Feb. 2006
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
FAQ/Walkthrough Ver. 2.5 by Reptobismol
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OOOOOOOOOOOOOO Table of Contents OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[1] Version History
[2] Introduction
[3] Proper Timing and Other Crap
[3.1] Attacks
[3.2] Bros. Items
[4] Character Statistics
[5] Bits of Advice
[6] Walkthrough
[6.1] Playtime is Over..................................(Peach's Castle, Past)
[6.2] Back to the Future.............................(Peach's Castle, Present)
[6.3] The Hunt Begins!..............................(Near Holli Jolli Village)
[6.4] Survivors..............................................(Bowser's Castle)
[7] The Vim Factory Siege!...........................(Peach's Castle, Present)
[7.1] Freaky Foliage.........................................(Toadwood Forest)
[7.2] Who Drank All the Vim?!....................................(Vim Factory)
[8] Dino Wrangling............................................(Yoshi's Island)
[8.1] Blazing Saddles!.................................(Yoshi's Island Cliffs)
[8.2] Intestinal Distress................................(Inside Yoob's Belly)
[9] Too Much SAND..............................................(Gritzy Desert)
[9.1] And Our Special Guest is.....................................(Koopaseum)
[9.2] Little Cave of Horrors....................................(Gritzy Caves)
[10] Just like Old Times.............................(Peach's Castle, Present)
[10.1] R0x0rz Your B0x0rz.....................................(Thwomp Volcano)
[10.2] Battle of the Ages!....................................(Thwomp Caverns)
[10.3] The Key to Failure..................................(Shroob Mothership)
[10.4] Bad Day to Be a Toad........................................(Toad Town)
[11] The Road to Stardom...........................................(Star Hill)
[11.1] Dirty Secrets..............................(Star Shrine, Luigi's Trial)
[11.2] Connect the Dots......................(Star Shrine, Outside the Palace)
[11.3] A Plot Twist?..........................(Star Shrine, Inside the Palace)
[12] Endgame....................................................(Preparations)
[12.1] Assault on Shroob Castle!...............................(Shroob Castle)
[12.2] Femme Fatale...............................................(Final Boss)
[12.3] Back for More................................................(Surprise)
[13] Frequently Asked Questions
[14] Enemy Guide
[15] Boss Guide
[16] Credits and Special Thanks
[17] Contact Info & Legal Stuff
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[1] Version History OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ver. 1.0: Walkthrough for entire story completed. Guide covers from
beginning to end; searching for exact HP values and completing
Item Drops. Now come the many inevitable grammatical edits or
other tiny corrections...
Ver. 1.5: HUGE update. Grammatical errors fixed, several enemy HP values
rounded out (though still not positive of the exact in most
cases), updated several enemy attack info, and got almost
every enemy's item and rare item drops taken down. Some are
still being really stingy no matter how many times I kill them
with the B.Item/Treasure Badge combo; I'm starting to think
that some really do have only one item.
Ver. 1.6: Fixed error in table of contents. Added info to first and third
segments of final boss.
Ver. 1.7: Changed Contact Info & Legal Stuff around a bit.
Ver. 2.0: New section, Credits & Special Thanks, for I have now included
information that wasn't obtained myself. Also reworked the
enemies and their own section to include weaknesses and
resistances. New attack for final boss added. Final boss
section edited a little bit.
Ver. 2.1: Fixed a very ugly error I found in the Bros. Items.
Ver. 2.2: Added a new site to the authorized list, and updated the Green
Shell and Shroid enemy with some new info, thanks to a couple
emails.
Ver. 2.3: A bunch more little edits here and there thanks to some helpful
readers. Thusly, a slew of names were added to Credits &
Special Thanks.
Ver. 2.4: Removed Cheat Code Central from the authorized websites list.
****ing jerkoffs went against my disclaimer and not only edited
it, but removed GameFAQs from the authorized sites list.
Ver. 2.5: Been a while since I've made any changes, but more emails came
in. Changed Support Shroobs' HP, and fixed a gammatical error.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[2] Introduction OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, an RPG for the GBA reeking heavily of
badassness, has finally been given a sequel. AlphaDream has served up
Partners in Time for the DS, and while the gameplay and innovation stays true
to its Advance counterpart, the two games are still vastly different. For
one, you now control four characters instead of just two, and Bros. Attacks
as well as a BP meter have been eliminated entirely. There also is no
overworld, instead linking all areas together by one central port, by which I
mean Princess Peach's Castle. One does not travel from one region to another;
rather, you must warp. These are the biggest differences between the two,
aside from the obvious storyline and character additions.
It's too difficult to say which game is truly better; both are excellent.
PiT has some(admittedly huge) flaws compared to SSS, but there are plenty of
kickass things that SSS lacked, and enough to keep it interesting and
enjoyable throughout the entire game. The game is deemed quite short by many
if not most that play it, but what do you expect from a handheld, especially
when people play the hell out of it? It bears mentioning that SSS was also
significantly shorter. Anyways, it's up to you to decide which is the better
game, but I can assure you it's definitely worth a play through. Keep in mind
the level of sanity apparent in this game, and you won't be bothered by the
fact that there are more plotholes and paradoxes than different strands of
semen rampant in Paris Hilton's body.
This guide will cover the entire story from beginning to end, providing
a walkthrough for every puzzle, as well as a list of the items strewn
throughout the area. And most importantly, all of the enemies, listed as
you'll face them; I'll go over all of their attacks and the best way to avoid
or counter them. I don't know of all the different items the creatures drop,
nor do I know the max HP for each of them, but I'll be certain to list the
ones I'm sure of. Their experience and coins, though, are a given. I have
never used any EXP or coin-increasing methods or badges while obtaining the
values of those stats, so I can assure you that they are exact.
The only thing I won't be covering is a list of all armor and badges; I
find it unnecessary for a guide focused towards the game itself. Any item I
recommend finding, earning, or buying will be indicated as we go along, so
having the most useful equipment at the time won't be an issue.
Lastly, if any of you happen to read something I've explained or
covered, and think along the lines of, "No ****, that couldn't have been more
obvious... why is he bothering to explain that?.." Well, I've seen a great,
great number of questions from people that are either unobservant, or
basically have no ability to figure things out for themselves, or maybe even
thought they tried something and didn't, so I wanted this guide to cater to
everyone; I think anyone can beat the game or at least advance past what was
troubling them after reading through it. Some things need to be spelled out
for people, I guess. No offense to anyone, now. ;)
Now, let's get this guide rolling! Starting with a few basics...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[3] Proper Timing and Other Crap OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Just like Superstar Saga, everything that goes on in battle depends on
accurate timing; the proper execution of attacks as well as your survival are
left up to how quickly you can press the appropriate button at the right time.
While the timing for your standard attacks is rather easily mastered, and
many enemy attacks can be avoided by putting good old common sense to use, as
you progress through the game you'll find your reflexes tested much more
harshly. Some attacks will leave you very little time to react; the attack
itself will come a split second after the enemy indicates which member
they're targeting, or which move they'll use. A few painful lessons are
inevitable.
Seeing as counters and evasion differ depending on what you're up
against, that section is much better covered as we go along with the actual
walkthrough, and see the enemies and their attacks themselves.
[3.1] Attacks
JUMPING:
The most standard of all moves in any Mario game. In this case, you achieve
the most damage, or rather, any hope of inflicting significant damage by
pressing the particular character's button right as they're about to land on
the enemy. Take care when stomping on enemies of varying heights; the taller
baddies will generally have a much smaller window for pressing the button,
since you'll be coming down on their heads right after reaching the zenith of
your jump. Jumping on an enemy is an excellent way to begin a battle, as
you'll get in a nice preemptive strike on every enemy present, even if their
head is topped with spikes or engulfed in flames. Also, unlike the Paper
Mario generation of RPGs, jumping on a Bob-omb's lit fuse will not give you
damage.
PIGGYBACK JUMPING:
When Mario and Luigi are carrying the babies into battle, you can inflict
much more damage, but the move is executed a bit differently. When in control
of Mario and Baby Mario, as you come down on the enemy, you want to press the
X button for BM (Woooo.. bowel movements! Ahem) when you would normally be
pressing Mario's. If done correctly, the enemy will take damage and BM will
land back where he was positioned, and Mario will launch into the air. As
Mario comes back down, press his own, the A button, at the usual time and
he'll get a jump in as well. The same goes for Luigi and BL and their
respective buttons.
Two things to note: while the combined damage is greater than any brother's
single jump, the damage each bro deals is a little less than what they'd deal
on their own. However, two attacks in one means you have the opportunity to
land two Lucky hits. Also, if you jump while holding onto one of the babies
and only press the button corresponding to the elder, you'll deal heavier
damage than the elder would deal on his own. This is handy for mopping up
enemies that can be defeated in a single, solid blow, rather than wasting
your time pressing different buttons and waiting for the right moment.
HAMMERS:
Baby Mario and Baby Luigi acquire their own hammers shortly into the
adventure, and you'll need them for dealing damage to enemies that are either
on fire, or protected by spikes. Some enemies come in segments rather than an
entire piece, enabling you to whack away sections of their body (usually
vital, as it'll enable the babies to reach a point in which they can actually
damage the foe). What's important to note is that adult Mario and Luigi will
never have their own hammers, making those attacks out of the question when
you've split up from the babies. Also, even with the dual-bro hammer attack,
it's impossible to hit any airborne foe. They'll simply dart backwards.
As a baby, when you approach the enemy and stop in front of it, you'll lift
the hammer over your head. It'll begin to wobble a moment later; this is the
time to press their respective button to whack 'em. If you take too long,
the hammer head will fall off and you'll deliver a weak blow with the handle
itself. Easy stuff, really. The hammer will always be a better alternative to
the babies' standard jump. When the babies are alone, you can try to begin a
battle by hitting it with your hammer; the hammer can inflict dizziness both
as a preemptive strike and during battle.
PIGGYBACK HAMMERS:
This time, you'll have to press the older brother's button first, and then
the command for the baby's attack. Once again, you'll approach the enemy and
stop. The baby will be holding the hammer up and it'll wobble; press Mario or
Luigi's button to rise to their feet, holding the baby much higher. A second
later, the hammer head will wobble again; now is the time to have the baby
swing. Enemies that normally required being knocked down to the babies' level
can be damaged directly with this method.
[3.2] Bros. Items
Here is where your reflexes will really be tested. Bros. Items are
easily the most powerful offense you've got, and you have quite a few in your
arsenal. If you want to lay waste to your enemies in a single turn, or score
huge damage against a boss, these are the way to go. The timing generally
differs for each one, but a few focus on button mashing more than anything
else. The timing is, for the most part, learned after only a couple uses, but
those with slow fingers or slow reaction times are going to have a lot of
trouble; things speed up pretty quickly. Note that damage inflicted with each
item is affected largely by the attacking brother's power stat. Items that
involve all four brothers jumping onto an enemy will show you some pretty
diverse numbers.
Another important note is that Bros. Items cannot be used if either side
in your party is knocked down, dizzy, or burned. Also, certain items require
all four brothers present to even be used. It's a given that all items save
for the Fire/Ice Flower are significantly stronger if used when all four are
present. Lastly, while you can buy all of these at shops throughout the game,
there are more than enough inside treasure blocks to last you throughout,
unless you feel the need to use them every turn of every battle.. which is
pretty stupid.
GREEN SHELLS
Enemies: One
Bonus: None
Two: After either bro kicks the shell, it'll hit the enemy and bounce off,
now ricocheting towards the other brother. You want to hit that character's
respective button as the shell comes in front of them, to send it back at the
enemy. Green Shells alternate back and forth between brothers, getting much
faster after a few kicks, and leave the screen either once the target has been
destroyed, or the shell has bounced around long enough; once the shell has
struck the target 25 times, the attack is finished. Also, the shell can be
used to knock away segments of enemies made up of multiple pieces. Mario and
Luigi need this one to damage spiked enemies if they're apart from the babies.
Four: Now, the adult will kick the shell, with the baby that they were
carrying riding on top of it. You have an extra command to enter here- this
time, as the shell is about to connect, you want to press the baby's button,
too. They'll whack the enemy, and it'll be sent towards the opposite brother
as usual. It's much stronger, but you'll have to be very quick with the
pattern to keep the thing going. For some reason, my fingers had an easier
time keeping up when Luigi initiated the attack, with BL riding as opposed to
BM. Note that neither Green nor Red shells can target flying enemies.
RED SHELLS
Enemies: Successive
Bonus: None
What successive means is that you'll target only one enemy, but after you've
destroyed it, the shell will be sent back to you, and it'll target another
foe. Red Shells move a bit faster than the greenies, and have no set
allotment of hits; it'll stay on the battlefield until you miss a command or
kill all ground-based enemies. Otherwise, there's nothing else that separates
them from greens. Use 'em the same exact way.
BRO FLOWERS
Enemies: All
Bonus: Burn
Two: Simply mash the button corresponding to either bro while they're holding
the large fireball. The two will toss it back and forth, faster and faster,
indicating whom is supposed to be mashing at the time by displaying their
button. You have no control over which enemies you hit more than others; the
volley of fireballs will target randomly, so some enemies are likely to take
a lot more abuse than others. This one is capable of inflicting burns, not
only damaging your enemies but making them lose their turn. Note that a lot
of enemies have resistance to fire; if so, they'll only take 1 point of
damage. On the other hand, some have a weakness to it, and will take obscene
amounts of damage. You'll know you've nailed someone's weakness if the
"Critical!" message appears along with their damage.
Four: The only difference with this is that now you can launch fireballs at
airborne foes. If you're trying to hit enemies in the air, press the babies'
buttons instead, and they'll throw them much higher. That's all there is to
it.
ICE FLOWERS
Enemies: All
Bonus: Random Down
Used exactly the same way as the Bro Flower in either situation. The only
difference here besides the obvious ice element is that these babies can
lower the attack, defense, or speed of the targets they hit. An even bigger
plus is that bosses are just as vulnerable to this cut as much as the regular
enemies. This makes a great opener to any boss battle, and serves to make
your jump-based Bros. Items quite devastating.
SMASH EGGS
Enemies: All
Bonus: Dizzy
Two: You guys will be on opposite ends of the battlefield for this one.
Someone will kick it at the enemy, and as it hits them, it'll ricochet off of
their ugly face and into the air, arcing downwards towards the other bro. While
this is going on, you want to be holding down the button of whomever the egg
is coming towards, and as it gets overhead, release it to send the egg back
into the enemy's skull, hopefully fracturing it. The idea is to go back and
forth with the charged kicks until the enemy dies, at which point the egg can
be kicked towards someone else. These things can also cause dizziness at
random. Frankly, the timing for this is a little more difficult than it's
worth, and it's not like the shells, where the damage racks up very quickly.
I say don't bother with this one.
Four: The difference here is that when the egg is coming down towards the bro
that's supposed to kick it, pressing the button for the baby they're holding
at the right time will make them smack it up into the air, so that when it
comes down again, you can hold the charging button longer and kick it with
more power. Meh.
If you're able to keep a Smash Egg going long enough, it'll break and give
you free items; these are usually pretty good, among them Mix Flowers, 1-Up
Supers, and more.
POCKET CHOMPS
Enemies: All
Bonus: None
Two: This one is simple to use with only two brothers, but you won't see a
lot of damage caused this way. Why? It's so damn simple, it only requires
commands from the one character at a time. Simply press their jump button as
they're about to land on the foe. Easy. The enemies targeted by this will be
chosen at random, and as you go on, the Chomp will chase you much faster.
Four: Here is where you can rack up some heavy damage, but the timing is much
more difficult. Well, not so much difficult, but it takes the slightest error
to really slim down your chances of shaving off a few hundred HP. Once again,
press the button of the older bro as they're landing on the foe, but now
there's a twist in that one baby will be riding atop the Chomp itself, and
the other will be dragged along by the chain behind it. As the baby being
dragged by passes the foe you're attacking, press their button to whack them
with your hammer. Be careful! Pressing the other baby's button by accident
will cause that baby to swing their own hammer, wailing the Chomp on its head
and making it enraged. Doing this will cause the Chomp to increase its speed,
thus bringing it closer to the elder it's pursuing, making an end to the
attack that much more imminent. Basically, fudging a jump or hitting the Chomp
puts less distance between the two of you, and you want as much as possible to
keep your damage chain going. One nip in the butt, and you're done.
Once in a while, you'll be chased by a female Chain Chomp; it wears a pink bow
on its head, and barks differently. Heh.
**The next few items can only be used when all four are present.**
CANNONBALLERS
Enemies: One
Bonus: None
The first Bros. Item you'll get that requires all four to participate. All
four Bros. will hop into the cannon and be launched off of both screens, to
come back down in a random order on the target you've chosen. Watch them as
they fall back down through the top screen and press their button right as
they're about to land on the enemy. That's all their is to it. Messing up a
command won't ruin the rest of the attack, but you won't deal much, either.
Pretty easy to get the hang of. You'll find that this is the first item you
come across that'll let you inflict some really heavy damage. This one will
see you through to the end of the game, too; as your Stache points increase,
these things will become pretty damn cheap. What kind of a game has you
shooting babies out of cannons?
TRAMPOLINES
Enemies: All
Bonus: Dizzy
Here to make the Cannonballer obsolete is the almighty Trampoline! With this
baby, the attack will go on as long as there are still living enemies, but
once you miss a single attack command, it will end once the other three Bros.
land on the foe. Basically, the Bros. will fall at random from the top
screen, and provided you entered the right command at the right time, they'll
land on it and bounce off, back onto the trampoline, and back into the air.
There's no pattern to follow here, and quite amusingly, it's possible that
one of them will get an attack in three times before one of the others has
gotten a single one in, usually one of the babies. They must take longer to
fall than their future fatass selves. Anyways, just take care when the
enemies are all different heights, so you won't screw up your timing.
COPY FLOWERS
Enemies: Successive
Bonus: None
I LOVE this one. It gets frantic very quickly, and you'll need to be
extremely fast with it, but the damage potential is just insane. Basically,
you and a horde of clones of your party stampede offscreen, then march in a
completely random order onto the battlefield and jump at your enemy. Simply
press the corresponding button of whomever is going to land on the foe next,
but be quick about it. Things will speed up after a dozen or so hits and rise
steadily from there; I've found it's best to not look at the enemy itself, as
you'll get a feel for the right moment to land on them anyway, and just watch
the oncoming stream so you know the right sequence of presses ahead of time.
Soon you'll find pulling off 700-900 per flower a breeze. Save these for the
bosses.
MIX FLOWERS
Enemies: All
Bonus: Burn
Like you'll ever get to witness a burn form in the first place. This is the
meanest mother of them all when it comes to Bros. Items, due to the fact that
it nukes everything in sight. Any time you're up against a group of three or
more powerful enemies, unleash this baby and laugh as they all die instantly
to the tune of 999 damage. How's this one work, you ask? It's like the Bro
Flower, only kicked up a few notches. This time, you and the babies will
be on opposite sides, much like the Smash Eggs. Begin by furiously mashing
the button of whomever initiated the attack; Mario or Luigi. Now, after a
good second or two, the fireball will be passed to one of the other three;
begin mashing the hell out of THEIR button now. If you were paying attention
to the top screen, which you really shouldn't be, you'd notice that you're
feeding the fireball up there more and more ammo, making it increase its
size. As it gets larger, it'll be attempting to drop onto the enemies below;
but if you constantly, QUICKLY pump more and more fireballs into it, it'll
rise back up again. Finally, usually when your fingers can't take any more of
that, the fireball will plummet onto the bottom screen, and as the brothers
dive out of the way, your unfortunate enemies will be incinerated in a nice
li'l explosion. An added beauty is that there's still the possibility of
landing a Lucky! hit on one or more enemies. These are your best friends late
in the game and during the final boss; you'll see why. Otherwise, don't waste
these guys on only one or two enemies, or even a boss. Copy Flowers are
better for the single, meaty creatures.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[4] Character Statistics OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
As with any RPG, your characters all have a variety of stats that affect
how well they perform in battle, or even certain things outside as well. In
this game, which is pretty mellow as far as RPGs go, there is no wisdom, no
will, intelligence, accuracy, anything like that. It's all pretty much self
explanatory, but there is one stat that is pretty obscure, yet very important.
HP: How much damage you can take before fainting. The Luigis generally have
more health than their Mario counterpart.
Power: Your strength. The higher, the more damage you can inflict. Marios are
generally stronger.
Defense: Along with your HP, good defense is necessary to withstand lots of
abuse. Though that's if you suck at timing your dodges. Why am I explaining
this? ...The Luigis also have better defense, too.
Speed: Decides when your turn to attack will come in battle. If you are
knocked down at the start of battle and there are enemies faster than you,
then they'll take their turns while you're still immobilized, and chances are
you'll take some damage. If you're faster, though, you'll rise to your feet
and take your turn as if nothing had happened. On the whole, Mario is faster,
and if his speed outruns an enemy's, but there are enemies that are faster
than Luigi, Mario will take his turn, followed by the enemy. Once the man in
green has had his turn, it will go right back to Mario. Note that there are
some enemies that run circles around you in the speed department and will all
go before either of you, even if you landed a preemptive strike.
Stache: Here's the odd one. It has no visible effect on the actual strength
of your attacks or your endurance, but the higher this number, the more
likely you are to score a Lucky! on one of your attacks and double the
damage. Also, higher stache increases the likelihood of getting item drops
after battle. Outside of battle, the higher your stache points as a whole,
the better the deals are inside shops. As you progress through the game
you'll notice bigger and bigger discounts. This won't be too important in
that regard, though, because clothing and badges are expensive enough as they
are, and money will never be an issue provided you take the time to kill
every enemy you come across and hit every treasure block you find. Many of
them are really generous when it comes to payout.
Every time one of your characters levels up, they will get a small
increase in some if not all of their stats. In addition, Lakitu will swoop
down and allow you to choose which of your stats you would like an additional
boost given to; once selected, a slot wheel will spin quickly with a few
numbers on it; whatever it lands on is what you get. Your increase can be
anywhere from a lowly, boring 1 to a whopping, sexy 6. Choosing the same stat
each time only ensures that you'll be given very crappy numbers to scroll
through, so keep it varied, and don't neglect your Stache!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[5] Bits of Advice OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Some general tips that are really just common sense, but which some people
will only follow if they actually read it someplace.
-As you play, you'll notice Xs marked on the ground and various other
areas, and you'll soon learn the technique needed to unearth them. Take
the brief moment to dig these up, as you'll need them as currency for
the very best, if not cheapest equipment in the game. There are two
very expensive items I'll recommend you buy that can only be purchased
with these, and there are instances in which if you pass up the
opportunity to nab them, you won't have the chance again.
-By the same token, take the time to explore every tree stump or cavity,
and climb every slope or block to get the various treasure blocks
scattered about. They'll give you all of the money, attack items and
health replenishing shrooms you need, keeping you from having to
backtrack to stock up. There are also powerful pieces of armor, or
clothing I should say, which you won't find in stores.
-If you're going to splurge your money on Bros. Items because you prefer
them to your standard moves, stock up on Green Shells, Ice Flowers and
Cannonballers. As they come available, buy Red Shells, Copy Flowers and
Mix Flowers. You don't really need anything else, but by the same token
most enemies don't even require the items to be laid waste to. Unless
you're trying to do as little battling as possible.
-Kill every enemy you come across. It's unnecessary to backtrack to
earlier areas or leave and return to respawn the monsters there; merely
battling every monster once will ensure that your stats increase on a
steady basis, and you'll be able to survive any attack. Boss battles
won't take forever, either.
-Save every time you come across a save point. I'm not suggesting this
because you never know when you'll meet your end, but there seems to be
a widely found error in the game that will cause your game to just
spontaneously freeze up and ignore all of your button commands and the
control pad. The music will continue and characters will move in their
battle stance, but nothing will register. A lot more people have gone
through this than there should be, and it has happened to me, so I lost
a good half-hour of progress. You've been warned.
-Lastly, instead of taking the time to study every little detail about
an enemy's behavior and movements to determine which brother they'll
attack, jump with both at the same time and swing both of their hammers
simultaneously. It's a really easy habit to get into, and it will save
you a lot of confusion or frustration. If there are attacks in which
jumping with both is likely to get one of them hurt, I'll point that
out. It's quite rare.
I think that covers all the basic junk you need to know, but will pick
up just by playing the game and got thrown into the guide because it'll just
look that much better. On with the walkthrough!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[6] Walkthrough OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Really, really long ago... way far out in space... in a dark, dark place
shunned by starlight... there was this creepy planet floating alone...
The beings of this world were... creepy. They spent their time staring
creepily into space. Just creepy daydreamers, right? Wrong. They were
searching. Searching for a new home.
At last, they fixed their creepy gazes
on a distant world, a land of beauty and peace...
[6.1] Playtime is Over
OOOOO Princess Peach's Castle OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: None OOO
Coins: None OOO
Enemies: Baby Bowser OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
We begin the game in the Mushroom Kingdom, in the past. Baby Mario and
Baby Luigi have arrived at Princess Peach's Castle, where they're greeted by
Toadsworth. He'll tell you to hurry in to see her, as she's impatient. Walk
on up through the corridors and into the room, and... you'll find a bunch of
Toad peons, collapsed on the floor, poor slaves that met their end after
years of toil and abuse forced upon them by their human captor, the adorable
tyke, Baby Peach...
Ah, no. Turns out it was Baby Bowser, a little snot-nose even in his
youth, already trying to kidnap Peach. He tries to tell you off, until
Toadsworth interferes and gets his face burned off (I wish.). Now it's our
turn to deal with the brat, so into battle we go.
Toadsworth will try to educate you in the ways of timed attacks. Go
ahead and listen if you're really that hopeless, but if you played SSS then
things are exactly the same. Just take care to notice when BB is going to
puke up a little fireball at ya. Finish this up. "Oh, NO!!" =P
Baby Bowser collapses, and the brothers rejoice, but their laughter is
cut short by a sudden explosion. Seconds later, rubble begins to rain down
from the ceiling, and we look outside to see flying saucers firing shots onto
the castle itself. They fly off with another group of UFOs, and then the
clouds part to reveal an entire swarm of them...
[6.2] Back to the Future
OOOOO Princess Peach's Castle OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (4) OOO
Coins: 3 OOO
Enemies: Junior Shrooboid (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
We immediately learn of E. Gadd's time machine, fueled by the mysterious
and powerful Cobalt Star. People from all over are interested in the machine,
particularly Peach, who promptly sets off on a voyage to the past, bringing a
couple of Toads with her.
With the news how over, we cut back to the present Toadsworth, who has
gotten his panties in a bundle over the apparently un-guaranteed safety of the
Princess. He faints himself at the thought of her tiny chance at being
harmed, and now it's up to you to grab a Refreshroom from his quarters to
bring him back to his feet again. Lakitu now unveils the handy top screen,
which for the most part will be your map from now on. The shroom icon on the
map indicates where you want to head; this would be a good time to explore
the castle and become situated with the rooms. You'll find a few ? blocks in
the corridors and two by the big staircases, all containing Mushrooms or a
single coin. If you notice any X pock marks in the ground, they contain
beans, which you can unearth later. If you find any large blue platforms,
they can't be pressed down until you put the weight of four people on them.
Once you've gotten the Refreshroom, head back to the room where you
began and it'll take its effect on Toadsworth; but there's no time for anyone
to react, for a second later there's a loud rumbling. A flash and a few
stars, and the time machine comes crashing down into the castle, looking
badly beaten up. Upon further inspection, the doors slide open, and we're met
with the lovely stare of... ...an alien. A nice, chubby one at that. It
proceeds to lunge out and scare the hell out of everyone, but Mario, being the
manly man he is, jumps in to deal with it.
BOSS: JUNIOR SHROOBOID
HP: 13
EXP: 6
Coins: 0
While this is only a warm-up, if anything, we still have the standard boss
theme, so I'm classing it as one. As if you've forgotten your timed attacks
since you were a baby, Toadsworth will try to teach you how to fight. Again.
Just jump on this guy; his only attack is spinning in a cyclone and making a
pass at you. It moves pretty slow, so jumping over it and landing on him for
counterattack damage is simple. Finishing this battle will automatically get
you a level-up.
After the battle, we find that Peach is nowhere to be found, but not to
worry; she wasn't eaten or anything. E. Gadd whips out a little device and
claims that she was merely sent back several years. But how does that explain
the alien? E. Gadd summons everyone to the garden, and that means the two of
you will go down there as well, lest you want to stay in there with the beast.
Upon meeting him there, you see that he's staring into a crater in the
ground, a crater in which there is a swirling void, which he claims to be a
time hole. A doorway to the past, of sorts. The time machine ripped a bunch
of holes in the space-time continuum, forming these things. Mario
volunteers to use the time holes to travel back to the Mushroom Kingdom's
past to try and rescue Peach, but before they can hammer out any concrete
plan, Toadsworth comes rolling in on his stretcher and crashes into the side
of the crater, knocking Luigi into the hole. We see everyone's shocked
expressions as he swirls around and disappears into the past... Toadsworth
asks a bunch of questions, but before another word is said, Mario dives in
after him.
[6.3] The Hunt Begins!
OOOOO Near Holli Jolli Village OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (8) OOO
1-Up Mushroom (2) OOO
Mushroom Drop OOO
Coins: 53 OOO
Enemies: Shrooblet OOO
Shroobs (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Shrooblet- HP: 7 EXP: 2 Coins: 2 Drop: Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
All it does is stop between Mario and Luigi, and then raise one of its
feet, indicating which Bro it'll attack. It then makes a spin towards
them. Easy to dodge; jumping on it as it does this will deal damage.
It is here that we meet Stuffwell, your newfound companion- an annoying
talking suitcase that states the obvious and will interrupt you many times
throughout your adventure to make astute observations and the like. He will
be of use, however, seeing as he has a seemingly unlimited amount of space to
house all of the crap you find and want to keep. Sit through his little
explanation of how he works. BACK TO ADVENTURE!
...well, no. If you proceed into the next area, Stuffwell will pop out
again, and remind you how to jump with two people. Humor him, and then he'll
tell you how to jump across a string of ledges simultaneously. At the very
least, you can pick up some coins and recovery items for your trouble. Once
you've nabbed all of the coins from the L and M blocks, a stairway into the
next area will open up. As you proceed, you'll only be able to go so far
before a mushroomed individual lands on your head. A swarm of UFOs fly by,
and proceed to blast the hell out of the wintry village we see on our map.
Dark, purple mushrooms are behind this? Huh?
Might as well get on over there. Cross the wooden ramps and navigate the
little set-up of mushroom heads, taking out any Shrooblets in your way.
Stuffwell interrupts you twice more during this trek, first to tell you about
preemptive strikes and Luigi's own attacks (this is his first battle after
all) and again to tell you about healing. Go AWAY already! The Bros. will
reach level 3 once you've made it to the top. Head into Holli Jolli Village
to witness an invasion taking place; craters fill the area as their shots
blow everything apart. The residents themselves are stunned, then abducted.
At the risk of anal probe, Mario and Luigi head in to investigate.
The houses, from what you can see, are all empty, either abandoned or
their residents taken hostage. A couple have blocks with coins or Mushrooms
in them, as well as one or two outside. If you head inside the house in the
upper-right corner, you'll hear a muffled voice. Walk towards the chimney,
and he'll address you. Turns out he's the mayor of this town, and scrambled
up the chimney once the Shroobs came and trashed the place. Jump underneath
him to send him flying out of the chimney and onto the pavement outside. A
fat little dude with a white beard and moustache, dressed in red, stuck in a
chimney... now where have I seen that? Anyways. Before he can head back
inside, the Shroobs return with a couple of UFOs, and a few of the little
cretins surround our Santa-lookalike. He screams for help, so get out there
and see what's up. No sooner than you step outside, he's being beamed up into
one of the saucers! The Shroobs on the ground notice you, and after a little
conversation you have no hopes of understanding ("What about these guys...?"
"KILL THEM!" "KILL THEM!" "KILL THEM!") they attack you. GRRAAAAAH!
BOSS: SHROOBS
HP: 15 (each)
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
This isn't a true boss of sorts, but once again we have our good 'ol boss
theme, so I'll treat it as one. As soon as the battle starts, one of the
aliens pulls out a little transmitter, and soon a UFO flies in with a timer
attached to it. As soon as it reaches 0, you'll be blown apart, so just
entertain these guys until then. You only have enough time to kill one of
the three before the countdown reaches 0, so this battle will be a lost
cause no matter what; just stomp one of them and dodge their laser shots. To
do this, just wait until they spin or put a gleam in their eye, indicating
who they'll shoot at- spin for Luigi, gleam for Mario. Then they whip out
the gun and shoot; the shots don't move quickly and are easily jumped over.
The timer reaches 0, and a huge shot from the UFO above takes you out. Cue
the funny little laugh from our antagonists..
We now cut to the skies, where Baby Bowser's Koopa Cruiser is being
chased and shot at by the UFOs. You now hear the most annoying sound in the
game, which is Baby Peach's crying. Toadsworth comes in to calm her down, and
BB orders all of his minions to get to the control deck. You're not one of
his toadies, but you have control of the babies now, so why not? Yet again,
we are taught how to jump. Collect the coins and mushrooms around the crates,
even netting yourself a Drop, which heals all characters opposed to one, and
another 1-Up. Save if you wish, then enter the control room. BB's ship will
take out the UFOs hassling it, and they'll pass over our presently fallen
heroes, the adults. Peach won't shut up until BB does something about it,
so again the cannon is fired, this time at the aliens standing over the Bros.
The ship will land, and Baby Mario and Luigi are dispatched to go pick them
up. Head over to where they lay, and you'll be approached by the remaining
Shroobs you fought earlier. Back into the boss battle!
BOSS: SHROOBS
HP: 15 (each)
EXP: 21
Coins: 0
They're fought exactly the same way as before. Only now, you'll be given
Bros. Items from Toadsworth to help you rack up some damage. That item is the
Green Shell, which I have already explained how to use; Toadsworth will keep
you supplied with them throughout the battle, so don't worry about wasting
them. After they've been destroyed, Toadsworth will have you bring the adults
onto Baby Bowser's ship.
In this next scene, we see Toadsworth alone, telling of the mass
destruction the Shroobs have brought to the Mushroom Kingdom. We re-witness
the attack on the castle, and find that they were rescued by Kamek on the
Cruiser by BB's orders; that's how they came to be on his ship. We cut back
to the present moment, where Toadsworth is explaining all of this to our now
revived Mario and Luigi. We fly over Princess Peach's castle, to see it
already covered in fungus, having been infested by the aliens. Their new
stronghold, it seems... Mario tells them that Peach is being held captive
there, but Toadsworth finds the idea, especially Mario and Luigi being the
babies' older selves, absurd. The Koopa Cruiser's alarm sounds again,
bringing a transmission straight from Shroob Castle. Flick on the monitor,
and... we receive a kind string of crazy gibberish from an alien in a pink
gown, deemed to be Princess Shroob. She must be the one that orchestrated all
of this! After a taunt of sorts, the alarm sounds again, this time alerting
the BB to a missile fired at them from the castle. Cue the crash 'n burn.
[6.4] Survivors
OOOOO Bowser's Castle OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (2) OOO
Green Shell (16) OOO
1-Up Mushroom (4) OOO
Mushroom Drop OOO
Coins: 196 OOO
Enemies: Goomba OOO
Boo OOO
Boom Guy OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Goomba- HP: 10 EXP: 3 Coins: 3 Drop: Mushroom, Super Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
As you would expect from such a simple enemy, these guys don't have
anything crafty up their sleeve. They'll charge in front of one of you,
stop for a second, then try to hit you; a jump after this little second
wait is all it takes to dodge and counterattack them.
Boo- HP: 15 Exp: 5 Coins: 4 Drop: Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys are quick. Right before they disappear, they'll uncover an
eye, indicating which bro they plan to attack, and then reappear behind
them. Jump immediately and they'll pass underneath you. Nothing too
crazy; they're pretty easy to hit while doing this, too.
Boom Guy- HP: 18 Exp: 8 Coins: 5 Drop: Green Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
ShyGuys with Bullet Bill cannons on their heads. These guys will
approach and stop in front of either brother, and either fire a BB
without interruption, or misfire, emitting a puff of smoke... ...followed
by a Bullet Bill. Sometimes your jumps will knock the cannon off; in
which case, when the ShyGuy begins its turn, it will send out a call to
its allies; a prompt delivery of a new cannon will be followed by its
attack as normal; a "..." means it spends its turn doing nothing. How to
predict a misfire? When it stops in front of you, if it points towards
you, don't jump; wait for the smoke. When it holds onto the cannon with
both hands, jump immediately.
The Cruiser landed conveniently right inside Baby Bowser's castle, and
it seems everyone else was thrown clear of the wreckage, leaving Mario and
Luigi by themselves. Another astute observation from Stuffwell. Well, now
we want to reunite with them, so time for some dungeon trekking with our
Bros. Now we'll get to do some actual play instead of controlling someone for
5 minutes, then having to watch people talk.
Head to the right from our save point, and we meet our first enemy with
a completely scriptless battle- the Goomba. You'll get a ton of Green Shells
from the block right at the entrance, but don't waste them on these guys.
A total of 12, Jesus, 12 shells are in this first area alone, as well as two
Mushrooms and even a 1-Up.
The next area shows you a long, zigzagging catwalk spanning the length
of the room. Kill the Goombas and their Boo cohorts if you wish, grab the
Mushrooms and blue coin (each is worth 20) and head up to the catwalk. It's
pretty straightforward, and if you're used to the controls or have played
SSS, navigating this thing without falling is simple. Just stop to change
your directions to avoid botching a turn and falling. You can't go far into
the next room before the duo stops.. and Luigi is conked on the head by a
spiked ball. We look up and find..
