In the Belly of the Beast
Monstro has swallowed up Sora and the gang, but there’s a lot more going on inside this whale’s stomach than meets the eye. Pinocchio and Geppetto have also been swallowed up, and are desperately looking for a way out. When you first arrive, you’ll have to follow Pinocchio over to the ship for a small scene with Geppetto. Pinocchio runs off to explore, so naturally, you’ll have to go after him.
The next series of areas to explore is a very complicated and twisting maze that will get most people lost. Some chambers circle back on themselves while others lead to dead ends. For the quickest path to your destination, follow the step-by-step navigation guide provided below.
- Entering from the Mouth starts you in Chamber 1. Take out any Heartless that show up, and then hop up onto the higher ledge and enter Chamber 2.
- Inside Chamber 2, defeat all of the Heartless that appear and be sure to grab the nearby Treasure Chest. When you’re done, head into Chamber 3 straight ahead.
- The doorway in Chamber 2 has brought you to the mid-level of Chamber 3. While fighting and traversing in this area, it is important not to fall off, as this will force you to return to Chamber 1 and start all over. Use the barrels nearby to reach some of the higher platforms, like the one with a Treasure Chest. Hop back down to the mid-level platform and proceed through to Chamber 2 (this is not the same door you used to enter Chamber 3 though. There is another door that also leads to Chamber 2 directly across from the door you used to enter Chamber 3).
- Back in Chamber 2, it is important not to fall off this higher level. Knock out all of the Heartless that appear and then jump from atop one of the barrels to reach the platform across the gap with a Treasure Chest. Jump on top of one of the barrels on this platform to jump back across the gap and use the nearby doorway to enter Chamber 5.
- Clear out all of the Heartless in the room and head straight through to Chamber 6.
- Entering Chamber 6 will drop you right in a battle with some Barrel Spiders. Take them out, but be sure not to fall off the top step in this area and fall to the lower level. You will not be able to get back up and you’ll have to pretty much start all over. Once you’ve made your way down the steps, taking out all of the Heartless that show up, collect the Treasure Chest nearby. Head back up the steps and climb up on one of the remaining barrels to access a platform above with another Treasure Chest. Drop back down and head through the doorway at the bottom of the steps to access Chamber 5.
- This lower area of Chamber 5 is filled with Heartless, so clear them out when you first enter. Use the Blue trinity to obtain a ton of Munny and a Cottage. Be sure to grab the nearby Treasure Chests also. Use the nearby barrel to jump up to the higher ledge and take out all of the Heartless up here without falling off the edge. Use the barrel near the doorway to reach the higher platforms on the walls. There are Treasure Chests here as well. Hop back down and go through the doorway you passed earlier to access Chamber 4.
Chamber 4 has a Save Point that you should probably use before entering the Bowels. Inside, a nasty Heartless waits for you!
Boss: Parasite Cage
HP: 450 / EXP: 500
The Parasite Cage is a relatively easy battle compared to some of the bosses you’ve taken down lately. It attacks mostly by flailing its arms around, knocking you away and dealing only minor damage. You can usually hammer through with aerial combos pretty successfully without being interrupted too much.
You should target the head until it faints temporarily, at which point you should shift your attention to its caged stomach. Attacking this section will deal a little more damage than when you were attacking the head, and will also cause the Parasite Cage to drop MP Orbs with each hit. Don’t worry too much about healing during this fight, as Riku will heal you pretty frequently.
Victory Reward: Cheer Ability for Goofy
More to Explore
Defeating the Parasite Cage forces it to release Pinocchio and flee somewhere deeper into Monstro. The middle of the Bowels area opens up and the gang is returned to the Mouth, where the water level has recently dropped, allowing you explore some new areas. You can also obtain the High Jump Shared Ability from the Treasure Chest that has recently appeared on the ship by Geppetto after the cutscene.
With the lowered water level, you can now reach the platforms in the piles of wood scattered throughout the Mouth. There are lots of items to collect high up near the roof of the mouth, and now that you have the High Jump, you can reach them more easily. Start by jumping up to the roof of the ship from the side railing. Up there is a Green Trinity which will grant you access to a Treasure Chest.
Jump back down and jump across the gap from the ship to the recently revealed platform on the left and climb up the platforms to find a Treasure Chest. Jump and curve around the pile of wood to the next platform and hop up to the top to find another Treasure Chest.
From the top of the pile, jump down to the water and swim around the center pile until you come across a newly revealed platform with a Blue Trinity on it. Activate it to obtain tons of Munny, a Cottage, and two Potions. From there, jump across the water to the platforms up against the walls of the mouth and climb up to reach a Treasure Chest.
Drop back down to the platform where the Trinity Mark was and jump across the water to the other platform along the wall and climb up there to reach a Treasure Chest. Continue along the wall until you reach the large archway above the entrance to Chamber 1. This new opening will lead you to the new Throat area.
Mini Game: Mushroom Heartless
Inside the Throat, several Heartless will appear. They may be standard Heartless, but there’s also a chance that a new breed of Mushroom Heartless will appear known as the Rare Truffle. These bouncy little guys love to remain airborne as much as possible, and to get them to leave you any kind of rewards, you’ll need to keep them aloft. Knock them up into the air consecutively without dropping them, and if you rack up enough hits, they’ll drop some amazing prizes. The Rare Truffle is the only one of the three types of Mushroom Heartless that will drop the rare Mystery Goo 100% of the time, but that’s only if you can manage to keep them up in the air long enough for them to drop it. For more information on these enemies, visit our Mini Games pages.
Once you’ve cleared the room, drop back down to the floor and activate the Blue Trinity to collect another Mythril Shard and a bunch of Munny. When you’re ready, jump back up all of the platforms until you reach the top of the room, where the entrance to the Stomach can be found.
Boss: Parasite Cage
HP: 900 / EXP: 1000
The Parasite Cage has gotten considerably harder this time around, and the acidic goo lining the floors of the Stomach don’t help! Stand in it for too long, and it’ll begin to suck your HP down before you know it. Be sure to constantly be moving in this fight, and don’t be afraid to utilize the platforms along the walls to avoid being hit by some of the Parasite Cage’s more deadly attacks.
Aside from its typical arm thrashing, the Parasite Cage has picked up a few new tricks. If you ever see it stick its arms into the acidic goo, get behind it. This means its about to release a poisonous gas attack that will leave a lasting poison on Sora, sucking his HP away gradually until it wears off. Likewise, if you ever see it stick its arms into the walls, this means that its about to wind up for a swinging thrust attack that will deal some pretty heavy damage. Avoid this attack by getting off to the side of the Parasite Cage, as it will be unable to hit you there.
Despite all of these new things to watch out for, the Parasite Cage is still vulnerable in the head at first. Once you manage to knock it out, it’ll faint temporarily and leave its stomach wide open for a more effective assault. Attacking the stomach will also cause it to drop lots of HP Orbs and MP Orbs to replenish your characters for when it gets back up.
Victory Reward: Stop Magic
After defeating the Parasite Cage for the last time, Monstro sneezes and the party is forced back out to the Gummi Ship to continue on to the next world.