to plan, but Marluxia's scheme dissolved when Axel set Namine free. Marluxia was ultimately destroyed by Sora. Larxene No. 12 in the Organization. Larxene conspired with Marluxia to take over the Organization, and intended to pull Axel in as well. However, her abrasive, unfeeling personality proved her downfall -- provoking Sora's anger was a fatal error. CHARACTERS II Maleficent "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) A witch who commands the darkness. Maleficent's charms won over Riku, and she empowered him with darkness. In Castle Oblivion she stood before Riku again, this time as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. Jafar-Genie "Aladdin" (1992) A sorcerer and also Agrabah's royal vizier, transformed by magic. Jafar appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. Ursula "The Little Mermaid" (1989) The sea witch who plotted to rule all of the undersea kingdom Atlantica. Ursula appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. Hades "Hercules" (1997) God of the Underworld who seeks to rule over all. Hades appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. Oogie Boogie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) A villain who's always causing trouble in Halloween Town. Oogie Boogie appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. Hook "Peter Pan" (1953) A pirate of Neverland. Hook appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. THE HEARTLESS Detailed in the next section, "Annotated Bestiary". .: G.3 ANNOTATED BESTIARY :.................................................... Everything recorded in both bestiaries, and a little bit more. . COMMON CHARACTERISTICS . Heartless may (or may not) exhibit a number of elemental affinities or weaknesses. Stunned ... becomes disoriented briefly Weak ...... takes additional damage; may also stun Resists ... avoids damage, always or sometimes; "Resists" appears Immune .... takes no damage at all Absorbs ... is healed by this attack; "Recover" appears Some weaknesses may also apply to physical attacks (by attack cards and attack sleights) and special attacks (by all sleights). Airborne foes can require special handling. A good general tactic is to card break their attacks until you can reach them. -> high .... yellow opera, gargoyle, air pirate, wyvern O -> mid ..... red nocturne, green requiem, wizard /|\ -> low ..... blue rhapsody, aquatank / \ -> hover ... air soldier, search ghost, darkball, screwdiver All may be caught near ground level. Either wait for them to attack first and card break their attack, or use a sleight, such as Magnet Spiral, to knock them out of the air. Aero is effective against most, as is thunder if to a lesser extent. The higher the flyer, the greater the likelihood a ground-level attack will fail. Without entrapment, hovering foes are still too high for Sonic Blade and the elemental Raid sleights. High flyers may elude Blitz or fire magic at the pinnacle of their climb. Blizzard can hit flyers by first jumping to their height. Jumping does not help with Raid sleights, however. .: G.3.1 RANDOM HEARTLESS :. No random heartless uses sleights or zero cards, displays a card revolver, or plays an enemy card. For Riku, random heartless typically engage in three-card duels, though a few prefer five-card duels. Many enemy descriptions were taken directly from the original KH, or show only minor editing. Some effects are toned down or absent in KH-ReCOM. Descriptions of random heartless are identical for both Sora and Riku. Enemy groupings (or "mobs") vary by world and floor. A random heartless's inclusion in those groupings also depends on the map card used to synthesize the field room. Tip! When a particular enemy proves elusive, try a different map card, perhaps one from another color group. And if the encounter doesn't include the enemy you seek, Escape from battle and let the heartless respawn to try for a different grouping. AIR PIRATE -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Neverland A winged Heartless that mostly sticks to Neverland. It's not armed, but it doesn't need to be. The Air Pirate deals a brutal punch right after its fist flashes. o Airborne, high flyer o Dangerous in swarms o Enemy card's Item Bracer ensures item cards aren't broken o Dueling, 3 card breaks AIR SOLDIER ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Agrabah, Monstro, Twilight Town A winged Heartless. It swoops down onto its opponent's head, or slams into them when they let their guard down. The Air Soldier is swift, resilient, and not easy to ground. o Airborne, hovers, low