SUPER MARIO WORLD
For SNES
FAQ/Walkthrough by William Walker
Version 2.01
Version history:
1.00 - The oldest version, didn't resemble this guide at all, done years ago.
2.00 - The "new" version, completely rewritten.
2.01 - The only addition was that I started the achievement list of people
for the Cheese Bridge Area goal in the walkthrough and decided to close down
that list.
Copyright notice: This FAQ/walkthrough is copyright William Walker, June-July
2004. All rights reserved. If you wish to post it on your own website just e-
mail me first to ask permission please! DO NOT USE THIS DOCUMENT FOR
COMMERCIAL GAIN OR ALTER IT IN ANY WAY!
E-mail information: My e-mail address is j-d-walker@worldnet.att.net . If you
want to e-mail me with pertinent questions or comments about this game or my
guide, please do - I love getting mail. Just please ask PERTINENT questions
or make pertinent comments.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Story and Characters
3. Basic Information
4. Items
5. Yoshi Information
6. Enemies
7. World Guide/Level Relationship Index
8. Walkthrough
8A. Yoshi's Island
8B. Donut Land
8C. Vanilla Dome
8D. Twin Bridges
8E. Forest of Illusion
8F. Chocolate Island
8G. Valley of Bowser
8H. Star World
8I. Special World
9. FAQ
10. Conclusion
1. Introduction
Super Mario World is one of the first SNES games that was released. It is
about the continued adventures of Mario, the pudgy plumber who is Nintendo's
trademark, in his struggles against Bowser. Super Mario World's perks
include: the choice of just playing to win or to complete the game 100% (like
Donkey Kong Country) a slew of cool new things Mario can do, and of course,
Mario's new pal, Yoshi the dinosaur. It is one of the best installments to
the Mario series and is one of the best games for the SNES, along with Zelda:
A Link to the Past and Donkey Kong Country 2. Although this game is quite old
now and has a lot of tips already out on it, I decided another comprehensive
guide wouldn't hurt, and I was bored, so off I went. I don't know anything
about emulator play so if you are using an emulator, you'll have to figure
its nuances out for yourself. I also don't know whether this game has been
re-released for more advanced systems as part of a collection, like the Sonic
games were. This FAQ/walkthrough will be as comprehensive as possible,
focusing on the secrets of the game, as they are what the game is really all
about. I hope it helps you.
2. Story and Characters
Story: Mario in his travels comes to Dinosaur Land, a strange place with
plenty of strange creatures and landforms. In this strange land Mario
discovers that Princess Toadstool, whom he has rescued twice already, is
missing again! Looks like Bowser's got his claws in this place as well...
anyway, Mario sets off to rescue Princess Toadstool with the help of his
plumber pal Luigi and dinosaur steed, Yoshi. Not much of a story, but Mario
games are not noted for the depth and complexity of their storylines.
Characters:
Mario: What would a Mario game be without this guy? Mario is the hero, as
always. He comes in small, big, fiery and caped forms in this game. He is
your character in a one-player game, or in a two-player game as player 1.
Luigi: Mario's fellow plumber never gets represented much in Mario games (who
plays two-player for long anyway, and he isn't even in Super Mario RPG for
crying out loud) but he is the equal of his brother in every respect. He
prefers a more turquoise outfit, and is the character you play as in a two-
player game if you are player 2.
Princess Toadstool: When will this lady learn to take care of herself? She
gets kidnaped by Bowser in almost every Super Mario Brothers game, and this
one is no exception... oh well. She is in Bowser's Castle and it's up to you
to rescue her and return peace to Dinosaur Land.
Bowser: Again, nothing new here. Bowser is the evil dragon who's acquired
some personality since his first appearance in the original Super Mario
Brothers, but in this game he's as malevolent as ever, with a cool new flying
machine (with a clown's head painted on it) to boot.
Bowser's Issue, a.k.a. The Seven Koopalings: Back from SMB3, some of these
guys have gotten a bit out of shape since coming to Dinosaur Land. They're
the same bunch however, and as fiendish as ever, although after their failure
in SMB3 Bowser confiscated all their magic wands, and they decided to quit
flying and take up civil engineering instead. You'll fight one in a castle at
the end of each world.
(Drum roll please)
Yoshi: Yoshi the dinosaur is what most people associate with SMW. He's the
cute guy on whose back Mario rides in his quest to best Bowser and win back
his girl. He actually set off to beat Bowser by himself, but didn't get very
far. You'll need to make him hatch first, but then he's ready and willing to
help you. His appetite is appalling and he can help you reach some areas you
can't otherwise reach. Different colored Koopa shells will give him different
powers. The one caveat, though: like a lot of video game buddies, he isn't
too prone to stick around in a tight situation; he's more apt to head for the
next bus out of town instead.
Yoshi's Buddies: When Bowser's bratty kids installed themselves in Dinosaur
Land, they imprisoned some dinosaurs in little eggs. This ticked Yoshi off
considerably, as you can guess, but Yoshi can't free them without Mario's
help. Whenever you stomp a Koopaling into oblivion or send him into a pool of
lava, you'll find one of Yoshi's pals. When you've rescued all seven AND
saved Princess Toadstool, they'll all hatch, and you can all just have a big
party.
3. Basic Information
Here's where I have to get down to the knitty-gritty; I need to give you
information about what is basically going on in this game, as well as tell
you how the heck to move your character, so you don't stand in front of an
enemy whose head you wish to blast off with a fireball and end up scrolling
the screen to the left instead - that would be bad.
Super Mario World is divided into nine world, seven main worlds and two
secret, bonus worlds. Worlds have about seven or eight levels apiece. Here
are the types of levels in this game:
Normal, Totally Run of the Mill Stage: These appear as flashing yellow and
white dots on the map. (Note that ODD-NUMBERED worlds have their own, mini-
map, while even-numbered worlds are all on the 'big' map; weird huh?) They
have only one exit and may have some secrets, but usually nothing major.
These stages are really boring to describe, so moving on...
Secret Exit Stage: This is like a Normal Stage but appears as a flashing RED
dot on the map. The red dot indicates that it has TWO separate exits, one
'normal' (the one at the end of the stage) and one 'secret' (usually accessed
by putting a key through a hole, but sometimes a second goal like the normal
one). Secret exits are the name of the game; they enable you to access secret
shortcuts and levels you cannot otherwise access. They are sometimes hard to
find, but few things in life are free, and you've got a nice, thorough guide
to tell you where these are. I suppose you could play the game without ever
bothering to seek out secret exits, but there are two instances in which you
HAVE to use them to advance (the normal exit just leads to a dead end on the
map) and if you use them, the game will be MUCH easier, primarily due to the
switch palaces (see below). I think that's enough to say about how great
secret exits are. Onward...
Ghost House*: Most SMW players (myself included) hate these stages. First,
Yoshi can never enter one. Sorry, that's the rules. Remember, Yoshi is a big
coward in disguise, and it's hard to persuade him to enter a place with
white, grinning apparitions, or sharp, heavy objects. As the name implies,
ghost houses have a lot of ghosts, none of whom are friendly, and some of
whom have grown to truly enormous proportions. Boo Didley back in SMB3 would
have plenty of company among these apparitions. Ghost houses often are very
confusing too, with ample opportunities to get lost or disoriented, and there
are apparitions waiting around every corner and sometimes in every block to
take a bite out of you. Put simply, these places ain't fun... usually it's
best to complete them and leave them well enough alone after that. Some do
have secret exits, but it's impossible to tell by looking at a ghost house if
it has one or not.
Fortress*: These steel places of pain aren't as common or as fearsome as they
were in SMB3, their place being somewhat eclipsed by ghost houses. There are
only four of them in the game, and they have the same general obstacles and
enemies as castles. They always end with a boss battle with a creature named
Reznor, who has been hired in Boom-Boom's place (the ladder being fired
because he too frequently complained of headaches on the job).
Castle*: Some of the hardest levels in SMW, these places are Koopaling lairs,
and most of Bowser's kids have taken many steps to avoid personal company.
Koopalings are not above using lava, undead creatures, confusing mazes, and
sharp, pointy objects to watch you squirm, so beware. And of course, at the
end of each castle is a battle with a Koopaling, and these guys have
developed some rather novel fighting tactics, so beware. On the bright side
though, after completing each castle, Mario will eradicate it in a different
way. Some of his methods will leave you falling over with laughter!
Switch Palace*: Unlike Castles, you whoop with joy when you see one of these.
They are often hard to find - three are only accessible through secret exits.
There are four of them, in order of appearance, yellow, green, red, and blue.
They are very short and end with a room with an enormous switch. Stepping on
this switch will cause certain locations in levels, empty before, to become
filled with blocks. These blocks' presence will always make your quest
easier, sometimes significantly, so you would be well advised to activate
these as soon as possible!
Star Roads and Pipes: These are locations on the map but are not levels. They
will transport you to another location when you enter them.
* - After you complete one of these levels, you will be asked is you wish to
save your game.
The objective of Super Mario World is, of course, to rescue Princess
Toadstool and restore peace to Dinosaur Land. But, for those of you who want
to brag you TOTALLY completed SMW, you will want to go for all 96 exits. Yes,
there are 96 different exits to levels in this game (some levels have 2
exits, so there aren't 96 levels, of course). When you begin the game, after
watching Mario demonstrate some of Yoshi's abilities in a demo, press start
to go to the game choice screens. The game has three save files and you can
start a new one (if it's empty) or load one, by selecting it. If all are
full, you can erase them by using the erase option at the bottom. Next to
each file is the number of exits you have used with that file. If you get all
96, a star will appear next to the number, indicating you are the one, the
mighty, the omnipotent, 96-exit domineering master of SMW... you get the
idea.
Now it's time to explain the controls. Here's what each button does:
Directional pad - Move between locations on the map, walk left or right, run
left or right in conjunction with X or Y buttons, duck, slide, climb up or
down vines, across fences, enter doors, etc. Also toggles between options at
the start of the game.
B button - Makes Mario jump. If held down, can make Caped Mario glide and
slow his fall, much like his counterpart, Raccoon Mario. But, a big bonus in
SMW is that you can just hold the button down to glide, while in SMB3, you
had to beat on it like crazy, which was a pain. If you hold the B button down
as you stomp an enemy, you will bounce extra high, like in SMB3.
A button - Makes Mario do a spin jump, which is lower in height but really
packs a wallop - it can smash most enemies in one blow. The normal jump often
suffices for this as well, so you probably won't use this button much. Like
the B button, hold it down after hitting an enemy and you will bounce extra
high. One thing that eludes some gamers, though, is that some enemies who are
otherwise harmful - such as Big Boo - won't hurt you if you spin jump on
their heads, but you'll bounce off instead. This move is more useful than you
may realize. It can also be used, if you're caped, to score 5 1-UPS in 1-UP
bonus rooms. Also enters a location on the map and deletes some text on the
screen, mostly from help blocks (B button also does this).
Y and X buttons - These are the 'action' buttons. In combination with left or
right, they allow Mario to run. Fiery Mario can also use these buttons to
throw fireballs. Caped Mario can use them to whirl his cape around, and if he
runs long enough, can fly, like Raccoon Mario in SMB3 but not quite the same.
Caped Mario is a much clumsier and harder to control flier and I won't get
into the exact mechanics of flying anywhere in this guide, because I don't
fully understand them myself! This button can also pick up a Key, Baby Yoshi,
P-Block, purple block, springboard, or shell. To do this, run into the item
you wish to pick up and hold X or Y down as long as you wish to hold onto it.
When you release it, you will put the object down, except for a shell, which
you will kick away, mashing anybody (including yourself if it hits something
and bounces back) in its path. To kick an object up, hold UP on the direction
pad as you release Y. These buttons also allow you to punch when on a fence.
Start - Pauses/unpauses the game.
Select - This button causes your 'reserve item' to fall from its box where
you can collect it (see below for more information).
L and R buttons - Often forgotten, on the top of your controller, these
buttons shift the screen view so you're at the left or right of it instead of
in the center. You probably won't use these much either, but remember them. R
is sometimes quite useful to see what lies ahead of you.
These controls are for Mario only. Controls for riding Yoshi are in Section
6. There are several other things I need to explain that fall into the Basic
Information section. First of all, you begin the game with 5 lives. You die
if you fall in a pit, run out of time, take a hit when you're small, or get
crushed. Unlike SMB3, when you had to return to the beginning of a level
whenever you died, in SMW there is a midway gate about halfway through the
level. This is only in some levels, and it looks like a smaller version of
the exit gate. Not only does this gate save your place in the level if you
should perish later on, it also makes you big if you touch it when you're
small. If you run completely out of lives, yes, kids, it is game over and you
need to restart... but fear not, because you only have to return to the last
point you saved. You are given an opportunity to save your game whenever you
complete a Ghost house, Fortress, Castle or Switch Palace, and you would be
well advised to take advantage of this opportunity.
The problem is that whenever you restart or load a game, you start with only
five lives. This means you'll probably need to build up some lives before you
head to you next location, so you have some built up in case you get into
trouble. Luckily there are several fairly easy ways to do this; see the
walkthrough for more information. If you press start and then select in a
level you have ALREADY COMPLETED (yes, this is the SNES, you can replay
completed levels in this game!!!) you will immediately be teleported back to
the map. Remember this if you pause the game as you find yourself halfway
into a pit; you might just be able to save your skin. Also, on the map if you
press the L and R buttons while standing on the ruins of a completed castle
or fortress, you can play it again, although why you'd want to is beyond me.
