Beast's Castle



Beast's Castle is a World in Kingdom Hearts II and is based off of the 1991 Disney film ''Beauty and the Beast.

Taking place entirely within and on the grounds of a Loire Valley-styled castle in old France, Sora, Donald, Goofy reunite with their friends Beast and Belle, who they had met at Hollow Bastion in the previous game. Like the first game, Beast will eventually join and fight with Sora's party in this area. In addition, several characters new to the Kingdom Hearts universe are introduced, most notably the servents of the Castle, including Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts.

The theme music for Beast's Castle is "Waltz of the Damned", and the battle theme is "Dance of the Darling".

Setting
Sora and his party enter in, appropriately enough, the castle's Entrance Hall. They cannot go out the castle's main doors yet, but a small door to the east leads to the Parlor, where they have an abrupt encounter with Beast and some Heartless. The Parlor also holds the world's Moogle shop, as well as a save point. To the north back in the Entrance Hall is a grand staircase that leads to both wings of the castle ; going straight ahead takes the party into the magnificant Ballroom, where a number of plot points take place.

Going to the east takes the party to the East Wing, where Belle's Room is. Here, she provides information, a few chests, and a save point. Going to the west takes the party to the much larger and more involved West Hall. Suits of armor block the stairs to the right, and so the only place Sora and his group can explore, once The Wardrobe is moved, is the Undercroft. After a boss battle, the party reaches the Dungeon, where they meet Beast's servants and learn of the world's events. The group goes out of a secret passage in the Undercroft to the Secret Passage, which allows them to sneak behind the armored suits blocking the stairs back in the West Hall. Entering the door opposite the Secret Passage takes the group to the West Wing proper, at the end of which is Beast's Room.

During the second trip to Beast's Castle, the main doors of the Entrance Hall unlock, allowing Sora to access two more areas, the Courtyard, full of fighting gargoyles, and the Bridge, where the final confrontation with Xaldin takes place.

Story
The story revolves around Xaldin's attempts to turn Beast into a powerful Heartless, so they can use his Heartless and his Nobody to assist Organization XIII.