Sunday, June 30, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 19: Ice Cold Darkness

Bowser's made it the second floor of Peach's Castle. Roll to push the device back to launch Bowser. Push it all the way back to launch Bowser into the sky. Some giant Fire Piranhas are growing up there and hit Bowser with fireballs. He lands on the balcony, in flames. "I HAVE CHORTLES!" Fawfulcopters appear and say, "Are you liking them? The giant Piranha Plants Fawful has raised? They are enjoying the barbecue of whatever goes near their mouths! Do they give you the angry face? Then just fly up and hit them with spikiness! Oh, but I have sadness! Tears of laughing for poor Bowser, who does not fly! I HAVE CHORTLES!" On the inside, the Chest Station is reacting. Jump into the cannon in the center and it will send the bros to what resembles a sling-shot. Tugging it makes Bowser jump. Pull all the way back to make Bowser jump really high. Tug in various directions to make Bowser go the way you want him to. Don't hit the Chomps or let the  Piranha Plants eat you on your way up. Try to stay towards the center. At the top are the giant Piranha Plants. Hit them repeatedly while dodging their fireballs. As they take damage, they become paler. Once they are defeated, Bowser drops back down to the castle, no longer on fire.

Go west and slam into the cracked for to drop down. You'll land in the servant's quarters. Use the treadmill to open the path to the east. Go south three times, heal, and save. Go south and then north on the left side of the room. Fawful, Midbus, Peach, and the Dark Star are this room. "I HAVE CHORTLES! AND I HAVE EXCITEMENT! At last, the Dark Star awakes like a naughty napping baby!" Midbus brings Bowser to Fawful's attention. "Fawful hates your timing! A nuisance barge barging in a the critical time for us!" Bowser just wants Peach and the Dark Star and he'll call it even. Midbus says he'll deal with Bowser. "I have uneasiness... Bowser keeps appearing like an ugly rabbit from the hat of a magician who stinks! So Fawful will fight to help Midbus have victory! But Midbus has pride... So Fawful leaves him to you! MIDBUS! POWER UP!" Fawful pulls out a ray gun and shoots Midbus with it, powering him up with ice powers.

As always, Special Attacks work best. Midbus will make Snawfuls, Fawfulized snowmen, that Bowser can inhale. Let the bros deal with them using Fire Flowers. Any that remain will heal Midbus. The Snawfuls will melt down and create vapor clouds. When six of them appear, Bowser will exhale the vapor, which will freeze and land in Midbus's crown, preventing him from using certain attacks. He'll climb up to the ceiling and throw snowballs at Bowser, many of which will miss. Just duck when you need to. He'll also slam Bowser from the ceiling. He'll roll in on a giant snowball with a Bob-omb in it. Punch the Bob-omb to blow up the snowball. When you do enough damage, he'll hide the Bob-omb in the snow, so try to keep track of where it is. Sometimes, he'll punch Bowser. A few rounds of Broggy Bonker should be enough to deal with him.

Once he is defeated, he says that no one will beat Fawful. He freezes in place, spewing icy vapor from his nose. The glass encasing Peach shatters and the Dark Star wakes up and breaks free. "It it it it it it it... IT WAKES! It has awakeness at last! Fawful has waited so long! I HAVE SUCTION!" He breaks out his headgear, saying, "With this, I am taking the Dark Star's Power!" Lightning strikes all around and the exit is blocked. "I... have... DARKNESS! So very darkness! The dark power builds like a skyscraper of evil! With the dark power in me, the world.... The world... IS FOR FAWFUL!" The dark power transforms Fawful, but Bowser punches him away, saying the world is his. He wants to take the Dark Star, and the world with it. The Dark Star circles Bowser, with mouth agape, then splits apart and enters his body. Bowser tells Starlow the Dark Star tasted funky. His chest starts burning, so he inhales some of Midbus's vapors for relief. This makes the Airway react. The freezing air freezes the water in the pipes. Starlow says freezing and thawing the water will make it possible to reach new areas. She also tries to convince Luigi that he's not cold. Heal and hit the Save Block. The enemies are tougher here, making this a good place to train.

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 18: The Key to Magic

Bowser's been freed from the safe, so the bros return to him. Starlow wants advice, but Bowser's back hurts and he can't move. The Lumbar Nook is reacting, but first go to Toad Square. Talk to Toadbert on the top level. He's been having a weird dream. In it, he's drinking tea and time is passing slowly. Then, he hears (A)(B)(X)(Y)[L][R](Y)(X)(B)(A) being pressed. Time starts passing quickly. Now, with that little information, head to the Lumbar Nook.

Toadsworth is there, enjoying some peace and quiet. The bros explain that they came to heal Bowser's back. Toadsworth noticed the floor became hard and darkened. He suggests stimulating the spot in the center, but his cane isn't enough. Have the bros drill into that spot. It starts working slowly. Toadbert appears and wants to watch. Their dialogue emphasizes that this process will take a while. They have tea and Toadsworth sets an alarm for when the process will be done. You can let the process go on its own, which will take several (more than 5, possibly more than 10 minutes), or start pressing the buttons from Toadbert's dream. The alarm should go off within seconds of entering the 10-button combination. The area returns to its normal color and Bowser feels his back loosening up. He feels better than normal and is flexible enough to roll into a ball. He can safely roll over spiky areas. This is the spike ball move, which allows him to roll up areas with soft dirt and destroy statues. Use [R], then hit (X) to roll into a ball, then roll around.

Starlow informs Bowser that he's in Peach's Castle, the Dark Star will awaken soon, and that he needs to save Peach. Roll up and out of there. Go south twice and destroy the Fawfulized statues. One of them has a Chakroad. Bowser has to deal with the enemies here. One Mechawful has a Blitty. Roll up into the turret to get into the castle. Inside, you'll find Alarm Bob-ombs and Naplocks. Inhale the Alarm Bob-ombs. A Naplock has a Blitty. Go west twice and you'll come across three Fawfulcopters with keys. Fawful says, "Fawful won't lie. Fawful has shock at you getting here. But that shock turns to chortles as you stop here! There are doors here that need keys, and Fawful has them! You will wander forever in my modified castle of Peach until you cry from lack of doors!" Bowser says he'll break the doors down. "You have energy like a little angry battery with no friends. But even if you get past the doors, the castle of Peach... Oh, but I have secrecy! Fawful says no more! Are you catching my Fawfulcopters?"

Go south to the dining area. There's a Save Block and the Fawfulcopter with the blue key. It's behind the statues which you can destroy by rolling. It will fly off and go west. Follow it south, then back north again. It goes into the hole in the wall. You'll find Dark Trashures here, which give more money than regular Trashures. One of them has a Blitty. Roll up the back wall onto the stovetop to enter a different hole in the wall. Chase the Fawfulcopter out of there and follow it south. There are Dark Mechawfuls on wheels to deal with. One of them has the last Blitty you need. When the Dark Mechawful starts counting down, just before it reaches zero, punch to counter it. Duck when it fires a beam, then punch it when it stops. If Dark Fawful Guys appear on the top screen with a bomb over the enemies, inhale them to make the bomb drop. This will give you a great advantage in battle, if not end the battle entirely. The Fawfulcopter goes to the south over a spike pit. Push the green, shell-like device to the back to launch Bowser into the Fawfulcopter, making it drop the key.

Once you have all fifteen Blitties, give them to Broque Monsieur. The Blitties lie around the shop. Broque Monsieur gives Bowser a Block Band, Block Fangs, and a Block Ring. He also lets Bowser take him for a walk, which gives Bowser the Special Attack Broggy Bonker. Use the stylus to clean the dirt off of Broggy, then he'll attack the enemy twice, with all fifteen Blitties in tow. It is an incredibly powerful and cute attack.

Go through the northeast doorway, then go north through the door on the left to another spike pit with the green key. Follow it around and pin it into the wall to get the key.  Go north, then west to the Save Block, then west to Peach's room, then west twice to a dirt wall. The Fawfulcopter with the red key is here. Follow it up the dirt wall and get the red key. Go north of the Save Block to find the doors the keys unlock. The green door has an Economy Ring, which reduces SP costs by 50%. The red door has a bunch of Magikoopas in a cage. Free them and Bowser can use Magikoopa Mob. Use the stylus to draw lines to light up every Magikoopa's wand to attack the enemy. The blue door leads to a spike pit with another shell-like device to launch Bowser. There are items to get here, so push it back varying lengths. To move forward, push almost all the way back and go through the left doorway on the top. Heal and save.

To the north, you'll see a machine with time bombs. Go east three times to a dirt wall. On the right side, on one of the platforms, you'll find a couple of gears. Spin them to raise a gate to the left. Quickly climb to the left to pass through before the gate closes. This requires precise controls, so it may take a few attempts. You can also go to the platform above and drop down. Roll west, then drop down the dirt wall and go west. This leads back to the room with the time bombs. Roll on the treadmill to lower the wall and use the time bomb to blow up the cracked wall. Go west three times from the room with the time bombs. Electricity will crackle on the floor below. Jump over the Bob-ombs and go east twice. Roll on the treadmill and blow up the wall. Go north twice, heal, and save.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 17: Extra Star Power

Mario and Luigi have all three Star Cures and have landed in Toad Town. If you want to go shopping at the Star Rank shop, level the bros up to level 25. Shopping there is quite an experience. The bros' HP and SP are fully restored. They are also offered complimentary foot massages and whisker shaving, the latter of which is refused. Some particularly good (and expensive) items are the Gumption Socks, which revive the wearer after one turn, and the Tight Belt, which reduces the SP costs of all Special Attacks by 50%. When you're ready, go to the clinic.

Dr. Toadley's gotten things under control since we've last seen him. He takes the three Star Cures and combines them into the Miracle (Toadley) Cure. He sends it out to cure the Blorbs. The bros get it back so they can break the blockade. Dr. Toadley doesn't know if it will defeat the Dark Star, however. Talk to the intern to get the Attack Pieces for the Special Attack Mighty Meteors. It's like Smash Eggs. The bros will volley a meteor back and forth with their hammers, but first they have to move back to line up with the meteor, then hold back the hammer. If the meteor is volleyed enough times, or all enemies are defeated, it will explode, possibly releasing an item.