There are no items in this game you can carry around like in SMB3 to use
whenever useful; they are replaced by the 'reserve item' concept. This works
as follows: Whenever you collect a power-up, the state Mario is currently in
(unless he's small) is transformed into a power-up and goes into the blue box
at the top center of the screen. You can cause this power-up to fall out and
become accessible by pressing select; it also automatically falls out if you
get hit. Grab it if you can! This is what provides you with some insurance in
this game, and somewhat makes up for the game's hit system. Oh yeah, that:
unlike SMB3, when a hit caused you to regress one level in metamorphosis, in
SMW you immediately become small when you're hit, even if you're fiery or
caped (unless you're already small, in which case you nose dive for the south
edge of the screen).
At the end of each normal stage and ghost house is an exit gate. This gate
has a horizontal bar moving up and down it. If you touch the bar, you will
get bonus stars. The higher the bar is on the gate, the more stars you get.
If you hit it at its highest possible point, you'll get 3-UP in addition to
50 stars. If you miss the bar however, you don't get any stars, but you still
clear the level. Any enemies on-screen at the time will be transformed into
coins. If there are 5 or more enemies on the screen when you pass through the
gate, you will get one or more 1-UPS, but that's hard to do. You can re-clear
levels you've already cleared and collect more stars. If you collect a number
of stars that puts your total for all cleared levels over 100, you will get
to play a bonus game at the end of the level before returning to the map.
The bonus game is simple: there is one block in the center which is fixed as
a mushroom, flower, or star. The other eight blocks rotate around it
clockwise in a square formation. Hit them from below by jumping and they will
stop and reveal a mushroom, flower, or star. If you hit them all in order and
get a rhythm going, it's possible to get them all to show the same object,
but that requires excellent timing on your part. Once you've stopped every
block at a particular picture, you get a 1-UP for every row of three
(including diagonals) that shows the same picture. It is possible to get
nothing. The bonus game then ends.
It is possible to play a 2-Player Game, but not many people do it and get
very far, because you need to have two reasonably skilled players who want to
burn time playing SMW. ANY game, even one that's already started, can be
played 2-Player. The 2-Player game uses two characters, Mario and Luigi. The
characters alternate whose turn it is; whenever Mario completes a level or
loses a life, Luigi gets to do the same where Mario is or somewhere else.
Luigi plays exactly the same as Mario. On the map screen, if either player
presses the L or R button, a screen appears where players can give their
lives to one another. On each controller, the B button takes a life from the
other player, while the Y button gives one away. Pressing start again closes
this screen. If a player runs out of lives, they cannot do anything until the
other player gives them some of their lives. It's recommended, for your
sanity, that both players agree not to take lives from the other player
without the other player's agreement. Otherwise it just gets way too crazy.
4. Items
Following is a list of all the objects and power-ups in SMW.
Power-ups:
Mushroom - The red mushroom in every Mario game, it makes you big if you're
small. Found in all yellow ! blocks, some ? blocks, and occasionally just
lying around. Note that if you're already fiery or caped and have a better
item in your reserve item box than a mushroom, you should avoid these,
because any item you collect will replace whatever item is in your reserve
box if you already have that power-up or better.
Fire Flower - This turns Mario into his fiery form. It's only in ? blocks.
Fiery Mario was all the rage back in the day (in the original SMB) but now
it's almost useless. While fiery Mario can throw fireballs by pressing X or
Y, most enemies are now immune to them. The weaker ones, however, will turn
into coins if they get hit by a fireball, which is kind of cute. Overall,
except for the first world when there are no Feathers, Fiery Mario is rather
useless; don't seek these out.
Cape Feather - Now this is the apple of your eye. This little yellow feather
which floats back and forth will morph Mario into his Caped Crusader outfit.
Mario's yellow cape gives him awesome abilities; flight (which is actually
one of the least used, since it's so hard to control), gliding by simply
holding the jump button down (invaluable to go large distances or land with
great accuracy) and of course, the power to whip it around and whack a pesky
enemy in the face, crack open a ? block, or flip over a yellow block. This
item is first available in World 2. It comes from a lot of sources: ? blocks,
green ! blocks, and Super Koopas with flashing capes. This is the best power-
up in the game and a cape on your back and a cape in reserve is the strongest
set-up for virtually every level of the game, fireballs be cursed. The only
thing that can make this set-up even better is to have Yoshi as well.
Invincibility Star - Unfortunately, this item is much rarer than in earlier
games. It is in every Mario game that ever was and ever will be. It makes you
invincible for a short time - any enemy unfortunate enough to meet you will
hit the sack. There are some 'continuous invincibility' stars like in SMB3.
New, however, is that if you kill nine or more enemies on one star, you'll
start getting 1-UPS for each enemy after the ninth!
Other Goodies:
Coins - Another Mario standby, collect 100 of these for an extra life. They
are usually just floating in the air but are sometimes found in ? blocks and
yellow blocks.
Dragon Coins - A new type of coin found in this game, dragon coins are a
misnomer, as they have a picture of Yoshi on them, who is not a dragon, last
I checked. These are like K-O-N-G letters in
Donkey Kong; collect all five in the same level to earn an extra life. You
can only get this extra life if you play the level without dying, though.
Multi-Coin Block - A hangback to older games, rare and kind of out of place
in SMW. This block reveals coins when hit for about 10 seconds after the
first hit, then it reveals nothing.
Coin Snake - Found in a few ? blocks, a really weird thing. It basically
launches a snake of coins that extends, creating more and more coins, until
it hits something - you, an enemy, a wall, or the side of the screen. You can
control its movement with the directional pad and obviously should try to
prevent it from touching anything to maximize your loot. Occasionally, one of
these is found near a P-Block. That will cause the coin snake to become a
block snake, which makes things very fun indeed!
1-UP Mushroom - This green mushroom, usually in invisible blocks or in bonus
areas, is worth an extra life!
3-UP Moon - Very rare, worth three extra lives!
Yoshi Egg - Found in a few ? blocks, this will make Yoshi appear.
Wings - There are three of these in the whole game. They are found in ?
blocks. They do absolutely nothing if you don't have Yoshi. If you do have
Yoshi they will send you to a bonus stage where you can fly around and
collect coins and dragon coins. You can collect more than 5 dragon coins in a
level by doing this; this is the only way you can do that. Two of the bonus
stages are cinches but the third is a treacherous gauntlet of enemies who
wish to knock you out of the sky to your untimely death. These also morph
Yoshi into a blue Yoshi, which is way cool.
Apples - Yoshi can eat these to cause effects, depending on their color.
Stuff you can pick up and carry:
Yoshi Baby - Found only in the five levels on Star World, these are baby
Yoshis and can be carried around like a Koopa shell. They are the only way,
other than Wings, you can get Yoshis of a color other than green. You must
feed them five enemies (just make them come in contact with the enemy and
they'll eat it) and they'll grow into a full-size Yoshi.
Key - These are rare and allow you to access a secret exit! Nearly always
they are located right next to a keyhole, but not always!
Blue P-Block - This was first introduced in SMB3, but now you can pick it up
and carry it. These are found in ? blocks, yellow blocks, or just lying
around. It causes all sorts of strange stuff to happen, mainly turning brown
blocks into coins and vice versa, temporarily. This can allow you to access
secret areas. Very cool! These blocks also have other effects, such as
causing coins, ? blocks, or doors to appear out of thin air.
Silver P-Block - Yes, now there are TWO colors of them! This type can be
carried around just like its blue counterpart but has none of the same
effects. It instead will transform certain enemies (mainly Spinies and
Koopas) into silver coins, for a while. These coins are not like regular
coins but are worth 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000 points in
succession. Every one you collect after the eighth is worth a 1-UP. It's
possible to earn many 1-UPS this way, if you hit the block in the right
place.
P-Balloon - Way cool but alas, very rare. This yellow balloon with a
(surprise!) P on it is found only in ? blocks. It caused Mario to inflate
like a balloon, which makes him defenseless, but he can float wherever he
wants. After a while, if you don't collect another P-balloon, he returns to
his normal state. This item is essential in one level in the Special World.
Springboard - It's been here since SMB1, but now you can carry it. It allows
you to jump extra high, by jumping on it and pressing the B button at the
right time, right as you spring off it.
Purple Block - I was torn about whether to put this in the Types of Blocks
section, but you can carry it. You can throw it up to hit foes or blocks high
above you, or kick it in front of you to mow down enemies. It can't hurt you
but dissolves a short time after you pick it up. Very fun to use.
Koopa or Buzzy Shell - Kick these at foes, blocks, or in the air for joy -
just stay out of the way! NOTE: A shell that contains a Koopa or Buzzy will
eventually come to its senses and get back on its feet; make sure it isn't in
your hands when this happens! An empty shell, however, cannot.
NOTE: If you carry an item past the goal, it will turn into a power-up. Yoshi
babies and keys will become 1-UPS. If you cross a goal while inflated, you
will receive a Feather. Any other item (either a P-Block, shell, springboard
or purple block) will turn into a Mushroom, Fire Flower, Feather, or 1-UP,
depending on your current form and the item in your reserve item box.
Types of Blocks:
? Block - Another one that's been there since the beginning of Mario, this
block can hold anything, from power-ups to coins, or even Yoshi. Punch it
from below to make it release its contents.
Winged ? Block - These are like regular ? blocks but they can fly! Some fly
in one direction; others fly back and forth. Punch them to make them stop and
release their treasure - if you can!
! Block - Comes in four colors, corresponding to each switch palace. These
only appear if you have activated their switch palace; they appear as clear
boxes if you haven't. They serve purposes such as partially covering death
pits, allowing you to reach goodies or secret exits, or even sealing enemies
in. Make these real as soon as possible! Also, yellow ! blocks contain
mushrooms, and green ! blocks contain feathers, but not all blocks of these
colors are intended to be reached. Red and blue blocks contain nothing but
are quite helpful anyway!
Crystal Block - A rare and awesome block that continuously cycles between the
four power-ups: Mushroom, Fire Flower, Feather, and Star. Punch it to make it
release its changing power-up which will bounce away, still changing every
second. Collect it when it's in the form you want! Nearly always its best to
get stars out of these because they are often located right before a large
number of enemies. You can often get many 1-UPS by using these!
Yellow Blocks - Very common. These blocks look like they have two eyes (so do
purple blocks). Most of them contain absolutely nothing; they will start
flipping over and over for a few seconds if you punch them; when they are
flipping over they aren't solid and you can jump through them. You can also
smash these blocks by spin jumping on them if you're any form except small. A
few of these blocks, however, do contain items. These blocks cannot by
smashed if you spin jump on them and reveal their prize if punched. Basically
these blocks are replacements for bricks in the older SMB games, which would
be a little our of place here.
Brown Block - Your garden variety block, this block cannot be destroyed or
moved except by turning it into money with a P-Block. Any block that contains
an item will become a brown block after its item is released.
Hint Block - Found mainly in the first world, when you punch this, it makes
some text appear that explains a lot of the things in the Basic Information
section of this guide. Other than that, it serves no function, but you might
want to punch these anyway to see if you can find out anything good.
Note Block - These are very rare, unlike SMB3 when they were ubiquitous. They
are like floating springboards. Jump on them to be bounced up; press B just
as you bounce up to be bounced much higher.
Star Block - *This block will give you a 1-UP if you have collected 30 or
more coins in the level it is in already; otherwise it will give you a coin*.
5. Yoshi Information
Yoshi is what a lot of people associate with SMW. For all the stuff it drops
completely or pushes into relative oblivion, Yoshi somewhat makes up for it.
Anyway, Yoshi is a green dinosaur who is trying to rescue his friends who
were trapped by Bowser. He is found in a few ? blocks and once you make him
appear, you can jump on his back to ride him. When riding Yoshi, your
controls are a little different. Here is what the controls are when riding
Yoshi:
Directional pad - Same, but you CANNOT duck or climb when riding Yoshi, so if
you need to climb a vine, you'll have to give up Yoshi.
B button - Jump in the air.
A button - Spin jump off Yoshi. You can 'super jump' by jumping off Yoshi in
midair. This is necessary to reach one of the secret exits.
X and Y buttons - Make Yoshi extend his red tongue, gobbling up anything in
front of him. Yoshi has an unlimited appetite. If Yoshi has something in his
mouth, pressing Y will make him spit it out.
You cannot shoot fireballs or whirl you cape while riding Yoshi, but you can
glide if you are caped. You can also fly and flight while on Yoshi is MUCH
easier than flight without him; in fact it's the only time I ever use the
cape to fly! Yoshi can eat many enemies, including some bigger than he is! He
can also eat P-Blocks, keys, springboards, and shells. All of these will
remain in his mouth for a while after he eats them. If you hold the Y or X
button down after you ingest the object, you will be able to run and fly
without spitting it out. If you hold it in your mouth too long, Yoshi will
swallow it, and it will disappear forever. All objects can be spit out and
used again (Yoshi will not salivate on any objects in his mouth). An object
in Yoshi's mouth when you cross the goal will NOT turn into a power-up. Yoshi
can, however, carry objects around safely in his mouth to different
locations. Yoshi's tongue can also go through solid rock; this is necessary
to reach one of the secret exits. You can use a keyhole while riding Yoshi;
just touch the keyhole when the key is in Yoshi's mouth.
Yoshi will stomp enemies with the force of a spin jump, meaning almost
nothing he jumps on will hurt him. If you take a hit while riding Yoshi you
will be knocked off his back and he will dash off. If possible run after him
and re-mount him; if he falls into a pit or runs past the goal, he's gone for
good. Yoshi eggs are relatively rare so remember where they are and if you
want to have your dinosaur pal underneath you, go back to a level where you
found him and get him back. If there is a Yoshi already in a level any
additional Yoshi eggs you find will release 1-UPS. Yoshi can eat apples on
bushes or trees, and these fruits can cause interesting effects. Ten red
apples (the usual type) will make him lay an egg with a mushroom - hardly
worth bothering about. Two pink apples (rarer) will make him lay an egg which
becomes a cloud that drops coins, and eventually a 1-UP if you get every
coin. Green apples (found only in Funky, the last level of Special World)
will add 20 seconds to the timer, per apple!
