Arendelle

Arendelle is a world in Kingdom Hearts III. It is based on the Disney film . It is a coastal kingdom gripped in a permanent winter due to the unleashing of Queen Elsa's powers.

Settings and Areas
The world of Arendelle is comprised of mainly two regions: the expansive North Mountain with multiple routes, and the ominous and underground Labyrinth of Ice.

The North Mountain
The North Mountain (北の山) is the perpetually snow-covered site of Elsa's self-imposed exile, which makes up the majority of the world that Sora's party can visit. It is divided into three smaller areas, each marked with a trail of glowing ice crystals that help guide the party up the mountain.

The first area Sora's party visits begins at the Juhyō no Mori (樹氷の森), a tree-enclosed field at the foot of the mountain, with a small path leading northwest to the wider and rockier Setsugen (雪原). Traveling northward brings Sora's party to the Kyōkoku (峡谷), where they formally meet Elsa and reacquaint themselves with Larxene. By climbing the Gorge's steep rock faces, the party eventually reaches the One (尾根) at the peak, where Elsa's Kōri no Shiro (氷の城) is located, and where the Frozen Slider minigame can be accessed. The party can also travel down the ridge to the left facing the castle, where they battle Marshmallow, which eventually leads back to the Snowfield.

The second area lies on the opposite side of the mountain, with the Sekkei (雪渓) at its base. It is here that the party first meets Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, and where they are required to find Olaf's missing pieces: once during the story, and again if the party revisits the area after the world is cleared. Past this area lies the Hyōheki (氷壁), a trickier ascent than the Gorge with steep ridges, gaps, narrow footholds, and most prominently, a wider rock face that Sora must run up and across, making it harder to get back on track should he fall. At the top of the area is an alcove that leads directly to the Mountain Ridge.

The third and bottom-most area consists entirely of the Yama no Fumoto (山のふもと), which can be accessed from the southwestern path in the Snowfield. Here, the party must navigate through a snow storm with gale-force winds that will push them back a great distance unless they take cover behind the rocks. At the base of the Foothills is an overlook of the city of Arendelle itself, which leads to the party's final battle against Sköll.

The Labyrinth of Ice
The Labyrinth of Ice (氷の迷宮) is a game-original area that Larxene conjures with her lightning powers to imprison Sora and his friends at the Gorge. It is an elegant dungeon made entirely of ice that resembles a giant snowflake when viewed from the outside, while the interior is decorated with giant Nobody insignias and frozen bolts of electricity, some of which form fragile walls that Sora can break through. It is divided into three tiers: the Chūsō (中層), where the party first enters; the Kasō (下層); and the Jōsō (上層), which contains the exit to the Gorge and an elevator leading back to the Middle Tier. The labyrinth is teeming with Heartless and Nobodies, particularly Ninjas, which create spiral pillar traps that jut from the ground. To navigate the labyrinth, Sora must perform a Pole Spin on glowing white pillars to rotate segments of the dungeon and reveal new passageways, permanently locking them into place.

Once the party escapes, they are able to return to the Upper Tier via a spherical portal on the Gorge, though Marshmallow does not accompany them inside the labyrinth once he has joined the party.

Story
After battling a few Soldiers, Sora notices that the sea turning into ice and spots Elsa from a far distance running across the waters. Wondering what happened, Sora, Donald, and Goofy chase after Elsa to know more about her emotional state. Upset at the group's side-chatter and confrontation, Elsa loses her temper and accidentally reveals her cryokinetic abilities, stunning Sora and his friends. Attracted by Elsa's fear, Heartless appears, prompting Sora and friends to protect her.

After fending off the Heartless, Elsa rejoins with Sora and the gang. Just as a Winterhorn is about to ambush Sora from behind, Elsa defeats the Heartless with an icy blast, revealing the strength of her powers. Sora is impressed by this, but Elsa becomes fearful and creates a huge ice wall between herself and Sora's group. Elsa flees to the North Mountain while Sora tries to reach out, stopped by the barrier. Larxene appears forth to Sora and the gang, exclaiming the possible use of Elsa for the real Organization XIII's agenda. To prevent any possible interference from Sora, Larxene shatters the ice wall with her electrical powers. Larxene then uses the shattered ice to form a large labyrinth, trapping Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

After traversing through twists and turns of the glacial labyrinth, Sora and the gang eventually escape through a mysterious dark portal. The portal transports the gang to the side of the Mountain Ridge. The gang agrees to catch up with Elsa to the North Mountain, before Larxene's malicious influence could reach Elsa. While scaling up the mountains, Sora and the gang finally catch up with Elsa, embracing her new lifestyle by creating a beautiful ice palace while performing "Let It Go". Sora and the gang are left speechless and enthralled at the ice palace's beauty and scale. Sora decides to greet Elsa, only to be confronted by Larxene once more. Larxene admits her interest in Elsa, with the possibility of Elsa being one of the New Seven Hearts. Struck with another possibility, Larxene wonders if Elsa and her abilities hold ties to the darkness, heightening her interest further in Elsa. Sora retaliates back, claiming Elsa would never rely on the darkness. As early as it seems to find out, Larxene then blasts the gang down the mountain with a powerful electrical wave.