Now that the blorbs are cured, you can explore more houses in Toad Town's residential area. When you're done, go north to the bridge to the castle. The Miracle Cure blasts through all of the barriers. There's an ominous feeling at the gate of the castle. Past the gate, the bros see the three blue Paratroopas fly east. There are new enemies to deal with, like Mechawfuls and Metal Mawful Moles. Follow the Paratroopas east and you'll find an Attack Piece. You can't reach it just yet, but you can walk on the railings. Use that to go into the turrets and reach new areas without dealing with enemies. Walk on the east railing to reach a shell, which you can use for the Attack Pieces. You get seven from that one block. The Paratroopas fly in, saying the bros look well. The Attack Pieces belonged to them and two of them want them back. The other one wants coins in compensation, thirty to be exact. What they don't realize is that 30 coins is chump change, making them think the bros are high rollers. They ask for 300 coins. Pay them and they are amazed. They'll tell the bros where the last 3 Attack Pieces are. They mark the map, but the pieces are in invisible blocks.

The first one is to the far west. The Attack Piece is over the hedge, south of the part of the wall with the picture of a mushroom. Go north, then east to the castle's front door, lined with Fawfulized Peach statues. It's locked, so Mario suggests going through the rear entrance in the garden. Go back west, then north on the left side. Use the air vent to reach the northern-most pillar for the second Attack Piece. Go south, then go into the tower on the east side, then exit. Go east, up the side of the wall and send Mini Mario into part of the castle. The third Attack Piece is on the wall, on the third tile to the right from the gap. The Attack Pieces give you the Special Attack Falling Star. A large star flies through the sky, changing colors. Starlow turns into a cursor you can control and the bros will throw as many smaller stars at the flying star that's flying around. The smaller stars will clusters and trail the large star. The large star will land on the enemy, with the clusters and individual stars following. Go back west, then north twice and go into the turret. Heal and save.

To the north is a trash pit. There's running water, so have Mario drink some and have Luigi use his hammer to extinguish the fire. This creates a tornado for Spin Jumping. To the east is more trash. Midbus appears, saying the Mario bros are famous. Peach's Castle now belongs to Fawful and they are not going any further. Starlow wants to challenge him, but he says the Dark Star will awaken soon. He makes a robot out of the trash in the pit. He orders the robot to fight, but it shuts down. It then starts dancing. Midbus breaks the controller and the robot goes berserk.

It's time to fight Junker. Use Special Attacks, as always. He'll make Junker Cans appear, which will attack the bros. Junker will put a cover over a bro's eyes, so he'll wander aimlessly. Junker will throw Thwomps at the bro, so jump to stop the bro from walking under the Thwomp when it's about to fall. Junker will pick up a Junker Can and shake it to release enemies. Jump for all enemies except the Cheep-Cheep, which will jump over you. He'll also vacuum up Luigi and throw him into a Junker Can. Destroy the Junker Can to free Luigi. The Junker Cans contain enemies that break free when you defeat them, so be ready to defend yourself. A few good rounds of Falling Star will finish him off fairly quickly (three in my case, so he didn't have much time to attack).

After you defeat Junker, he is still going berserk. He runs through the trash, clearing it out. He then brings in a safe and drops it, revealing Bowser. Mario says they should return to Bowser's body soon, as he might be able to storm the castle better than they can. Junker runs to the south and crashes somewhere. Go south and you'll see a Save Block, a pipe into Bowser, and a trashed Junker. Exit to the west to hit a ! Block that opens a grate, making it easier to return here. Return to Bowser.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 16: Astral Shimmy

Now that we have a new Special Attack, go south to Bumpty Plains, then Dimble Wood. Go east from the north entrance, then go south, then east. The bros will run into Scutlets, smaller than the one they found in Bowser's Flame Pipe. They attack in large numbers, so be careful. To the east is one of the Attack Pieces. Return, then go south for another. Go west, north, then west again for another. There's another one to the south, where you'll find Sockops. Do not use jump attacks on them as they will swallow the bros and drain their HP. Go west twice, then north to reach Blubble Lake. Go west, then northeast for another pipe into Bowser. Return to Dimble Woods, go south twice, then east for a pipe into Bowser. Go northeast, east, south five times, then east, to the southeast corner of the Dimble Wood. Balloon Mario out to get over the ledge, then go north. An Attack Piece will be on the small peninsula. If you'd like, you can talk to Broque Monsieur, but he's not a fan of the bros as they hit blocks, turning them brown, and reducing their collector's value. From the Save Block in the southeast, go west three times, then north. Use the shell to hit a ! Block that rolls away a Wiggler statue. The Attack Piece is across the water. Go south to Plack Beach.

Birdley will tell you that the cliff the sage is on is to the south. Go south, then west to the Sea Pipe Statue, then south. Birdley says that the cliff is west of here. The path the cliff is marked with a couple of statues that look like they're doing yoga. On the east side is a house. This is the house of Kuzzle, the sage who had the Star Cure Bowser stole. He doesn't hear very well and repeats himself frequently. He likes puzzles. He tried making puzzles out of Attack Pieces, but couldn't finish them. Complete his puzzle to get Attack Pieces for a new Special Attack. His puzzles become real when they're completed. The first puzzle turns into Attack Pieces for the Special Attack Spin Pipe. Mario and Luigi will get into a pipe and it will spin around. Keep track of which bro is on the bottom and hit his button when he lands. Kuzzle says his house is empty due to an incident, but wants furniture in the place. His furniture puzzle pieces are scattered all over Plack Beach in puzzle sacks. Retrieve them and solve the puzzles for beans. He'll show the areas on the map where they are. When you return with some puzzles, he'll notice the Star Cure and tell the bros about it. Bowser came in when he was about to solve a puzzle. Bowser tried solving one, gave up quickly, and trashed the place. He left, taking the Star Cure with him. Solve the four new puzzles to replace the furniture, or retry a puzzle to get a perfect score of 100. When you complete all four furniture puzzles, you get ten of each kind of bean.

Go west to find the sage. You'll run into Pendrils and Drillbit Crabs. Don't hit the Pendrils when they attack if they have a rock on their nose. This will release a Bob-omb/ Go west, then climb up the cliffs. Some platforms will rise to help you reach areas. Ahead, you'll be using the air vents and currents a lot. Use them to explore. When you get the chance, save. Go east, then go through the green pipe. This will take you back down to the beach. Be sure to hit the ! Block, then go back up. The sage is up ahead, doing yoga. His name is Chakron and he meditates on the nature of all. (Yes, he's the one who manages the Chakroads and talks to Bowser about them.) Starlow explains the situation while Luigi copies Chakron's yoga pose. He tells them to leave. He is busy absorbing waves from the cosmos in his pose. This is how he gains knowledge and enlightenment. He has been standing this way for a thousand years. Breaking out of this state of perfect balance will be difficult. He'll give the bros the Star Cure if they can break him out of this pose. Luigi tries tickling and poking, but to no avail. The event must be shattering, but the hammer doesn't quite cut it. Starlow says to use their best attack and the bros "battle" Chakron. Don't bother using your best attacks, as they do nothing. Jump or hammer until Chakron gives up. The bros need an attack that shakes the ground. Leave and Chakron mentions the Wood. The attack they need is there. So says outer space.

Take the pipe back down to the beach and go to Dimble Wood. We already have 6 Attack Pieces, so there's only four left to find. Once in Dimble Wood, from the south entrance, go north, then west. Heal and save, then approach Wiggler. The forest has seen too many incidents lately, partly due to Bowser's activities, so he won't let the bros go past. Mario explains they're looking for Attack Pieces. Wiggler's familiar with them, but won't let the bros have them. He thinks they want to cause trouble as well. He'll let the bros proceed if they find six Attack Pieces in Dimble Wood. Since we did that earlier, we're good to go. He lets the bros pass, saying to find them quickly.

Up ahead, send Mini Mario past the fence and hit the ! Block. One appears near Luigi. Luigi freaks out when a bunch of Sockops abduct Mario. Luigi's on his own. Hit the ! Block to open up the path the Sockops took. There are lots of thorns on the ground. Follow the path over the spikes to the west, ignoring the Attack Pieces. Go west to see the Sockop with Mario jump into a large Sockop. The small Sockop soaks in some liquid while the large one starts moving and inhales some Scutlets. After defeating them, Luigi pounds the Sockop to free Mario from the liquid. The Sockop spits Mario out and shrinks around Luigi. He can't get free, so he hops around it, like a Goomba's or Kuribo's Shoe. This allows him to cross spikes with ease and talk to the other Sockops. Take the opportunity to grab the Attack Pieces. The Sockops say he looks like the boss, and talk about chugging things, like blocks and Luigi. Go east over the spikes and hit the ! Block to the right to form a bridge. Go north, then go to the west to see the Sockop that had Mario now has a block with the last Attack Piece. He wants to chug the block. His name is Kuribo and he'll chug just about anything. He releases the block, saying he doesn't like them and wants to chug the bros. Luigi wakes up Mario, which makes the Sockops realize that Luigi's not a Sockop in full command of its body. Mario peels the Sockop off Luigi and it wakes up. Kuribo says it's sick that Luigi hopped around in a knocked-out Sockop. All four rush the bros to chug them. Defeat them and grab the last Attack Piece. This gives the bros the earth-shaking Special Attack Snack Baskets. Snacks will rain down, so move Luigi to eat them. Luigi will get super large, Mario lifts him up by hitting (A) repeatedly, then Luigi slams down to the ground. Return to Chakron.

Use the Special Attack Snack Baskets on Chakron to knock him over. The statues around him crumble. Chakron doesn't like this new pose. He will no longer receive information from the cosmos. He won't give the bros the Star Cure. Starlow reminds him to keep his promise, so he inches off the edge and retrieves the green Star Cure, assuming a new pose. He likes the pose as he receives waves of energy from the earth. He offers to help the bros reach Toad Town more quickly. The bros gaze into outer space, so as not to see Chakron's secret for launching them to Toad Town. Go to the clinic when you land.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 15: A Blast from the Past

The bros get to enjoy some more fresh air outside of Bowser. Now that the bros can tunnel underground, they can get the remaining six Mushroom Balls. Some of them have beans. Check out the Shine Rank Shop. When you're ready, go to the clinic. The Toad with the red cap and brown spots is an adventurer looking for Attack Pieces. He lost his memory, but knows there's some in Bowser's Castle and on Plack Beach. Go into the room to the north marked with a Mushroom. There are lots of blorbed Toads. There's a small gap in the right wall. Tunnel under and move right to find some item blocks. Go talk to Dr. Toadley. He says the third sage is on the beach, Plack Beach. The sage is in a high place where the air is thin. Dr. Toadley can't recommend traveling at high altitudes, so he needs to give the bros an examination. In the back room is a machine that measures inhalation and exhalation. When he gives the signal, blow into the microphone. Mario passes easily. Luigi doesn't pass initially, but blows out the system on his second try. The bros have his permission to travel to find the sage.

