| Prologue |
| The 1st Day The opens with a new hero, Roxas. He has three buddies, Hayner, Pence, and Olette, who lead him around town and introduce him to various people and shops as they try to clear their names. Each day involves one or two aspects of the game. After completing certain objectives, the day ends and another one begins. As the game begins, it appears that Roxas and his friends are being blamed for a series of thefts around Twilight Town. The first day in Twilight Town is spent trying to clear the names of Roxas and friends Lessons Learned on Day One Day one introduces the basics of navigating the game world. First, you learn how to move using the Left Analog Stick. Next, you learn about the Reaction Button also known as the triangle button. This is used fo interacting with the enviroment whether it's people or objects around Roxas. During battles, the triangle button is used for Reaction Commands. These commands are special attacks that are unique to each type of monster. The final lesson describes using the lock-on feature. To do this, look around for something to target (move the Right Analog Stick) and press the R1 button to lock onto the object. Locking on is also important in battle, as you'll soon find out. Choose Your Weapon! Next up, it's time to choose a practice weapon and take it for a test battle. Choose wisely, since this weapon choice provides a stat increase based on the weapon type. Starting from the right, the Attack-type weapon is the standard club (+1 to attack), the Defense-type weapon is also a sword, but it comes with a defensive guard on the hilt (+1 to Defense), and a Magic-type weapon that resembles a staff (+1 to Magic Power). Choose the weapon that appeals most to the way you wanna play the game. Practice Battle vs. Seifer This battle is for practice only, so use the time to get accustomed to the game's controls. Keep attacking and dodging Seifer until the battle ends. on't forget to keep an eye on the health gauges, as well as the action on the screen. It is always important to form good habits at the start of the game, as it will become vital as the game progresses. Things Start Getting Serious After the fight with Seifer, Roxas appears in a strange forest with a bizarre monster. Follow the monster through the forest until a mansion comes into view. If you get lost in the forest, just head to the northwest or follow the path at the edge of the forest until you reach the path to the Mansion. Once there, approach the mysterious enemy (also known as a Dusk) and target it (press the triangle button when prompted). This triggers the first real battle in the game! Mysterious Enemy/Dusk The Dusk is a strange creature, one that you'll be seeing alot of in the upcoming days. They are very fluid and move with an unearthly grace. However, they are also pretty slow, making it somewhat easy to attack. The battle introduces the Reaction Commands. Simply press the triangle button when the green trainglw marker flases on-screen to perform one of these commands. For Dusks, Roxas's Reaction Command is a simple slide and turn move. This enables him to slip past the Dusk and twist around into attack position from behind. This is the safest way to attack without fear of a counterattack. You cannot inflict any damage to the Dusk with the practice weapon, so spend the first part of the battle learning how to dodge and counter, while getting a few hits. All of this will come in handy in a few moments when Roxas's weapon mysteriously turns into the Keyblade. With Keyblade in hand, the fight gets serious. When the Dusk begins to move like a deflated balloon, prepare to dodge an attack. Stay out of its way as it floats and twists around. Then when it stops moving, it thrusts its legs out in a kick attack. Dodge the attack, lock on and rush staright at it, then attack with the Keyblade. When the Reaction Command icon flashes, press the triangle button as it suits you (the Reaction Command is not ALWAYS the best way to go...) to slip behind and start another attack combo on his backside. Do this a few times and the Dusk will explode into a bunch of prizes. The Keyblade disappears and Day One comes to an end. The 2nd Day After another strange dream, Roxas finds himself back in the hangout with his pals. Today they want to go to the beach, but they need to earn Munny to afford the train ticket. See how much Munny you can earnon Day Two by doing the various odd jobs around town. Saving Your Game The first thing you learn at the start of Day Two is how to save your game and restore HP and MP at a Save Point. Just enter the swirling column and press the triangle button when the Save Reaction Command appears. This brings up the Save menu. Just walk into the column to restore your party's HP and Mana. Part-Time Jobs The gang decides that they want to go to the beach, but they need to earn Munny by taking on the part-time jobs advertised on "Help Wanted" bulletin boards