"BABIES!!!" Heheheh, I love it whenever Mario says that. Anyway, once you
help the babies jump down, try to walk off and Stuffwell will tell you how to
alternate between controlling the babies and adults, and then tell you how to
carry them piggyback-style. With your new partners in tow, jump on the fat
blue square further ahead. The combined weight of the four of you will push
it down and open the doors; this is the only way to activate these when you
come across them. In the next room, you'll find a ledge impossible for you to
jump to, and no feasible way to climb up... that's where the babies come in.
Pressing X or Y while in a piggyback will throw both babies overhead. This
will let them explore a high area while the adults wait for them to find a
switch to let them up, or... ...a block much like the one you see as soon as
the babies are thrown onto the ledge. Anytime you're separated from the
babies or vice versa, hitting the pipe-block will bring the other two right
next to you. Do that here and compress the switch to continue onwards.
More items in this next room. To get at the blocks behind the spikes,
the babies will have to go solo. Nothing much to say for the items here;
you've already seen them. You do get a nice stack of coins, though. The next
room has you throwing babies up ledges again, and introduces you to a new
block; the Purple Switch block. Hitting these ! blocks will cause some sort
of change in the environment to take place, whether it be a bridge forming,
or platform dropping to a height within reach. They're pretty much always
necessary to hit to continue, and this is no exception. Once you enter the
next area, you'll find Kamek searching for Baby Bowser. He'll notice you, and
assuming you're up to no good, summon a Goomba and Boo to fight you. In this
battle, you'll receive your first actual useful lesson; attacking while
teamed up with a baby. Now your attacks can have a lot more force to them.
Destroy the two of them, and Kamek summons another Goomba; now Stuffwell will
tell you how to use your Green Shell with the babies. Good stuff. Killing the
second Goomba brings on one more; now Stuffwell wants Luigi to use a Green
Shell. Humor him, and then Kamek summons one final Boo. Stuffwell leaves at
last, and we can now end this.
Continuing on through the room, you'll find a lone Green Shell, as well
as a Boo, bringing with it a new bastard; Boom Guys. After dealing with the
other enemies here, you'll come across a large blue pipe; deal with it the
same way you would the blue squares. Only four people can activate it. Two
more Green Shells in the next room; to proceed here, throw the babies onto
the ledge and head through the small opening to reach a hidden room; hit the
! block to create a bridge for you to cross. Same objective in the next room,
though now there's more to it. After spawning the bridge and crossing it,
you'll find a new switch block- a multicolored one that comes in pairs,
requiring two people to activate it. Of course, Stuffwell is going to explain
this, but you can tell him to F off, three times in fact, and he'll leave
without giving a tutorial. Have Mario hit the block, and immediately have
Luigi hit the second block afterwards, as it lights up. This will spawn a
block that the babies can use to climb up to another set of ! blocks. The
Goombas in this hidden room can be slain if you like, but they'll take a lot
more jumps to defeat. Another 1-Up and 20 coins in here for ya. Hitting the
switch blocks will lower a platform down on the adult's side. Reunite with
them and make your way up the platforms. A Boom Guy will be firing at you
from up there; being hit by one of the Bullet Bills will force you into
battle, but won't give it a preemptive strike or knock you over or anything.
At the end of the passage is a ledge you can throw the babies up to, in order
to activate a third set of ! blocks, forming the last bridge you need to get
out of there.
You're almost done. In this next room, grab the coins, then head over to
the left side of the room, where you'll find a fat red block and a ledge with
an opening nearby. The sign basically says that hitting that block with the
appropriate adult will spawn a block inside the hidden room behind it, which
the babies can hit, filling the room with light for a period of time. When
you actually send the babies in there, you'll see some pink platforms, and
the rest shrouded in pitch darkness. So, hit the block as Mario, and hustle
along the passage, stopping once it gets too dark. Whack the large block
again with the brother corresponding to the color, and you can fill the room
with light again. There are no branching pathways or treasures in here; just
make it out on the other side. Hitting the treasure chest over the pedestal
you come to get you not coins nor items, but.. a shiny fragment! This is a
piece of the Cobalt Star that E. Gadd used to power his time machine. You
definitely want to hold onto this. Not like you have a bloody choice. Saddle
up with your older selves again and head into the next room. Take the pipe
into the next room, save if you wish, and continue on until you reach the
final door, which leads not to a boss, but another time hole. A little bit
of squabbling with Toadsworth, and the three of you jump in.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[7] The Vim Factory Siege! OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
You're back in present-day Peach's castle, and right by the hole you hop
out of are two last chests. Nab yourself another 1-Up and a whopping 10 coins.
Head back to where E. Gadd is standing, and you'll explain the situation
to him. You'll also find that the alien, being held in some sort of stasis
chamber, reacts quite violently when you pull out the Cobalt Star shard and
it gets near him. Mental wizard that he is, E. Gadd deduces that there's some
sort of link between the Shroobs and the Cobalt Star. An even brighter Toad
suggests that you can find a way to destroy the aliens if you collect more of
them. The shard then abruptly flies off, and glancing up at the map, you
notice it uncover yet another time hole. Before you leave to check it out,
though, E. Gadd gives you a Salvage badge, which slightly increases the odds
of collecting an item dropped after battle. Of course, this means yet another
educational intervention from Stuffwell. Get it over with, then head to the
Shop icon on your map. Now would be a good time to use all those coins you
found to buy two pairs of Patched Slacks for the adults and two pairs of
Starchy Jeans for the little ones. There aren't any badges for sale that will
really make a difference right now, nor can you afford to buy multiples of
them for your party. Ignore them and head over to the time hole when you're
ready. As you jump in, you'll witness a struggle between Toadsworths...
[7.1] Freaky Foliage
OOOOO Toadwood Forest OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (2) OOO
Bro Flower (15) OOO
Green Shell (7) OOO
Mushroom Drop OOO
Super Mushroom OOO
1-Up Mushroom (2) OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Unarmed Jeans OOO
Wild Trousers OOO
Wallet Badge OOO
Coins: 729 OOO
Enemies: Koopeleon OOO
Boo Guy OOO
Elasto-Piranha OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Koopeleon- HP: 18 EXP: 6 Coins: 4 Drop: Green Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
These little guys will approach you, stop, and then make themselves
invisible. This will take a second or two, and once they finish, they'll
move in and try to bite you. Pretty slow-moving enemies, so they won't
give you a lot of problems. Hitting one while it's invisible will bring
its color back; otherwise it'll stay blended in.
Boo Guy- HP: 17 EXP: 8 Coins: 5 Drop: Mushroom, Super Mushroom
Weak: Fire Resist: None
Little ShyGuy ghosts. They'll hover over and stop between the two of you
and point with either hand, indicating who they're going to attack. Once
they do that, they'll split into two, and charge forward. The bro being
targeted should jump once the Boo Guy is in front of him, and he can be
damaged; the fake Guy will simply vanish.
Elasto-Piranha- HP: 27 EXP: 16 Coins: 6 Drop: Bro Flower, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: Ice Resist: Fire
These pipe-dwelling plants rest at the bottom of tree trunks, an
unpleasant surprise if you were hoping to find coins. These guys ARE
unpleasant, too, because if you screw up an evasive jump, the babies
will be nearly killed by just one of its fireballs. Take care when it
stretches up and off the screen- the fireball will take longer to come
down, so don't jump right away! Otherwise, jump once you see the
fireball and you should be fine. If it emerges from the pipe with its
head pointed straight up, the fireball will be spit onto Mario. Nice EXP
for defeating these guys.
Head to the right from the time hole, and right away you'll notice a few
tree stumps- these are the first of many obstacles you'll come across as you
play. They aren't obstructing you in any way, but they always house treasure
blocks with coins (giant, 100-coin coins, at that), items, a switch you must
press.. or enemies. Throw the babies into any holes you come across. In this
case, they lead to a Mushroom Drop, 201 in coins, and a battle with some
Koopeleons. Once you're finished here, head up and into the next area, and a
very faint voice will speak to you. Get closer, and you'll find that it's a
Toad named Toadiko, seemingly engulfed by the vines around a tree. It turns
out that Toadiko was on the time machine with Peach; when he was abducted,
the Shroobs brought him along with other captives to the forest, where they
became ensnared by the plant life. The trees suck away their mushroom power,
their life force; otherwise known as their "vim." The trees send the vim down
through a network of roots into their factory, where it is mixed with
chemicals and turned into fuel for their flying saucers. Toadiko is certain
that Peach and a Cobalt Star shard can be found there... The conversation is
ended abruptly as UFOs looming overhead spot the gang and fire upon them. The
Bros. flee, but Toadiko is turned into a simple mushroom. The Bros. must now
press onwards! The only other thing in this area is a stump with a Super
Mushroom and a nice 100-coiner. Move on.
Nab some Bro Flowers amidst a few enemies, then pillage the stumps for a
few more Green Shells and a 100-coiner. The left stump has an enemy inside
it, the Elasto-Piranha; while its attacks aren't difficult to dodge, they're
way too strong for the babies at their current level and HP, so be especially
careful. One hit will bring them down to critical status, if not kill them
outright. Don't try out your new Bro Flowers on them, either; they'll do
squat. Anyways, the pathway to the next area is on the right. Here you'll
find your path leading to the factory obstructed by trees, but those will be
dealt with very soon. Nab the 1-Up and exit via the lower-left, where several
long tree trunks are arranged in a circle along with some mysterious clear,
empty blocks. There's no way you can toss the babies into these, so head to
the only trunk you CAN toss them into, in the lower-left corner. The adults
can grab the coins on the right while the babies navigate the underground
maze, making sure to hit every block with flame inside it. There are six
total; there are also a few Elasto-Piranhas down here, so exterminate them
if you'd like a boatload of EXP for the babies. Once done, you can hop back
out and have the adults hit the blocks that now encase the flames, sending
them into the large block in the center. Get all six, then hit the large
block to send the fireball flying into the previous area, where it'll land on
the trees and burn them to ashes, creating an opening for you to pass through.
Once you've gone down through the pipe and emerged in the new area, save
and head upwards. Notice the map up above is filled with spikes.. the left is
entirely inaccessible at the moment, so don't even bother checking it out.
Instead, scour the tree trunks for 100 coins and a pair of Unarmed Jeans. I
wouldn't recommend equipping these, for the babies are going to be in a boss
battle on their own very soon, and any hits they take will be fatal while
wearing those. If you're confident in your dodging, though, then go ahead.
I've found the enemies at this point and onwards start appearing in greater
numbers, so you'll be getting a lot more EXP from here on. Anyways, to the
north is the factory entrance, which is surrounded by a moat that we can't
cross just yet. Upon further inspection, you'll find that the bridge to the
entrance is submerged under water. Those shroob-like claws on either side
look like they have something to do with it, don't they? You want to activate
them, so leave to your right. Here we have a platform perched over the bed of
spikes, but it won't move for you unless someone is controlling it, and that
someone is either baby. Toss them into the tree trunk and you'll find a block
with an arrow on it, changing directions every second or so. Have Mario and
Luigi stand on the platform over the spikes, and get it moving by hitting the
block once the arrow points to the right. The platform will move nonstop in
the direction that was punched into the block until the baby hits it again,
stopping it abruptly. Now, you can wait for the arrow to point to a new
direction and hit it again. The idea is to bring the platform across the
spikes and to the second pathway you come across, then stop it. The first
path leads to an exit out of there and a Wallet Badge, which allows you to
flee battle at less of a coin expense. You don't need it. Anyways, once in
the next area, bring the babies over to your location and jump underneath the
! block while holding one of the babies. At the peak of your jump, press the
baby's jump button and they'll be able to reach the block. This causes four
blocks to spread out over the brothers, starting with Baby Luigi. The idea is
to hit the first with BL, then quickly press the button for the next in line
as his block lights up. You only have a second before you lose it and it
reverts back to transparency. Hit all four, and the Shroob mechanism will
power up and get some current flowing to the claw by the entrance. Now we
have one more to go. Get the Green Shells, Bro Flowers and 100-coiner here,
and you can be on your way.
As you enter through the north, right away you'll notice a ! block
over some spikes. This'll be your next objective. Clear away the enemies on
the way to the tree trunk, then throw the tykes in and get the adults onto
the platform. This time there'll be a yellow ramp along the way, which the
platform can pass under, but the Bros. cannot; simply jumping onto it and
hopping back onto the platform as it comes out from the other side is all
you need to do. Hitting the ! block spurts up a block that'll grant you
access to the next area. Ride the platform back over, grab the kids, and
leave. The next Shroob mechanism is here, and is activated the same way-
piggyback jump, then a quick sequence of jumps. With electricity flowing from
the second claw, the bridge is set into place, allowing you to enter the
factory! Grab the coins, Mushroom and 1-Up here, then exit via the south.
More fun with platforms! Into the trunk the babies are thrown. There are
Green Shells, Bro Flowers and coins inside treasure blocks over the spikes,
among other things, including a 1-Up Super, an item that revives the fallen
one with full HP. There's also a pair of Wild Trousers for the adults, which
are basically the same as Unarmed Jeans, only with an even bigger cut in
defense. Meh. Once you've gotten everything, have the babies pilot the
platform down to the lower-right corner. You're now back where your started;
a pipe block to summon the babies is near the bridge to the factory.
Head across the bridge, and the doors will slide open for you... what
dangers await our heroes inside this freaky place?
[7.2] Who Drank all the Vim?!
OOOOO Vim Factory OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (7) OOO
Green Shell (6) OOO
Bro Flower (3) OOO
Cannonballer (8) OOO
Mushroom Drop (2) OOO
Refreshing Herb (6) OOO
1-Up Mushroom OOO
Unarmed Jeans OOO
Coins: 17 OOO
Enemies: Spiny Shroopa OOO
Dr. Shroob OOO
Lakitufo OOO
Hammer Bros. (Boss) OOO
Swiggler (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Spiny Shroopa- HP: 18 EXP: 2 Coins: 2 Drop: Green Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys will take a few whacks with the hammer once you face them for
the first time, but they're not too gifted offensively. They'll hop in
front of either brother, and sit still for a good two seconds, and then
lunge. You should have your hammer ready as they're waiting to pounce,
then release as soon as they do. You'll get a feel for the timing very
quickly. Be warned that they sometimes will pause right after being
counterattacked, and make a second lunge; have your hammer ready again
in case they do. These guys also have the ability to poison you. Why
such crappy EXP and coins? You'll soon meet an enemy that'll spawn these
things over and over again. Can't give you TOO much per battle, can they?
Dr. Shroob- HP: 29 EXP: 18 Coins: 10 Drop: Bro Flower, Mushroom Drop
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These doctors will attack you at first just like the Shroobs you faced
earlier, but once they've taken their shot, they'll pull out one of two
mushrooms and hold onto it; attacking them once they've done this will
cause them to drop it. If a Dr. is holding a red mushroom, you definitely
want him to lose it, or else he'll eat it come his turn and charge at
you. Shroobs holding a poisoned shroom are much less of a threat, as
they'll shrink and waddle towards you, making themselves easy pickings
for your hammer. Their shots are very slow and easy to jump; their
charging attacks are stopped with the hammer.
Lakitufo- HP: 26 EXP: 16 Coins: 7 Drop: Cannonballer
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys can be annoying if not dealt with. They always come with Spiny
Shroopas as cohorts, and if you kill one, there's a good chance it'll
merely beam a fresh one down from its saucer. Otherwise, it attacks by
beaming down a spiny egg, which will bounce at you; be ready to swing
your hammer as soon as it materializes, since it will come at you very
quickly. These guys also twirl around back and forth between Mario and
Luigi, then swirl in front of either for a moment and hurl themselves
off of their saucer and at your position. Give them a moment after they
move in front of you, then jump. Lastly, the easiest attack to counter:
Lakitu will hover over you and try to beam you up into his saucer. Have
your hammer charging, and wail him once you get close to the top. These
guys are total bastards; by all means get rid of them first.
"AREA RESTRICTED. ALL NOOB INTRUDERS 2 B HAX0RED BY US L33T HAMMER BROZ.!"
"WE R TEH SHROOB ALLIES. WE R0X0R U AND THEN ROFL. THEN U AM CRY."
"WE RECEIVE ORDERS THRU ANTENNAS ON THESE L33T HELMETS. THEY R HOTNESS."
"WE MUST OBEY ALL ORDERS. WE LIKE 2 PWN N00BS 4 TEH MASTER SHROOBZORS."
"U = N00BS. BROZ. = L33T. PREPARE 4 TOTAL PWNAGE. W00T! W00T! W00T! W00T!"
Heeeeeeeee... good 'ol netspeak. Enter the pipe and save, and as soon as
you enter the next room, you'll be accosted by two Hammer Bros. that have
apparently been brainwashed by the Shroobs into doing their bidding. After
their taunts, a giant pair of nostrils will come down from the ceiling and
suck the adults into each one. WTF? You'll see what that nose is a part of
soon enough, but first you have to deal with our mindless turtle friends.
"N00BZ STILL R NOT PWNED. CONTINUE PWNERSHIP UNTIL ALL N00BZ R PWNED."
"TEH ESCAPE IS IMPOSSIBLE. WE R 2 L33T. WE OWNZ J00.
"U WILL GET FLATZORED BY R L33T HAMMERS."
BOSS: HAMMER BROS.
HP: 100 (each)
EXP: 80
Coins: 70
Win: Mushroom Drop
These guys may have a huge amount of HP compared to the babies, but you'll be
dealing counterattack damage to both of them every turn in addition to your
standard attacks, so this battle won't take very long. You can't survive
repeated hits from these guys, but the attacks are easy to avoid; as long as
both of them are alive, they'll hit the other brother with their hammer to
turn them into a ball of sorts, and then strike it again to send it flying
towards you. Jump right after they hit it, and you should land on the HB just
after it strikes where you would have been. Now, if the head of their hammer
flies off before they hit their HB at you, do nothing, and it'll just fly
overhead. You should have a plethora of Green Shells now, so how about using
some? You can get some nice double-digit damage on these guys, as opposed to
your pitifully weak jumps. Single one of the Hammer Bros. out until it's been
defeated, and then get ready for a new attack- the hammers themselves. The
remaining HB will jump when it's going to throw a hammer at BM, and the bulb
on its helmet will glow when BL is the target. You don't have to study him
for this, really- just jump when the hammer is about to make contact with the
floor in front of you, and the attack will miss. He'll throw anywhere from
two to five hammers at the babies in one turn. Since he'll already have taken
a fair amount of damage every time you countered his duo attack, just use
jumps to finish him off in a few turns.
After the battle, the babies will have shattered the helmets, freeing
them from their mental imprisonment. As gratitude, they'll give the babies
their hammers. Nice. First, of course, they'll give you a tutorial on how to
use them. At least they're actually teaching us something, unlike Stuffwell.
Go through their little obstacle course until they're satisfied and let you
on your way; they will show up again, however, once you get into a battle, to
tell you how to use them against your enemies.
You'll notice your HP was fully replenished after the fight; this little
benefit not always found in RPGs will occur every time you defeat one. Go and
save, and then you'll be ready to start searching for our unfortunate elders.
The left room is inaccessible at the moment, as is the upper right, so do the
only thing you can and press the yellow switch. A little obstacle course
awaits you, much like what the Hammer Bros. put you through. Elementary crap
here. The next room, however, has a nice little puzzle for you. You must
tunnel under the gate in the upper-right and climb onto the wall arranged
with machinery, then carefully walk down so you can drop into the room and
hit the red switch there with your hammer. A coin and some Green Shells are
here for you as well. Activating the switch will make a red block protrude
from the wall; now you'll want to bring the blue one out as well. Hop back up
onto the wall of machines and turn to the left as soon as you reach the top.
Make the jump to the other side without falling, and you can activate that
switch as well. Tunnel your way out of there and hop up your new staircase.
Now you'll be in some sort of air duct. Some ailment-recovery Refreshing
Herbs are in the treasure block nearby; also here is an unavoidable battle
with some spike-topped creatures, called Spiny Shroopas. The Hammer Bros.
will intervene here, and tell the babies about attacking and counterattacking
with the hammer. Use this newfound knowledge to kill off all the remaining
Shroopas in the duct and grab the other items you find. Once out of the duct,
drop down and tunnel through the passage on the left. In the next room,
amidst some Shroopas are some coins, herbs and another pair of Unarmed Jeans
for the babies. Back out of there once you're finished and take the path to
the right, and you'll find... Mario and Luigi! Seems those nostrils belonged
to that hideous looking tree. They have no Vim to be sucked out, so what
exactly is it sucking? ..I've already stopped caring. To bust the Bros. out,
shatter the bulbs connected to the tree with your hammer, and you'll be
reunited for the umpteenth time. "BABIES!" The mechanical nostrils will
return to the room, however, this time popping out a couple of Shroopas for
you to dispatch. And this scripted battle comes with... another Hammer Bros.
tutorial. Now you'll learn how to use hammers while battling in piggyback,
and the HBs will be out of your hair from this point on. Yay. Your hammers
will also perform much better, now that you have the adults assisting them.
After the battle, toss the babies up onto the ledge in the upper-right and
pound the switch. Leave; now you can compress the blue switch in the main
room and continue onwards.
We meet a new enemy in this room, called Dr. Shroob. Their fighting
style is the same as other Shroobs we fought- gleam in the eye or spin, then
a laser shot. But afterwards, these guys will pull out either a mushroom or
poison shroom, and hold onto it; hitting them will make them drop the shroom,
but if they begin their next turn with it in their possession, they'll eat it
and either grow or shrink in size, then charge. Obviously, allowing them to
become huge is a no-no. The way you deal with these guys will play a large
part in a battle soon to come, with a twist. You'll also meet the Lakitufo,
an adorable and extremely annoying enemy with a wide variety of attacks. Kill
these guys first, if you find yourself in a battle with one.
Anyways, this room is devoid of puzzles- just some enemies for you to
face, and a new Bros. Item- the Cannonballers. These things kick major ass
for this early point in the game; don't waste 'em on measly enemies.
Eliminate the hostile forces here, and proceed. A pipe will take you down to
the next level, leading to a large room with a huge glass structure filled
with green fluid. The junk swimming around in there resembles mushrooms...
This must be where the Vim is processed and mixed with chemicals. All there
is to do is to tunnel the babies under the gate and whack the switch, opening
the doors to the right; a third Lakitufo resides in here to give you more
problems. Make it SUFFER! >=( In the next room, we have two sealed doors, yet
another Lakitufo, and a large laser barrier of some sort preventing us from
crossing to the other side. Once you've gotten the enemies out of the way,
throw the babies up to the ledge over the doors and enter the hidden room
there. Pound the red switch, and the laser barrier will shut off. Now the
adults can proceed to a set of ! blocks and hit them, creating a bridge in
the hidden room for the babies to cross over the electric floor. Now, as the
babies, tunnel under the gate you come across and hit the switch, removing
the second barrier for the adults. Tunnel back out and move both groups to
the right, where you'll find the two sets of ! blocks. You know how this
goes. The babies must initiate it. Doing so will push up a block so the
babies can climb onto the ledge surrounding the hidden room; walk over to the
right and head downwards, out through an opening. Now they're on the other
side of the room, up on the overhang; make your way across, smashing the
crates, finally coming to the red switches that must be whacked. Both rooms
are accessible now.
Both of them lead to passages loaded with enemies; start on the left, as
you'll be backtracking out of there anyway. The room this corridor connects
to has a unique kind of coin block- hitting it will disband the four Bros.
and spread them out into a square, placing a block with their designated
button on it over their head. One of the blocks will light up; hit it for a
single coin. The idea is to get many as you can, hitting the correct block as
the time comes, keeping up with the speed until you take too long or make a
couple errors. Taking the corridor on the right nets you four more
Cannonballers, three Bro Flowers, and the first bean for the babies to tunnel
down and retrieve. In the next room, throw the babies up into another hidden
room and put the adults on the platform. This thing again. Stop it midway so
the adults can hit a ! block to form a bridge for the babies to cross, then
continue to the end. Along the way are blocks with a 1-Up, two Mushrooms, a
measly three coins, and three Green Shells. Upon reaching the end, you'll see
another set of ! blocks, which when activated will form another bridge for
the babies. Now they can join up with you on the other side. Onwards!
I definitely recommend you save here, because when you step on the
switch and go through the door, you'll witness a little scene in which a
creature drinks some of the green fluid we saw coursing through the factory
tubes, then produces some energy, which it uses to power up a pair of flying
saucers. Mario and Luigi make an exclamation, then turn to see... the babies
knock over the creature's glass of fluid. Of course, it's now pissed. Ready
to face its wrath?
BOSS: SWIGGLER
HP: 250
EXP: 196
Coins: 140
First things first, if you ever attack Swiggler while he's in his red and
angry state, he'll counter with an earthquake that'll send two or more
shockwaves across the ground at both of you; jump quickly in succession to
avoid them all. Also, he takes very little damage, even from Cannonballers,
in this state. Swiggler begins the battle with two Dr. Shroobs, which will
remain with him permanently, and more will join the battle as the existing
ones are destroyed. You'll notice Swiggler's drink; every time he drinks from
it, he'll power up two UFOs, which will then fire their cannons at your
party. When the Dr. Shroobs pull out their shrooms, any attack that hits them
will cause them to drop it, and it'll bounce into Swiggler's glass and change
the fluid. If a red mushroom is dropped into it, the fluid will become red,
and his next drink will heal him for a substantial amount of HP. If a
poison shroom is dropped in, he'll drink the gray fluid and be poisoned, thus
ending his turn and making him susceptible to heavy damage without countering
hits with a shockwave. As far as his attacks go, aside from making
earthquakes and healing himself, he'll take a deep breath and spew a poison
cloud at you; hit it with the hammer, then be ready to hit it again when it
dissipates into a smaller cloud, or you'll be damaged and possibly poisoned.
The Dr. Shroobs have no other attacks to add to the fray besides their
existing moves, but never, ever hit one while it's holding a red mushroom.
Once it's been poisoned, when its turn comes around it'll become pissed again
and take another drink; you want to keep a constant supply of bad fluid
coming, so it'll not only never heal itself, but also never attack or
counter. You can't always guarantee a poison shroom coming up, though, so be
prepared to deal with the UFO's cannon shots. Jump as soon as the shots are
fired, and you should avoid them. As Swiggler's HP drops further downwards,
he'll use his poison cloud attack 4-5 times in a row, so be ready for it. Now
is an excellent time to use your Cannonballers; they'll shave off a large
chunk of HP per turn, provided you never miss an action command. Three of them
while he's in his green and weak state should do it.
With Swiggler's destruction comes our next Cobalt Star shard! Kickass.
...Well, kickass until Baby Bowser jumps in and starts spinning around the
party in circles, which for reasons I cannot comprehend for the life of me,
makes both shards fly out from our possession and into BB's. Um, okay. Either
way, he now has our fragments, and now we've got to chase the little bugger
and get them back from him. You'll automatically be taken back to the present
Peach's Castle.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[8] Dino Wrangling OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Head over to E. Gadd and explain your predicament. He'll tell you that
time holes have been sprouting up all over the place recently, and point you
towards one of them, saying it's been giving off strong Cobalt Star readings.
Obviously that's where you're headed next, but first he wants you to check
out the commotion in the castle garden. When you arrive, you'll find Baby
Peach in her carriage, bawling her eyes out. The younger Toadsworth is
standing atop the elder's head, and together they execute a spinning move
they call the Toadsworth Twist. Look familiar? Yep. Mario and Luigi pester
them, and so now you're going to be taught to do the move yourself. Much like
the Hammer Bros. tutorial, complete their obstacle course as they instruct
you to do so, and you can be on your way. Before you head to the time hole,
though, go to the shop and buy two pairs of Branded Slacks and Preferred
Pants. Now that your equipment is up to date, you can trudge to the second
floor and into the library. Once inside, use the only platform you can reach
to climb up onto the bookcases, and use your newly acquired spin to make it
across to the treasure blocks above each case. The Training Badge is quite
useless, but the rightmost block contains a Super Mushroom. When you're ready
to warp, spin to the top of the screen from the bookcase conveniently marked
with an arrow. Nab the 1-Up Super up there, then grab the babies and into the
time hole!
OOOOO Yoshi's Island OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Shroom Badge OOO
Smash Egg (4) OOO
Coins: 120 OOO
Enemies: None OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Catchy tune, eh? No? Well screw you, I like the nostalgic stuff. This
place seems largely deserted as we first enter, and the area is littered with
huge footprints. The first "house" you see contains a Shroom Badge and a save
point; enter the next house you come across, and you'll meet a new face;
Kylie Koopa, ace reporter or some crap. She came to the island after hearing
about a massive egg being found there, and has suspicions that it's linked to
the Shroobs in some way. She'll ask that the babies hop onto the spring
inside the hut, and in humoring her you'll find... Yoshis! They're all
huddled over, shaking with fear. At the sound of the babies, one of them begs
them not to say anything. Who are these guys hiding from..? Of course, that
will be answered momentarily. Cue the lumbering footsteps.
The brothers come outside to the sound of a roar in Shroob-Gibberish,
and watch as a huge creature resembling an enormous Yoshi, with red eyes and
Shroob-like claws, rampages throughout the area and gulps down a bunch of
Yoshis, and Kylie the ignoramus, to boot. Aw, raspberries! Say hello to Yoob,
everybody!
Well, Kylie gets herself spit up. A few more Yoshis are eaten, though,
and Yoob even zings his tongue inside the hut the Bros. are hiding in, but
comes out empty. The sound of his giant steps fade into the distance; he's
had his fill and left. Once you leave the hut, you'll see Kylie, and she
mentions something about an evil-looking Magikoopa looking around the place
next door. Head inside, and you'll find Kamek mumbling to himself about his
desperate need to find snacks, and pillaging a Yoshi Cookie. The Bros. march
in to confront him about the stolen shards, and Kamek tells you off. Baby
Bowser is on the cliff top, waiting for Kamek to return with some grub.
Hopping on the spring will net you some Smash Eggs, my least favorite Bros.
Item, and 20 coins. Back outside, we'll briefly see an encounter between
Kamek and Yoob. Nothing important or very funny. He removes a door with his
magic, though, making a path for us to continue. More Smash Eggs and a save
point inside. The spring in the next area we come to leads to a cloud with a
block suspended in the air, with a button atop it. Once Baby Mario hits it
with his hammer, it'll drop to a level the adults can reach. It contains a
nice 100-coiner. Not too shabby! When you finally come to a pipe, nab the two
beans nearby and head down. Finally, we'll be doing some exploring instead of
constantly walking into another conversation.
[8.1] Blazing Saddles!
OOOOO Yoshi's Island (Cliffs) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (2) OOO
Super Mushroom (2) OOO
Green Shell (5) OOO
Smash Egg (21) OOO
Cannonballer (3) OOO
1-Up Mushroom OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Heart Pants OOO
Coins: 128 OOO
Enemies: Pidgit OOO
Gnarantula OOO
Coconutter OOO
Kamek (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Pidgit- HP: 24 EXP: 18 Coins: 6 Drop: Smash Egg, Mushroom Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
Remember them? They'll fly into the top screen, then quickly swoop down
and make a pass at one of the Bros. If they hop before swooping, they'll
stop in mid-air and make some psychotic sort of laugh before going
through with the attack. Who will be attacked? If they pause while in
front of the group, they'll swoop at Luigi. If they pause behind you,
then they'll pass at Mario. They don't swoop towards you at blinding
speed or anything, so jumping and countering the move is pretty easy.
These guys sometimes carry a sack, and defeating them before they flee
will net you 18 extra coins.
Gnarantula- HP: 30 EXP: 15 Coins: 5 Drop: Smash Egg, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: Fire (green), Ice (red) Resist: None
Don't jump on these guys! You never know if they have spikes under those
puffs. Some of them do, some don't. The best way to face them is just by
using your hammer. For attacks, they'll flutter towards you, and on the
second flutter, simply come down on top of you. Be ready with your hammer
to wail them as they come overhead; you'll get a feel for the timing.
Once you expose their spikes or lack thereof, their jumps will be a
little quicker.
Coconutter- HP: 43 EXP: 20 Coins: 6 Drop: Green Shell, Ultra Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
These nuisances have the ability to summon rainstorms, which will heal
30 HP of damage to ALL enemies present. An upcoming storm is indicated by
the use of their previous turn to merely raise their spear into the air,
forcing you to resort to your hammer rather than jumps. Their actual
attacks come from behind; they'll throw a spear into the air, out of
their side of the screen, and it'll impale one of the Bros. unless you
jump as soon as it's out of sight. They'll also appear from behind you
and blow a dart into your backside; jump when you see the tube move
closer to you after it initially shows up, and the dart should miss. Oh,
and the eye that gleams tells you which brother is being targeted for
the spear toss.
We'll encounter Kamek one more time, and after a little standoff, he
flies up to the top screen and uses his magic to start a bunch of fires
throughout the place. He leaves you to deal with the flames, which we will
get started with once Stuffwell tells us about shooting water. Toss the
babies, and have BM stand in front of the fountain. As long as he's there,
the water will cumulate inside him until he's got nine shots worth. BL can
hit him with his hammer to make him spit the water forward; this is what
we'll be using to put out those fires. Start with the flame directly across
the bridge, then proceed. You'll be greeted by a possibly familiar face in
the next area; Pidgit! Some of these guys carry a sack into battle, and if
you can defeat them before they flee, you'll get some coins. The nearby
blocks contain a coin and 8 Smash Eggs. Up in the clouds, you'll find some
beans, coins, more crummy Smash Eggs, and a 1-Up Super. In the next area,
you'll find that you can't reach any of the ledges by jumping or throwing
babies, because they're just way too high. Transparent blocks sit by each
one, offering a way up if one can make them solid. So, go to the right and
toss the babies onto the spring you come across, sending them into the
clouds. Things of interest here besides the fountain are the Heart Pants in
the upper left; the babies can equip them and get a boost in both their HP
and defense. Now, gulp down some water and align yourself with the pipe the
arrow is pointing at. Spitting into it will shoot the water downwards and
onto the flame below, extinguishing it, giving you access to a red ! block.
Hitting this will solidify one of the blocks to the left, allowing you to
climb onto one of the ledges. Mosey on over there.
The block merely gives way to a bridge into the next area, where you now
have two fires to put out. Grab the coins and mushrooms, then tunnel the
babies under the gate by the holes in the wall. Take two gulps of water from
the fountain, and shoot them into both hollowed-out trees. With the fires put
out, Mario and Luigi can use their spin to travel, starting at the bridge,
across the platforms and hit the green ! block. Another one solidified. Time
to mosey again. Hopping up the green block will present two paths; one of
which cannot be taken until you hit the third and final blue ! switch. So
it's off to the right, where you'll eventually come to a room with four
different pipes suspended in the air, three of which have an arrow,
indicating that we can reposition it. Hit the blocks repeatedly until they're
positioned in such a way that the water can flow down from above, into the
blue pipe, then travel through the three yellow pipes and onto the flame,
dousing it. Once again the babies must take to the clouds, but for once there
are no beans or Gnarantulas up here; just a fountain. Fulfill your fireman
duties and hit the block; now you can further ascend the cliffs. On your way
into the next area, you can nab some Green Shells, and encounter a new,
rather stupid looking, enemy. What happened to the Spear Guys?? I want my
goddamn Spear Guys back! Not these.. these FREAKS!
Taking the pipe down will bring up a new map that doesn't appear to be
very intricate in design; however, there's another fire that must be dealt
with. The next area has a few ledges with very large gaps in between them,
making them impossible to jump across. But notice the whirlwind up there?
Those privy to SSS will remember that these gaps are crossed by spinning as
the adults into the whirlwind, which will build up your speed and greatly
increase your flight distance. Leave the babies behind for now and spin
across to the other side, catching a quick glimpse of Kamek as you do so. If
you fall in this next area, you'll have to go all the way back and use the
whirlwind again; you might as well jump down anyway, to get the Green Shells
from the chest and to take out the enemies. Bring the babies over there and
hop on the spring, taking you to a cloud for an alternate route for them.
Have them wait on the cliff over there while the Bros. spin their way to
them. Head up, then use the spin to gross the large gap and hit the purple
! block to move the ledge on the right down some, unveiling a gate to be
tunneled under. Inside is a passage leading to a spring, taking you back to
the surface, where a fountain awaits. Have a drink, then drop back down and
position yourself on the narrow walkway so that BL can get a whack in, and
put the flames out. Kill the birdies on their carpets for the EXP, nab the
1-Up, and press onwards. You're almost done... In the following area, you'll
want to send the babies up into the clouds and through to the other side, as
they can't do anything about the gap. The adult Bros. must time a spin so
that they make it to the whirlwind as it comes near, and can then make the
entire distance with the extra air time. Along the way, the babies can pick
up some Super Mushrooms, more Smash Eggs, and three Cannonballers. Have you
been digging up all of the beans up to this point? I've got 16 of them thus
far, and soon you'll be happening upon a plethora of them. Make a habit of
it... Once you cross the gap, step on the switch to open the doors, and
before you take a step any farther, SAVE. Much to our disappointment, Baby
Bowser narrowly avoids choking to death, and we get on Kamek's nerves for the
last time. The babies scarf down a mountain of Yoshi Cookies in mere seconds;
little fat plumbers already in the making. Now we've incurred Kamek's wrath,
so he sics that Evil Cow of his on us. STINKY BABIES!
