The ShinRa tower to Golden Saucer
[ The Great Escape - Motorcycle Chase ]
o As one of the mini-games in this epic saga, the objective in this intense moment is to control Cloud w/the motorcycle and ward off the Shinra army from attacking your character party's truck. If the truck takes too many hits, it's gameover.
[Tip!] - How to operate the controls:
o Use the direction pad to maneuver Cloud in his motorcycle.
o Press the [square] button to swing your sword to the left.
o Press the [circle] button to swing your sword to the right.
o Press the [triangle] button to bring up the main menu screen.
o Press the [X] button to change your party characters.
o Press the [start] button to begin your mini-game.
o Once you reach the end of the road, prepare yourself to battle against a subboss.
o Once escaping from Midgar, everyone will gather in front the main gate - Talk to everyone. Leave Midgar. Barrett will suggest that you head to the town of Kaamu, located not far off from Midgar.
You will also need to choose which characters to accompany Cloud, as the rest of the remaining characters will meet you at the town of Kaamu.
(NOTE: For detailed information on best operating the controls during the 3d map view, refer to the "Reference Section" of this guide.)
[ The Town of Kaamu ]
o Follow Aerith & Red XIII into the inn - the rest of the characters will be waiting for you there.
o As the conversation follows, Cloud will go on to explain his past relations with Sephiroth...
(...it was because of Sephiroth that had inspired Cloud to initially join the Shinra army...and within time, they had found themselves to become close associates, despite their vast difference in age & experience. But from friendship to bitter betrayal, Cloud recalls of the very incident that had completely altered their association to the worst...5 years ago, when Cloud was but only 16 years of age...)
[!] o You will now be controlling Cloud in his own flashback. Follow Sephiroth into the inn & talk to him. If you talk to him once more, you will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> Do not rest yet.
Bottom Choice -> Rest for the night.
o Go ahead & rest for the night. In the morning, Tifa will accompany Sephiroth & Cloud to the Makoo Energy -- make your way through the mountainous path. (Sephiroth will even briefly join you in your battle sequences! ...although not playable/controllable though... Check out all the spells & abilities he can cast!)
Upon reaching the makoro, follow Sephiroth into the core chamber. You will notice the many capsules interconnected -- Sephiroth will ask you to release the bulb of one of the capsule hatches. As the events follow, Sephiroth will undergo a state of berzerk rampage, upon learning of his origin as a mere creation....a laboratory monster much like those discovered in the capsules...
[!] o As the scenery switches back from the flashback to the present time & place, you will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> Save your game for the time being & rest.
Bottom Choice -> Continue on with the story/flashback.
(I will leave this choice up to you)
o Resuming with Cloud's story/flashback, head into the mansion. You will find a passage leading down to the depths of the corridors below, where you will also find Sephiroth, aimlessly searching for records of the underlining truth & origin of the Jenova Project, his once-presumed "mother". You soon learn of a scientist by the name "Gasto", who was responsible for the Jenova Project, but also the creation of Sephiroth, whom he did not reveal at the time of his existance...
o (Cloud now lying on the bed) Head down through the secret passage down to the corridors below, where you will find Sephiroth in a complete state of madness...
o Sephiroth has made his decision to retrieve his "mother" (Jenova) back. Leave the mansion - you will find that Sephiroth has inflicted his rage against the town & everyone in it...
o Back in the makoro, proceed down to the core chamber room. You will encounter Tifa, lying next to her father's dead body, vowing revenge against Sephiroth for what he has done... Only to prove her actions useless against Sephiroth, Tifa falls to the cold surface, uttering her last words of Cloud's promise to her that he would come save her when she needed him the most...
o After setting Tifa's body aside (note: Tifa is not dead), head up the stairs where Sephiroth went. A sequence will follow -- As Cloud vows his revenge against Sephiroth for the destruction of his hometown & killing the people.....the flashback ends right before the final blows of fate. (doh!)
The scenery switching back to the present day & time, Cloud will state that he does not remember what had happened afterwards. At this point, many questions arise from the characters -- what happened to Sephiroth afterwards; why are Cloud & Tifa still alive; why was Jenova at the Shinra building; and did Sephiroth take Jenova from the building....
(...and now back to the normal routine of the game...)
o Heading downstairs, talk to Barrett - he will give you a PHS - which will allow you to change/switch your characters at the save points or at the 3d map environment. (For further details on how to operate the PHS, refer to the "Reference Section")
o Explore the town & purchase new weapons, items, supplies, etc. (Make sure to search bookshelves & cupboards for hidden items.)
o Leave the town & head off to the Chocobo farm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Chocobo Farm ]
[!] o Upon reaching the Chocobo Farm, talk to the chocobo in the very front - you will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> "Kue."
Bottom Choice -> "Kueeeeeee."
(It would help if we knew how to speak Chocobo) (^o^)
o At any rate, choose the top choice & the chocobos will dance for you! At the end of the dance, it will also give you the "Chocobo & Mooguri" Summon (Shookan) orb!
o Go to the Chocobo stalls/barn & talk to Grin-Grin, who will explain to you how to get Chocobos. Eventually, he will tell you that you will need a "Chocobo Yose (Attract)" materia that will enable you to encounter chocobos in certain areas. He will sell it to you for 2,000 gil.