After falling from the mountain, Sora and the gang finds themselves below the North Mountain. Just as Sora plans to return to Elsa's palace, the gang is greeted with an avalanche. Goofy uses his shield as a sled for the trio to escape the avalanche, only to be ambushed by three Frost Serpents. After defeating the three large Heartless, Sora and the gang are only then to be barraged by another avalanche.

After gaining back consciousness from the avalanche, Sora briefly encounters Olaf. Determined to talk with Elsa again, Sora, Donald, and Goofy start their ascent up the mountain. As the trio reaches a frozen pond, Sora recognizes Olaf walking among Anna, Kristoff, and Sven. Realizing both parties are searching for Elsa, they decide to find her together. Sora and Anna hold a long conversation about Elsa, and she explains how the two estranged sisters became separated through a musical performance of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" Thinking of his own relationship with Riku, Sora urges Anna not to give up on Elsa. Kristoff quickly rushes in, imploring the group to search for Olaf's missing parts, as he has fallen apart.

Upon completing Olaf's body, Kristoff explains his group crashed into a group of Heartless. Upon the mention of the Heartless, they appear once more. Sora urges Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf to keep moving, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy face Heartless horde. Scaling up the cliffs of the wintery mountains to catch up with Anna and others, the trio reaches the North Mountain and Elsa's ice palace once again. Inside the ice palace, Anna confronts Elsa in hopes to end the eternal winter, yet Elsa continues to stress her lack of control over her powers. Elsa loses control, and accidentally strikes Anna with her ice magic. Sora, outside of the palace, senses this with a heartache, and conjures that something terrible has happened in the palace. Just as Sora is about to enter, Elsa's bodyguard, Marshmallow, dismisses Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf. The bulky bodyguard pursues the group, causing Sora to split up from Anna. Sora, Donald, and Goofy decide to fight Marshmallow. Marshmallow corners the trio onto a ledge and strikes the ground, causing the cliff edge to collapse and the trio to fall down the mountain.

At the bottom of the North Mountain, Sora, Donald, and Goofy regain consciousness and make their way back up, still intent on talking with Elsa. On the way, the trio spot Hans carrying an unconscious Elsa. The trio senses a dark and malignant aura being emitted from the man, and decide to pursue him. As they chase Hans, they run into Marshmallow, who is pursuing Elsa for the sake of her safety. Both parties harboring the same intent, Sora decides to form an alliance with Marshmallow and head towards Arendelle.

Sora catches up with Kristoff and Sven, noticing Anna's absence. Kristoff explains that Anna was struck in the heart by Elsa's ice magic and that only an act of true love can save her from becoming frozen, an act performed by Anna's true love, Hans. Noting the trio's confusion, as they presumed Kristoff was Anna's love interest, Kristoff dejectedly clarifies his role as only a navigator. A vicious blizzard blows in and obscures the town, causing Kristoff and Sven to race back to the kingdom in fear of Anna's safety. As Marshmallow bellows, the group realize Elsa might be in danger as well and run toward the storm.

The trio and Krisfoff find Anna, walking feebly, on the frozen fjord. Just as Anna and Kristoff are about to reunite, Anna spots Hans preparing to slay Elsa in the distance. Facing a quick choice, Anna rushes in to protect Elsa from Hans, her body completely turning to ice. The heavy impact between Hans's sword and Anna's frozen body knocks Hans unconscious. Darkness begins to emit from Hans's heart, sucking Sora, Donald, and Goofy into a dark portal. Within the portal, a massive Heartless, Sköll, appears forth to the trio as Marshmallow joins the fight. Upon defeating Sköll, its dark ball form explodes, sending out a strong wave of power. Marshmallow jumps in front to shield the trio from harm, but all four fall into an abyss.

Sora and the gang awaken on the frozen fjord on Arendelle. Sora watches Elsa mourn over Anna's frozen form as Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf stand in solemn silence. However, the frozen Anna begins to thaw out, much to the surprise of everyone. Before the now-ecstatic trio can intervene, Larxene halts time and confronts the trio with the Real Organization XIII's plan. Larxene informs Sora that if the group fails to gather the seven Guardians of Light, Anna and Elsa's role as the New Seven Hearts will pull the sisters into the Keyblade War. Sora angrily tells Larxene to leave out innocent people, only prompting her to instruct Sora to make haste in the gathering of the guardians in order to prevent casualties. Sora mocks her saying that the Organization is still one member short, but Larxene said that they're ready, surprising them. As Larxene leaves Arendelle, the time of the world resumes.

While Anna and Elsa embrace, Sora, thinking of the Real Organization XIII's plan for the two, begins to worry for their safety. Goofy and Donald console Sora, reassuring him that the strength of the two sisters is enough for their safety. The sisters reconcile, learning that Anna's sacrifice was the act of true love needed to save herself. Elsa suddenly discovers that love is the key emotion to control her cryokinetic abilities, allowing her to undo the eternal winter that curses Arendelle. As the warm, sunny weather returns, everyone rejoices.

Sometime after Xehanort's defeat, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff have gone sledding as Elsa forms an ice ramp for their safe landing and Marshmallow catches Olaf and his body parts.

Characters

 * The Wolfs are mentioned by Kristoff.

Trivia

 * Even though Elsa unfreezes Arendelle at the end of the story, the winter exterior remains for the remainder of the game.