BOSS: KAMEK
HP: 450
EXP: 130
Coins: 50
Kamek's primary means of attack will be producing spiked balls with his wand
and then raining them down on your party. As soon as his turn begins, he'll
hop onto his broom, then start firing bursts of the transform-o magic his
generation of baddies are known for. He'll fly directly in front of the Bros.
he plans to hit, so there'll be no confusion as to where the balls will land
once they come from the top screen. Hit them away with your hammer before
they connect, and they'll sail into Kamek for some damage. He'll also produce
mushrooms with his wand, too; if you spot one of these, don't swing your
hammer at it; otherwise it'll heal him. Let them fall onto you and they'll
replenish your own health! Following every one of his attacks, if he hasn't
any in his possession already, he'll create four clones of himself; now, you
can try and jump on two of them and see if they're the real deal; the fakes
will simply vanish, but you can also use an all-hitting attack like the Bro
Flower and rid of all of them at once. I prefer to keep them around, for
all five Kameks will attack, meaning the real Magikoopa will suffer a lot
of damage from repeated counterattacks, or you'll receive a lot of health
recovery. Obviously, the counterattacks will give away the real Kamek, so
wail away on him afterwards. If you knock him from his broom, he'll summon
up a fireball to travel along the ground at you, starting up by Mario. Jump
it with both brothers, then be prepared to swing your hammer- sometimes, the
fireball will strike Kamek and set him on fire, rather than simply go
offscreen. If this happens, Kamek will charge at you very quickly. You have
no time to raise the hammer once he starts running, so be prepared the moment
the fireball connects. He has no other attacks in his arsenal, and will climb
back onto his broom once he's conjured up the fireball. Use your trusty
Cannonballers once again when you're sure you're hitting the real Kamek; four
of them, in addition to all the counterattack damage, should be enough to
finish him off.
Continue right past Kamek's fallen body, and soon you'll encounter BB
again, having gotten himself into a dead end. He'll eat your Cobalt Star
shards to spite you, but before you can force him to spit them back up, your
best pal Yoob will show up again, trying to climb up the side of the cliffs
to get at you. UFOs fly by and notice you, then give Yoob a hand by firing a
growth ray at him and greatly increase his size. It's only a matter of time
before he snatches you with that tongue of his, and since BB and your
precious shards have now been swallowed, you don't have much of a choice.
Once you land from your esophagus free-fall, Luigi will silence the babies
with his last remaining Yoshi Cookies while Mario sleeps off his
unconsciousness. He finally wakes up, and Stuffwell pops out to say
something I've already forgotten as I was typing the previous sentences, so
it won't be included here. Woo! Send the babies up the spring, and you'll be
set to explore pink, squishy interior of our Yoshi devourer.
[8.2] Intestinal Distress
OOOOO Inside Yoob's Belly OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Super Mushroom (3) OOO
Mushroom Drop OOO
Super Drop (2) OOO
Green Shell (4) OOO
Ice Flower (9) OOO
Smash Egg (3) OOO
Cannonballer (10) OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Puffy Trousers OOO
Coins: 234 OOO
Enemies: Bully OOO
Dry Bones OOO
RC Shroober OOO
Sunnycide (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Bully- HP: 46 EXP: 17 Coins: 6 Drop: Ice Flower, Green Pepper
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These will be fought mainly while the babies are exploring on their own.
Their attack is a simple charge towards the babies, continuing off of the
screen, and then charging again them from behind, back to their original
position. The thing is, though, attacking them fills them with rage and
boosts both their speed and attack. Attack them twice, and they'll be
furious, hitting with great force and moving extremely fast. The best way
to handle them is focusing on one and getting rid of it before it has a
chance to move. If they do get into their pissed-off state, though, be
ready to jump over them, and immediately jump again after you land, to
avoid the second pass. Otherwise, wait a good second or so before jumping
again, since they move rather slowly.
Dry Bones- HP: 53 EXP: 32 Coins: 7 Drop: Super Mushroom, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
Their attacks work just like the hammers thrown by the Hammer Bros. you
fought earlier- jump as the bones are hitting the ground in front of you,
and they should simply bounce underneath you. If it makes a hop before
throwing the bone, stand still, and the bone should sail over your head.
They'll throw anywhere from 2-3 bones; spinning their head around before
attacking means they'll go after Luigi. Chomping their jaws means they'll
go after Mario. They won't throw at the same person twice in a row.
RC Shroober- HP: 58 EXP: 26 Coins: 8 Drop: Cannonballer, Ultra Mushroom
Weak: Ice Resist: None
Shroobs that attack you not with lasers, but with remote-controlled toys
of sorts. Their attack depends on the number of antennae that sprout from
its head; two, and it'll send a UFO over your head, trying to beam you up
into it. Charge up the hammer and whack it as you get close. Their second
attack, indicated by a single antenna, is a bit trickier; a small robot
will appear and rove quickly in circles around the Bros., making anywhere
from 1-3 passes. When it begins to glow, it'll explode once it's finished
making its pass. If the Shroober hops before summoning the robot, though,
the bot will pause in place before zipping at you, so don't jump right
away. If they face the screen upon sprouting their antennae, the attack
will go for Mario, or Mario first in the case of the robot.
First, take the time to tunnel and dig up the beans in this large room-
there's an absolute plethora of them. Fifteen, to be exact. Right as you
emerge from the hole, you'll find a Yoshi, trying to push a huge Chomp Rock,
all by itself. Apparently, pushing a rock down into the hole will clear a way
through Yoob's stomach, currently blocked. You won't be helping him, though-
instead, you're going to get a bunch of Yoshis to provide some assistance.
That means rescuing the lot of them from various plights inside this place.
Bring the adults up with the nearby pipe, then go to the various arteries
and toss the babies into them. Inside them are 100-coiners, a 1-Up Super, a
meaty little psycho named Bully, and most importantly, a piece of fruit. The
fruit is not for you to eat, but to give to the yellow Yoshi sprawled out at
the top of the room. Feed it to him, and he'll join the other Yoshi behind
the rock, providing a little more muscle. If you're injured in any battles
here, there's an HP-replenishing block conveniently in this room. Save your
Mushrooms. You'll notice there are five rooms branching off of this one;
start with the one on the left, past the save point. Inside is a red Yoshi,
cowering in fear while a Shroob torments it with a little robot. Have Mario
jump on it, and the Shroob will attack you; defeat it, and the Yoshi can
join the others in pushing the Chomp Rock. We'll hit these rooms clockwise,
so next up is a room containing a blue Yoshi trapped in an enclosure, with
something resembling a strand of DNA above it. To the right is a block with
two Super Mushrooms and a pair of switches, which will activate once the
babies match the colors of the two pegs nearby- blue, then yellow. Doing so
opens up a hidden room for the babies to tunnel into, with two levels lined
with switches. Positioning the adults in front of the chain of pegs so you
can see, hammer the switches until every color is exactly as it appears on
the strand. For those extremely stupid people, the two levels should look
like this:
Top: Blue, blue, yellow, yellow, red, blue, red, yellow.
Bottom: Yellow, red, blue, red, yellow, yellow, blue, blue.
Once you've completed the puzzle, head inside and talk to the Yoshi, and
it'll join the others. Next room to the right- this one has no Yoshis, but a
bunch of cows to be slain, and several treasure blocks to open. Of interest
here are some new Ice Flowers, and a pair of Puffy Trousers for the adults,
offering both an HP and attack increase. The next room on the right contains
a large bed of spikes, with a lone pink Yoshi trapped on a block of tissue in
the center of it. Tossing the babies onto the nearby springs will send you to
a room filled with holes dropping down into the spiked area. Grab some more
Ice Flowers up here, then drop down the third hole from the left. Hit the
switch with your hammer, and a bridge of tissue will form; the Yoshi will
leave automatically. If you want a bean, drop down the last hole on the
right, but the adults will have to summon you back with the pipe. Once you're
finished in there, you can enter the last room, on the far right, containing
another RC Shroober terrorizing a light blue Yoshi, this time with a flying
saucer. Tunnel the babies through into the hidden room, and have BM take a
few gulps of water. The idea here is to fire droplets of water into the
bottom screen through the opening in the tissue, timing them so that they hit
the UFO buzzing about. Each shot amusingly startles the Shroob, and it'll
take two hits to bring the saucer down. It'll crash into the wall, blowing
open an entrance for you to get at both the Yoshi and the Shroob itself. Be
sure to bring the babies back out before you head in there, as taking one
step inside will alert the Shroober, and it'll attack you. Defeating it will
calm the Yoshi down, and it'll provide the muscle needed to finally push the
Chomp Rock down the hole, where the intestines or whichever region this is
gets painfully stretched open. See Yoob's reaction? Heheheh. The new passage
contains some Cannonballers, a 1-Up and some Smash Eggs, as well as some Dry
Bones and RC Shroobers. At the end is a pipe, leading into the next area.
In this large room, you'll witness a Yoshi being pulled into some sort
of machine full of suds, then churned out onto a conveyor belt into an egg.
Apparently this is a factory for turning Yoshis into eggs, but for what? To
eventually hatch into Yoobs? For some other creature's nourishment? Either
way, there are a lot of RC Shroobers here to be destroyed, as well as some
more Bros. Items and a Mushroom Drop. Unlike the stomach, these rooms don't
branch out all over the place; the exit is in the lower left, bringing you to
a room full of shattered eggshells, and four Yoshis already working on
another Chomp Rock. Send the babies onto the spring, then take a few gulps of
water from the fountain. Now, using the adults, smack the eggs inside the
blocks from underneath to send them up to the babies, and be ready to blast
them with water so that they break open on the gray dangly-thing. Position
the babies up against the wall to have the best shot at them. I've found
that waiting until the eggs are about to drop back down the best time to
fire. Cracking both release two Yoshis, and they'll both immediately run over
to help push the egg away from the opening. The blocks to the right contain
50 coins and some more Super Mushrooms.
The next room has no puzzles; only enemies and treasures, the only new
one being two Super Drops, down in an artery. Can't complain with the Bros.
Items, though. The downward path leads only to a safe haven for the Yoshis,
two beans, and another 4-Bros. coin block, like the one in Vim Factory.
Stand on the blue switch to access the next room, where we find Toadbert, one
of the Toads that was with Princess Peach the elder, and was attacked by the
Shroobs when the time machine had landed. Toadbert seems to have suffered a
bad case of memory loss due to the attack, as he doesn't know his name, and
has no recollection of the events that took place. He does, however, have a
very faint recollection of something, which he drew a picture of. The
drawing itself is horrible, resembling Peach holding a star above her head,
and an ugly villainous type in a single piece of clothing and what looks like
a cross between a crown and a hat. It's also badly smudged in dirt, or..
something. All Toadbert knows is that he woke up on Yoshi's Island, and was
soon eaten by Yoob. He's now trying to rescue the Yoshis trapped inside the
eggs, thinking they'll be reborn as monsters if something isn't done quickly
enough. Problem is, there's a monster in the back, guarding the exit. Exit he
says.. great. So, now Mario boldly volunteers to take this thing out, so the
gang and the Yoshis can squeeze out the poopchute. Show your moves off to
Toadbert, and be on your way. Take the opportunity to save, then enter the
next room, where you'll confront an egg-like creature speaking in Shroob.
Luigi's attempts to take the pussy way out fail, twice, thanks to an egg-
beaning. And whaddya know... the egg contains none other than BB, demanding
your help. If you don't, there won't be any adult Bowser to harass you in the
future- oh, wait. This game is one huge time-paradox in itself. So, who cares
about him? Either way, this guy will attack you regardless, so prepare to
deliver a beating.. or should I say scrambling? =P
BOSS: SUNNYCIDE
HP: 500
Weak: Fire
EXP: 260
Coins: 150
Win: Super Drop
Your first goal is to break open a total of five eggs, which will each
release Yoshis, who will climb up to the top screen and try to push a
Chomp Rock onto Sunnycide. You can't do anything to him now, so just
concentrate on attacking the eggs. While you're doing this, Sunnycide will
either grab eggs and lob them at either brother, which can be avoided by
jumping as soon as his tentacle lashes at one, or by inhaling one of the
Bros. into his mouth. Have your hammer ready, and release when you're close,
but not close enough to strike his bandaged uvula (or whatever the hell that
thing is). Why? The pull of his inhalation will make up the distance needed
to be within striking range; get too close, and you'll be sucked in and lose
some HP in order to replenish his. Don't worry if he uses up all his eggs;
he'll constantly refresh his supply as they run out. Once the Yoshis nail him
with the rock, he'll be knocked onto his side and susceptible to big damage.
Here's where you need to be careful, though- a chain will drop down to him,
and as soon as he yanks it, a hole will open up and that bro will fall down
it. This causes dizziness, so avoid it by jumping as soon as he pulls on the
chain; you have about a split second to react after he does so. The area
around the targeted bro will throb before opening up; you can tell who will
be swallowed up by the tentacle he uses to pull the chain. Otherwise, he'll
attack by turning the room dark and sending Boos after you; have your hammer
ready and wail them once they're in front of you. Sunnycide has a weakness to
fire, but you'll still obtain bigger damage by wailing on him with your
Cannonballers. After two turns of wailing on him, he'll jump back to his feet
and you'll have to repeat the egg-cracking process. I took him out in 5
Cannonballers and one Fire Flower, though the last CB might've overdone it.
After the battle, a bunch of eggs and Baby Bowser will drop through the
colon, and a horde of Yoshis will jog in and do the same. There's nothing
left for you to do, so out his anus you go, too. They even show the great
escape on the top screen, in case you weren't aware of your choice of exit,
too. Nice of them, wasn't it? Stuffwell appears, and we look up to see Yoob
doze off, still clinging to the side of the cliffs. Awwwwwwww.
Back in the village, we find Baby Bowser spreading a false rumor, in
which HE saved all of the Yoshis. They begin to hail him, as he scarfs down a
mountain of Yoshi Cookies.. and then our heroes show up, and BB quickly
gobbles down the remaining cookies before spitting up the Cobalt Shards.. and
being punted into the stratosphere by them. Gotta love Yoshis, but they're..
idiots. Toadbert sets them straight for you. "Yay!" Without much of a choice
or even a goodbye, you're hurtled back through time and into the castle. Have
a quick chat with E. Gadd and explain things to him, and you'll learn of a
new time hole, one which leads to the Shroob Castle, which we can't enter due
to the place being heavily guarded. Now why did they waste our time to bring
it up, then? Eh, whatever. You'll notice the Toadsworth icons on the map,
meaning we have a new skill to learn, but first head to the shop, as it's
closer. Buy two pairs of Shell Slacks and Egg Pants, and you're good to go.
You should have a lot of excess crap in your inventory, now, so it'd be a
good time to sell it. Particularly all those pairs of pants, and the Smash
Eggs. Also, I'd recommend buying two Big-POW badges and equipping them on the
adults. Until the shop stocks something better, you can receive a very nice
attack boost lasting several turns just by scoring an easy "Great!" during
any use of a Bros. Item. They'll help you make even shorter work of the
bosses, so go ahead.
Once you're finished your transactions, head to the gardens and learn to
do the Bros. Ball. Not only will this allow you to reach the next time hole,
but you can now spin the cog indicated by the ? on the left of the map. Doing
so will lead to the sewers underground, housing a large number of 100-coiners
(gotten via tunneling of course) and Goombas, as well as some pretty powerful
healing items you won't have a need for just yet. You'll also find a
mysterious figure down here for the first time, and those of you that know
who he is will want to track him down... You won't NEED to pay a visit to
this guy until much later in the game, though. Head to the sewers if you want
to get this out of the way first.
To proceed with the story, now, take the staircase on the left side of
the map, up into the second floor. See that big, cris-crossing staircase in
the middle? Head there. Ditch the babies, then hit the purple ! block, and be
ready to curl into a ball and roll up the stairs. You have more than enough
time to make this trip; it isn't the slightest bit difficult. Hitting the
block at the end will drop the gate, making way to the next time hole. Hop
in, and it looks like our next target is.. ..Gritzy Desert.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[9] Too Much SAND OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOO Gritzy Desert OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Super Mushroom (4) OOO
Ultra Mushroom (2) OOO
Max Mushroom (2) OOO
Super Drop (4) OOO
Ultra Drop (3) OOO
Refreshing Herb OOO
1-Up Mushroom (2) OOO
1-Up Super (2) OOO
Red Peppers (2) OOO
Green Shell (6) OOO
Ice Flower (15) OOO
Pocket Chomp (17) OOO
Secret Jeans OOO
Big-POW Badge OOO
Cash-Back Badge OOO
Risk Badge OOO
Coins: 527 OOO
Enemies: Shrooba Diver OOO
Pokey OOO
Bob-omb OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Shrooba Diver- HP: 70 EXP: 32 Coins: 8 Drop: Super Mushroom, Blue Pepper
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These guys have a bunch of different attacks, all of which are easy to
avoid, once you recognize them and get a feel for the timing. First are
its attacks which you can actually counter- swimming towards the brothers
quickly, looping around so that it makes a pass under each one; simply
jump once it gets close. The other is diving out of the sand and into the
air, coming back down on either bro; have your hammer charged and ready
as it's shooting up, then swing as it comes down. The other two involve
pulling objects out of the sand and throwing them at you quickly. If it
brings up a spiked ball, leap when it throws it, and it'll bounce
underneath you. If it pulls out a Cheep-Cheep, stand still, as it always
bounces overhead. With its swimming attacks, they're always preceded by
diving under and are executed quickly; look at what the intended means
of dodging are (either the jump or hammer command) to figure out what's
coming.
Pokey- HP: 55 EXP: 36 Coins: 10 Drop: Green Shell, 1-Up Super
Weak: None Resist: None
Unlike other Pokeys, these can be leapt onto and damaged. Their attacks
are pretty annoying at first, at least when you haven't learned the
timing or what they're capable of. If Pokey spins its lower segments
around, you'll be targeted with a rapid-fire needle attack for
however many parts that remain; three needles per segment. They're
fired in quick succession, and avoided by jumping as soon as the first
needle is fired, then again as soon as you land until all shots have
missed. An easier attack to deal with is when it bounces all of its
parts towards you; they're fired one at a time and overhead, for you to
whack away with your hammer. Provided you don't fudge the hammer timing,
these are easy to deal with. Their last attack is impossible to avoid if
their bodies are complete- a simple charging towards you. You can knock
parts of their body away with the Green Shell, or the babies' hammers
when they're alone.
Bob-omb- HP: 35 EXP: 30 Coins: 5 Drop: Pocket Chomp
Weak: None Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These little guys have only two attacks: tackling and exploding. When
they run towards you, take a tiny hop, stop, then run again; jump a
second after they hop, and they'll run underneath you and be stomped on.
If they turn their bodies a little after stopping, though, they'll run
towards the other character; I rarely see this, but be ready for it.
Now, if they light their fuse before charging, they'll move more quickly
and simply explode when they get underneath you. This time, though, you
want to jump as they're moving into you, because unless you're at the
peak of your jump when they detonate, you'll be hurt. They have another
method of exploding on you- moving up and down in front of the Bros.,
then running in and blowing up. You counter this by having your hammers
ready, and whacking it once it's passing in front of you. Don't hesitate,
because it won't move that way for long.
As you first enter the desert, you'll find a stone pillar with an Ultra
Shroom, accessible via baby toss, and a blue switch in front of some sort of
stadium.. a koopa complex of sorts, judging by the headmount and the
shell-pillars. Anyways, standing on the switch will swing the doors open, and
alert a swarm of Shroobs, who will come stampeding out in legions after you.
Our heroes run and hide, losing them for a second, but the babies dumbly
leave the hiding place, and as Luigi goes out to grab them, they're spotted
by a lone Shroob and he gives chase. Kylie pops out from a pillar of sand and
has a chat with Mario; apparently the Shroobs are having a gathering in that
stadium we opened, a celebration of the overtaking of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Not only that, but Princess Shroob is supposed to be at the head of this
celebration, as well as an appearance from another princess. One believed to
be of royalty.. and wears pink. Now who could that be? Mario explains the bit
about Peach's abduction, and Kylie thinks his story doesn't hold water, but
whatever. She'll leave us, mentioning something about the crystal shell in
the area we began, saying the four turtle heads are linked to it somehow.
Now, before you go wandering around looking to solve puzzles, let me
mention that they'll requiring not only splitting from the babies, but
wandering far from them as well. On that note, I like exploring the areas
first, to clear out all the enemies and grab whatever items and beans I can.
This is so the party stays relatively close together in experience, and the
babies won't get into any battles in which they're biting off more than they
can chew. Not that the enemies here pose a particularly serious threat, but
anyways.
Your immediate location, where you spoke with Kylie, contains a few
treasure blocks with Herbs, 1-Ups, and 50 coins, gotten via the adults'
spin. The next has a large number of enemies, most of them Pokey, and also a
plethora of items, primarily Drops and Bros. Items. You'll find some of the
blocks are positioned above pillars you have no way of reaching; these can be
nabbed later in the game, if you return with a certain Bros. skill. The
script itself won't call for you to return here, so it's up to you to
remember. Anyways, the next room downwards has a contraption for you to
familiarize yourself with- the cannon. Mario and Luigi must roll themselves
into a ball, and then roll into the yellow cannon on the side. The cannon is
fired by hitting a switch with the hammer; but where is that switch? You'll
find it by throwing the babies into the nearby pipe beforehand. That switch
will light up only once the adults are inside the cannon. Don't fire them
to the other side just yet, though. Head back the way you came, then up into
the next area, the upper-left corner. More goodies that must be spun to, and
an ever-increasing number of divers and Pokeys that we must tear apart. In
the pipe is a pair of Secret Jeans, equippable by the babies; it lowers
defense in exchange for more speed and stache. Equip them if you don't mind
the little cut. The next area on the right has another Bros. Ball challenge;
the adults must roll along through the walls of cactus and make it to the
purple ! block in time. Not a difficult feat at all, and you'll pass by some
bean spots for the babies to dig up, so have them walk the distance to the
adults once you've finished and pick them up.
The next area has a lot of Bob-ombs, hyperactive little things that will
appear in groups of four, or three with another Shrooba Diver. There's a Big-
POW Badge in the pipe in the lower left, as well as our first batch of
Pocket Chomps, in one of the treasure blocks scattered about. Eradicated
everything here? Good; just one more area to go. Head down and deal with the
Bob-ombs, grab the items you wish, and now you're ready to take out that
crystal by the entrance to the stadium! Abandon the babies in the lower-
right area of the desert, by the Dry Bones statue. With the adults, make the
long yet necessary trek back to the upper-left, where there's a Dry Bones
directly across from it. Use the Bros. Ball; it makes the trip much faster.
Once there, initiate the ! block sequence with Mario, and once Luigi
hits his block, the other block, all the way on the other side, will light
up; you have a generous 9 seconds to bring the babies up on your screen and
hit the blocks they're standing underneath. Once you've done this, the two
Dry Bones will concentrate a beam onto the crystal. With those out of the
way, you have one more to take care of, so head down with the adults and
up with the babies into their respective areas and do the same thing with
the other two Dry Bones statues. Now you've shattered the crystal, exposing
a purple ! block! With the adults, head back to the area with the stadium and
use the pipe there to summon the babies, and throw them up onto the pillar.
Once they hit the block, a corner of the stadium will drop down, which you
can use to climb up onto the roof. A few items worth nabbing here.. once
you're ready, climb to the top and enter the opening. Take the pipe down to a
save point and a switch; compressing the switch lets you into what appears to
be a spectator's floor, with windows arrayed here and there. Kylie seems to
have found her way in as well, and informs us that Pricess Shroob will be
arriving any minute. She suggests you all take a peek through one of the
windows...
[9.1] And our Special Guest is...
OOOOO Koopaseum OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Ultra Mushroom OOO
Refreshing Herb (2) OOO
Cannonballer (3) OOO
Adult Trousers OOO
Pep Badge OOO
Coins: 70 OOO
Enemies: Shrooboid Brat (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Before you is a crowd of hundreds, THOUSANDS of Shroobs, all of them
abuzz, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their leader, Princess Shroob. One
of the four Shroobs onstage steps forward and addresses the crowd; a cheer
breaks out amongst them. Then, as the lights dim and the stagelights turn on,
the Shroob's Mothership slowly descends over the stadium, and in a beam of
light, Princess Shroob is lowered to the stage amidst thunderous applause and
cheers. The lights turn back on, and Princess Shroob begins to speak; each
sentence is followed by a roar from the crowd. She screams and raises her
arms, getting a rise out of them; moments later, a lone voice screams out
over the audience.. ..in English. A lone UFO flies high above the crowd,
carrying Princess Peach underneath it! It hovers over a pipe before the
audience, and as the audience chants, a familiar beast emerges from the pipe,
hungrily snapping its jaws. One final chant, and the UFO releases Peach, her
body falling only a foot before being eaten alive by.. Petey Piranha. The
crowd is in an uproar, and Princess Shroob cackles evilly with them...
Mario and Luigi are shocked by what they just witnessed, and turn to see
Kylie to the left of them, bound up by Shroobs! Woo, she won't be getting in
our way for a while! Our heroes are now left alone to explore. To the far
right is a room with a 4-man coin block; to the left is a room with a purple
! block, which when activated drops the ledges down to a height we can reach.
While the opening is small, it's not meant for the babies- roll the adults
into a ball and go underneath, then stop as soon as you've cleared the
opening. Now, spin across the spikes and roll all the way down through the
obstacle course (it doesn't matter if you fall between the pegs, though you
really have to be doing something wrong in order to), and hit the pipe in the
next room to bring the babies down with you. There's 50 coins in that block
if you want 'em, and some Cannonballers and Refreshing Herbs in the next
room, as is our next puzzle- another maze in pitch darkness, aided by the
huge shine block. The pathways get really, really narrow here, so walk
carefully. Keep in mind there are two different locations where you must jump
across the spikes, from one path to the next. Also in this room are 20 coins,
an Ultra Shroom, a Pep Badge, and a pair of Adult Trousers. The Pep Badge is
definitely worth getting, making the wearer immune to status ailments, and
the trousers are the adult version of the Secret Jeans you got earlier.
Anyways, once on the other side, pound the switch with the hammer, and you'll
open the door into the next room. Head up and save, then step onto the
platform and you'll be taken up...
...up onto the stage, surrounded by thousands of Shroobs, not to mention
the Princess herself. The Shroobs onstage open fire, but the Bros. are quick
to act; Mario and BM take out the first pair, while Luigi and BL.. well,
Luigi is of course thrown about, as the developers seem to enjoy harming him
physically whenever the opportunity arises. Suddenly, one large freak of a
Shroob swings over the crowd on a rope. The audience of Shroobs go crazy, and
Princess Shroob barks something in her adorable gibberish at the freak. The
little ones have since dragged the man in green back to the center stage,
just in time to attacked by a lollipop. Of all things. "BABIES!"
BOSS: SHROOBOID BRAT
HP: 900
EXP: 180
Coins: 100
This guy has a lot of HP, but if you've gotten the Big-POW badges I told you
to, then this will only take a few turns. Open right away with an Ice Flower,
and use it until you get a defense-down on him, then wail away with either
Pocket Chomps or Cannonballers. You can rack up more damage with the Chomps,
provided you've got quick fingers and don't make any mistakes. Otherwise,
just wail away to the tune of 180-200 damage a pop with the cannon. If his
def-cut wears off, don't worry about using another Ice Flower, since you've
still got your strength boost, and he should be at less than half HP by now.
Now, his attacks- their targets will always be chosen by the audience of
Shroobs, holding up signs with either an M or an L. The initial, NOT the
color, will determine who is attacked, as midway through the Shroobs will
change their signs to try and confuse you. To avoid his lollipop, which
packs a nice wallop, jump as soon as he rears it back to throw. His other
attacks involve eating items tossed by the crowd and spitting them out at
you- deflect them with the hammer; their timing won't differ per item, so
this is easy. If he eats a regular Mushroom, he'll spit out a poisoned one,
but if he eats a poison shroom, he'll spit out a normal one. Let these hit
you to replenish some HP. These attacks will often inflict the ailments
paired with them, so don't screw up with the hammer. Without the loss in
defense, your perfect Cannonballers will only deal around 120-150, so the
Ice Flowers do make a difference. 3-4 turns of this, and the Shrooboid brat
is a goner.
The Shrooboid has been humiliated in front of thousands of its kind, but
the Bros. have merely leapt out of the frying pan and into the fire, as
they're still surrounded by their enemies. Rather than kill them on the spot,
though, the Princess merely calls a group of them to surround them, and on
her word, pull out friggin' HAMMERS; yes, aliens commonly come equipped with
hammers, which they use to smash a hole in the floor underneath the heroes,
sending them into the depths from whence Petey Piranha came. Watch the
somewhat amusing scene with Luigi and the babies, then press on...
[9.2] Little Cave of Horrors
OOOOO Gritzy Caves OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Ultra Mushroom OOO
Super Drop (2) OOO
Ultra Drop (2) OOO
Green Shell (6) OOO
Bro Flower (12) OOO
Cannonballer (3) OOO
Smash Egg (3) OOO
Pocket Chomp (3) OOO
Trampoline (13) OOO
Red Pepper (1) OOO
Green Pepper (2) OOO
Dire-Free Badge OOO
Big-DEF Badge OOO
Big-POW Badge OOO
Coins: 628 OOO
Enemies: Dark Boo OOO
Snifaro OOO
Bob-omb OOO
Elite Boom Guy OOO
Petey Piranha (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Dark Boo- HP: 63 EXP: 20 Coins: 6 Drop: Trampoline, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These guys fight exactly the same way as the original Boo enemies found
earlier in the game, only they're now much faster. In addition, when they
attack from behind, if you fail to avoid them, they'll steal one of your
items, whether it be healing, Bros. or so on. Jump as soon as they
appear. Not much else to say about them, though you'll get your item back
if you kill, er, exorcise them once they have it.
Snifaro- HP: 90 EXP: 50 Coins: 10 Drop: Trampoline, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
More interesting variants of Snifits are back! This time, the sarcophagus
dwelling Snifit attacks by sliding open its door and firing two shots,
one from its headpiece, and another from the Snifit inside. The order of
the shots depends on the way the sarcophagus door slides open; if the
door slides right, don't move, and the shot will fly past, then jump; if
the door slides left, jump over the shot and you'll avoid the second.
These guys also attack by leaping onto the sarcophagus itself and riding
it like a rocket, up into the top screen and then looping around to
charge at either brother. Jump onto them as they pass under, and they'll
take damage.
Bob-omb- HP: 35 EXP: 30 Coins: 5 Drop: Pocket Chomp
Weak: None Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These little guys have only two attacks: tackling and exploding. When
they run towards you, take a tiny hop, stop, then run again; jump a
second after they hop, and they'll run underneath you and be stomped on.
If they turn their bodies a little after stopping, though, they'll run
towards the other character; I rarely see this, but be ready for it.
Now, if they light their fuse before charging, they'll move more quickly
and simply explode when they get underneath you. This time, though, you
want to jump as they're moving into you, because unless you're at the
peak of your jump when they detonate, you'll be hurt. They have another
method of exploding on you- moving up and down in front of the Bros.,
then running in and blowing up. You counter this by having your hammers
ready, and whacking it once it's passing in front of you. Don't hesitate,
because it won't move that way for long.
Elite Boom Guy- HP: 80 EXP: 40 Coins: 8 Drop: Bro Flower, Blue Pepper
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: Ice
Again, these are exactly the same as their weaker version in BB's castle,
with the obvious increase in speed and attack. The signal for which kind
of shot they'll fire is also the same- both hands up for an immediate
shot; one hand pointing for a puff of smoke, then a bullet.
Immediately you'll see a fountain and a fire nearby; extinguishing it
and smashing the rock wall at the end of the small corridor will bring you to
a shop run by Monty Moles; the new Bros. Item, the Trampoline, is sold here;
I wouldn't buy any, though, because you'll be finding plenty inside the
treasure blocks, and the Dark Boo enemies will drop more. On the clothing and
badges side are some interesting pieces- The Muscle Slacks and Thrilling
Slacks feature a disgusting drop in defense in order to raise attack, and the
Svelte Slacks and Tissue Pants also drop defense horribly, in order to raise
HP, speed, and stache. As for badges, we have the POW-Peak Badge, which gives
a tremendous boost in attack, but each battle, a countdown starting at three
ticks down each of your turns, and once it hits 0, you faint. Now, the badges
alone will enable you to kill everything, even in groups of five, in the
three turns given to you, and along with the Muscle Slacks, the Bros. will be
freakishly strong. If you're confident in your dodging/counter ability, by
all means splurge on these, as you'll be wrecking everything in sight.
Otherwise, don't touch this crap with a ten-foot pole. Once you're done here,
proceed to the right.
On the far right of this room is a slope with a purple ! block atop it.
No crafty skills are needed to climb up to it or anything; once you hit it,
the ledge in the upper left will drop down and form steps, leading to a path
the adults must take by themselves, for it requires the Bros. Ball. As for
the babies, tunneling under the gate to the north will get you some peppers,
both red and green, which increase your attack and defense, respectively. I
don't particularly care for these, but there are people that swear by their
usefulness (well, the red ones at least), so it's up to you. There's nothing
else the tykes can do until the adults summon them, so just sit tight. Once
the Bros. roll their way into the next room, you'll hear a scream, and once
again bear witness to the consumption of Kylie.. this time by good 'ol Petey.
Guess the Bros. don't care about ya, Ky. Anyways, the pipe for the babies is
just to the right of Petey's little digging hole, so bring 'em up. No
puzzles or even enemies here, so grab what junk there is laying around, and
be on your way.
Two routes here, now- the one on the bottom leads to a
dead end containing a 4-man coin block; go after it if you like. Otherwise,
simply deal with the enemies here and exit via the left. In this next room,
you'll want to tunnel the babies under the gate, bringing you to a fountain
and a Monty Mole, who wants you to spit water at targets as they pass by,
matching whichever is scrolling by on the bottom. Take several gulps of water
and start the wheel spinning in the previous room using the Bros. Ball. It
starts off quite simply, with both targets moving very slowly; simply stand
by the right side and whack BM once a match is scrolling by. For the second,
the bottom runs the opposite way, and the speed picks up slightly; for the
third, the bottom will scroll by very quickly, and you'll have to figure out
which it was before firing at the target, which moves somewhat quickly
itself. Get three matches, and a bridge will form at the bottom of the
previous room. Crossing it will bring you to another course for the Bros.
Ball to trek over; hitting the purple ! block on the pedestal will sprout a
peg necessary for you to make it to the other side. You don't need it to get
to the other side, as you can just drop to the bottom of the room, but in
order to climb back up and continue, you'll need to use it. The baby tunnel
down here leads to a Dire-Free badge, giving the wearer unlimited Bros. Items
when at less than 1/4 HP. On the far left, you'll come to a room with a pipe,
bringing you back up to the Gritzy Desert; Luigi will automatically hit the
purple ! block there and lower the blocks down to a reachable height, making
for easy access to and from the caves. The northwestern exit leads back to
the save point where you started. Hopefully you hit the switch block before
jumping down here, because otherwise you'll have to walk back around through
each room up to this point. Once you're done here, roll across the chasm and
take the lower-right exit. This brings you to a pipe for the babies, as well
as a pipe into the next section of the caves. Onto the next room...
Here you'll find the path blocked by giant stone pillars, and the only
thing for you to do is to throw the babies up to the hidden passage. At the
end of this corridor is another Monty with a ! block; it's another Bros. Ball
course in which you are timed, and much like the desert course, it is very
easy. Just stop once you get to the slope across from the platform with the
second switch block, and jump; use a spin if you don't think you can make it.
Noticed those blocks on the walkway above you as you rolled by? The blocks
there contain 60 coins and a Big-DEF Badge. Don't bother backtracking for the
little ones; the walk is annoyingly long if one is just walking. As you enter
the next room, you'll immediately find a pipe that you can bring them back
with, anyway. For such an extremely large room, it doesn't have much; a few
enemies here and there, and two pipes for the babies to be hurled into,
netting you a couple 100-coiners. Exit's in the lower left.
Here we meet a powerful new enemy, the Elite Boom Guy! Eliminate these
bastards first, as they're the most powerful enemies in here. To proceed, the
babies must use their hammer to pound the switch, lowering one of the blocks
to a height the adults can reach. Taking the Bros. Ball route from the
entrance will nab you some goodies, among them another Big-POW Badge; the
stuff opposite those treasures can be gotten on the other side, with a spin.
The next room is once again huge and devoid of puzzles; only the pipe in the
upper-left contains a 100-coin piece. Kill the nasty Elites and pharaohs, and
continue on to the right, where you'll find another cog wheel to spin, and a
hidden passage before it; throw the babies up here, and you'll find a bunch
of platforms like the ones we used in Toadwood Forest. By spinning the cog as
the adults, the platforms will move back and forth, allowing the babies to
cross. Move the ball into the cog, but stop as soon as it begins to turn; if
you move into it full force, the cog will turn much faster, as will the
platforms, making them much too difficult to jump onto. Anyways, as you
cross, you'll find two blocks along the way; hit them and you'll receive a
measly amount of coins, but a set of numbers will appear. Once you make it
to the other side, you'll find a third block at the top of the little
mountain of rock, ticking the numbers down to 0 and lowering a pillar for the
adults to cross. Leave the babies in their current position and spin across
the bed of thorns, then summon the tykes with the pipe. Onwards!
The next room is another big 'un, with nothing but a few blocks containing
crap for items and some lethal Elites. The room connected via the lower-right
however, houses a lone Elite and two Super Drops, plus a single Ultra Drop.