(Choose top choice to buy, bottom choice to not buy)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Mithril Mines ]
o Leave the Chocobo Farm & head to the mithril mines/cave, located right across from the Chocobo Farm.
[Tip!] - Note: As you approach the entrance area to the mithril mines/cave, you will notice a large snake shadow crawling around aimlessly. You can try to quickly run across to the cave without being caught, but the chances are very slim.
- So, you will need to find a chocobo to ride on, and you will have a much better chance to get across without being caught. For more details on how to catch a chocobo, refer to the "Reference Section" of this guide.
[Tip!] - If you have the "tekino waza" (enemy's special ability) materia, you can learn the spell "Beta" from the large snake -- If you can manage to still be alive when the snake casts that spell, you will learn the "Beta" spell, which can inflict over 1000hp damage on the enemies! Well, for the early to middle portion of the game, this will come in handy.
o Upon entering the mithril mines/cave, you will come across a snake corpse on a stick -- one of Sephiroth's artistic work. Proceed on and battle your way through the cave.
o Inside, you will encounter the Taaks, the infamous bounty hunter gang/side arm, courtesy of the Shinra Corp. As their current prime objective is to stop Sephiroth, they will leave the confrontation for another time....
o Once leaving the cave, you will first notice a structure peaking out with a golden condor sitting on top of the egg.
[OP!] - If you choose to go to the structure, note that it is an optional event.....for now. In this optional event, you take a role as a commander in a fleet of an army & position them as you would in any war simulation game.
(For those of you who have played PC titles as "WarCraft" or "Heroes of Might & Magic" will come to appreciate the similar tactics utilized within this mini-event.)
- For now, I will skip this event & explain how to operate it later on in this guide when it is required to play it in the course of the journeys.
o Your main objective for now is to get to the town of Junon. In order to get to the town of Junon, you will first need to somehow find a way to get across the sea...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Inside the Shinra Military Naval Base... ]
o Head off to the naval base - explore the town. Go down to the shoreline/beach of the town, using the stairs located towards the lower southwestern end of the town.
o You will find a little girl, by the name of Puricia, playing by the beach with her dolphin friend.
o You will suddenly encounter a sea monster -- prepare for a battle.
o Upon defeating the sea monster, Puricia (the little girl) will be unconcious - Cloud will be urged to save her life by CPR - breathing air into her.
[Tip!] - Here are the controls:
o Press the [square] button the FIRST time to start collecting as much air into your lungs as you can.
o Press the [square] button the second time to release/stop and breath the air into Puricia.
- Your main objective here is to collect as much air until the "lung" gauge as reach to its near max & at the right moment, release the air into her.
[!] o Now go to the house at the very front of the town. Talk to the old lady - she will thank you for saving Puricia, and she will offer to let you rest in the house. You can:
Top Choice -> Rest later.
Bottom Choice -> Rest now.
(As there is nothing else to explore for now, I suggest that you rest now & replenish yourselves.)
o A sequence will follow - questions about the events that happened during that incident 5 years ago with Sephiroth fill Cloud's mind, as he continues to wonder why he cannot seem to remember where Tifa was before he the incident took place and why he never spent time alone together with Tifa...
o Upon waking up, go find Puricia (the little girl). She will give you the "Shiva" summoning materia orb! As Cloud questions what the noise & excitement above is all about, Puricia will explain that preparations for the celebration festivities are taking place in honor of the new president of Shinra - Rufus.
o In getting up to the upper levels of the naval base, Puricia will help you -- follow her down to the beach. She will explain to you that every time you blow the whistle, the dolphin will leap you up to the beams above.
[!] You will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> Tell Puricia to explain the procedure once more.
Middle Choice -> You are ready to try.
Bottom Choice -> You are not ready - you will try later.
[Tip!] - How to operate the controls:
o Press the [square] button to blow the whistle & call the dolphin - the dolphin will leap you up into the air.
- The objective here is to try to position yourself at a fair distance from the beam above & blow the whistle so that you will land just on top of the beam.
o Once you have reached the beam, proceed up to the airbase.
o Make your way to the guard locker room, where the head guard will mistake you for a participant guard in the festivities' army parade.
[!] o Once in the locker room, he will tell you to change your clothes. Look in one of the lockers - you will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> Do not change your clothes.
Bottom Choice -> Change your clothes.
o Assuming you chose to change your clothes, your task now is to follow the other guards off into the parade & blending in the parade march with as little mistake as possible.
NOTE: As the parade is being televised, you will want to blend in the parade march quickly & swiftly -- the % value in the corner of the screen represents the current tv ratings that are received from the station.