flier; ground-level attacks may miss o Dueling, 3 card breaks AQUATANK ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Atlantica A fish-like Heartless that lazily wanders the sea. The Aquatank attacks with Thunder or by whirling its sizable body about. o Not so lazy as it was in the original KH o Airborne; size makes it less likely for ground-level attacks to miss o Avoid thunder-based attacks, such as Spellbinder and Thunder Raid o Dueling, 5 card breaks BANDIT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Agrabah A Heartless that mainly appears in Agrabah. The Bandit deftly wields the scimitar it carries, and should be approached cautiously. o Only appears in Agrabah, despite the description o Aural cue; dodge roll can sidestep its attacks o Dueling, 3 card breaks BARREL SPIDER ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Agrabah, Olympus Coliseum, Monstro, Neverland, Twilight Town, Destiny Islands A gunpowder-packed barrel transformed by the darkness into a Heartless. The Barrel Spider sets upon anyone foolish enough to think it's an ordinary barrel. o Any field-room barrel can hide a barrel spider o Most common in Agrabah, Monstro, and Olympus Coliseum o Self-destructs, after an audible "scampering" o No card is dropped if the last barrel spider self-destructs o Dueling, 3 card breaks BLACK FUNGUS ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Every world An aggressive, poisonous Heartless, not to be confused with the White Mushroom. The Black Fungus likes to paralyze its enemies and toy with them. It's tough to beat, but victory doesn't go unrewarded... o Favors playing a seven (7) card o Immune to damage when it resembles statuary o Resists confusion (Idyll Romp) o Emits damaging fog that stuns, long enough to get hit again o Dueling, 3 card breaks Section "E.3.5 Battle Spoils" explains what to expect from black fungi. BLUE RHAPSODY ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Traverse Town, Olympus Coliseum, Castle Oblivion A magic-wielding Heartless that drifts through the air. The Blue Rhapsody attacks with Blizzard once it's close enough, and absorbs ice damage. o Airborne, low flier; ground-level attacks may miss o Quick, bounces around; target-lock recommended o Avoid ice-based attacks, such as Blizzard Raid, Dumbo, and Aqua Splash o Excellent enemy card against fiery foes like Hades or Axel o Dueling, 3 card breaks BOUNCYWILD -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Olympus Coliseum A simian Heartless. It teases its enemies and throws banana peels from far away. Be careful not to slip! o Slipping on the banana peel may scatter Sora's MP; lost if not picked up o Excellent enemy card for Sora; Draw collects EXP and friends from afar o Dueling, 3 card breaks CREEPER PLANT ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Wonderland, Halloween Town, Destiny Islands A flower-like Heartless. It's rooted in one place, but staying far away isn't enough, since it can spit seeds or attack from below with its sharp roots. o Stationary, at ground level o Roots can poke up at you from anywhere; nowhere is safe o Spaced out, but close enough for Sonic Blade to slide from one to another o Blizzard and Raid sleights can also hit two, if lined up well o Never appears in a field room o Enemy card's Leaf Bracer ensures cure cards aren't broken in a pinch o Dueling, 3 card breaks CRESCENDO --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Wonderland, Neverland, Destiny Islands A hopping, horn-like Heartless. It's a bothersome foe that can honk and call other Heartless. o Easier to isolate in Wonderland than Destiny Islands o Its call is not as effective as in KH2; one extra foe may appear o Enemy card is a must-have for summon-heavy decks o Dueling, 3 card breaks DARKBALL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, Destiny Islands, Castle Oblivion A Heartless made from the very shadows of darkness. The Darkball mostly just bobs through the air, but its random weaving and biting are a nuisance. o Airborne; low to mid range o With Sonic Blade and Raid sleights, wait until it "chatters" toward you o Never drops its enemy card for Sora o Dueling, 5 card breaks DEFENDER ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Hollow Bastion, Castle Oblivion A Heartless that primarily resides in Hollow Bastion. Its shield stops head-on physical and magical attacks, and can launch fireballs. The Defender is also a skilled card user, and will break the cards of unprepared opponents. o Heaviest of the regular heartless; resists Magnet Spiral o Neutral attack cards can