The Little Mermaid

“But do you really think you can defeat
the Fiend of Water here in my own domain?
Fools! These dark depths shall be your tomb!”

Quick Guide

Detailed Walkthrough

After entering Onrac, head east. You will soon see a “submarine” (I think it looks more like a barrel with plumbing). This is the device that will take you to the Sunken Shrine. With the Oxyale in hand, you should be able to enter the submarine and descend to the shrine. Enjoy the short little movie!

This place is very large, and it is easy to get lost in. Please note that the entrance is located on floor three. There are two things we must accomplish here. The first is lighting the Water orb (no surprise there) and the second is finding the Rosetta Stone. The Stone is another item required for us to reach the Air Orb later.

Now in possession of Oxyale, the Light Warriors take to the open sea in a barrel

[Insert Yellow Submarine reference here]

Most of the enemies in the shrine are pushovers. Have your most magically inclined characters use the Gauntlet that we found in the Citadel of Trials to cast Thundara in each battle. One hit from Thundara should weaken most enemies enough that your melee characters can finish them in one hit. In the case of the fights against obscene numbers of Sahagin, it should finish them off with just the spell. One set of enemies to look out for is the group of ghosts. They have a very powerful melee attack and are quite fast. Don’t be surprised to see triple digit losses to your health while fighting them.

After watching the movie and climbing out of your submarine, you will want to go to the easternmost staircase first as it leads to the Rosetta Stone. There are several rooms to explore in the Sunken Shrine, but most of them are empty. Please refer to the Chapter 10 Maps to find route and treasure locations.

A cinematic view of the Sunken Shrine from Final Fantasy I

Based on the maps, I don’t believe this is an accurate depiction of the Sunken Shrine…

You’ll know you’re almost to the Rosetta Stone when you find a floor populated by mermaids. There are no enemy encounters here, so take your time and collect all of the treasure chests. This floor is unique in that it wraps when you reach an edge. The room containing the Rosetta Stone is in the North East, but you must pass through the opening in the North West to reach it.

After getting the Rosetta Stone, return to the entrance of the shrine and take the westernmost staircase. This path is slightly longer than the one you were just on, so if you are running low on health, magic, or items, now would be an ideal time to return to the surface.

After climbing several floors and collecting a modest amount of treasure, it will be time to battle the Kraken, the Fiend of Water!

The Light Warriors pose next to a mermaid (that may or may not be topless)

Are the mermaids topless? Curse these tiny pixels!