Yoshi has one last ability that is rather complicated. In this game there are
five different colors of Koopa shells - red, blue, green, yellow, and
flashing. A Koopa shell plus a Koopa body creates a full Koopa Troopa. The
shell colors don't matter unless Yoshi eats one. If Yoshi has a shell in his
mouth of a color other than green, he will gain the following abilities:
Red - When he spits the shell out, it will come out as three flames that will
burn any unfortunate enemies standing in front of him.
Yellow - When Yoshi jumps, he will cause a small earthquake when he lands and
send up a puff of smoke. Any enemy standing near where he comes down will go
bye-bye.
Blue - The very best; when Yoshi is holding a blue shell in his mouth (and
they are very rare) he can fly until he swallows or spits out the shell.
Flying requires you to constantly tap button B, or just to hold button B if
you are caped. Be sure to hold Y down after you swallow the shell so you can
fly while accelerating. To REALLY put on speed, run until you are running
fast enough to fly without a shell, then take off. You can skip large parts
of levels this way. Note that when Yoshi is holding a blue shell, he grows
wings and can really fly. The flight Mario can use when he is caped and
riding Yoshi is something entirely different.
Flashing - Very, very rare, but produces ALL the above effects.
Not only are there different color shells, but there are different colored
Yoshis as well! The red, blue and yellow Yoshis (Yoshi hasn't managed to make
his skin flash yet, unfortunately) are available in Star World. They will
start out as baby Yoshis. Feed them five enemies to make them grow into a
full-size Yoshi. A Yoshi of a color other than green can use the effects that
its color gives it with ANY shell. Thus a red Yoshi can breathe fire with any
colored shell, and if he had a yellow shell in his mouth, could super stomp
as well. A blue Yoshi (the very best) can fly with any shell. This is
essential to completing some levels, especially in the bonus worlds. Note
that the Wings item will transform any colored Yoshi into a blue Yoshi if you
use it.
7. Enemies
Following is a list of Bowser's Koopa Troop. NOTE: All enemies that I know of
that cannot be stomped (like Spinies) can be spin jumped on harmlessly. This
is a great trick to remember!
Ground Grunts:
GOOMBA - Mario fans have gotten a little tired of the little frowning
mushroom whose job is to become a mushroom pancake when Mario bops him on the
head, so goombas in SMW have been given a small strength boost. They will
flip over when bopped and can then be carried and thrown at other things. A
spin jump, fireball or cape whack will take them out cleanly. Yoshi can also
eat them. They sometimes parachute from the sky. They don't look much like
the Goombas of SMB1 anymore; they look more like very fat hamsters (!)
PARA-GOOMBA - This guy's got little dinky wings that don't enable him to fly
but do let him hop along the ground and watch wistfully at his flying idols.
A simple stomp turns him into a regular Goomba.
KOOPA TROOPA - The same old turtle... with a twist. When you stomped a Koopa
back on the NES, what you got was a shell. Now, the turtle is actually
knocked clean out of his shell and will be stunned for a second, then get up
and try to find a shell to inhabit. If he does he will become a Koopa Troopa
again. Note that a fireball or spin jump will obliterate a shell completely
and a cape hit will knock it into the air, and will cause the Koopa inside to
disappear if there is one. The shell color has no effect on the Koopa's
behavior; it only affects Yoshi's abilities when he east the shell. Beware; a
flashing shell with a Koopa inside it is INVINCIBLE (except to Yoshi; he can
slurp it up and become almost invincible himself).
KOOPA PARATROOPA - These are all the Koopas with wings. They come in all
types from ones that bounce along the ground, to ones that bounce really
high, to ones that just fly up and down. A bop on the head transforms one
into a regular Koopa Troopa.
REX - A new enemy, Rex is a purple dinosaur that is slow and stupid. One bop
will flatten the top half of him but cause the bottom to move faster; another
will finish him off. So will a fireball, spin jump, cape, or Yoshi's maw.
Very common in the first level of the game but afterwards a bit rare.
BOB-OMB - This little bugger from SMB2 has become an adopted child of the
Mario series. He is immune to fireballs and if stomped, will explode, will
wipe out any enemies or plumbers standing nearby. Fear not; if Yoshi ingests
him he will not blow up; his digestive juices will diffuse the bomb. A spin
jump will cause him to pop like a balloon and not explode. Found in a few
levels later in the game, most importantly Forest of Illusion 3. Sometimes
parachutes from the sky.
SUPER KOOPA - A new enemy and a very good one, Super Koopas are aspiring
Supermen. They look like a cross between a bird and a Koopa with a cape, and
they swoop at you from the side of the screen. A single one isn't much cause
for alarm, but a swarm of them can be. NOTE: Super Koopas with flashing
capes, if stomped, will cough up cape feathers!
JUMPIN' PIRANHA PLANT - Dinosaur Land apparently isn't very hospitable for
these flora with an appetite for plumbers, much to your relief. The only one
of the seven or so species in SMB3 that survives here is a little sprout that
hops high out of pipes and then slowly falls back into them. Some can shoot
fire. A fireball or whip of the cape will destroy one; but you can't stomp
them.
PIRANHA PLANT - A more peaceful version, this plant merely lunges out of its
pipe to get at its prey. These usually come out of upside down pipes.
BULLET BILL - Another famous Mario enemy that this game under represents,
Bullet Bills are rare and not very threatening. They are small black bullets
that launch from cannons. Be careful; in Vanilla Dome 4 they will shoot
constantly from the side of the screen, like in 5-3 on the original SMB, and
in one section, FIVE will launch AT ONCE from ALL DIRECTIONS! Who says Bullet
Bills are harmless?
BANZAI BILL - What cannon can launch these behemoths is beyond me! They are
gigantic Bullet Bills that launch from the side of the screen at preset
locations. Despite their fearsome appearance and huge size they can be
stomped, and try spin jumping one - you'll be in for a funny sight! These are
quite rare; they are only really found in, oddly enough, the first level,
Yoshi's Island 1.
LAKITU - Yes, the rumors are true: even the great Lakitu has fallen into
disuse. Where the heck is the Mario series going? Lakitu is a rare enemy in
this game, found only in two levels - Star World 3 and Forest of Illusion 4.
In the latter level he is first holding a 1-UP Mushroom out on a fishing pole
as bait. If you grab it (and you can hardly avoid doing so) he will begin his
usual policy of throwing Spinies down at you. IMPORTANT: If you defeat Lakitu
with any method other than stomping him, you can steal his cloud and use it
to fly!!!
PIPE DWELLING LAKITU - A cowardly Lakitu who pokes his head out of a pipe to
see if anybody's watching, then chucks a Spiny out. Stomp him when he pokes
his head out.
SPINY - Lakitu's pet, a turtle with spikes on his back, sometimes found
without Lakitu and rather rare. Don't even THINK about stomping this guy, but
any other method of destruction will work just fine.
AMAZING FLYIN' HAMMER BROTHER - What else will they get rid of? Hammer
Brothers, the stars of SMB3 with four species, have been paired down to one
ugly guy who looks like an evil angel sitting on a flying platform chucking
mallets. Avoid the hammers (easier said than done) and bop his platform from
below to beat him and hijack his platform!
MONTY MOLE - This cute little fellow burrows out of the ground or out of
rocky outcrops and charges at you. Don't underestimate how annoying he can be
with his speed, but any attack method will beat him because he is very weak.
WIGGLER - This guy is a PAIN. Found only in forests (mainly Forest of
Illusion 1) he cannot be killed. If you stomp or spin jump on him, he will
turn red and get mad, and start moving faster. So just leave him alone unless
you are invincible or have Yoshi. Yes, you dinosaur pal is able to eat one of
these huge caterpillars and doesn't mind it wiggle as it squeezes down his
throat!
DINO-RHINO - A huge blue, um, dino-rhino that is indigenous to Chocolate
Island (perhaps that's why he's so fat). If you stomp him he will he will
become a very angry Dino-Torch but if you spin jump him he will pop like a
balloon and trouble you no more. Any other attack will be unable to penetrate
his thick hide. Yoshi CANNOT eat him; either he is just too big even for your
ravenous friend, or Yoshi has compunctions about eating his own kind.
DINO-TORCH - a smaller version of Dino-Rhino, found in the same places,
faster and more annoying. He can also breathe fire from time to time. Stomp
him if you can; Yoshi can eat these guys, as they're too far removed from
dinosaurs to make him queasy.
VOLCANO LOTUS - The Lava Lotus of SMB3 has adapted to the land. This touchy
plant blasts out sour fireballs whenever someone comes along to disturb it,
like you. Yoshi has no problems eating red-hot food (they should have some
hot peppers in this game that transform Yoshi into red Yoshi, seriously) so
he can have them for lunch, and a cape whip will also destroy them, although
fireballs won't. Kids, don't stomp this fellow.
LIVING FLAMES - Found only in Special World 7 (Outrageous), these guys are a
real pain, hopping around dropping fire wherever they land that burns out
after a few seconds. The only way to stop their reign of terror is with
Yoshi; again, he doesn't mind spicy food.
POKEY - Deja vu from SMB2! Pokey is, as before, divided into sections. He
can't move very well, although he can move slowly, and he is now yellow, not
green. He is invulnerable UNLESS your dino buddy is by your side; he can
ingest this cactus one course... er, section, at a time!
HEDGEHOGS - An annoying little black ball with eyes that moves around on
suspended wires or rotates around blocks in some levels and is a real pain.
Invulnerable.
SUMO BROTHER - A turtle with attitude problems, Sumo Brother is invulnerable
except to being bopped from below (and that's not always possible) and won't
move much, but will stomp and cause large fires below him that disappear
after a few seconds. Usually these fires are right where you need to go, so
you must run under him and time it so you don't get burned.
CHARGIN' CHUCK - One of the weirdest enemies in the game, Chargin' Chuck is a
football player who was too violent for the NFL, so he is instead trashing
Dinosaur Land. Before he gets hit he will do one of several things: throw
baseballs, throw footballs, dig up rocks, or just charge at you. After you
stomp him once he will be dazed for a moment, then charge at you, no matter
what he initially was doing. A second stomp will do the same thing, but note
that when he is dazed he cannot be damaged with further stomps. A third stomp
will knock him out but that's a lot of work to go to. A barrage of fireballs
will also defeat him, but it takes quite a few. The most effective ways of
dealing with him are punching him from beneath if possible, or a whack with
your cape - both of those will tackle him instantly. Occasionally he helps
you be tearing through blocks and creating pathways. Unless you can take him
out in one shot it's often best to avoid him. YOSHI CANNOT EAT HIM!!!
Subterranean Slimes:
SPIKE-TOP - A little red guy with a single spike on his back, NOT to be
confused with a Spiny. This fellow crawls along the ground, up walls, and on
ceilings. If you have a cape use it, otherwise avoid these creeps.
MEGA MOLE - A mole who needs to go on a diet. Mega Mole is sometimes helpful,
as you can ride on his head and cross danger that way. But if you touch him
from the side, you'll get hit. Yoshi can eat these guys, even though they're
bigger than he is!
SWOOPER - A green and brown bat who swoops down from the ceiling seeking to
take a bite out of your plumber self. Often roosts off the screen or in
locations where he's harder to avoid. Be careful of these guys. Anything will
defeat them; they rely more on stealth than strength.
BUZZY BEETLE - A blue beetle with a rock-hard shell who just trundles along,
minding his own business, until you stomp him, after which you can kick his
shell around like a Koopa shell. Yoshi cannot carry Buzzy shells in his
mouth, and the beetle itself will not pop out when you stomp it, like a Koopa
will. These guys are immune to fireballs, can also be disabled with a cape
whip, and are flattened completely by a spin jump.
BLARGG - A dragon who sticks his head above the lava he rests in when anybody
comes near, hoping to take a bite out of them if they don't jump out of the
way. Invulnerable, and found almost exclusively in Vanilla Dome 3.
MUNCHER - This invincible, inert piranha plant from SMB3 is back. Stay away
from them.
Marine Marauders:
CHEEP-CHEEP - Back for more, although this fish looks a little sad, perhaps
because his buddy Blooper is not with him. Cheep-Cheeps swim back and forth
and are very weak.
BLURP - A Cheep-Cheep who grew up near a nuclear power plant, Blurp has the
strange ability to swim through rock. He just doodles along in one direction
until something (fireball, cape whack, or dinosaur tongue) takes him out of
this world.
RIP VAN FISH - Despite his silly name and appearance, this fishy is a serious
pain. He snoozes away until some dinner comes near, then he wakes up and
pursues it. He is quite fast and hard to avoid but if you outswim him, he
will go back to the land of nod. Fireball or cape will do him in.
PORCU-PUFFER - A very rare enemy found only in Vanilla Secret 3, Porcu-Puffer
serves as punishment for those unlucky enough to fall in the water, a bit
like Boss Bass in SMB3 but not as bad. He is fast, relentless and
invulnerable. Don't play in the water, kids.
URCHIN - This is probably the only enemy whose name actually describes what
he is. This large purple pincushion is quite content sliding back and forth
in a small area of the lake of Forest of Illusion 2. Unless you've got a
purple block to chuck at him, he is invincible.
TORPEDO TED - The good guys run when they spot this guy! Luckily he is only
found in one stage in the whole game, The Sea of Dew (a.k.a. Soda Lake) but
is a painfully frequent sight in that stage. He is basically a Bullet Bill
that launches elongated, painful torpedoes at swimmers constantly and cannot
be stopped. The torpedoes cannot be destroyed either. Watch out!