Handy. All that's left to do now is to back out and take the lower-left exit
of the previous room, bringing you to a pipe. The following room has four
different Bros. Items, and a save point; compressing the blue switch will
release the bar on the huge, black door in front of you... ...opening up a
door that the bars weren't even barricading. Um, okay. The next room is quite
large, but all there is for you to do is to have a baby jump from a
piggyback and hit the block in the center.
All that was inside the block was a single coin, but the noise got the
attention of Petey, who springs up from his hidey-hole. More stupidly amusing
things to watch, namely the near-death experience of Baby Luigi, saved only
by a baby being thrown into the back of the beast's head. Next time I'm in
danger, I'll see if I can use any infants to my advantage. Anyways, seeing as
these guys can run for their lives without someone screwing it up for
everyone else, we're going to have to fight this guy.
BOSS: PETEY PIRANHA
HP: 1300
Weak: Fire
EXP: 360
Coins: 250
I utterly destroyed this guy with only four Trampolines, thus avoiding his
somewhat annoying second phase, but I had my Bros. equipped with the Muscle
Slacks and POW-Peak badges, so things went a little more quickly for me. His
attacks don't vary at all while he's flying, but your means of dodging them
do. Petey will leap up to the top screen and dive off of blocks onto the
ground below, sending a seed flying at each of your heroes. Depending on how
he dives, you'll either jump with one before the other, or at the same time;
a forward dive means Mario should jump first and Luigi soon afterwards; a
flip (spiraling repeatedly) means both should jump at the same time; and a
backwards dive (mouth facing the Bros.) means Luigi should jump first,
followed by Mario. As soon as Petey's body makes impact with the ground, the
seeds will fly, so that is the time to jump. Eventually, if you haven't
killed him yet, Petey will burrow underground, with only his head poking out;
He cannot be jumped on in this state. He now uses two different attacks; the
first consists of sending a pendulum dangling from a block whipping towards
you, which is countered with the hammer, sending it back to the other brother
(several times in a row); for the second, he'll burrow completely and attempt
to pull the Bros. down with him into a sinkhole. Jump CONSTANTLY, as fast as
you can, over and over, and you should avoid this one. That's all there is
to Petey. Not a large arsenal, but he likes to attack three times in a row,
so be ready for them. Lastly, he has a weakness to Fire, but you're better
off saving your Fire Flowers for the times he's burrowed. If he's susceptible
to jumps, take advantage of the opportunity and pelt him with Cannonballers
or the Trampolines.
Destroying this fugly disgrace to all Piranha Plants everywhere will
present us the contents of his stomach- Kylie, still in one piece, and
another Cobalt Star shard! Kylie takes a good, long look at it, and
insists that someone was looking back at her, but quickly diminishes the
thought to her own likely stupidity. However, she managed to get her hands on
a very large key, which she claims to have stolen from the Shroobs. Wonder
what it unlocks? She suspects it's something inside their mothership, but
who knows. Say... what happened to Peach? Wasn't she eaten by Petey as well?
Apparently she was spit out during the consumption of Kylie.. huh. She must
be held captive elsewhere, then.
To get out of this room, shatter the wall where Petey had already
damaged it with his block. In the next area, tunnel under the gate, and as
you're about to pound the switch, a familiar voice calls out. Could it be?
Yes! We've finally gotten to Peach! Seconds later, though, we hear a
scream... dig back out and run inside the cell, where we find the Princess...
...with a hideous shroom on her face. So much for our kiss of reward.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[10] Just like Old Times... OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
With the shroomified Peach returned to the castle, it seems the only
thing anyone is concerned with is the restoration of Peach, not the still-
looming problem of the Shroobs, tearing up the past as they please. Mario
and Luigi are left to go about without any more tasks, so head back down
to the first floor and visit the garden, where the Toadsworths had brought
the crying Peach. It is here you'll learn, without a real need for it at the
moment, the Baby Spin, allowing you to launch the babies into the air and
gliding gently down by spinning into them. You'll need this to send them onto
ledges you can't reach by throwing them. You'll also learn to flatten the
babies by rolling over them with the Bros. Ball, allowing them to enter tiny
crevices. As the lesson finishes, Baby Peach is blown into a hidden passage
nearby, so now is your chance to put your new skills to use. Spin into the
babies to get them into the enclosure, then activate the switch. Spin into
them again to bring them up to the entrance, and they'll find Peach way in
the back, atop a ledge accessible only by jumping repeatedly. Now how in the
hell did she get up there?! =P
The Toadsworths take Peach away for a nap, and once you head back inside
the castle, there'll be a loud rumbling; a Toad runs by screaming about
someone coming back. A "he" in fact.. now who might that be? Go to Peach's
bedroom, and you'll find that the villain in question is indeed, Bowser.
After making off with the Princess, he's confronted by Toadsworth, whom he
avoids with a mighty leap- however, his weight shatters the bridge once he
lands, and Bowser falls directly into a time hole below, followed afterwards
by the Princess. There's only one thing to do- after them! The time hole is
in the upper left of the first floor, and accessed by sending the babies
across the large gap using the spin.. taking it will bring you to the
base of a mountain, known as Thwomp Volcano.
[10.1] R0x0rz your B0x0rz
OOOOO Thwomp Volcano OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Super Mushroom (7) OOO
Ultra Mushroom OOO
Ultra Drop (4) OOO
1-Up Mushroom (2) OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Red Pepper (2) OOO
Green Shell (5) OOO
Bro Flower (2) OOO
Ice Flower (14) OOO
Cannonballer (3) OOO
Trampoline (2) OOO
Block Trousers OOO
Counter Badge OOO
Coins: 257 OOO
Enemies: Tanoomba OOO
Thwack OOO
Red Coconutter OOO
Mrs. Thwomp (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Thwack- HP: 54 EXP: 20 Coins: 2 Drop: Super Mushroom, Block Trousers
Weak: None Resist: None
I LOVE these guys for gaining EXP! All throughout the battle with these
things, if they have any allies that have been killed, or any vacant
positions, they'll pound the ground and summon more of them. Any summoned
Thwack is still given a turn to move, so they are likely to summon even
more, if possible. Otherwise, Thwacks have very quick, straightforward
attacks; either lifting up and hurtling at either brother quickly, or
lifting higher and flying overhead to come down from above. Jump as soon
as the Thwack begins to move towards you, and swing your hammer as soon
as they're overhead, and they'll be stopped. Their color indicates who
they'll be attacking; bear in mind that Thwacks will only stay in battle
for so long before turning gold and exploding into boulders, which will
roll towards the heroes. Jump the moment they burst apart to clear the
rocks.
Tanoomba- HP: 90 EXP: 82 Coins: 9 Drop: Pocket Chomp, Green Pepper
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
The morphing Goombas are back from SSS, this time with three new attacks
up their sleeves. Their first and most common involves morphing into a
spiny shell and circling around the Bros.; jump with both as the attack
begins, then with each person as the shell comes near. It may make
anywhere from 1-3 passes before retreating. Its second and third attacks
involve jumping into the top screen and morphing into one of two objects-
a Thwomp, which falls very quickly, and a balloon, which floats down much
more slowly. Have your hammer ready immediately to deal with the Thwomp,
as it's a lot harder to dodge, and you can tell whom is about to be
squashed or bopped by the manner in which the Tanoomba jumps; straight
upright for Mario, and flipping around for Luigi.
Red Coconutter- HP: 85 EXP: 70 Coins: 7 Drop: Red Pepper, Ultra Mushroom
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These freaks battle exactly the same as their weaker versions, with only
one minor tweak to one of their attacks- they now fire their blow guns
multiple times from behind the Bros. Jump each time the tube moves
towards you, and the darts should miss. Kill these idiots first, as they
like to heal everyone with rain.
Head up from the save point and, ignoring the Toads (X-TREEEEEEEEEEEME!)
spin into the babies to send them up to the purple ! block, which will open
up a path once hit. If you want an Ultra Mushroom, roll over the babies with
your Bros. Ball and send them up the tiny passage. You'll be doing a lot of
this stuff while you ascend the mountain. Next, cross the bridge and greet
your best friend for leveling up right now, the Thwacks. These guys love to
constantly bring more Thwacks into the fray, giving you gross amounts of EXP
once you're finished. If you happen to win a pair of Block Trousers from
these, put 'em on, as they offer a nice boost in defense. If you're wearing
Muscle Slacks, though (as I am), don't bother, as you'll lose your
Plumber-on-Steroids powers. Anyways, it's a long climb up, and you'll pass a
few goodies accessible via the Baby Spin, and eventually come to a platform
above a bed of spikes; instead of taking the Bros. Ball only route, use the
Baby Spin again and send the tots across the platform to nab the items, then
simply use the pipe on the other side to bring the adults over. Don't drop
down the ledge you see on the other side, for it doesn't lead to any bean or
alcove of any sort; it's just a long way down to the beginning of the
climb. Proceed upwards.
More fun with Thwacks. This room is devoid of puzzles, so just demolish
the emotional rocks and continue north. This next room presents a new puzzle
you'll see a lot more of, so learn to love it- it involves rolling over the
babies to squash them, then sending them inside the tiny opening- the slot,
not the one on the far right, where you'll find a fan; the wind produced by
the propeller will send the babies while they're still thin up to the higher
ledge, where they can find a spring which will send them to the top of the
cliff. All the way over to the left is another switch block with a button
atop it, meaning you must pound it down to the adults. Don't jump down,
though; just send the adults to the right, then cross the bridge all the
way over to the left, where they can hit the block, opening up a path for the
babies to continue through. The adults have no way of joining us at the
moment, so leave them behind and head up, where you'll find two pipes; one
for the adults to join you, and another to continue further up the mountain.
Save if you please, then cross the bridge and have your first encounter
with the mildly irritating baddie, Tanoomba. Their Thwomp attack takes some
getting used to before you can counter it with ease, so be prepared for a
few lumps here and there. To cross the bed of spikes, send the babies over
first with the Baby Spin (the bean atop the Thwomp is gotten the same way),
then send the Bros. over with their regular spin. Proceed left. There's
another fan inside the hidden passage you'll come to in this room, or rather,
a few fans. The babies can climb them in pancake form and reach the purple
! block at the top, which will move the yellow blocks back a few steps, so
the adults can climb up. At the top is a blue switch; compress it to open
the door, er, mouth, and move on. In this room, you can't do anything but
ascend; however, there's a Counter Badge on the far left for you to nab;
climb to the top, and positioning the babies in front of the yellow ramp,
spin into them and let them glide across the pit. A Red Coconutter will
probably attack you, so deal with it, then nab the badge. Good one for the
babies while they're apart from the adults. Either way, all there is to do is
to head north. Another fan in this next area, only now you must use the
adults' spin on the cog outside to get the propeller turning quickly enough
to send the babies up to the top. Noticed a bunch of blocks along the way?
The highest one on the right is a purple ! block, which will create a bridge
for the party to cross into the next area. Grab the other treasures here and
head upwards.
Don't be confused by the huge slots in the next area; the babies can
neither tunnel nor walk under them while squished. Simply climb up this tall
section of the mountain, using the Baby Spin and Bros. Ball to cross the
large gap at the top once you come to it. If you don't yet have a pair of
Block Trousers and would like some, hop off of the yellow ramp at the top
and hold Up so that you fall inwards and land in the small alcove. The block
there contains measly coins, but going right from there brings you to a small
secret area with an M block, holding the trousers. You'll have to climb all
the way back up if you do this, though. Once at the top, exit to the right
and you'll find a pipe. Onwards!
Use the save point in this next area if you wish, then leave via the
right. Yet another hidden-propeller obstacle course here, in which you must
spin the cog again, giving the babies the gust they need to climb higher, but
then you must wait for a cloud to move in underneath you; ride this cloud to
the right, then carefully hop over the other clouds and hit the purple !
block once the babies reach their normal height again. This will drop the
huge yellow block on the right, revealing a path to continue. Nothing but
enemies here; kill them all merely for existing, then head north, to the
volcanic crater. It is here you'll find Princess Peach's crown, just sitting
there on the grass; it must've been dropped when Bowser carried her down into
the volcano. Stuffwell pops out to ponder the same thing I just said, when
suddenly, a huge column of lava and rock bursts from the crater! A volcanic
eruption! ...wait. If Peach is down there, then.. she'd be long since dead,
following all laws of logic and physics, but Stuffwell decides we must put a
stop to the eruption, and this game has already long since violated any rules
that apply to a good storyline, so let's go. MIND THE EXPLOSIFICATION!
Continue down the other side of the mountain, destroying and collecting
as you see fit along the way, and soon you'll reach the attractive lab of
E. Gadd's younger self. Spin the cog to the left of the door with the Bros.,
and it will open. Head inside, and he'll ignore all of your attempts to get
his attention until Baby Mario pulls out his trusty hammer. He's studying the
volcano here, and he won't believe the thing is erupting until the flaming
rocks start busting through his roof and destroying his equipment. Soon an
enormous Thwomp engulfed in flames crashes through, and will explode unless
you do something about it! Make like a fireman and spin the faucet handle in
the upper-left, then gulp 'n blow the flames out; it'll take a full 9 squirts
to extinguish the flames entirely. Witness an inexplicable transfer of
thoughts from younger brain to elder brain, and an even more bizarre act as
the elder E. Gadd sends a torrent of water through a time hole and into the
volcano's era, where it ceases the eruption. And I don't think he was even
aware that the thing was erupting.. Um, okay. Anyways, we can now enter the
crater and look for the SHOULD BE dead Peach. Before you you do anything
else, though, go to the lower-right of E. Gadd's lab and enter the pipe, then
hit the purple ! block you find; this will create a bridge at the base of the
mountain, so you can climb to the top easily later on. I highly recommend
saving now, then heading back to the top of the mountain. The enemies are
still slain, so you'll have no opposition as you climb; at the top, witness a
conversation between two thwomps; a round, caring wife, and her hubby, who
hasn't yet discovered the beauty of proper English. He's angry because the
eruption has ceased, and she's angry with us because she thinks we did it
(what excellent reasoning, too). Now we go SQUISH!
BOSS: MRS. THWOMP
HP: 500
EXP: 400
Coins: 0
First things first, damage Mrs. Thwomp takes in her large form does NOT count
towards her max HP; only damage dealt while she is split up will deplete her
actual health. That said, it takes 150 HP worth of damage to shatter her into
four different Thwomps; three are of course fake, with one being real. How to
tell the difference? The real madam has perfect teeth (as in none sharp or
missing) and no chips or cracks. While she's large, she'll roll several
boulders at you very quickly; constantly have your hammer armed and ready to
whack them out of the way. Or, she'll hurl herself into the air and come down
with a shockwave; depending on how many times she spins while on the top
screen, you'll have to jump with one bro before the other, or both at the
same time. Three spins, and she'll land between the two of you; jump at the
same time. Six spins, and she'll land by Mario, so jump with him and then
quickly afterwards with Luigi. A whopping nine spins, and she'll land towards
Luigi, so he'll have to make the first jump. She'll soon bust into smaller
pieces, as 150 HP is eaten up pretty quickly at this point.
While she's broken up, she and her clones will raise an eyebrow and then hurl
themselves at either brother; have your hammer ready to whack them away. This
attack moves much slower, so you shouldn't have any trouble dealing with it.
Trampolines attack every enemy, so don't bother with them; instead, use your
good 'ol Cannonballers. Three or four of them to the correct Thwomp while
she's divided up should destroy her. If you don't demolish her quickly
enough, she'll reform into a large boulder again, and you'll have to repeat
the process. This is a pretty easy battle; I recommend opening with a single
Trampoline, as that should be enough to bust her apart. Provided that you
don't suck with Trampolines... ;)
Hubby's soon-to-be insulted wife will "help" us into the crater, where
we'll watch a short scene in which Bowser, pleased with his surroundings, is
all set to go about his evil ways until is snot-nosed younger self shows up.
A little bit of trashtalking between these two, as it seems the whole time-
travelling bit hasn't dawned on them at all... The heroes are explaining
things to the male Thwomp as this goes on, and then we're ready to delve deep
into the volcano. If you want to get out of here at any point, just talk to
the hubby, however scared he is of his fuming wife. JERK!
[10.2] Battle of the Ages!
OOOOO Thwomp Caverns OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (2) OOO
Super Mushroom (2) OOO
Ultra Mushroom (5) OOO
Max Mushroom OOO
Ultra Drop OOO
1-Up Mushroom OOO
1-Up Super (3) OOO
Red Pepper (4) OOO
Ice Flower (13) OOO
Pocket Chomp (6) OOO
Trampoline (3) OOO
Copy Flower (18) OOO
Golden Pants OOO
Lucky Badge OOO
POW-Peak Badge OOO
Dynamic Badge OOO
Coins: 218 OOO
Enemies: Gold Koopeleon OOO
Thwack Totem OOO
Blazing Shroob OOO
Bowser (Boss) OOO
Baby Bowser (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Gold Koopeleon- HP: 10 EXP: 84 Coins: 100
Drop: Ultra Mushroom, Golden Pants
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys would rather flee than fight, but a few will still take a shot
at you before doing so. These guys use the standard approach, fade, then
charge, but they also may take a lash or two with their tongues. Both of
these kinda hurt, so do your best to avoid them; the standard charge is
simple but much faster, and the tongue is dodged by jumping immediately
once you see their cheeks throb. Their HP is so low, but your attacks
will only be dealing 1-2 apiece to them. If you actually manage to kill
one, you'll be nicely rewarded.
Thwack Totem- HP: 152 EXP: 60 Coins: 10 Drop: Super Drop, 1-Up Super
Weak: None Resist: None
Battles with these will always start at four Thwacks; they'll immediately
combine into a single unit, though. They'll attack by either spinning
each segment and firing at you, which is deflected by the hammer, or
rocketing into the air, then dropping each block onto the ground, forming
a shockwave that targets a brother depending on the color of the block
that landed. Jump as they land, and you should avoid it. These guys are
found at the bottom of holes, for the babies to face alone.
Blazing Shroob- HP: 100 EXP: 90 Coins: 10 Drop: Copy Flower, Red Pepper
Weak: Ice Resist: None
Oooh, these guys are NASTY. Once you enter a battle with one of these, if
you don't end it right then and there, a UFO will fly in and begin
attacking in addition to the Shroobs; you'll also bring forth a
counterattack every time you attack one of them, in which the UFO
shoots 3-5 shots down onto you; you can jump them, but the saucer fires
them off quite rapidly, so you'll need to have jumped immediately, and
continue jumping again as soon as you land. You have no room for error.
To get rid of the UFO, jump on the Shroob; you'll take damage, but
you'll also fly onto the top screen and send the annoying saucer packing.
Anyways, their standard attacks involve lobbing fireballs at either
brother at a pretty fast rate, and charging into you at high speeds. The
former is avoided by jumping immediately as the Shroob tosses the
fireball; the latter is dodged by nailing him with the hammer as soon as
he approaches. It's much like the attack Kamek used during your battle
with him; he moves very quickly, so release the hammer a little early.
Lastly, your best way to kill these menaces is to use Ice Flowers, their
weakness. If there's only one of them, a Green Shell will suffice. Every
attack, including the UFO's shots, can inflict burns, so be careful.
Better yet, kill these bastards right off the bat with extreme prejudice.
***Minor Note: The coins listed in the little window up there are only
indicating the amount found throughout the treasure blocks and holes, and
excludes the plethora of coins you can earn while the babies are spinning
down the various chasms.***
Proceed to the right, as the left exit leads only to warp pipes we
can't even access yet. You'll come to a whirlwind over a bed of spikes; you
want to use the Baby Spin and send the tots flying into it; this will allow
them to coast down the chasm full of coins. Pick up as many as you can,
especially the 10 and 20-coin pieces. Once you've hit the bottom (the chest
on the left contains Red Peppers, by the way), exit and follow the wall of
this large room upwards, and you'll find the pipe you need to bring the
adults to you. This room has a bunch of Gold Koopeleons; chase one down and
try to kill at least one of them for a bountiful prize of EXP and coins. This
room also contains a block with your first batch of the almighty Copy Flower.
Grab these, but don't waste them on insignificant battles with normal
enemies. You'll notice the holes are back again for this level, but none of
those contain any 100-coiners.
In the next room on the right, you'll have nothing to do but to send the
babies into the tiny space right by the entrance. This will lead you to a
Thwomp that wants you to play a gem-grabbing game with the Bros. Ball; read
his instructions and follow them carefully; I'm not going to outline it here.
All I will say is that this is a very easy and very effective way of
increasing your bean count, and that lining up three stars on the slots will
become second nature once you spend a moment learning the patterns on the
wheels. Humor the Thwomp and do as he says, and he will let you pass. If you
want to stay and play a while, to at least gather up to 90 beans, now is a
great time to do so, since you won't have the opportunity again for quite a
while once you've beaten this level. The 100-coin fee is nothing, as you
should have a few thousand right now. Anyways, finish up here and continue on
past the bridge he'll create for you upon completion.
Straightforward room immediately afterwards; no puzzles, enemies, nada.
The next room, however, introduces you to a new bastard, the Blazing Shroob.
These guys have a pretty vicious counterattack to your hammer, so use the
Ice Flower instead; they're weak to it, anyway. Other than that, there are
just a few Gold Koopeleons and some pretty kickass items. Proceed once the
usual dose of beatings have been administered. This next room has a Thwomp
which serves as an elevator, much like the one we used to enter, but before
you head down, exit to the left and hop into the pipe there. You'll come to
a purple ! block, which will form a bridge for easy access to and from this
floor from now on. Once you've done that, go back and stand on the Thwomp
with the entire party assembled. You'll descend into the next section of the
volcano, but your fall will be halted by a large, green switch block. To
continue, you'll have to deactivate it. If you want to grab some items and
EXP first, though, head to the large room on the right, first. Some more
Blazing Shroobs here, as well as a Badge you'd do well to equip on one of
the babies from now on- the Lucky Badge, on the far right ledge, accessed via
the Baby Spin. I need not explain what this badge does, but I would like to
mention that the coolest thing about luck is that Bros. Items like the Copy
Flower and Trampoline offer an opportunity to land a Lucky! hit every time
someone lands, and this badge increases the likelihood of the babies doing
just that. They're generally dealing pitiful damage during those attacks, so
this will hopefully put some more oomf into them. The switch block up there
with this badge will lower the spikes above you, allowing you passage into
the adjoining room. In there, you'll find a 4-man coin block; knock yourself
out, then backtrack to the Thwompovator room...
Once there, head left. Don't bother with the left exit, now- you can't
do anything there. Instead, throw the babies into the nearby hole and situate
the adults on the platform over the lava- yep, another one of these. Take the
time to nab all of the treasures along the way, as some of them are pretty
good. Taking the exit in the left-center of this lava pit will bring you to a
room with more enemies and a POW-Peak Badge, as well as two Ultra Mushrooms.
Nab 'em because you can, then leave through the upper-right. You'll have to
cross the lava again, so do so, then summon the babies through the pipe on
the right. The left is, again, inaccessible, so just exit through the right.
Another coin-gliding chasm, here. The block on the left, the Luigi-only
block, contains a pair of Golden Pants for the babies. The Koopeleons will
also drop them on rare occasions. Nab these if you like; the other two blocks
across from it contain a 1-Up Mushroom and 20 coins, respectively. Once
you've reached the bottom, you can head left for some coins and a purple !
block (that's what the green pipe leads to) for another bridge to make
return trips easier; otherwise, proceed to the right and slay the many
enemies here, grab some more Bros. Items, then exit left. You'll happen upon
the green switch block; hit it, and the Thwomp will come down from above. Now
you can descend even further, at least until you're stopped by another block,
this being a red one. Right is the right way to go, but the left path leads
to not one but THREE switch blocks; taking the pipes will bring you to each
one. These are all just for backtracking, but on the way you'll pass a few
beans and some good Bros. Items, so take the time to nab 'em. Once you've set
the switches off, backtrack and leave the Thwomp room from the right.
Here, you'll be forced to play a gem-nabbing game, this time using the
babies to glide the entire way down. The thwomp expects you to collect more
than 30 of them, which is quite easy; simply glide back and forth in a
zigzag, much like their layout. The grab detection is pretty lenient, so
don't worry about sailing right through it. Just don't hit one of the babies'
buttons by accident, or you'll jump out of your spin and simply fall to the
bottom. Once you've collected enough, the Thwomp will allow you to hit the
red switch block. You can return here and play again, but it's much, much
harder; there will be 50 gems, and you must collect ALL 50 in order to win.
If you succeed, though, you'll win the Simple Badge; this badge drastically
increases the strength of Bros. Items the less of them you have. Kickass in
one regard, but you're always going to have plenty of items, and it won't
work in conjunction with the Ulti-Free badge (more on that later), so go for
this only if you're a perfectionist and want one of everything in this game.
Anyways, when you're ready, return to the Thwomp and ride him down another
level. Now, there's no more enemies or puzzles left to complete, so make sure
you save, then head left and activate the last switch block, and then,
finally, hit the blue switch and ride the Thwomp down to the bottom of the
volcano.
Thwomp crashes right through the floor, leaving the four of you standing
there... before Princess Peach! The babies toddle ahead of you, but before
you can approach her yourself, the babies are sent reeling backwards by the
little brat, Baby Bowser. "BABIES!" Seems he's always in our hair one way or
another, eh? You don't get to lay a finger on him, though, before the King
Koopa himself appears and puts the Bros. in their place. The two of them seem
to have patched up their differences, and now they're going to team up to try
and destroy the plumbers once and for all. Both children and adults going at
it simultaneously... this should be good!
BOSS: BOWSER & BABY BOWSER
HP: 1200 (Bowser), 700 (Baby Bowser)
Weak: Ice (Bowser)
EXP: 820
Coins: 350
Win: Max Mushroom, Ultra Drop, Dynamic Badge (rare)
There is an "intended" way to do this, and then there's my way, which was not
only extremely fast, but extremely necessary because I was working off of POW-
Peak Badges the entire time, so I only had three turns to do these guys in.
First, I'll give the intended and easier way for newbies to this game:
You'll want to off Baby Bowser first. Why? Because he'll be healing Bowser
after every turn, as well as giving him more opportunities to attack.
However, while he's riding on Bowser's back, he's not even a target for
attacking, so you'll need to get him by himself. How to do this? Go after
Bowser for a few turns while avoiding his attacks; soon, BB will pull out a
hammer and Bowser will recede into his shell. BB whacks him at you, and you
must whack him back and forth while he builds up speed until he plows through
BB and off the screen. He'll stay off for a while, so now is the time to go
all-out on Baby Bowser. He's got no weaknesses, but he's not tankish like
Bowser, so it won't take more than one or two Copy Flowers, provided you can
keep the damage chain going really long.
Once he's been defeated, the adult will return, and with a weakness that BB
didn't possess: Ice. Use your Ice Flowers on this guy without mercy until he
suffers a drop in defense; then, depending on what you're comfortable with,
go crazy with Cannonballers, Trampolines, or Copy Flowers. Copy Flowers
should get you the most damage and IMO are easier to use than Trampolines,
but you'll need very quick fingers to achieve really painful blows with them.
If your reflexes are up to par, just use a Copy Flower or two and Bowser's
1200 HP will be gone in no time.
Now for their attacks: Bowser may jump up and produce a shockwave upon
landing; jump it with both Bros., but be ready with your hammers, because
this move often causes Thwacks to fall from the ceiling; red ones will target
Mario, and green Luigi, obviously. He'll also take a deep breath and spew
flames at you; jump immediately after the gusts of air cease, but if he
grins instead, there will be a nice delay before the flames actually come, so
don't jump just yet. He'll do this anywhere from 2-5 times in a row. He might
toss BB into the air, and upon BB's landing, launch a fireball at either bro;
BB will spin counter-clockwise when targeting Mario and clockwise for Luigi,
and fly off the screen completely when the fireball will be launched at both.
Baby Bowser simply heals Bowser for 100+ HP, whacks his shell back and forth
with the Bros., or initiates the BB toss I described above. While he's by
himself, he'll simply whack or spit fireballs towards you; hit them back or
jump as needed. Bowser is really the only one you have to worry about, here.
Now, what did I do during my fight with these two? I still had my Muscle
Slacks and POW-Peak badges equipped, so I not only couldn't take more than
one or two hits, but had only three turns to reign them in before the adults
collapsed and left things to the babies.. and I don't want them to miss out
on the great EXP from this battle. So, my first turn with Mario, I used an
Ice Flower; it did 140, but no cut in defense. So, Luigi does the same thing,
lands 242 in damage AND gets the def cut. I avoid their fire breath, then
Mario unleashes a Copy Flower and Bowser is slain to the tune of 798 in
damage. Whee. Baby is by himself, now. Mario gets one more turn before he's
kaput, so I can't blow this. Fortunately, during Luigi's turn I use another
Copy Flower, and manage to kill him then. Three cheers for reckless badges!
After the battle, the lava beneath the Thwomp, not to mention the Bowser
duo's fallen bodies, erupts and sends it sky-high; a UFO flies by and knocks
Bowser off his perch, and the two reptiles offer some words of encouragement
to each other before Bowser falls out of the scene and into a time hole. BB,
on the other hand, lands with the Thomp on the top of the Shroob's
mothership! The mothership blows open a hole in the mountain and sends in a
device to beam Peach up into it. The Bros. run into the path of the beam and
are sent up with her...
[10.3] The Key to Failure
OOOOO Shroob Mothership OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Super Mushroom (2) OOO
Max Mushroom OOO
Super Drop OOO
Ultra Drop (2) OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Copy Flower (2) OOO
Coins: 131 OOO
Enemies: Guardian Shroob OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Guardian Shroob- HP: 81 EXP: 90 Coins: 9 Drop: ?
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These guys are pretty annoying. They'll appear in large groups, and
either shoot at one of the Bros., using the telltale signs as always, OR
they'll signal one of their allies to team up with them; if they do, the
two of them will stop in front of one bro each, then raise their guns up
and fire them in unison. Problem is, there's often a delay in the time
they fire, so you may jump too early and be shot. Try to spot exactly
when they're about to lower the guns, then jump. The shots are fired
very quickly, so you have little time to react. I generally use a
Trampoline on these guys the first chance I get; that way I can kill all
of them before any can take a shot.
This level is relatively short, and only has one enemy for you to face.
There are still a few puzzles, though, and the Guardian Shroobs are plenty in
number, so.. uh.. I dunno. Anyways, the room you're shot up into has a few
beans for you, as well as a Max Mushroom near the top. Save if you like, then
proceed through the exit at the bottom. To get the green treasure block on
the top ledge in here, first spin the babies onto the ledge in the upper
left, then bring the Bros. over to them by spinning across the gap in the
middle, then spinning again (that ledge looks like it's above you, but it
isn't.) to make it to the babies. Spin the babies up once more, and you'll
have yourself two Ultra Drops. Exit to the right.
Now you'll be on a very long, straightforward walkway, perched high
above a pool of slime, which the Shroobs appear to be relaxing in. Looks very
relaxing, doesn't it? You'll meet your first Guardian Shroob here; these guys
are capable of racking up some very heavy damage if you're shot repeatedly,
and their co-op attack is difficult to predict, so use a Trampoline and get
rid of all of them instantly. There are some coins and Copy Flowers here, so
grab what you wish and continue on through the right.
An interesting puzzle here; hit the purple switch block, and not only
will the wall lower itself, but the block will sprout wings and take off!
You'll also find that the area the block fled to is silhouetted in darkness.
The block cannot be hit like this, so send the babies up to the higher level
via the spring, and then try to match their location with the Bros. See all
those red switches? Hitting them with the hammer will turn on a light down
in the Bros. area, exposing the block. Hit the switch pertaining to the light
the box is currently hovering around in, then smack it with an adult, thereby
making it flee to another area, shrouded in darkness. Find the block again,
then hit the appropriate light, and punch it using the Bros. Do this three
times, and then a bridge will form over some spikes on the right; the block
will then flee to this area. Hit the switch over that area, which I believe
is the second or third from the right, and you'll expose the block; hitting
it then will lower the second wall in your way. Noticed the Shroobs getting
some sort of head massage? Heheheh. Continue on to the right, where you'll
find another switch block, and a blue door switch; hitting the ! block will
move the wall and form a bridge to the save point; save if you wish, then
compress the blue pad. More beans and coins in this room... baby spin to
get them, once again. Blue pad. Compress.
You'll enter a room with Princess Peach in the center, her back turned
to you. Approach her, though, and she turns into a hologram and fades.. it is
then that a swarm of Shroobs pour into the room and surround you, taking aim
with their weapons; they don't shoot, however, because the shroomified Peach
enters the room shortly afterwards.. ..and pulls the fungus off, revealing
her true self- it was Princess Shroob all along, having disguised herself!
Not only that, you can now understand her language as she speaks; she
introduces herself and threatens that you'll all be consumed.. I love that
cackle of hers. Anyways, before you can be dragged off to wherever they plan
to execute you, one of the Shroobs breaks from the pack and starts shooting
everyone in sight, snapping a bunch of photos as it does so. Once all of the
Shroobs are gone, it reveals itself to be.. Kylie! She's come to your rescue
in return for freeing her from Petey's stomach. Sweet. Taking the elevator,
you'll have a chat with Kylie, and deduce that Princess Shroob disguised
herself in an attempt to conquer the future as well. (If that were so, then
she'd have to do thousands of warps to different eras, seeing as the past and
present are completely unrelated in this game; she'd have only conquered ONE
part of the Mushroom Kingdom in two different periods. God this game has such
a poorly written storyline. Anyways.) Fortunately, Bowser's antics threw a
wrench into that scheme, so the future is safe for the time being. We reach
the top of the elevator shaft, and Kylie then pulls out the huge key she had
swiped earlier; ready to find out what it fits into?
A 1-Up Super and a save point. Do what you will with either of them,
then head through. A huge, glass structure sits before you, with a Shroob
attached to different tubes nestled inside. WTF is that supposed to be?
Either way, it has a giant keyhole, and Kylie sticks her pilfered key
inside and turns it. A slow, loud rumbling.. the shroom inside the
chamber begins to glow.. and.. all that buildup for nothing. A chute merely
opens up underneath the gang and they fall through; Kylie clings to the key
for dear life until the Shroobs knock her off as well. Cut to Baby Bowser,
stomping his way through the roof of the mothership and hiding to escape
detection; Kylie meanwhile lands on Yoshi's Island, conveniently landing on
top of Toadbert, thereby jogging his memory of the abduction of Peach. As for
the Bros., they plummet down into a town completely in ruin; it turns out
that this was Toad Town, before it was completely ravaged by Shroobs and its
inhabitants brought to the Vim Factory. Either way, you need to get back to
the castle, so let's do some exploring and find our way out of this dump.
[10.4] Bad Day to Be a Toad
OOOOO Toad Town OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (4) OOO
Ultra Mushroom OOO
Max Mushroom (2) OOO
Super Drop OOO
Ultra Drop OOO
1-Up Mushroom OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Green Shell (6) OOO
Red Shell (17) OOO
Smash Egg (8) OOO
Para Slacks OOO
Dire-POW Badge OOO
Dynamic Badge A OOO
Coins: 872 OOO
Enemies: Shroid OOO
Skellokey OOO
Love Bubble OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Shroid: HP: 120 EXP: 140 Coins: 15 Drop: Ultra Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
Another pretty nasty enemy. The Shroids are tankish defensively, so it'll
take more than one attack to destroy these guys. Their moves are unlike
what any other Shroob has used against you thus far, and are pretty
painful; it'll catch a spiked ball dropped from the top screen with an
initial on it, indicating the target, and then throw it; quickly have
your hammer ready and whack it back at him. Secondly, it'll encase both
Mario and Luigi inside crystals, then rove up and down with a large laser
gun; jump repeatedly as fast as possible with both characters and break
out of the crystals, then be ready to jump the laser. You'll know it's
about to fire when the two rays of energy close around it; jump at this
point. Lastly, and most difficult to dodge, the Shroid will hold up one
or two flags, red and green in color; this is NOT indicating the target,
but instead telling you to JUMP with that particular character. Do so,
and it will hold up another set of flags; keep this up for 3-7 turns,
and the Shroid will back off. Fail, and the brother that erred will be
hit with any flags the Shroid was holding. Be warned that it does try to
fake you out by lowering a flag as soon as it's raised. The babies will
never have to fight these guys on their own.
***If you counter the Shroid's spiked ball and haven't destroyed it
completely before its next turn, you'll notice it's in a damage state.
Its attacks will now mislead you by targetting the opposite of what they
indicate- a spiked ball labelled with an M will now be thrown at Luigi.
Even more confusing is its flag attack- jump with Luigi when a red flag
is raised, and with Mario when the flag is green. If it holds both of
them up, just stay still. Kill them before they attack in this state!***
Skellokey- HP: 84 EXP: 100 Coins: 10 Drop: Red Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
An enemy just for the babies! Skellokeys won't fire spines at you, but
they do breathe fire (from 1-5 times), which will coast along the ground
quickly at either baby, or split between them and target both; jump the
flame as it comes towards you, and you'll dodge it easily. These guys
also toss three of their segments towards you, much like regular Pokeys
did. Have your hammer ready quickly for each one, and whack it away once
it comes. Lastly, it will roll its parts along the ground at you; simply
jump as they come near and they'll be dodged easily. These two attacks
are always preceded by the restoration of its parts. Your hammer isn't
the weapon of choice, here; the Green Shells are. Knock out those
segments and bean it in its head until it crumbles!