In the waiting room, the intern is trying to get Birdley, the bird that sent the bros and Bowser a message about the second sage, to calm down and stop flying over the reception desk. He says he's overworked and on strike. The intern asks the bros to catch Birdley. To the right of the reception desk is a red air pipe. Approach it and Mario inhales some air and balloons out. Luigi holds onto Mario and jumps much higher, and descends more slowly. Mario exhales to return to normal. Use this to jump onto the reception desk. Catch Birdley once Mario exhales. The intern thanks the bros and says that Plack Beach is south of Blubble Lake. Birdley starts nesting in Mario's overalls. He can show the bros around.

Return to Broque Madame, who talks about Kuzzle, the sage on Plack Beach who likes puzzles. She says a cure was stolen from him. She also talks about aliens visiting the Mushroom Kingdom long ago. Heroes in red and green vanquished them, but she heard a rumor that some were preserved somewhere in the kingdom. In another session, she speaks about holding that special someone close because you'll only realize how important they are when they are gone. She hints that her special someone collects blocks.

While wandering around Blubble Lake, the bros will encounter enemies they'll have to battle, that Bowser instantly defeated. They include the Fawflopper and the Mawful Mole. The Mawful Mole will throw rocks at the bros. Check its glasses. If they are covered in mud, the rock will miss, so stay still. Get the beans while you're walking. There's quite a few in Blubble Lake. Go east to find a pipe back into Bowser. Open the passage so you can quickly return here from inside Bowser if you'd like. Farther to the east is the area where Bowser body slammed the pillars. Go past the grating and hit the ! Block so you can reach an item block with some gear. Next to the grate is a narrow gap, allowing the bros to reach the other side of the area.

To the east is Bumpty Plains. You may run into Sneeds, the seeds of Flifits. Go to Bowser Path. In the room with the Save Block, in the lower right corner is an X. Dig there and a pink ramp will temporarily appear. It will allow you to reach a piece of gear. Go to Bowser's Castle. The hole behind the posters is something Mini Mario can fit into. There's an item and lots of money. To the right is a blue pipe in the concessions area. Tunnel under the grate and take the pipe underground. This leads to the Bowser Secret Society Preservation Chamber. Heal and save outside.

The buttons that open the door must be hit in a specific order, each a specific number of times. There are notes in the area that explain the combination. Down here, you'll have to deal with Magifoofas and Fawful Guys as well as the enemies Bowser dealt with. The code is "Hit square twice, triangle three times, circle once, then the button on the door." The door opens and Starlow's got a bad feeling about this. Inside are blocks of ice. It's hard to see, but some of the things in the ice look familiar. Hit the button on the left to melt some of the ice. Three Shroobs were frozen in there. Luigi backs up and freaks out. Mario freaks out soon after. Mario explains that these are the aliens that once invaded the Mushroom Kingdom, which the bros defeated as babies (and adults). Bowser cryogenically froze some survivors. The Shroobs wake up and attack. They fight the same way as they did in Partners in Time. Their lasers are quite powerful. Use Special Attacks. Defeating three Shroobs takes longer than you think it should. Once they are defeated, the Shroobs explode into 10 Attack Pieces. This gives you the Special Attack Magic Windows. Looking at the SP cost, I think I got the attack a little early, but it's a good one to have. Mario and Luigi will drop in on enemies from windows that appear. Hit each bro's button. They may jump together. The attack will continue until you defeat all enemies or mess up the action command. Starlow doesn't believe that Luigi could help defeat the Shroobs as a baby. Mario explains Luigi fought just as hard and Starlow thinks it was some ferocious crying. This makes Luigi sad. Mario explains Luigi defeated them in the end (with his tears). She apologizes and calls him super. Now let's go find that sage!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 14: Stop that Train!

Bowser's caught between a rock and a hard place, the Fawful Express. The bros must revive Bowser once again in Rump Command. In the train, the Monty Moles call Bowser a pushover. Flames break the windshield and Bowser looks through. The Monty Moles freak out.

Bowser has to battle the Fawful Express. A long ways away is a rickety bridge that Bowser won't be able to stand on. If the train reaches the bridge, Bowser loses. The distance to the bridge is 100 kilomoles and will count down as the train moves. At various stations, the train can be repaired. The Monty Moles say that Bowser's punch is ineffective, so breathing fire is the only way to go. Some Choombas will run into Bowser, so touch the circles to squash them. When you come to the pointy tunnel, punch it repeatedly to dodge the incoming missile. Use fire on the grassy tunnel and shoot down the clouds with fireballs. Slide the stylus repeatedly to shove it away. You'll have a couple of turns left when the train reaches the bridge station, so use them wisely. It may come down to the wire on this battle. The train will send out jet packs. Punch them back and they explode on the train, doing extra damage. This may take a couple of tries.

Once the train is destroyed, Bowser returns to normal size. Private Goomp and the others have the safe out of the treasure. Unfortunately, Bowser forgot the combination. He calls on Chippy to help him out, being completely okay with someone rummaging around in his brain. She, on the other hand, is not okay with his tone of voice. After toning it down and asking nicely, she agrees to help. She says to sit still while she looks for the combination. A new area called the Memory Banks opens up.

Take the elevator down, heal, and save. There are shelves and shelves of memories. There's something on the monitor that scans Starlow and Mario. He calls them viruses of malicious origin and splits into blocky versions of the bros. They will repel the virus. The bros must battle Bowser Memory M and Bowser Memory L. M will get a Starman and charge the bros. It will chase the coin, so don't jump if the coin is overhead. L will slowly retreat and will revive M if it falls. M will get a mushroom and hit color-coded brick blocks. Defend with a hammer. When L returns, it will be chased by a Boo. Jump on the Boo to end the attack. L will jump over the bros. L will also throw a hammer at the bros. Knock it away with a hammer. Once they both fall, the battle is over.

The Memories reform as Princess Peach. It says that it manages the memory banks. After failing to defeat them, it will temporarily observe them. It reformed as Peach to aid in communicating with them, based on Bowser's most carefully preserved memory. Starlow asks for the combination and it searches the memories, pulling out memories of steak, Peach, then the combination. It's shattered into several pieces. Use the stylus to complete the puzzle. The button below the frame will rotate the piece. When the pieces stop moving in the frame, they are in the correct location. When you're done, the combination reads 9898 88241 983. The memory has been restored and is placed back in the banks, and Bowser instantly remembers. He makes up a song to go with the combination. The safe opens, revealing the yellow Star Cure. Private Goomp says something else is in the safe. Bowser looks inside and the minions shove him in. Bowser tries to escape, but the safe is locked. They say the Age of Bowser is over and it is now the Age of Fawful. Traitors. They decide to throw the safe somewhere.

The safe lands somewhere. Bowser wants Chippy to make him a giant again, but she can't. For some reason, Bowser decides to eat the Star Cure, saying it got him into this mess. Go to Gut Check to pick it up, even though it's a little sticky. The bros now have two Star Cures. Starlow says they can't do anything inside while Bowser's stuck, so they should return to Toad Town and ask Dr. Toadley about the third sage.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 13: Bowser's on Track

Now that Bowser has the ability to body slam, he can hit the pink switch just outside the Tower of Yikk, which forms a bridge across the water. Private Goomp appears. Bowser calls to him, but he walks away without noticing him. Follow him and he notices Bowser. The three of them panicked and took off when Bowser became huge. They got separated in the forest. Bowser explains his mission to collect Star Cures. Private Goomp knows what they look like. He knows because there's a Star Cure in Bowser's Castle. Apparently, a guy named Kuzzle gave him one for completing a puzzle. It's currently in the underground treasure chamber of Bowser's Castle.

A bird appears with a message for the bros and Bowser from Dr. Toadley. He knows that the second sage is a sea Koopa named Kuzzle, living on Plack Beach. He also mentions that the bros got the first Star Cure. Bowser is upset that the bros beat him to the first Star Cure. Private Goomp will look for Sergeant Guy and Corporal Paraplonk, then meet Bowser at his castle. Go north twice, break the blocks, then light the fuse on the yellow platform. This will send Bowser crashing through the rock walls, clearing them out. You can now go to the Tower of Yikk and nearby areas from the part of Blubble Lake just south of Toad Town. Return, then go east. Hit the pink switch to make a rock appear. Slam the pillar next to it to reach a higher level. Go east from there and slam the pink switch to form a bridge. To the east, you'll find the same Chakroad you found earlier near Bumpty Plains. Return to Bowser Path.

Go due north until you reach some wooden planks on the floor. Slam through them. The green pipe to the west leads back upstairs if you want to leave. Go east through a different green pipe. This takes you inside Bowser's Castle. Punch the bridge to lower it. The theater is largely empty. On the west side is a pink switch that opens the door ahead. There's a ramp ahead that leads to part of the floor being covered by metal. This is the passage to the underground and it's blocked, so Bowser can't break through it. In the upper right corner is a Chakroad. Go west and you'll meet new enemies called Jailgoons. They fire cannonballs to punch or dodge. One of them has a Blitty. Use fire on the ones that contain Bob-ombs. You'll also run into Sniffle Thwomps. Vacuum up the hot water bottle to make them catch a fever and drop their health. One of them has a Blitty. At level 20, Bowser reaches Gold Boss Rank, allowing him to equip up to three pieces of gear. Go west, then up the ramp, west, then north. You'll come to the dining room where Bowser ate Fawful's foods. There's still some food left if you want to explore the Flab Zone some more. Go back to the ramp, then go north. Heal and save, then follow the red carpet. Up ahead is Bowser's throne room. Go south, outside, onto the balcony.