Ghastly Ghouls:
ALL OF THESE GUYS CANNOT BE KILLED!!!
BOO BUDDY (a.k.a. Boo Didley) - Back from SMB3 with some friends, this little
ghoul is the same as before; he falters when you look at him, but when you
turn away, he floats toward you, trying to creep up on you. So be brave and
face the foe!
THE BIG 'BOO' - Huge, fearsome, and hopelessly narcoleptic, this gigantic
apparition floats toward you when you turn away (and believe me, you don't
want to have a close encounter with him) but closes his eyes and goes to
sleep at the sight of your face. Be brave, plumbers!
'BOO' BUDDIES - An enormous circle of Boo Didleys rotating around a common
point. They aren't much of a threat, seeing as you need only wait for the gap
in the circle to come to proceed.
EERIES - AAAGH! These guys are a PAIN! They float through the haunted houses
of Dinosaur Land, usually in packs, and look like toads. They don't care
about whether you're facing them or not, they just continue on their merry
way, taking a bite out of anybody they meet. Stay away from these dudes!
THE FISHIN' BOO - A MAJOR pain but thankfully found in only ONE level, Choco-
Ghost house. He fishes like Lakitu does but if you touch the blue fire at the
end of his fishing pole, you'll get a nasty burn.
GHOST BLOCKS - They look like gray blocks, but when you look away...
GHOST SNAKES - A snake of Boo Buddies that floats diagonally and bounces of
walls. Choco-ghost house only.
BUBBLES - Huge green bubbles of pain. Spin jump on them and you won't be
harmed.
DIVING GHOSTS - These Boo Buddies dive from a cloud of ghosts above you.
Beware: if you don't keep moving, you can easily get overwhelmed.
Castle Critters:
DRY BONES - He's back but a little different. He still crumples into a pile
of bones when stomped, but hops back up in a minute. However, a big new
change is that he can now be killed outright with a simple whirl of your
marvelous cape (fireballs, though, won't make a scratch). He can also throw
bones.
BONY BEETLE - Similar to Dry Bones, these mummified Buzzy Beetles will walk
slowly, but can also stop and grow spikes. If you stomp them while they are
not spiked, they will crumple into bones but soon pop back up. Cape slap 'em
and they're done.
MAGIKOOPA - A magician hired by Bowser, luckily found in Lemmy and Larry's
Castles only. This mage can apparate and disapparate randomly and shoots
spells that will hurt you and also melt yellow blocks, turning them into
yellow Koopas. He is quite a pain. The only thing that can 'defeat' him is a
stomp; but he'll soon reappear if you remain in the area.
FENCE KOOPA - These turtles will climb on fences in fortresses in castles.
They are pathetically easy to beat and can provide you with plentiful extra
lives, if you beat them by stomping without touching the ground.
NINJIS - They're back from SMB2... but only in Bowser's castle. They just hop
up and down.
MECHAKOOPA -The only robot enemies on the whole game, these droids prowl the
depths of Bowser's castle. Stomp them and they can be picked up and thrown
around, but will revive in your hands and bite your head off if you're not
careful. They are also in the final battle.
ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CANNOT BE KILLED!!!
THWOMP - At least they kept this guy! He's back with a little brother and an
attitude. He's up to the same old tricks: slamming down when you come near,
then resetting. Run by when he resets.
THWIMP - Thwomp might seem more dangerous, but this little version of him
actually is, because of his habit of hopping all over the place and causing
mayhem.
LIL' SPARKY - A small fireball that rotates around blocks. You can safely
spin jump on him.
HOTHEAD - A larger, slower version of Lil' Sparky, found only in Wendy's
Castle.
FISHBONE - A dead fish that hunts sunken waters with an appetite for meat.
PODOBOO - A fireball that launches out of lava pits, burning visitors. Some
move diagonally.
GRINDERS - A spiked wheels that grind intruders into plumber burgers.
BALL N' CHAIN - A spiked ball rotating on a chain.
GARGOYLES - Come in two types, found in later castles. The silver type is
harmless itself but shoots fireballs, and the gold type is harmful and jumps
around.
REZNOR, KOOPALINGS, AND BOWSER - These are bosses. For tips on how to beat
them, read the walkthrough!
7. World Guide/Level Relationship Index
This is a map of Dinosaur Land. I can't make an ASCII diagram of the whole
game, so I will give you this chart. The first column gives a list of every
level in the game. The second column tells what location you will go to if
you exit through the level's NORMAL exit. The third column will tell you what
location you will go to if you exit through the level's SECRET exit, if there
is one. You must complete levels first to open paths to new levels. Any level
with a - for a normal exit means that it is at a dead end; you don't go
anywhere after completing it. Star Roads have been given numbers, although
they just warp you from place to place, because there are seven of them. Star
Road 6 leads to Special World. Star Road 7 is one-way and it takes you to
Yoshi's House, where you start the game. Yoshi's House is not included
because its exit does not count toward the total of 96. Pipes are not
included, since they just take you from place to place.
Note that Star Roads 1-4 are not connected to anything until you build the
path to them by clearing levels, but Star Road 5 is connected to Bowser's
Castle, so if you go there from Star Road 1, you can reach the final battle
in about 30 minutes. NOTE: If you enter Bowser's Castle through the Front
Door without completing Larry's Castle first, you will be permanently stuck
there!!!
Name of Level Normal Exit
Secret Exit
*YOSHI'S ISLAND*
Yoshi's Island 1 Yellow Switch
Palace -
Yellow Switch Palace -
-
Yoshi's Island 2 Yoshi's Island 3
-
Yoshi's Island 3 Yoshi's Island 4
-
Yoshi's Island 4 Iggy's Castle
-
Iggy's Castle Donut Plains 1
-
*DONUT LAND*
Donut Plains 1 Donut Plains 2
Donut Secret 1
Donut Plains 2 Donut Ghost house
Green Switch Palace
Green Switch Palace -
-
Donut Ghost House Donut Plains 3
Top Secret Area
Top Secret Area -
-
Donut Plains 3 Donut Plains 4
-
Donut Plains 4 Morton's Castle
-
Donut Secret 1 Donut Ghost house
Donut Secret House
Donut Secret House Donut Secret 2
Star Road 1
Donut Secret 2 Donut Plains 3
-
Morton's Castle Vanilla Dome 1
-
*VANILLA DOME*
Vanilla Dome 1 Vanilla Dome 2
Vanilla Secret 1
Vanilla Dome 2 Vanilla Ghost house
Red Switch Palace
Red Switch Palace -
-
Vanilla Ghost House Vanilla Dome 3
-
Vanilla Dome 3 Vanilla Dome 4
-
Vanilla Dome 4 Lemmy's Castle
-
Lemmy's Castle Cheese Bridge Area
-
Vanilla Secret 1 Vanilla Secret 2
Star Road 2
Vanilla Secret 2 Vanilla Secret 3
-
Vanilla Secret 3 Vanilla Fortress
-
Vanilla Fortress Butter Bridge 1
-
*TWIN BRIDGES*
Cheese Bridge Area Cookie Mountain
Soda Lake
Cookie Mountain Ludwig's Castle
-
Soda Lake Star Road 3
-
Butter Bridge 1 Butter Bridge 2
-
Butter Bridge 2 Ludwig's Castle
-
Ludwig's Castle Forest of Illusion 1
-
*FOREST OF ILLUSION*
Forest of Illusion 1 Forest of Illusion 2
Forest Ghost house
Forest of Illusion 2 Forest of Illusion 3
Blue Switch Palace
Blue Switch Palace -
-
Forest of Illusion 3 Forest Ghost house
Roy's Castle**
Forest Ghost House Forest of Illusion 4
-
Forest of Illusion 4 Forest of Illusion 2
Forest Secret Area
Forest Secret Area Forest Fortress
-
Forest Fortress Star Road 4
-
Roy's Castle Chocolate Island 1
-
*CHOCOLATE ISLAND*
Chocolate Island 1 Choco-Ghost house
-
Choco-Ghost House Chocolate Island 2
-
Chocolate Island 2 Chocolate Island 3
Chocolate Secret
Chocolate Secret Wendy's Castle
-
Chocolate Island 3 Chocolate Island 3*
Chocolate Fortress**
Chocolate Fortress Chocolate Island 4
-
Chocolate Island 4 Chocolate Island 5
-
Chocolate Island 5 Wendy's Castle
-
Wendy's Castle Sunken Ghost Ship
-
Sunken Ghost Ship Valley of Bowser 1
-
*VALLEY OF BOWSER*
Valley of Bowser 1 Valley of Bowser 2
-
Valley of Bowser 2 Valley Ghost house
Valley Fortress
Valley Fortress Bowser's Castle -
Back Door -
Valley Ghost House Valley of Bowser 3
Larry's Castle
Valley of Bowser 3 Valley of Bowser 4
-
Valley of Bowser 4 Larry's Castle
Star Road 5
Larry's Castle Bowser's Castle -
Front Door -
Bowser's Castle - Front Door END
-
Bowser's Castle - Back Door END
-
*STAR WORLD*
Star World 1 Star Road 1*
Star Road 2
Star World 2 Star Road 2*
Star Road 3
Star World 3 Star Road 3*
Star Road 4
Star World 4 Star Road 4*
Star Road 5
Star World 5 Star Road 5*
Star Road 6
*SPECIAL WORLD*
Gnarly Tubular
-
Tubular Way Cool
-
Way Cool Awesome
-
Awesome Groovy
-
Groovy Mundo
-
Mundo Outrageous
-
Outrageous Funky
-
Funky Star Road 7
-
* - Don't forget to use these exits once if you're going for 96.
** - Unless you use Star World, these secret exits MUST be used to complete
the game.
8. Walkthrough
Since this is a long game, and I haven't found all the secrets by any means,
there are probably many 1-UPS, etc. that I have not found. Search them out if
you wish, but since 1-UPS are a dime a dozen in this game (and there are ways
to get many at once, and I HAVE found most of these) you won't get any
benefit except satisfaction. The walkthrough will be fairly brief, as I've
got a lot of levels to cover and I don't want my FAQ to be too long. So, with
no further ado, we will begin!
8A. Yoshi's Island
After a text box appears with a simplified version of the story, you will
begin the game at Yoshi's House. If you enter it, you will find nothing but a
group of apples in the tree and a hint block that is really a letter from
Yoshi, who you will meet up with in due course. You have a choice of two
levels to play at the beginning: Yoshi's Island 1 or 2. Yoshi's Island 1 is
not necessary to play, but it is necessary to get to the Yellow Switch
Palace, which should be one of your first objectives. If you have a lot of
trouble completing it, you may wish to play Yoshi's Island 2 and obtain Yoshi
first, but you shouldn't have much trouble.
1. YOSHI'S ISLAND 1 - You'll notice a lot of Rex enemies here. The easiest
way to defeat them is by spin jumping, which will smash them instantly. If
you jump on them they will take two hits to defeat, and will speed up after
the first hit. You'll probably have the most trouble from the Banzai Bills,
the huge bullets that come from the right at pre-set locations. Duck under
them or jump on them, depending on their height and the terrain. Note that
most enemies (including Banzai Bills) will regenerate, so try not to
backtrack. There is one pipe that you can enter by spin jumping and breaking
the blocks if you're Super. Inside the pipe is a bonus room with a dragon
coin. There is a 1-UP in a visible block high in the air. To collect it you
must kick the nearby shell straight up; if you forgot how to do this, hit the
hint block next to it and it will remind you. Once you've got the extra life
knocked loose, move to the right, and super jump off the Banzai Bill to get
up to the cloud it's on. If you wait for it to fall off the cloud, it will be
tougher to get. Remember that yellow outlines are nothing but empty air for
now. *There is a 3-UP Moon here, only accessible once you have a cape. On the
cloud ledge to the right of the 1-UP, fly up to the left, and you'll run
straight into it, on a higher cloud ledge*.
2. YELLOW SWITCH PALACE - This level has nothing at all to hurt you. First
hit the P-Block and the whole room will fill with coins. Grab as many as you
can before the P-Block runs out of power; when it does, enter the pipe and
hit the huge yellow switch. Now all yellow outlines are filled with ! blocks,
which will be a huge help for the rest of the game, but especially in this
world.
3. YOSHI'S ISLAND 2 - This level is in the forest. At the start, kick the
Koopa shell on the ground into the line of Koopas and if it knocks out them
all, you'll get an extra life. You'll find Yoshi soon enough; have fun with
him. Get used to doing the moves with him and have fun eating your enemies.
There is a second Yoshi block after the midway gate which will contain a 1-UP
if you still have Yoshi. There is a vine you must climb; you'll have to jump
off Yoshi to do it since dinosaurs cannot climb, but it's worth it as a
dragon coin is up there. You'll find having the Yellow Switch Palace
activated helps you a lot here. There is a pipe you can go down in the latter
half of the stage; it leads to a room with four purple blocks you are
supposed to throw up at the blocks flying back and forth above you. They are
difficult to hit, but try to hit the third one from the left - it holds a 1-
UP.
4. YOSHI'S ISLAND 3 - You're now in the hills, and you'll want to avoid
looking down, as this is your first jumping-type level. It is also something
of a challenge. There is a Yoshi here but he won't be of much help. This
level is mostly about keeping your footing on the moving platforms and brown
platforms on chains that rotate. One fall will be your last, although some
gaps are partially covered by yellow ! blocks. Take it slow and get used to
jumping, as this is fairly easy compared to the jumping you will need to do
later in the game. I had a lot of trouble finding the fifth dragon coin in
this level; it's in a pipe located below the second rotating platform in the
level.
