The Kingdom Hearts Deep Jungle world is infamous among the fan community. It’s strangely complicated and is one of the poorer-designed levels in the series.
As the game suggests, follow Tarzan down to the jungle below after the initial cutscenes end. You can save in the mossy room you find yourself in. Then, jump into the tree trunk ahead of you. Sora’s now sliding down the trees. Either jump over or hit the branches that block the way to avoid damage.
Where to find the slides
After this section, you’ll find yourself at the camp. Meet Jane in the orange tent ahead of you. To find out more answers from Tarzan, you’ll need to collect slides from around the campsite. Here are their locations:
- #1 – On top of the main tent.
- #2 – Below the white tents to the left, you’ll see a green wardrobe. On top of it is the slide.
- #3 – To the right, you’ll see a drawing of Tarzan on a blackboard. Next to it is the third slide.
- #4 – In the middle of the tent, there’s a heap of boxes. On top, next to the flag, you’ll see the slide.
- #5 – There are a series of white tents to the left of the main tent. Jump on top of them and keep following the passage until you get the second slide.
- #6 – On top of suitcases to the right of the globe.
Once you have all the slides, return them to Jane and interact with the projector. The party will then observe each slide. It’s a neat callback to the original film.
How to meet the gorillas in the Deep Jungle
Follow the left passageway from the camp’s flagpole. You’re now in the Hippo’s Lagoon. Jump on top of the hippo’s back and reach the end of the river. If you fall into the water, go to the second hippo and wait for it to go down. I love the first Kingdom Hearts, but damn, the platforming is troublesome. To counter it, have Sora attack in the air to get more air time.
Once you’ve reached the end of the area, climb up the vine. Tarzan wants to help Sora but he gets denied by Kerchak.
Where do you go next?
Now you’ll want to head to the Tree House as indicated by the cutscene. Climb up the lime green moss in front of Sora and you’ll be in the Climbing Trees. Climb up the winding hill and jump across. Enter the black passage to the left. A cutscene will play showing Clayton’s evil intentions.
You’ll want to report this to Jane. Jump back into the jungle like the first time Sora met Tarzan and slide down the trees. Go back to the tent. Clayton turns to darkness as he tracks down the gorillas.
This is when it gets confusing
Once you leave the tent, the heartless have appeared! They’re common enemies so they should be easy to take out. You’re given a gummi block by the gorilla strangely enough, but you’ll need to find all of the apes in trouble. Go to the following locations and dispatch the heartless in them.
- Bamboo Thicket (Fire-G) – the area that’s to the right of the camp.
- Cliff (Aeroga-G) – the next section ahead of the Bamboo Thicket
- Climbing Trees (Aeroga-G) – head back up the vines and you’ll find this area near the treehouse
- Treehouse (Shell-G) – you should know where it is by now but you’ll get to this spot by following up the spiral area of the Climbing Trees
Once the heartless in these areas are dealt with, go back to the tent. Then immediately go out. I know it’s odd, but a cutscene triggers and tells you to go towards the Bamboo Thicket. You now have to deal with Sabor.
Dodge his attacks by rolling out of the way. Cast magic spells on the dangerous feline creature to get away from its claws. Blizzard is particularly effective. You’ll gain the White Fang accessory. Equip it for better stats.
It’s time to save Jane!
After returning to the tent, Tarzan realizes that Jane’s in danger. Head over to the Climbing Trees once more. You’re now in another battle against the heartless. However, you’ll want to ignore them and hit the big black fruit in the middle of the area. It’s on the vines. Press R1 to lock on and then switch the target with R2 if you’re using a PlayStation controller.
Let’s stop Clayton
Head down the tree slide again to the camp. Now, work your way towards the Cliff area. This is where Clayton’s boss fight is. Be equipped with as many potions as possible.
The gunman will be easy to take out at first. Just ignore the heartless around him, roll away from his gunfire, and then focus on striking him. After a short period of time, a new cutscene will play. He brought a chameleon heartless friend that acts as the main boss of Kingdom Hearts‘ Deep Jungle.
Keep striking the chameleon until Clayton is knocked off. Then, you’ll want to focus on him while also keeping a close eye on the heartless. You’ll want to do this as his shotgun can kill Sora quickly. Don’t give him any distance as he can heal himself with a potion. Once Clayton’s HP meter has been driven to zero, he’ll be defeated, and the boss battle is over, even if you leave the heartless standing.
Now he’s defeated, work your way up the waterfall and seal the keyhole. You’ll realize the importance of friendship during this world’s final cutscene. You’ve now gained the Jungle Key keyblade. Equip it for more strength. You’re now (thankfully) finished with the Kingdom Hearts Deep Jungle world.
