Infernal Engine

The Infernal Engine is an Emblem Heartless that is found in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It is one of the bosses at Beast's Castle.

Design
The Infernal Engine is a large, box-shaped, apparently mechanical Heartless with four black wheels, two on either side of its body. It appears to be predominantly made of wood. Its face takes up its entire front side, with a large, red, jagged mouth with yellow "lips" on its lower half, and a black "forehead" with silver, metal additives on it. Its eyes are a glowing yellow color and its Heartless emblem is in the middle of its face. There is a wooden guardrail on its top decorated by yellow and red patterns as well as four white spikes. The Infernal Engine is able to release a battering ram, hammer, and boxes from its mouth.

Riding atop of the Infernal Engine are several smaller Heartless, referred to as "archers" in the Journal. Each of these Heartless wear silver armor, including a bullet-shaped helmet with an opening for their black faces and glowing yellow eyes. All of their helmets sport two short spikes and a curled, black antenna, and they do not seem to have legs, instead balancing on a spike. They wield large, indigo weapons that fire projectiles and each sports a Heartless emblem emblazoned on their chests.

The Infernal Engine's name has several potential meanings. "Infernal" could refer to the fireballs its fires, as "infernal" can mean "of a great fire", or it could refer to its antagonistic nature, since infernal can also mean "fiendish" or "of or relating to hell". "Engine" is a reference to its apparent mechanical nature and its use as a vehicle by the smaller Heartless archers. The Infernal Engine's Japanese name, "Demon's Fortress", reflects its massive, sturdy construct and the way the archers use it as a "fortress" of sorts. This name and the Infernal Engine's behavior are also reminiscent of the Demon Wall enemy from the Final Fantasy series. The English name may be a reference to another Final Fantasy enemy, the Doomtrain.

Strategy
The battle with the Infernal Engine can be quite difficult. When the three "archer" Heartless drive the main boss, they can allow it to perform a variety of attacks. These all appear rapidly, and the flurry of moves can only be slowed by defeating the three lesser Heartless. When the smaller Heartless are in control, the Infernal Engine's attacks are as follows:


 * Shoots arrows that rain down from above. This can be avoided by staying mobile.
 * Summons bombs from the Infernal Engine's maw. This can be blocked with the Block Ability.
 * Causes a giant hammer to appear from out of the Infernal Engine's maw, smashing the ground and creating a giant shockwave. This can be avoided by staying as close as possible to the Infernal Engine, or by Blocking.
 * Extends a battering ram. After a number of seconds, the Infernal Engine charges forward to trample Roxas. This can be avoided by moving away from the Heartless before it charges.
 * Extends a cannon, firing cannonballs in succession. The cannonballs can be reflected using Block to destroy the archers.

If all three archers are destroyed, the Infernal Engine will spit out boxes containing Soldier Heartless until the archers revive.. Ignore them and keep hitting the Infernal Engine with aerial combos. The Soldiers will eventually disappear. The three archers will respawn in a short time. Utilize the Limit Break, should Roxas hit low HP and remember to heal periodically.

A useful tactic to defeat the Infernal Engine is to eliminate all but one of the archers. Reflect two cannonballs using Block, then dodge the rest. With only one archer remaining, the Infernal Engine is restricted to use only its battering ram ability. When the battering ram emerges from the Engine, land a combo or two, then immediately move away. After the Infernal Engine charges forward, it will return to its position at the other end of the bridge, and will resume using its battering ram ability indefinitely. Repeat the process of attacking and moving away from the Heartless until it is defeated.