5. YOSHI'S ISLAND 4 - After a nice long trek in the mountains, you come upon
this picturesque mountain lake which you must cross. Unfortunately, many
nasty water creatures (Cheep-Cheeps and yellow spiked mines) are abundant in
this lake. Stay out of the water if you can and when you come to a pipe, go
down it. It leads to a mini-level with (of all things) multiple Pokeys that
are invulnerable if you don't have Yoshi with you. When you come out of the
area, you'll see a P-Block on a block above you. Use the Koopa shell to knock
it down by kicking it up (be careful not to torch it if you're Fiery) and
stomp it. Then, and only then, hit the other block, within reach. It holds an
Invincibility Star. Blaze ahead to the exit, assisted by the temporary block
bridge the P-Block creates, and defeat as many enemies as you can. You can
get about 4 1-UPS if you kill everything you see, a nice profit. Head into
the exit pipe and you're on to your first castle.
6. IGGY'S CASTLE - The bad news s that Yoshi will not be able to enter this
level (or any castle, fortress, or ghost house). The good news is that this
castle is a fairly easy introduction to the rigors of castle storming and has
a chance for some nice 1-UPS. Jump on the wire fence and defeat all the
turtles on it by stomping. It will be tempting to punch them when they're
opposite from you, but resist the temptation. DO NOT get off the fence for
anything. After stomping nine turtles, you'll get a 1-UP for each one you
stomp without touching the ground. You can get about 10 1-UPS here if you
make use of the panels that, if punched, transfer you to the other side of
the fence, where you can stomp more turtles. Be careful of lava and the hot
objects that tend to emanate from it. Once you reach the end of the fence,
break the midway gate and enter the door to the next room.
In the next room there will be forced scrolling (meaning you will be pushed
right by the screen, and will be killed if you get crushed between a solid
object and the screen) and several huge yellow pillars (these are HUGE; they
fill up half the screen) that will fall from the ceiling. They will not kill
you, only hurt you, but you'll want to avoid that as well, so stay at the
left edge of the screen to avoid them. At the end of this fairly tough
section is a large red door. Take a deep breath, for large red doors at the
end of a castle or fortress lead to...
BOSS FIGHT: Iggy Koopa. Iggy used to be the most athletic of the Koopalings,
but he's grown fat and ugly like all his brothers in Dinosaur Land. In fact,
he's so overweight he's unable to move; all he will do is sit in one place as
the platform he's standing on tips back and forth like an amusement park
ride. However, below this platform is more lava, so you really do not want to
fall off. To defeat Iggy, stomp him when the edge of the platform he is
closest to is DOWN. When you stomp him he slides in the direction the
platform is tilting, so if you keep stomping him without stopping you'll
simply bounce him back and forth, but if you wait until the platform is
tilted to the right, you need only stomp him twice before he takes a nice
steamy bath in the boiling lava. If you leave him alone for a while he will
drop orange balls which roll toward you, so be aware of that. After frying
the demented turtle you will rescue the first of Yoshi's friends, who will
be, unfortunately, still incubating in his egg. Off to world 2: Krispy Kreme
Donut Land!!!
8B. Donut Land
1. DONUT PLAINS 1 - This level is on the open plains and is packed with a new
enemy: Super Koopas. Stomp or avoid the yellow ones; it doesn't matter. But
be sure you stomp the ones with flashing capes; they will cough up a cape
feather! Now you can sport a yellow cape on your back, perfect for sailing
through the air (or not) or whipping an annoying enemy into oblivion. After a
while you'll come to a purple pipe that can only be accessed if you have the
Yellow Switch Palace activated. To enter a pipe facing up, jump into it and
hold up. Inside is a 5-UP bonus room.
There are several rooms in the game that are like this. They are all entered
through pipes, and they all have the same set-up: a room with five levels,
each with three ? blocks. The blocks, if hit in a correct order that is
different for each set, will yield a 1-UP with the third block. But, if you
hit a block out of order, you will get nothing. You can nullify this order,
however, if you hit each block from the LEFT with your cape. This requires,
of course, that you have a cape in the first place, and that you spin jump
when standing below and one block to the left of the block you wish to hit.
As long as you take it slow and don't get careless, all these rooms will
yield 5 1-UPS. In the future, whenever you enter a similar room I won't
mention it, since it's assumed that you read this explanation and know how it
works and how to cash in.
After you exit this room you'll see another pipe to your left. Go down it and
you enter a huge area that allows you to practice using your cape. There are
many, many coins here for an able flier to snare; just don't run out of time.
After diving and sailing around this area, exit through the pipe on the other
side and you'll come out the same pipe you came out of the bonus room from
and can even go back into the cape practicing area again and again. Anyway,
to finish the level, just mosey on over to the right. You'll find a Yoshi egg
on the way in plain sight. If you're having trouble finding the fifth dragon
coin in this level, it's on a cloud high in the air - you'll need to fly up
and explore the skies. It gets a bit hairy near the end with all the Chargin'
Chucks throwing baseballs.
SECRET EXIT - The first secret exit of the game is located right before the
normal exit. It's hard, but possible to reach without the Green Switch Palace
activated. You'll need to fly up there with a cape, and there aren't any
ideal runways nearby. But, since you're going to activate the Green Switch
Palace soon anyway, I'd suggest just waiting until you have it active and
coming back. When you return, you'll find a huge pillar of green blocks
leading up. Run up them using the pink triangle block which allows you to run
up walls (!) and you'll run right into a key and keyhole. Pick up the key and
touch the keyhole holding the key, or have Yoshi eat the key and touch the
keyhole.
2. DONUT PLAINS 2 - This level's title is a misnomer; it would be better
described as 'Donut Caverns'. This cave stage has forced scrolling (it's one
of the only levels in the game that does, unlike SMB3 when it was fairly
common) and a bunch of new things to bear in mind. First of all are the huge
pillars of sandstone. Some can apparently defy gravity, all rise and fall,
and MANY CAN CRUSH YOU into a 2D plumber if you aren't careful to stay out
from under them. Also, there will be Buzzy Beetles and Swoopers. Both are
tougher to avoid because of the forced scrolling, and since you can't see
what's coming, it's not advisable to kick a Buzzy shell off the screen - it's
possible it will hit something just beyond you field of view and come flying
back, conking you.
SECRET EXIT - Enter the second green pipe in the ceiling, above the third
rising sand column in the open area after the first section. You wouldn't
normally think of entering that pipe when you're thinking about avoiding
getting crushed by the sandstone, which explains why this is a SECRET exit...
anyway, you'll find yourself in a room. Go right, smash the blocks around the
blue shell but be VERY careful not to smash or kick the shell itself. Take
the shell and kick it straight up at the fourth (highest) yellow block in the
stairway (if you're caped, you can also climb up and hit it with your cape,
but that's trickier). To reveal a vine. Climb up there and you'll find a key
and keyhole; unfortunately, Yoshi will need to be left behind unless you're
an amazing flier. But, rejoice, you've found the Green Switch Palace, one of
the best in the game!!! Better yet, when you re-play the level, enter this
room again and exit through the pipe on the right side - it leads straight to
the normal goal!
3. GREEN SWITCH PALACE - Try using the shell below to knock out all the
Koopas and if you succeed, you'll get a 1-UP or two. Then as usual, enter the
pipe, hit the switch, and enjoy.
4. DONUT GHOST HOUSE - Welcome to your first Ghost house. You'll begin in a
room full of diving ghosts that you don't want to hang around in. Go right,
hit the message block if you want to get a remarkably unhelpful clue, and
jump over the pits. Don't let any ghost from above take a bite out of you,
which is most easily accomplished by moving quickly. When you make it to the
door, enter it to enter a new room. In this room, follow these instructions:
go right, ignoring the Boo Buddies, and enter the door. You'll appear on the
platform below the main ledge (in Ghost houses, doors are often one-way and
drop you at a place where there's no door... eerie). Hit the yellow block to
reveal a P-Block. IGNORE IT and enter the door on the right again. Hit the
yellow block again and now it will be a vine. Climb the vine to reach a ledge
with another door. Enter it and say adios to your first Ghost house.
Unfortunately, there will be many more... alas.
SECRET EXIT - WAIT!!! Donut Ghost house is one of the few that has a Secret
Exit, and boy oh boy is it secret! Get a cape from Donut Plains 1 and enter
the haunted house. Run to the right a ways (so that the far left of the house
is off-screen), then stop, run back to the left, and fly up on the far left
side of the scream. If you are lucky, no diving Boo Buddies will appear and
knock you down. If you do collide with one and lose your cape, immediately
start-select (do this after you've found the normal exit), get another cape,
and try again until you succeed. When you do succeed you'll find a whole new
level. There are ghosts up here too, so run right, not stopping for anything,
until you drop into an area with four 1-UPS. If you're feeling brave, punch
them quickly, collect them all at once, and exit through the door before you
are eaten alive by the angry ghosts above your head. Enter the door and throw
your hat in the air, for you've found...
5. TOP SECRET AREA - Wow! This area is one screen with exits on both sides
like Yoshi's House, but it's got the following stuff: two Fire Flowers, two
Cape Feathers, AND a Yoshi egg! That's enough to make yourself fully powered
up for any level, ANY time you want! It can also be a source of quick lives -
just hit the Yoshi block over and over, collect the 1-UP, and exit. Make use
of this area as often as possible!
6. DONUT PLAINS 3 - Somewhat like Yoshi's Island 2, this stage introduces you
to the hundred knicks and knacks of platform movement, which will become more
and more difficult the farther you get in the game. You will be introduced to
platforms that rotate around a block in threesomes, platforms that move on
lines, ON/OFF switches that change the position of lines (!) and of course,
those most annoying Hedgehogs who ride on platforms lines and cause you no
end of trouble. Avoid them at all costs and take it easy. That's about all
there is to say, except that there's a yellow pipe in the air that you must
take a higher path to reach (shortly after the midway gate, I think) that
leads to a 5-UP bonus room if you manage to enter it. Try to collect at least
30
coins here because there's a star block at the end of the level.
7. DONUT PLAINS 4 - This level has a few new things. At the beginning, if you
have Yoshi, allow the Koopa to enter the rainbow shell, then swallow it to
gain the powers granted by all three shells. If you don't have Yoshi charge
right as soon as you begin, full steam, and you'll grab the shell before the
Koopa can get into it, avoiding his rather nasty attack. Continue on and
you'll meet Amazing Flyin' Hammer Brothers, and Goombas. There's a few pipes
you can enter but nothing noteworthy is in them. After a while you'll find
Yoshi, then shortly after that, your first crystal block. Hit it when it is a
feather and you'll grab it when it is a star (hopefully). Blaze a path
straight ahead, not stopping for anything, and if you defeat enough enemies,
you'll be able to snare a few 1-UPS. Take out the last Hammer Brother and
ride his platform over the large pit right before the goal. *There is a 3-UP
Moon in this level, located after the crystal block. It's on a cloud high in
the air and you'll need to fly up there, but it's hard to find a runway
nearby. Good luck.*
8. DONUT SECRET 1 - This is a water level. There's little advice to give as
there are few secrets. There is a pipe you can go up which leads to a dry
cavern where you will find a P-Balloon. If you inflate yourself, fly up to
the left where you'll find another P-Balloon, then fly up to the very top,
where some dragon coins and a 1-UP are. Keep swimming, observe how different
aquatic enemies behave, and if possible, come into this level with two Fire
Flowers, one in reserve. Firepower is even better that a cape underwater,
since it can fry most enemies from a distance (I'll never understand how
Mario can shoot FIREBALLS in WATER). Keep going until you come to a P-Block.
SECRET EXIT - Take the P-Block as far right as you can safely do so. You may
need to take a hit on purpose to move it farther. When you've moved it as far
as you think you can, push it and swim right as fast as possible. When you
get to a depression that has coins above it, get those coins immediately,
before they turn back into blocks and seal the depression. The far right
block is a ? block that can only be accessed by using the P-Block. It holds
the key. The keyhole is right there, so you'd probably suspect the key was
nearby, and that ? block looks awfully suspicious, so this secret exit is
pretty easy to find. The normal exit is a little further to the right.
9. DONUT SECRET HOUSE - ANOTHER two-exit Ghost house in the land of
cruellers? Incredible - anyway, this Ghost house is also fairly easy,
considering it's only the second world. It does introduce some new stuff,
though. Your first obstacle will be the Polar Boo Club... er, a circle of Boo
Buddies. Duck through the gap in their circle when it comes around and be
patient. Next, you'll need to use a springboard to bounce over an enormous
Big Boo blocking your way. Enter the door on the right and in the new area,
head left and dodge another circle of Boo Buddies. Continue left and be sure
to collect the five coins on the ledge guarded by a Boo Buddy. There are Boo
Buddies all over the place here, so be careful.
SECRET EXIT - On the far left is a P-Block on a ledge. Jump and grab it, take
it right, near the pit, and stomp it. This will cause a blue (magical P-Block
activated) door to appear on the ledge on the right side of the pit (I hope
you got the coins around it before). That's the normal exit to Donut Secret
2. The visible door in the pit that can now be accessed due to some ? blocks
appearing due to the P-Block, and the door in the far left corner of the
room, both lead nowhere, a common phenomenon in ghost houses. If you wish to
reach for the stars, QUICKLY stand in front of the visible door in the pit
while the P-Block is active and jump. The block above the door contains a
vine. Jump onto it (you can jump straight up due to the P-Block power), climb
up, and run right as fast as you can! When you see a blue door, dive into it
before it closes! Welcome to Master Boo's Lair, and he isn't too happy to
have visitors...