defeat its shield o Deflects most Raid sleights, but Judgment breaks through o Within Castle Oblivion, more likely with green map cards o Dueling, 5 card breaks FAT BANDIT -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Agrabah A Heartless that mainly appears in Agrabah. The Fat Bandit repels frontal attacks with its jiggly belly and spits fireballs. o Only appears in Agrabah, despite the description o Deflects frontal attacks, including most Raid sleights o Neutral attack cards can connect from the front o Not immune to fire o Dueling, 5 card breaks GARGOYLE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Halloween Town A winged Heartless that mainly appears in Halloween Town. It pelts its stunned opponents with fireballs. o Blue fireballs, that is o Airborne, high flyer o Swarms; extremely dangerous at low levels o Only appears in Halloween Town, despite the description o Dueling, 3 card breaks GREEN REQUIEM ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Agrabah, Monstro, Castle Oblivion A magic-wielding Heartless that drifts through the air. It doesn't attack, but it can cast Cure to heal other Heartless. The Green Requiem is slow, but is healed by basic elemental magic, making it tough to squash. o Never attacks o Airborne, full range; ground-level attacks may miss o Semi-susceptible to Freeze; bergs, but takes no damage o Healed by fire, ice, thunder, and elemental attack cards o Dueling, 3 card breaks LARGE BODY -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Olympus Coliseum, Wonderland, Monstro A rotund Heartless. The Large Body repels frontal attacks with its jiggly belly. Sometimes it throws its weight around and shakes the ground, so jumping is key. o Deflects frontal attacks, including most Raid sleights o Neutral attack cards can connect from the front o Jumps and creates a concussion wave; move far away or jump to avoid o Fairly dangerous before High Jump is learned o Dueling, 5 card breaks NEOSHADOW --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Castle Oblivion An extremely agile Heartless. It dives into shadows before it pops up in front of its enemy and delivers a rolling attack. The Neoshadow moves in the shadows, making it a difficult opponent to fight. o Can survive Trinity Limit if it dives underground o Dueling, 5 card breaks PIRATE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Neverland A Heartless that mostly sticks to Neverland. A skilled swordsman, the Pirate can knock its enemies out cold and then finish them off with a vicious combo. If its sword flashes, watch out! o Only appears in Neverland, despite the description o Swarms can pose big threats o Dueling, 3 card breaks POWERWILD --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Olympus Coliseum A simian Heartless that excels at jumping. It has destructive instincts and attacks with punches and sliding kicks. o Relentless o Double attack less effective than in KH o Dangerous at early stages o Dueling, 3 card breaks RED NOCTURNE ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Traverse Town, Wonderland, Castle Oblivion A magic-wielding Heartless that drifts through the air. It's flighty and hard to hit. The Red Nocturne attacks with Fire from a distance, and absorbs fire damage. o Airborne, low to mid range; ground-level attacks (Quake) can miss o Favors playing a particular card; Sora, Traverse Town: four (4) o Avoid fire-based attacks, such as Mega Flare, Mushu, and Fire Raid o Invaluable enemy card against any foe, but Vexen in particular o Dueling, 3 card breaks SCREWDIVER -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Atlantica A Heartless that likes to team up with the Aquatank. It attacks with a spear or charges its enemies. o Not as chummy with the aquatank as in KH o Flyer, hovers; ground-level attacks sometimes miss o Avoid thunder-based attacks, such as Spellbinder and Thunder Raid o Swarms; very dangerous at low levels o Dueling, 3 card breaks SEA NEON ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Atlantica A jellyfish-like Heartless. It might look laid back, but the Sea Neon's long tentacles can propel it toward enemies for a ferocious attack. o Usually appears in the first wave; difficult to isolate o Dueling, 3 card breaks SEARCH GHOST ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Monstro, Halloween Town, Atlantica A spooky Heartless. The Search Ghost can warp out of harm's way and absorb its enemies' HP, making it a tough opponent. o Doesn't actually warp in KH-ReCOM, but can still drain HP o Slightly easier to isolate in Atlantica than in Halloween Town o