Love Bubble- HP: 95 EXP: 130 Coins: 10 Drop: Smash Egg, Max Mushroom
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These little turds have the ability to heal their allies, so get rid of
them first. Otherwise, their attacks are easy to spot and easier to
dodge- it may fly onto the top screen and poke one of its feet out; when
it does this, jump as soon as you hear the little whistle, for it will
dive-bomb your location extremely quickly. It will also fly between the
two Bros. and poke one of its feet out; if the bubble is low to the
ground, jump with the brother it targeted, then jump quickly again with
the other, as it will pass through you both in a circle. If it does this
but is flying much higher, jump ONLY with the brother it targeted, as it
will make a low sweep, then immediately fly above the other. Lastly, it
will swirl around the two Bros., picking up speed, then eventually
crashing into one of them; simply swat it with the hammer as it passes in
front, and the attack will stop.
Start by heading inside the shop right where you landed, and you'll find
that two elderly Toadettes are still alive and well; not only that, they have
some great stuff in stock for you to buy. Specifically, Star Trousers and
Stardust Pants; they offer boosts in both strength and defense. Nothing I'd
really recommend on the badge side of things... If you take a look at the
Bros. Items, you'll notice that Red Shells and Mix Flowers are in stock;
don't spend your money on these, however, because you'll be picking up a
large amount of them soon enough, via treasure blocks and enemy drops. If you
don't have any Green Shells left, though, buy a few, because the babies will
be encountering an enemy by themselves that is impossible to hit without them.
Once you've bought everything you'd like, you can start by looting all
these battered, vacant houses. Keep a lookout for the X marks in the dark
areas for beans, and ignore the house on the top-right at the moment, as it
leads to the area for the babies to explore, and you need them to get the
crap sitting around in the various treasure blocks. Among these goodies are
almost 400 in coins, a Dire-POW Badge, an Ultra Shroom, 1-Up Super, and six
shiny new Red Shells. If you liked using the Green Shell often, you'll love
these babies. Anyways, once you've pillaged everything, head to that house on
the upper-right and send the babies in. Climb the stairs and cross the wooden
bridge into the house across from it, which is on the side of Toad Town that
the adults have no way of entering. From here on, the adults and babies will
have to explore on their own, but will need each other to continue further
through the ruins. Since we're still in control of them, I'll start with the
babies' first section.
Either drop off of the wooden bridge on this side, or enter the house for
some goodies and tunnel out through the gate. You'll find an enemy here,
the Skellokey, an enemy that'll give the babies some problems if they
don't deal with it quickly. Use your Green Shells on these guys, as you must
remove all of their segments in order to swing at their heads; hammers take
too long, and the bastards are likely to respawn all of their parts back
after a couple turns, anyway. There's one Skellokey and a treasure block in
this little enclosure; a gate to tunnel under is on the lower-right. You'll
find another Skellokey and a new enemy; the Love Bubble. Some more coins and
some Smash Eggs... not much else to say here. Proceeding downwards will bring
you to a set of multicolored switch blocks; time to switch to the adults so
they can handle the other side. The adults need only to walk down from
their area, as there is no opposition or puzzles left (unless you didn't kill
every Shroid already). Once on the opposite side of the wall from the babies,
either baby may initiate the switch block sequence; completing it will lower
both gates and the groups may continue. Stuffwell mentions that the Cobalt
Star is behaving strangely, mostly due to the fact that we are very close to
star hill, which is connected to the star in some way. I'll resume with the
babies.
More enemies and items in this next area; no puzzles at all. There are
two gates you must tunnel underneath before being able to reach the next
area; once there, check out the right side for an easily-missed bean in the
dirt. Switch to the Bros. once you're all set.
The adults have all the fun stuff to deal with... Shroids, Shroid, and
more Shroids. Here is where I'd recommend just unloading Bros. Item after
Bros. Item on these SOBs. You'll notice houses that only the babies can
enter; once you reunite at the bottom of the ruins, you can come back and
raid them. Other than that, these areas are all simply killing zones with a
few items for you to nab here and there. That said, there are a lot of
treasures in the two areas you'll trek through, which must be gotten by
climbing into the toadstools and spinning your way across the gaps to each
toadstool with an item on it. Once you reach the second area with the adults,
you'll find that on the left is a dead end, but a few enemies and an
AWESOME pair of pants can be found here; the Para Slacks. Para Slacks
increase the wearer's speed by a disgusting amount, and basically ensure that
you'll go first in every battle. Once we finish with Toad Town, I'll send you
off to get a badge that will complement these very nicely. You'll be quite
evil in combat. Anyways, definitely grab those pants and exit, then exit
again to the right. Another switch block sequence, this time initiated by the
adults. Complete it, and the next set of gates will be lowered; both the
adults and babies can continue onward with no interference. You'll be able
to join together again here and save; the switch block on the left lowers
the gates and leads to a time hole bringing you to the present Peach's
Castle sewers; the pipe on the right will bring you to Star Hill. But first,
take the babies to the houses you couldn't enter earlier with the adults. In
them you'll find a lot of coins, some Max Mushrooms, and a Dynamic Badge A.
Then, hit the purple ! block down by the save point and enter the time
hole; you'll wind up in the sewers. Enter the room on the right, and trek to
the lower right corner, where you'll find a gate over the end of one of the
pipes. You can tunnel with the babies into this thing, and from there, head
up, left, up, left, up, right, and then up, and you'll be inside a badge
shop.. run by none other than Fawful, the psychotic engrish-speaking rodent
that tried to give us problems in SSS. He's still wearing his Elvis suit from
the climactic clash the adult Bros. had with him; if you haven't already,
listen to his tale, then take a look at his wares.
Now, have you been searching every room for bean marks and digging them
up? Without having played the Thwomp Volcano mini-game (which can net you
beans every time you play), I have 102 beans in my possession. That's more
than enough to buy the Ulti-Free Badge, which gives the wearer infinite Bros.
Items. Equipping Mario with this and my Para Slacks will not only let him go
first, but enable him to destroy anything I come across instantly with my
best items. The Ulti-Free badge costs 90 beans, which will pretty much wipe
your supply out, but you can later return to the volcano and play the
gem/slots game, and win a constant supply of beans if you're persistent
enough. I'll recommend you go bean-hunting and buy the Treasure Badge from
Fawful before the final level, also.
Anyways, get the badge, then backtrack all the way back to the time hole
you took from Toad Town, then enter the blue pipe that was sitting next to
the save point. This will take you to Star Hill.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[11] The Road to Stardom OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOO Star Hill OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Ultra Drops (3) OOO
1-Up Super (2) OOO
Red Shell (3) OOO
Copy Flower (5) OOO
Mix Flower (14) OOO
Coins: 350 OOO
Enemies: Handfake OOO
Love Bubble OOO
Fly Guy OOO
Commander Shroob (Boss) OOO
Support Shroob (Boss) OOO
Shroob-omb (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS: 155 15
Handfake- HP: 130 EXP: 155 Coins: 15 Drop: Mix Flower
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These guys can be total bastards, so get rid of them ASAP. Their attacks
all consist of holding up a cardboard cut-out of a particular Mario-
related enemy, then performing some sort of attack with it. Goombas,
it'll throw it from behind; jump as soon as it leaves the screen and it
should roll underneath you. This one may be done multiple times.
Paratroopas will spin anywhere from 1-3 times preceding the attack, then
approach; once it stops in front of you, depending on how many spins,
it'll rear the cut-out back that number of times, then sweep downwards
with it. Jump as soon as it rears back for the final time. If it
produces a Bob-omb, it'll throw it in the air; upside-down, it's aimed
for Luigi, and straight up, it's aimed at Mario; hit it with the hammer,
and it'll fall again, either onto the same person or to the other,
depending on how it comes down from the top screen. Hit it back and
forth several times, and it'll be destroyed. And lastly is a HUGE
cut-out of Bowser, whose attack is a cut-out of a flame flying onto the
screen and then towards one of the Bros. extremely quickly. Jump
immediately with both Bros. as soon as it passes the Handfake. These
attacks all pack a surprising punch, so kill the Handfakes ASAP.
Love Bubble- HP: 95 EXP: 130 Coins: 10 Drop: Smash Egg, Max Mushroom
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These little turds have the ability to heal their allies, so get rid of
them first. Otherwise, their attacks are easy to spot and easier to
dodge- it may fly onto the top screen and poke one of its feet out; when
it does this, jump as soon as you hear the little whistle, for it will
dive-bomb your location extremely quickly. It will also fly between the
two Bros. and poke one of its feet out; if the bubble is low to the
ground, jump with the brother it targeted, then jump quickly again with
the other, as it will pass through you both in a circle. If it does this
but is flying much higher, jump ONLY with the brother it targeted, as it
will make a low sweep, then immediately fly above the other. Lastly, it
will swirl around the two Bros., picking up speed, then eventually
crashing into one of them; simply swat it with the hammer as it passes in
front, and the attack will stop.
Fly Guy- HP: 120 EXP: 150 Coins: 10 Drop: Red Shell, Red Pepper
Weak: None Resist: None
Another menace. These guys carry time bombs with them, and depending on
the number, being hit with one can be very painful. Fly Guys attack
two ways; from above, and where they hover. If the attack is from above,
the Guy will fly onto the top screen and drop the bomb; you must hit it
back with your hammer, and the Fly Guy itself will take damage; when it
attacks from the bottom screen, it will swing back and forth multiple
times before hurling the bomb at you; jump it immediately upon its
release. After every attack, the timers will tick down one number, or a
fresh bomb will be grabbed if theirs have already exploded. Obviously,
Fly Guys with a timer of "1" are far more dangerous than those with 2 or
3, so kill them first. Better yet, get rid of all of them at once with a
Mix Flower.
As you emerge from the pipe, Stuffwell will remark that the Cobalt Star
is becoming very agitated; he can barely keep it under control inside his
storage. He presses you to ascend the hill as quickly as possible. It's not a
particularly long level, so that won't be a problem.
Right off the bat, hit that M chest to the right for half a dozen Mix
Flowers. If you've gotten that Ulti-Free badge, this mother-of-all-weapons
won't run out anytime soon, so unleash them on the nasty array of enemies
you'll be confronting on the hill! As you make your rampage up the hill,
you'll soon come to a tiny slot in the ground for the babies, and a cog to be
spun by the adults; you know the drill- flatten the babies, send them in to
ride the wind, Bros. spin the propeller to bring them all the way to the top.
If you want a few treasures and some extra EXP for the babies, take the first
ledge on your left and head through the opening for a couple Handfakes, some
Mix Flowers, and 150 coins. Otherwise, there are no treasures in here, so
just take the highest ledge on the left and tunnel through the gate. A pipe
is nearby to summon the adults. A lot of Fly Guys around here... Give them a
taste of Mix Flower. At this level, the damage may not be insane, but mine
are dealing about 256-286 to the Guys and double to the Handfakes, given
their weakness. As you level up, you'll notice the damage drastically
increase. Anyways, you'll soon reach the entrance to the next portion of the
hill; there's nothing here besides several treasure blocks with excellent
stuff in them, and a save point, which I definitely recommend you use, for a
few steps further onwards will get you into a battle with...
BOSS: COMMANDER SHROOB, SUPPORT SHROOB, SHROOB-OMB
HP: 1600 (Comm), 170 (Support) --(Bomb)
Weak: Ice (Comm and Supports)
EXP: 810
Coins: 180
At the start of the battle, Commander Shroob will guide three Support Shroobs
to the battlefield, carrying a massive, purple Bob-omb, and then leave. He's
the one you want to destroy in order to win this battle, so how do you get
him to stay and fight? Easy: take out the middle and rear Support Shroobs,
and the front will fall under the weight of the bomb, dropping it so that it
rolls back and explodes, bringing out the Commander. Until then, if the
Supports are left to attack, they'll throw the Shroob-omb at one or both of
the Bros; whack it back to them with the hammer, and they'll toss it right
back. Keep this up until it explodes on the Shroobs themselves. Make sure you
constantly charge up both hammers, as when it's thrown between you, you'll
both need to hit it back or it will explode. They'll also hurl the bomb up,
and while it's in mid-air, rush you one at a time; simply jump as they get
close, and you can land on them to deliver some damage. Try not to get hit
by the explosion, because it often inflicts dizziness, which is an especially
bad thing to have in this battle, as counters require both to participate.
After the Commander has been brought out, he uses one of two attacks; the
standard laser gun, which I pray you've learned how to avoid by now, and by
grabbing onto his Supports and spinning or throwing them through the air at
you. Avoid these by wailing with the hammer; neither come at you very
quickly, so this isn't too hard. While the Commander is present, begin by
using Ice Flowers, as it can not only chop his defenses, but he's also weak
to ice attacks. Once you get a defense cut, go all out on him with Copy
Flowers. After three turns, he'll leave and the Supports will return, so
you'll have to repeat the process of destroying the middle and rear. This
shouldn't be too difficult.
After the battle, you can proceed to the room ahead, and Stuffwell will
inform you that he's picking up tremendous Cobalt Star readings. Upon
releasing the star, it will temporarily complete itself and the spirit will
tap into the power of the hill so that it can share a little more info
regarding the star itself and what you must do, and basically tell you to
hurry the hell up. It then tells you that one of the shards is being kept
within the Star Shrine ahead, so that's where we're going. Proceed to the
right and ditch the babies for a moment, then roll over the unnecessarily
long, curvy trail of stars. Once you reach the exit, there'll be a pipe right
there to summon the babies.
[11.1] Dirty Secrets
OOOOO Star Shrine (Luigi's Trial) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Max Mushroom (2) OOO
Ultra Drop (3) OOO
1-Up Mushroom OOO
Trampoline (2) OOO
Ice Flower (2) OOO
Red Shell (4) OOO
Mix Flower (4) OOO
Shroom Badge A OOO
Coins: 300 OOO
Enemies: Handfake OOO
Love Bubble OOO
Fly Guy OOO
Piranha Planet OOO
Wonder Thwack OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Handfake- HP: 130 EXP: 155 Coins: 15 Drop: Mix Flower
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These guys can be total bastards, so get rid of them ASAP. Their attacks
all consist of holding up a cardboard cut-out of a particular Mario-
related enemy, then performing some sort of attack with it. Goombas,
it'll throw it from behind; jump as soon as it leaves the screen and it
should roll underneath you. This one may be done multiple times.
Paratroopas will spin anywhere from 1-3 times preceding the attack, then
approach; once it stops in front of you, depending on how many spins,
it'll rear the cut-out back that number of times, then sweep downwards
with it. Jump as soon as it rears back for the final time. If it
produces a Bob-omb, it'll throw it in the air; upside-down, it's aimed
for Luigi, and straight up, it's aimed at Mario; hit it with the hammer,
and it'll fall again, either onto the same person or to the other,
depending on how it comes down from the top screen. Hit it back and
forth several times, and it'll be destroyed. And lastly is a HUGE
cut-out of Bowser, whose attack is a cut-out of a flame flying onto the
screen and then towards one of the Bros. extremely quickly. Jump
immediately with both Bros. as soon as it passes the Handfake. These
attacks all pack a surprising punch, so kill the Handfakes ASAP.
Love Bubble- HP: 95 EXP: 130 Coins: 10 Drop: Smash Egg, Max Mushroom
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These little turds have the ability to heal their allies, so get rid of
them first. Otherwise, their attacks are easy to spot and easier to
dodge- it may fly onto the top screen and poke one of its feet out; when
it does this, jump as soon as you hear the little whistle, for it will
dive-bomb your location extremely quickly. It will also fly between the
two Bros. and poke one of its feet out; if the bubble is low to the
ground, jump with the brother it targeted, then jump quickly again with
the other, as it will pass through you both in a circle. If it does this
but is flying much higher, jump ONLY with the brother it targeted, as it
will make a low sweep, then immediately fly above the other. Lastly, it
will swirl around the two Bros., picking up speed, then eventually
crashing into one of them; simply swat it with the hammer as it passes in
front, and the attack will stop.
Fly Guy- HP: 120 EXP: 150 Coins: 10 Drop: Red Shell, Red Pepper
Weak: None Resist: None
Another menace. These guys carry time bombs with them, and depending on
the number, being hit with one can be very painful. Fly Guys attack
two ways; from above, and where they hover. If the attack is from above,
the Guy will fly onto the top screen and drop the bomb; you must hit it
back with your hammer, and the Fly Guy itself will take damage; when it
attacks from the bottom screen, it will swing back and forth multiple
times before hurling the bomb at you; jump it immediately upon its
release. After every attack, the timers will tick down one number, or a
fresh bomb will be grabbed if theirs have already exploded. Obviously,
Fly Guys with a timer of "1" are far more dangerous than those with 2 or
3, so kill them first. Better yet, get rid of all of them at once with a
Mix Flower.
Piranha Planet- HP: 140 EXP: 170 Coins: 20 Drop: Copy Flower, Ultra Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys are not only cool-looking, but they're one of the meanest
enemies in the game, as their attacks are quite painful. For one, it may
teleport to the top screen, and then drop onto one of the Bros.; take
note of how it spins and ready that brother's hammer, then be prepared
to hit it back AGAIN, as it will fall back onto you twice more. Second,
it will draw a laser from either its top or bottom, then fire; sprouting
from the top, it'll shoot at Mario, and from the bottom, Luigi. However,
give it a good second or two after the gun is drawn, for there's a
pretty good delay between the time it pulls it out and when it fires. Be
warned that it may shoot a sweeping beam, as well; simply be ready to
jump with the opposite bro if necessary. Lastly, it will sprout 8, count
'em, 8 different Piranha heads from the various pipe-craters and spin,
launching all of them at either one, depending on their color; once the
first has been fired, they'll all be about one second apart; jump with
both of them simultaneously, so you need not worry about who's being
targeted next.
Wonder Thwack- HP: 100 EXP: 30 Coins: 4 Drop: 1-Up Mushroom, 1-Up Super
Weak: Fire, Mix (green), Ice (reds) Resist: Ice (green) Fire, Mix (red)
The standard Thwack, only now glowing with energy. Their attacks remain
the same, only they are MUCH faster, and will summon much more of them
if they decide to do so. Be warned that their overhead attack cannot be
countered immediately once they stop; they'll be too high. Wait the
briefest of moments before swinging, and you'll wail them on their
descent. Keep in mind they'll still explode if you haven't finished the
battle after some time. Reds are weak to ice; greens are weak to fire.
Once you approach the Star Shrine, an entity will appear in the door and
refuse to allow you to pass until he's gotten to appraise your character.
Mario will get a glowing review, though told he's getting too fat, and then
Luigi... well, Luigi has some personal demons that desperately need slaying,
and some apparently disturbing secrets that prevent him from being able to
enter the shrine. He can prove himself worthy, though, by finding the Aurora
Block elsewhere in the area. Despite what seem to be protests, Luigi agrees
to set off with you in finding this thing.
First, let me explain something about this area- look up at the map;
notice the four corners, connected via the star path? It's really quite
irrelevant which way you go from here, because those rooms contain nothing
but enemies and a ton of blocks in various sizes arranged about. All you need
to know is that the Aurora Block is in the topmost area, in that odd-looking
device. See it? To get up there, though, you'll have to use the Bros. spin in
either the northwest or northeast corners; you'll find a tower of blocks with
pegs poking out of them; climb up to the top, where you'll find blue
octagonal blocks with stars on them, with little trails of stars "connecting"
them together; the adults must spin across these until they can spin onto the
large, triangular ledges you see in the corners on the map. From there, you
can head up and into the area with the Aurora Block. I'll tell you how to get
it, but first, for the hell of it, I'll let you know what's inside the
treasure blocks in each area.
***If you need to summon the babies, there's a pipe in the area directly
below that of the aurora block. Once you enter from the northwest or
northeast, you can't miss it.***
Southeast: Red Shells, Mix Flower, 150 coins
Northeast: Trampolines, 1-Up Mushroom, Ultra Drops, Shroom Badge A
Northwest: Mix Flowers, Ice Flowers, 100 coins, Ultra Drop
Southwest: Red Shells, Mix Flowers, Max Mushrooms, 50 coins
There are plenty of enemies throughout these four areas to give you some
exercise. Once you've summoned the babies and reached the top area with the
Aurora Block, you'll notice the structure that holds it has a cog on the
front, and the two springs on either side; send the babies up on the left
spring, as the right leads to nothing, and drink a few gulps of water from
the fountain with BM. Position him on the arrow pointing at the hole dividing
the two sides, and then spin the cog with the adults; the idea is to blow the
Aurora Block into the higher area, where it will ride the wind for a few
seconds, and then as it plummets, very quickly spit a glob of water onto it
and it will move over to the right side, where the babies can spring up and
hit it. It will then move down, in front of the structure that held it; use a
piggyback jump and hit it one last time, sending it down to the Star Shrine
keeper. Return to him via any route you wish.
The keeper will speak to you again, and wants to witness Luigi striking
the block in order to deem him worthy of entering. He tries, but to no avail,
as the block moves out of the way each time; cue the long conversation.. blah
blah liars blah blah testing you aaaaand so on. I'm not summarizing all of
that here. Anyways, the doors will be opened for you, and you may then
proceed to the pipe at the end of the starry path, bringing you to...
[11.2] Connect the Dots
OOOOO Star Shrine (Outside the Palace) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Bro Flower (2) OOO
Ice Flower (2) OOO
Red Shell (2) OOO
Stache Jeans OOO
Coins: 277 OOO
Enemies: Wonder Thwack OOO
Piranha Planet OOO
Skellokey OOO
Love Bubble OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Wonder Thwack- HP: 100 EXP: 30 Coins: 4 Drop: 1-Up Mushroom, 1-Up Super
Weak: Fire, Mix (green), Ice (reds) Resist: Ice (green) Fire, Mix (red)
The standard Thwack, only now glowing with energy. Their attacks remain
the same, only they are MUCH faster, and will summon much more of them
if they decide to do so. Be warned that their overhead attack cannot be
countered immediately once they stop; they'll be too high. Wait the
briefest of moments before swinging, and you'll wail them on their
descent. Keep in mind they'll still explode if you haven't finished the
battle after some time. Reds are weak to ice; greens are weak to fire.
Piranha Planet- HP: 140 EXP: 170 Coins: 20 Drop: Copy Flower, Ultra Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys are not only cool-looking, but they're one of the meanest
enemies in the game, as their attacks are quite painful. For one, it may
teleport to the top screen, and then drop onto one of the Bros.; take
note of how it spins and ready that brother's hammer, then be prepared
to hit it back AGAIN, as it will fall back onto you twice more. Second,
it will draw a laser from either its top or bottom, then fire; sprouting
from the top, it'll shoot at Mario, and from the bottom, Luigi. However,
give it a good second or two after the gun is drawn, for there's a
pretty good delay between the time it pulls it out and when it fires. Be
warned that it may shoot a sweeping beam, as well; simply be ready to
jump with the opposite bro if necessary. Lastly, it will sprout 8, count
'em, 8 different Piranha heads from the various pipe-craters and spin,
launching all of them at either one, depending on their color; once the
first has been fired, they'll all be about one second apart; jump with
both of them simultaneously, so you need not worry about who's being
targeted next.
Skellokey- HP: 84 EXP: 100 Coins: 10 Drop: Red Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
An enemy just for the babies! Skellokeys won't fire spines at you, but
they do breathe fire (from 1-5 times), which will coast along the ground
quickly at either baby, or split between them and target both; jump the
flame as it comes towards you, and you'll dodge it easily. These guys
also fire three of their segments towards you, much like regular Pokeys
did. Have your hammer ready quickly for each one, and whack it away once
it comes. Lastly, it will roll its parts along the ground at you; simply
jump as they come near and they'll be dodged easily. These two attacks
are always preceded by the restoration of its parts. Your hammer isn't
the weapon of choice, here; the Green Shells are. Knock out those
segments and bean it in its head until it crumbles!
Love Bubble- HP: 95 EXP: 130 Coins: 10 Drop: Smash Egg, Max Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
These little turds have the ability to heal their allies, so get rid of
them first. Otherwise, their attacks are easy to spot and easier to
dodge- it may fly onto the top screen and poke one of its feet out; when
it does this, jump as soon as you hear the little whistle, for it will
dive-bomb your location extremely quickly. It will also fly between the
two Bros. and poke one of its feet out; if the bubble is low to the
ground, jump with the brother it targeted, then jump quickly again with
the other, as it will pass through you both in a circle. If it does this
but is flying much higher, jump ONLY with the brother it targeted, as it
will make a low sweep, then immediately fly above the other. Lastly, it
will swirl around the two Bros., picking up speed, then eventually
crashing into one of them; simply swat it with the hammer as it passes in
front, and the attack will stop.
Once again, I'd like to begin by explaining the map; the stars are all
arranged to form a pentagon, and as you enter each area, you'll find a block
marked with a star hovering high above a pedestal. Once you hit it using a
piggyback jump, two beams of light will fire out into the empty space in the
middle, stopping about halfway; notice how every beam points in a different
direction, directly towards one of the other stars? When you hit the block
directly opposite a beam of light that's pointing towards it, the beam will
become solid. What also happens is that the other beam of light, the one that
was forming a "V" with the beam you just connected to will vanish; the idea
is to connect two beams of light, then travel to the star pad containing the
block that will connect the other beam, and form two solid beams for every
single star. That means a lot of walking, as you can only have one "stray"
beam of light present; hitting any block will produce light from that one,
and overwrite any existing rays of light. It might sound a little confusing,
but as you play through you'll discover how simple it is. I'll even explain
where I'm heading with a little diagram of the map, indicating which star
I'm telling you to travel to, for the very simple-minded. =P
1
2 5
3 4
That's easy enough to process, eh? The fuses of your brain haven't blown
yet, have they? Good. ;) Note that we automatically begin on star #2. So,
after you've dealt with the enemies both in and outside the pipe, hit the
block over the pedestal, forming a red and a purple beam. We'll be heading
to star #4 next. Pass through #3; don't even bother exploring the hidden
passage. Once at #4, deal with the enemies (Jesus Christ, is there anywhere
Love Bubbles DON'T show up?!) and then hit the block, connecting the two
purple beams. The other two beams, the red and blue, will disappear, so hit
that block again to bring the light blue one back. Then, head to star #1.
Crush the Wonder Thwacks, then hit the block to make the connection
between light blues solid. Hit it once more, and you'll create a green beam.
This time, head to star #3. There's that huge shine block again, so you know
what that means. Toss the babies up to the hidden passage, then position the
adults under the block, and navigate the maze. It's not all about walking
along a thin passage this time, as all of the platforms are huge, but you'll
have to do a bit of jumping between them. In the far lower-right is a block
containing the Stache Jeans; they'll raise a baby's defense slightly, and
raise their Stache by 40. Equip it if you like, then head towards the exit to
the maze, which is somewhere in the bottom/middle. You'll be on a much higher
ledge, along with the block; hit it, and it'll move down to the pedestal,
within reach of a piggyback jump. This solidifies the green beam, and
produces a yellow one. Hit the block again, then trek to star # 5.
Once there, you'll notice a ledge for the babies, and a purple ! block;
hitting it will light up a pattern of stars on the large yellow star you're
standing on for a moment. Upon sending the babies inside the hidden room up
there, you'll find 12 blocks positioned exactly the same as the stars on the
yellow ground; the idea is to hit the purple block with the adults, revealing
the pattern, and then create the same pattern inside the hidden room with the
babies, by hitting the corresponding block with the correct color; red for BM
and green for BL, obviously. I can't tell you what the pattern is, because I
have a different one since the first file I played, so there's no telling
what pattern you'll have to create. Just keep hitting the purple block to
refresh your memory. If you hit a block with the wrong baby, don't worry;
just correct the mistake, as it won't reset them all. Once you've done it
correctly, the star block will move out over the pedestal. Hit it from a
piggyback jump, and you'll complete the yellow beam. Hit it once more to
spawn a red beam, then head to star #2. Hitting the block there will form
the read beam and complete the puzzle; now a blue pipe will appear in the
center of the pentagon, with a starry path leading to it from star #1. Head
over there, then enter the pipe, and you'll finally have reached the inside
of the palace.
[11.3] A Plot Twist?
OOOOO Star Shrine (Inside the Palace) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Ultra Mushroom (2) OOO
Ultra Drop (2) OOO
1-Up Super OOO
Refreshing Herb (2) OOO
Red Pepper (2) OOO
Pocket Chomp (2) OOO
Ice Flower (4) OOO
Copy Flower (4) OOO
Hit-Free Badge OOO
Coins: 77 OOO
Enemies: Piranha Planet OOO
Love Bubble OOO
Wonder Thwack OOO
Elder Shrooboid (Boss) OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Piranha Planet- HP: 140 EXP: 170 Coins: 20 Drop: Copy Flower, Ultra Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys are not only cool-looking, but they're one of the meanest
enemies in the game, as their attacks are quite painful. For one, it may
teleport to the top screen, and then drop onto one of the Bros.; take
note of how it spins and ready that brother's hammer, then be prepared
to hit it back AGAIN, as it will fall back onto you twice more. Second,
it will draw a laser from either its top or bottom, then fire; sprouting
from the top, it'll shoot at Mario, and from the bottom, Luigi. However,
give it a good second or two after the gun is drawn, for there's a
pretty good delay between the time it pulls it out and when it fires. Be
warned that it may shoot a sweeping beam, as well; simply be ready to
jump with the opposite bro if necessary. Lastly, it will sprout 8, count
'em, 8 different Piranha heads from the various pipe-craters and spin,
launching all of them at either one, depending on their color; once the
first has been fired, they'll all be about one second apart; jump with
both of them simultaneously, so you need not worry about who's being
targeted next.
Love Bubble- HP: 95 EXP: 130 Coins: 10 Drop: Smash Egg, Max Mushroom
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These little turds have the ability to heal their allies, so get rid of
them first. Otherwise, their attacks are easy to spot and easier to
dodge- it may fly onto the top screen and poke one of its feet out; when
it does this, jump as soon as you hear the little whistle, for it will
dive-bomb your location extremely quickly. It will also fly between the
two Bros. and poke one of its feet out; if the bubble is low to the
ground, jump with the brother it targeted, then jump quickly again with
the other, as it will pass through you both in a circle. If it does this
but is flying much higher, jump ONLY with the brother it targeted, as it
will make a low sweep, then immediately fly above the other. Lastly, it
will swirl around the two Bros., picking up speed, then eventually
crashing into one of them; simply swat it with the hammer as it passes in
front, and the attack will stop.
Wonder Thwack- HP: 100 EXP: 30 Coins: 4 Drop: 1-Up Mushroom, 1-Up Super
Weak: Fire, Mix (green), Ice (reds) Resist: Ice (green) Fire, Mix (red)
The standard Thwack, only now glowing with energy. Their attacks remain
the same, only they are MUCH faster, and will summon much more of them
if they decide to do so. Be warned that their overhead attack cannot be
countered immediately once they stop; they'll be too high. Wait the
briefest of moments before swinging, and you'll wail them on their
descent. Keep in mind they'll still explode if you haven't finished the
battle after some time. Reds are weak to ice; greens are weak to fire.
You'll notice a bunch of blue paths going every which-way, leading all
over the place, eventually connecting to one of the rooms; you don't actually
traverse these yourself. Rather when you enter a doorway you'll be whisked
off to wherever that particular door lead. That said, save your progress,
then head through the door right in front of you. You'll be greeted by a
Piranha Planet; destroy it and continue through the next door. Upon entering,
you'll find a Cobalt Star shard encased in glass over on the wall, with a
blue pad in front of it; compress it, and it'll break free for your
retrieval. At that moment, a Lakitu will fly in with Toadbert and Kylie, and
the two of them bear big news. For one, Toadbert was holding a star shard all
along and didn't realize it, but then tell you that restoring the star will
still make defeat of the Shroobs impossible. Why? The rest of the Cobalt Star
is brought out, and Toadbert screams for them not to come near him; he then
flees the room in a hurry. What's gotten into him? Kylie runs after him, and
the star tries communicating again; something about a stronger power being
closeby. BACK TO ADVENTURE!
Through the door and into the next room, there'll be a long row of red
blocks to the right, gradually climbing higher; ignore these for the time
being and head to the left, where you'll find some fans and a maze of tiny
crevices; you know what to do here. Flatten the babies and send them in,
working your way to the hidden passage blocked by a gate at the top. From the
area you start at the bottom, head right, then left at the first fan, then
right at the next fan, yet another right at the fan soon afterwards, then
left at the following fan, then finally, a right at the fan after that one,
and you'll be at the gate. Tunnel inside, and you'll find a switch to be
whacked; activating it will spring a block from the wall, which you'll need
as a stepping stone. There are three treasure blocks in this maze as well,
one of which containing the Hit-Free Badge; this gives unlimited Bros. Items
to the wearer until he takes damage. If you like, equip in on whomever isn't
wearing the Ulti-Free badge. Anyways, once you've activated the switch, you
can climb the tower of pink blocks, using the spin and baby spin when
necessary to bring everyone to the top. On the final ledge, be sure to head
straight up, lest you want to fall all the way to the bottom and start over.
Deal with the enemies up here, then head on through to a save point; I
recommend using it. Compressing the pad at the top of this item-strewn
passage will bring you to a room with the fallen bodies of Toadbert and
Kylie; Toadbert hands you the horrible sketch he drew earlier and tells you
to rub the dirt away, and it'll reveal "the truth." For the first time in
this game, you get to use the stylus! Make sure you do as thorough a job as
possible, because if even the tiniest fleck of dirt is left on the sketch,
you won't be able to proceed to the next point. Stupid, I know. As you clean
it off, you'll reveal a creature similar to the one we already saw,
confronting Peach. But before Toadbert can explain the drawing to you, a huge
alien bursts into the room, turning both Toadbert and Kylie into shrooms.
Rather than shroomify us, however, he wants to give us an opportunity to kick
his ass. Let's take it!
BOSS: ELDER SHROOBOID
HP: 950, then 1150
Weak: Ice
EXP: 1500
Coins: 400
Win: Ultra Drop
A few things up front:
-He can't be jumped on, due to the spikes, obviously, but he'll soon fall
over, exposing himself to them.
-The HP up there is for his first stage, and then his second, when he
increases in size.
This guy likes to attack with fireballs, spiked balls, and ball 'n chains.
For the ball 'n chain, he'll first trap the two of you inside crystals, then
come in swinging the thing; jump constantly as fast as possible to release
yourself from the crystals, then be ready as he smacks the ball towards the
brother that was indicated by the initial; then, be ready to jump again as he
hurls himself towards the opposite brother soon afterwards. He'll blow some
steam before smacking the thing, not to mention fall over, so let him finish;
this is to give you enough time to break out of the crystals. He'll also
approach one of the Bros. and pause for a few moments before twirling through
him; constantly wail on him with the hammer until he backs off. This attack,
as well as his spiked ball attacks will often make you dizzy, so be careful.
The spiked balls he throws will circle around you slowly, much like the Love
Bubble's attack; hit it with your hammer to send it flying. For his
fireballs, simply jump as they bounce towards you; the target is indicated by
the claw he throws them with.
After a few turns of bombarding him with Ice Flowers, his weakness, he'll use
the spiked ball attack and fall over afterwards; now is the time to bombard
him with Copy Flowers. Don't ever hit him with any fire attacks. Once he's
taken heavy damage, he'll stand up and double in size, as well as spit out a
UFO, which produces a timer. If this timer ticks down to zero, you'll be shot
to hell and die instantly, so you can't allow that to happen. How to avoid
this? The spiked balls the Elder throws can be deflected with the hammer,
where they'll fly onto the top screen; if they hit the UFO buzzing around up
there, the timer will reset itself. One thing to remember: Luigi hits the
ball straight up, while Mario will send it at an angle. Keep this in mind if
trying to hit the UFO. Any drops he sustained from your Ice Flowers will be
gone upon the increase, so unleash them against him once more until he falls
over again; then, it's back to the Copy Flower treatment. His attacks don't
change from this point, though they are now more powerful. Every time he uses
the spiked ball attack, he'll fall afterwards, so look forward to it.
Once he's been destroyed, he'll drop the shard that he took from
Toadbert, so you can now claim it as your own. The rest of the Cobalt Star
will return to you, too, which means you can now enter Shroob Castle! Leave
the shroomified ones where they lay; there's nothing you can do for them.
Instead, proceed to the top of the room and simply walk towards the star
door, and it will open; hop into the time hole before you. You'll end up in
the sewers underneath the castle, so make your way back up to the surface,
and you can begin your preparations for the final level.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[12] Endgame OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOO Princess Peach's Castle OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
First, go over to E. Gadd and have a quick word with him. He'll remind
you that the time hole to Shroob Castle is on the third floor, and we'll be
heading there in a little while. Now, not only are we going to try to get the
best clothing in the game, but you'll soon find better clothing in the
Shroob Castle, so don't bother spending your money on the Royal Trousers or
Pants at the shop. I will, however, recommend you buy a Lucky Badge and equip
it on one of the babies. You should have two, now. Some like to equip Mario
and Luigi with the Drain and Cure badges at this point, but I'm going to hold
onto my Ulti-Free and Hit-Frees, so if you think that's a better option at
this point, then go ahead. As for Bros. Items, you won't need to invest in
any more assuming you've got the Ulti-Free badge, but otherwise, you'd do
well to buy a lot of Mix Flowers.