There's a large statue of Fawful out here. Check it out. Bowser wants to destroy it initially, but gets a better idea when he realizes that the path to the underground is just below the right side of the balcony and the statue can smash through the metal planks covering it up. He starts pushing the statue and Goombas appear, alarmed. Midbus and Fawful aren't there and Bowser's moving the statue. They call in reinforcements. On the left side of the balcony, the railing's gone, so Bowser will fall if they push him too far. He tells them to open their eyes, but they don't listen. On the inside, the Leg Outpost starts reacting. The bros help Bowser out and they push the statue off the balcony, through the metal planks. Bowser lands on the statue and crushes it. To the south are green platforms Bowser can slam. There's a maze below with items. Take either the middle or left platforms to go west over a green pipe. Bowser will find himself outside where the lava is. Do not walk into it. There's nothing stopping you from doing so. Go west and you'll find Bob-ombs in a cage. Free them to get the Special Attack Bob-omb Blitz. Use the stylus to line up the Bob-ombs so they'll walk into the enemy and explode. Go south, then southwest. Bob-ombs will march towards you. Jump (first part of body slam) to dodge. Use this to go west, north, west, then south. Exit the area to the west. Go south and deal with the marching Bob-ombs on the rollers. Exit to the west, where you'll find a Save Block and a shop block.

Go west. To the north is the Bowser Preservation Society Chamber. Bowser can't go very far. Go west twice to find a green platform. Slam it to make it move in a "U-shape" on its track. Go west at the top. Go northwest to lower a bridge. Return and go north. Save and go north. There's a pink switch with 12 panels below it. Hit the switch and the panels will light up. Memorize the pattern. Ahead are 6 large cannon balls. Punch the cannonballs into the correct spot. Use moving punches for the far spots and regular punches for the closer spots. If you make a mistake, leave the room, then hit the switch, as the pattern changes. When you get the pattern correct, the door ahead opens. This leads to where Bowser keeps his stolen treasures. He thinks Fawful could never break into it.

Inside, he is surprised to find that there are train tracks running through the room. Private Goomp, Sergeant Guy, and Corporal Paraplonk appear. They say the castle is intact, until they see the train tracks. A train arrives, with Fawful's face. The Monty Moles from before are on the train. The secret tunnel Bowser helped them dig was bought out by Fawful. The Fawful Express was added to the tunnel. Bowser calls them traitors, but Private Goomp says it's not wise to make enemies out of them. Corporal Paraplonk reminds them that he's looking for a Star Cure. There's a safe in the room which should hold it. The Fawful Express starts moving. It pushes Bowser through the rocks in the tunnel, then smashes him into a large rock. Bowser is out, unconscious.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 12: Chasing Butterflies

Now that Bowser has stopped the robot, we can explore the inside of it. It's called the Tower of Yikk. Take the elevator upstairs. There are some large, pink switches on the floor. Go north. There are several bookshelves, a monitor, and a Boo-shaped device. At the back is a book, which is blank. A wall goes up and the book moves on its own, revealing a holographic projection of a man that resembles the tower. He asks who has awakened him from his eternal slumber. He is called Yikk. He created the tower, among other things. Alas, he no longer walks this earth. He asks Bowser if he is tormented by the ageless riddle of Boo. He has researched the Boo and invented the Boo-ray Machine. Its light makes the inside of one's body visible. He tells Bowser to try it out. Step on the footprints and punch the button to turn the thing on. The inside of Bowser's body is projected onto the screen behind him. As Bowser puts it, "It's like a spotlight for my gut!" The trial is a success and Yikk lets Bowser use it as much as he likes.

On the inside, the Energy Hold is reacting. The light of the Boo-ray Machine makes the Boo-faced green barriers disappear. Now the bros can chase Wisdurm. With the light on, you can just barely see some platforms that allow you to go up in the next area. They are there, regardless of the light Turn the light on or off to manipulate the Boo platforms. In this area, you'll find an enemy called a Napse. They can split into two and will throw colorful energy balls at the bros. The energy balls will turn blue before the Napse throws them, so know which side they're on. In the next area, have the light off to climb the Boo platforms. There are some invisible platforms on the left. Go to the right, as the pipes don't take you anywhere. Use the pipe to the right as a cannon. The pipe to the left will take you to an area with an unusual door. Wisdurm will go through it and close it.

The key to this door has six pieces, making it shaped like a star. The green pipes below will take you to each piece. There's an Attack Piece in the lower left corner. The upper left pipe leads to a maze. With the light on, you can see the path of the maze, but not the bros and vice versa with the light off. There are enemies in the maze, including the Piranha Plorp. It will cover the battlefield in fog, then fire off red or green liquid at the bros. There are also POW, Defense, and Speed Peps that will power up the other enemies. Spin Jump into the next maze. The path ahead splits. The lower path will take you  to a block that makes two of the star pieces appear. The upper path leads to a block the bros must volley for four Attack Pieces. This is a fast block. Both paths lead back to the pipe you took here. Return and save. Shine the light on the Star Panel pieces to make them solidify. Pick up the piece.

Take the pipe on the upper right. Use the light to solidify the Boo platforms where you want them. They stop moving when solid. Use the blocks to go to the upper left, then Spin Jump into a tornado. Grab a shell, drop down, let the Boo platforms move, then hit the switch using the shell. This gives you access to a tornado. Cross the gap and hit the block for another piece of the Star Panel. Return to the main area, pick up the new Star Panel and save.

Take the center pipe and use the Star Panel to open a door. Go to the right and spin into the drills. This stimulates something in Bowser and gives Starlow an idea on drilling into the floor. Use Drill Bros to drill into the ground. Starlow mentions suspicious spots in the ground. There are Bean Spots marked by X in the ground in the Mushroom Kingdom and sparkling spots in Bowser. The drills allow you to go farther to the right. Drill into the red spot to make platforms appear. Pwallops, which are like Protobatters, appear here. Circle back to the door, go through it, then go right. Hit the switch on the right to make platforms appear. Go up, then hit the block for another piece of the Star Panel. Return, grab the panel, and save.

The pipe on the lower left has Boo platforms you must hit in the correct order. Turn off the light to see the order. It will become a moving platform, leading to another door opened by the new Star Panel. You'll get some nice items. Hit the block to make another piece appear. Return and save.

The pipe on the lower right has a maze for Mini Mario with three Attack Pieces. Leave to the left in the middle of the maze to hit a switch. This makes a pipe appear. The block to the left has the last Attack Piece. The new Special Attack is Super Bouncer. Luigi climbs on a large bouncy ball, Mario pushes him into the air, and Luigi lands. Rotate the ball so Luigi is not on the bottom. Press (B) when the ball lands. Spin Jump to the right to complete the Star Panel. Return, get the new panel, heal, and save.

When you're ready, go through the door. Wisdurm goes to the right. When the bros reach level 18, they rank up to Shine Rank, allowing them to shop at the Shine Rank shop in Toad Town. Go past the Boo barrier and the bros will attempt to sneak up on Wisdurm. They fail, so go to the right. There are invisible platforms on the right wall that you can use to reach a tornado. Use the tornados and air currents to go to the right, where there's another maze. Leave the room to the right, drop down, and go left back into the maze. Go to the right and drill under the blocks with arrows, then pop up underneath them to make the walls overhead disappear. Heal and save.

Wisdurm is ahead and the bros try once again, in vain, to catch her. She's had enough. She asks what they want with her. The bros explain. She sympathizes, but doesn't know why she should hand over a Star Cure to the likes of them. She acknowledges their persistence and will battle them for it. At the start, she puts up a meter. When the marker is to the far right, she'll transform into a larger Wisdurm with higher defense. There's a Magic Rod in her tail that will move the meter to the left, so attack it. She'll make a heart crystal appear. It will land on the bro who appears in its center. Knock it away with a hammer. She'll spew a trail of stars at the bros. When she takes enough damage, she'll use the Magic Rod to make the bros switch places, but not button commands, during this attack. She'll shrink a bro and chase him around. Counter repeatedly with a hammer. When she's small, she'll swing on a thread of silk. Counter with a hammer. Use Special Attacks when she's small and hit the Magic Rod instead of her when she's large.

When you defeat her, she transforms into a butterfly. This is her true form. She says the sages knew that the Dark Star would awaken and await the heroes. Their repeated meeting was destined by fate. She gives the bros the red Star Cure and opens access to a door. She asks that the bros stop following her as it creeps her out. Going through the door makes the Joint Tower appear.

In the Joint Tower, use the pipe as a cannon. Toadbert appears and uses the cannon as well. He says this region controls the body slam in Bowser. It doubles Bowser's weight when airborne, allowing him to slam into the ground with increased force. The bros must stimulate the pressure points after activating them by spinning the bones to the right. Bowser notices something's up. Stimulating the pressure points makes the tower collapse into another pressure point. Bowser feels great. Toadbert instructs Bowser that he must switch commands with [R], then use (Y) to become airborne. Hit (Y) once again to slam. He notices the voice change. Bowser can activate pink switches on the floor. use them to get out of the Tower of Yikk.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 11: Bowser's Allergies

Bowser has to find his way to Dimble Wood again from Blubble Lake. Immediately to the west is a purple house belonging to Broque Madame. Like Broque Monsieur, she has a French accent. She's looking for a burly masseur. Bowser doesn't like the idea, until she offers gear as payment. She's not looking for an ordinary massage, however. A Goomba appears and she likes the idea of Bowser's soldiers supplying the massage with Special Attacks for as long as possible.

First up is Goomba Storm. To get gear, make sure either 150 or 250 Goombas or more land on her back from the air. Miss tapping three Goombas and you'll have to start over. This can be quite a difficult challenge. Return when you get new Special Attacks.

To the southwest are new enemies called Beehosses. Vacuuming their honey can heal Bowser. One of them has a Blitty. They'll send bees at Bowser, so duck, then punch them back into the Beehoss. Periodically, Glam Lakitus will appear overhead. They're like Lakitu Kings, but give more money. Go south and you'll hear a voice. It's from one of the Koopa Troopas in a cage. He can't reach them due to the rock wall. Head north. Go up the ramp on the left and burn the ropes on the other side to lower the slab of rock. Go north to knock down the rock slab to return here more easily, then return south. Go up the ramp to the south and hit the metal ball, which will knock Bowser into the lake.

While underwater, swim with (Y). Stand on the seashells to return to land. There are Crawfuls in the water. Vacuum out their teeth for a defense boost. One of them has a Blitty. Bowser can breathe fire underwater in battle. Go east, then take the northeast path, then use the shell to surface. Bowser will see a raft and ship ahead. He thinks the ship would break the rock wall. Use the raft to go west, to where the ship is. There are some flowers that smell nice, but are spewing pollen. Send the bros to the Nose Deck, which is reacting. The bros will Spin Jump up into a higher part of the Nose Deck, where pollen is coming in. Starlow suggests knocking the pollen into his nasal walls. Use the stylus to slide. The pollen makes the nasal walls change color. Once all the walls change color, one of the walls swells up. Slam into the swollen membrane until it is no longer inflamed. Avoid spiky blue pollen, which will hurt the bros. Using the stylus can be a little difficult. When you slam the bumpy swollen membrane, Bowser lets out a tremendous sneeze, filling the ship's sails, and sending it through the rocks until it hits another area with the same flowers.

