Traverse Town

**Traverse Town** (トラヴァースタウン, *Toravāsu Taun*) is the first major playable world that serves as the main hub of in *Kingdom Keymasters, coded* and serves as the tutorial level for both *Re:Chain of Memories* and *3D: Dream Drop Distance*. It is also featured in cutscenes during *358/2 Days*, *II*, and *II Final Mix*. A quaint and calm town, Traverse Town features a sky of eternal night, where stars can be seen clearly. Survivors of the worlds lost to the Heartless find their way here after their world has been destroyed. Traverse Town is also the first world introduced to reside in the Realm Between.

Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid are notable temporary residents. Cid owns the accessory shop and later sells Gummi Blocks to upgrade and modify Gummi Ships. Moogles also take residence here, where they successfully run a mysterious workshop. As of *Dream Drop Distance*, these locations are unaccessable.

Traverse Town consists of the remnants of worlds whose hearts have been stolen by the Heartless, which is why anyone fortunate enough to survive the destruction of their world ends up there.

As explained by Joshua, "this world only appears when someone is in need of shelter". Ienzo gives a similar explanation; one would be recompleted, after the destruction of their Heartless and Nobody, in Traverse Town if their world was unavailable.

"*.*"

—About Traverse Town.

## Setting

Traverse Town is similar to a Victorian-age town in terms of design and layout. It is divided into three major districts along with several minor locations such as alleyways, caves and a post office. In Dream Drop Distance, Joshua creates two new districts while Sora and Riku are in the sleeping world, which take a much more modern appearance to the other districts, with graffiti on the walls, new passages, and a more varied use of bright colors. Besides being created from fragments of destroyed worlds and serving as a home to those whose worlds have been destroyed by the Heartless, Traverse Town is also a great place to shop.

### First District

The **First District** is the most peaceful of the five, without the presence of Heartless (with the exception of the first episode, where Heartless can even be found here after Sora searches for Riku and Kairi, as well as in *Kingdom Keymasters 3D: Dream Drop Distance*). The First District is where most survivors of the destroyed worlds can be found. The most notable locations include the **Accessory Shop** owned and managed by Cid, and an **Item Workshop** run by Moogles on the top floor of Cid's store.

Another shop is also revealed to be run by Cid after the Keyhole of Traverse Town is locked; he sells Gummi Blocks near the gate to the Second District. There is a restaurant with magical self-lighting candles to the left of the town entrance. The mailbox used in the Postcard hunt is also found here, close to the door leading into the Third District. Directly across from Cid's shop is a large set of double-doors which serve as the entrance to the town and can return the player to the world map to choose another world to travel to.

In *Dream Drop Distance*, there is a metal railing on the stairs leading to the Accessory Shop, instead of the one made of four wooden poles and three large chains that is present in earlier games.

### Second District

The **Second District** is infested with a variety of Heartless. Notable locations include the **Gizmo Shop** (a bell on the roof can eventually be rung three times in order to reveal the world's Keyhole), and the Dalmatians' House (consisting of **Dalmatians' Den**, **Living Room**, **Dining Room**, and **Piano Room**), where Pongo and Perdita have settled due to the destruction of their world.

The Hotel is on the west side of the district and is often invaded by Heartless, but can be entered through the **Hallway**; in addition, the **Red Room** and **Green Room** are located within the Hotel, where Sora is briefed by Leon and Aerith. The east side of town includes the entrance to the Third District, as well as a set of roofs that can be climbed to reach treasures and a hidden entrance to a balcony in the Third District. At the back of the Hotel lies the **Alleyway**; it has passages to the Dalmatians' House and the First District, and its drainage pipes lead to the **Secret Waterway**, which houses Cid's special Navi-Gummi to get back to Hollow Bastion after the Final Keyhole is opened.

### Third District

The **Third District** is a plaza also overrun with Heartless, but is one of the smallest along with the fifth district. Notable areas include the **Vacant House** next to the Second District's door, which Leon and his crew eventually claim as the **Small House**, their headquarters. The most notable feature in this district is the golden fountain in the corner of the lower area.

Casting Thunder on the exposed cable wire raises the platforms in the Second District Gizmo Shop. Finally, a keyhole next to the giant door to First District can also be found and unlocked for faster access to that area, allowing the player to bypass the Second District. In another corner, a short alley leads to a door embedded with a flame that leads to the **Mystical House**, and in turn the **Magician's Study** and **Magician's Lab** (also referred to as the "Zero District"). Below Magician's Lab is the **Secret Waterway**, which serves as Leon's secret training ground, as well as a back entrance to the Alleyway.

### Fourth District

Home to **Flick Rush Coliseum**, the **Fourth District** appears to be based on a more modern city than the other districts, which are Victorian in effect. Julius' journal entry suggests that this and the other new areas were created by Joshua. Many closed shops line the district, with a tower in the center (the building seen on the world map and in the image alongside this section) that has many lights hanging from it. Next to the Coliseum are the doors leading to the Fifth District, the handles being decorated with Hockomonkey's face on them.

The Fourth District can be reached by passing through the **Fountain Plaza**, which houses an enormous fountain (which has a base shaped like a heart) and several more closed shops. One path leads to the **Post Office**, a giant area filled with numerous boxes of unsent letters containing many gadgets and gizmos to aid maneuverability through the area. At the end of the room is an elevator that leads up to mailbox in the 1st District. A second path leads to the **Back Streets**, a series of winding and confusing streets that lead back to an entrance in the 1st District near the Cafe.

### Fifth District

Reached solely from the Fourth District, the **Fifth District** is roughly the size of the Third District. The entrance area has palm trees on the edges of the platform leading to bridge to cross of the stream of water. There's a sign on the other side of the bridge, but it cannot be read. A **Garden** takes up most of the district, labeled "Flower & Plant" while other buildings are inaccessible as seen by the shut windows. There are two alleyways on either side, both empty; it's suggested the other buildings could be used as dwellings for residents of Traverse Town. The top of the Garden has a glass roof, letting sunlight in for the plants inside; at the back is a two-level wall, which is also below another large window. Inside the Garden is a large gate keeping anyone from going any deeper into the area; this may lead to yet another area of the town, or lead to a small area where the entrances to the buildings lining the sides of the Fifth District are. The battle with Hockomonkey takes place here in Sora's story or within the Garden, in Riku's case. It also houses the first sleeping Keyhole.

### Back Streets

The **Back Streets** can be reached from the First District and the Fountain Plaza, and are accessible only to Riku in *Kingdom Keymasters 3D: Dream Drop Distance*. The area consists of intertwined streets with tall, dark-colored houses lining all sides. Unique to this area is that the streets are not only on one level, but lie in both an upper area and a lower area, with bridges standing where one street crosses the one below. Another interesting feature of this area of Traverse Town are the two flowmotion waterways in roofed tunnels which arc around the back of the houses. Prominent on the walls of the houses is graffiti art, reminiscent of the characters of The World Ends with You.