o Proceeding to leave, follow Sephiroth through the shell valley and past the caves. Eventually, you will reach outside on top of the glacier regions. o Head to the village of GlacierLodge, towards the peak of the mountains.
o Upon arriving in the village of GlacierLodge, talk to the people and explore the buildings.
o Go to the house located towards the eastern region of the village. (Nearby the area where the 2 children are building the snowman)
[!] - You will find a map of the glacier regions posted on a wall. If you search on it, you will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> Look at the map.
Bottom Choice -> Take the map.
(You may want to actually take the map, as you will find it extremely useful during your upcoming journeys.) [!]
o Walk towards the every northern end of the village and talk to the person walking nearby. He will warn you not to proceed on through the path - you will be given choices:
Top Choice -> Ignore him and go through the path regardless.
Bottom Choice -> Thank him for his kind words of wisdom.
(Choose the top choice - a brief sequence will follow.)
o As Irina (from the Taaks) and the two Shinra guards enter the scene, she will stop you from going any further and will accuse you for what Sephiroth has done to Tsuon back at the ancient ruins. She will even attempt to take a swing at you! (^o^)
[Tip!] - As the conversation ends, Irina will attempt to take a swing at you. Press [right] or [left] on the directional button and you will be able to avoid her swing, resulting in her rather hilarious exit out of the village.
o Now head over to the little house, located within the central region of the village (the house with the little boy). Talk to the little boy and he will offer to give you his Snowboard. Go over & pick up the snowboard.
o Now that you have obtained the snowboard, you can now proceed on through the path, located towards the very northeastern end of the village.
o Ok - the wind is gently breezing, the sun is shining brightly, and the weather could not be any better. Well, what are you waiting for? It is time to snowboard down that hill!!! (^o^)
[Tip!] - Here are the controls: o Press [right] and [left] on the directional pad to maneuver your controls. o Press the [X] button to jump. The longer the [X] button is held, the longer Cloud will stay in the air. o Press the [L1] or [R1] buttons accordingly to sharply shift over to the direction desired, while holding down on the directional pad. For example, holding [right] and pressing the [R1] button will maneuver Cloud to sharply curve over towards the right. o Press the [square] button to slow down & brake. o Upon reaching the end of your snowboarding fun, remember to use the map by pressing the [square] button to navigate your headings and destinations.
o The main objective here is to reach the red check point, marked on the map. There are many possible routes you can take in reaching there -- along the way, you may come across certain areas or caves that contain special items or......
o Upon nearing the region of the red check point (marked on the map), you will encounter a snowy area that seemingly has no ends.
[Tip!] - When the blizzard clears away, use that momentary amount of time to make your move & run. As you proceed on running, press the [circle] button to leave post marks as a trail behind you, so that you will not easily lose your course of direction. Leaving these trails of post marks behind you may be necessary, as you may notice that the ground rotates around when the blizzard covers the screen.
o Once you have managed to clear this particular region, you will arrive in a mountainous area where you will find a little house just to the right.
o Enter the house - You will finally be able to replenish your characters and save your game. Talk to the old man - he will shortly explain to you that you will need to maintain your body temperature at a stable condition in order to proceed climbing the mountains up ahead.
o After resting & replenishing your characters, leave the house - A brief sequence will follow.
o Head towards the upper northern end of the path, leading up to the mountainous cliffs. Climb up the cliffs & make your way through the caves.
o--> NOTE: You will notice the temperature gauge on the lower lefthand corner, fluctuating up & down. You will need to rapidly tap the [square] button to raise & maintain a stable body temperature so that you can proceed on climbing. If your body temperature decreases beyond 25 or so, Cloud will collapse and you will find yourself back at the little house. So, a good stategy in this particular situation would be to tap the [square] button until you can maintain a body temperature degree of 38 of so. Then quickly rush over to the cliff wall & starting climbing up hastely. Upon reaching each platform, repeat the process of raising the body temp & quickly climb the cliffsides. As you climb, from time to time you will come across choices as to the specific directions you can head towards (ie. right, left, up, down).
[Tip!] - Within the 1st cave, you will need to push a boulder in order to open up another passage... - Within the 2nd cave, all four ice blocks must be broken off to fit in the holes below... - Within the 3rd cave, a subboss awaits you... ...Left Head is weak against normal attacks. ...Right Head is weak against magic attacks.
o Upon finally arriving at the peak of the mountain, a brilliantly sequenced CG will follow.
o Proceed on down the path towards the inner core of the crater. If you do not have Tifa in your party already, she will enter the scene and insist on joining you.
[Tip!] - To pass through the 1st energy barrier, you will need to time your course of action carefully -- watch for the energy barrier to become lighter in its transparency... - To pass through the 2nd energy barrier, you will have to keep an even more careful watch on your timing, as there are now TWO separate energy waves fading in & out at different rhythms...
o Upon encountering Sephiroth, prepare to battle against a subboss.
o Tifa will shortly urge you to have one of the other characters hold onto the black materia, as Cloud fears that he may once more lose control of his "true self".