on Market Street and at the Tram Common. Ideally, you should earn 800 Munny but you can get away with as little as 50 munny to continue the storyline. If you are an overachiever, try earning at least 1050 Munny to get the max AP Bonus when you turn in the earnings. However, the max you can earn is 1850 Muny. When you meet that number, the meeting at the Station Plaza starts automatically. For a list of recommended strategies for the mini-games, go the the Missions section of the World in question (the one I like the best is the Poster Duty because it pays out good for the least amount of effort). The jobs are as follows... Market Street: Tram Common Bumble-Buster - 20 seconds or less = 50 Munny 60 seconds or less = 30 Munny 60+ seconds = 10 Munny Junk Sweep - 10 swings or less = 50 Munny 15 swings or less = 30 Munny 15+ swings = 10 Munny Poster Duty - 1 minute 30 seconds or less = 100 Munny 2 minutes or less = 50 Munny 2+ minutes = 30 Munny Market Street: Station Heights Mail Delivery - 20 seconds or less = 50 Munny 60 seconds or less = 30 Munny 60+ seconds = 10 Munny Cargo Climb - Less than 30 seconds = 50 Munny 30 to 60 seconds = 30 Munny More than 60 seconds = 10 Munny Grandstander - 20+ juggles = 50 Munny 5 to 19 juggles = 30 Munny 4 or less juggles = 10 Munny When you get to the Station, Roxas and friends combine their money and congratulate Roxas (if you got alot) and they go in to get tickets, leaving Roxas outside with th Munny. When he tries to go in a man in a hooded black coat bumps into him and steals his Munny. Roxas goes inside to converse with his friends and it's the end on Day Two. The 3rd Day Another night and more flashbacks...In the morning, it is time for another day of adventuring. However, what starts with the possibilty of an actual trip to the beach soon turns into something more. Roxas's "Dive to the Heart" On Day Thress, Roxas gets to experience his own "Dive to the Heart". If you played the original Kingdom Hearts, then you should remember this opening sequence as the point during which you received the first real Keyblade. This event is no differnt. At the start of the event, select a weapon type. You can choose Attack-type, Defense-type, or Magic-type. Which one you choose sets which type of abilities are a priority to be learned throughout the rest of the game according to the weapon you choose. Now it's time to test it out on a group of three Dusk enemies. Lock onto one of them at a time and pummel them with the Keyblade. Use the Reversal Reaction Command to slip behind them for a few uncontested swips and watch out for their sinuous kick attack. I prefer to hit twice, reverse, hit twice, etc. If you go through with the finish to the combo attack it knocks them away from you and prompts them to counter you. My way and the chance is lessened as you always remain close to them. For winning the battle, Roxas gets the ability Aerial Recovery as a Get Bonus. Get Bonuses are the rewards you earn for completing specific battles (usually boss battles or important event battles). These rewards range from new skills to HP/MP boosts and extra Item/Accessory slots. These Get Bonuses are not affected by the learning priority that is assigned when you choose a weapon type. After defeating the intial batch of Dusks, a treasure chest and a Save Point appears. Save your game, then use the door to reach the next area. Continue to fight from one Station to the next until you reach the first big boss challenge. Twilight Thorn HP: 300 Damage Fire - 1/2 damage Blizzard - 1/2 damage Thunder - 1/2 damage Dark - 1/2 damage Other - 1/2 damage There is no escaping this abominable Nobody. His first attack temporarily imprisons Roxas and sets off a chain of Reacions. Time the first to Reaction Commands by pressing triangle when prompted, then wait for the world to tip before countering his fully charged lightning attack with another Reaction Command. After landing, lock on to his head and swing away. Strike when his head is bent low and his hands are swiping wildly. When the boss is standing, use the Reaction Command to ride the Electric Wave attacks to dodge them and reach the head for a few swings. The Giant Nobody exists his ring form just after releasing a powerful charged attack onto the center of the stage. The Giant Nobody has two physical attacks that you can't counter. The first one occurs when he winds up his left arm and cartwheels in place. Jump to avoid his arm as it whips across the floor. The second one occurs when he performs a back flip, then swims through the air to the orher side of the arena. Jump to the side of the stage to avoid his outstretched arms. After swimming across the stage, the Giant Nobody places his head near the floor. Avoid the limbs when a dark current surrounds them. Use the Reaction Command repeately with a few slashes thrown in every so often. Out of the currents, smaller Nobodies (known as Creepers) appear. Eventually, the Giant Nobody