The Dark Forest is the surrounding area of the Wishing Star. It was created by the cosmic blasts of the star when it landed on earth.
Appearance and Abilities
Like the star, the forest holds supernatural abilities that tailor its landscape to the needs and personality of whoever is holding the map to the crater. For some, it can be a dangerous terrain, echoing their latent fears and character flaws, but for others, it reflects the purity of their hearts. The forest is best navigated through a combination of wisdom and insight.
Areas of the Dark Forest
Puss' Path
Kitty's Path
Perrito's Path
Goldilocks' Path
Appearances
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Long ago, the Red Woods were resting until a shooting star fell. The impact of the cosmic shockwaves caused new life to form around the crater- leading to the creation of the Dark Forest. Within its bounds, the wishing star rests in its crater, waiting for the Last Wish to be granted. With the help of the map, the one wielding it would be led to the Dark Forest, an intimidating environment with withered trees on the exterior. Puss, Kitty and Perrito arrive at the entrance, where the trio go through the portal leading to the inside of the forest. Initially, the land had lush grass and colorful trees. When Puss is the first to touch the map's star icon, the entire forest shapeshifted to form several lands for Puss' path to the wishing star. All of the areas were treacherous terrains, and it was no different for Kitty's path when she held the map. However, because of Perrito's pure heart, his path was not overtaken by deadly obstacles and was filled with bright, happy colors.
Despite the seemingly easier path, the trio quickly realize that the forest still has strong combat to prevent others from reaching the star. When entering the Pocket Full of Posies, the posies are immediately hostile towards Puss and Kitty- as they instinctively try to slay the flowers. Perrito is able to calm them down by simply taking his time to smell them. After much resentment, Puss and Kitty smell the roses and are able to breeze by. Unfortunately, "Big" Jack Horner and the Baker's Dozen are brutally attacked after choosing to chop down the plants. Once Horner and his gang, as well as Goldilocks and the Three Bears catch up, they fight for the map. Goldi ends up taking the map, causing the forest to take a new form as the Nostalgic Pines. The forest was now filled with green, pinewood trees, along with other neutral environments surrounding the pines. Once Puss and Kitty get a hold of the map again, their respective paths cause new structures (the Mountains of Misery and the Cave of Lost Souls) to form. However, the forest remained largely the same with its surrounding areas. Later, when the wishing star collapses and shoots back into space, the Dark Forest seemingly disappears. Instead of the lush plant life, the surrounding area is nothing but empty land and withered plants.
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing
The Dark Forest is a playable race track in the game. It features the colorful entryway envisioned by Perrito leading into a star portal leading to the Cave of Lost Souls. Reflections of Death and Puss' Former Lives appear before heading into another portal. This transports players into the shattered remains of the Wishing Star, complete with the elegant formation seen on the night sky.
Trivia
- Throughout development and pre-production, it was originally called the Black Forest- after the Germanic forest of the same name. It was changed likely to avoid confusion and trouble with the Black Forest trademark of gummy bears.