Halloween Town

Halloween Town is a world from the Kingdom Hearts series, based on 's 1993 classic stop-motion Disney film, . The ruler of this world is Jack Skellington, although he is not the mayor. This is most likely because he is in charge of making Halloween. Santa Claus is the ruler of the Christmas Town section. The Keyhole in this world is hidden underneath Oogie Boogie's manor.

According to the BradyGame's Kingdom Hearts II official strategy guide, Halloween Town was added again simply because of the overwhelming fanbase.

Settings and areas
Based on the holiday of Halloween, Halloween Town is in a constant state of night, lighted mainly by the bright full moon overhead. The area has a twisted, Gothic, and creepy appearance.

Girochin Hiroba (ギロチン広場) (localized as  in Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days) is named after the deadly guillotine in the middle of the area. There is also a fountain full of green water and various ledges to climb on. In Kingdom Hearts II, the area takes on a slightly different appearance: the fountain now squirts water that deals damage, the guillotine can come down to damage characters if they pass beneath it, one of the gates (with presents behind it) deals damage if Sora and company come near it, and nearby grates spew poisonous gas. In both games, the Square links directly to the Kenkyūjo (研究所), also known as Finkerusutain Kenkyūjo (フィンケルスタイン研究所) in Kingdom Hearts II. In Kingdom Hearts, it also links to Girochin Hiroba: Iriguchi (ギロチン広場:入口) (called  in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days), which serves as the entrance to Halloween Town.

Near the square is a Hitsugi no Arubochi (棺のある墓地) that serves as a connection to other places in both games. In Kingdom Hearts II, the gravestones can be knocked over for Drive Orbs and damage. In both games, the Graveyard leads to Tsuki no Mieru Oka (月の見える丘) (called Supairaru Hiru (スパイラルヒル) in Kingdom Hearts II); with a sundae swirl hill that can uncurl in Kingdom Hearts to take the party to the next area. In Kingdom Hearts II, the left fork in the Graveyard takes the party to the Hintārando (ヒンターランド), a quiet wood leading to a group of trees carved with various symbols of other holidays. They lead to towns of various holidays - Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and Valentine's Day.

In Kingdom Hearts, traveling over Moonlight Hill takes the party to the Tsuribashi (吊り橋) leading to Oogie's Manor and the Saki-tachi no Heya (小鬼たちの部屋) which serves as the hideout of Lock, Shock, and Barrel, as well as Oogie Boogie's own Bugī no Gōmon-shitsu (ブギーの拷問室). After Oogie's defeat, the site is known as the Bugī no Yashiki Ato (ブギーの屋敷跡).

In Kingdom Hearts II, the Hinterlands takes characters to Machihazure no Oka (街外れ), where they can travel down the Kurisumasu-dōri (クリスマス通り) to reach Christmas Town. In Christmas Town, characters can visit Santa Claus himself in Santa no Heya (サンタの部屋) and explore the Haisō Eria (配送エリア) and Konpō Eria (梱包エリア) of the Omocha Kōjō (おもちゃ工場). Later in the game, Kurisumasu Hiroba (クリスマス広場) becomes accessible, and is the location of a boss battle.

Kingdom Hearts
Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in Halloween Town and notice several Heartless immobile. They soon spot their true purpose after watching them introduce Jack Skellington. However, the Pumpkin King is not pleased with the results and decides to consult Dr. Finkelstein in an effort to make the Heartless even more terrifying. Sora, Donald, and Goofy follow him and watch as the two discuss a way to fit Jack's needs. They decide to give the Heartless a heart, but their first attempt fails to work. The doctor sends Jack to find Sally and the Mayor, as they have the missing ingredients. As they are searching for the ingredients, Lock, Shock, and Barrel learn about their plans and inform Oogie Boogie. The villain orders his henchman to steal the artificial heart, which they promptly do after the group return. Jack sends his ghost dog, Zero, to follow them and they, in turn, pursue the spirit.