MINI-BOSS FIGHT: Master Boo. This mini-boss is unique in SMW. He is just a
huge Big Boo that can appear and disappear and, oddly enough, be harmed by
mortal weapons. Pick up a purple block (the whole floor is made up of them)
and stand in a position where you face both Boo Buddies. When Master Boo
comes within range, throw your block up at him. He will then disappear (you
can see his outline) and relocate. When he reappears, hit him again. Three
hits will make Master Boo cross over and give you access to Star World!!!
10. DONUT SECRET 2 - This often-forgotten stage is an ice cave in the
mountains surrounding the Valley of Bowser and is on a secret path to skip
part of Donut Land. It's pretty simple. The ice is very slippery, so watch
out for that. The first block you see is will release a coin snake. There is
an Invincibility Star but this one's very hard to squeeze any 1-UPS out of,
so don't try. Slip and slide on the ice but watch out for Spike-Tops and
other enemies. Yoshi will help here so get him if you're having trouble. This
is the only ice level in the game, which is a very good thing. You can get a
1-UP if you stomp the column of Paratroopas at the end without touching the
ground.
11. MORTON'S CASTLE - Finally you've made it to the residence of the king of
the Krispy Kremes, and his fortress is a little more complex than Iggy's. The
first room contains a series of nasty obstacles: Thwomps, Thwimps, and Ball
n' Chains. Make your way slowly and carefully; there's little other 'advice'
I can give here. There's a 5-UP bonus room located above the start but it's
VERY difficult to access. Come here with a cape or two and fly up above the
start, through the gap, into the tunnel that leads to the pipe. You will have
great difficulty finding an adequate runway with the Thwimps hopping around,
and once you get up, the passageway in the ceiling is small and hard to
enter.
At the top of the first section is a door to the second, which is very
different. This part has a black background and is made up of blue stone
blocks that move back and forth in a cyclic pattern. You need to jump on them
to climb up in most cases. This section requires patience because you need to
wait for the blocks to move into the right alignment for you to climb up.
There will be some Dry Bones on the solid ledges as well. If you can, smack
them with your cape, otherwise you'll have to avoid them. There is a vine in
the second block from the right in a five-block set about halfway up; it
leads to a secret room with an invisible 1-UP. When necessary, move quickly
so you don't get crushed by the blocks; you know what that means. Near the
top there are some spikes you'll have to avoid using precise jumping on the
thin ledges. Right before the final door, there will be a green ! block with
a cape feather. These are located at the end of almost every castle and are
one of the sweetest rewards you will reap for activating the Green Switch
Palace. With a cape on your back if you didn't already have one, confidently
enter the door and meet...
BOSS FIGHT: Morton Koopa Jr. This guy is a joke. He will 'attack' by charging
at you - stomp him and he will become more oblate, look surprised, then
recover and move faster. If possible stomp him three times before he reaches
the wall. If he reaches the wall he will crawl up it and onto the ceiling -
you can't hurt him while he's doing this - and try to slam down on you. Run
underneath him when he does this and jump. *If you're in the air when he
lands, you won't get frozen for a second*. Then he will repeat this pattern;
stomp him again. The only problem you might have is when he moves very fast,
as he will when he's angry, he can be a bit hard to stomp. Three bumps on the
head sends this loon into the background for all eternity. Mario will
demonstrate his ability to flatten a castle using only his body and then head
on to a new, underground world called the (salivate here) French Vanilla
Dome!!!
8C. Vanilla Dome
1. VANILLA DOME 1 - For those of you who dislike caves intensely, sorry,
because Vanilla Dome is a cave world. The only thing of note in the first
section besides the secret exit (more on that below) is a large area of
blocks in the middle that you have to get through. If you're having trouble
the best way to get through is to get a Yoshi and walk through the bottom,
eating any Buzzy Beetles in your way (who otherwise are impossible to stomp
without jumping to the higher level. Once you're in the final chamber (the
one on the far right that's a little wider than the others) the FAR LEFT
yellow block above you (in that chamber) holds a 1-UP. Grab it and mosey on
over to the pipe to the next section, but note that the enemies are getting
nastier and the obstacles tougher, so you'll need to be more on your toes.
This is because you are advancing in the game.
The second section is a dark cave with a huge pit of lava that has a huge
block of compacted sandstone that will sink into the lava when you touch it.
Basically, grab the star at the beginning and RUN full speed across the
sandstone - any haste will mean your untimely demise - and you'll make it.
You can get a 1-UP if you hit the last enemy but it's not worth bothering
about. Once out of here you'll find the midway gate, but you're actually a
bit more than halfway through the level. The last section is the easiest.
It's a maze with some enemies in annoying spots, but the maze isn't too
difficult to navigate and if you go slow, you'll do fine.
SECRET EXIT - Get the Red Switch Palace (in the next level) and come back. In
section 1 there will be a stairway of red ! blocks leading to a yellow block
that has a vine. Climb up and voila!
2. VANILLA DOME 2 - This level is fun. It's an underground cave that is
partially filled with water. The only water creatures you'll encounter are
Cheep-Cheeps, but still, you might want to have firepower here. There is a
vine early on you must climb, which means you cannot bring Yoshi into the
latter part of this level. Soon after the vine you'll see a passage down
blocked by a 3 X 3 block of brown blocks. Remember where it is for later.
Swim down and to the right, and when you come to a large area with a row of
coins over your head and a thick mass of blocks above them, DON'T GET ANY
COINS! Do, however, jump out of the water beneath the far left coin - there's
an invisible 1-UP there.
Continue on and jump out of the water when possible. Go left and you'll find
a P-Block on top of the mass of blocks. Hit it and if you left the lower row
of coins intact, you will be able to get more coins. After this retrace your
steps but this time go right. There is a lower path but the higher path is
highly recommended, because you'll find the midway gate (again, it's well
past midway through the level) AND a crystal block. The problem is that both
ways, you'll have to allow Chargin' Chucks to charge through masses of blocks
blocking your way. They'll bulldoze the blocks easily enough, but if you
don't have great timing and don't jump out of the way in time, they will hit
you as well. In areas like this with many Chargin' Chucks, it's unwise to try
to take out every one, unless circumstances favor it. It'll be a little hairy
getting the star from the crystal block with mad football players throwing
themselves at you, but try your best. Once you are invincible plow on ahead
to the goal. It's possible to get a few 1-UPS if you beat enough enemies, but
unless you really want more lives, just plunge ahead and put this stage
behind you.
SECRET EXIT - But wait; this stage is a red dot on the map, so we have to re-
visit it. Go exactly like you did before until you get on top of the large
mass of blocks where the P-Block is. Instead of pressing it where it is, take
it left, through the wall of coins, THEN stomp it. Go left through a wall
that no longer exists, jump over the first gap, and dive into the second gap
(the one filled with coins). The key and hole are down here, but oddly
enough, the key isn't right next to the keyhole this time - you've got to
tote it a ways. Be careful not to drop it into an abyss. This is the only
time in the game you have to carry a key a ways, luckily.
3. RED SWITCH PALACE - Yay, another switch palace. As usual you can get a 1-
UP in this one. This time, you'll need to hit the P-Block, jump on the
platforms of coins-turned-blocks above the floor, and go right, allowing the
rainbow shell to mow down all the enemies. Beware; it can easily hurt you as
well. It can also be hard to get into the exit pipe if you do this, so it
might be best to just head for the pipe and ignore the 1-UP chance. Hit the
big red switch as usual.
4. VANILLA GHOST HOUSE - This will be your last haunted haul for a while, and
it's not THAT hard, actually. It does, however, introduce a lot of things
that will be new to you if you haven't played the Donut Secret House yet. The
first area has a Boo Circle, then a series of platforms that you must jump
across while being harassed by Boo Buddies. After this you'll meet a Big Boo
in an area of blocks. If you can lure him to the left and then pass him, the
block in the lower set beneath the second gap in the upper set holds a vine.
Climb it and you'll miss a power-up, but can skip to the end of this section.
The next part has enormous green bubbles (!) that bob up and down. These
bubbles are a serious pain because they are so dang BIG; you can jump over
them with a normal jump, but it's difficult, and you'll need to jump over
pits at the same time. You can also spin jump on them and they won't damage
you, but you need to hit them from above, not from the side, for this to
work. Luckily you won't be seeing these bubbles again, except for a cameo
appearance in the Valley Ghost House in Bowser's dugout. When you come to a
3-block set, the middle block holds a P-Block. Carry it right or stomp it and
run right (bubbles will be coming at you from both sides of the screen, so
good luck) and to the right of the normal door, a blue door will appear at
the end of the path while the P-Block is active. That door leads to the goal.
If you mess up, you'll need to enter the normal door, which leads back to
section 1, and try again.
5. VANILLA DOME 3 - This stage looks very mundane but actually has several
secrets. Most of it is about riding a platform of four skulls across large
wastes of steaming lava (I'm sure you realize that in real life, lava burns
at a distance of five feet, so Mario, standing on a platform right above a
lake of lava, would soon take on the appearance of an overcooked steak). Your
rides will not be peaceful, however, thanks to a fellow who loves vegging out
in hot tubs and pulling other people in for some company - Blargg. You will
meet him frequently, and he will lunge out of the lava at you. When you see
something ahead that drops into the lava when you approach, JUMP. In between
the lava riding stretches are flat sections with their own perils.
At the beginning you will see two ? blocks fly past you, shortly followed by
a third. The third has a 1-UP in it. DON'T go for it. 9/10ths of the time,
you'll die. More appealing, however, are two secrets right after the second
lava ride. To find the first one, fly up and to the left while left of the
two pipes. You'll find a tunnel with a 3-UP Moon. Another tunnel is right
across from it, leading to the right to the right of the two pipes on the
floor. It leads to a 5-UP bonus room. Both runways are quite short so you'll
need to start right next to the pipe and take a leap of faith just as you're
about to run into the lava. After you come out of the bonus room, you'll be
near the midway gate. The ? block right above the gate has, of all things, a
Yoshi egg. You'll need to stomp on the shell oscillating between the two
pipes (not a job for the cautious) and kick it up to hit the block; there's
no other way. There are a few other tunnels in the ceiling near the end of
the stage, but they don't lead to anything particularly alluring.
6. VANILLA DOME 4 - Huh? A glimpse of the sky in Vanilla Dome? Yes, but don't
cheer up - this level is a pain in the butt. It's got no secrets, save a hard
to get 1-UP (you'll find it, trust me) and a pipe you can go down that leads
to another skull platform ride. The most serious problem in this level is
that Bullet Bills will constantly fly at you, not just from the right, but
from the left and sometimes from above and below as well. They also no longer
fire one at a time; there's a section in the middle where they fire FIVE at
once! On top of that, this level is full of tricky jumps, and those
aggravating green springs that function like normal springboards, but are
more nerve-wracking to use, especially with bullets flying every which way as
you try to jump to the next ledge. Be as careful of the bullets as you can,
but all in all, this is one stage that just won't let up.
7. LEMMY'S CASTLE - This castle is hard. The first part is maddening. You'll
be in an area with two rows of yellow blocks, but you won't be alone.
Bowser's most elite troops, Magikoopas, will be in with you. These guys can
apparate and disapparate at will, and will launch spells at unwanted
intruders. The spells can hurt you and will also turn blocks into Koopas (I
am not making this up, people). If you are big you can spin jump through the
blocks, but that's a bad idea since you'll end up in the lava, so wait for a
Magikoopa below you to vaporize a block, then drop down and head right. You
can stomp Magikoopas but they always reappear. After the blocks you'll find a
much-needed Cape Feather power-up, and come to an area of platforms in water.
The platforms DO NOT sink - trust me - but Magikoopas will still be launching
spells at you. There are some blocks overhead but they are few and precious,
so try not to touch them or let Magikoopas destroy them.
When you see a P-Block, clamber up to it if you can, always moving swiftly
but not carelessly, or you'll plow right into a Magikoopa. Take the P-Block
down and jump to the next two-block ledge. Set it down and hit it. This will
turn the coins sitting below the door on the right into solid blocks. You
don't HAVE to go through this door - there's another on the far right - but
it leads to a 1-UP and, even more important, the midway gate. The coins,
annoyingly enough, are formed into a U shape, blocking you from getting at
the door. There are several ways to go about this. One is to take a running
jump from the blocks to the left to the lone block, and from there jump into
the U. The problem is you won't have much room to pick up speed, so it's a
very hard jump. The other way is I guess to collect some of the coins before
hitting the P-Block, allowing you to access the door from below, but that's
probably even harder. I recommend the leap of faith method. When and if you
get inside this door, rejoice - you won't see Magikoopas again until Castle
#7!
There is a second part to the castle but it's easier. It mostly just requires
you to be slow and careful rather than lightning fast and precise. You'll see
blocks that move like in Morton's joint, only here they move vertically. Some
of them are in pits of lava while others present the risk of crushing you. If
you go slowly and wait in safe spots while you plan your next move, you
should be fine. There will be a few Dry Bones hanging around so having a cape
will help a little. At the end grab the Feather (I really hope you've
activated the Green Switch Palace by now) and face...
BOSS FIGHT: Lemmy Koopa. This boss is unique from any you've fought before.
You'll be in a room with seven pipes of varying heights in the top half and a
pit of scalding lava in the bottom half. You can't fall in the lava, but
there's a very annoying Podoboo that bounces around the top half of the room
and will things rather hot (hee hee) for you, since you have little room to
maneuver. On top of that, three enemies will pop out of three of the pipes.
If one comes out of a pipe you're standing on, jump out of the way. You need
to stomp Lemmy - the REAL one - three times in the second or so he's out of
the pipe and vulnerable. You know which one is him since it's the one that
looks different from the other two. If you're not in a favorable position to
hit Lemmy, let him go that round. You have all the time in the world, but if
you're careless and take too many hits, Lemmy will get the last laugh. Three
bops on the head will send Lemmy to a much deserved bath in the lava below
and you into World 4!