repeats this entire process over until you kill him. Keep an eye on your HP and use Potions when necessary. Note that the Creepers release HP Orbs and provide EXP. The Get Bonus for this battle is a +5 HP boost and the GUARD ability. Afterwards Roxas is back in Twilight Town to a gloating Seifer and gang. Hanyer and the others see Roxas with them, look upset and leave. Roxas runs after them to the special place and finds they didn't go to the beach. This ends Day Three. The 4th Day Today is the day of the big Struggle battle, so prepare to do some fighting. The goal is to win the tournament and split the reward with your friends. The Struggle Battle Tournament The big event on Day Four is the Struggle Tournament. This event provides lots of practice battling different types of opponents. The rules for the Struggle are simple. Whenever you score a hit on your opponent, he loses orbs. Pick them up to prevent him from regaining them. If Roxas gets hit, he loses orbs as well so pick them up before your opponent! At the end of the match, the person with the most orbs left wins. Also, inbetween bouts when Seifers up by the alley you can go fight him and gain 15 EXP. Just leave and re-enter the area when you want to fight his again. I fought him until level 9. By that time my level had earned me the ability to see my opponents HP by equipping Scan (lvl 4), an extra hit by equipping Combo Boost (lvl 7), and more EXP earned by equipping Experience Boost (lvl 9). Keep in mind I chose Attack-type weapons on BOTH of my choices as well as earning enough Munny during the job fiasco for the AP bonus. You can fight him until your final round in the Struggle. Hayner Begin the battle by locking on and backing away. Hayner's attacks consist of a two-hit combo followed by a short thrust. Both leave him wide open for a counterattack. Keep a safe distance and don't stop moving. Wait for Hayner to make the first move unless you can get him in a corner to pound him until his HP gets depleted which will cause him to be stunned temporarily allowing you to run around collecting orbs. The stunning tactic is true for all opponents. Get a feel for the attack speed, and move in before he has a chance to recover. Vivi Before entering this battle, equip the Guard ability. Vivi is an agile opponent who can run circles around anyone. Fortunately, his attacks are not very powerful. He can leap around and gather most of the loose orbs within seconds, so keep the stage as clean as possible. Be cautious of Vivi when he levitates and lifts his bat into the air. This marks an attck where he spins through the air and finishes with a long-distance thrust. One of Vivi's weaknesses is the duration of his attacks. Continue moving around, circling Vivi until he attacks.Follow this up with an attack from the side or behind. Any time Vivi remains on the ground, follow up with another quick strike. If Vivi's speed becomes an issue, press the circle button to Guard and unleash a complete combo in response. Axel HP: 105 Damage Weapon - Normal damage Fire - No damage Blizzard - 1/2 damage Thunder - 1/2 damage Dark - 1/2 damage Other - 1/2 damage After the fight with Vivi, a group of Dusk enemies attack followed by an Organization XIII member named Axel. Axel appears and challenges Roxas to a genuine duel. This foe excels in both speed and power, forcing you to keep moving. Axel primarily attacks head-on. Respond to these attacks by circling around and jumping in for a quick hit. Equipping the Guard ability is a good idea, as his attacks are easy to time. Be wary of Axel when he kneels down. This signals the opening of his most powerful attack. After a short delay, Axel races behind Roxas and unleashes a potent fire combo. Fortunately, his kneeling leaves him wide open. Carefully judge your distance before taking action. If he isn't too far away, move in for a quick combo. Otherwise, retreat and jump to the side as soon as his movement picks up. When Axel drops one of his rings, unleash a full combo but don't get too confident. Anytime flames engulf his upper body, jump away and wait for this brutal attack to finish. Setzer The key to defeating Setzer is to catch him when he is standing or crouched down. Be cautious, however, as hitting his sword when he is crouching will prompt a brutal counterattack. Early on, take the battle to Setzer to make him drop a fair amount of orbs. After doing so, back away to avoid losing any orbs. His most powerful attacks include multiple thrusts and a jump backward into the air, followed by a spinning dive forward. Both attacks cover a considerable distance, making them difficult to avoid. Because of this, it is essential to move around and wait for obvious openings. Defeating Setzer isn't requires to proceed in the story. The reward for winning (Champion Belt), however, is considerably stronger than the Medal. The day ends with the friends enjoying the sight of the setting sun throught the crystals