Now, I currently have 21 beans, and I need 39 more to buy the Treasure
Badge from Fawful's shop in the sewers. What does it do, you ask? Any time
you defeat enemies using Bros. Items, you "win the items they were using,"
which basically guarantees you item drops. Not only that, it significantly
increases your odds of scoring the much rarer items drops. Any time you use
this badge and kill off the enemies using a Bros. Item, the drops that are
preceded by a trail of stars are items you won thanks to the badge. With
this, you have a much better chance of winning the best piece of clothing
for each of your party members, which are both rare drops from powerful
enemies found on the last level. The best place to get more beans, as I
mentioned earlier, is inside the volcano, Thwomp Caverns; remember where you
played the gem-grabbing game, followed by the slot machine? That's where you
want to go; at this point, "Extra-Burly Mode" will be available, and while
the course is a little tougher and the slots move much faster, it's still
easy to get the timing down for three stars, and win yourself 5 beans. You
can do this for every gem you grab, so in the end you can score a ton of 'em.
I'm going to be doing this myself, and these pieces of clothing make the
otherwise "best" you can find look like badly torn, badly soiled panties, so
it's in your best interest (and not really that much more time consuming) to
take the time to get the beans, buy the badge, and battle the enemies until
you win the clothing. Twice. ...For a little help remembering where to go,
just take the time hole on the first floor, upper-left, take the pipe across
the bridge at the base of the mountain up, climb to the crater and enter the
volcano, and then just follow the first floor all the way to the right.
You'll have to drop down the coin chasm with the babies, then pass a room
full of Gold Koopeleons, and then there you are. If Extra-Burly is too tough,
you can still play normal mode, though it's far more tedious. And lastly,
when you use the Treasure Badge, make sure it's on the faster character, much
like the Ulti-Free badge; it won't take effect unless the WEARER kills the
enemies with a Bros. Item.
Once you're ready, take the staircase on the left or right side of the
first floor, then the second staircase on the left side of the second floor,
and the time hole is in the center of all those Peach statues, indicated by
the hand. As you emerge from the time hole, Stuffwell will pop out, saying
the Cobalt Star is extremely agitated. Without a word from anyone else, the
star destroys the barrier in front of the doors, and pulls them open. You get
one more look at Luigi's cowardice, and then... into the castle!
[12.1] Assault on Shroob Castle!
OOOOO Shroob Castle OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Items: Mushroom (13) OOO
Super Mushroom (14) OOO
Ultra Mushroom (10) OOO
Max Mushroom (5) OOO
Super Drop (2) OOO
Ultra Drop (7) OOO
1-Up Mushroom (4) OOO
1-Up Super (8) OOO
Refreshing Herb (9) OOO
Red Pepper (11) OOO
Green Pepper (7) OOO
Green Shell (3) OOO
Bro Flower (6) OOO
Ice Flower (6) OOO
Red Shell (17) OOO
Cannonballer (3) OOO
Smash Egg (6) OOO
Pocket Chomp (10) OOO
Trampoline (6) OOO
Copy Flower (6) OOO
Mix Flower (11) OOO
Space Trousers (2) OOO
Rocket Jeans (2) OOO
Dire-Free Badge OOO
Lucky A Badge OOO
Coins: 1987 OOO
Enemies: Tashrooba OOO
Snoozorb OOO
Soul Bubble OOO
Shroob Rex OOO
Shroobsworth OOO
Shroob Intern OOO
Lethal Bob-omb OOO
Ghoul Guy OOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ENEMY ATTACKS & STATS:
Tashrooba- HP: 125 EXP: 150 Coins: 10 Drop: Ultra Drop, Max Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
Faster, stronger, much more evil relative of the Tanoomba. Their shell
and Thwomp attacks are much faster and stronger, so react to the warning
signs immediately. In case you forgot: hop means the shell spins towards
Mario first, flip means Luigi; hopping straight up into the air means
it'll come down on Mario, while flipping means it'll go for Luigi.
Snoozorb- HP: 150 EXP: 170 Coins: 15 Drop: Red Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys will sleep soundly until you wake them up. They're defensive
tanks and pretty powerful, so try to destroy them in one blow. Before
any attack, it will blow steam from its head compartment; if the steam
flows to the left, it'll target Mario, and right, it'll target Luigi. It
may curl itself into a sphere and roll towards someone; hit it away with
your hammer, and be prepared to hit it again, as it may try to plow
through you twice more. That's the simple one; these guys have a meaner
laser attack, which can fire either above or directly at you, depending
on how it charges its energy. If the energy lines swirl around it, the
beam will be fired over your head, so don't move. If the lines are
straight, be ready to jump. There's no way of telling when it will
decide to sweep across the floor with the beam after it's fired, so be
ready to jump with the other character. Mix Flower these guys, as your
jumps will deal insufficient damage.
Soul Bubble- HP: 100 EXP: 175 Coins: 15 Drop: 1-Up Mushroom, 1-Up Super
Weak: None Resist: None
Not only are these things so much faster than Love Bubbles, but if you
attack them and fail to kill them, they'll retaliate by healing or even
resurrecting one of its dead allies, if you've destroyed anyone, yet.
While this opens the way for more EXP, these guys almost always bring
Shroob Rexes with them, and since you used your turn already, you won't
be able to do anything if the Rex decides to charge you. Unavoidable pain
really sucks, so when you attack these things, make sure it's going to
do the job in a single blow. Generally you're best off Mix Flowering
these jerks along with their dino cohorts.
Shroob Rex- HP: 200 EXP: 185 Coins: 12 Drop: Mix Flower, 100-Point Pants
Weak: None Resist: None
These enemies will never appear on the level layout itself, but they show
up in many if not almost all battles with Soul Bubbles, Shroobsworths,
and Ghoul Guys, which are quite plentiful and DO show up on the map. Now,
Rexes have two different attacks- charging and spitting flaming rocks.
The charge is a simple stop in front of the target, then run through them
offscreen, then make a return pass; but, when they come back around, they
might charge through either of the Bros., so be sure to jump with both.
Give them a good two seconds between each charge, and also once they
stop in front of you in mid-flight. ***It is impossible to avoid a Rex if
it is at its FULL height when it charges. Make sure their head is
scrunched down at least one level beforehand; Rexes can be squished at
least twice.*** Its flaming rock attack is far more easy to dodge; have
both hammers ready, as the rock will either roll towards one bro, then
travel towards the other one upon whacking it; or, the rock will split
into two and roll towards both, then crumble once hit. This attack not
only really hurts, but also burns, so take care not to get hit with it.
Lastly, Rex may fly between or near one the two Bros., then flip and do
a ground pound, sending out a shockwave at the two of you; jump as soon
as he lands, and you should avoid it (jumping with one bro first and then
the other when he's making the quake from the top or bottom instead). I'm
not sure if he'll produce more than one shockwave; if he does, I've never
been on the receiving end of it. These SOBs will do a number on your
health if you don't get rid of them immediately, so use a mighty Mix
Flower and off them at the start.
Shroobsworth- HP: 160 EXP: 0 Coins: Drop: None
Weak: None Resist: None
Right up there with Rex as an enemy that is best not allowed to ever get
an attack in. Shroobsworths carry a little guy on their backs, the Shroob
Intern, and work together to pull off some pretty powerful attacks. If
he throws the Intern onto the top screen, you'll be shot at by the
Intern; jump quickly with both to avoid it. Once Shroobsworth catches the
Intern, it'll throw it up again for a 2nd-3rd shot. Now, if the Intern
goes offscreen, the Shroobsworth will hold its arm and cane out for a
couple seconds, then dash in and slash at both Bros. with it. It's easy
enough to catch him as he dashes and jump before he slashes with the
cane, so don't let him get a hit in. Lastly, the Intern will produce a
large meteorite, and either the Intern or Shroobsworth will hit it at
you; if the Intern hits it, it'll launch towards Mario; if Shroobsworth
hits it, it'll be launched at Luigi. Once you hit it, though, either one
of the pair will hit it back, and it'll go on for several turns picking
up speed until you get hit, or the duo does. While the Intern is riding
on his back, only Shroobsworth will take damage. Kill him, and the Intern
will spin-swat him away, leaving...
Shroob Intern- HP: 130 EXP: 180 Coins: 20
Drop: Copy Flower, Supreme Slacks
Weak: None Resist: None
The Intern will sit still for one turn after Shroobsworth has been slain,
and if you fail to kill him then, he'll fully revive the Shroobsworth and
you'll have to off the old dude again. Note you receive no EXP for
defeating the Shroobsworth; allowing him to be revived over and over will
NOT get you more experience or coins. Only the Intern coughs up any
spoils.
Lethal Bob-omb- HP: 60 EXP: 70 Coins: 10 Drop: Refreshing Herb
Weak: None Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These little guys do one thing and one thing only: explode! No standard
charge attack; their fuses are already lit once the battle begins. That
said, the only thing to do if you haven't destroyed them all is to have
your hammer ready and IMMEDIATELY hit them away when they pass up and
down in front of you. If you don't get rid of them right away, you won't
be killed outright, but you're in for serious damage. Only the babies
will find themselves in battles with these, either in groups or as a
cohort to Ghoul Guy.
Ghoul Guy- HP: 160 EXP: 100 Coins: 10 Drop: Max Mushroom, Red Pepper
Weak: None Resist: None
Remember the Boo Guy from Toadwood Forest? This is the upgrade. Again,
jump as soon as they split into two and are in front of the Bros.; the
target is determined by who the Ghoul Guy points at before attacking.
However, if these are in a battle with any enemies besides other Ghoul
Guys, they'll sacrifice themselves in order to raise the attack, defense
and speed of whomever they possess. You'll still get experience for the
Guy that sacrificed itself, but it's best to kill any other enemies
first, as a stat upgrade makes Shroobsworths really tough to take down.
In a battle where the Shroobsworths outnumber the Guys, get rid of the
Guys first... that is, if you aren't using a Mix Flower. Fry everyone
with this baby. =P
Take a look at this first room as you enter; notice the huge statue in
the center, the pipes on the left, and the gap to the right; you can't do
anything about either the left or right at the moment, so the only thing to
do is to check out the statue of Princess Shroob. As you walk up to it,
notice the purple ! block in her pelvic region. We want to extract it from
there, so toss the babies up to the ledge on the left and bring the adults
under the huge shine block. One last maze in pitch-darkness for ya. The
maze is fairly straightforward, and if you simply follow every path as it is,
you'll find switch blocks needed to move other platforms into jumping range,
as well as other pieces of treasure. Take note that midway through, you'll
have to jump on a moving platform and ride it across, where the lights will
likely be off.. take care, and if you have to turn the lights on while you're
riding over the spikes, wait until the platform is on the right side before
hitting the switch, so you can hop off and be able to see where you're going.
Also keep in mind that there are several places you'll need to jump,
especially if you want to collect the items inside. Once you've reached the
other side, you'll see a red switch; activating it will remove the block from
Princess Shroob's uninviting crotch, allowing you to hit it. This forms a
bridge of shrooms across the gap on the lower right; take it, and then fight
your way through some Tashroobas and a Snoozorb until you reach a gate;
tunnel under it with the babies and hammer the switch on the wall to drop it.
Enter the pipe, bringing you to the largest and most infested floor in the
castle.
You'll find your first save point upon exiting the pipe. Notice the four
devices in the far corners of the map, arranged to form an X once their beams
are fired? Our goal is to set those beams off and get rid of the crystal
shroom that's encasing the purple switch block atop the pedestal in our
current room. To do that, it'll involve the multicolored switch sequences
you've done before, meaning the adults will have to split from the babies;
since this place is crawling with tough enemies, though, you'd be very wise
to clean the place out first. I like to start from the left side and sweep
down, then across the bottom to the right, and back up that side. I'll get
every enemy that way (except for the Ghoul Guys floating along on the ledges)
and be all set to separate without getting into a battle. If you want to use
the Ulti-Free badge paired with the Para Slacks to smoke everything as soon
as the battle starts, that's fine, but if you're trying to get the Supreme
Slacks and 100-Point pants, I suggest using the Treasure Badge on the Para
Slacks wearer and using your Mix Flowers. Don't worry about running out, as
the common encounter Rex drops a Mix Flower for every one you destroy. For
Snoozorbs, use a Red Shell and it'll drop one after the battle, keeping your
supply fresh. Anyways, clear this place out, and then I'll start on the
switches.
Gotten rid of everything? Good. I'll start with the adults in the upper-
left corner, with the babies opposite them, in the lower-right. You know the
drill; either party can initiate, and a generous nine seconds to complete it.
Once you've done that beam, send the adults down and the babies up, to the
adjacent corner. You can use the pipe by the adults to summon the babies back
once you've finished. With the crystal shattered, you can now hit that switch
block. So, trek back to the room with the pipe and use the Baby Spin to get
them up onto the pedestal; hitting the block will open the door up ahead,
which leads to a pipe. Ignore the above room for now, as there's nothing you
can do, and hop down the pipe.
Now that you're on the second floor, head into the now-ravaged library,
which is the wooded area in the bottom-center. Head through the large hole
busted in the wall, and you'll be underneath some sort of canopy, covered in
shrooms; walk through into the next room WITHOUT veering out from underneath
the canopy; otherwise, UFOs will spot you and shoot you out of the area. So,
once you've reached the darkened room with the huge staircases, dump the
babies and hit the switch block, and get ready for another timed Bros. Ball
course. This one isn't any harder than the one you performed in the present
Peach's Castle, but there are various blocks on the sides that will get in
your way. Simply weave around them, and quickly hit the block at the top once
you arrive. Lowering the gate grants you access into the next room, which is
where the Shroob Mothership has been parked. Wanna take a peek inside? Of
course you do. Compress the blue switch, and the gang heads inside, only to
find the ship just take off into space with them on it! Stuffwell pops out,
and Luigi suggests they take control of the ship, and use it to blow the
flying saucers patrolling the second floor into oblivion. And you'll do
just that, once Stuffwell explains the controls. Basically, the higher the
bar is for each brother, the higher the ship will rise once you hit the
block. You can fire the laser at any point, even without having risen at all,
but any time you take a shot, the ship will drop back down to its lowest
height. The saucers you destroy here are a simple workout to familiarize
yourself with the controls.. you'll face a much harder challenge with this
thing later on, I assure you. Anyways, follow Stuffwell's instructions to a
tee, and you'll send those saucers packing, allowing you to cross the bridge
and into the left and right areas you initially couldn't. Now would be a
good time to save, and then head back downstairs.
I'll head to the left, first. If you take that route, then head up the steps,
up the ramp, and take the pipe on the right, you'll be able to hit a switch
block to form a bridge and allow easy access to this floor, should you wish
to return. Back into the pipe, and then take the left pipe, which you just
passed. You'll be on the third floor, now, and should head to the right, then
down past the multicolored blocks and into the southern room. Here, you want
to use the Baby Spin to send the babies onto the overhang above the doorways.
Once up there, hit the lower switch with your hammer, which raises a block
for the adults; now, control the adults and hop onto the block on the far
right, then use your spin to cross across the gaps and to the switch block on
the other side. Hit it, and you'll spurt up a step for the babies to use to
reach that second red switch; whacking THAT will lower the block that the
multicolored switch blocks hovered over in the previous room. Head back out
there and toss the babies onto it; then, use them to initiate the sequence
and hit all four of them, which will remove the bars on the gray door just up
ahead. Proceed through there...
And you'll be in front of some sort of control panel, with a large
monitor showing the captive Princess Peach patrolling around in her
holding cell, or wherever the Shroobs are keeping her. She can't hear us, but
once Baby Mario starts whacking everything with his hammer, he somehow
activates a communicator, enabling Peach to hear what Mario is saying. She
tells you she's locked up at the top of the Princess Shroob statue, but
before she can say much else, the monitor abruptly shuts off. Apparently,
BM damaged the circuitry with his hammer, and it was functional for only a
short time.. good going, little turd! However, there's a pipe in the left
corner that we can take to continue on with things. BACK TO ADVENTURE!
While you're travelling down through the pipe, a pesky Chomp swimming
around in the sewer waters will ram it, sending you off course. Now you must
patrol the sewers and somehow find a way out. Before you do, though, head to
the left and hit the second switch block as you emerge from the pipe there;
this will allow you to backtrack easily. Now, head to the right, and after
dealing with the little hostilities there, head up against the wall in front
in front of you. This is another fan obstacle course, so flatten the babies
and send them in, and then float along each pillar of wind until the babies
are on the farthest one to the left. Now you can spin the cog and send them
higher. Now, bring them along across the fans until they're on the right, by
a spring, then send them up. But first, if you didn't feel like getting the
Treasure Badge for the aid in finding the best armor, you can grab a pair of
Space Trousers for the adults in this room- once the babies have crossed to
the right side, you can drop down off of the left side of the fan closest to
the ledge you stopped on; once you drop down, hang to the right and you
should land on a platform with two blocks: 80 coins and the Space Trousers.
Repeat the whole thing to get back up to the spring once you've nabbed 'em.
At the top, hit the red switch with your hammer, and you'll lower the
ledge to the right of you down so that the adults can climb up. Now,
proceed to the left and through the doorway there, to be in another coin
chamber, which you must send the babies through, using the Bros. spin. Once
you reach the bottom, you can hit a switch block nearby to lower a drawbridge,
allowing the adults to join you down there. They'll have to back out of the
room they're in and jump down to do so. FYI, the treasure blocks in that
passage contain only coins and Red Shells, so don't bother with them
unless you want to. With the adults and babies reunited and in the next area,
you can lower the drawbridges across the beds of spikes on the left. To get
the first one, you must fire the Bros. over with the cannon on the right;
start by throwing the babies into the stump against the wall, then rolling
into the Bros. Ball and into the cannon. Now, once they're in the cannon, the
babies can walk to the end of the passage inside the stump and whack the
switch with their hammer, which will fire the adults across two rows of
spikes. A pipe to bring the babies over to you is in the left corner, but you
might have to fight a battle or two to reach it. With the babies over there,
now, use the Baby Spin while they're perched at the right edge of the spike
bed, and send them over to the middle platform. Another 4-man switch block
sequence here, to be initiated by the adults; you'll have to jump immediately
with the baby that's under the third block, as the screen won't transfer over
to you, nor is there a countdown. This lowers the two drawbridges; now you
can compress the blue pad and enter the next section of the sewers. A pipe
inside will bring you there.
The first room you'll come to, on the right, has a boatload of items,
one of which you definitely want to grab. The drawbridge at the lower part of
the room is still up, so start by sending the babies to tunnel under the gate
covering the pipes. These pipes are crawling with Lethal Bob-ombs, so be very
careful if you get into battle with some. Also in these pipes is a pair of
Rocket Jeans, for those that don't want to bother trying to win a pair of
100-Point pants, and an absolute payload of coins. This castle is the first
level to push you over the 1000-mark in terms of coins. Anyways, you want to
make your way through the pipes to the lower right, where you'll find a lone
gate; tunnel through it and you'll be across the moat, and on the other side
of the drawbridge. The switch block to lower that bridge is on the left side,
and now you can grab the goods, among them a Lucky Badge A. This badge kicks
major ass, as it'll land you a TON of lucky hits. Perfect for one of the
babies. With all this stuff grabbed, now you can move on to the next room,
which has 4 new paths open to you; the one in the lower-right, leading
downwards, brings you to a pair of treasure blocks; the northwest/east and
southwest/east paths lead to rooms with pedestals, much like the one in the
center of the room you're in now, which will soon have blocks over them; but
how to make those blocks appear? Take the southeast pipeline, and walk down
past the layer of spikes to a purple ! block, over a pedestal. Hitting it
with a piggyback jump will lower the drawbridge; cross it, but before you
can even jump towards the switch block there, the same Chomp will dive out of
the water and snatch it from you! Bastard! It'll flee to one of the pipes on
the top part of the top screen, and shortly afterwards, four blocks will
appear over the four pedestals I mentioned earlier. Those blocks will let you
fry that hungry piece of metal, and get your switch block back.
What do the blocks do, exactly? Hitting any two blocks will fire a laser
in the direction the two of them point in when lined up. You'll notice that
this allows you to fire into any of the five pipes on that top screen. The
Chomp is in the middle pipe right now, but I'm not sure if the pattern will
always be the same per game file, so let me just tell you which blocks must
be hit in order to fire a laser into that particular pipe, numbered from 1 to
5, as seen from left to right:
#1: West and South blocks
#2: North and East blocks
#3: North and South blocks
#4: North and West blocks
#5: East and South blocks
Notice the heart gauge on the top screen; you must continuously blast the
Chomp and deplete it in order to continue. For the fourth and final Chomp,
there will be one in every pipe, and only one of them is real. Fire the
lasers at the one that gnashes its teeth the fastest; that's your clue as to
which is the bonafide Chomp. With it gone, it'll relinquish the switch block,
so return to the southeast and piggyback jump to hit the block; this will
lower the spikes. A pipe sits at the end of this path, so enter it to be
brought back to the main floor of the castle.
You'll be heading off to the left, but if you want a second pair of
Rocket Jeans for the other baby, turn the tots into pancakes and send them
underneath the little crevice in the lower-right. At this point, I've
already won two pairs of 100-Point pants for the babies, but I have yet to
win myself some Supreme Slacks. Oh well, I haven't killed every Shroobsworth
just yet, so there's still a couple opportunities. Anyways, once you've
gotten your jeans, exit left, and you'll find another one of those crystals,
this time encasing a pipe. Hit the purple ! block nearby and you'll not only
lower the gate in the front, but open up a hole in the wall to tunnel
underneath. We'll have to abandon the adults for a while, so leave 'em and
head inside. Once you're in, head up the steps there, and out the opening at
the top, and... you're on the overhang! This ledge wraps around almost the
entire floor of this castle. What you need to do is to not only remove the
gate blocking the adults from a pair of the multicolored switches, which are
in the upper-left corner. In the upper-right is a room secluded from the rest
of the castle, and has no openings; only the babies can enter it, as they
must be walking the overhang in order to do so. They'll participate in the
sequence from there. To make following my guide easier, I'll simply state
the directions I take as I reach forks, or when entering a new area. If the
babies ever fall, there's a pipe where the adults are standing that will
summon them back, and you can climb back onto the ledge from there. The rooms
are all separated by semicolons, by which I mean any time I enter a new room,
the sentence before it will end with one.
Start by heading all the way down and into the next screen. Ignore the
crate on the right and head left and all the way down; now ignore the right
side and head down and left; now, up and left, dealing with a Ghoul Guy
along the way; up and left, smashing the crate, then going up through the
doorway; head up and then drop into this room, hitting the switch on the
wall with your hammer. Now the adults can enter the room and get at the
laser. To climb back up, there's another gate along the wall, to the
right of the switch. Once back in this room, head down, and then all the
way down again. You'll be next to a slope on the right, and a Ghoul Guy on
the left.
Up that slope are some items; from the doorway, take a left and head
down; down again into the next room; then right, dealing with another Ghoul
Guy, down, and right again; up a ways, smashing the crate in the way, then
down and right; up a long ways, deal with not one but two Ghoul Guys, and up
into the hidden room if you'd like another pair of Space Trousers..
Otherwise, continue all the way down and right; up and right, smashing the
crate (and the GG) in the way, then up through the doorway; up, right, and up
through the doorway (down for some Max Mushrooms); up and left, kill a Ghoul
Guy and head up the left slope for some goodies, then up through the doorway;
all the way up and through yet another doorway; and here we are. The second
laser. Initiate the sequence with whomever you please, but not before sending
the adults over to the other side, as they should still be standing by the
gate we started with. Once you've completed the sequence and shattered the
crystal over the pipe, you can now head down it, so reunite the two groups
and trek back to the pipe. A pipe to summon either group over is right by the
pipe you want to take, by the way.
That pipe will bring you back to the second floor, now on the right
side; exit left, destroy the enemies here if you wish, then continue on to
the left (it is here that I got my first pair of Supreme Slacks off of that
damn Shroobsworth. Finally!), where you'll be in a secluded part of the
library; hitting the purple ! block towards the bottom of the room will lower
the ledge to the left, allowing you to cross from either side. To get the
items up there, you'll have to Baby Spin the tots onto the bookcase, starting
with them perched on the ledge partially raised from the ground. Once you've
gotten everything you care to, exit to the right and then take the northern
route up to the pipe. Hop in, and you'll be back on the third floor.
Before taking the upper path on the metallic platforms, head left and
hit the switch there to remove one last gate. Then, begin your climb,
grabbing an assload of Bros. Items along the way (to get the ones on the
ledge high over the long slope, toss the babies so they're about even with
the ledge while standing on the slope, then Baby Spin them.); you'll
soon come to a blue pad that must be compressed. Inside the following room is
a save point and one last pipe, leading back down to the entrance, completing
the trio of shortcuts. Hop back in once you've hit the switch and enter the
next room, ascending the trio of staircases; as you enter the next room,
Stuffwell will interrupt you, once again with the Cobalt Star trying to get
out of his storage; upon releasing it, it thanks you for everything you've
done and tells you to continue searching for Peach. It flies off. Once you
reach the end of the room, you'll find a save block and a blue door switch,
but before you can move any further, Stuffwell will interrupt again, finally
with something pretty important; you are about to enter a point of no return.
Once you pass through the door, there's no going back, unless you want to
reset the entire turn of events you are about to unfold. So, grab the item
nearby, heal yourself with the block and save, then compress the switch...
You'll find Peach inside her holding cell, and after a little chat and
introduction to the babies, she'll ask how you managed to even make it this
far, and you'll tell her about the nearly completed Cobalt Star, and that
it's here in the castle. Peach suddenly becomes anxious, and begins trying to
tell Mario something urgent, when suddenly a storm of lasers begins pelting
the statue from outside! You'll see the Shroob Mothership, buzzing back and
forth, raining hell down on the castle. Princess Shroob is at the helm,
barking something in her cute accent. You have to stop her from destroying
the place, and there just so happens to be another flying saucer at the top
of this statue. So, take the exit on the left, and save again to avoid having
to repeat this conversation (Stuffwell will tell you he CAN reset the events
and bring you back in time, but don't bother with this and just save), then
compress the switch at the top and enter. You'll automatically take off in
the saucer, and the Mothership will fly over to you... once you hit that
block from a piggyback, you're going to start a little UFO battle, so read my
advice, first:
The Mothership will continuously bring more UFOs onto the battlefield,
and you must avoid contact with them at all costs. Your lasers will do
nothing to the Mothership itself; instead, you must shoot the UFOs it
releases, so that they fly into the ship and damage it that way. The
Mothership has set patterns in which it not only releases the saucers, but in
the way they fly as well, and as you inflict more damage on the Mothership,
the saucers will move that much faster. Two bits of general but very
important advice: first off, your best position to be in is the middle
height, NOT the highest. Also, if you can't hit the Mothership, you must be
able to have the bottom level with your ship clear of UFOs; otherwise they'll
hit you. The safest position is the very bottom, because you can shoot almost
all the UFOs that will be in range, or be able to collide with your own
saucer. So, bring the saucer up to middle/high height and wait for the
Mothership to release its UFOs, and fire your laser when you'll be able to
hit it. If you miss and drop back down, your next priority is to shoot down
any saucer that will be able to collide with yours once it begins moving to
the left. Once you've made it safe to dwell on the bottom, let the other
saucers leave the screen before shooting back up again. Any time you hit the
Mothership with a saucer, the others will fly offscreen, so don't worry about
them. You have four units of life, so to speak, and the Mothership has four
as well; you must deplete them before your own saucer explodes, and then the
Mothership will crash into the side of the statue. Head back out, save AGAIN
so you don't have to repeat this evil mini-game should you die, then enter
the room with Peach...
[12.2] Femme Fatale
You'll find the barrier around Peach has since faded, apparently having
been knocked out when the Mothership crashed into the side of the castle. You
won't get to exchange much in the way of words, however, for the hatch to the
Mothership will open; after some pestering, Mario will slowly walk underneath
the entrance hatch.. ..and leap back in fear, for Princess Shroob finally
confronts them! Her ship is badly damaged... Countless minions have been
slain... Nearly everything the Shroobs have worked to accomplish has been
mettled with in some way by the Bros. It's high time they were punished for
their deeds, wouldn't you say?
BOSS: PRINCESS SHROOB
HP: 3000
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
Despite what several gamers and Nintendo Power might say, that is not an
error; her HP is definitely 3000. But before you can hack away at that, you
must first put her throne (temporarily, unfortunately) out of commission. To
do this, you must repeatedly attack her shield, to the point the throne can
no longer take it, and will crash to the floor. Until then, the throne
attacks three different ways:
-Lasers
Two cannons will appear, and toggle up and down for a few seconds; when they
stop, they'll fire a beam in the direction they point. You only have a second
to react, so pay close attention and jump with whomever needs to, to avoid
taking a hit. The beams will never sweep, so that isn't a problem. She'll
fire them 5 times per attack.
-Energy Rings
The throne will leave the battlefield and return as a walker; once it hops
over your party, it will fire rings down at you, which close in once they
hit the ground. To make this as easy as possible, jump with both characters
as the rings get close to the ground. They trip you, so take care. She'll
fire off many of them before finishing with...
-Crush
Once her ring attack is finished, her walker will get ready to lower itself
on top of you. Both Bros. must ready their hammers and release them at the
same time once she gets closer. Swing before she'll actually be right above
you to ensure a counter. If she cackles, she'll pause mid-way, then come down
fast. This attack tends to make you dizzy when it hits.
The best way to disable her shield is with a multi-hitting attack,
particularly Copy Flowers, as they start off slow and with really easy timing.
Try to do this before she even has a chance to attack you with it. Once she's
out of the walker, she'll attack one of four ways, but may use them several
times in a row; If she produces a star, she'll send it towards you, and if
you fail to jump on it (removing it), it will continue past and loop around
for another pass. It'll increase in speed each time you dodge it until it
hits either of you, or gets stomped out. Obviously, you want to get rid of it
as soon as it's launched. Otherwise, she just launches balls of energy three
different ways; a single shot in front of you, a single shot from above, or a
spread shot between you. The first two are avoided by jumping and using the
hammer, respectively (the overhead shots will be fired at Mario from her left
hand and Luigi from her right); the spread shot is best dodged by jumping with
the brother it will hit first, then the other. If you land on top of the ball,
you'll stomp it without taking damage, so that's all right. Nothing else to
say about these attacks, though it bears mentioning that they can cause
poisoning, and the star attack can reduce your stats.
You have three rounds to beat her up before her throne will be back in
business, so it'd be best to kill her now. Copy Flowers are your best friend;
use them relentlessly. Once you've inflicted over 1500 worth of damage, she'll
charge herself with energy and go into what I like to call Psycho ***** Mode.
Basically, she'll now launch a good 20 attacks at you in a row, one after the
other, always beginning with her star. If she gets back into her walker,
she'll pull off a good 5 attacks with that, too. Her damage really adds up, so
end this as quickly as possible. If you know you won't be able to kill her in
the last turn before she is able to move again, heal whomever needs it to have
the best chances of surviving her barrage. Her walker's attacks will give you
far more problems as far as dodging goes, so you shouldn't get your ass handed
to you. You'll receive a full health replenishment once you've won.
I'll try to keep this last bit spoiler free, at least for those reading
ahead, and just say that Baby Bowser screws it all up for us yet again. Though
I'm not sure I remember when he screwed it up the first time. We go into
battle, with Peach offering her assistance when she can...
BOSS: ELDER PRINCESS SHROOB
HP: 3500
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
Once again, I assure you that this form has 3500 HP. Her attacks also have far
more variety than seen in the first battle; they basically all rely on the
UFOs that fly onto the scene to be executed; the less she has, the less her
repertoire can have. How do you decrease the number of UFOs? Peach will toss
you a star once per round; use the cursor that appears to aim and take out as
many as you can in one shot. Note that there is a tiny delay between when you
press the button to fire and when the cursor stops, so take that into account.
Occasionally, Peach may toss you a mushroom and replenish some of your HP,
instead.
I'll list her attacks by the number of flying saucers she requires to use it:
0 UFOs:
-Shoulder Ram
She'll get into a charging position and then quickly run at one of the Bros.;
Have your hammer ready, quickly, and swing once she's near. Be warned, though,
that she may pause in front of you before charging again, or may jump back
upon being struck, then charge again.
1 UFO:
-Chain Chomp
She'll leave and return with a Chomp, and a UFO will fly down to it, and
proceed to fly in circles around the Bros., leaving you in the path of the
Chomp. Try and jump onto the Chomp as it first passes underneath you; it will
make several trips, quickly, and you're likely to take a lot of damage as it
comes back around from behind. Hopping on it once ceases the attack. Note that
this attack can inflict poisoning.
-Energy Drink
Much like what Swiggler drank, a UFO will bring her a glass of fluid. She
gulps it down and recovers 120 HP, then graciously swats the saucer away.
Nothing else to say about this one.
2 UFOs:
-Lasers & Quake
She'll hop onto two UFOs and take off to the top screen, then fire several
shots at either bro, much like the other saucers do. Just jump them all as
quickly as possible. Then, she'll retreat to the background and fire shots
from there; if the saucers are flying low, about level with Mario, jump them
as they come by, beginning with Mario and Luigi immediately after; if the
saucers are flying higher than that, stay still and they'll pass overhead.
Once she's finished, she'll leap off of the saucers and land back onto the
stage, creating a shockwave a second later; jump it with both.
3 UFOs:
-Meteorite
Funny that the most costly attack is also the most simple to avoid. Her peons
will bring her a huge Meteorite, and she'll slowly lumber towards one of the
Bros. to flatten with it; as she comes within hammer-hitting range, simply
wail on her as many times as you can, and she'll drop it. Very easy.
In my opinion, her shoulder ram is the most troublesome, as I hate any attack
with spontaneous lag; her Chomp attack can be a real pain as well, if you
don't get rid of it the second it begins chasing the UFO. Still, this should
be an easy battle, as there are no shields to bust and no special
circumstances to meet before pummeling her. As with the first Princess Shroob,
Copy Flowers are the way to go. Don't worry about how many UFOs are buzzing
around the skies as much as perfecting the timing on your Bros. Items to
inflict the most severe damage possible. If you land any blows over 1000, you
did pretty good; if you can nail her for a good 2k and up, you're doing great.
As her health drops lower, she'll begin using more attacks during her turn,
UFOs providing. Once you finish this lady off, she'll go straight into her
ultimate form. You won't recieve a free healing after this one, either.
BOSS: ELDER PRINCESS SHROOB
HP: 3000(head), 496(Feet), 248(Tentacles, each), 200(Crown)
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
Yes, this form has less HP than her previous, but you also have so much more
to deal with. First and most important to remember, is that as long as her
crown is active, her head will only take 1 point in damage, no matter what
you throw at it. And in order to get at the crown, you must first put her
foot tentacles out of commission, if only for a short while. Her body parts
all have at least one attack they can perform, and the crown does nothing but
protect her. Her attacks are as follows:
Feet:
-Tentacle Cycle
Either two, or worse, four tentacles will extend out from underneath the
Princess and begin rotating clockwise or counter-clockwise; you must jump
over each of them individually as they sweep by. They gradually pick up
speed. It pretty much comes down to how quickly you can alternate between
jumps with the Bros. If she begins this attack with one of them dizzy or
knocked down, that person is basically screwed.
Arm Tentacles:
-Stab
The point on one of the tentacles will glisten, then quickly squirm in and
take a stab at one of the Bros. You must jump immediately if this is a
tentacle closer to the Bros., as the window to react is very short. If a
farther tentacle is going in, you have a sliver of more time to move. These
things tend to poison you as a result. Her chin will be quivering rapidly
while she's doing this attack, and until she ceases, you can expect more
stabbing attempts; also, prior to every stab you'll notice a particular
tentacle rear back. Use this as a means of prediction rather than waiting for
the tentacle to glisten.
-Grab
The tentacles will move in and try to grab hold of the Bros. Have your hammer
ready, and whack them once they get close. If you happen to be grabbed, you'll
be thrown back to your position and possibly made dizzy.
Head:
-Crash 'n Burn
Anywhere from 4 to 6 UFOs will fly onto the top screen, and the Princess will
launch a ball of energy at them, hitting each one and damaging it badly. Then,
they'll come plummeting down onto either Bro. UFOs in flames will land on
Mario; those giving off sparks will land on Luigi. Pay attention to the order
they fall, and most importantly which person they're targeting, and have your
hammer ready to hit them away. They'll go flying into the Princess for some
nice damage, or if they hit you, possibly make you dizzy. Expect this move
almost every single turn.
-Huge Energy Ball
She'll fire a ball of energy above her head, and a number of smaller shots
will be launched into it; pay attention to which shots are greater in number;
more reds mean it will come down onto Mario, and it will target Luigi if there
were more greens. Have your hammer ready to hit it away; then, have the other
Bros. hammer ready to hit it once more. This will send it back at the
Princess. Should you be hit with it, you'll see a nice explosion, and the
victim will land on their ass and be in downed status until their turn comes
up.
-Poison Gas
Much like what Swiggler used against you, only these are not deflected with
the hammer. Simply jump over these as she spits them out. She'll use this
several times in a row, so be ready for them. Jumping onto the clouds
themselves works, too. This move is easiest to avoid, and I hardly see it.
-Time Hole
Again, a swarm of UFOs will enter the top screen, but rather than send them
plummeting onto the Bros., the Princess will suck them all into a time hole.
Then, once several turns have passed, they'll be fired back out at you; if
you can remember the order in which the Princess shot them, and how the ship
was damaged, you can avoid them as they come flying out by having your hammer
ready to hit them. Remember, the order in which they were SHOT determines the
order in which they're sent back through the hole, not how they were sucked
in; they're all pulled into the void at the same time, anyway.