[Tip!] - The higher the ratings you finish with, the better item you will receive.
o OK - once back in the locker room, the next task is to learn the rifle performance procedures. (This one is a killer) (^o^)
[Tip!] - The objective here is to perform the rifle drill at the festivities as well coordinated with the other guards as possible. You must press 1 button at a time during each laps of movement. The head guard will briefly announce which button to press -- act quickly or you will completely stand out & appear out of order.
So.....here is an example:
o Press [circle] button first.
o Press [trigle] button next.
o Press [square] button next.
o Press [X] button next.
o Press Left on the directional pad.
o Press Right on the directional pad.
NOTE: This is just an example. During the real performance, the buttons are completely random, so you will have to quickly respond to the messages that pop up.
And.....each of these buttons must be pressed to react accordingly to the other guards, so that everyone appears to move simultaneously.
And.....much like the previous task, depending on how well you perform will determine what special item you will get. The better the performance, the better the item. Got it?
(Good Luck - you will need it)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Sailing Across the Sea... ]
o Aboard the sea ship/boat, explore & talk to the crew & guards. You will find that the rest of your character party are aboard the ship & disguised as Shinra guards as well.
(You will even find Red XIII trying to stand upright as a human Shinra guard as well!) (^o^)
o Once you find Barrett carefully watching Rufus & Hidekkar, talk to him. An alarm will suddenly sound off -- Someone has been discovered....but whom? (Sephiroth?!)
o Upon gathering back together with your character party, you will have to choose who to join you on your battle sequences.
o Head down to the lower deck of the ship - proceeding through the door, you will encounter....Sephiroth. The only words you hear him speak are - "time.....has fallen..." Prepare for a battle against a subboss.
(Make sure to pick up the "Iifrit" materia orb & the items before you leave the room)
o Upon reaching the shoreline, you will arrive in the town/beach resort of Costa del Sol.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Beach Resort of Costa Del Sol ]
o Explore the town, meet the women, buy some items, meet the women, rest & replenish your characters, meet the women, talk to the people, meet the women.............and meet more women! (^o^) o Head to the beach of the resort - you will encounter a familiar face...a person you met back from the Shinra Building...
[!] You will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> That is Hojou....
Bottom Choice -> Those girls in bathing suits....
[!] o Talk to the girls who are sitting next to him. You will be given choices to respond to the girls:
Top Choice -> Tell them you have business with Hojou to deal with
Bottom Choice -> Ask if that is Hojou
You will soon learn that Hojou is there for the very same reason you are -- finding Sephiroth.
o Leave the beach resort & head off to the Corel Mountain range.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Corel Mountain Range ]
o Follow the path located towards the mountainous range from the beach resort - there will be a cave leading inside the Corel Mountain Range.
o Battle your way through - upon crossing the train tracks, high above the ground, be aware that there will be 3 sections of the train tracks that are HIGHLY unstable & you will fall through the tracks. Before you fall down, a message will pop up, urging you to press the [circle] button to jump before the unstable track falls.
[Tip!] - HOWEVER, falling through the tracks is not such a bad idea as it may sound - you may even end up finding some invaluable items...
- First: Allow yourself to fall (meaning, do not press any
button) - Second: As you are falling, instructions will pop up on the screen. Note that you will only have a brief amount of time to react. The controls are:
o While holding down on the directional pad (either to the right or left), keep on rapidly tapping the [circle] button. As you flap your arms, you will slowly swiver over to the direction you are trying to go towards.
- Third: If you have managed to fall over to the far right or left, you can pick up a special artifact or two.
- The items you can get are: - "The Pendant of the Stars" - "Wizard's Rod" (for Aerith)
o Proceed on past the train tracks - you will encounter/notice the rest of your characters on the lower train tracks. As you will need to lower the bridge for them, head over to the control switch, which is located by simply following the path of the upper level train track.
o Head on past the main bridge - you will then reach the rural town of North Corel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Town of North Corel ]
o Upon arriving in the town of North Corel, a brief sequence will follow. You will soon come to notice the bitter hatred & despise the people of North Corel have against Barrett. Apparently, Barrett was accused & held responsible for what is now this shattered town of utter filth & lost hope...
o Explore the town & purchase the supplies as needed. (Don't expect to receive any friendly advise from any of the people here.)
o Head towards the trailer station located to the left of the town. Barrett's flashback sequence will follow.
(...Barrett recalls of the very incident that had occured just 4 years ago, in which it all started out as a solution for the replacement of coal energy with this new source that had interested them so - "Makoo Energy", courtesy of the Shinra Corp... ...and despite the protest of Dayin, the only one who saw this "solution" as betraying what their ancestors had once so struggled to establish in Corel, Barrett & the others blindly allowed the Shinra Corp. to proceed with the Makoro, not even realizing the consequences to be faced shortly after... ...there was an accident at the Makoro complex, resulting in its untimely destruction. You soon learn that the Shinra corp. had accused the people of Corel for intentionally causing the accident, and thus the Shinra army proceeded executing the people & left their once humble town in utter ruins...)
Barrett blames himself for allowing to be so easily deceived and taken in by the dreams hoped for with the Makoo energy.
o Go ahead & ride the trailor. You will be treated with a well rendered CG fmv