Sleepy Halloween Town (Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories) in Gamer's Gaming

The Road So Far…

Sora, Donald, and Goofy continue their journey higher and higher into Castle Oblivion in search of answers. Even though Sora and company spend each floor simply reliving memories of the past, Sora seems to be remembering more and more about a girl that he was friends with on the Destiny Islands. A blonde girl who was quiet and loves to draw pictures of her friends. Despite being able to remember everything about her, Sora cannot remember her name. However, she seems to be there in Castle Oblivion, drawing pictures of our heroes, ones that seem to be connected to their memories. Meanwhile, the robed members of the Organization seem to be simultaneously guiding and testing Sora as he makes his way higher and higher. A fiery redhead named Axel seems to have a deep interest in Sora, perhaps a connection from his past, perhaps something else. Another blonde, this one named Larxene, is keen to test the Keyblade wielder and use him as a pawn to take over the Organization with a group of it’s members. Axel implies to her that he is part of that group, but it seems his loyalties lie elsewhere. Axel seems to be a wild card in the events that are sure to take place as Sora and company ascend higher and higher. What is the purpose of the Organization? Why are there different camps fighting for supremacy? And if Sora is finding memories of an old friend as he makes his way through the castle, what exactly is he losing? Only making his way through the sixth floor and his memories of Halloween Town will reveal this for sure…

Now…

Sora enters Halloween Town in the Town Square. The fountain spews a green liquid into it’s basin. A guillotine sits nearby. Donald and Goofy take in the sights and shudder. Goofy bet that the place was crawling with ghosts. Donald told him that there was nothing to worry about, but he didn’t seem entirely convinced. He figured, however, that with the way they looked, even ghosts would have second thoughts about attacking them. Sure enough, they were dressed as they were the first time they had visited Halloween Town: in spooky costumes. Goofy asked him if he thought so, and Donald assured him that they would be okay. Donald then turned and walked towards the fountain when, suddenly, a skeleton man sprung up from the fountain and bid them welcome to Halloween Town. Donald squawked in fright and jumped backwards, landing on his backside. Sora and Goofy readied their weapons, but the skeleton man just seemed impressed by Donald’s scream. He said that it was the best one he had heard in ages. He said that if Donald was THAT easy to scare, they were all going to have a great time. The skeleton man apologized for not introducing himself. He told the trio that his name was Jack Skellington and they were in Halloween Town. If they were looking for a ghoulishly good time, they had come to the right place. Donald squawked that they weren’t, still angry about being scared. Jack said that was too bad, because there was a bit of a problem in Halloween Town. Sora asked what the problem was and Jack was about to tell them when Heartless sprang up out of nowhere. The trio readied their weapons and attacked the Heartless. Sora managed to fight the Heartless off, which included Wight Knights, Search Ghosts, and Gargoyles. Donald was hopping mad, asking why Jack had called the Heartless. Jack told them that he didn’t call them, he just knew that they were going to show up. In fact, Jack admitted that he would love to get rid of them. The Heartless were going around attacking people instead of just scaring them. What a way to ruin his image. Sora asked why the Heartless were there and Jack said that he was headed to talk to Doctor Finkelstein to ask him just that. If the trio wanted answers, they should follow him. Jack walked off in the direction of the doctor’s lab. Donald asked Sora what they should do. Sora figured they ought to follow the Pumpkin King. Donald wasn’t fond of the plan, wondering if Jack was leading them to the Heartless instead. Jack sprang up in front of Donald and confirmed his suspicions, causing Donald to jump straight up in the air, squawking the whole time. Jack laughed and said that he was just kidding, walking off in the direction of the lab, as Sora learned the Terror sleight and obtained the Key of Beginnings card. With that, Sora found himself in a new room in the style of Halloween Town. Sora took out the many groups of Heartless in the room and worked his way towards a door in the eastern part of the room. Sora used one of his Looming Darkness cards on the door and made his way into the next room. After fighting off wave after wave of Heartless, Sora came upon two doors. One led east and one led north, in the direction of the room he was searching for. Sora used one of his Moment’s Reprieve cards and opened the northern door. After taking a moment to sort out his deck, Sora searched the room and noticed two doors. There was one in the northern part of the room, but it was the one in the western part of the room that grabbed his interest. It was the Key of Beginnings door that he had been searching for. Sora used a few of his map cards as well as the Key of Beginnings card that he had received and made his way into the next room.