Take the raft to the southeast, where the ship ended up. Go up the right ramp. You won't be able to hit the ! Block before the pollen gets in Bowser's nose. Have the bros deal with the pollen again. The sneeze propels the ship across the lake, destroying the rock wall and the ship with it. The pieces of wood form a bridge. Break out the Koopas to get the Special Attack Koopa Corps. Use Bowser to deflect Koopa shells back into the enemy, like air hockey. Take the nearby raft to an island to the east. There's a raft on the other side of the island. Go east to another island and go up the ramp. Get some items, then go south. Heal and save.

To the east is a giant propeller in the water, near some of the flowers with lots of pollen. Bowser thinks he can use the propeller to fly into the forest. Deal with the pollen once more. The sneeze makes the propeller spin and rise out of the water. It's attached to a giant robot, which steps on Bowser. He gets a sense of deja vu before the robot stomps on him. Go to Rump Command to revive Bowser.

Bowser picks up and throws the robot. Bowser notices that they are both surrounded by the lake. Pushing the robot into the lake is to Bowser's advantage. It will try to fly out, so touch the body to punch it repeatedly. While it's in the water, punch the head. If it gets out of the water, some enemies will try to repair it. Breathe fire. It will also send enemies with bombs. Take out as many as you can with fireballs, except for the ones who have mushrooms. The robot will send out a giant bomb for Bowser to volley. Punch it repeatedly to defeat it. Bowser returns to normal size. The robot winds up on land, with its hatch open. Let's explore!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 10: Hospital Showdown

After being blocked by the Dark Star, the bros return to Toad Town, where the shopping mall is open. The construction gates to the west have been cleared away. The bros are shocked to see Toad Town filled with blorbed Toads, the handiwork of Fawful. To the south is the shopping district. A Yellow Toad with a mustache presents the bros with a PR stunt. There are Mushroom Balls hidden around and the bros should find them and bring them back. They get to keep whatever's inside. Some of them are in invisible blocks, in the ground, or behind walls. There are 16 total. Mario gets a question mark over his head when one's nearby. One's underground by the south stairs. One is to the left of the green Mushroom Rank Gear shop and another is behind it. Go east and you'll find a badge shop. The young Blue Toad wants to play hide and seek. Find him a few times and he'll give you a Small Shell you can equip. In front of the south stairs is another Mushroom Ball and there's one behind the item shop, as well as one to the right of it. There's one behind the Badge Shop and another to the left. Another is behind the Toad at the top of the stairs on the east side. One is by the trees next to the PR Toad. Another is to the left of the clinic on the east side and another is west of the Star Rank shop. Behind the Shine Rank shop is another and there's one by its east wall. One is just north of the yellow pipe on the west side. Finally, one is on the west side on the middle level to the right of a Toad. They hold things like coins and items. The gear shops are organized by rank. You must achieve Shine and Star Rank to shop at their respective shops, which have better and more expensive gear.

The pipe leads back into the Toad Town Caves. Use Mini Mario to get a couple of items, one of which lowers the cost of Special Attacks.

When you're done shopping, save and heal, then go to the clinic on the top level of the east side, near the construction gates. Dr. Toadley's intern is dealing with a patient that's leaving. The bros talk to her, saying they both need to speak to Dr. Toadley. She says he can only see one of them at a time, unless they have an appointment. That could take a while with the number of blorbed Toads in town. She asks what health problem they're experiencing, as they both seem quite healthy. Mario acts out that he has a sore throat, which is a symptom of the blorbs. Luigi hams it up, acting out having chest pains that are more like a heart attack. She declares this to be an emergency, as the kingdom would be doomed if the bros get blorbed. She takes them to see Dr. Toadley, who looks more like a magician or fortune teller. Dr. Toadley asks questions, then immediately answers them. He says the bros have a grave illness caused a virus. Dr. Toadley diagnoses patients using a crystal ball imaging system. Inside the crystal ball, the identity of the virus is revealed: Bowseritis. Bowser appears, after regaining consciousness. Bowseritis takes a while to cure and will take ten days' worth of antibiotics. Bowser knocks the doctor away, saying that he will take the Dark Star and Peach's Castle.

The bros have to battle Bowser. He can use all of the Special Attacks he's acquired, punch, and breathe fire. Use Special Attacks. To dodge the flame attack, Starlow will circle the bros. Press and hold each bro's button to get him to safety. Let go when the attack is over. Don't do anything if Bowser snorts before he tries to punch, as he will safely fall over the bros. When he uses Goomba Storm, jump over all the Goombas that appear but do not jump. The flaming Goombas that have their heads pointed to the right are aimed at Mario. For Shy Guy Squad, volley Bowser back into the Shy Guys. Keep attacking until he's defeated.

Bowser says that wasn't his A game, either. After he leaves, the bros explain the situation to Dr. Toadley. He says the barriers in front of the castle cannot be knocked down. The crystal contains a message of Star Cures, three in all. They are held by three sages in the Mushroom Kingdom and can cure all the world's ills, including the blorbs. They should also give the bros the power to break the blockade. One sage is in a forest, which gives Bowser enough of a clue to get going, after calling Starlow just as annoying as Chippy. An image of the sage emerges and it's Durmite, also called Wisdurm. The bros leave and spot Bowser clearing out some barricades. This gives the bros access to the crack in the wall, which conceals a pipe back into Bowser. Go east twice for a couple of items. If you want to explore the kingdom some more before returning to Bowser, go south.

Once you return to Bowser, you wind up in the Pipe Yard. The small sage appears from the red, broken pipe. Mario and Luigi try to sneak up on her, but she gets away. She takes off for the Energy Hold. The bros cross all but the last mucus pool and she escapes under some blocks that have Boo faces. Starlow suggests staying put, as Bowser can't possibly get the first Star Cure anyway. Bowser goes south of Toad Town to Blubble Lake, looking for a way to Dimble Wood.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 9: Am I not Turtle-y Enough for the Turtle Club?

The bros are finally free! They're back to normal size and enjoying wandering around outside. Go west. The yellow pipe leads to Toad Town, but you can't go into town. Go up the stairs to the left. Go to the far left, then drop down, then go east. There's an item block with a Thrift Charm, a piece of gear that decreases the SP cost of a random Special Attack by 40%. Go back up and spin directly above the air vent. This leads to an air current, which will take you to a pipe in the clouds. The pipe takes you higher in the clouds. Use the air vents to reach higher clouds. Go through the pipe at the top.

Floating high above the clouds is a large block that looks like a square blue Koopa shell. Hit it and lots of smaller blocks fly off over the kingdom. Three blue Paratroopas with personal space issues fly up and are upset about what the bros just did. There were a lot of shells stuffed in that block until the bros knocked them out. The Paratroopas won't ask the bros to retrieve them. One of them is impressed with Mario's mustache. He asks if the bros have ever worn a shell. They're heavy and dense. The Paratroopas say the bros have to play a game. Two Paratroopas bring in a shell block and hitting it gives Mario a shell to wear. Mario will have to hit the flying Paratroopas to win, but the shell's too heavy. After a quick discussion, Luigi hits Mario with his hammer, sending him away from the clouds and back. The closest Paratroopa dares Mario to hit him as he floats vertically. Do that, then hit two of them (you don't have to hit them in one go) and the Paratroopas acknowledge them. The bros should use the shell when they see a shell block. Two Paratroopas bring in a block with 10 Attack Pieces. The new Special Attack is Yoo Who Cannon, where the bros multiply and hide in eight cannons. Memorize which bro is in which cannon (or just one bro in which cannon), then hit the bro's button when the cannon fires at the enemy. The Paratroopas tell Mario that jumping will get rid of the shell.

Return to the Toad Town Caves. Ahead is a new enemy called Nooz. They look like chickens with either a Mario or Luigi mustache. To the west is where Bowser came in and you can see him to the north. The alarm sounds again and he'll get zapped. They'll need a different route to go to wherever the pipe ahead leads. Return to the room with the yellow pipes, then go north. Fawflants are here. If there are two of them, they'll attack the bros at the same time. You may have to have the bros jump separately to counter. Go north and you'll see a shell block and a Toad. He says to move the bridges, hit the lever, but he doesn't have anything to hit it with. Grab a shell and hit Mario at the lever. Hit the levers to cross the bridges and hit three ! Blocks. One of the ! Blocks is to the west, so go get it second. Hit the block with a shell. Go to the northeast and hit the switch to move the bridge into place. Move the three bridges to the south into place so you can reach the third ! Block. This opens the door. Heal and save.

There are two Toads guarding the path ahead. Something really important is kept there and not even the Mario Bros are allowed to pass. Starlow thinks it's odd that a couple of Toads are down here. They reveal themselves to be a pair of Fawflants. Defeat them and the room rumbles. "I HAVE CHORTLES!" Up ahead, the security system guarding the Dark Star is blasted and destroyed. Fawful picks up the Dark Star. "I HAVE CHORTLES! The beauty hurts my teeth! Such power of darkness!My spine has the tingle!" He blasts the bros off the bridge. "Time for the crying! Too badness for you! For the Dark Star is snuggled with Fawful! Are you wanting to see it? Fawful's new Dark Star? You look! Such badness! Such pitch-black power!" He starts singing, "Fawful sings a song of bad! Mushroom Kingdom is so sad! All of it is for Fawful! And the...rhyme with...that." He continues, "It is Fawful day! Joys! Be trembling before me! All who resist will be beat like naughty little eggs! I HAVE CHORTLES!"

A Toad at the base of the pedestal apologizes and tells the bros to get the Dark Star back quickly. He also said the Fawful said he would take control of Peach's Castle next. The door to the left leads to Toad Town. To the west are some items, as well as pipes you can't reach. Return and go north. Go north again. You'll need to Spin Jump to reach all the items. Go east and take the pipe above ground.

The pipe takes them into Toad Town. A Toad wonders where the bros have been all this time. Entry to Peach's Castle is prohibited, but they should try. The paths into other parts of Toad Town are blocked off due to some renovations. Only thing they can do now is go north towards the castle. Several Dark Star barriers appear on the bridge to the castle.