Flyer, hovers; ground-level attacks may miss o Dueling, 3 card breaks SHADOW ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Every world A Heartless that pops up in all kinds of places. The Shadow ambles around and attacks without warning. It is completely untouchable while hiding within the darkness. o Appears in Atlantica only in Bottomless Darkness rooms o Favors playing a particular card; Sora, Traverse Town: two (2) o In Castle Oblivion, most common in green map card rooms o Can survive Trinity Limit if it slips belowground o Dueling, 3 card breaks SOLDIER ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Traverse Town, Wonderland, Twilight Town A swift-moving Heartless that attacks its prey with a spin kick. Its whimsical nature makes the Soldier a less than tenacious foe. o Spinning attack tracks; hard to dodge roll or out-distance o Dueling, 3 card breaks TORNADO STEP ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Monstro, Hollow Bastion, Destiny Islands A Heartless that flies about using its arms like propeller blades. Whether moving or attacking, it's always spin, spin, spinning -- but never seems to get dizzy. o NOT airborne, despite its description o Slightly easier to isolate in Monstro or Hollow Bastion o Dueling, 3 card breaks WHITE MUSHROOM ---------------------------------------------------------------- Sightings: Every world A Heartless with an unusual affinity for people. The white Mushroom never attacks, and may even reward someone who comes to its aid. o Never attacks o Can be placated (but not defeated) with the proper magic o Elemental attack cards and Raid sleights can deliver correct magic o Otherwise, flees if attacked or hit with incorrect magic o Only way to defeat one by KO is with the Warp or Warpinator sleights o Won't flee if Warpinator fails o Try its enemy card in friend-added worlds or alongside Trinity Limit o No dueling; sole heartless Riku can never face. Section "E.3.5 Battle Spoils" goes into great detail on how best to benefit from white mushrooms. WIGHT KNIGHT ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Halloween Town A Heartless that calls Halloween Town its main haunt. The Wight Knight's long appendages make it dangerous to approach. o Windmill attack not so effective as in KH o Still devastating in hordes at early levels o Dueling, 3 card breaks; may need to trigger the duel with the King WIZARD ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Hollow Bastion, Castle Oblivion A Heartless proficient in magic. The Wizard is a formidable opponent that attacks with high-level Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells. o Airborne; falls prey to Magnet Spiral immediately followed by Quake o Susceptible to Aero o Avoid fire, ice, and thunder-based attacks o Elemental attack cards may bleed through with some sleights o Its enemy card greatly bolsters magic-heavy decks o Dueling, 3 card breaks WYVERN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Hollow Bastion, Castle Oblivion An enormous Heartless that hunts its enemies from the skies. The Wyvern is agile despite its size. Upon sighting its prey, it rushes forward and attacks with a flurry of kicks. o Airborne, high flyer; can fly too high for Blitz o Stays aloft long, but attacks bring it down to ground level o Susceptible to Magnet Spiral, but resistant to Quake o Found within Castle Oblivion; more likely with green map cards o Dueling, 5 card breaks YELLOW OPERA ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sightings: Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Castle Oblivion A magic-wielding Heartless that drifts through the air. The Yellow Opera hurls itself at enemies or attacks with Thunder. o Airborne, higher than three near-kin; ground-level attacks likely to miss o Kamikaze-style beeline attack; susceptible to ground-level attacks after o Avoid thunder-elemental attacks, such as Spellbinder and Thunder Raid o Its enemy card greatly bolsters thunder-heavy decks o Dueling, 3 card breaks .: G.3.2 HEARTLESS BOSSES :. SPOILERS! Descriptions may reveal critical plot and story developments. Strategies for defeating bosses are found in the appropriate walkthrough sections. DARKSIDE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sora: The Heartless that attacked Sora's home, Destiny Islands. Sora fought valiantly to protect the islands and his memories there. Riku: The Heartless Riku attracted when he was seduced by darkness. It destroyed Destiny Islands. Zexion called Darkside in order to subdue Riku. o Great enemy card in boss fights o "Steals" a boss's own