8. VANILLA SECRET 1 - Completely on the other side of the Vanilla Dome is
this secret path. After the first level, no levels on this route have secret
exits. It'll eventually link up with the main route at Ludwig's Castle, and
it has six (!) levels. I drew the line for the worlds at Vanilla Fortress;
everything after that is in World 4. This is the only level on this path that
has a secret exit, and it leads to Star World. This is also the first, and
last, level you'll play that is entirely vertical. Yes, you'll be climbing
up, up, up through the caves to reach the light of day, making use of vines,
springboards, and a long series of ledges. There's no secrets to mention and
the obstacles are pretty self-explanatory, so I won't dwell much on this
stage.
SECRET EXIT - About 2/3 of the way through the level there is a line of
Koopas with a break in them that you must bounce between using a springboard
(this is, incidentally, one of the hardest obstacles in this level). Below
this, fly up/left (there's a Feather in the far right ? block to the right)
using the long ledge as a runway. In the top left corner of the room is a
pipe. It leads to the secret exit and Star Road 2.
9. VANILLA SECRET 2 - Whew, we're back outside! This level would be pretty
insignificant but for the fact that it contains the single fastest (and
probably funnest) way of maxing out your lives in the game. When you start,
you will be attacked by a huge army of Paratroopas. These guys are hard to
dodge, but do the best you can. Come with two capes if you are having trouble
(that's nearly always a good idea). After what seems like an eternity, you'll
leave the Koopas behind. The rest of the terrain is pretty self-explanatory.
Just dodge obstacles like usual and go carefully, until you reach the goal.
Now, the big trick: Begin the level at the midway gate by replaying it up to
that point, exiting via start-select, and re-entering. This will ensure that
the armada of Paratroopas at the beginning is still intact and not chewed up
by you. Now, proceed until you find a large pit filled with Spinies. Punch
the second block in the block set (you'll need to do a 'one-foot jump like in
SMB1) to reveal a SILVER P-Block. If you use it right now, you can get a
handsome load of silver coins from the Spinies, but don't be tempted; you can
get much, much more. Drag the P-Block all the way back to the midway gate.
THEN stomp it. Run left with reckless abandon (jump over the pit, of course)
and you'll find that the Paratroopa squad has all turned into silver coins!
Run like heck and you'll get increasing points, then 1-UP, 2-UP, and 3-UP for
every coin you collect after the eleventh!!! At the end of the line, hit the
block containing Yoshi (there's one at the start, I forgot to mention that),
WAIT for the game to finish giving you all you 1-UPS, then exit by tapping
start-select. JACKPOT!!!
10. VANILLA SECRET 3 - This level, unfortunately, isn't nearly so spectacular
as its predecessor. You'll need to cross an enormous lake by riding the backs
of friendly blue dolphins who jump for joy above the water of the lake. There
are no secrets in this level at all, believe it or not. There is a Porcu-
Puffer fish who will show up about halfway and serve as punishment for those
who fall into the lake, but if you are careful on the dolphins, he will miss
his dinner.
11. VANILLA FORTRESS - This is a fortress, a castle-like stage that is not at
the end of the world, has the same boss every time, and is generally a big
PITA. This is the first, and last, flooded fortress - with water, not lava,
luckily. You'll need to swim the submerged corridors avoiding Fishbones, who
debut here, Ball n' Chains, and a few others. There's not much to say, since
this level is about going carefully and slowly to dodge your enemies and
keeping a sharp eye ahead (it may help to move the screen to the right using
the R button). Try to have a cape here or you will have major problems with
the Bony Beetles and Dry Bones. Go slow and easy and you should do fine.
There is a fork early on; if you're not small, you'll need to take the higher
road. It's longer but actually safer and it's certainly not worth getting hit
to take the lower route. There are areas here you don't have to explore, so
just keep heading right until you see a large red door, which means on the
other side is:
BOSS FIGHT: Reznor. Reznor is the boss of EVERY fortress in the game, so I'll
give you one, and only one, explanation of how to beat him. He is actually
pretty hard, harder than most Koopalings. He is basically a large mass of
what looks like wood onto which four gargoyles (who are much uglier than
Bowser's) rotate around on metal ledges. You'll begin in the bottom left
corner, and Reznor will rotate in the center of the room. The gargoyles will
spit fireballs at you - dodge them. When you're ready, run in and punch a
platform from below to knock it's gargoyle into the boiling deep. This is
tricky since the platforms are rotating and you won't find it easy to stand
directly under a platform for more than a second. To make matters worse,
after you kill two gargoyles, the floor begins to collapse. If you can, knock
out one more gargoyle but beware; you can very easily get dunked in the lava
doing this. The only way to avoid becoming a french-fried plumber as the
bridge crumbles is to jump on one of the vacated platforms and defeat the
last one or two gargoyles from there. To do that simply rotate with the
platform and when a gargoyle is right above you, jump. Time it so you don't
fall and don't bother trying to dodge fireballs; you maneuvering room is so
restricted that doing so will usually just cause you do drop into the frying
lava below. A hit is better than dying outright. Try to defeat the final
gargoyles quickly before they get much chance to shoot at you. Once you stand
alone on the rotating monster, you will be victorious and level the fortress
to the ground, and continue on your merry way.
8D. Twin Bridges
1. CHEESE BRIDGE AREA - Back in the overworld, you stumble upon this bridge
of Swiss cheese that somehow doesn't sag under your great weight.
Unfortunately, large portions of it have collapsed, leaving you to use your
(hopefully) excellent jumping skills once again. The whole first half of this
level is about riding one of three platforms along a long line, while
avoiding saws that will come along the line and try to cut you loose (jump
over them). I highly recommend going on the highest platform and ignoring all
the goodies, unless you're masochistic. After this part, you'll reach midway,
then find some Wings. If you have Yoshi, collect them if you wish, but be
warned that instead of heading to the easy coin heaven you are supposed to go
to, you get sent into a literal nightmare of Hedgehogs and blocks in the sky.
It is VERY easy to die there... in fact I strongly counsel against any
attempt to do it, but if you try and succeed, you'll get a blue Yoshi for
your efforts.
Continuing on, you'll find a large area of saws on the radar. Your only
course of action here is to grab the rope that you see, and as it moves to
the right, frantically climb up and down to avoid being mutilated. One hit
will send you into the lake far below, since you'll fall off the rope. This
is a really nasty part. When you finally see dry land again, rejoice - you've
reached the end of the bridge of cheese, hopefully without gaining 10 pounds.
But wait; as you exit the stage and look at the mountain in the distance,
you'll notice an arrow sign, past the goal, pointing right. This level is a
red dot on the map. Putting two and two together...
SECRET EXIT - Yes, kids, it is past the goal. How to get past a goal without
triggering it, though? You cannot go above it, but BELOW... but how to get
back up onto the goal ledge once you've gone beneath the goal and avoid
falling to your death? One way would be to fly down there, flying the entire
second half of the stage, and then pull yourself up by and tap of left-right
on the directional pad before you tumble to your death. That is extremely
difficult however, so it's not recommended. I started an achievement list for
people who accomplished this feat but have decided to close it down. However,
as promised, the two people who did e-mail me before now are:
-Epi_Chaos a.k.a. Miss Heretic
-Kyle S. and Mom
Congratulations, guys!
Anyway, for all you gamers who are mortal, get a Yoshi and bounce around the
saws in the second half, bouncing from saw to saw, and not using the rope at
all. You'll need to have a cape (and preferably one in reserve). One hit will
mean instant death, but it's really easier than it looks. Just stay cool and
ignore the fact that you're bouncing off razor-sharp saws. When you get to
the goal, glide under it with your cape. As soon as you pass it, release the
B button and instantly hit the A button. If done right, Yoshi will fall into
oblivion (temporarily) but if you did it soon enough, you will have enough
height in your jump off Yoshi to land on land again! Now just cruise on to
the right to find ANOTHER exit gate (not a key and keyhole) with a 3-UP Moon
to boot. Funnies aside, great job - you've found one of the most difficult
secret exits in the game.
2. COOKIE MOUNTAIN - This stage with few secrets but quite a few enemies
stands between you and Ludwig's Castle. It's not really much fun. You'll meet
a lot of Monty Moles, who are all under sugar highs (due to the composition
of their environment) and zipping around like mad, coming at you. They are
annoying enough, but even worse are the Sumo Brothers here, who are not happy
to see you. There are some secrets, but no major ones. First, when you see a
green pipe that seems to reach up to the heavens, if you have a cape, fly up
there. To the right is a long cloud ledge that seems empty but will magically
generate a 1-UP if you walk on it. Further right, after the midway gate, is a
vine you can climb to find another 1-UP, this time in a block. DON'T enter
the purple pipe after the midway gate - try it and you'll see why. There's a
Yoshi egg which can only be accessed if you have the Red Switch Palace
(you'll see more and more things like this in the second half of the game).
Finally, there's a crystal block on the ground. Have Yoshi eat the power-up
(yes, Yoshi can actually eat things inside blocks!!!) When it's a star. You
can't get any 1-UPS, but you can blaze ahead to the goal unmolested.
3. SODA LAKE - A lake full of cola seems like a wonderful prospect, but this
is one of the hardest water levels in the game. Actually, it's THE hardest.
The main enemy here is Torpedo Ted, who is basically a Bullet Bill
underwater, who fires CONSTANTLY and CANNOT BE STOPPED in any way (standing
next to him just gets you a face full of pain). They will be complemented by
scores of Cheep-Cheeps and Blurps, all of whom can strangely survive in a
lake of soda (which even more strangely, doesn't turn into alcohol, like a
real lake would). T top it off, there is NOTHING in this stage - no pipes, no
1-UPS, no secret areas, just tons and tons of torpedoes, some of which are
virtually impossible to get past without getting hit. Your reward for making
it through this sugary submarine stage is access to Star World.
4. BUTTER BRIDGE 1 - AAARGH!!! This level is evil. It is the LAST level in
the game with automatic scrolling, thank heaven. Butter is a very weak bridge
building material, so most of it is currently floating in the lake far below,
while only a few bits remain, magically suspended, for you to cross. This
stage harkens back to SMB3 when it was more common; you've only got to pass
this test once in SMW, but sadly, you don't get a P-Wing. The main obstacles
in this level are the mushroom see-saws (a la SMB1). When you jump on one
side, it will sink and the other side will rise. Keep jumping in place if you
can't see far enough ahead to make your next leap or you'll slowly descend to
your doom. Also, the automatic scroll will speed up and move diagonally some
of the time. This is a real pain... luckily, the Red Switch Palace will help
by covering a nasty gap (God knows why you COULDN'T have the Red Switch
Palace at this point in the game). Gray ledges plummet, BTW.
After a while you'll descend a long way down on a mushroom see-saw (safely),
then a little further to the right, you'll have to climb back up on a series
of yellow block ledges. There are some goodies hidden in here, but are only
for the bold. The bottom ledge has a ? block with a Cape Feather. The third
block from the left in the second row from the top is a multi-coin block,
although trying to milk it is suicidal) and the second block from the left in
the top row is a 1-UP. Punch your way up through the blocks and decide
whether to go for the goodies, but whatever you do, don't spin jump. After
this there will be some more tricky jumps (this level doesn't even have a
midway gate, so you'll need to beat it all on one life) and eventually, at
long last, an exit pipe. R.I.P., Butter Bridge 1!!!
5. BUTTER BRIDGE 2 - This stage is much easier because this part of the
bridge is much more intact (perhaps it is higher up and thus colder, so the
butter is more solid)? It is, however, the meetinghouse of the Super Koopa
Club, as well, so prepare for a literal barrage of the flying creeps as you
make your way, stopping frequently so sample the delicious bridge. This level
always seems to get bogged down. There is a pipe you can go down leading to a
bonus room with some coins. There are, early on, two Super Koopas with
flashing capes, who yield a Feather when defeated. Unfortunately, Super
Koopas with red capes yield nothing at all. That ? block on the ground
contains, of all things, Yoshi. If you can to the goal on his back, you don't
need me anymore... except for the secrets. The same applies if you get the
last dragon coin... heh heh heh.
6. LUDWIG'S CASTLE - Now castles are starting to becomes something to be
dreaded. Ludwig's Castle has three areas, NO midway gate (Koopalings are by
no means obliged to provide you with a midway gate if they want to watch you
squirm) and plenty of painful stuff. You need to move along in this level,
especially if you want to get everything, so you have no problems with time
running out. Come with two capes in case you lose the first one - you'll see
why later.
You begin in a narrow, red hallway. Cape whip the Bony Beetles (otherwise
they are very hard to pass) and go very, very carefully when you see Ball n'
Chains. It's almost inevitable you'll take a hit near the end with the two
Ball n' Chains opposite each other, unless you make a mad dash through when
the path clears briefly. You come to the door to the next section, but don't
enter it. In the ceiling there will be a 2 X 2 brick between two larger ones.
That brick is FAKE. Jump through it and go right on the ceiling (you never
thought you could get up there, but you can) and you'll find a 5-UP bonus
room. Ludwig isn't really uncompromising, he just likes intruders to use
their brains if they want to have the pleasure of being fried by him.
The next room is tough; it has a falling spiked ceiling a la Indiana Jones
that you've got to avoid. Basically, at the start, sprint left but don't go
too fast; there's some lava. Wait for the Podoboo to go down and jump across.
Do the same with the second lava pit even though the ceiling is closing in
(in fact, you'll probably need to make a short jump to avoid clipping your
head) and you'll see an ON/OFF switch. Punch it immediately to cause the
ceiling to go back up. Don't be fooled, when it reaches the top it will come
down again and this time cannot be stopped (I know the guy who thought up
this part has seen Temple of Doom). So, go left, jump over four lava pits
(don't get hit on purpose if you can help it) and then run left for dear
life. Most of the time, you'll make it to the door on the far left before the
ceiling can come down. If not, well, you don't...
