The Rhadore Archipelago is a location introduced in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. It consists of several islands, including a large main island and a smaller island called Sijad. The Shinra Electric Power Company viewed it as a prime location for a mako reactor, as the lifestream rises close to the surface in the region.
Story[]
Rhadore and Shinra were once allied. In [ μ ] - εγλ 1982, Shinra noticed that the island of Rhadore was rich with mako and planned to build a mako reactor. The Rhadoran people refused, defying Shinra and fighting in a fierce battle that left less than 1,000 of their people alive.
A decade later, P0 SOLDIERs Glenn Lodbrok, Lucia Lin, and Matt Winsord were dispatched by the Shinra Electric Power Company to investigate the main island and locate a suitable area for a mako reactor. Additionally, they were tasked with stamping out any remaining Rhadoran resistance. Their helicopter was shot down, and they crash landed on the small island of Sijad. There, they met Rosen, the "Eye of Rhadore" who monitored the flow of mana and used chimney smoke to report abnormalities to his people on the main island. Since Rosen's role was to stay on Sijad until death, he lent the trio his boat, allowing the SOLDIERs to travel to the main island.
There, the trio identified an area with high mako readings in the courtyard of the Logues Ruins. Upon sending the coordinates, the remnants of the Rhadoran army attacked, forcing them to flee into a nearby cave. Sephiroth was dispatched to quell the resistance and take over as leader of Team Glenn.
Sephiroth led the team to the depths of Cawpine Cave, where they eliminated the remaining Rhadorans, including the elderly and children. Despite their age, both the old and young had intense military training, even wounding the young hero.
Once the last of the Rhadorans were killed, Shinra sent a team of engineers to begin construction of the reactor. Unfortunately, the explosions used to prepare the construction site set off a chain reaction, causing a mako torrent so intense that it consumed the entire island. The engineers evacuated, and Team Glenn commandeered a helicopter to attempt to rescue Rosen.
Sephiroth tried to convince Rosen to return with the SOLDIERs while Glenn, Matt, and Lucia fought Buno D'rhad. Rosen, upon learning of his people's extinction, begged Sephiroth to kill him so he could join his people. Sephiroth obliged, killing the last Rhadoran as the island of Sijad collapsed into the sea.
Geography[]
The lifestream runs close to the surface in Rhadore.
Rhadore is an archipelago, comprised of several small islands and a large main island. The area is replete with mana, as the lifestream runs close to the surface in the area. The main island hosts Mt. Sunsin and a cave system called the Sunsin Caves. Nearby are the Logues Ruins, where Glenn's team discovers high mako readings.
Main Island[]
Glenn and his team arrive at the main island on the northern Bordoras Coast. To reach the Logues Ruins, a site rich with mako, the team must climb Mt. Sunsin, making their camp within Sunsin Cave. The remnants of the Rhadorans set up camp within the Cawpine Caverns, a network of holes in the ground connected by a single underground cavern. One entrance to the caverns can be reached at the end of Qiluku Valley, an area with rich mako both in the water and in the air. Grastia Path also connects Cawpine Caverns with the Logues Ruins, and is a lush green path filled with rushing waterfalls and colorful flowers. Materia fragments can also be found along the path, which Project S SOLDIERs can use to cast powerful spells.
Sijad[]
Much of the small island of Sijad is covered by Burmun Forest, the territory of the native baloir. To the west of the forest is La'Paina coast, where a blue fruit common to Sijad's latitude can be found. The fruit has calming effects when eaten. A pink fruit that acts as a natural deterrent to most monsters grows in a nearby orchard.
To the east lies Hanaja Hill. The Eye of Rosen lives in the valley along the shore, alongside a tall chimney used to signal to the main island. There is also a small cove nearby, where Rosen moored his boat after arriving from the main island. To the north is Padapili Sea Cave, which stretches from Hanaja Hill to the middle of Burmun Forest.
Gameplay[]
The Rhadore Archipelago is the setting for The First Soldier chapters in Ever Crisis. Certain settings are also used as criterion and crisis dungeons, wherein the player must defeat a number of bosses.
The La'paina Coast, Padapili Sea Cave, Logues Ruins, Sunsin Cave, Cawpine Caverns, and Hanaja Hill are currently available as dungeons.
La'paina Coast[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 |
|
|
|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 |
|
|
|
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal |
|
N/A | |
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard |
|
N/A |
Padapili Sea Cave[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 | |||
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 | |||
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal | N/A | ||
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard | N/A |
Logues Ruins[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 | |||
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 | |||
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal | N/A | ||
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard | N/A |
Sunsin Cave[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 | |||
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 | |||
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal | N/A | ||
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard | N/A |
Cawpine Caverns[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 | |||
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 | |||
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal | N/A | ||
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard | N/A |
Grastia Path[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 | |||
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 | |||
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal | N/A | ||
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard | N/A |
Hanaja Hill[]
| Dungeon | Enemies | Missions | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 1 | |||
| Criterion Dungeon: AREA 2 | |||
| Crisis Dungeon: Normal | N/A | ||
| Crisis Dungeon: Hard | N/A |
Additionally, chocobo expeditions can be sent to Rhadore. A river chocobo is required for Rhadore exploration. Two Rhadore Archipelago areas are available, both consisting of Sijad locations. The first consists of Burmun Forest, La'paina Coast, and The Orchard. The second consists of Rosen's cabin, the nearby cove, and the Padapili Sea Cave.
Society[]
The Rhadorans are the archipelago's known people. Close to the planet, they refer to the Lifestream and mako as mana. Well studied and wise with knowledge of the planet, they hold the perspective that life is not made of extremes, and that the truth has many facets to it, not being too fervent or zealous. The Rhadorians host a military fighting force, and do not hesitate to defend their lands when Shinra forcefully tries to take them after Rhadore reneges on its relations with Shinra.
The smaller island of Sijad is home to the Eye of Rhadore, a Rhadoran appointed to observe the flow of mana. The Eye uses a large chimney, visible from the main island, to communicate: regular gray smoke indicates normality, yellow indicates an irregularity, and red is cause for immediate evacuation. The Eye of Rhadore is trained from a young age to sense shifts in mana, both while awake and while asleep, and they remain alone on the island of Sijad until they return to the planet, their duty fulfilled.
Gallery[]
Loading screens[]
Main island[]
Sijad[]
Items[]
Behind the scenes[]
Rhadore and its peoples are evocative of the nation state of Hawaii, due to its island geography and where the concepts of mana originates from. Their war with the Shinra Electric Power Company further evokes Hawaii's struggle for independence and annexation into the United States, which was accelerated by the corporate influence of American sugar plantation and refinery owners.
Rhadore's people being sent to fight to the point of training child soldiers is based on the warfare term of total war, where all able bodied civilians are encouraged to fight to the death for their nation in the event the military falls incapable of defending the homefront. In consideration with Shinra's real world themes, this hearkens to speculation of the outcomes of the Pacific Theater in World War II, where Japan was prepared to send its people to combat in the case American soldiers were able to make landfall and proceed into trying to siege Tokyo by manpower, and where the United States was believed to have resorted to the use of firebombs and the atomic bomb to prevent heavy casualties of its armed forces.
The Orchard area of Sijad is evocative of a cutscene only location portrayed in the opening cinematic for Musashi: Samurai Legend, being a rocky island like grove with cherry blossoms within its world. With Ever Crisis, they may refer to Japanese American community efforts to plant sakura trees in Hawaii, and to how their flowering rate is not as high as those in more temperate climates due to their lack of adaptation and acclimation.