Their hunt leads them to Oogie Boogie's Manor where they defeat the thieves, but Oogie is nowhere to be found. They search the Torture Chamber, hidden underneath the manor, and find the villain, who devours the experiment in a bid to control the Heartless. Due to the artificial state of the heart, not many Heartless answer the call and, in a fit of rage, Oogie Boogie attacks. The group prevail in defeating him before departing the manor. However, Oogie Boogie fuses with his manor to extract revenge. He is defeated once more by the combined powers of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack. Returning to the lab, Jack decides to cancel the Heartless Halloween festival and invites Sora to return next year.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Inside the Halloween Town created in Castle Oblivion, Sora and company immediately run into Jack, who is attempting to get rid of the Heartless due to their attacking instead of just scaring. Jack goes to consult Dr. Finkelstein about it while Sora, Donald and Goofy follow. Once at the lab, Dr. Finkelstein reveals his latest invention: a potion to recover a person's "true memories", ones unaffected by the passage of time. Somehow, the potion is causing the Heartless to invade. While Dr. Finkelstein is certain he can solve the problem, the potion then appears to have been stolen. Sora and Jack team up to recover it, believed to be in the hands of Sally. They soon find her with the potion, as she stole it out of fear of what could happen if someone tried consuming it. That prospect intrigues Oogie Boogie, who leaps out from nearby and swipes the potion, planning to drink it up and see what terrors he can unleash of Halloween Town. Sora and the others give chase, but are too late to stop Oogie from drinking the formula. Oogie's true memories send him into a deep state of fear and he fights the group, only to be defeated. Meeting at the lab, Sora declines to try the remaining formula, remembering he promised Axel he'd try and recover his memories on his own.

Later, Riku enters a simulation of Halloween Town in the Basement and encounters Oogie, whom he promptly defeats.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
During his first mission to Halloween Town (Mission 42, Day 149), Roxas encounters Jack Skellington, who ponders how to make Halloween scarier and more shocking than ever before. Roxas leaves him to think, and continues on his mission to collect hearts. On Roxas's next few missions to Halloween Town, he finds there are fewer and fewer Heartless, making heart collecting more difficult. Roxas uses Zero, who is able to locate hidden Heartless, to help him finish his mission. After a few more visits to Halloween Town, Roxas grows annoyed of Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who had been playing tricks on him, and attempts to stop them. The trio attack Roxas, who defeats them, and they promise not to play tricks on him anymore. Barrel almost divulges information on what they've been doing, but Lock quiets him and the trio escape. Disregarding their promise, the three play the same trick on Roxas immediately on his next arrival. After completing his mission, Roxas tries to leave, but is attacked by a Tentaclaw. He defeats it and RTC's. The Organization reports that the Heartless population in Halloween Town is unusually low, so Roxas is sent to investigate. When he arrives at Guillotine Plaza, a Creepworm appears, fleeing from something. Another Tentaclaw sprouts from the ground and swallows the Creepworm. Roxas searches for the source outside of town and sees Lock, Shock, and Barrel escaping over the wall to Boogie's home. He defeats the Tentaclaws at Curly Hill, before taking on the source of the cannibalistic appendages, the Leechgrave, at Manor Ruins. However, Jack, watching from outside the zone of battle, likes the idea of a Halloween with "a black cloak and black tentacles," and creates a scarecrow in Roxas's image.

During Mission 79, Roxas teams up with Xigbar to eliminate a Chill Ripper, which appears by the Suspension Bridge.

During Mission 87, Roxas is dispatched to battle three Windstorms in Guillotine Plaza.

On his last mission to Halloween Town (Mission 88), Roxas begins to worry about Xion, and resolves to finish his mission as quickly as possible and return to the castle to speak with her. As he searches through Halloween Town, Roxas is unable to find any Heartless. He decides to check outside of town, and encounters what he believes is an Orcus. The Heartless proves hard to handle, but Axel arrives and intervenes, as the Orcus is revealed to be Xion. Axel explains that the battle was a "setup" to get the two to fight to the death, disposing of the weaker one. They leave for Twilight Town, disturbed by the Organization's intentions.

