Atlantica

Atlantica is a world that appears in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts II. It is based on the setting of the 1989 film, .

Almost completely underwater, Atlantica is a rocky world with immense holes on its surface. Beneath the surface is an entire world full of fish, merfolk, and other aquatic species that make up King Triton's underwater kingdom. The Heartless that appear in Atlantica are unique to it, such as Sea Neons which resemble jellyfish. In all games, the boss of Atlantica is Ursula (occasionally accompanied by Flotsam and Jetsam).

King Triton is the ruler of this world, and its Keyhole is hidden in Ariel's grotto.

Settings and Areas
Atlantica has been the most drastically changing world throughout the Kingdom Hearts games. In each game it appears in, its gameplay is completely different. In Kingdom Hearts, Ariel joins Sora as a party member and things carry out much like in any other world, with the exception that the controls are different to fit Sora's new form. You are also restricted from using special attacks such as Ars Arcanum. In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Sora doesn't change form at all, and the world is treated just like all other worlds. In Kingdom Hearts II, possibly the biggest change is seen; only two areas can be accessed, and the story progresses through completion of mini-games, rather than through battling enemies.

Kingdom Hearts gives Atlantica a sprawling design that requires certain special abilities to navigate successfully. Sora and company arrive in the a small alcove-like area that is generally calm. From there, the party travels forward, at the , an enormous valley under the sea with numerous alcoves, high-rising rocks and a current throttling upwards. One exit leads to the , which hosts a strong current that only pushes Sora and company without the help of the Dolphin or the Mermaid Kick ability. Following the trident marks, the part is led to a second part of the area which boasts another current of its own. Making it past the area leads to the , a small dark area that boasts a few alcoves but is overall standard. Going higher up, the party reaches the ', a vast area which, similar to the ', also boasts alcoves, a few podium-like rocks with clam shells on them and numerous exits to other areas in Atlantica. The first being , a small room with shelves, stacked with knick-knacks and "thing-a-ma-bobs". Along the left side of the area, the , a small room with a chaise-like rock and a lone clam shell. Another exit is to ', a large, colorful area full of different clam shells, a large, hollow conch shell and a long pathway to the ', an elegant round room where King Triton resides, a save point is present here. Along the right from the ', close to Ariel's Grotto is a large sunken Treasure Chest that is also an exit to the ', a shipwreck site with a large ship in the middle.

After getting into the ' area, Sebastian helps the party find a hidden door in the corner which leads to the creepy and dangerous ', with numerous geysers and stalactites that hang from the ceiling, the right fork leads to the ', a small room with a save point and a clam shell, while the left fork takes the party to the ', a path with numerous lowly sea creatures. Past that,  awaits, a round room with a large conch shell at one end where Ursula resides, a cauldron in the middle of the room and a vanity to the right where the sea witch spends most of her time. Finally, using Mermaid Kick from the ', Sora and the party can reach the very end and find the entrance to the ', a large, dark area where their final encounter with Ursula takes place.

Kingdom Hearts II features a much smaller Atlantica in comparison, with only two areas available for Sora and the party to freely explore. They arrive and interact with the denizens of Atlantica in the , a moderately sized and colorful room, filled with clam shells and undersea flora. Along the way is , similar to the first game, a round room with Triton's throne in the middle and a save point. Numerous areas appear but only in cutscenes and the minigame, these include: Ariel's Grotto, identical to the first game, The Shore, an area over the surface with a vibrant blue sky, and Eric's castle in view and the Wedding Ship, an elegantly crafted ship with purple drapery and wedding decorations.