enemy card abilities, including resistances o Dueling, 7 card breaks, more than any other heartless GUARD ARMOR ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sora: A Heartless that haunts Traverse Town. It appears when the bells ring to wreak havoc on the town. Riku: A Heartless that haunts Traverse Town. It appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. o Enemy card invaluable for reaching distant foes, especially early on PARASITE CAGE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sora: A Heartless that dwelled inside Monstro. The Parasite Cage is quite the gourmand and eats anything in its path. Pinocchio figured out how to escape Monstro after getting gobbled up by it. Riku: A Heartless that dwelled inside Monstro. It appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. o Enemy card cancels a boss's enemy card o Essential tool in Riku's game o Dueling, 5 card breaks TRICKMASTER ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sora: The Heartless in Wonderland that stole the Queen of Hearts's memory. Victims of memory theft don't even remember what it is they forgot. Riku: The Heartless that threw Wonderland into chaos. It appeared before Riku as a token of the indelible darkness in his heart. o Try its enemy card in value-reliant situations, like facing Riku's Dark Aura o Dueling, 5 card breaks .:| H. ABOUT THIS GUIDE |:..................................................:.: When writing began, only one walkthrough was available for KH-ReCOM. Another POV is always valuable, especially for half-blind button mashers, so why not? All data has been observed first-hand by the author. Except where noted, anything learned in another guide has been reverified through actual gameplay. Where data remains missing either the data has not yet been observed and recorded, or the author decided only later to include the info. For some issues, the author may not possess the hardware needed to duplicate the report. .: H.1 LEGAL INFO :............................................................ Copyright (c) 2009-2015, by Falconesque. ASCII title art (c) 2010, by Falconesque. Governed by International and U.S. Copyright Law (www.copyright.gov). Permission granted for posting as-is to GameFAQs.com, for the personal, noncommercial use of the site's members; all other rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of this document, in whole or in part, in any medium, is subject to civil and criminal penalties. Other guides found at GameFAQs.com and referenced herein are the sole property of their respective authors. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:CHAIN OF MEMORIES is copyright (c) 2004, by Disney. Developed by Square Enix, Inc. Brand and product names may be the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. .: H.2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR :...................................................... A technical writer and novelist, the author is a middle-aged gamer who's generally inept with the controller, but even so enjoys the Final Fantasy, Katamari Damacy, Kingdom Hearts, and Ratchet & Clank game series, as well as the original Jak & Daxter. The author wrote an award-winning FAQ & Walkthrough plus a specialized guide for Okage: Shadow King, a quirky early RPG for the PS2. Kingdom Hearts' Missable Guide and Statistics Guide are likewise the author's work. The author contributed to two Kingdom Hearts II FAQs (most notably Ultimaterializer X's Bestiary/Synthesis Guide) and penned a similar synthesis cribsheet for the original Kingdom Hearts. The Weapons Guide for Secret Agent Clank can be laid at the author's feet, as well. The author's latest contributions, including game guides found nowhere else, may be found at: http://www.esque.com/slr/gamefaqs/ The author's Contributor page at GameFAQs.com: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/64962.html . CONTACT INFO . Stuck? Don't wait for e-mail! For mid-game help, the KH-ReCOM pages at GameFAQs.com can provide the fastest response possible, often in mere minutes. Using the search features, the answer may already await you! KH-ReCOM message board: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/gentopic.php?board=954016 The Search Topics field is located below the topic list. KH-ReCOM Answers page: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/qna/954016.html You can Search Questions from right at the top. But feel free to write if you prefer or you're not in a rush. The author welcomes comments, corrections, and feedback about this guide. Send your message to falconesque [dot] gfaqs [at] gmail [dot] com. Please include "KH-ReCOM" (sans quotation marks) in the Subject: to ensure a timely response. Alternatively, the author may also be reached at kh [dot] faqs [at] esque [dot] com. IMPORTANT! Disclaimer. This guide is designed for playing KH-ReCOM's original North American (NTSC U/C) release. All three Chain of Memories releases up to this writing are unique games, each one distinctive. If a new release has surfaced, turn to its board for help playing until new guides likewise have a chance to surface. Such as: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX http://www.gamefaqs.com/684080/answers http://www.gamefaqs.com/684080/board http://www.gamefaqs.com/684080/faqs (cyclical link, currently) Requests for permission to repost this guide are not being entertained at this time. .: H.3 REVISION HISTORY :...................................................... Version 1.0 Inception: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Revised and confirmed against multiple complete playthroughs Sora ... Standard Mode x3; Beginner Mode; Proud Mode; Journal 100% x2 Riku ... Standard Mode; Proud Mode; Beginner Mode Completed: Monday, June 29, 2009 Version 1.1 Inception: Sunday, July 19, 2009 Revised against three speed runs (Sora: Beginner, Proud; Riku: Standard). Played a No-HP-Bonuses challenge, too, what the hey; fun. Corrected Block B world maps in B. WALKTHROUGH & E.2.1 MAPS - SORA. Reverified Clear Bonus availability; minor changes to both walkthroughs. Added World Warp to D.1.4 WORLD CARDS. Added partial EXP table to D.1.5 STATUS. Added new-game stats to D.2.5 STATUS and D.3.5 STATUS. Added inaccessibility note to D.3.4 WORLD CARDS. Added missable warning to Friend Cards in E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA. Added data to E.3.4 BOSS LIFEBAR STATS. Added E.3.8 EVENT ROOM CRITERIA; updated Gold section of E.1.4 MAP CARDS. Added several Qs to F. FAQ; regrouped Qs, added headings. Updated criteria Q in F. FAQ. Updated e-mail address. Several small refinements, minor boss tips, and general apple-polishing. Completed: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 Version 1.2 Inception: Thursday, August 13, 2009 Revised against three full runs (Sora, Beginner x2; Riku, Proud). Corrected errors in About D Mode in C.1 HOLLOW BASTION. Corrected errors with Pluto friend card in E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA. Corrected errors in E.1.7 SPECIAL CARDS. Removed PC names from walkthrough headings in CONTENTS; too spoilerish. Added F. FAQ subheadings to CONTENTS. Added PS3, third-party memory card, Shortcut to B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Added Start Menu to top of D. MENUS; included LINK note here & elsewhere. Added max stats and level-up data to D.2.5 STATUS (impetus for this rev). Added max stats and level-up data to D.3.5 STATUS. Added how-found data to subsections of E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA. Added power-up note on Soul Eater to E.1.2 BATTLE CARDS - RIKU. Added another barrel spider sighting to E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS. Added Ultima Weapon to Calm Bounty in E.1.4 MAP CARDS. Doh. Added duration & missable notes to E.1.6 GIMMICK CARDS. Added third-party memory card & elapsed time issues to E.3.2 SAVE FILES. Added Premium Cards to E.3.3 DECK BUILDING; pointers elsewhere. Added Sora-Beginner & Riku-Proud data to E.3.4 BOSS LIFEBAR STATS. Added Rare Truffle no-show note to E.3.5 BATTLE SPOILS. Added skip-it & future-title Qs to F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE. Added missing sleights Q to F.2 CROSS PLATFORM. Added missed-card, leveling, & grinding Qs to F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. Added Riku/No-AP to F.6 CHALLENGES. Added F.7 CHEAT DEVICES (two Qs); renumbered following subheads. Added max-level Q to F.8 TRIVIA. Reworded importance of clear game-saves prior to C. WALKTHROUGH, PART II. Reworded journal-complete effect on E.3.6 BATTLE RECORD SCREENS. Expanded EXP table in D.1.5 STATUS; now complete. Expanded max battle cards in D.2.1 REVIEW DECKS; similar notes elsewhere. Expanded Minigames in D.2.6 JOURNAL; added Pause/Help to B.5 MONSTRO. Expanded a tiny bit on Shortcuts in D.3.1 REVIEW DECKS. Expanded KH-COM & KH2-FM+ Qs in F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE. Expanded missable Q in F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY & all other missable refs. Expanded MP-farming Q in F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. Several small refinements, minor boss