Inside the castle, Peach is held in suspended animation, connected to the Dark Star. "Such excitement, like a pie made of wow! The Dark Star's dark power is building!" Midbus says that once the Dark Star awakens, the world will be theirs. "I HAVE ANGST! Do not tell Fawful that. That gives Fawful stress! We are just at the starting. The power of the Dark Star is still sleepy like a dull baby. It is taking time for the Dark Star to draw out the power of Princess Peach!" An alarm goes off. "Bad noise!" The bros set off the alarm trying to breach the castle. "I have many chortles at such stupidity! We are snug as bugs snuggling in a comfy rug. The Dark Star's blockade laughs at intruders!"

Starlow says the Dark Star's power is starting to awaken and they should return to Toad Town to  strategize. "I HAVE CHORTLES!" A Fawfulcopter appears, saying, "Again the tears are flowing! But not on the face of Fawful! Fawful is on the cozy couch, sipping tea that laughs at you! And he is watching the seal on the Dark Star as it breaks... When it does, all the kingdom will be dark as darkness! But until then...maybe Fawful will have some shopping." Fawful's got the right idea, for now...

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 8: GIGGAGIGGAGOW! Freedom!

Fawful plans to rule the world, Peach has been kidnapped, and Bowser's wandering in the Tunnel underneath Cavi Cape. Go east, but not through the pipe. Light the fuse of the time bob to clear a path. Drop down and go west, clearing a path with time bombs. You'll come across new enemies called Choombas, a cross between Goombas and train engines. Watch the smoke that comes out of their stacks on the top screen, which will tell you how to defend against its attacks. Inhale the Coalbits that may appear, so the Choomba can't use them to power up. One Choomba has a Blitty. Don't use Fire Flowers on the Coalbits. Jump attacks work. Go west, south to the lower part of the room, east, south, then east on the top level. To the left of the pipe is a Chakroad. The pipe will take you back to the shop monitor. From the pipe with the Chakroad, go back west, then go to the lower level, then go east. You'll find a machine here. Punch the button to make a time bomb appear. Punch it to the left in front of a crack and light the fuse to make a tunnel appear. To get the other tunnels open, light the fuse first, then time your punch so it explodes in front of a crack. Punch at 3 seconds for the middle tunnel and at 2 for the right tunnel. The middle tunnel has a time bomb and a lot of rocks to destroy. The time bomb clears the path to another pipe that leads to the Save Block and shop monitor. Destroy the rocks on the raised areas to reach the exit on the north side of the room.

This leads to a room with a few Monty Moles. They're trying to drill through the rock, but the drill doesn't have enough power. Bowser announces his presence and they tell him that his plan to drill a secret tunnel is going smoothly. It's an escape tunnel under Peach's Castle for kidnapping. The drill is lined up to go through Toad Town, but the drill can't break through the dirt. Bowser says he'll drill through the dirt himself. He start pushing the drill, making three new areas appear: the Energy Hold, the Lumbar Nook, and the Leg Outpost, which is reacting. The bros have to stimulate Bowser's leg muscles to give the strength to push the drill. The bros start jumping on the muscles. Press the button of the bro landing on the muscle to stomp on the muscle with increased power. Time your button presses well and hold the buttons for even more power. At some points, the bros will split up and hit each muscle simultaneously, so press both buttons. The first set will get Bowser moving and activates the drill battery, meaning they have 1 minute 30 seconds to drill through or the drill stops. If Bowser doesn't reach the end in that amount of time, he'll need a new battery, which costs 50 coins. I made it with 30 seconds to spare.

Bowser winds up under Toad Town. He can't go back the way he came, so go north. Up ahead are four giant electrical orbs. Bowser stands in the center and sets off the alarm. It tells him to leave immediately, but he stays put. The orbs zap him and he falls to the floor, unconscious.

Inside, the Pipe Yard is reacting. A pipe fell over, so the bros can go further into the area. Toadbert meets them there. He says the shock opens up deeper areas in Bowser's body. Bowser inhaled a lot of pipes, which ended up in this area. They still lead to places around the Mushroom Kingdom. This means the bros can get out of Bowser. Warp Pipes are amazing things.  The only one you can reach now is the purple one. It leads to an area similar to where Bowser ended up. Mario says these are the Toad Town Caves. Starlow is reminded of Peach's story about the Dark Star being beneath Toad Town. "I have chortles!" says a voice from far away. Starlow says they must find the Dark Star before Fawful does. Starlow draws the bros' attention to the map on the touch screen, showing their relative positions and areas that they've explored. If you'd like to return to Bowser at any point, just go through the purple pipe again.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 7: Everybody Wants to Rule the World


Inside the Flab Zone, Bowser's extra fat makes platforms closer together to form steps so they can be climbed. To the left is a Retry Clock and to the right is a Save Block. Up ahead are Attack Pieces. The floor ahead is springy. New enemies called Tenderlings are here. Watch how high they bounce to determine if you need to jump to dodge their attack. Flaming enemies called Calorites also appear.

In the next area, the bros hear a scream. Peach is being attack by something. She's relieved to see the bros. She was looking for the exit when she was attacked. The enemy swarms her, picks her up, and carries her off. The bros follow them and Luigi falls into the mucus pool. Someone laughs and pulls Luigi out. This entity is Princess Lipid, referring to themselves in the plural. They ask if Mario dropped Luigi into the mucus pool or the treasure of e'erlasting wonder, which they hold. They present the options with no time to answer and assume Mario wants the treasure. Mario disagrees, saying his brother is better than the treasure. Princess Lipid tosses him back and give the bros the treasure, saying honesty begets fortune. The treasure is a pair of badges. Starlow says that badges will give them special effects in battle. A Tenderling appears from the treasure chest as well. Starlow fully heals the bros and Princess Lipid appear. The badges are equipped and they fill the meter to almost full. The meter fills up with each successful attack. Excellent attacks fill the meter more. When it fills up, touch it before selecting a command block. The badge they have equipped restores both bros' HP. Using the badge drains the meter completely. There are different types of badges out there. You can change the badge in the middle of battle with the command block. Swap the badges with [L] and [R] until you get the combination you want. The badge Luigi equips determines what level of attacks (OK, Good, Great, Excellent) will fill the meter and Mario's determines the effects.

Keep going to the right. The path will split. Go into the red pipe first. Across the springy floor is an item block. You'll need to volley it between the bros by hitting it 15 times. When you complete the challenge, it will give you four Attack Pieces. Go east, then take the lower red pipe near the blue Emoglobin. There's a Save Block and an item block to volley. It also gives you four Attack Pieces. Go south via the green pipe and hit the bulge coming out of the floor. It releases a tornado. Starlow thinks the bros can use it by jumping in the middle of it. It's Spin Jump time. Cross the gaps and mucus pools to the left to reach the last Attack Piece. The bros can use the Jump Helmet attack. Mario jumps from a trampoline that Luigi wears as a helmet. Mario jumps and Luigi moves forward so Mario can land and jump again until they reach the enemy. Mario will then jump on the enemy. This Special Attack is a little tricky and prone to failure. Go south via the green pipe, then go west, hitting invisible blocks to the right of the tornado. Use the tornado to cross the gap. Go south through the red pipe.

Send Mini Mario under the gap and spring up. There's a switch on the right wall. Jump from the springy floor to make invisible blocks appear so you can hit the switch. This uncovers a super springy floor. Take the red pipe south. Spin jump to the pipes and take the green pipe south. This will take you to a room with a couple of item blocks and a Save Block. Heal and save, then go east.

The bros find the enemy with Peach up ahead. Starlow doesn't think jumping or hammers will free the princess. A Spin Jump removes them and the princess collapses. The enemy returns, opens its eyes, and gets into an attack formation. Starlow wants the bros to battle while she protects the princess. Luigi wants to trade places with Starlow. She is not amused and knocks Luigi into the enemy.

This enemy is Alpha Kretin. Each of its six pieces is colored red or green. Only the bro of the same color may damage the sphere. When each sphere is hit, it and the surrounding spheres change color. Try to be strategic in the ones you attack so each bro can attack. When it takes enough damage, it turns blue. Alpha Kretin will fire energy balls at the bros. Watch the light travel through it to know the order and frequency of attacks. Use hammers to stop the attacks. When all of the spheres turn blue, the formation will fall apart and only a Beta Kretin will be left. It will create copies of itself so there are six in total. They'll surround the bros and send electricity to each other. Jump if a bro is in the path of the electricity. Before you can attack, the real one will flash, then shuffle around with the others. Keep an eye on it so you can attack it. After a few attacks, it will become Alpha Kretin again, in a triangle formation. Keep attacking it as before. Odds are, you'll level up after defeating it. When the bros reach level 12, they'll rank up to Flower Rank, where they can equip three pieces of gear.

Alpha Kretin explodes once you defeat it. Peach is thankful. She wants to find a way to escape. Luigi doesn't think there might be a way out. Starlow notices there's a room up ahead, so she'll strategize with Peach while the bros check it out. Peach follows them into the new area, saying it would be best to just explore it. It's a dead end. Starlow suggests waiting until Bowser's body experiences a change.

Outside, Bowser is throwing himself a pity party. Suddenly, he feels ticklish. "I HAVE CHORTLES!" Under the floor, in the basement, Fawful is firing a ray gun at Bowser. "First, your beating of Midbus! And then, the chubbening with the special dishes of tastiness! All in my master planning! Oh, I have such chortles! There was a slight changing to my perfect plan! Yes, Fawful said "plan." A plan of Bowser inhaling Peach, sending the Mushroom Kingdom into the hands of Fawful! But now for the changing. I am needing the princess!" Bowser asks if he inhaled her. "Fawful tells you yes. But now I am needing her right this instant! Come out for the playing! Come to Fawful!"

Starlow wonders what Fawful would want with Peach. Peach says Fawful may be looking for the Dark Star. Peach explains that a star sleeping below the Mushroom Kingdom was dug up that hid a great evil. If an evil entity found the Dark Star, the world would plunge into darkness and the evil entity would rule the world. The Star Sprites sacrificed much to seal the Dark Star under Toad Town. Fawful needs Peach because she's the only one who can break the seal. Luigi freaks out. The ray gun's effect intensifies and a loud noise is heard in the room next door. The bros check it out. A light flashes from the ceiling. Peach and Starlow followed because they were worried. Big mistake. The light takes the form of a hand and points over each one of them, until it reaches Peach and grabs her. All three of them freak out.