from the trophy that was won while sitting on top of the clock tower overlooking the Station. The 5th Day The next-to-last day of the Tutorial finds the gang heading over to another part of town to discover the secret behind a bunch of strange mysteries. The Seven Wonders of Twilight Town is the next assignment. The Seven Wonders of Twilight Town The kids decide to check out some rumors and strange happenings on the other side of Twilight Town. While some of the phenomena have reasonable explanations, many of them are the result of Nobodies interfering in the town. Upon arriving at Sunset Station, talk to Pence to see where these mysteries are located. Pence meets you after each mystery is solved so that you can refer to his map to see where the next one is located. The Stairs mystery was pretty bogus, so head to the second one. In an alley in Sunset Terrace, there is a wall that is rumored to spit out shining orbs of light. Investigate the wall to see what happened. Then when the orbs come flying out, dodge them and make your way back to the wall to hit it and stop the orbs. This is a pretty easy task if you have great hand-eye coordination. Next head to the tunnel where reports of a mysterious moan are located. Inside you see someone who looks an aweful lot like Vivi-until it splits into three. Defeat the 14 Vivi cloans to solve this mystery. These guys are pretty easy and only take a hit or two at the most to defeat. So wade into the fray with Keyblade swinging. Now head to the end of the tram tracks, where Olette is checking out a mysterious fountain. Examine it and Shadow Roxas steps out of its mirror-like facade. Defeat the shade to solve the mystery. Shadow Roxas is an easy foe to defeat because he fights just like you. Shado Roxas is slow and tends to leave himself open when he attacks. The 5th and 6th wonders take place in the same location on Sunset Hill. First examine the bag on the hill. When it suddenly takes off, use the Jump On Reaction Command to hop over any obstacles in your way. The 6th wonder is a Ghost Train said to appear on the train tracks around Sunset Hill. Head back there and see what you can find out. The last wonder is a mysterious girl who is sadi to appear at the second floor window of the Haunted Mansion. Head back there and see what you can find out. The 6th Day This is the last day of the tutorial and the last day that you get to play as Roxas. This time you get to enter the Old Mansion. But first you have to solve the mystery of why your friends are unable to see you! The Nobodies Infiltrate Twilight Town The first event to occur once your friends head out without even seeing you is a meetinf with Axel. Axel was once Roxas's best friend but there is a bit of tention between them. Before you can resolve it, Nobodies attack. Either defeat them all or the next event triggers when Roxas's HP falls to 30%. The new Assassin enemies are a bit difficult. Wait for them to emerge from the ground before you try to attack. The rest of the time, you just need to avoid their swift attacks. The Old Mansion Your big stop for the day is the Old Mansion. You can now unlock the gate with your Keyblade and explore the rooms. On the upper-left side is Namine's room. Go in there to get the map and Namine's Sketches. Then head to the outer wing to the Library. Roxas completes the drawing on the desk to open the way into the Basement and a secret Computer Room. Axel HP: 345 Damage Weapon - Normal damage Fire - No damage Blizzard - 1/2 damage Thunder - 1/2 damage Dark - 1/2 damage Other - 1/2 damage This is Roxas's last battle, so go out in a blaze of glory! Axel is back, giving you the opportunity to show him what you're worth with both Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Axel is much quicker and significantly stronger than the last time you fought. Continue to avoid him when he is surrounded by flame, and also be wary of the flames that make up the arena's walls. Axel has a new nuisance technique that covers the floor in magma that slowly depletes Roxas's HP. Any time that Axel leaps out of the ring, lock on using R1 to find his position. Pay attention to his actions outside of the flames, and make certain to react with triangle to counter his dive into the stage. If the floor is covered in magma, react a second time, and then once more or a powerful finisher than clears the magma from the arena. These last two Reaction Commands can also be set in motion with a powerful ground combo. Any time that Roxas carries out the Reaction Command's finisher, the screen fades to white and returns with Axel slumped in the center. Run in and unleash a torrent of combos before he has a chance to gather his wits. At the end of the battle, Roxas gets a +5 HP boost as a Get Bonus. Roxas then discovers pods, the last one stands behind a computer generated DiZ and it contains Sora. After DiZ disappears, Roxas approaches Sora and says a few words as he fades away... |