Iceberg Cavern is a sub-stage in Endless Ocean 2, accessed through a tunnel in the Weddell Sea's Special Iceberg A-sm16p.
In-Game[]
Loading Description[]
"This natural cavern amazes all who see it. A variety of small marine life calls these icy walls home."
Notebook Description[]
"Said to have been discovered by 18th-century explorer Captain Cook, the Iceberg Cavern began as an ice shelf but turned into a floating iceberg several thousand years ago.
Inside the iceberg is a giant cavern that is thought to have been formed by animals living inside it and erosion by wind and rain back when it was still next to Antarctica."
Flora, Fauna and Geography[]
Iceberg Cavern can be accessed from Special Iceberg Asm-16p in the Weddell Sea. In order to reach it, the player has to swim through Lower Ice Cave 3.
The largest and most notable creatures found within the cavern are the leopard seals. Other sea life includes Antarctic silverfish. Under zoom-mode glows, creatures like sea angels, Hydromyles globulosa, and bald notothens can be found.
During the course of the storyline, a single spectacled porpoise with an odd marking on its dorsal fin is encountered here.
Spots[]
Lower Ice Cave 3[]
This cave is the Cavern's entrance, through which the player can return to the Weddell Sea. It is located on the southern tip on Special Iceberg Asm-16p; a long fissure on the southern side leads directly down to the cave opening.
Hall of Radiance[]
The Hall of Radiance is a large room littered with ice crystals and tall, majestic pillars. Shoals of quick-moving antarctic silverfish are seen swimming around this area, and several zoom-mode glows reveal bald notothens, as well as a few constellation coins. The main residents of the area are the leopard seals that can be seen swimming around, one of which, Leo, can only be discovered after completing the map of Iceberg Cavern. A spectacled porpoise can also be seen here, though only during the main storyline.
Landmarks[]
Crystal Globe[]
This is the first room of the Cavern, so named for its crystalline formations of ice. Within the room, only a lone leopard seal swims around; however, in the tunnels leading into and out of the area, small creatures like sea angels can be found in zoom-mode spots.
Animal and Event Scenes[]
When diving in this stage with Hayako Sakurai, the player has the option to replay previously viewed scenes by talking her. The scenes available for the Iceberg Cavern are as follows:
Animal[]
- Leopard seal
Story Significance[]
While the player and the scientist Hayako Sakurai are exploring the Weddell Sea, they hear a strange sound that they suspect might be the Song of Dragons. Upon investigation, they're led to Lower Ice Cave 3 and thusly the Iceberg Cavern.
Before the player can go very far into the Cavern, however, they must seek assistance from a leopard seal that patrols the Crystal Globe, which is the first room of the Cavern. There is a set of ice crystals that block off a tunnel that leads to the rest of the Cavern, and in order to get past it the player must use the sound of the sea whistle to enrage the seal into charging. If the player dodges out of the way, however, the seal will instead ram into the ice crystals, which breaks them.
After the way is cleared, the player and Dr. Sakurai emerge into the majestic Hall of Radiance. After processing the fact that they've discovered a completely unexplored area, the pair then realizes that the "Song of Dragons" that they've been hearing isn't really the Song - instead, it was the cries of a distressed spectacled porpoise, reverberating through the tunnels and rooms of the Cavern. It is assumed that the porpoise lost its way or got injured somehow, and ended up trapped inside the Cavern. the player is then tasked with healing the porpoise, and upon doing to gains its trust - and thusly gains it as a dolphin partner.
Then, out of the blue, the real Song of Dragons echoes throughout the Cavern. Dr. Sakurai and the player immediately exit the Cavern, and find that a blue whale patrolling the area is responsible for the Song. The pair returns to the boat only to find that a terrible blizzard has kicked up, making navigation out of the area nigh-impossible. However, the recently-befriended spectacled porpoise assists them in navigating the paths through the icebergs, and leads them out of the area.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- Iceberg Cavern is much more brightly lit in-game than it would be in real life, considering its lack of natural light.
- Unlike Endless Ocean's Great Aqua Cave, Iceberg Cavern is actually a cavern by definition, as it does not let in any natural light, and largely consists of tight, enclosed areas.
Dive Points:
Northeast Area • Special Iceberg A-sm16p
Spots:
Special Iceberg A-sm16p • Small Iceberg A-s1289 • Small Icebergs A-s2230, A-s2231 • Small Iceberg A-s2813 • Lower Ice Cave 3
Landmarks:
Higher Ice Cave 1 • Higher Ice Cave 2 • Higher Ice Cave 3 • Lower Ice Cave 1 • Lower Ice Cave 2
Spots:
Hall of Radiance • Lower Ice Cave 3
Landmarks:
Crystal Globe