The most efficient means of clearing everything out of the way and making the
head susceptible to damage is the Mix Flower. Open right away with one, and
if you've used it most effectively, this will wipe out all of the tentacles
and stun the feet in one go. Now, the crown will drop within range of your
attacks, so let loose with another Mix Flower, as it's the easiest thing to
use that will also get you big damage. With the crown shut off temporarily,
the head will finally be open to attack, so unleash any Copy Flowers,
Trampolines, Cannonballers; anything you have that can hit the head, deal a
lot of damage, and that you can time well, use it. The head will meanwhile be
killing a lot of her minions off in an effort to knock you out of your senses;
watch the saucers closely to see who will be hit next, and send them flying
back at her. Every few rounds, she'll begin reviving all of her parts and turn
the crown back on; they'll also use their respective attacks the moment
they're resurrected. Any time she does this, even if it's only a single part,
use another Mix Flower and nuke it back out of sight. If you're at level 30
for this battle, which you should be if you fought every enemy you saw just
once, then this won't be very aggravating. The only time problems really
arise is when one of the Bros. is inflicted with an ailment that renders him
immobile. Keep in mind that Refreshing Herbs still work even for dizziness and
being knocked to the ground. As with just about every boss in this game, as
her health drops lower, the attacks will increase in number; five stabs as
opposed to two, six UFOs shot down instead of a mere four, and so on.
If you must, use your Drop items to keep the group healed, and keep a
relentless dosage of Copy Flowers and Mix Flowers flying, whichever is more
practical at the time. I've seen many cases of people who claim this battle
took them an hour to finish, and sometimes well over that; I frankly have no
idea how in the hell that's possible, unless their levels are so bloody low
that Mix Flowers do pathetic damage. With everyone at 30, I always dealt at
least 500 a pop with mine. My setup:
Baby Mario: 100-Point Pants, Lucky Badge
Baby Luigi: 100-Point Pants, Lucky Badge
Mario: Supreme Slacks, Ulti-Free Badge
Luigi: Space Trousers, Lucky Badge A
As you can see, I only was able to win one pair of Supreme Slacks from
Shroobsworth, and I wasn't going to reset all the monsters to have a second
chance. As far as Bros. Items go, I never bought a single one from a shop.
Ever. Though with the Treasure Badge on, I always kept my supply of Copy and
Mix Flowers the same, as Worths and Rexes drop those respectively, and
having the badge equipped guaranteed me at least one of them.
Anyways, the attacks are all listed there, with the means to dodge them; it's
all left up to your own skill from here. Keep the abuse coming, and she'll be
a wilted little piece of fungus in no time!
[12.3] Back for More
...WHO is back for more? Beat the "real" final boss, and as you wrap the
story up, you'll come across this extra little challenge thrown in there.
Except it isn't much of a challenge, as you may only dodge and counter
attacks; you won't be given any turns to attack yourself.
If their mouth glows while a large fireball is present, it'll be countered
with the hammer. As with all of these attacks, it'll move slowly towards you
at first, then speed up as the battle draws closer to an end.
If a volley of fireballs is spat along the ground in an arc, simply jump them
as they get close. Quite simple.
Lastly, a very long charge generally means that a bunch of them will be
launched into the air; pay attention to the shadows of the fireballs as they
fly up; a shadow passing over Mario means it will target him, and a shadow
passing over Luigi... well, you know.
...Aw, hell with the secrecy. It's Shrowser, possessed yet again, and this
"fight" is a lame one at that. Just get it over with, and you can get on with
the ending.
Congratulations! You've beaten the game. Wasn't very long, was it? If
only the damn guides took half as much time to write as the games take to
beat. I have to respect the people that write up walkthroughs for the 40-
hour RPGs. Anyways, there are no other little sidequests to complete, so
either run through the game a second time, or, well, off to the shelf it goes.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[13] Frequently Asked Questions OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Some questions that appear often on the message boards, and their answers.
-What is the best equipment in the game?
As far as clothing goes, the 100-Point Pants for the babies, and the
Supreme Slacks for the adults. Both are rarely dropped items by enemies
inside the Shroob Castle. Shroob Rex and Shroobsworth, respectively. The
Treasure Badge will increase your chances of winning them. As far as
badges go, nothing can top the Ulti-Free badge in terms of cheapness.
Though, it doesn't come cheap.
-What is the best level to face the final boss?
If you fought and destroyed every enemy you came across during the game,
then you should be at about level 30, which is just fine. People have
reportedly beaten the game in the low 20s, though it takes them much
longer. Since every attack can be evaded in some way with no damage
taken, you could technically finish the game at level 1.
-Where is the best place for leveling up?
Shroob Castle. The enemies there all drop a ton of EXP, but if you want
to really rake it in, get into a battle with two Soul Bubbles and two
Shroob Rexes. Kill off the Rexes, then use an item like the Ice Flower
to hit the Bubbles with as many as it takes to have them hit only once
apiece. This provokes their healing/resurrection counterattack, and
they'll respawn the Rexes at critical HP. Rinse and repeat. To avoid
dealing too much damage to the bubbles, equip the Training Badge. Keep
in mind that the Rexes will still take their turns after being revived,
so kill them the same turn, lest you want to suffer one of their
charges, which will be guaranteed impossible to avoid (as you already
took your turn and have no time to scrunch them).
-What is the highest level you can reach?
100. Someone has already accomplished this feat and posted proof. If
you think it's a sham... well, are you willing to waste all that time
trying to disprove them? =P
-Is Fawful in this game? If so, where is he?
Indeedy, they gave the dubber of Fink-Rats a cameo. He runs a Badge Shop
in the sewers underneath Peach's Castle in the present, accessible only
by the babies. His badges can only be purchased with beans, but he has
some pretty nice stuff for sale.
-WTF NINTENDO!!!!11 TEH MAEZ IN DARKNEZ SI IMPOSIBEL!!!!111one ICANT BET
IT!!!111 HELP PLZ
...unbelievably, some people are really, really, unobservant. Before
every one of these mazes is a block the size of a truck, in plain sight,
with a Shine Sprite emblazoned on it. It screams "HIT ME! I PRODUCE
LIGHT! YEAH, STOP FUMBLING AROUND LIKE A SHMUCK AND GIVE IT A TRY!" Yet
people have gone through every one of these things in the game, counting
steps, trying to guess everything as best they can, and cursing the
developers every time they fall, when there's a solution RIGHT THERE.
Your hand is held throughout almost the whole game, too. Just, wow.
I wonder if they struggle to dress themselves.
-What is the average play length?
People say it's anywhere from 10-15; I think that's a little more
rushed, but maybe that's just me. I'd probably give it 15-18, if you
take the time to explore and enjoy everything.
-Is there any replay value to this game?
Sadly... no. Not really. Unless you enjoyed this game so much you want
to do it all over again, or play while setting challenges for yourself,
then this game has nothing left to offer. Bummer.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[14] Enemy Guide OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
While they're all listed in the walkthrough itself, in case you just
wanted to look for a baddie that's giving you problems, here's a list compiled
of them. Please note that I have no way of absolutely guaranteeing their HP
values, and when I cross-referenced my own best educated guesses with the
official guide made by Nintendo, I noticed a lot of really bad errors. ...On
Nintendo's part. Thankfully, I didn't spend money on that POS. Anyways, take
the numbers listed as their HP as merely an accurate base; I tried to be as
few off as possible. The bosses are far easier, as their HP all seem to be
multiples of 50. EXP, Coins, and Item Drops are all exact.
***Bro Flowers and Mix Flowers are NOT considered the same element! There are
a few enemies that resist Fire but not Mix, or are weak to Fire, but not Mix.
There are also a few enemies that resist the Mix Flower, namely Dark Boo,
Wonder Thwacks, and Lethal Bob-ombs. Nonetheless, if an enemy is weak to Fire
attacks, then they're also weak to Mix Flowers. Because of the handful of
exceptions, though, I have to include Fire and Mix as two different types.***
Blazing Shroob- HP: 100 EXP: 90 Coins: 10 Drop: Copy Flower, Red Pepper
Weak: Ice Resist: None
Oooh, these guys are NASTY. Once you enter a battle with one of these, if
you don't end it right then and there, a UFO will fly in and begin
attacking in addition to the Shroobs; you'll also bring forth a
counterattack every time you attack one of them, in which the UFO
shoots 3-5 shots down onto you; you can jump them, but the saucer fires
them off quite rapidly, so you'll need to have jumped immediately, and
continue jumping again as soon as you land. You have no room for error.
To get rid of the UFO, jump on the Shroob; you'll take damage, but
you'll also fly onto the top screen and send the annoying saucer packing.
Anyways, their standard attacks involve lobbing fireballs at either
brother at a pretty fast rate, and charging into you at high speeds. The
former is avoided by jumping immediately as the Shroob tosses the
fireball; the latter is dodged by nailing him with the hammer as soon as
he approaches. It's much like the attack Kamek used during your battle
with him; he moves very quickly, so release the hammer a little early.
Lastly, your best way to kill these menaces is to use Ice Flowers, their
weakness. If there's only one of them, a Green Shell will suffice. Every
attack, including the UFO's shots, can inflict burns, so be careful.
Better yet, kill these bastards right off the bat with extreme prejudice.
Bob-omb- HP: 35 EXP: 30 Coins: 5 Drop: Pocket Chomp
Weak: None Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These little guys have only two attacks: tackling and exploding. When
they run towards you, take a tiny hop, stop, then run again; jump a
second after they hop, and they'll run underneath you and be stomped on.
If they turn their bodies a little after stopping, though, they'll run
towards the other character; I rarely see this, but be ready for it.
Now, if they light their fuse before charging, they'll move more quickly
and simply explode when they get underneath you. This time, though, you
want to jump as they're moving into you, because unless you're at the
peak of your jump when they detonate, you'll be hurt. They have another
method of exploding on you- moving up and down in front of the Bros.,
then running in and blowing up. You counter this by having your hammers
ready, and whacking it once it's passing in front of you. Don't hesitate,
because it won't move that way for long.
Boo- HP: 15 Exp: 5 Coins: 4 Drop: Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys are quick. Right before they disappear, they'll uncover an
eye, indicating which bro they plan to attack, and then reappear behind
them. Jump immediately and they'll pass underneath you. Nothing too
crazy; they're pretty easy to hit while doing this, too.
Boo Guy- HP: 17 EXP: 8 Coins: 5 Drop: Mushroom, Super Mushroom
Weak: Fire Resist: None
Little ShyGuy ghosts. They'll hover over and stop between the two of you
and point with either hand, indicating who they're going to attack. Once
they do that, they'll split into two, and charge forward. The bro being
targeted should jump once the Boo Guy is in front of him, and he can be
damaged; the fake Guy will simply vanish.
Boom Guy- HP: 18 Exp: 8 Coins: 5 Drop: Green Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
ShyGuys with Bullet Bill cannons on their heads. These guys will
approach and stop in front of either brother, and either fire a BB
without interruption, or misfire, emitting a puff of smoke... ...followed
by a Bullet Bill. Sometimes your jumps will knock the cannon off; in
which case, when the ShyGuy begins its turn, it will send out a call to
its allies; a prompt delivery of a new cannon will be followed by its
attack as normal; a "..." means it spends its turn doing nothing. How to
predict a misfire? When it stops in front of you, if it points towards
you, don't jump; wait for the smoke. When it holds onto the cannon with
both hands, jump immediately.
Bully- HP: 46 EXP: 17 Coins: 6 Drop: Ice Flower, Green Pepper
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These will be fought mainly while the babies are exploring on their own.
Their attack is a simple charge towards the babies, continuing off of the
screen, and then charging again them from behind, back to their original
position. The thing is, though, attacking them fills them with rage and
boosts both their speed and attack. Attack them twice, and they'll be
furious, hitting with great force and moving extremely fast. The best way
to handle them is focusing on one and getting rid of it before it has a
chance to move. If they do get into their pissed-off state, though, be
ready to jump over them, and immediately jump again after you land, to
avoid the second pass. Otherwise, wait a good second or so before jumping
again, since they move rather slowly.
Coconutter- HP: 43 EXP: 20 Coins: 6 Drop: Green Shell, Ultra Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
These nuisances have the ability to summon rainstorms, which will heal
30 HP of damage to ALL enemies present. An upcoming storm is indicated by
the use of their previous turn to merely raise their spear into the air,
forcing you to resort to your hammer rather than jumps. Their actual
attacks come from behind; they'll throw a spear into the air, out of
their side of the screen, and it'll impale one of the Bros. unless you
jump as soon as it's out of sight. They'll also appear from behind you
and blow a dart into your backside; jump when you see the tube move
closer to you after it initially shows up, and the dart should miss. Oh,
and the eye that gleams tells you which brother is being targeted for
the spear toss.
Dark Boo- HP: 63 EXP: 20 Coins: 6 Drop: Trampoline, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These guys fight exactly the same way as the original Boo enemies found
earlier in the game, only they're now much faster. In addition, when they
attack from behind, if you fail to avoid them, they'll steal one of your
items, whether it be healing, Bros. or so on. Jump as soon as they
appear. Not much else to say about them, though you'll get your item back
if you kill, er, exorcise them once they have it.
Dr. Shroob- HP: 29 EXP: 18 Coins: 10 Drop: Bro Flower, Mushroom Drop
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These doctors will attack you at first just like the Shroobs you faced
earlier, but once they've taken their shot, they'll pull out one of two
mushrooms and hold onto it; attacking them once they've done this will
cause them to drop it. If a Dr. is holding a red mushroom, you definitely
want him to lose it, or else he'll eat it come his turn and charge at
you. Shroobs holding a poisoned shroom are much less of a threat, as
they'll shrink and waddle towards you, making themselves easy pickings
for your hammer. Their shots are very slow and easy to jump; their
charging attacks are stopped with the hammer.
Dry Bones- HP: 53 EXP: 32 Coins: 7 Drop: Super Mushroom, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
Their attacks work just like the hammers thrown by the Hammer Bros. you
fought earlier- jump as the bones are hitting the ground in front of you,
and they should simply bounce underneath you. If it makes a hop before
throwing the bone, stand still, and the bone should sail over your head.
They'll throw anywhere from 2-3 bones; spinning their head around before
attacking means they'll go after Luigi. Chomping their jaws means they'll
go after Mario. They won't throw at the same person twice in a row.
Elasto-Piranha- HP: 27 EXP: 16 Coins: 6 Drop: Bro Flower, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: Ice Resist: Fire
These pipe-dwelling plants rest at the bottom of tree trunks, an
unpleasant surprise if you were hoping to find coins. These guys ARE
unpleasant, too, because if you screw up an evasive jump, the babies
will be nearly killed by just one of its fireballs. Take care when it
stretches up and off the screen- the fireball will take longer to come
down, so don't jump right away! Otherwise, jump once you see the
fireball and you should be fine. If it emerges from the pipe with its
head pointed straight up, the fireball will be spit onto Mario. Nice EXP
for defeating these guys.
Elite Boom Guy- HP: 80 EXP: 40 Coins: 8 Drop: Bro Flower, Blue Pepper
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: Ice
Again, these are exactly the same as their weaker version in BB's castle,
with the obvious increase in speed and attack. The signal for which kind
of shot they'll fire is also the same- both hands up for an immediate
shot; one hand pointing for a puff of smoke, then a bullet.
Fly Guy- HP: 110 EXP: 150 Coins: 10 Drop: Red Shell, Red Pepper
Weak: None Resist: None
Another menace. These guys carry time bombs with them, and depending on
the number, being hit with one can be very painful. Fly Guys attack
two ways; from above, and where they hover. If the attack is from above,
the Guy will fly onto the top screen and drop the bomb; you must hit it
back with your hammer, and the Fly Guy itself will take damage; when it
attacks from the bottom screen, it will swing back and forth multiple
times before hurling the bomb at you; jump it immediately upon its
release. After every attack, the timers will tick down one number, or a
fresh bomb will be grabbed if theirs have already exploded. Obviously,
Fly Guys with a timer of "1" are far more dangerous than those with 2 or
3, so kill them first. Better yet, get rid of all of them at once with a
Mix Flower.
Ghoul Guy- HP: 160 EXP: 100 Coins: 10 Drop: Max Mushroom, Red Pepper
Weak: None Resist: None
Remember the Boo Guy from Toadwood Forest? This is the upgrade. Again,
jump as soon as they split into two and are in front of the Bros.; the
target is determined by who the Ghoul Guy points at before attacking.
However, if these are in a battle with any enemies besides other Ghoul
Guys, they'll sacrifice themselves in order to raise the attack, defense
and speed of whomever they possess. You'll still get experience for the
Guy that sacrificed itself, but it's best to kill any other enemies
first, as a stat upgrade makes Shroobsworths really tough to take down.
In a battle where the Shroobsworths outnumber the Guys, get rid of the
Guys first... that is, if you aren't using a Mix Flower. Fry everyone
with this baby. =P
Gnarantula- HP: 30 EXP: 15 Coins: 5 Drop: Smash Egg, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: Fire (green), Ice (red) Resist: None
Don't jump on these guys! You never know if they have spikes under those
puffs. Some of them do, some don't. The best way to face them is just by
using your hammer. For attacks, they'll flutter towards you, and on the
second flutter, simply come down on top of you. Be ready with your hammer
to wail them as they come overhead; you'll get a feel for the timing.
Once you expose their spikes or lack thereof, their jumps will be a
little quicker.
Goomba- HP: 10 EXP: 3 Coins: 3 Drop: Mushroom, Super Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
As you would expect from such a simple enemy, these guys don't have
anything crafty up their sleeve. They'll charge in front of one of you,
stop for a second, then try to hit you; a jump after this little second
wait is all it takes to dodge and counterattack them.
Gold Koopeleon- HP: 10 EXP: 84 Coins: 100
Drop: Ultra Mushroom, Golden Pants
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys would rather flee than fight, but a few will still take a shot
at you before doing so. These guys use the standard approach, fade, then
charge, but they also may take a lash or two with their tongues. Both of
these kinda hurt, so do your best to avoid them; the standard charge is
simple but much faster, and the tongue is dodged by jumping immediately
once you see their cheeks throb. Their HP is so low, but your attacks
will only be dealing 1-2 apiece to them. If you actually manage to kill
one, you'll be nicely rewarded.
Guardian Shroob- HP: 81 EXP: 90 Coins: 9 Drop: ?
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These guys are pretty annoying. They'll appear in large groups, and
either shoot at one of the Bros., using the telltale signs as always, OR
they'll signal one of their allies to team up with them; if they do, the
two of them will stop in front of one bro each, then raise their guns up
and fire them in unison. Problem is, there's often a delay in the time
they fire, so you may jump too early and be shot. Try to spot exactly
when they're about to lower the guns, then jump. The shots are fired
very quickly, so you have little time to react. I generally use a
Trampoline on these guys the first chance I get; that way I can kill all
of them before any can take a shot.
Handfake- HP: 130 EXP: 155 Coins: 15 Drop: Mix Flower
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These guys can be total bastards, so get rid of them ASAP. Their attacks
all consist of holding up a cardboard cut-out of a particular Mario-
related enemy, then performing some sort of attack with it. Goombas,
it'll throw it from behind; jump as soon as it leaves the screen and it
should roll underneath you. This one may be done multiple times.
Paratroopas will spin anywhere from 1-3 times preceding the attack, then
approach; once it stops in front of you, depending on how many spins,
it'll rear the cut-out back that number of times, then sweep downwards
with it. Jump as soon as it rears back for the final time. If it
produces a Bob-omb, it'll throw it in the air; upside-down, it's aimed
for Luigi, and straight up, it's aimed at Mario; hit it with the hammer,
and it'll fall again, either onto the same person or to the other,
depending on how it comes down from the top screen. Hit it back and
forth several times, and it'll be destroyed. And lastly is a HUGE
cut-out of Bowser, whose attack is a cut-out of a flame flying onto the
screen and then towards one of the Bros. extremely quickly. Jump
immediately with both Bros. as soon as it passes the Handfake. These
attacks all pack a surprising punch, so kill the Handfakes ASAP. Mix
Flowers are great, as they have a weakness to fire attacks.
Koopeleon- HP: 18 EXP: 6 Coins: 4 Drop: Green Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
These little guys will approach you, stop, and then make themselves
invisible. This will take a second or two, and once they finish, they'll
move in and try to bite you. Pretty slow-moving enemies, so they won't
give you a lot of problems. Hitting one while it's invisible will bring
its color back; otherwise it'll stay blended in.
Lakitufo- HP: 26 EXP: 16 Coins: 7 Drop: Cannonballer
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys can be annoying if not dealt with. They always come with Spiny
Shroopas as cohorts, and if you kill one, there's a good chance it'll
merely beam a fresh one down from its saucer. Otherwise, it attacks by
beaming down a spiny egg, which will bounce at you; be ready to swing
your hammer as soon as it materializes, since it will come at you very
quickly. These guys also twirl around back and forth between Mario and
Luigi, then swirl in front of either for a moment and hurl themselves
off of their saucer and at your position. Give them a moment after they
move in front of you, then jump. Lastly, the easiest attack to counter:
Lakitu will hover over you and try to beam you up into his saucer. Have
your hammer charging, and wail him once you get close to the top. These
guys are total bastards; by all means get rid of them first.
Lethal Bob-omb- HP: 60 EXP: 70 Coins: 10 Drop: Refreshing Herb
Weak: None Resist: Fire, Ice, Mix
These little guys do one thing and one thing only: explode! No standard
charge attack; their fuses are already lit once the battle begins. That
said, the only thing to do if you haven't destroyed them all is to have
your hammer ready and IMMEDIATELY hit them away when they pass up and
down in front of you. If you don't get rid of them right away, you won't
be killed outright, but you're in for serious damage. Only the babies
will find themselves in battles with these, either in groups or as a
cohort to Ghoul Guy.
Love Bubble- HP: 95 EXP: 130 Coins: 10 Drop: Smash Egg, Max Mushroom
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
These little turds have the ability to heal their allies, so get rid of
them first. Otherwise, their attacks are easy to spot and easier to
dodge- it may fly onto the top screen and poke one of its feet out; when
it does this, jump as soon as you hear the little whistle, for it will
dive-bomb your location extremely quickly. It will also fly between the
two Bros. and poke one of its feet out; if the bubble is low to the
ground, jump with the brother it targeted, then jump quickly again with
the other, as it will pass through you both in a circle. If it does this
but is flying much higher, jump ONLY with the brother it targeted, as it
will make a low sweep, then immediately fly above the other. Lastly, it
will swirl around the two Bros., picking up speed, then eventually
crashing into one of them; simply swat it with the hammer as it passes in
front, and the attack will stop. These things are weak to fire attacks.
Pidgit- HP: 24 EXP: 18 Coins: 6 Drop: Smash Egg, Mushroom Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
Remember them? They'll fly into the top screen, then quickly swoop down
and make a pass at one of the Bros. If they hop before swooping, they'll
stop in mid-air and make some psychotic sort of laugh before going
through with the attack. Who will be attacked? If they pause while in
front of the group, they'll swoop at Luigi. If they pause behind you,
then they'll pass at Mario. They don't swoop towards you at blinding
speed or anything, so jumping and countering the move is pretty easy.
These guys sometimes carry a sack, and defeating them before they flee
will net you 18 extra coins.
Piranha Planet- HP: 140 EXP: 170 Coins: 20 Drop: Copy Flower, Ultra Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys are not only cool-looking, but they're one of the meanest
enemies in the game, as their attacks are quite painful. For one, it may
teleport to the top screen, and then drop onto one of the Bros.; take
note of how it spins and ready that brother's hammer, then be prepared
to hit it back AGAIN, as it will fall back onto you twice more. Second,
it will draw a laser from either its top or bottom, then fire; sprouting
from the top, it'll shoot at Mario, and from the bottom, Luigi. However,
give it a good second or two after the gun is drawn, for there's a
pretty good delay between the time it pulls it out and when it fires. Be
warned that it may shoot a sweeping beam, as well; simply be ready to
jump with the opposite bro if necessary. Lastly, it will sprout 8, count
'em, 8 different Piranha heads from the various pipe-craters and spin,
launching all of them at either one, depending on their color; once the
first has been fired, they'll all be about one second apart; jump with
both of them simultaneously, so you need not worry about who's being
targeted next.
Pokey- HP: 55 EXP: 36 Coins: 10 Drop: Green Shell, 1-Up Super
Weak: None Resist: None
Unlike other Pokeys, these can be leapt onto and damaged. Their attacks
are pretty annoying at first, at least when you haven't learned the
timing or what they're capable of. If Pokey spins its lower segments
around, you'll be targeted with a rapid-fire needle attack for
however many parts that remain; three needles per segment. They're
fired in quick succession, and avoided by jumping as soon as the first
needle is fired, then again as soon as you land until all shots have
missed. An easier attack to deal with is when it bounces all of its
parts towards you; they're fired one at a time and overhead, for you to
whack away with your hammer. Provided you don't fudge the hammer timing,
these are easy to deal with. Their last attack is impossible to avoid if
their bodies are complete- a simple charging towards you. You can knock
parts of their body away with the Green Shell, or the babies' hammers
when they're alone.
RC Shroober- HP: 58 EXP: 26 Coins: 8 Drop: Cannonballer, Ultra Mushroom
Weak: Ice Resist: None
Shroobs that attack you not with lasers, but with remote-controlled toys
of sorts. Their attack depends on the number of antennae that sprout from
its head; two, and it'll send a UFO over your head, trying to beam you up
into it. Charge up the hammer and whack it as you get close. Their second
attack, indicated by a single antenna, is a bit trickier; a small robot
will appear and rove quickly in circles around the Bros., making anywhere
from 1-3 passes. When it begins to glow, it'll explode once it's finished
making its pass. If the Shroober hops before summoning the robot, though,
the bot will pause in place before zipping at you, so don't jump right
away. If they face the screen upon sprouting their antennae, the attack
will go for Mario, or Mario first in the case of the robot.
Red Coconutter- HP: 85 EXP: 70 Coins: 7 Drop: Red Pepper, Ultra Mushroom
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These freaks battle exactly the same as their weaker versions, with only
one minor tweak to one of their attacks- they now fire their blow guns
multiple times from behind the Bros. Jump each time the tube moves
towards you, and the darts should miss. Kill these idiots first, as they
like to heal everyone with rain.
Shroid: HP: 110 EXP: 140 Coins: 15 Drop: Ultra Drop
Weak: None Resist: None
Another pretty nasty enemy. The Shroids are tankish defensively, so it'll
take more than one attack to destroy these guys. Their moves are unlike
what any other Shroob has used against you thus far, and are pretty
painful; it'll catch a spiked ball dropped from the top screen with an
initial on it, indicating the target, and then throw it; quickly have
your hammer ready and whack it back at him. Secondly, it'll encase both
Mario and Luigi inside crystals, then rove up and down with a large laser
gun; jump repeatedly as fast as possible with both characters and break
out of the crystals, then be ready to jump the laser. You'll know it's
about to fire when the two rays of energy close around it; jump at this
point. Lastly, and most difficult to dodge, the Shroid will hold up one
or two flags, red and green in color; this is NOT indicating the target,
but instead telling you to JUMP with that particular character. Do so,
and it will hold up another set of flags; keep this up for 3-7 turns,
and the Shroid will back off. Fail, and the brother that erred will be
hit with any flags the Shroid was holding. Be warned that it does try to
fake you out by lowering a flag as soon as it's raised. The babies will
never have to fight these guys on their own.
***If you counter the Shroid's spiked ball and haven't destroyed it
completely before its next turn, you'll notice it's in a damage state.
Its attacks will now mislead you by targetting the opposite of what they
indicate- a spiked ball labelled with an M will now be thrown at Luigi.
Even more confusing is its flag attack- jump with Luigi when a red flag
is raised, and with Mario when the flag is green. If it holds both of
them up, just stay still. Kill them before they attack in this state!***
Shroob Intern- HP: 130 EXP: 180 Coins: 20
Drop: Copy Flower, Supreme Slacks
Weak: None Resist: None
The Intern will sit still for one turn after Shroobsworth has been slain,
and if you fail to kill him then, he'll fully revive the Shroobsworth and
you'll have to off the old dude again. Note you receive no EXP for
defeating the Shroobsworth; allowing him to be revived over and over will
NOT get you more experience or coins. Only the Intern coughs up any
spoils.
Shroob Rex- HP: 200 EXP: 185 Coins: 12 Drop: Mix Flower, 100-Point Pants
Weak: None Resist: None
These enemies will never appear on the level layout itself, but they show
up in many if not almost all battles with Soul Bubbles, Shroobsworths,
and Ghoul Guys, which are quite plentiful and DO show up on the map. Now,
Rexes have two different attacks- charging and spitting flaming rocks.
The charge is a simple stop in front of the target, then run through them
offscreen, then make a return pass; but, when they come back around, they
might charge through either of the Bros., so be sure to jump with both.
Give them a good two seconds between each charge, and also once they
stop in front of you in mid-flight. ***It is impossible to avoid a Rex if
it is at its FULL height when it charges. Make sure their head is
scrunched down at least one level beforehand; Rexes can be squished at
least twice.*** Its flaming rock attack is far more easy to dodge; have
both hammers ready, as the rock will either roll towards one bro, then
travel towards the other one upon whacking it; or, the rock will split
into two and roll towards both, then crumble once hit. This attack not
only really hurts, but also burns, so take care not to get hit with it.
Lastly, Rex may fly between or near one the two Bros., then flip and do
a ground pound, sending out a shockwave at the two of you; jump as soon
as he lands, and you should avoid it (jumping with one bro first and then
the other when he's making the quake from the top or bottom instead). I'm
not sure if he'll produce more than one shockwave; if he does, I've never
been on the receiving end of it. These SOBs will do a number on your
health if you don't get rid of them immediately, so use a mighty Mix
Flower and off them at the start.
Shrooba Diver- HP: 70 EXP: 32 Coins: 8 Drop: Super Mushroom, Blue Pepper
Weak: Ice Resist: None
These guys have a bunch of different attacks, all of which are easy to
avoid, once you recognize them and get a feel for the timing. First are
its attacks which you can actually counter- swimming towards the brothers
quickly, looping around so that it makes a pass under each one; simply
jump once it gets close. The other is diving out of the sand and into the
air, coming back down on either bro; have your hammer charged and ready
as it's shooting up, then swing as it comes down. The other two involve
pulling objects out of the sand and throwing them at you quickly. If it
brings up a spiked ball, leap when it throws it, and it'll bounce
underneath you. If it pulls out a Cheep-Cheep, stand still, as it always
bounces overhead. With its swimming attacks, they're always preceded by
diving under and are executed quickly; look at what the intended means
of dodging are (either the jump or hammer command) to figure out what's
coming.
Shrooblet- HP: 7 EXP: 2 Coins: 2 Drop: Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
All it does is stop between Mario and Luigi, and then raise one of its
feet, indicating which Bro it'll attack. It then makes a spin towards
them. Easy to dodge; jumping on it as it does this will deal damage.
Shroobsworth- HP: 160 EXP: 0 Coins: Drop: None
Weak: None Resist: None
Right up there with Rex as an enemy that is best not allowed to ever get
an attack in. Shroobsworths carry a little guy on their backs, the Shroob
Intern, and work together to pull off some pretty powerful attacks. If
he throws the Intern onto the top screen, you'll be shot at by the
Intern; jump quickly with both to avoid it. Once Shroobsworth catches the
Intern, it'll throw it up again for a 2nd-3rd shot. Now, if the Intern
goes offscreen, the Shroobsworth will hold its arm and cane out for a
couple seconds, then dash in and slash at both Bros. with it. It's easy
enough to catch him as he dashes and jump before he slashes with the
cane, so don't let him get a hit in. Lastly, the Intern will produce a
large meteorite, and either the Intern or Shroobsworth will hit it at
you; if the Intern hits it, it'll launch towards Mario; if Shroobsworth
hits it, it'll be launched at Luigi. Once you hit it, though, either one
of the pair will hit it back, and it'll go on for several turns picking
up speed until you get hit, or the duo does. While the Intern is riding
on his back, only Shroobsworth will take damage. Kill him, and the Intern
will spin-swat him away, leaving...
Skellokey- HP: 84 EXP: 100 Coins: 10 Drop: Red Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
An enemy just for the babies! Skellokeys won't fire spines at you, but
they do breathe fire (from 1-5 times), which will coast along the ground
quickly at either baby, or split between them and target both; jump the
flame as it comes towards you, and you'll dodge it easily. These guys
also three of their segments towards you, much like the regular Pokeys
did. Have your hammer ready quickly for each one, and whack it away once
it comes. Lastly, it will roll its parts along the ground at you; simply
jump as they come near and they'll be dodged easily. These two attacks
are always preceded by the restoration of its parts. Your hammer isn't
the weapon of choice, here; the Green Shells are. Knock out those
segments and bean it in its head until it crumbles!
Snifaro- HP: 90 EXP: 50 Coins: 10 Drop: Trampoline, 1-Up Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
More interesting variants of Snifits are back! This time, the sarcophagus
dwelling Snifit attacks by sliding open its door and firing two shots,
one from its headpiece, and another from the Snifit inside. The order of
the shots depends on the way the sarcophagus door slides open; if the
door slides right, don't move, and the shot will fly past, then jump; if
the door slides left, jump over the shot and you'll avoid the second.
These guys also attack by leaping onto the sarcophagus itself and riding
it like a rocket, up into the top screen and then looping around to
charge at either brother. Jump onto them as they pass under, and they'll
take damage.
Snoozorb- HP: 150 EXP: 170 Coins: 15 Drop: Red Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys will sleep soundly until you wake them up. They're defensive
tanks and pretty powerful, so try to destroy them in one blow. Before
any attack, it will blow steam from its head compartment; if the steam
flows to the left, it'll target Mario, and right, it'll target Luigi. It
may curl itself into a sphere and roll towards someone; hit it away with
your hammer, and be prepared to hit it again, as it may try to plow
through you twice more. That's the simple one; these guys have a meaner
laser attack, which can fire either above or directly at you, depending
on how it charges its energy. If the energy lines swirl around it, the
beam will be fired over your head, so don't move. If the lines are
straight, be ready to jump. There's no way of telling when it will
decide to sweep across the floor with the beam after it's fired, so be
ready to jump with the other character. Mix Flower these guys, as your
jumps will deal insufficient damage.
Soul Bubble- HP: 100 EXP: 175 Coins: 15 Drop: 1-Up Mushroom, 1-Up Super
Weak: None Resist: None
Not only are these things so much faster than Love Bubbles, but if you
attack them and fail to kill them, they'll retaliate by healing or even
resurrecting one of its dead allies, if you've destroyed anyone, yet.
While this opens the way for more EXP, these guys almost always bring
Shroob Rexes with them, and since you used your turn already, you won't
be able to do anything if the Rex decides to charge you. Unavoidable pain
really sucks, so when you attack these things, make sure it's going to
do the job in a single blow. Generally you're best off Mix Flowering
these jerks along with their dino cohorts.
Spiny Shroopa- HP: 18 EXP: 2 Coins: 2 Drop: Green Shell
Weak: None Resist: None
These guys will take a few whacks with the hammer once you face them for
the first time, but they're not too gifted offensively. They'll hop in
front of either brother, and sit still for a good two seconds, and then
lunge. You should have your hammer ready as they're waiting to pounce,
then release as soon as they do. You'll get a feel for the timing very
quickly. Be warned that they sometimes will pause right after being
counterattacked, and make a second lunge; have your hammer ready again
in case they do. These guys also have the ability to poison you. Why
such crappy EXP and coins? You'll soon meet an enemy that'll spawn these
things over and over again. Can't give you TOO much per battle, can they?
Tanoomba- HP: 90 EXP: 82 Coins: 9 Drop: Pocket Chomp, Green Pepper
Weak: Fire, Mix Resist: None
The morphing Goombas are back from SSS, this time with three new attacks
up their sleeves. Their first and most common involves morphing into a
spiny shell and circling around the Bros.; jump with both as the attack
begins, then with each person as the shell comes near. It may make
anywhere from 1-3 passes before retreating. Its second and third attacks
involve jumping into the top screen and morphing into one of two objects-
a Thwomp, which falls very quickly, and a balloon, which floats down much
more slowly. Have your hammer ready immediately to deal with the Thwomp,
as it's a lot harder to dodge, and you can tell whom is about to be
squashed or bopped by the manner in which the Tanoomba jumps; straight
upright for Mario, and flipping around for Luigi.
Tashrooba- HP: 125 EXP: 150 Coins: 10 Drop: Ultra Drop, Max Mushroom
Weak: None Resist: None
Faster, stronger, much more evil relative of the Tanoomba. Their shell
and Thwomp attacks are much faster and stronger, so react to the warning
signs immediately. In case you forgot: hop means the shell spins towards
Mario first, flip means Luigi; hopping straight up into the air means
it'll come down on Mario, while flipping means it'll go for Luigi.
Thwack- HP: 54 EXP: 20 Coins: 2 Drop: Super Mushroom, Block Trousers
Weak: None Resist: None
I LOVE these guys for gaining EXP! All throughout the battle with these
things, if they have any allies that have been killed, or any vacant
positions, they'll pound the ground and summon more of them. Any summoned
Thwack is still given a turn to move, so they are likely to summon even
more, if possible. Otherwise, Thwacks have very quick, straightforward
attacks; either lifting up and hurtling at either brother quickly, or
lifting higher and flying overhead to come down from above. Jump as soon
as the Thwack begins to move towards you, and swing your hammer as soon
as they're overhead, and they'll be stopped. Their color indicates who
they'll be attacking; bear in mind that Thwacks will only stay in battle
for so long before turning gold and exploding into boulders, which will
roll towards the heroes. Jump the moment they burst apart to clear the
rocks.