The final area of Ludwig's Castle is made up of fences like his younger
brother Iggy's, only these fences are much more fragmented, with only one or
two turtles to a fence, and go generally vertically. Like before, you can get
quite a few 1-UPS by stomping the turtles without touching the ground, but
watch out. The turtles change sides quickly, and if you aren't careful, you
might find yourself impaled on some spikes. You probably don't badly need
another 1-UP opportunity (there's another one in the very next level) and may
be running short on time, so just scamper ahead to the door. Time to duel
with the Beethoven of Koopalings...
BOSS FIGHT: Ludwig von Koopa. Ludwig is no longer the strongest Koopaling,
but he does have a unique attack pattern (unlike all his seniors, who are
copycats). He will stand in the far right corner and spit four fireballs, if
you just sit there. Stomp him and he will be flattened; after he recovers he
will attack you in his shell. He's invulnerable; jump over him and stay near
the center of the very large arena. Eventually he will stomp moving and make
a long jump in one direction, and start his pattern over again. Stomp him
again (you can't do this if he's off the screen, hence you want to bring him
into the center). Do that one more time and this Koopa composer will head for
the bottomless void. Mario will literally blast his castle into the
stratosphere in celebration, and proceed to his next challenge: the deep,
dark Forest of Illusion.
8E. Forest of Illusion
1. FOREST OF ILLUSION 1 - The Fores of Illusion is so named because it has
many secrets, and most of its levels have secret exits. It's not too hard,
though, considering you're in World 5. The first level has quite a few
Wigglers, who are the caterpillar guys. If you have Yoshi, eat them (Yoshi
should be on Survivor, seriously) but otherwise, avoid them - if you stomp
them they'll get mad. There is a Yoshi in this level, but unless you've got
too much time on your hands, don't go for all the berries in the trees...
it's interesting to figure out how to reach them, though. There's a 1-UP in
an area of note blocks that's tough to get. Release it, then punch it from
below to knock it to the right and catch it as it falls. Shortly after the
midway gate is a crystal block. Grab it when it is a star and run right.
You'll not only pass on otherwise difficult section, you'll mow down a
truckload of enemies, and gain a lot of 1-UPS, especially since the Wigglers
are worth 2-UP! Shortly after this is the goal, but...
SECRET EXIT - ... you don't want to go speeding off without finding the
level's secret exit, of course. It's in plain sight actually, but in your
invincible dash you may well miss it, below the ledge you'll run on. How to
get down there, I hear you ask? P-Balloon in the ? block right after the
invincibility part - you'll have to give up Yoshi though. Rats.
2. FOREST OF ILLUSION 2 - If you play the game without entering Star World or
bothering with secret exits, this is the only underwater level you'll play.
If you do, however, Donut Secret 1, Soda Lake, and Star World 2 are all water
levels, but none are as intricate as this. Basically, being caped and on
Yoshi won't help here; what you do need is firepower (good luck finding Fire
Flowers at this point in the game). Fireballs will turn the Blurps and Cheep-
Cheeps on this stage into fish sticks, but you will also encounter Urchins.
Unless you happen to have a purple block handy, they're invincible, but they
only move back and forth in a predictable pattern, and are thus fairly easy
to dodge. There are no Torpedo Teds, thankfully, but the tradeoff is that
this level is a maze that's somewhat hard to navigate. Just explore every
pathway, take it easy and don't take needless hits - you'll find yourself
missing whatever it is you lose. There is no midway gate here, but there is
an invisible 1-UP somewhere - I forget exactly where, so I'll let you find
it. The last stretch before the goal is rather frenetic, with Rip Van Fishes
and even scuba-diving Chargin' Chucks all converging on you.
SECRET EXIT - Ah, this is a truly nasty one, and it figures that it's one of
the most important in the game. Right before the last stretch where you get
chewed up, down to the left is a yellow ! block. The wall to the left of it
is FAKE. Swim through and you'll find the key and keyhole. This is the last
fake wall in the game.
3. BLUE SWITCH PALACE - Congratulations on finding this place, the last of
the four switch palaces. Your rewards later in the game will be great,
believe me. Anyway you can collect all the coins and stomp both P-Blocks to
gain a 1-UP or two from the Spinies, or just head on to the big switch and
fill in the last of the colored outlines.
4. FOREST OF ILLUSION 3 - This is a weird level, but it isn't too hard.
You're deep in the forest and are facing an onslaught of Goombas and Bob-ombs
in bubbles. The bubbles float through the canopy until they hit something or
pop by themselves, then their contents will walk around like normal. Avoid
touching the bubbles and if possible, run under them to avoid having to deal
with their contents. You can actually rush through this level without too
much trouble if you don't want to get anything, and there's nothing good
here, save a Yoshi early on. Occasionally, Mushrooms will come out of bubbles
- get 'em if you need 'em.
SECRET EXIT - Go down the tall green pipe, two pipes before the goal, right
after the Chargin' Chuck who splits in two. As long as you're big, you'll be
able to get the key. This secret exit MUST be used to get to Roy's Castle -
the other path will not go there. This IS the Forest of Illusion, after all.
5. FOREST GHOST HOUSE - Drat, another ghost house. This ghost house begins in
a claustrophobic series of corridors reminiscent of Ludwig's Castle. It opens
up eventually, but you'll need to deal with the usual motley group - Boo
Buddies, Big Boos, and Eeries, all of who are undead and must be avoided.
After a while (make sure you go slowly and carefully to avoid running into a
sudden attack) you'll come to a door. Go through it and you'll be below a
menacing cloud of ghosts who wish to take a bit of your life. Run right,
getting the power-ups if you dare, and jumping over the blocks on the floor.
You'll see a P-Block - DON'T stomp it, carry it right and get into the second
(larger) area sealed by coins. THEN stomp it, quickly, and dive in the blue
door on the far right before having a close encounter with the diving Boo
Buddies. Whew, done! Well, not quite, go left (not right) and you'll come to
a door. That leads to Forest of Illusion 4.
SECRET EXIT - This leads to Forest of Illusion 1 which is useless, but it
does have a 3-UP Moon, and is a required exit if you want 96. Ignore the
first door you see and enter the second.
6. FOREST OF ILLUSION 4 - Say hi to the Lakitu Gang. This stage is the only
stage (except Star World 3, which isn't much of a stage) with Lakitu. He will
initially hold a 1-UP Mushroom out on a fishing pole as bait; grab it (you
don't have much choice) and he will start dropping Spinies. If you stomp him
he will leave you alone for a while. If you hit him with a shell or a
fireball, however, you can steal his cloud and use it to fly for a while!
There's nothing much else to say for this level, except that it's a bit
brighter than the rest of the Forest of Illusion, it's got a lot of pipes
with Pipe Lakitus in them, and it's got a crystal block that doesn't
translate into a 1-UP opportunity. There is a way to get infinite 1-UPS
(until the timer runs out) at the beginning, by kicking a shell so it
oscillates in the depression before the first pipe and kills Spinies. The
problem with this technique is that you'll need to be careful of Spinies
coming from the Lakitu above all the time, and there are better ways to get
many lives.
SECRET EXIT - The purple pipe in midair, right after the midway gate, has the
secret exit inside, which you need to progress. To reach it, either ride a
Lakitu cloud, or lure the Paratroopa to the right over and bounce off him.
7. FOREST SECRET AREA - This level is very easy and quite fun. All you'll be
doing is riding one of two platforms over a wide abyss. Avoid Paratroopas you
encounter, stay on your platform, and ignore any coins. There is a 1-UP you
can get if you have the Blue Switch Palace activated. That's it! *There are 3
1-UPS behind the goal, to get the, you'll need to sneak past the goal, off-
screen, by getting a blue Yoshi and swallowing a shell.*
8. FOREST FORTRESS - This fortress is the only thing between you and Star
World (heck, you could go from here right to Bowser's Castle with just one
easy level in between) but getting through it will not be easy. This fortress
is the hardest yet. The first area is like the part in Iggy's Castle where
the huge pillars come down, trying to crush you. However, here there will
also be Grinders you'll have to dodge at the same time. This gets very hairy.
Try ducking in a depression to dodge the pillars, and stay to the left. There
will be several pits filled with various ! blocks, making you glad you
activated all those switch palaces when you were supposed to (at least you
better!) Part 2 is no easier. You'll need to dodge more razor-sharp Grinders
as well as Podoboos. There are several spots, like the place where you've got
to run up the wall above the Grinders, that are particularly hard. Just take
it slow and come prepared for this level. There is no midway gate and at the
end of it all, another battle with Reznor. This stage just won't let up.
You may notice that above the path that leads to Reznor is another path that
leads to a large pit of lava. If you can fly across this pit, which has many
Podoboos and is very, very wide, your reward will be 9 1-UPS. FORGET IT. It
is sheer suicide even if you're a decent flier.
9. ROY'S CASTLE - Another Koopaling's castle, this one is hard but not
inordinately so. The first major obstacle you find will be a platform of
brown blocks that slides over a large pit of lava, following a predetermined
course that you cannot predict. All you must do is stay on for dear life and
if you can, dodge the many Podoboos by moving around on the platform. This is
actually peaceful and fun in between stressful parts. After the platform
snakes its way across the boiling brew it proceeds to a corridor of spikes.
Remember that brown ceiling spikes will drop; other than that, this section
is pretty easy. When the platform descends into a pit, do the smart thing and
jump off.
You now find a P-Block in plain sight. Don't hit it just yet; take it right,
avoiding Podoboos. You'll see a 1-UP and a gargoyle above you, the 1-UP
apparently guarded by the gargoyle, but actually it will simply slide to the
right once you stamp on the P-Block. Avoid the gargoyle on the bridge, and
collect the 1-UP. Proceed to a series of platforms that expand and contract
horizontally. They can be tricky to maneuver, with Podoboos flying all
around, but stay in the very center of them and you'll be okay. Duck if that
helps to dodge the Podoboos. Grab the green ! block's Feather to help too.
Just three expanding/contracting platforms, and you've made it to the boss.
That wasn't TOO bad, was it? On top of that, the Koopaling in shades is a
pushover...
BOSS FIGHT: Roy Koopa. Roy was one of the meanest Koopalings in SMB3, but now
he's no problem at all. His attack pattern is exactly the same as Morton's
with one difference: every time he slams down on the floor, the walls of the
room will move closer to each other by a little bit. This is only a problem
if you don't take him out quickly, which you will. Three quick bumps to the
brain and you're off to the Isle of Nougat!
8F. Chocolate Island
1. CHOCOLATE ISLAND 1 - Welcome to Chocolate Island. Chocolate aside, you
will find that it is harder than anything you're used to. This IS World 6,
after all. Oddly enough, the idea of in island of chocolate is not confined
to this game; there's also a kids puzzle book called Chocolate Island.
Anyway, Chocolate Island 1 is a level with no secret exit but a few things to
bear in mind. The rampant enemy here is the Dino-Torch and his bigger
brother, the Dino-Rhino. I recommend that you try to spin jump on the Dino-
Rhinos; they are easy to hit and if you stomp them normally, they will
immediately breathe out a jet of fire in their smaller form that will likely
hit you. Dino-Torches are nastier than they appear; they can hop around with
great agility and breathe fire in all directions. The best method of
defeating them is firepower (which is odd seeing that they breathe it) or
Yoshi's mouth. Otherwise, avoid them.
Other than that, there will be two green pipes at an angle that, if you go
down another pipe before them, you will be launched out of. The first one
isn't absolutely necessary to use but I suggest you do because doing so will
cause the midway gate to appear; it won't otherwise. The last one is
necessary to use to get blasted over a huge chasm before the exit, but you'll
need to survive a jaunt over a lake with two Porcu-Puffers in pipe land
before you can have the privilege. There is a Yoshi in this level. Finally,
after the midway gate is a huge bowl-shaped depression in the ground. It's
shaped a bit like a crescent moon, and sure enough, above this in the air is
a 3-UP Moon.
2. CHOCO-GHOST HOUSE - This ghost house is not only not a house of chocolate
(that's be awesome) it is one of the most frightening experiences you will
ever have in a haunted house. The first area is quite linear and open enough,
but it's got many nasty things that require great dexterity to avoid. The
first is the many, many Eeries who will come at you in a wave motion, often
in groups. The second is the moving pits (in ghost houses, even PITS are
alive), one of which is moving around the door at the end of the section,
making it difficult to enter. The third, and worst by far, threat in the
first section is The Fishin' Boo. Thank your lucky stars this fellow is only
encountered here. This apparition is a Lakitu who wants revenge and will
float above you, holding out not a 1-UP, but a ball of ghostly blue fire that
you really don't want to touch. He isn't that bad when you can stay low, but
when the floor rises or forces you to jump, you'll need to master jumping
short of the level of the bait, but high enough to leap over whatever you're
trying to leap over (like a moving pit). This section will not cut any breaks
- be prepared.
The second part is a little easier and much shorter, but it's not a walk to
McDonalds. First you'll encounter a trio of Ghost Blocks, who turn into Boo
Buddies when you look away. They initially appear under a power-up; decide
for yourself whether it's worth getting. Further right are several Ghost
Snakes who are weaving around, waiting for any live prey to come their way.
Avoid them as best you can and slowly lure the three Ghost Blocks right. You
need to turn them into blocks so you can use them to boost yourself up to the
door above your head, which leads to the end of this haunted hall. It's not
easy - you need to jump to get them the appropriate height, avoid Ghost
Snakes as you're doing it, and avoid turning the blocks