[!] - Talk to Red XIII - he will be willing to take hold of the black materia and guard it as the others head off to confront Sephiroth... You will be given a choice:
Top Choice -> Give the black materia to Red XIII.
Bottom Choice -> Do not give the black materia to Red XIII.
(Unfortunately, the sequence of events are set up so that none of the others would be willing to guard the black materia - thus, incidently (and so conveniently for the programmers) Red XIII comes out as the only actual selectable character to give the black materia to.)
o Proceed on through the 3rd energy barrier (this one is a killer).
o Upon eventually managing to get through the 3rd energy barrier, a series of sequences will shortly follow, as the scenery will suddenly alter to Cloud's "flashbacks" recreated by Sephiroth... (...as you seemingly find yourself within the town of Niburuhelm, once home to Cloud & Tifa, it soon becomes clear that you are re-experiencing the very moment upon which Sephiroth & Cloud had first arrived in Niburuhelm 5 years ago -- but something is different....it was not Cloud....) (...the scenery will soon again alter -- to the very moment upon which Sephiroth had bestowed the unfortunate fate upon Niburuhelm 5 years ago, as the town stood there in utter devastation... ...and yet again, it was not Cloud...) (...the scenery will once again alter -- as Sephiroth enters the scene, it is soon revealed to you that these "recreated" memories are in fact the actual reality to which had preceded in history... Everything that Cloud remembers....about being with Tifa...about the incidents 5 years ago...about even becoming a "1st Class" Shinra soldier....everything -- only mere false creations implanted within his mind...) (As the course of events follow, Cloud - completely lost within his struggle to regain his "true self" and reality - retrieves the black materia from Red XIII...it is at this very moment, upon which it becomes clear that the Cloud they see now, is seemingly one of Hojou's "creations" as a result of the Jenova Project...) (The summoning of the legendary "meteor" has been finally begun...)
o Upon awakening within the Shinra's airbase, talk to Barrett - a brief sequence will follow. Rufus will enter the scene to inform you of your sentence for execution, as you are held evidently responsible for the summoning of the meteor. Follow Tifa and the Shinra guard.
o As Tifa is taken to the gas chamber, a sequence will follow. (You will soon learn that the Shinra airbase is being attacked by the "Weapon" - the legendary guardian monster of the planet, which was awakened by the great summoning...)
o Cait Sith will come to your rescue! Upon battling the guards, head over to the gas chamber door. (A brilliantly sequenced CG fmv will follow, as the scene will briefly switch over to the battle against the "weapon".)
o As Barrett will not be able to open the gas chamber door, you will need to temporarily leave her behind. Head on out of the airbase corridors and battle your way through.
o You will find Yuffie - disguised as a news reporter - on the upper level of the airbase. She will urge you to head towards the airport region of the base.
o Go to the airport - towards the location of the airship. (The scene will then switch over to Tifa.)
o In this particular situation, the main objective is to get Tifa released from the chair, using the buttons to control her movements.
[Tip!] - Here are the controls:
o Press the [triangle] button to move her head.
o Press the [square] button to move her right hand.
o Press the [circle] button to move her left hand.
o Press the [X] button to move her legs.
o Note: You will need to use the combination of two buttons or movements in order to accomplish certain other movements. (ie. Pressing [X]+[triangle] to grab the key from her legs.)
o After managing to get Tifa released from the chair, you will need to find a switch in the room to turn off the gas. Search the chamber door afterwards - a brief sequence will follow.
o Upon climbing out of the gas chamber, proceed on heading down towards the edge of the cannon. (far northern region of the screen) (You will notice that a hand-icon will pop up over Tifa, to help you keep track of where she is, as she heads further and further into the distance.)
o Reaching the very edges of the cannon, a sequence will take place between you and Scarlet, one of the head officials of the Shinra corp. Prepare to battle it out against Scarlet in a match of.... ....SLAPPING! (^o^)!
[Tip!] - Within this battle of slapping, you will need to quickly tap the [circle] button. (As Scarlet & the Shinra guards begin to close in on Tifa, head towards the very edge of the cannon, upon which one of the most spectacular scenes of rescue will take place.)
o Now aboard the airship, head down to the main control room, where you will find everyone (with the exception of Cloud) there. Talk to everyone. (In the course of the conversations, Red XIII will suggest that you head to an island where the "lifestream" is flowing.)
[!] - You will need to also talk to the pilot at the front controls in order to initiate navigating the airship. When talking to him, he will give you a choice:
Top Choice -> Proceed on navigating the airship.
Bottom Choice -> Do not navigate the airship yet.
[Tip!] - Here are the controls for navigating the airship:
o Use the directional key pad to maneuver & control the direction of the airship.
o Press the [circle] button to move.
o Press & Hold the [square] button to strife.
o Press the [R1] button to turn right.
o Press the [L1] button to turn left.
o Press the [triangle] button to switch back to the inside of the airship.
o Press the [X] button to land on the ground. (you must be hovering over clear land)
o Press the [select] button to enable/disable the map.
o Your task now is to head towards the village of Mideel, located within a small island of the southeastern region of the map.
