Onto the New Worlds!

Entry #7:

You’ve just defeated the boss at Traverse Town. You encountered Goofy and Donald Duck (who have been searching for the keyblade wielder), and you’ve learned a little bit more about the keyblade, heartless (the shadow creatures), and the existence of other worlds.

To continue your quest to find Riku and Sora (Goofy and Donald accompany you as well to search for their king), you are now given a choice on where to go next: Wonderland or the Olympus Coliseum. The worlds have different difficulties, and I opt for the more difficult stage.

Analysis:

One thing to notice in the past few entries is their now growing emphasis on the keyblade. The recursivity of this idea of fate has been present since the beginning even, with the “hermit” and earlier characters asking questions about one’s life. The coincidence in that Goofy and Donald end up finding the very person they are seeking is quite coincidental, and it emphasizes the idea of fate. They also continue to discuss how Sora was “chosen” by the keyblade, like he was meant to hold it. As the hero/knight of the story, however, him being the “chosen one” isn’t quite too surprising, though. Quest stories, like The Grail of Sankgreal (Galahad), do have a way with selecting very specific “chosen” heroes for their quests.

The end of this entry gives the player another choice – for the first time, we are able to choose where to go next, rather than to be swept along by the story and plot. This choice brings about an important change, giving the player greater control with the pace and direction of the story. In addition, because the difficulty levels of each world are also displayed, players will also be able to control how they want their game experience to be: whether or not they’d prefer it to be harder initially and easier, later, or vice versa. This choice is similar to that of the very first choices the player made, regarding the shield, wand, or sword. One’s choice affected one’s progress throughout the game, though the story will likely remain the same, no matter the choice.

Expectations: Travel

Terms: Recursivity