On the other side of the door was Dr. Finkelstein’s lab. Jack made the introductions all around and declared Dr. Finkelstein the greatest genius that ever lived. The doctor agreed, but declared that maybe he was too smart as he had created something truly horrible. Donald asked the doctor what he had created, but the doctor countered with a question of his own. He asked if any of the trio had ever stopped to think about the power of something he called “true memories.” Sora was puzzled as to what the doctor meant by “true memories,” so the doctor commenced with an explanation. He said that everyone’s hearts were full of memories, but not all of them reflected the truth. The heart is not a recording device, after all. He said that even important memories change with time. They warped or faded, leaving a shadow of what the person might hope to remember. Sora asked if that could be happening to him and the doctor said that it happens to everyone. Some memories grow ugly while others become more beautiful. If we could recover true memories, however, the world would seem completely different. The doctor finally came to the crux of the matter: he had devised a potion from forget-me-nots that brings back true memories. Sora asked if it had worked and the doctor claimed that that was the problem. As soon as the doctor had gotten one whiff of the potion, the Heartless had begun popping up all over Halloween Town. Donald thought the experiment was a failure, but the doctor argued that his research was flawless. He claimed he would just need another look at the potion to figure out what went wrong. As the doctor scratched his brain, he explained that the problem was that the potion had vanished. Sora figured somebody must have stolen it and the doctor offered up an answer: his assistant, Sally. The doctor asked Jack to find her and get the potion back. Jack agreed to the task and Sora asked if he could tag along. Jack asked why, to which Sora admitted that he wanted to know more about these “true memories” that the doctor had been talking about. Jack acquiesced and the group left the laboratory to search for Sally. Sora returned to the world, receiving the Key of Guidance card, and found himself in the first room he had emerged in upon entering the world the first time. Sora decided first to check the door in the northern part of the Moment’s Reprieve room to see where it led to. Sora used his level 4 Almighty Darkness card to progress into the room to the north. Sora fought through the pharmaceutically-enhanced Heartless, earning a new Bottomless Darkness map card, and made his way to the only other exit in the room, a door to the east. Sora used a level 5 Roulette Room card and made his way through the doorway to the next room. Sora made short work of the Heartless prowling the room and made his way to the only other exit, the Key of Guidance door. Sora sacrificed the required cards, a level 6 Calm Bounty card and a level 7 Premium Room card, before using his Key of Guidance card to open the doorway.

In the next room, the group found themselves in a graveyard where Sally stood alone, facing a wall. Jack told her that he had thought he might find her here. Sally turned to face Jack and noticed the rest of the group for the first time. Sally asked who they were and Jack explained that they were interested in true memories. He asked Sally if she had the potion and she admitted that she did, removing it from her pockets. Jack asked if she would mind giving it back. Sally seemed hesitant, but said she would if Jack insisted, but she was afraid. All the doctor had done was smell it and the Heartless had appeared. What would happen if someone drank the potion? Jack, clueless as ever, wondered what could possibly be more exciting. Sally asked if there was some other way to find true memories. Sora asked if Jack had any ideas, but Jack couldn’t think of a single thing. Suddenly, Oogie Boogie dropped out of the sky behind Sally, yelling that he could think of something as he knocked her to the ground and stole the potion! The group readied for a battle, but Oogie just mocked the group, asking Jack where his manners were. Oogie just wanted to help him put the potion to good use after all. Oogie figured if just one sniff had made the Heartless appear, he would love to see what happened if he decided to chug the whole thing. Oogie said that it was time for Halloween Town to face pain and despair beyond that of any nightmare. With that, Oogie took off and the group gave chase, returning the the Moment’s Reprieve room where Sora received the Key to Truth card. Sora made his way back south to the Looming Darkness room and finally, it was time to head east from there. Sora used one of his level 2 Roulette Room cards and proceeded east. Sora found two exits leading from this new room. The door to the south, however, required a Treasure Room card, so Sora made his way to the door in the east. Sora used one of his level 3 Calm Bounty cards and entered the next room. Sora gained a sleight called Gifted Miracle from the treasure chest in the room, which would restore Sora’s cards, reduce his reload counter, and would restore health not only to himself, but to any enemies remaining in battle. Sora then proceeded to the only other exit in the room, going east once more, using a level 4 Meeting Ground card and proceeding into the next room. Sora swept through the groups of Heartless and claimed some health and moogle points before proceeding to the door to the south, the Key to Truth door. Giving up the requisite cards, Sora went through the doorway, anticipating battle.