Kingdom Hearts
Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive in Atlantica, Donald having used magic to alter their forms, they all take the form of undersea folk. Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian make their way to them unknowingly to them and end up introducing themselves to each other. Flounder puts Sora's swimming skills to the test shortly before a number of Heartless invade the light-hearted occasion, Sora and company fend off the Heartless. After the group comes back from hiding, Ariel asks Sora and his friends to accompany her to the palace, they accept. Once at the palace, they meet King Triton, ruler of all seven seas, while Sora and company were headed into the palace, a number of Heartless were following them but Triton dispatches them speedily. While Ariel is elated to see her father, the opposite can be said of her father who scolds her for venturing outside the palace, while Sora, Donald and Goofy talk with him, Goofy mentions the Keyhole to which Triton angrily denies its existence and upsets Ariel with further scolding. Ariel storms off with the group shortly following behind her, while Triton and Sebastian talk about the Heartless, they find out that they are coming from Ursula's lair.

When Ariel takes Sora and company to her grotto, she mentions her interest for the surface and a peculiar interest for a trident-shaped indent in her grotto. She proposes to look for the Keyhole and so they set off to look for it, with Sebastian closely following them. They head to the Sunken Ship and explore its innards to find a Crystal Trdent, resembling the indentation in her grotto. They head back, fighting the savage shark Glut on their way. Once in Ariel's Grotto, Sora places the Crystal Trident in the indent, only for Triton to arrive and noticing Ariel's disobedience, he destroys it. Ariel, crushed, rushes out of the grotto and spends some time in the Undersea Garden. Triton then confronts Sora of being from another world and declaring that the [[Keyblade] and its bearer as bringing ruin to all worlds and tells him to leave the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Ursula approaches Ariel and makes a deal with her, in helping her reach other worlds in exchange for entry to the palace to find the Keyhole. While Sora and company make their way to the palace, Ariel escorts Ursula to the palace and as soon as Sora and company arrive, Ursula grabs a hold onto Triton's trident and overpowers him, and while finding out the Keyhole is not in the palace, flees. Triton asks and advises the trio to go after Ursula and get his trident back so that she may be taken care of. Sebastian and Ariel accompany them in pursuit of Ursula. When they make their way back to the Sunken Ship, they find a rock with a peculiar rune on it, a small button is nearby of which only Sebastian can reach. They open the door with his help and make their way to Ursula's Lair, they confront Ursula and her minions, Flotsam and Jetsam, and defeat them in battle, destroying the two eels in the process. Ursula retreats in the Open Ocean, where she uses the power of the trident to make herself titanic, Sora and company follow her as she grows, and after a drawn-out battle, triumph over her.

After retrieving the trident, they return it to Triton who gives a solemn apology to Ariel for driving her into helping Ursula and reveals that the crystal he destroyed would have revealed the Keyhole in her grotto. He lends Ariel the trident so that she can reveal the Keyhole and requests Sora to seal it. Once they make their way to her grotto, Ariel places the trident causing the Keyhole to appear, Sora locks it and then apologizes to Ariel for not telling her he was from another world, but she forgives him and expresses her wish to visit other worlds herself someday.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
In Castle Oblivion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy use one of the World Cards to enter a fascimile of Atlantica based on their memories. They meet Ariel, who has stolen Triton's trident from the palace. After speaking with Sebastian at the palace they follow Ariel to her grotto and discover that Ursula has promised to reunite her with Flounder, who Ursula claims is trapped in the human world. Sora and the others agree to accompany Ariel to confront Ursula and discover that Flounder was held captive by her and demands the trident as ransom. Ariel reluctantly hands it to Ursula, and though she releases Flounder as promised, she uses the trident to grow to a colossus and attacks. Sora victoriously defeats her and Ariel recovers the trident, choosing to tell the truth to her father when she returns it to him.

Later, Riku visits this world in Castle Oblivion but encounters Ursula, alone and defeats her in battle.

Kingdom Hearts II
One night, after a storm, Ariel swims up to the surface and finds Prince Eric, unconscious, floating on a piece of wreckage and brings him to shore. Infatuated by him, she sings to him, but disappears into the sea when he begins to get out from under, leaving him curious as to who it was who saved him.

Once Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive back in Atlantica, they reunite with Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder who bring Sora back up to speed regarding his swimming skills. Sebastian introduces the group to the concert that he is planning and asks them to join him, in order to preoccupy Ariel and cheer her up. Once Sora and the others learn the basics of the concert, they perform a song together. King Triton arrives by and tells Sora that he hopes the rehearsals for the concert will keep Ariel's mind off the human world. While Ariel is still unable to focus on rehearsals, Flounder suggests they give her a statue of Eric that had sunk from his wrecked ship.