[OP!] HOWEVER, before continuing on with the normal routine of yoursaga, I will now sidetrack to an optional event which will take place yet again in Yuffie's hometown -- so, what this means is that you will need to have found Yuffie already. If you have not found Yuffie yet or plan to recruit her later in the game, you can skip over this optional event section & come back to it later. This particular optional event deals with Yuffie's relational situation with her father...
o--> NOTE: You MUST have Yuffie in your battle/traveling party for the duration of this particular optional event. o Upon arriving in the town of Uutai, head towards the high temple, located within the far northwestern region of the town. (the tallest temple there)
[!] o Entering the high temple, talk to the person there - He will recognize Yuffie and will ask her if she is ready/prepared to face the 5 levels of challenge within the high temple. You can respond:
Top Choice -> "Of course you are ready."
Bottom Choice -> "Of course not!" (Choose the top choice to face the challenge that awaits Yuffie)
[Tip!] - The objective of this high temple is for Yuffie to battle through each of the 5 levels within the temple. On each level, there will be an opponent awaiting your challenge. So, before choosing to battle through the temple, make sure that Yuffie is well equipted and armed with the best materia orbs. She will need it. - Your Opponents:
o 1st Floor: Gooriki (3500~hps)
o 2nd Floor: Sheik (4000~hps)
o 3rd Floor: Chehoff (5000~hps)
o 4th Floor: Staniff (7000~hps)
o 5th Floor: Godo (10000~hps)
o Once confronting & defeating Yuffie's father, Godo, you will shortly obtain the "leviathan" summoning materia orb. (Within the following sequence, Yuffie manages to open her father's eyes & heart to reason and to understand the amount of constraint he has placed upon their village -- Godo soon comes to realize that his better judgement & sense of order was clouded when he had lost the war long ago...)
o Your task here is done -- at least for now. There is yet another optional side event here as well, taking place within the mountains high above, BUT I will come back to this later on, as you will first need to obtain a special artifact in order to proceed...
o Leave the island & board your airship once more. (And now, back to the normal routine of game....)
o Head towards the village of Mideel, located within a small island of the southeastern region of the map.
o Upon arriving in the village of Mideel, explore the town. A sequence will soon follow - You will soon learn of Cloud's presence within the village! -- however..... (...it shortly becomes clear that as a result of being exposed to such massive amounts of mako energy that had preceded during the great summoning of the "meteor", Cloud has suffered from a severe condition of memory loss to such a degree that he no longer can realize his own identity....his own reality....) (As the course of events follow, Tifa will decide to stay behind with Cloud in the village -- Meanwhile, returning back to your airship, Cait Sith will inform you of the Shinra's plans to obtain the "Huge Materia" which would eventually bestow upon them a destruction force of such magnitude that would destroy not only the meteor but also anyone who would ever oppose the Shinra Corp.) (In an unsuspected turn of event, Cid will be chosen to become the leader in place of Cloud for the mission. (^o^)!
o Controlling Cid, head towards the Operations Room & talk to the person inside to choose the remaining characters to take along with you. Head back to the main control room & navigate the airship.
o Your task now is to head towards the makoro complex located near North Corel, in pursuit of stopping the Shinra Corp. (In case you may have forgotten the location of North Corel, it is the rural village just nearby the Gold Saucer.)
o Upon arriving in the rural village of North Corel, proceed on through the other entrance (connected from the long bridge) and battle your way through to the Makoro complex. The train sequence will follow.
o As you manage to find a train to chase after the Shinra, your objective now is to catch up to their train & board it, battle your way up through to the main control, and stop the train before it crashes through the village of North Corel -- This must be completed within the given 10 minutes.
[Tip!] - In catching up with the Shinra train, Cid must quickly pull the 2 levers back & forth, in a steady motion repeatedly.
o Press the [triangle] button to pull the right lever. o Press [up] on the directional key pad to pull the left lever. (So, in other words, you will need to quickly tap [up], [tri], [up], [tri], [up], [tri] - over and over in a steady yet fast motion) (The faster you press them, the sooner you will begin to catch up with the train) - Once you board the Shinra's train, battle your way up through to the controls. In stopping the train, you will need to quickly tap: - [Up]+[Triangle] - [Down]+[X] - Press the [circle] button to clear the messages (For those of you who are still not completely sure what to do to make the train stop, simply bashing all the buttons will work too. (^o^)
o This train sequence has 2 separate outcomes: [1] If you managed to stop the train from crashing through the village of North Corel, you will get - The Huge Materia - free night stay at the inn to rest & replenish characters - "Ultima" Materia Orb (^o^)! [2] If you could not stop the train in time & it crashes through the village, you will get: - The Huge Materia - a lot of dead people on your hands (;.;) o Your task here is done - board your airship & head towards the "Condo Fort" - the fort with the large golden condo sitting on the peak.