Gathering Supplies
The first task to accomplish is to locate the four raft materials Kairi has asked you to find. You can find the first of two Logs on the shore underneath the bridge, not too far from where you spoke with Kairi.
Travel across the beach and up to the dock where Selphie is sitting. Go up the stairs and take a right up another set of stairs. Head around the path at the base of large tree until you find a ladder. Climb the ladder, and head along the wooden platform and into a small tree house. Inside, on the right wall, is the Cloth.
Head all the way back down toward the dock, and climb the ladder opposite the stairs that led up to the tree house. This ladder will lead you up to where Tidus is, and just a little ways behind him is the Rope.
Finally, head back down to the beach and enter the Seaside Shack. Off to the right is a Save Point, which you can use if you want. Go up the stairs and out onto the bridge that leads out to the small island. There, you’ll find Riku sitting on the tree, and toward the back of the small island, you’ll locate the second Log. With everything collected, you can return to Kairi, but it’s a good idea to explore the island some more and maybe even challenge some of your friends.
A Little Friendly Competition
At any point on your first day on the islands, you can talk to Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and Riku to battle with them. Each of these battles does not affect the story even if you lose.
On the first day, you can find Tidus on the platform furthest to the west of the island, Wakka along the beach, Selphie at the end of the dock, and Riku on the small island across the bridge. On the second day, Tidus is now on the island across the bridge, Wakka is closer to the base of the waterfall, and Selphie is now standing on the beach next to the dock. Riku can only be fought on day one.
If you manage to defeat Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, you can talk to Tidus and challenge them to a Three-on-One match. If you manage to survive it, a Potion is your reward. Likewise, you can earn a Potion every time you defeat Riku.
Battle: Tidus
HP: 60 / EXP: 1
Tidus uses combos in a similar style to the way Sora uses them. His attacks can easily be deflected by timing your attacks to counter them, and while he’s temporarily dazed, power on through with a combo of your own. It’s a good idea to keep moving from time to time, because if you don’t time your attacks correctly to block Tidus, he’ll continue to land hits.
Battle: Wakka
HP: 75 / EXP: 1
Wakka is a fairly easy. His attacks are mostly long-distance, and can easily be returned by simply striking his Blitzball back at him when he throws it at you. Wakka has a few short-range attacks in which he spins around to shake you off of him. Keep your distance and knock his attacks back at him to dispatch him quickly.
Battle: Selphie
HP: 45 / EXP: 1
Selphie can be a bit irritating simply because she’s a very difficult opponent to hit. She constantly moves around the beach, making it hard for Sora’s combos to actually connect. Like Wakka, you should keep your distance while fighting her, as this will force her to run straight at you. Try to deflect her attacks by timing yours correctly, as it will give you a good window to lay a combo or two on her.
Battle: Tidus, Wakka, & Selphie (3 on 1)
Tidus – HP: 60 / EXP: 1
Wakka – HP: 75 / EXP: 1
Selphie – HP: 45 / EXP: 1
The best strategy here is to simply keep moving while attacking whoever happens to be closer to you at the time. Don’t stay in one spot for too long, or you’ll risk being overrun.
Constantly move the camera around to keep all three of them in check at all times. Never let yourself be backed into a corner, as they will proceed to pummel you with no escape. It’s a good idea to stick to individual strikes instead of full combos, as it will give you more mobility.
Typically, Selphie is the first to fall simply because of her low HP. Try to take out Wakka next so that you’ll no longer have his long-range attacks to worry about. When it’s just you and Tidus, it should be simple enough from there.
Battle: Riku
HP: 90 / EXP: 5
First and foremost, be sure not to head too far out onto the bridge or fall off the edges of the small island, as this will result in an automatic forfeit. A good strategy to use is to only attack two hits at a time, instead of full combos. After a combo, Sora remains motionless for a few seconds, leaving him wide open for Riku to land a combo of his own.
Riku’s most devastating attack occurs when you manage to knock him onto his back. He’ll spring back forward with a powerful kick that will deal some pretty heavy damage. Get behind him when he falls to the ground, and keep your distance. Riku also has an attack in which he blocks your attack and powers through with a strike of his own. It’s best to just stay away from him despite his constant coaxing.