tips, and general apple-polishing. Completed: Friday, September 18, 2009 Version 1.3 Inception: Friday, October 9, 2009 A brief update in comparison, mainly filling a hole in prior versions. Added friend card's aural cue to Tutorials in B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Added Card Breaks & Stocking Cards to B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Added premium note to Card Breaks et al in B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Added depleted-deck Q near the top of F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. Expanded on Leon's tutorial & Guard Armor in B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Very few other minor tweaks to the text. Completed: Friday, October 9, 2009 Version 2.0 Inception: Thursday, November 26, 2009 Impetus: Cataloguing everything about System Data, how it works & breaks. Revised against three full runs (Sora, Standard x2; Riku, Standard) and several partial runs. Includes significant additions and corrections (*). Added a reminder about hard-wrapping to SEARCH TIPS. Removed section numbers from some cross-references in both WALKTHROUGHs. Added PS3 COMPATIBILITY to A.2 EXPECTATIONS. Reworded PS3 warning in B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Added note about sleight use to MENUS in B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN. Added green map card tip to B.11 TWILIGHT TOWN. Added item card tip to B.12 DESTINY ISLANDS. Added Super Glide note to B.13 CASTLE OBLIVION. *Added more about new clear bonus cards to Sora's end-game. Added Side Step (a.k.a. Riku's Dodge Roll) to C. WALKTHROUGH. Added a tiny bit more on Rapid Breaks to Exit Hall (B12F). Added D Mode tip to C.2 AGRABAH. *Rewrote CLEAR BONUS! portion of Riku's end-game. Added knowing sleights bits to D.1.5 STATUS, D.2.5 STATUS, D.3.5 STATUS. Added controls-table refs to D.1.7 SETTINGS, E.3.7 GAME MANUAL ERRATA. Added no-green-cards bit to D.2.3 MAP CARDS; noted in E.1.4 MAP CARDS. Added descriptions to E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA; reworked layouts to fit. Added USING ENEMY CARDS and USAGE TIPS to E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS. Added descriptions to E.1.4 MAP CARDS; brushed up entire section. *Added FIELD ROOM SPOILS to E.1.4 MAP CARDS; still incomplete. Added a spin-revolver Battle Control to E.3.1 CONTROLS. *Reproduced manual's Controls table (verbatim) in E.3.1 CONTROLS. *Added THIRD-PARTY MEMORY CARDS and SYSTEM DATA to E.3.2 SAVE FILES. Added Sora-Standard, Riku-Standard data to E.3.4 BOSS LIFEBAR STATS. *Added Warp note to WHITE MUSHROOM subsection of E.3.5 BATTLE SPOILS. Added 2 Qs to F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE & 1 Q to F.2 CROSS PLATFORM. Fixed KH2-FM+ Q in F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE. Added 2 Qs & 2 premium-sale tips to F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. *Fixed flowchart in F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. Added 2 Qs to F.6 CHALLENGES. Added 1 Q each to F.7 CHEAT DEVICES & F.8 TRIVIA. Added F.8 KNOWN PROBLEMS; moved TRIVIA into F.9 TRIVIA & FAVORITES. *Added section G. TRANSCRIPTS. *Added a few annotations to G.3 ANNOTATED BESTIARY. Relabeled follow-on section to H. ABOUT THIS GUIDE. *Fixed clear bonus, warp sleight errors, "keyblade" refs throughout. A few other tweaks & fixes to the text; a full read-through proofing. Completed: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Version 2.1 Minor clean-up, including a bad wrap and two typoes, one previously fixed. Fixed a few residual clear bonus gaffs in E.1 CARDS. Added Monochrome-0 CP and Sell stats in E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA. Added a note about Premium Guard to E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS. Added a spoiler warning before F.3 JOURNAL & REPORT. Slipped Sephiroth's name into F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. Added Contributor page link to H.2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Added a few links to related KH2-FM+ Ultimania content. Partial proofing run of the addenda; a bit of general apple polishing. Completed: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 Version 2.2 Minor update. Another bad wrap and two typoes fixed. Added ASCII title art. Added supposition on max battle cards to D.2.1 REVIEW DECKS. Added subtotals for battle cards to the card tally in E.1 CARDS. Differentiated "maximum" from "ALL" in E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA. Added a word on world frequency below how-found table, same section. Added