On Day 357, Xion transports Roxas to Manor Ruins, where Roxas does battle with Xion's second form.

Kingdom Hearts II
By the time Sora, Donald and Goofy return to Halloween Town, it has been decorated for Christmas. They run into Jack, who appoints them to act as bodyguards so he can bring Santa Claus to see all his work. Maleficent arrives shortly afterwards and recruits Lock, Shock and Barrel as minions to destroy Christmas Town. However, when Jack's group arrive to see Santa, Maleficent changes her plans to getting revenge on Sora and the others first. Upon hearing Oogie had been destroyed by Sora, she brings him back to assist in ruining Christmas. Maleficent and Oogie kidnaps Santa, leaving the Prison Keeper behind to assist Lock, Shock and Barrel in delaying the heroes. Sora and co. destroy the Heartless and learn of Oogie's return. Sally finds them and informs them that Santa has been captured.

In Christmas Town, Maleficent prepares to turn Santa into a Heartless, but is then dismissed by Oogie. Sora and co. arrive and fight Oogie, who has converted the toy factory into a Heartless-producing machine. Beating Oogie, the bag of bugs springs leaks and Donald steps on the bug serving as Oogie's brain. Though Jack wishes to continue his plan to help Santa, Santa tells Jack that he is needed to manage Halloween just as Christmas needs him, which Jack accepts and decides to look for new ways to create fear. Jack's Santa suit glows and opens new Gate, which Sora promptly unlocks, allowing passage to Pride Lands.

On their second visit, Sora, Donald, and Goofy learn from Jack that Christmas presents are being stolen, and resolve to find out who and to what end. After discovering that Lock, Shock, and Barrel and the Heartless are not to blame, they visit Santa and request to make Decoy Presents to draw out the thief. After hiding in a huge box, they surprise the thief, which happens to be Dr. Finkelstein's Experiment. A battle goes on with the raging machine, but Sora and co. come out on top, learning from Dr. Finkelstein later that the Experiment wished only to know the happiness that Christmas brings. Jack, all the while, thinks the box makes the magic, but learns from Sora that what matters is the principle of giving. After this, Jack and Sally share a romantic moment in the snow, with Donald and Goofy comforting Sora about giving Kairi a real Christmas present, one that comes from his heart.

Some time after Xemnas's defeat, Jack is seen discussing plans for the next Halloween with everyone in Dr. Finkelstein's lab.

Characters
The ghosts Alberto, Pietro, Luciano, Sophia, and Maria appear when the party first lands, as well as in the Graveyard. One of the Hanging Tree's Hangmen also appears in the Graveyard.

Character Design
During their time in Halloween Town, Sora, Donald and Goofy each wear a monster costume in order to suit the town's season. Sora's attire is reminiscent of vampires while Donald and Goofy resemble a mummy and, respectively. Other characters, such as Riku, Mickey and Maleficent, retain their normal outfits but are shaded with a darker hue.

Trivia

 * Halloween Town is one of two Disney worlds that didn't follow the plot of its original movie (with some alterations to suit the game's story) in its debut (the other being Atlantica). In Kingdom Hearts, it only bore similarities to the beginning of The Nightmare Before Christmas (plot wise) and didn't actually get to the movie's main plot until Kingdom Hearts II which even then, it is implied by certain pieces of dialogue that the events of Halloween Town in the game take place after the movie, such as Santa's "What sort of trouble did you bring about this time" retort (which Jack, when questioned by Sora, stated that it's a "long story"), as well as Jack's line about how he wasn't even the one who told Lock, Shock, and Barrel to come to Christmas Town this time.


 * The save point at Oogie's Manor, i.e. Evil Playroom, does appear at the landing menu of the gummi sequence as long as the manor is up. After defeating Oogie Boogie and sealing the Keyhole in Halloween Town, the save point at Guillotine Gate is the sole save point in Halloween Town.

🇰🇲