When you’ve had your fill of fighting, you can speak to Kairi and call it a day. She’ll reward you with a Hi-Potion for your efforts.
Riku’s Race
On the second day, you can access the back of the island by going through the door Kairi was standing in front of the day before. On the other side, you’ll find Riku, who is contemplating what to name the raft. He asks you what you think it should be called. Call it anything you want, but Riku will still disagree with it.
Riku challenges you to race to the other side of the island and back. The outcome of the race is not important, but if you manage to win, a Pretty Stone is yours for the taking. You can challenge Riku as many times as you want, and each victory earns you an additional Pretty Stone.
Kairi’s whistle marks the start of the race, and from there, the easiest route is listed step by step below.
- Hop across the wooden decks. Watch out for the one that drops!
- Run along the shallow water along the beach and up the hill.
- Turn left and hop along the cliffs until you reach the big star. Make sure that the star lights up, or it won’t count that you reached it.
- Make your way back by dropping straight down and avoiding the tree trunks. If you get too close, Sora will start to climb the tree, which just wastes time.
- When you reach the ledge of the embankment, jump up to get on top of it.
- Jump back across the wooden decks and back down to Kairi.
Procuring Provisions
Your next task is to speak with Kairi and get a list of provisions to collect for the trip. She’s over at the raft you passed during your race with Riku. Before heading to the raft, go back to the embankment and lift the box by the stairs. Throw it toward the back wall and jump on top of it to reach a small alcove in the wall. There is a Treasure Chest in the alcove containing a Protect Chain.
Kairi wants you to find a lot more things this time around. She’ll give you a Empty Bottle to collect Drinking Water, which you can find in two places. You can either fill it up at a small spring below the wooden decks by Riku, or you can go back to the front of the island and fill it up in the waterfall.
The three Fish can all be found in the water on the front side of the island, and they’re all fairly close together. Just swim up to them to collect them. While you’re on the front side of the island, go back into the Seaside Shack and up the stairs. Climb the skinny tree all the way to the top and jump across to the top of the fatter tree. The Seagull Egg is sitting on top of it.
On the back side of the island, you can find one of the three Mushrooms you need to find inside the bushes by the zip line tower. You can find a second Mushroom in a small cave behind a large rock by the raft. Push the rock to one side to access the cave.
To gather the two Coconuts, you’ll need to attack the trees near the raft until two of the yellow ones fall. Finally, return to the front of the island and head to the Secret Place at the base of the big tree by the waterfall. Head all the way to the back wall by the door to obtain the last Mushroom. A cutscene will also play at this point.
When you’ve gathered everything, return to Kairi. You’ll need to speak with her a few times, but she’ll reward you with another Hi-Potion and ask you if you want to call it a day. At this point, you can choose to wait and return to the front of the island to fight Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, or the three of them together again. Riku is no longer available to battle, but you can also race him as many times as you want. When you’ve had enough, tell Kairi you want to call it a day.
End of the World
That night, a storm hits the islands and Sora ventures out to check on the raft. When you reach the islands, you learn that the strange creatures from Sora’s dream are invading. At first, Sora’s wooden sword is no match for the Shadows, so just ignore them. Head to the small island across the bridge, passing through the Seaside Shack. Now is good time to save your game using the Save Point. Go up the stairs and out to the small island to meet up with Riku.
After the cutscene, Sora obtains the Kingdom Key, which can be used to attack the Shadows that keep appearing. It might be a good idea to defeat enough of them to gain a level or two. When you think you’re ready, head back to the Secret Place to find Kairi. When that cutscene has ended, Sora comes face to face with a familiar foe.
Boss: Darkside
HP: 300 / EXP: 60
Darkside is essentially the same as when you fought him in Dive to the Heart, just with more HP and slightly more strength behind his attacks. His attacks are generally the same, with the exception of one new one, in which he rains down small balls of gravity. These balls don’t home in on you, they just fall from the sky, but they can deal some fairly significant damage, so watch out for them.
Like last time, your target is Darkside’s hand, and like last time, he’ll summon Shadows to keep you preoccupied, although he summons them less often, which means fewer opportunities to collect HP Orbs. You shouldn’t need to use one, but remember that you have Potions available if you need one.