Outside, the ball of light drops Peach on Fawful. "Such ruh-rounded chubbening on your buh-body, Bowser! Buh-but Fawful gave you the Puh-Princess Peach diet! Huh-heavy..." Bowser wants him to put her back. "And nuh-now! All preparations have cuh-completion! At the long last, we buh-begin the fuh-furious Age of Fawful! Buh-Bowser! You are needing to huh-hit the gym!" Midbus brings in a treadmill. Fawful slowly carries Peach off, saying, "Huh-heavy... Muh-Midbus! Help! Midbus! Come!" Midbus leaves without him. "MIDBUS!"

Bowser finally falls through the floor and lands on the treadmill. His legs start running by themselves, increasing in speed. He feels and smells the burn, as his legs are literally on fire. He burns off the accumulated fat and hops off the treadmill, still on fire. He reads the sign that tells him he is in the Bob-omb Storage Depot, but not before he lights a fuse. The blast sends him out of the castle, back to Cavi Cape, and he falls into the hole near the Chakroad. There is a Save Block and shop monitor.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 6: SHOWTIME!

The cave is Bowser Path. There's a TV monitor that Broque Monsieur set up so you can shop without having to return to Dimble Wood. Go north, then punch while moving across the gaps to the right. You'll encounter enemies called Chain Chawfuls, Chomps controlled by Fawful. Watch the way the head moves to determine whether to punch or duck. One of them has a Blitty. Vacuum out the head and it the Chomp will run away. You'll have to punch while moving to get past some of the rollers on the floor. Soon, you'll find some Shy Guys in a cage. Free them to get a new Special Attack, Shy Guy Squad. The Shy Guys will set up part of a sling shot, so use the stylus to push Bowser back to the left. This slings Bowser into the enemy.

Keep going east and the scenery will change. Bowser's Castle is ahead. Fawfulcopters may appear over other enemies here. Inhale them and let the bros deal with them. To the east, the ground starts to rumble. In the castle, Goombas tell Midbus that Bowser's getting closer. Midbus activates his second plan and the castle flies off again. Go east, south, then west. The castle is flying over its foundation. Midbus taunts Bowser, using some of his minions' names, so they think he's calling them. He decides to use Fawful's ultimate weapon, the Super Ultra Wonder Ultimate Ruthless Great Iron Ball. Bowser catches it and the Arm Center starts reacting. The bros stimulate the arm muscle as before and Bowser tosses the iron ball back at the castle. It lands back on its foundation. Bowser's proud of himself for repelling Midbus's attack, but upset that he damaged his castle. Return to the castle, heal, and save.

Approach the castle. There are Fawful posters on the outside. Burn them off, which reveals a small doorway. Bowser can't go through it, so we'll deal with it later. The doors are wide open, so go inside. Some Goombas greet Bowser inside, speaking creepily. They call him a guest and welcome him to Fawful Theater. Starlow informs Bowser that the Goombas have been brainwashed. Check out things in the lobby. Fawful has taken over and holds stress-release shows here. He's also taken Peach's Castle. After a while, the doors to the theater will open. Go inside the theater when you're ready. There are a couple of items beyond the Save Block. Go into the theater. All seats in the theater are taken. You can talk to some members of the audience that are moving. Approach the Goomba ushers. They say Fawful has arranged VIP treatment for Bowser. A special throne-like chair appears. Bowser takes his seat and the show starts.

"I HAVE FAWFUL!" Fawful appears onstage. "Excited crowd! You feel it? Fawful is also feeling it! I am needing to feel it even more though! MORE! MOOORE! Oh, I am feeling the power! It high-fives Fawful's face! And now I will use that power to call our most special guest, who you will be cheering! Today's special guest... The famous Koopa King... BOWSER!" Bowser's seat moves on a track and catapults him onstage. "I HAVE CHORTLES! It is an entrance of amazement! Like only a special guest does! Now a Midbus battle will unfold like an angry dip of many layers on the chips of wildest hopes! I HAVE CHORTLES! COME! MIDBUS!" Midbus appears, ready to battle. A cage drops down over them. "It is the time! The Heavyweight Cage War of All Destruction! Midbus!
Crush this spiky snack, and we will have more chortles!"

Midbus will spin a ball and chain around. Duck when he gets close, then duck when he throws it at you. Use Special Attacks. Bowser will get coins from the audience and possibly food. The same will happen for Midbus and he'll heal himself with the food. Vacuum up the food to heal Bowser and keep Midbus from healing himself. Midbus will jump around, then land on Bowser or in front of him. Punch if he lands in front and duck if he lands directly on him. When Midbus approaches with his arms up, punch repeatedly. If you time it well, you might counter with some damage.

Once the battle is over, the cage lifts and Goombas drag Midbus off stage. "And the winning is for... BOWSERRRR!" The crowd cheers and Bowser enjoys it. He thinks they remember him. "Such a fight of fury!" Bowser wants his castle back and is ready to challenge Fawful. "Oh, Fawful is leaving! But first! You had the victory! Now the celebrate! Yes, at the magic feast of honor! COME! BOOS!" The Boos arrive. "His belly cries out for the magic feast of honor!" The Boos escort Bowser away, even though he's a little suspicious.

The Boos lead Bowser to a room with a large feast prepared. The dishes are rich, fattening, and unhealthy and Bowser likes it. Lead him to the table and have him eat. Once he eats the first row, he gets full and tries to leave. The Boos insist that he eat more and offer to feed it to him. After a little while, Bowser starts looking chubbier. The Boos feed him faster despite his protests and he gains even more weight. The Boos agree with that and laugh at him. Bowser can't move and falls through the floor and gets stuck. He wants Chippy to help him lose the weight. She suggests a diet. Bowser's stuck, so she should help him. She'll help him when she feels like it. But until Bowser gets free, nothing gets done. On the inside, a new area called the Flab Zone appears and starts reacting.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 5: Supersized!

When Bowser tries to leave the Wiggler Family Farm, he gets a stomachache. It's too painful to leave alone, so the bros travel to the Nerve Cluster, which is reacting. A caterpillar appears, breaking through some tissue. It eats some enemies with spears and starts battling the bros. It's called Durmite and will charge the bros, so counter with a hammer. Durmite will also shoot out some webbing the bros must jump over. After a while, Durmite will summon the enemy with a spear called Biffidus, and send a straw into Bowser's body to restore health. Destroy the straw. Durmite can eat a Biffidus and spit the spear out at a bro. Bring plenty of syrup and use Special Attacks. When Durmite is defeated, she shrinks down and runs away. Follow her and a spear will fall down. In the next area, the Biffidi will drop down and drill through the floor.

The path to the left is blocked. Toadbert appears, relieved to see the bros. The Biffidi attacked him as well. He says it's their job to attack anything foreign in Bowser's body. He, unfortunately, hasn't seen Peach. Luigi hits the switch on the wall, which opens the path, and stimulates Bowser's arm. Toadbert thinks that if Bowser punches while moving, the power of his punch increases. Bowser is able to break the nearby stones while moving. Chippy is Bowser's new minion for this. Toadbert's going to check out other areas of Bowser's body.

Have Bowser go to the left. When he reaches level 10, he'll rank up from Bronze Boss to Silver Boss, allowing him to equip two pieces of gear. Punching while moving will destroy stone pillars. Keep going west until Bowser finds his troops again. They're talking about him behind his back, but stop when Bowser announces his presence by tossing them the Banzai Bill. Bowser lights the fuse and the cannon fires.

At Bowser's Castle, some Goombas inform Midbus that a Banzai Bill is headed their way. Since it will likely hit the castle, Midbus orders them to do the something special that they have prepared. The castle rises up over its foundation, powered by rockets, so the Banzai Bill travels underneath it. Midbus orders the Goombas to the forest and the castle flies there. The castle casts a shadow over Bowser, then drops down on him.

A new area opens up inside Bowser. Bowser is not responsive, so the bros check out the new area, Rump Command. Save your globin, then approach the purple Evoglobins, evolved Emoglobins that are transcendent spiritual forms with arms and legs. They ask the bros to save Bowser's life by boarding the boats of revival and fording the adrenaline channel. In the channel, adrenaline, appearing as a ball of light, will appear. The adrenaline is color-coded as to who may hit it. It's like Space Invaders. Hitting the adrenaline with the wrong bro will send it towards the bros. You can still hit it. Don't let the adrenaline hit you or you'll lose one of your three hearts. If the adrenaline is blue, it will take multiple shots from both bros, so move around and quickly fire to hit it. Press and hold both buttons. The bros must fill up the meter to revive Bowser. You don't have to hit every single bit of adrenaline that comes your way, but you have to hit enough adrenaline to fill the meter. Once the meter fills up, it sends a spark of energy to Bowser. Now you'll have to deal with blue adrenaline releasing red and green adrenaline at you. Shoot at it until it shoots up to Bowser and his energy spikes. Bowser will start moving.

The castle slowly rises up. A giant Bowser picks up the castle and tosses it away. He towers over the forest and Broque Monsieur notices. Hold your DS vertically so that the Touch Screen is on the left. Bowser will do battle against his own castle. Midbus sends a recon unit of Shy Guys out to see what's going on. Use the stylus to slide to the right quickly to punch. To breathe fire, wait until the flame icon appears, then blow into the microphone. Execute the punch defense the same way as a punch. Bowser can spit fireballs by touching the stylus to aim. The fireballs get smaller as you go, so aim well. After the tutorial, the castle will attack. Drop its health meter to zero by punching and breathing fire. Breathe fire to deal with the Spinies the castle periodically sends out. When the meter drops to zero, Midbus appears, saying, "You have grown giant. As has your cheating!" He will only fight a normal-sized Bowser. The castle flies off.

After the battle, Bowser returns to normal size and falls to the ground. He wants to do that again, but Starlow says it only works in dire situations. Bowser's confident in his ability to defeat anyone at his normal size and heads for the castle. Go north to Bumpty Plains. You'll find Flifits, flower Snifits. They take critical damage from fire and wilt when Bowser inhales their petals. A butterfly Snifit can water them to restore their petals. One of them has a Blitty. Periodically, you'll come across Lakitu Kings. Inhale them and they'll throw coins and Spinies at the bros. Defeat them before they leave. To the west is a brick block with a Chakroad. To the south is a raft that will allow you to pick up a piece of gear called a Safety Ring. Bowser can punch while moving to cross some gaps. There's a cave to the northeast you can reach this way.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 4: Rally the Troops!