The group found themselves inside of Oogie’s Torture Room where Oogie stood on a raised platform, waiting. Sora demanded that Oogie hand over the potion, but Oogie just said that all of the running around had made him thirsty. Anticipating Oogie’s next action, Jack yelled at him not to do it, but Oogie took out the potion and downed the whole thing anyway. Suddenly, Oogie started to convulse, complaining about something being wrong. Something deep inside of him, something scary, was trying to emerge. Jack asked what was happening, but Oogie told the group to stay back. Realizing there was no choice but to subdue Oogie, Sora and crew jumped into battle. Oogie attacked with dice of all varieties. Exploding dice, dice that summoned blades from the sides of the room, even dice that caused blades to bounce around the room. Sora figured out quickly, however, that the spiked poles that protected Oogie from the groups attacks would lower slightly whever Sora cause a card break. After a few card breaks, Sora was able to leap onto Oogie’s platform and attack the nightmare creature directly. After repeating the process a few times, Sora managed to fell the dastardly Oogie Boogie and received the Oogie Boogie card as a reward. Returning to Doctor Finkelstein’s lab, the group told the doctor what had happened. The doctor cursed Oogie for drinking nearly all of his potion. There were only a few drops remaining. Goofy suggested to Sora that he ask if he could have the last few drops. Sora thought about it and figured it might be best to leave well enough alone. The doctor seemed surprised that Sora didn’t want the rest, shrugging and saying that it would have been a great experiment. Jack was curious. Didn’t Sora want to find out about true memories? Sora said that he did, now more than ever, but he had promised Axel that he would find the truth on his own. The doctor contemplated all they had learned about his potion. When he had inhaled it, the Heartless had appeared, but when Oogie drank it, he was completely overwhelmed with fear. Sally said that it must mean the potion was a failure, but the doctor refused to believe that. He assumed that Oogie must have found his true memories and that true memories must unbalance the heart, causing unpredictable changes within. Sora wondered what that would mean for him when his true memories awakened. The doctor suggested that it may end up being something even more terrifying, but he couldn’t be sure without further research. Jack asked Sora if the doctor’s theory scared him. Sora admitted that it did frighten him a little, but Jack told him that was a good thing. Fear and doubt are signs of a strong heart. They push the heart to strike out in new directions and take chances. Without them, the zest for life may fade away, as would the taste for fear, and that would just ruin all of Jack’s fun. Sora thanked Jack and promised that he would remember that. Jack wished the trio good luck as they made their way out of the lab and in the Conqueror’s Respite room. Sora prepared himself for whatever may lay ahead and exited the final door back into the sixth floor’s corridor.

