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 Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:06 pm
KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEP
Set a decade prior to the events in the first Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep follows the three separate, yet intertwined adventures of Keyblade wielders Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, as they together search for the Princesses of Heart and the enigmatic Master Xehanort. As their individual paths take them through a number of fantastic and familiar worlds, the darkness relentlessly pursues, in the form of the shadowy Unversed and the wicked-hearted Disney villains. Till the very end, bonds will be tested to their limits, and when the dust finally clears, a young man named Xehanort will be all that remains.
We first meet our trio of Keyblade wielders in their master’s homeworld, the Land of Departure, a stunningly gorgeous temple surrounded by verdant islands and mist-wrapped mountain peaks. There, the two senior apprentices, Terra and Aqua, ready themselves for their approaching Mastery Qualification Exams under Master Eraqus. The Exams are not only a means of judging a wielder’s prowess, but also the strength and content of their heart, to see if they are truly able to wield the Keyblade with the power and wisdom of a master. Aqua and Terra gather inside the temple before Master Eraqus, who gives a preliminary speech explaining the details of the Exams. Seated behind him is colleague and fellow master, Xehanort, who traveled from afar to serve as a secondary judge for the Exams.
Following the Exams, Master Xehanort is halted outside the temple by a distraught Terra, whose tests revealed a hidden darkness within his heart. Confused and afraid at the danger lurking inside of him, he implores the master’s wisdom and guidance. Surprisingly, he bids him to nurture the darkness inside him rather than discard it, not even bothering to face Terra as he passes; with power, he lectures Terra, the darkness can be a tool beyond price. But before anyone else in the Land of Departure, including Eraqus himself, comes in contact with Xehanort again, disaster strikes: Master Xehanort inexplicably vanished without warning, and at the same time, a fearsome new threat disrupts the balance of the worlds. The Unversed, strange beings of the darkness that feed on negative emotion, emerge seemingly from nowhere, and begin to wreak havoc amidst the worlds.
Believing Master Xehanort's disappearance, the appearance of the Unversed and the state of the Princesses of Heart are all linked, Master Eraqus sends out his apprentices to find Master Xehanort. The final outcome of the following adventure will not only set the stage for Sora’s quest to stave back the darkness in Kingdom Hearts, but will determine the fate of the entire Kingdom Hearts series. Will Terra overcome the darkness in his heart? What will become of the other apprentices? Remember: “There is no coincidence in fate."
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:11 pm
CHARACTERS
TERRA:
One of three apprentices to Master Eraqus, Terra, along with Aqua, are preparing to take the Master Qualification Exam when mysterious circumstances arise. A strange enemy known as the Unversed have begun appearing at the same time as one of Master Eraqus' old peers disappears.
Believing there to be a connection between the Unversed, Master Xehanort's disappearance, and the fate of the Princesses of Heart, Master Eraqus instructs Terra to track down Master Xehanort and his apprentice, Vanitas.
In exchange for information leading to Master Xehanorts whereabouts, Terra begins cooperating with the Disney villains of the various worlds. Among being in cahoots with the Evil Queen, Terra also makes a deal with Maleficent, who tells him of the Princesses of Heart. Believing that by chasing and acquiring the Princesses he will in turn find Master Xehanort, Terra agrees to help Maleficent.
Terra has been said to be one who puts his goal as his top priority over everything else, and that his stress of his goals causes conflict between him and the other characters. Despite this, Terra is not to be considered a "bad fellow" . Along with his determined mindset, Terra has an equally fierce and determined fighting style. Specializing in brute strength, Terra fights with a ferocious velocity utilizing a mode exclusive to him known as "Fatal Mode". His strength is his greatest asset in battle.
His name is Latin for "Earth", a meaning he shares with Riku whose name means "Land". It has been hinted that Terra chose Riku to wield the Keyblade and that he shares a path to darkness much similar to Riku's in the original Kingdom Hearts game. What becomes of Terra and the other apprentices is one of the key mysteries of the game.
VENTUS:
The youngest apprentice to Master Eraqus, Ventus hasn't been an apprentice long enough to qualify to take the Master Qualification Exam along with Aqua and Terra. When a threat to the worlds arise, Master Eraqus sends Terra out to track down Master Xehanort.
Afterwards, Ventus runs into Vanitas who teases Ven, saying that he may not ever see Terra again. Because of this, Ventus decides upon himself to track down Terra against Master Eraqus' wishes.
When compared to the other apprentices, Ven's story is the one that is most similar to past Kingdom Hearts games. His personality is much like Sora's, in that he easily makes friends with the residents of the worlds he visits and he is able to blend in with the world's inhabitants naturally.
His fighting style is also unique from Terra and Aqua in that Ven specializes in speed and fast movements. It is through this style that he is able to utilize the mode "Speed Rave" which is exclusive to Ven.
Ventus' name is Latin for "Wind", which poses a connection to Sora's name which means "Sky". Ventus looks exactly like Sora's Nobody Roxas and while a connection between Ven and Roxas, and by extension Sora, exists, the details of this connection are currently unknown. It has been said that Ventus' identity is the main mystery of Birth By Sleep.
AQUA:
Master Eraqus' only female apprentice, Aqua, was set to take the Master Qualification Exam with Terra when a threat to the worlds arose. When Master Eraqus sent Terra off to find Master Xehanort, neither of them had expected Ven to chase off after Terra himself.
But when he did, Master Eraqus ordered Aqua to follow Ventus to ensure his safety.
Aqua is said to be a serious character with a steady mind, although she often worries about Terra and Ven. Because of this, Aqua makes each of them charms from a Paopu fruit so that they will always find each other again, no matter what. She is an eyewitness to many of the recent events that occur, and because of that, she takes on such a standpoint.
Magic is Aqua's specialty and her fighting style uses it heavily. She has the ability to teleport quickly around the battle field, as well as deploying various acrobatics such as cartwheels and back-flips in a fight. She also can utilize the mode "Magic Wish" which is exclusive to her. During this mode, she is able to control her Keyblade through telekinesis, much akin to Sora's Final and Master Forms from Kingdom Hearts II.
Her name is Latin for "Water", and while Kairi's name has a similar meaning ("Sea"), it has been said that one of the apprentices doesn't hold a connection to the trio of Kingdom Hearts II. This person is believed to be Aqua. In the Japanese exclusive Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ Aqua's armour and Keyblade is seen to be in the possession of Xemnas in the Chamber of Repose. What became of Aqua is one of the mysteries of the game.
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