The Ancient Forest

This strange little town is located on the top of a small mountain near Cosmo Canyon. It's unaccesible for most of the game, but you can get here as soon as you get a green chocobo, or after you've defeated Ultimate Weapon (and I wouldn't neglect to kill him, either, because he does have Cloud's best weapon on him). Park the Highwind near Cosmo Canyon, and walk over to a little mountain that has a funny-looking house in a forest on top of it. This place is called the Ancient Forest. The Ancient Forest is different from other places in FF7, because it actually requires some heavy-duty puzzle solving skills. Are you ready to be constantly annoyed? Then lets go!

Screen 1: Grab the frog and go over the little bridge to the east. Get as close as you can inside the snapping flower without letting it bite you, then drop the frog--when it drops, you'll pick up the Supershot ST in exchange. (That's one way. You can also just try to go in and grab it. This is risky, though, because the plant will probably bite down sooner.) Now go back and move all the little flies, leaving them under the land bridge and throwing them at the hanging flowers to make yourself a bridge to jump across. Grab the Spring Gun Clip (weapon for Red) and continue on to the next screen.

Screen 2: This one is harder. Marginally so, though, so don't get too worried. First, use the hanging flower (the one you can swing on) to jump up and over the snapping flower. Grab a frog go over to the place where there are two flowers on either side of a rock. Throw the frog to the flower on the left, then stand on it. It will boost you up to the top of the screen. Grab the honeycomb, then jump back down. Feed the honeycomb to the flower on the left side of the screen to get the "Slash-All Materia"! Now just use the frog on the flower on the right to get spat the opposite way (over the other flower) so you can go on to the last screen.

Screen 3: This one is the worst one yet. First, though, use some bugs to get up to the springy vine, taking you into the treetops. To get that inaccessible bag from the last screen, go down the tree to the left, and you'll jump down and arrive on the tree trunk to get a Minerva Band. All Right!! Jump off the tree, then go back to the third screen. Use the same process to get back into the treetops, but this time, go right. Jump across the series of swinging vines to get Typhoon Summon (does this guy look just a wee bit familiar, all you FF3 fans?), and back down the tree trunk puts you back on Screen 3. Head down the rope, and then go to the right. Use one bug to jump up the plants and get the hive, then throw that into the snapping flower. Use the other bug to cross the chasm and go left. Now use a third bug to drop outside the hole in the bottom of the tree, which brings out a frog. Then go back and get that last bug, put it in the hanging flower, grab the frog, and go back across. Now use the frog in the last hanging flower to the right, jump on it, and let the flower spit you over the chasm. The cave beyond contains Apocalypse, the only other triple-AP weapon in the game, and an Elixer. If you want the Master Materia, use this sword and Cid's Scimitar constantly! When you've gotten everything, go to the top of the last cave. Exit through the hole in the wall. (Or, you can just hit Square on the control pad and leave the way you came in.)

Well, that was fun, wasn't it? This was prbably the most irritating puzzle in FF7 (other than trying to get a Gold Chocobo with out any help), but the rewards are worth every minute you spent here. Apocolype is worth it's weight in Gold, as is Slash-All.

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