As the door to Halloween Town’s world closed behind them, the black robed figure or Larxene appeared in the hallway before the trio. The trio drew their weapons and Donald suggested that she must work with Axel. Larxene, amused, said that they were just too clever and asked if they were enjoying their stay in the castle. She bet that it was nice to peel away all of the worthless memories and awaken the true memories that lay deep in their hearts. Sora, apparently playing dumb…at least I think he is playing…questioned what she meant by true memories. Larxene accused Sora, however, of forgetting the most important thing. When that poor girl heard that Sora had forgotten her name, it would just break her heart. Sora asked if Larxene knew her and if she was in the castle. Larxene giggled and said that she was there. The bad guys were holding her captive somewhere deep inside the castle. And Sora, obviously being the hero, had to go save her. Suddenly, Larxene rushed Sora and attacked him. Sora managed to dodge the first few shots, but a kick from Larxene sent him flying backwards. Sora dropped his keyblade and his Oathkeeper charm. Larxene said that she was one of the bad guys and that Sora would need to go through her. Goofy called out Sora’s name, causing Sora to look up from the floor. He saw the charm, but seemed to have forgotten what it was or that it was even his. Except, this charm wasn’t quite the same as his Oathkeeper charm. It appeared to be a star made out of gold. Larxene said it was a shame that Sora had been wearing it this whole time and still had forgotten it. Larxene said that such a thing was impossible. The memory had just been engraved somewhere deep inside Sora’s heart. She told him to think carefully about what it was and who gave it to him. Sora struggled to grasp the name on the tip of his tongue. Na....mi… Larxene encouraged him to pull the memory from deep within his heart. Nami…Namine. The girl’s name was Namine (pronounced Na-mi-nay). Larxene confirmed that that was, indeed, the girl’s name. She was the one who had given him his good luck charm, not that Sora could be bothered to remember such a thing, let alone her name. Larxene couldn’t believe how heartless Sora was to forget such a thing. She said it would serve Sora right if she were to just smash his little charm. Sora, suddenly enraged, leaped up and slashed at Larxene with the keyblade, knocking the charm out of her hand and knocking her backwards. Sora grabbed the charm out of mid air and told Larxene that the charm was important to him. Larxene mocked Sora, but began throwing sparks off of her body. Lighting surrounded her as she summoned her weapons, charged claws, similar to those of Wolverine, and made ready for battle, accusing Sora of not even remembering what the charm was just ten seconds before. Larxene attacked with Lightning attacks, quick strikes, and even pillars of lightning, but Sora made effective use of card breaks, his basic attacks, and magic to finally put Larxene away. Larxene tried to attack with her claws a few more times, but Sora deflected the attacks, finally driving her back. Larxene was impressed that Sora wasn’t as bad as she thought. Perhaps he was a hero, albeit a heartless hero. Sora, enraged, yelled back wondering who had asked for her opinion. Larxene continued mocking him, asking if it hurt because she was telling the truth, saying that Sora was just a baby. Larxene tossed another set of world cards to Sora, telling him that he should thank her. With that, Larxene disappeared into a dark portal and vanished. Sora swung his keyblade around in anger, telling Larxene to come back and fight him. Donald and Goofy looked to each other, worried by Sora’s anger. Jiminy tried to get Sora under control, telling him that Larxene wasn’t coming back. That seemed to deflate Sora. He hated everything that was going on, especially that he had needed a horrible person like Larxene to bring back his memory of Namine. Sora took a look at the new world cards that he had been given. They represented Atlantica, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, and the Hundred Acre Woods. Used to the routine by now, Sora and company made their way up the nearby staircase to reach the seventh floor. Meanwhile, back in the Crystal Ball room, Larxene reappeared. She feigned weariness, claiming that throwing that battle had just worn her out. Axel, leaning against a nearby wall, said that it seemed to him that she had just plain lost. Larxene immediately became angry, asking Axel how he could dare to suggest such a thing. He just didn’t appreciate the nuances of battle. Another robed figure appeared out of yet another dark portal however, saying that she had made an ungainly effort. Larxene immediately identified the newcomer as Vexen. Vexen asked Larxene how she could be humbled by someone of such limited significance and told her that she shamed the Organization. As Larxene barely controlled her anger, Axel asked how they could help Vexen, since he rarely seemed to come topside…wait, topside? Is there more to this castle beneath the first floor? Vexen told Axel that he had come to lend them a hand. Even though Axel and Larxene believed that Sora had much potential, Vexen remained unconvinced that he was worth wasting so much effort on. Therefore, he proposed that an experiment should show if he was truly of any value to the Organization. Larxene didn’t believe a word of it. She believed that Vexen was just making up an excuse to conduct his little experiments. Vexen didn’t disagree. He was a scientist, after all. Experiments were what he was known for. Axel didn’t care one way or the other. He just thought that these experiments on Sora were just a cover to test his “valet.” Vexen seemed genuinely annoyed by the term “valet,” as he was the product of pure research. Larxene said that all he had produced was a glorified toy. Vexen turned on her and said that she should just learn to be quiet. Axel removed a world card from his pocket and held it out to Vexen, saying that if he was going to test Sora, he would need the card. He called it a humble gift to his elder and hoped that Vexen would put on a very good show for them. A pair of feet appeared from behind the three Organization members and Vexen turned with a smile on his face. Meanwhile, back at the seventh floor landing, Sora arrived, running at full speed toward the next doorway. Donald called out to him to slow down and wait for them. Sora yelled back to Donald, saying that there was no time. The Organization had Namine and they had to rescue her. Goofy commented that Sora seemed awfully upset. Donald said that he would be too if he had just remembered a friend and found out she was in trouble. Goofy figured Donald had a point. If they had heard that the king was in danger, they would be pretty upset too. Donald and Goofy caught up to Sora just in time for Sora to raise the Atlantica card in front of the door. The door opened and the trio prepared for their adventures in yet another world from their memories…