Thwack Totem- HP: 152 EXP: 60 Coins: 10 Drop: Super Drop, 1-Up Super
Weak: None Resist: None
Battles with these will always start at four Thwacks; they'll immediately
combine into a single unit, though. They'll attack by either spinning
each segment and firing at you, which is deflected by the hammer, or
rocketing into the air, then dropping each block onto the ground, forming
a shockwave that targets a brother depending on the color of the block
that landed. Jump as they land, and you should avoid it. These guys are
found at the bottom of holes, for the babies to face alone.
Wonder Thwack- HP: 100 EXP: 30 Coins: 4 Drop: 1-Up Mushroom, 1-Up Super
Weak: Fire, Mix (green), Ice (reds) Resist: Ice (green) Fire, Mix (red)
The standard Thwack, only now glowing with energy. Their attacks remain
the same, only they are MUCH faster, and will summon much more of them
if they decide to do so. Be warned that their overhead attack cannot be
countered immediately once they stop; they'll be too high. Wait the
briefest of moments before swinging, and you'll wail them on their
descent. Keep in mind they'll still explode if you haven't finished the
battle after some time. Reds are weak to ice; greens are weak to fire.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[15] Boss Guide OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Now, the bosses. I'm far more certain about the HP values listed for
each boss, though some may not be exactly correct; specifically, the Elder
Shrooboid, Shrooboid Brat, and Baby Bowser. Still, I'm confident that what I
have listed is pretty damn near close, if not dead-on. Once again I'll mention
that any value listed in any guide of Nintendo's should not be taken
seriously. Also, you win items from some of these battles. Whether that item
is scripted into your victory and you always win it, or you win it by chance,
I'm not entirely sure; it does seem kinda random. I'd appreciate it if anyone
could shed some light on that in an email.
BOWSER & BABY BOWSER
HP: 1200 (Bowser), 700 (Baby Bowser)
Weak: Ice (Bowser)
EXP: 820
Coins: 350
Win: Max Mushroom, Ultra Drop
You'll want to off Baby Bowser first. Why? Because he'll be healing Bowser
after every turn, as well as giving him more opportunities to attack.
However, while he's riding on Bowser's back, he's not even a target for
attacking, so you'll need to get him by himself. How to do this? Go after
Bowser for a few turns while avoiding his attacks; soon, BB will pull out a
hammer and Bowser will recede into his shell. BB whacks him at you, and you
must whack him back and forth while he builds up speed until he plows through
BB and off the screen. He'll stay off for a while, so now is the time to go
all-out on Baby Bowser. He's got no weaknesses, but he's not tankish like
Bowser, so it won't take more than one or two Copy Flowers, provided you can
keep the damage chain going really long.
Once he's been defeated, the adult will return, and with a weakness that BB
didn't possess: Ice. Use your Ice Flowers on this guy without mercy until he
suffers a drop in defense; then, depending on what you're comfortable with,
go crazy with Cannonballers, Trampolines, or Copy Flowers. Copy Flowers
should get you the most damage and IMO are easier to use than Trampolines,
but you'll need very quick fingers to achieve really painful blows with them.
If your reflexes are up to par, just use a Copy Flower or two and Bowser's
1200 HP will be gone in no time.
Now for their attacks: Bowser may jump up and produce a shockwave upon
landing; jump it with both Bros., but be ready with your hammers, because
this move often causes Thwacks to fall from the ceiling; red ones will target
Mario, and green Luigi, obviously. He'll also take a deep breath and spew
flames at you; jump immediately after the gusts of air cease, but if he
grins instead, there will be a nice delay before the flames actually come, so
don't jump just yet. He'll do this anywhere from 2-5 times in a row. He might
toss BB into the air, and upon BB's landing, launch a fireball at either bro;
BB will spin counter-clockwise when targeting Mario and clockwise for Luigi,
and fly off the screen completely when the fireball will be launched at both.
Baby Bowser simply heals Bowser for 100+ HP, whacks his shell back and forth
with the Bros., or initiates the BB toss I described above. While he's by
himself, he'll simply whack or spit fireballs towards you; hit them back or
jump as needed. Bowser is really the only one you have to worry about, here.
COMMANDER SHROOB, SUPPORT SHROOB, SHROOB-OMB
HP: 1600 (Comm), 170 (Support) --(Bomb)
Weak: Ice (Comm and Supports)
EXP: 810
Coins: 180
At the start of the battle, Commander Shroob will guide three Support Shroobs
to the battlefield, carrying a massive, purple Bob-omb, and then leave. He's
the one you want to destroy in order to win this battle, so how do you get
him to stay and fight? Easy: take out the middle and rear Support Shroobs,
and the front will fall under the weight of the bomb, dropping it so that it
rolls back and explodes, bringing out the Commander. Until then, if the
Supports are left to attack, they'll throw the Shroob-omb at one or both of
the Bros; whack it back to them with the hammer, and they'll toss it right
back. Keep this up until it explodes on the Shroobs themselves. Make sure you
constantly charge up both hammers, as when it's thrown between you, you'll
both need to hit it back or it will explode. They'll also hurl the bomb up,
and while it's in mid-air, rush you one at a time; simply jump as they get
close, and you can land on them to deliver some damage. Try not to get hit
by the explosion, because it often inflicts dizziness, which is an especially
bad thing to have in this battle, as counters require both to participate.
After the Commander has been brought out, he uses one of two attacks; the
standard laser gun, which I pray you've learned how to avoid by now, and by
grabbing onto his Supports and spinning or throwing them through the air at
you. Avoid these by wailing with the hammer; neither come at you very
quickly, so this isn't too hard. While the Commander is present, begin by
using Ice Flowers, as it can not only chop his defenses, but he's also weak
to ice attacks. Once you get a defense cut, go all out on him with Copy
Flowers. After three turns, he'll leave and the Supports will return, so
you'll have to repeat the process of destroying the middle and rear. This
shouldn't be too difficult.
ELDER SHROOBOID
HP: 950, then 1150
Weak: Ice
EXP: 1500
Coins: 400
Win: Ultra Drop
A few things up front:
-He can't be jumped on, due to the spikes, obviously, but he'll soon fall
over, exposing himself to them.
-He's weak to ice attacks.
-The HP up there is for his first stage, and then his second, when he
increases in size.
This guy likes to attack with fireballs, spiked balls, and ball 'n chains.
For the ball 'n chain, he'll first trap the two of you inside crystals, then
come in swinging the thing; jump constantly as fast as possible to release
yourself from the crystals, then be ready as he smacks the ball towards the
brother that was indicated by the initial; then, be ready to jump again as he
hurls himself towards the opposite brother soon afterwards. He'll blow some
steam before smacking the thing, not to mention fall over, so let him finish;
this is to give you enough time to break out of the crystals. He'll also
approach one of the Bros. and pause for a few moments before twirling through
him; constantly wail on him with the hammer until he backs off. This attack,
as well as his spiked ball attacks will often make you dizzy, so be careful.
The spiked balls he throws will circle around you slowly, much like the Love
Bubble's attack; hit it with your hammer to send it flying. For his
fireballs, simply jump as they bounce towards you; the target is indicated by
the claw he throws them with.
After a few turns of bombarding him with Ice Flowers, his weakness, he'll use
the spiked ball attack and fall over afterwards; now is the time to bombard
him with Copy Flowers. Don't ever hit him with any fire attacks. Once he's
taken heavy damage, he'll stand up and double in size, as well as spit out a
UFO, which produces a timer. If this timer ticks down to zero, you'll be shot
to hell and die instantly, so you can't allow that to happen. How to avoid
this? The spiked balls the Elder throws can be deflected with the hammer,
where they'll fly onto the top screen; if they hit the UFO buzzing around up
there, the timer will reset itself. One thing to remember: Luigi hits the
ball straight up, while Mario will send it at an angle. Keep this in mind if
trying to hit the UFO. Any drops he sustained from your Ice Flowers will be
gone upon the increase, so unleash them against him once more until he falls
over again; then, it's back to the Copy Flower treatment. His attacks don't
change from this point, though they are now more powerful. Every time he uses
the spiked ball attack, he'll fall afterwards, so look forward to it.
HAMMER BROS.
HP: 100 (each)
EXP: 80
Coins: 70
Win: Mushroom Drop
These guys may have a huge amount of HP compared to the babies, but you'll be
dealing counterattack damage to both of them every turn in addition to your
standard attacks, so this battle won't take very long. You can't survive
repeated hits from these guys, but the attacks are easy to avoid; as long as
both of them are alive, they'll hit the other brother with their hammer to
turn them into a ball of sorts, and then strike it again to send it flying
towards you. Jump right after they hit it, and you should land on the HB just
after it strikes where you would have been. Now, if the head of their hammer
flies off before they hit their HB at you, do nothing, and it'll just fly
overhead. You should have a plethora of Green Shells now, so how about using
some? You can get some nice double-digit damage on these guys, as opposed to
your pitifully weak jumps. Single one of the Hammer Bros. out until it's been
defeated, and then get ready for a new attack- the hammers themselves. The
remaining HB will jump when it's going to throw a hammer at BM, and the bulb
on its helmet will glow when BL is the target. You don't have to study him
for this, really- just jump when the hammer is about to make contact with the
floor in front of you, and the attack will miss. He'll throw anywhere from
two to five hammers at the babies in one turn. Since he'll already have taken
a fair amount of damage every time you countered his duo attack, just use
jumps to finish him off in a few turns.
JUNIOR SHROOBOID
HP: 13
EXP: 6
Coins: 0
While this is only a warm-up, if anything, we still have the standard boss
theme, so I'm classing it as one. As if you've forgotten your timed attacks
since you were a baby, Toadsworth will try to teach you how to fight. Again.
Just jump on this guy; his only attack is spinning in a cyclone and making a
pass at you. It moves pretty slow, so jumping over it and landing on him for
counterattack damage is simple. Finishing this battle will automatically get
you a level-up.
KAMEK
HP: 450
EXP: 130
Coins: 50
Kamek's primary means of attack will be producing spiked balls with his wand
and then raining them down on your party. As soon as his turn begins, he'll
hop onto his broom, then start firing bursts of the transform-o magic his
generation of baddies are known for. He'll fly directly in front of the Bros.
he plans to hit, so there'll be no confusion as to where the balls will land
once they come from the top screen. Hit them away with your hammer before
they connect, and they'll sail into Kamek for some damage. He'll also produce
mushrooms with his wand, too; if you spot one of these, don't swing your
hammer at it; otherwise it'll heal him. Let them fall onto you and they'll
replenish your own health! Following every one of his attacks, if he hasn't
any in his possession already, he'll create four clones of himself; now, you
can try and jump on two of them and see if they're the real deal; the fakes
will simply vanish, but you can also use an all-hitting attack like the Bro
Flower and rid of all of them at once. I prefer to keep them around, for
all five Kameks will attack, meaning the real Magikoopa will suffer a lot
of damage from repeated counterattacks, or you'll receive a lot of health
recovery. Obviously, the counterattacks will give away the real Kamek, so
wail away on him afterwards. If you knock him from his broom, he'll summon
up a fireball to travel along the ground at you, starting up by Mario. Jump
it with both brothers, then be prepared to swing your hammer- sometimes, the
fireball will strike Kamek and set him on fire, rather than simply go
offscreen. If this happens, Kamek will charge at you very quickly. You have
no time to raise the hammer once he starts running, so be prepared the moment
the fireball connects. He has no other attacks in his arsenal, and will climb
back onto his broom once he's conjured up the fireball. Use your trusty
Cannonballers once again when you're sure you're hitting the real Kamek; four
of them, in addition to all the counterattack damage, should be enough to
finish him off.
MRS. THWOMP
HP: 500
EXP: 400
Coins: 0
First things first, damage Mrs. Thwomp takes in her large form does NOT count
towards her max HP; only damage dealt while she is split up will deplete her
actual health. That said, it takes 150 HP worth of damage to shatter her into
four different Thwomps; three are of course fake, with one being real. How to
tell the difference? The real madam has perfect teeth (as in none sharp or
missing) and no chips or cracks. While she's large, she'll roll several
boulders at you very quickly; constantly have your hammer armed and ready to
whack them out of the way. Or, she'll hurl herself into the air and come down
with a shockwave; depending on how many times she spins while on the top
screen, you'll have to jump with one bro before the other, or both at the
same time. Three spins, and she'll land between the two of you; jump at the
same time. Six spins, and she'll land by Mario, so jump with him and then
quickly afterwards with Luigi. A whopping nine spins, and she'll land towards
Luigi, so he'll have to make the first jump. She'll soon bust into smaller
pieces, as 150 HP is eaten up pretty quickly at this point.
While she's broken up, she and her clones will raise an eyebrow and then hurl
themselves at either brother; have your hammer ready to whack them away. This
attack moves much slower, so you shouldn't have any trouble dealing with it.
Trampolines attack every enemy, so don't bother with them; instead, use your
good 'ol Cannonballers. Three or four of them to the correct Thwomp while
she's divided up should destroy her. If you don't demolish her quickly
enough, she'll reform into a large boulder again, and you'll have to repeat
the process. This is a pretty easy battle; I recommend opening with a single
Trampoline, as that should be enough to bust her apart. Provided that you
don't suck with Trampolines... ;)
PETEY PIRANHA
HP: 1300
Weak: Fire
EXP: 360
Coins: 250
I utterly destroyed this guy with only four Trampolines, thus avoiding his
somewhat annoying second phase, but I had my Bros. equipped with the Muscle
Slacks and POW-Peak badges, so things went a little more quickly for me. His
attacks don't vary at all while he's flying, but your means of dodging them
do. Petey will leap up to the top screen and dive off of blocks onto the
ground below, sending a seed flying at each of your heroes. Depending on how
he dives, you'll either jump with one before the other, or at the same time;
a forward dive means Mario should jump first and Luigi soon afterwards; a
flip (spiraling repeatedly) means both should jump at the same time; and a
backwards dive (mouth facing the Bros.) means Luigi should jump first,
followed by Mario. As soon as Petey's body makes impact with the ground, the
seeds will fly, so that is the time to jump. Eventually, if you haven't
killed him yet, Petey will burrow underground, with only his head poking out;
He cannot be jumped on in this state. He now uses two different attacks; the
first consists of sending a pendulum dangling from a block whipping towards
you, which is countered with the hammer, sending it back to the other brother
(several times in a row); for the second, he'll burrow completely and attempt
to pull the Bros. down with him into a sinkhole. Jump CONSTANTLY, as fast as
you can, over and over, and you should avoid this one. That's all there is
to Petey. Not a large arsenal, but he likes to attack three times in a row,
so be ready for them. Lastly, he has a weakness to Fire, but you're better
off saving your Fire Flowers for the times he's burrowed. If he's susceptible
to jumps, take advantage of the opportunity and pelt him with Cannonballers
or the Trampolines.
BOSS: PRINCESS SHROOB
HP: 3000
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
Despite what several gamers and Nintendo Power might say, that is not an
error; her HP is definitely 3000. But before you can hack away at that, you
must first put her throne (temporarily, unfortunately) out of commission. To
do this, you must repeatedly attack her shield, to the point the throne can
no longer take it, and will crash to the floor. Until then, the throne
attacks three different ways:
-Lasers
Two cannons will appear, and toggle up and down for a few seconds; when they
stop, they'll fire a beam in the direction they point. You only have a second
to react, so pay close attention and jump with whomever needs to, to avoid
taking a hit. The beams will never sweep, so that isn't a problem. She'll
fire them 5 times per attack.
-Energy Rings
The throne will leave the battlefield and return as a walker; once it hops
over your party, it will fire rings down at you, which close in once they
hit the ground. To make this as easy as possible, jump with both characters
as the rings get close to the ground. They trip you, so take care. She'll
fire off many of them before finishing with...
-Crush
Once her ring attack is finished, her walker will get ready to lower itself
on top of you. Both Bros. must ready their hammers and release them at the
same time once she gets closer. Swing before she'll actually be right above
you to ensure a counter. If she cackles, she'll pause mid-way, then come down
fast. This attack tends to make you dizzy when it hits.
The best way to disable her shield is with a multi-hitting attack,
particularly Copy Flowers, as they start off slow and with really easy timing.
Try to do this before she even has a chance to attack you with it. Once she's
out of the walker, she'll attack one of four ways, but may use them several
times in a row; If she produces a star, she'll send it towards you, and if
you fail to jump on it (removing it), it will continue past and loop around
for another pass. It'll increase in speed each time you dodge it until it
hits either of you, or gets stomped out. Obviously, you want to get rid of it
as soon as it's launched. Otherwise, she just launches balls of energy three
different ways; a single shot in front of you, a single shot from above, or a
spread shot between you. The first two are avoided by jumping and using the
hammer, respectively (the overhead shots will be fired at Mario from her left
hand and Luigi from her right); the spread shot is best dodged by jumping with
the brother it will hit first, then the other. If you land on top of the ball,
you'll stomp it without taking damage, so that's all right. Nothing else to
say about these attacks, though it bears mentioning that they can cause
poisoning, and the star attack can reduce your stats.
You have three rounds to beat her up before her throne will be back in
business, so it'd be best to kill her now. Copy Flowers are your best friend;
use them relentlessly. Once you've inflicted over 1500 worth of damage, she'll
charge herself with energy and go into what I like to call Psycho ***** Mode.
Basically, she'll now launch a good 20 attacks at you in a row, one after the
other, always beginning with her star. If she gets back into her walker,
she'll pull off a good 5 attacks with that, too. Her damage really adds up, so
end this as quickly as possible. If you know you won't be able to kill her in
the last turn before she is able to move again, heal whomever needs it to have
the best chances of surviving her barrage. Her walker's attacks will give you
far more problems as far as dodging goes, so you shouldn't get your ass handed
to you. You'll receive a full health replenishment once you've won.
BOSS: ELDER PRINCESS SHROOB
HP: 3500
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
Once again, I assure you that this form has 3500 HP. Her attacks also have far
more variety than seen in the first battle; they basically all rely on the
UFOs that fly onto the scene to be executed; the less she has, the less her
repertoire can have. How do you decrease the number of UFOs? Peach will toss
you a star once per round; use the cursor that appears to aim and take out as
many as you can in one shot. Note that there is a tiny delay between when you
press the button to fire and when the cursor stops, so take that into account.
I'll list her attacks by the number of flying saucers she requires to use it:
0 UFOs:
-Shoulder Ram
She'll get into a charging position and then quickly run at one of the Bros.;
Have your hammer ready, quickly, and swing once she's near. Be warned, though,
that she may pause in front of you before charging again, or may jump back
upon being struck, then charge again.
1 UFO:
-Chain Chomp
She'll leave and return with a Chomp, and a UFO will fly down to it, and
proceed to fly in circles around the Bros., leaving you in the path of the
Chomp. Try and jump onto the Chomp as it first passes underneath you; it will
make several trips, quickly, and you're likely to take a lot of damage as it
comes back around from behind. Hopping on it once ceases the attack. Note that
this attack can inflict poisoning.
-Energy Drink
Much like what Swiggler drank, a UFO will bring her a glass of fluid. She
gulps it down and recovers 120 HP, then graciously swats the saucer away.
Nothing else to say about this one.
2 UFOs:
-Lasers & Quake
She'll hop onto two UFOs and take off to the top screen, then fire several
shots at either bro, much like the other saucers do. Just jump them all as
quickly as possible. Then, she'll retreat to the background and fire shots
from there; if the saucers are flying low, about level with Mario, jump them
as they come by, beginning with Mario and Luigi immediately after; if the
saucers are flying higher than that, stay still and they'll pass overhead.
Once she's finished, she'll leap off of the saucers and land back onto the
stage, creating a shockwave a second later; jump it with both.
3 UFOs:
-Meteorite
Funny that the most costly attack is also the most simple to avoid. Her peons
will bring her a huge Meteorite, and she'll slowly lumber towards one of the
Bros. to flatten with it; as she comes within hammer-hitting range, simply
wail on her as many times as you can, and she'll drop it. Very easy.
In my opinion, her shoulder ram is the most troublesome, as I hate any attack
with spontaneous lag; her Chomp attack can be a real pain as well, if you
don't get rid of it the second it begins chasing the UFO. Still, this should
be an easy battle, as there are no shields to bust and no special
circumstances to meet before pummeling her. As with the first Princess Shroob,
Copy Flowers are the way to go. Don't worry about how many UFOs are buzzing
around the skies as much as perfecting the timing on your Bros. Items to
inflict the most severe damage possible. If you land any blows over 1000, you
did pretty good; if you can nail her for a good 2k and up, you're doing great.
As her health drops lower, she'll begin using more attacks during her turn,
UFOs providing. Once you finish this lady off, she'll go straight into her
ultimate form. You won't recieve a free healing after this one, either.
BOSS: ELDER PRINCESS SHROOB
HP: 3000(head), 496(Feet), 248(Tentacles, each), 200(Crown)
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
Yes, this form has less HP than her previous, but you also have so much more
to deal with. First and most important to remember, is that as long as her
crown is active, her head will only take 1 point in damage, no matter what
you throw at it. And in order to get at the crown, you must first put her
foot tentacles out of commission, if only for a short while. Her body parts
all have at least one attack they can perform, and the crown does nothing but
protect her. Her attacks are as follows:
Feet:
-Tentacle Cycle
Either two, or worse, four tentacles will extend out from underneath the
Princess and begin rotating clockwise or counter-clockwise; you must jump
over each of them individually as they sweep by. They gradually pick up
speed. It pretty much comes down to how quickly you can alternate between
jumps with the Bros. If she begins this attack with one of them dizzy or
knocked down, that person is basically screwed.
Arm Tentacles:
-Stab
The point on one of the tentacles will glisten, then quickly squirm in and
take a stab at one of the Bros. You must jump immediately if this is a
tentacle closer to the Bros., as the window to react is very short. If a
farther tentacle is going in, you have a sliver of more time to move. These
things tend to poison you as a result. Her chin will be quivering rapidly
while she's doing this attack, and until she ceases, you can expect more
stabbing attempts; also, prior to every stab you'll notice a particular
tentacle rear back. Use this as a means of prediction rather than waiting for
the tentacle to glisten.
-Grab
The tentacles will move in and try to grab hold of the Bros. Have your hammer
ready, and whack them once they get close. If you happen to be grabbed, you'll
be thrown back to your position and possibly made dizzy.
Head:
-Huge Energy Ball
She'll fire a ball of energy above her head, and a number of smaller shots
will be launched into it; pay attention to which shots are greater in number;
more reds mean it will come down onto Mario, and it will target Luigi if there
were more greens. Have your hammer ready to hit it away; then, have the other
Bros. hammer ready to hit it once more. This will send it back at the
Princess. Should you be hit with it, you'll see a nice explosion, and the
victim will land on their ass and be in downed status until their turn comes
up.
-Poison Gas
Much like what Swiggler used against you, only these are not deflected with
the hammer. Simply jump over these as she spits them out. She'll use this
several times in a row, so be ready for them. Jumping onto the clouds
themselves works, too. This move is easiest to avoid, and I hardly see it.
-Time Hole
Again, a swarm of UFOs will enter the top screen, but rather than send them
plummeting onto the Bros., the Princess will suck them all into a time hole.
Then, once several turns have passed, they'll be fired back out at you; if
you can remember the order in which the Princess shot them, and how the ship
was damaged, you can avoid them as they come flying out by having your hammer
ready to hit them. Remember, the order in which they were SHOT determines the
order in which they're sent back through the hole, not how they were sucked
in; they're all pulled into the void at the same time, anyway.
The most efficient means of clearing everything out of the way and making the
head susceptible to damage is the Mix Flower. Open right away with one, and
if you've used it most effectively, this will wipe out all of the tentacles
and stun the feet in one go. Now, the crown will drop within range of your
attacks, so let loose with another Mix Flower, as it's the easiest thing to
use that will also get you big damage. With the crown shut off temporarily,
the head will finally be open to attack, so unleash any Copy Flowers,
Trampolines, Cannonballers; anything you have that can hit the head, deal a
lot of damage, and that you can time well, use it. The head will meanwhile be
killing a lot of her minions off in an effort to knock you out of your senses;
watch the saucers closely to see who will be hit next, and send them flying
back at her. Every few rounds, she'll begin reviving all of her parts and turn
the crown back on; they'll also use their respective attacks the moment
they're resurrected. Any time she does this, even if it's only a single part,
use another Mix Flower and nuke it back out of sight. If you're at level 30
for this battle, which you should be if you fought every enemy you saw just
once, then this won't be very aggravating. The only time problems really
arise is when one of the Bros. is inflicted with an ailment that renders him
immobile. Keep in mind that Refreshing Herbs still work even for dizziness and
being knocked to the ground. As with just about every boss in this game, as
her health drops lower, the attacks will increase in number; five stabs as
opposed to two, six UFOs shot down instead of a mere four, and so on.
If you must, use your Drop items to keep the group healed, and keep a
relentless dosage of Copy Flowers and Mix Flowers flying, whichever is more
practical at the time. I've seen many cases of people who claim this battle
took them an hour to finish, and sometimes well over that; I frankly have no
idea how in the hell that's possible, unless their levels are so bloody low
that Mix Flowers do pathetic damage. With everyone at 30, I always dealt at
least 500 a pop with mine. My setup:
Baby Mario: 100-Point Pants, Lucky Badge
Baby Luigi: 100-Point Pants, Lucky Badge
Mario: Supreme Slacks, Ulti-Free Badge
Luigi: Space Trousers, Lucky Badge A
As you can see, I only was able to win one pair of Supreme Slacks from
Shroobsworth, and I wasn't going to reset all the monsters to have a second
chance. As far as Bros. Items go, I never bought a single one from a shop.
Ever. Though with the Treasure Badge on, I always kept my supply of Copy and
Mix Flowers the same, as Worths and Rexes drop those respectively, and
having the badge equipped guaranteed me at least one of them.
Anyways, the attacks are all listed there, with the means to dodge them; it's
all left up to your own skill from here. Keep the abuse coming, and she'll be
a wilted little piece of fungus in no time!
SHROOBOID BRAT
HP: 900
EXP: 180
Coins: 100
This guy has a lot of HP, but if you've gotten the Big-POW badges I told you
to, then this will only take a few turns. Open right away with an Ice Flower,
and use it until you get a defense-down on him, then wail away with either
Pocket Chomps or Cannonballers. You can rack up more damage with the Chomps,
provided you've got quick fingers and don't make any mistakes. Otherwise,
just wail away to the tune of 180-200 damage a pop with the cannon. If his
def-cut wears off, don't worry about using another Ice Flower, since you've
still got your strength boost, and he should be at less than half HP by now.
Now, his attacks- their targets will always be chosen by the audience of
Shroobs, holding up signs with either an M or an L. The initial, NOT the
color, will determine who is attacked, as midway through the Shroobs will
change their signs to try and confuse you. To avoid his lollipop, which
packs a nice wallop, jump as soon as he rears it back to throw. His other
attacks involve eating items tossed by the crowd and spitting them out at
you- deflect them with the hammer; their timing won't differ per item, so
this is easy. If he eats a regular Mushroom, he'll spit out a poisoned one,
but if he eats a poison shroom, he'll spit out a normal one. Let these hit
you to replenish some HP. These attacks will often inflict the ailments
paired with them, so don't screw up with the hammer. Without the loss in
defense, your perfect Cannonballers will only deal around 120-150, so the
Ice Flowers do make a difference. 3-4 turns of this, and the Shrooboid brat
is a goner.
SHROOBS
HP: 15 (each)
EXP: 0
Coins: 0
This isn't a true boss of sorts, but once again we have our good 'ol boss
theme, so I'll treat it as one. As soon as the battle starts, one of the
aliens pulls out a little transmitter, and soon a UFO flies in with a timer
attached to it. As soon as it reaches 0, you'll be blown apart, so just
entertain these guys until then. You only have enough time to kill one of
the three before the countdown reaches 0, so this battle will be a lost
cause no matter what; just stomp one of them and dodge their laser shots. To
do this, just wait until they spin or put a gleam in their eye, indicating
who they'll shoot at- spin for Luigi, gleam for Mario. Then they whip out
the gun and shoot. The shots don't move quickly and are easily jumped over.
The timer reaches 0, and a huge shot from the UFO above takes you out. Cue
the funny little laugh from our antagonists..
SHROOBS
HP: 15 (each)
EXP: 21
Coins: 0
They're fought exactly the same way as before. Only now, you'll be given
Bros. Items from Toadsworth to help you rack up some damage. That item is the
Green Shell, which I have already explained how to use; Toadsworth will keep
you supplied with them throughout the battle, so don't worry about wasting
them. After they've been destroyed, Toadsworth will have you bring the adults
onto Baby Bowser's ship.
SUNNYCIDE
HP: 500
Weak: Fire
EXP: 260
Coins: 150
Win: Super Drop
Your first goal is to break open a total of five eggs, which will each
release Yoshis, who will climb up to the top screen and try to push a
Chomp Rock onto Sunnycide. You can't do anything to him now, so just
concentrate on attacking the eggs. While you're doing this, Sunnycide will
either grab eggs and lob them at either brother, which can be avoided by
jumping as soon as his tentacle lashes at one, or by inhaling one of the
Bros. into his mouth. Have your hammer ready, and release when you're close,
but not close enough to strike his bandaged uvula (or whatever the hell that
thing is). Why? The pull of his inhalation will make up the distance needed
to be within striking range; get too close, and you'll be sucked in and lose
some HP in order to replenish his. Don't worry if he uses up all his eggs;
he'll constantly refresh his supply as they run out. Once the Yoshis nail him
with the rock, he'll be knocked onto his side and susceptible to big damage.
Here's where you need to be careful, though- a chain will drop down to him,
and as soon as he yanks it, a hole will open up and that bro will fall down
it. This causes dizziness, so avoid it by jumping as soon as he pulls on the
chain; you have about a split second to react after he does so. The area
around the targeted bro will throb before opening up; you can tell who will
be swallowed up by the tentacle he uses to pull the chain. Otherwise, he'll
attack by turning the room dark and sending Boos after you; have your hammer
ready and wail them once they're in front of you. Sunnycide has a weakness to
fire, but you'll still obtain bigger damage by wailing on him with your
Cannonballers. After two turns of wailing on him, he'll jump back to his feet
and you'll have to repeat the egg-cracking process. I took him out in 5
Cannonballers and one Fire Flower, though the last CB might've overdone it.
SWIGGLER
HP: 250
EXP: 196
Coins: 140
First things first, if you ever attack Swiggler while he's in his red and
angry state, he'll counter with an earthquake that'll send two or more
shockwaves across the ground at both of you; jump quickly in succession to
avoid them all. Also, he takes very little damage, even from Cannonballers,
in this state. Swiggler begins the battle with two Dr. Shroobs, which will
remain with him permanently, and more will join the battle as the existing
ones are destroyed. You'll notice Swiggler's drink; every time he drinks from
it, he'll power up two UFOs, which will then fire their cannons at your
party. When the Dr. Shroobs pull out their shrooms, any attack that hits them
will cause them to drop it, and it'll bounce into Swiggler's glass and change
the fluid. If a red mushroom is dropped into it, the fluid will become red,
and his next drink will heal him for a substantial amount of HP. If a
poison shroom is dropped in, he'll drink the gray fluid and be poisoned, thus
ending his turn and making him susceptible to heavy damage without countering
hits with a shockwave. As far as his attacks go, aside from making
earthquakes and healing himself, he'll take a deep breath and spew a poison
cloud at you; hit it with the hammer, then be ready to hit it again when it
dissipates into a smaller cloud, or you'll be damaged and possibly poisoned.
The Dr. Shroobs have no other attacks to add to the fray besides their
existing moves, but never, ever hit one while it's holding a red mushroom.
Once it's been poisoned, when its turn comes around it'll become pissed again
and take another drink; you want to keep a constant supply of bad fluid
coming, so it'll not only never heal itself, but also never attack or
counter. You can't always guarantee a poison shroom coming up, though, so be
prepared to deal with the UFO's cannon shots. Jump as soon as the shots are
fired, and you should avoid them. As Swiggler's HP drops further downwards,
he'll use his poison cloud attack 4-5 times in a row, so be ready for it. Now
is an excellent time to use your Cannonballers; they'll shave off a large
chunk of HP per turn, provided you never miss an action command. Three of them
while he's in his green and weak state should do it.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[16] Credits and Special Thanks OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Various people I deem worthy of praise for their assistance in creating this
guide; they reek of badassness. ..Have you noticed I like saying that? =P
-First and foremost, GameFAQs. Despite what many would say, there are
more than enough knowledgeable people there, knowledgeable people with
typing skills I might add, that have helped me with various problems
I've had in various games, and especially been able to confirm the many
obscure things that developers do a horrible job of explaining in-game.
In this case, a good bunch described an attack I had missed, and still
have yet to see; and then of course there's CJayC, the man behind GFAQs.
Obligatory mention, there. ;) Among those that have offered a tidbit or
two are Shining Espeon, Lord Atog, MegaKnuckles777, VGman2, and
KupoMaster0907. Thanks, guys.
-Andrey Goder, for the max number of hits you can land with the Green
Shell. 25, for those that can't be bothered to scroll up and look.
-FightABunny, who informed me of the Shroid's attack changes once it's
been badly damaged.
-Gabriel Myre, for clarifying the second phase of Elder Princess's time
hole attack. Finally someone has seen what it does! Thank you!
-R Phillip Wines, for providing even more detail on the time hole attack,
allowing me to fix a misimpression I had.
-luiginut, who pointed out that that Elder Princess's crown has only 200
HP. I had gotten the 350 from Nintendo, and took it for granted because
I was always dealing obscene amounts of damage with the Mix Flower. The
tentacles and feet look okay.
-MaryWndws, who informed me that Support Shroobs have much more than 88
HP. She said it's anywhere from 164-186, but since I'm not going to play
through the entire game again just to find out, I rounded it out at 170.
-Various people that have alerted me to the douchebag that is Dave of
cheatcc. Though I found out for myself, I appreciate the fact that
authors are looking out for each other. You guys rock.
-Nintendo, for maintaining my impression that they utterly suck at
producing competent guides, which made writing this much harder as I
had nothing to cross-reference with. Nothing useful or trustworthy,
that is.
-My buddy Matt, the poor fool that paid for the guide anyway, so at
least I could see how far off-base I was with the HP guesstimates. It
didn't really help that I was much closer to the exact amount than they
were, though.
-AlphaDream, for producing not only this game, but the Shroobs, both of
which are severely underloved. Lack of character my ass; the Shroobs
own the X-Nauts in terms of looks and coolness any day. The fact that
they actually speak in words we can understand means nothing as long as
they're bumbling dorks in cheesy costumes, with no weapons other than a
cardboard robot. ...um, yeah. *cough*
-And of course you, the reader, the entire reason I created this guide. I
hope you found it extremely helpful and informative, and at the very
least an interesting read. ;)
Thank you to all who have given me compliments on my work, whether in an
email or on the forums. Means a lot to me, it does!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO[17] Contact Info & Legal Stuff OOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
First off, my email. Before sending me ANY email, first make absolutely
sure that the question is not already answered somewhere else in this guide.
Also, do not send me any emails asking where a badge is, where a piece of
clothing is, or how to get a certain treasure block- all of these things can
be found by putting your own mind to use. Explaining every miniscule puzzle
and the like was enough; I would have given up on writing the thing already
if I had decided to provide steps to every single item or coin in the game.
Anyways, please do not email me unless you have a question pertaining to
this guide only, that is not already covered, or would like to correct an
error. If anyone could provide me with HP values from a source OTHER than
Nintendo, that would help tremendously. I'd also appreciate any help with
even obtaining more accurate values for even one minor enemy, because then
that's one less mistake present in this guide. I'm sure I haven't covered
all of the item drops as well, at least the ones that only have one drop
indicated at the moment.
As with any email, please address it with "Mario & Luigi Guide" in the
subject line, or I will delete it. Also, be aware that I will not necessarily
reply to you, especially if your email is incoherent or in regards to
something I explicitly stated not to ask me about. If your email is going to
merit an update to this guide, then I shall most definitely reply and thank
you.
[email protected] is where I may be reached. Sorry, but I don't make
public appearances on AIM, or any instant messaging program. This is
the only way you may contact me.
Now for the official legal bit:
No breach of copyright is intended with the production of this guide.
Shroobs, all characters and related articles are property of AlphaDream, Inc.
And Nintendo, Inc. This guide, however, is property of my own.
You may not post my guide on your website(s) without first obtaining my
consent. If permission is granted, the guide must be posted in full, UNTOUCHED
with proper credit given. I will not alert site Admins to updates in content,
so please be sure to check for them from time to time. www.gamefaqs.com should
always have the latest version of my work. At present, this guide may be
posted only on the following websites:
-www.gamefaqs.com
-www.neoseeker.com
-www.gamerhelp.com
-www.gameplayworld.com
-www.supercheats.com
-www.1Up.com
*** www.cheatcc.com, Cheat Code Central, may not under any circumstances post
my guide or ANY of my work on their site. They completely disregarded my legal
information, and even went so far as to edit it. If this crap happens once
more, no sites will be allowed to post my work aside from GameFAQs. ***
This guide may only be used for personal, private benefit. You may not
reproduce or edit any part of this document at all. This guide especially may
not be used for monetary profit, and doing so will result in swift, harsh
punishment. If I find that you have posted any portion of my guide and I have
not given my approval, I expect you to remove my work promptly upon my
ordering. I will handle all copyright violations and failure to comply with my
guidelines with immediate legal action. Don't tempt me.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, FAQ/Walkthrough Ver. 2.5
Copyright 2006 by Dave Baker "Reptobismol"
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