The bring the statue to her grotto and to her delight, she beings to sings about her fascination of life on the surface, Sora then promises to help her. Sebastian writes a new song, which celebrates live under the sea and puts Sora to the test in learning it.

They perform the song, but Ariel, uninterested in life under the sea, tells Sebastian she would prefer to sing about harmony between the surface and what lies beneath, to his dismay. Ariel threatens to not participate in the musical and storms off. Sebastian laments in that she has fallen in love with a human, with Triton closely eavesdrops. On the surface, Ariel brings Sora and the others to the beach to show them Eric, who is looking for the girl who had saved him that one night. They see Eric lose a pendant on the shore, however it gets lodged between a few rocks.

Once they retrieve the pendant, Ariel plans on returning it to Eric, but Triton confronts her about it, and despite her attempts to reason with him, he destroys the statue Flounder and company had brought to Ariel. Ariel flees, devasated, and is then approached by Ursula who offers to turn her into a human for three days in exchange for her voice. However, if Ariel can get Eric to kiss her before the three days are over, she will remain human, otherwise she will return to mermaid form and belong to Ursula. Sora and company arrive too late to prevent Ariel from signing Ursula's contract and unable to stop her magic, too. The help the now-human Ariel to the surface and is soon found on the beach by Eric. Although unable to speak, she returns the pendant and he takes her into his care.

Over the next few days, Sebastian and Flounder keep an eye on Ariel while Sora and his accomplices try to find Ursula, but to no avail. On the second day of Ariel's human form, Ariel and Eric nearly kiss but Flotsam and Jetsam interfere with their plans and delay the kiss even further. One the last day, and no sign of Ursula, Sora, Donald and Goofy return to the beach to see Ariel in tears, with Eric walking with a black-haired girl, Vanessa, who sings in Ariel's voice. Flounder eventually recognizes the girl's necklace as being similar to the one Ursula wears and so concludes that she is Ursula in disguise. Sora uses a beam of light from the Keyblade to break the necklace and restore Ariel's voice, freeing Eric for Ursula's influence. Eric realizes Ariel is the girl who saved him but the sun sets, and Ursula, back in her true form, takes Ariel back to the sea, with Sora and company in pursuit.

Back underwater, Triton confronts Ursula and offers himself in Ariel's place, putting his name on Ariel's contract. Ursula transforms Triton into a polyp and takes his trident. She threatens Triton, but Eric, who followed Ariel underwater, grazes her arm with a harpoon. Enraged, Ursula sends Flotsam and Jetsam after him and uses the trident to grow to giant size. During the ensuing battle, Sora manages to destroy the two eels, then knocks the trident from Ursula's hand. Eric throws the trident, piercing Ursula and destroying her. After the battle, Ariel sadly shows Eric her mermaid form, but Eric reaffirms his love, and they embrace.

Later, while Ariel and Eric continue seeing each other, with Triton's support, Sebastion continues planning the musical. In order to make it the best ever, he asks Sora for his help with an idea he has. In the end, the concert features a song celebrating Ariel and Eric's love and peace between above and below the surface. After the concert, Sora opens a Gate with the Keyblade, but before they leave, Sora, Donald, and Goofy sing a goodbye song, saying that they will meet again.

Sometime after the defeat of Xemnas, Ariel has become fully human, and she and Eric are on their wedding cruise, waving to King Triton, Sebastian, and Flounder.

Character Design
Atlantica is unique in that Sora takes on a different form while in the world, courtesy of Donald Duck's magic. While in Atlantica, he is transformed into a "dolphin merboy", while Donald himself becomes a half-duck half-octopus creature, and Goofy a sea turtle. While in the Castle Oblivion version of Atlantica, however, Sora's party does not disguise themselves, and even remark on being able to breathe and walk despite ostensibly being underwater.

Other
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