note on special cards to USING ENEMY CARDS in E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS. Added bit on passive limits to USAGE TIPS, same section. Added "never obtained" flags to ALL ENEMY CARDS, same section. Added "any room" and "required" to IMPROVE SORA'S CHANCES!, same section. Added "nutshell" summary on COM v. ReCOM to F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE. Added a few observations to G.3 ANNOTATED BESTIARY. Added FIGlet info to H.4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Links to GameFAQs purposely NOT updated; new verbose links are too long. Just a touch of general apple polishing. Completed: Friday, June 11, 2010 Version 2.3 Inception: Friday, February 2, 2013, in earnest. Revisitation time, using the working copy fiddled with since 2010. Fixed a few nagging complaints. Tried to reread and revise anything that yet felt too thin. Four typoes fixed. Revised against two full runs (Sora, Proud; Riku, Standard). Added sections G.3.1 RANDOM HEARTLESS, G.3.2 HEARTLESS BOSSES to CONTENTS. Reworked A.2 EXPECTATIONS; consolidated RECOMMENDATIONS; added PS3 REGION. Noted "no secret endings" to both game mode YOU DECIDE! intell. Added Sonic Blade, Lethal Flame tip to B. WALKTHROUGH, 6F. Added IMPORTANT save warning to top of C. WALKTHROUGH. Fixed intro to world-specific random enemy cards in C.1 HOLLOW BASTION. Added "3" to Elixir in E.1.1 BATTLE CARDS - SORA. Removed darkball from Enemy Card Locations in E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS; added note. Added Escape tip to IMPROVE SORA'S CHANCES! in E.1.3 ENEMY CARDS. Completed FIELD ROOM SPOILS in E.1.4 MAP CARDS. Reworded missable prevention in E.1.6 GIMMICK CARDS, F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY. Added data to E.3.4 BOSS LIFEBAR STATS; still incomplete. Removed series game list from F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE. Added IMPORTANT disclaimer (KH 1.5 ReMix pending) to F.1 SERIES & STORYLINE. Added 1 question to F.2 CROSS PLATFORM; 3 questions to F.5 GENERAL GAMEPLAY; and 1 question to F.8 KNOWN PROBLEMS. Added enemy groupings, tip to G.3 ANNOTATED BESTIARY. Added card duel requirements per enemy to G.3 ANNOTATED BESTIARY Added IMPORTANT disclaimer to Contact Info in H.2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Pulled all PlayStation.com links; dead, abandoned by Sony. Augmented some boss strategies; Trickmaster still befuddles good folk. Minor format changes to improve readability and skimming. Completed: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Version 2.3.1 Minor update. One fix, one addition. Fixed World Map - First Floor in B.1 TRAVERSE TOWN and E.2.1 MAPS - SORA. Added "Head's Up!" warning for ReMixers at the top. Completed: Friday, July 10, 2015 Seeking the latest version of this guide? In order, try: http://www.esque.com/slr/gamefaqs/ http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/954016.html http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/954016/56913 *http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/kingdom_hearts_re_com_b.txt * Login at GameFAQs.com before trying this link. .: H.4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS :...................................................... Thanks go to John & Toria for their infectious exuberance over KH way back when. And to Jen for the gift of KH-ReCOM. Thanks to Cody Trombley and Stephen Hsu (KH-COM), and to Ken Zhao (KH2-FM+) for their well-written guides that provided inspiration, insight, and food for thought. And to the KH-ReCOM message board and QNA irregulars, for many posts that looked at things in a different way and gave rise to several refinements. Thanks to Akanesasusora for noticing targets may be cycled. And to EchoPhoenix for spotting an item card omission. To DV97, grazie for spotting tornado step in Martial Waking inside Monstro and for the great Escape exploit. To Zak6009 for pointing out a glaring darkball enemy card oversight. To shishiomakoto for a gimmick card missability issue. To shadowfreak1101 for ReMix 1.5 card specs. ASCII title art is the author's work and was derived from the "italic" and "stampatello" fonts (the work of Bas Meijer, Ryan Youck, and Marco Bodrato) courtesy of FIGTree, a FIGlet distribution from INFX Productions. Thanks for FIGlet go to Glenn Chappell and Ian Chai. http://www.figlet.org Thanks, as well, to all who tirelessly slave over GameFAQs.com. And to CJayC wherever you are, for memories forgotten but not lost. :.:......................................................................:| FIN