Hollow Bastion



Hollow Bastion is a World from Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. Not based on a Disney film, though showing Disney influence, Hollow Bastion is a colossal castle that towers above the rest of its world, the Radiant Garden. At one point, it was the only remaining part of the world, along with the waterways beneath it. Because of this, the world itself was known as "Hollow Bastion" in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and most of Kingdom Hearts II. However, it regains its original name by the end of Kingdom Hearts II.

Unlike the rest of the Radiant Garden, which poses as Final Fantasy's world, Hollow Bastion has no relation to Final Fantasy whatsoever. Many point out Hollow Bastion is reminicent of two Disney movies, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. However, it is mentioned that both actual worlds were destroyed, and Beast's Castle serves as a world in Kingdom Hearts II.

Kingdom Hearts
Sora and the rest of the party enter Hollow Bastion at the Rising Falls, appropriately named as they are waterfalls that run up instead of down. Jumping on mystical floating rocks and ledges takes the party to the first of many magical platforms that are scattered throughout the castle. The platform takes Sora to the Castle Gates, the main entrance of Hollow Bastion which is made up of a set of balconies and lifts running outside the castle. From here, the party can travel down into the underground water system or enter the castle itself.

Going down the nearby platform or leaping off the edge of the balcony takes the party to Base Level, an area full of ledges, switches, and enemies. Succesfully climbing to the balcony near the entrance earns extra treasures, while taking a nearby bubble carries them to the Waterway, where a series of gates, switches, and bubbles must be navigated to operate the castle gate controls.

Going in the doors at the other end of the Castle Gates area takes the party to the massive two-level Entrance Hall, where a large puzzle must be solved to continue up the castle by allowing access to the second half of the Castle Gates area. Going left takes the party to the Library, also the site of a large puzzle involving organizing misplaced books; Belle and Aerith can later be found here after the Hollow Bastion Keyhole is locked. Also accessible from the Library is the first of many entrances to the Lift Stop, a series of magic lifts separated by mystical barriers.

Continuing up the castle by taking the lift on the other side of the Castle Gates area is the Great Crest, where the largest of the magic lifts is located. After a long and slow journey across the front of the bastion, the party is dropped on the other side, where they can take the Lift Stop to the next area, the High Tower, where the crest can be moved to create a way up to the upper levels of the castle. Through the Lift Stop at the opposite end of the High Tower is the entrance to the castle Chapel, where the confrontations with Maleficent take place. Once passed, the final area holding Hollow Bastion's Keyhole and the Princesses of Heart, the Grand Hall is open to confront Riku in. Eventually, the Keyhole here can be sealed.

Kingdom Hearts II
Because of the damage to Hollow Bastion in the first game, much of the focus in Hollow Bastion the second time around is on the village that surrounds the bottom of the castle. Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in the Marketplace, which houses the world's Moogle shop, as well as Uncle Scrooge and his venturing nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Past the Marketplace is the Borough, which sits next to one of the massive walls of the village defenses. From there, the party can drop in on their friends at Merlin's House or continue to the Bailey, which eventually suffers a bit of damage at the hands of the Heartless.

The good news is the damage to the Bailey allows access to the remains of the Castle by opening up an entrance to the Restoration Site. Fighting their way through this area in turn takes them to the Postern, site of a save point and the entrance to the bastion itself. Going inside, the party must navigate the twisting Corridors before reaching the end at Ansem's Study, where many of the mysteries surrounding Ansem can be solved, but many more created. Going through the hidden entrance finally takes the party to the Heartless Manufactory, and from there the entrance to Space Paranoids.

History
Hollow Bastion was a glorious castle owned by Ansem the Wise. Much of the history of the castle is unknown, other than that Ansem ruled the Radiant Garden from it. However, eventually Xehanort took over, and remodeled the castle to include multiple machinery. The result was a twisted bastion; half beautiful castle, half distorted factory. Maleficent, during her reign of the castle, made additional changes as well. It is probable that she either created or remodeled the castle's keep, which has decorations and models of roses and her thorned plants.

In Kingdom Hearts II, the castle is being rebuilt, with the help of cranes and other machinery.

Kingdom Hearts
Maleficent used Hollow Bastion as a base to lead her horde of Disney Villains and the Heartless. When Sora, Donald and Goofy reached Hollow Bastion they found Riku attacking the Beast. Sora's keyblade was taken by Riku and because Donald and Goofy had to follow the key, they left Sora for Riku. Sora went inside the castle, after unlocking the main door and confronted Riku and got the Keyblade back, thanks to Goofy and Donald's loyalty to him. Riku fled the scene, and was confronted by Xehanort's Heartless, who promised Riku the power to defeat Sora, and save Kairi. In his frustration over his loss to Sora, Riku gave into the darkness, and was possessed, but was given a Dark Keyblade that was made by the princess' hearts. Sora and friends defeated Maleficent, who was then transformed into a large Dragon by Riku, who stabbed the Dark Keyblade into her which unlocked her heart. Sora and company were still able to defeat her, and Maleficent seemingly died. Sora and company then moved to the main hall, where Sora found Kairi and was challenged by Riku. Sora found out that Kairi's heart had been inside him all along, and that she would only awaken if Sora unlocked his heart. And so, after he defeated Riku, he stabbed himself with the Dark Keyblade, unlocking his heart, transforming himsef into a Heartless, returning the hearts of the princess (including Kairi) to them, and creating two Nobodies; Roxas and Naminé. Riku saved Kairi, Donald and Goofy's lives, by regaining control of his body briefly, and telling Kairi to run. Kairi and company then ran into Sora, as a Shadow, and because she was using Sora's heart as well as her own, she was able to restore Sora to his original body. The four of them then fled Hollow Bastion, but Sora, Donald, Goofy would return to the main hall, defeat the Behemoth, and seal the Keyhole. Sora also has his first encounter with Xemnas and any Organization XIII member here; he fights Xemnas in the same room he fought Maleficent, and after some cryptic messages, Xemnas leaves, revealing in Kingdom Hearts II that he was testing Sora.

Kingdom Hearts II


Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cloud have started the Hollow Bastion Restoration committee; an organization attempting to rebuild the world that the four grew up on. Sora first arrives here after meeting with Yen Sid in Twilight Town and has his first encounter with Organization XIII here. After defending the town from Nobodies, Sora heads out to search for King Mickey and Riku. When he returns, he finally meets the King, and learns that the King can't tell him about Riku. Sora also enters the world of Space Paranoids for the first time. After defeating the giant Heartless army Maleficent has conjured, he kills Demyx, and meets Saïx and Axel who both tell him that they cannot help him. He also learns of the Organization's plans. When he returns yet a third time, he travels into Space Paranoids, and when he defeats the MCP, he learns from the data Tron gathered the true name of the town; Radiant Garden.

Trivia

 * Part of the original music for Hollow Bastion involved a segment from the Sitar Concerto No. 2
 * Promotional images of Kingdom Hearts II depict Sora, Donald and Goofy in battle on the upper levels of the castle as it appeared in the first game, as well as five Organization members at an unspecified location outside the castle, as opposed to six members appearing in the town.