To the north of Plack Beach is Dimble Wood. There are Treevils here, tree enemies that take critical damage from fire. In this part, the rocks resemble a certain vegetable. To the north is a stone block with a Wiggler on it. Hit the Wiggler face to make the segments light up in a certain order. To the east is a stone Wiggler. Hit the segments in the same order and the statue comes to life, demolishing the stone block. Bowser can go to the north. You may notice a block with an Attack Piece, but those are only for Mario and Luigi. To the north, Broque Monsieur and Broggy have set up shops. Apparently, Broggy eats coins and the shop's revenue should satisfy his hunger. Broque Monsieur sells items and Broggy sells gear. Broque Monsieur mentions scratch cards, a reward system for the shops in the Mushroom Kingdom. Scratch a patch to get coins back. The odds of getting a good amount of coins return increase with increase Horn and Mustache points. When you're done shopping, Broque Monsieur asks a favor. His collection is missing a living block called a Blitty, a block kitty. There are 15 hidden in the Mushroom Kingdom, hidden inside monsters. Bowser must vacuum enemies to get them. Bowser will get rewarded with rare gear not sold in the shop when he brings back Blitties. If Bowser gives him all 15 Blitties, Broque Monsieur will lend him Broggy. This alone is worth completing the quest. Every time you battle a new enemy, use the vacuum on it to see if a Blitty will appear. The Vacuum Block does not flash for Blitties. If you don't catch it, it will hide in another monster of the same type.

Go north to the stone pillars, then west. Follow and destroy the trail of brick blocks. There's a Blitty hiding in a Treevil. Head as far west as you can go and you'll come across a yellow platform on a hill. Stand on the platform and light the fuse. It catapults Bowser through the stone pillars, clearing them out. There's a Save Block ahead. The tree to the ride hides a Chakroad. I took a detour to Cavi Cape to get a Blitty from a Chuboomba and to Plack Beach to get a Blitty from a Toothy. To the north, Bowser will find some Goombas in a cage. They're happy to see him. Fawful's already taken Bowser's Castle, stuffed the Goomba squadron in cage, and thrown them out. Bowser reminds them that their mantra is to "March straight at the enemy's feet", but it happened so suddenly, the Goombas couldn't do anything about it. They say other parts of Bowser's army may have ended up like them. Bowser's going to make a bridge to the island to get them.

To the north is another Wiggler Statue, standing on its hind legs. Bowser thinks it will make a good bridge, so he tries to pick it up. The Arm Center starts reacting, so send the bros there. Activate the arm muscle the same way as before and Bowser picks up the statue and throws it into the water. Go up to the statue and Bowser will hop across it. This is one of the very few places Bowser jumps. Go south and punch the cage a few times to free the Goombas. They join Bowser, allowing him to perform the Special Attack Goomba Storm in battle. Fawful's helicopter appears, saying, "I have the weeping! Such a reunion of sobs! You have moved Fawful with the family drama. But now I have chortle time! Fawful scattered your minions like litter from a sad, ugly cat. Are you wanting to hear them? For they are on the TV show. The TV show of your tears!" A screen shows Bowser's minions calling Bowser for help. The Koopa squad, Bob-omb squad, and Shy Guy corps all need help. "I HAVE CHORTLES! And soon, I have your castle! Fawful will love it there! You will visit, perhaps! Fawful will reserve the Crying Room for the crying for your minions. And the crying will be like a savory soda for my soul! NOW I HAVE FURY! Some fighting will be slowing you!"

A couple Treevils appear and initiate battle. A Goomba appears to teach Bowser how to use his Special Attacks, all of which involve using the stylus and touch screen. For Goomba Storm, tap the Goombas when they appear from the left to blast them with fire. They will rain down on the enemies. The ones that you miss will run into the enemies. Go north, across a red bridge. There are treasure chest enemies called Trashures. Do enough damage to remove the lock so you can get tons of coins with the vacuum. One of them has a Blitty. Keep going north until you reach a Save Block and save.

To the north, Bowser finds a Goomba wearing pajamas, a Shy Guy with weapons, and a Paratroopa wearing a bucket on his head, all pushing a cannon. They are Private Goomp, Sergeant Guy, and Corporal Paraplonk. They wonder if they're the only ones who escaped. They see Bowser and tell him Fawful and Midbus took the castle easily. They got the cannon out of the castle. Bowser wants to fire the cannon now, but they lack ammunition, a Banzai Bill. Bowser tells them to look around for one that they've fired over the years. Starlow suggests that Bowser look as well. Go east, then south and you'll see another stone block with a Wiggler. Get the pattern from the Wiggler and go east to activate the statue, which opens a path to a bridge. This leads to a garden. A Squiggler tells Bowser that this is the Wiggler Family Farm, where they grown organic, pesticide-free vegetables for the kingdom. The Squiggler hasn't seen a Banzai Bill in the area. Bowser prefers meat to vegetables. Go north, heal, and save.

To the north is a giant carrot. Bowser thinks it might make good cannon fodder. He tries to pull it out of the ground, making the Arm Center react again. Starlow says the cannon looks a little different. The design on it has certainly changed. The balls of light have changed in that many come out at once. Hit them back with the same rhythm that they were fired in. After the third set, Bowser pulls out the carrot. Wiggler comes out of the ground, calling Bowser a thief. Apparently, this carrot's been growing for generations. Wiggler has a Banzai Bill and would give it to Bowser, but he needs to learn a lesson about honor. Bowser must take responsibility for yanking the giga-carrot. Bowser must eat it, in one minute. A new area opens up, the Gut Check. Chunks of carrot that Bowser eats will pile up. Use the stylus to break them up. Bowser's face sparkles and Wiggler says that the carrot contains an enzyme that quickly digests food. Keep an eye out for when Bowser's face sparkles and find the pieces that come in soon after. One of them has the enzyme that will clear things out. It loses its activity with time, so find it quickly, while it is still red, when it can digest all the food. Tap it to clear out the food. I did it in 36 seconds. If you don't complete the challenge, Wiggler will give Bowser an equivalent amount of carrots. Wiggler gives Bowser an opportunity to use the Save Block. Use it if you like. Wiggler forgets about the Banzai Bill. Wiggler gets mad at Bowser for coming to the farm, pulling out the carrot, and eating it.

Wiggler wants to battle. He'll water the ground, make radishes grown, then throw them at Bowser. Punch them away and duck for the Leaf Guys. You can attack each of Wiggler's segments to make them turn yellow. Wiggler will also charge at Bowser so he can hit the first three segments. Duck when Wiggler falls. He'll also circle Bowser. Punch his segments. Periodically, Leaf Guys will appear holding a giant radish. Inhale them, and a chunk of the radish will turn the remaining segments yellow. Have the bros attack the Leaf Guys. The Leaf Guys will charge the bros at the same time, so counter with hammers. When Wiggler is yellow, attack his head. Goomba Storm works well. Once he's defeated, Wiggler doesn't want Bowser around damaging crops, so he gives up the Banzai Bill so Bowser will leave. Return to the cannon.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 3: Unleash Your Inner Pyro

Bowser is still on Plack Beach, after defeating the Sea Pipe Statue. Suddenly, some brown trees spring up, blocking Bowser's path to the south. The Sea Pipe Statue starts spewing water from its pipes. Bowser starts drinking it and a new area opens up, called the Pump Works. It's filled with water, so the bros will have to swim around. The water makes things like bony walls float up, opening access to new areas. Swim up and Bowser moves away, instantly draining the area. Starlow convinces Bowser to keep drinking. Move him away from the water when you want to drain the area. The next area has a Save Block and three pipes. Go down the middle pipe to reach a special block. Hit it and five blocks stack up. Memorize the order of the blocks and have the correct bro hit them. This will give you one of the Pump Work's Attack Pieces. You'll want the water drained for battles. Bloopers shrivel up without water, but can take moisture from Bowser's body if you let them live long enough. In the next area, change the water level so you can reach switches. Go to the right and grab some Attack Pieces. You'll find Protobatters in this area. They increase in size every time they're hit. The pipe that appears takes you to an area that looks like DNA is arched over the doorway. Go to the right until you see something sparkle with electricity. Hit the ! Block above to go right.

Go as far to the right as you can and hit the switch. This makes an explosive ball appear. Push it towards the Chombone, the bony bug-like thing in the ceiling. It will break the floor below it. Drop down and go to the right. You'll find Toadsworth trapped near a switch. He doesn't know where Peach is. The bros will help Toadsworth out and Luigi notices a small gap. Mario tells Luigi he should use his hammer to make him Mini Mario. To the left, through the gap, is a switch that frees Toadsworth. He tells the bros he saw a huge flat bug by a door. He goes to Toad Square. Hit the switch where he was and drop down. There's another switch to the right. It's easy to reach with water. This will allow you to go to the left. Get the Attack Piece in the lower left corner and go left. There's a switch to the left that makes another explosive ball appear. There are Chombones to deal with, so move an explosive ball in front of each. This will allow you to reach an Attack Piece and a switch that opens the path to the left. The last Attack Piece is there. The new Special Attack is Fire Flowers. Hit the switch on the left to make an explosive ball appear and open a gap in the floor. Push it to the left into the next area. Drain the water so it falls into a cannon. Have Mini Mario hit the switch below to fire the cannon. Go back right, raise the water level, and push it to the left, so the Chombone can get it.

Drop down the gap and grab the Stingler, the thing that's sparkling with electricity. Go back to the right to the special door. Place the Stingler in the door to unlock six new areas: the Nerve Cluster, Flame Pipe, Airway, Chest Station, Nose Deck, and Pipe Yard. Go to the Flame Pipe. Climb up the platforms and have Mini Mario hit the switch on the left. This allows you to go right. At the top, the huge, flat bug Toadsworth mentioned is there, between two pipes. Starlow says it's from Dimble Woods. She notices it's much larger than usually. Some flames briefly lift the bug up. He's blocking Bowser's flame pipe, preventing him from breathing fire. The bug eats Starlow.

The bug is called Scutlet and the bros must defeat it. Fire Flowers work well. It will try to eat the bros, so stomp on its tongue when it approaches. It will also throw Starlow at the bros, then eat her again. After it takes enough damage, it will fly up and drift down to attack the bros. Defeat it with Special Attacks. They'll get a lot of experience, so they may level up. Once they hit level 6, the bros will rank up from Mushroom Rank to Shell Rank. The bros can equip two pieces of equipment at Shell Rank, and shop at better shops. Scutlet explodes and frees Starlow. The pipe is clear, so flames shoot forth, burning the brown trees. The gap in the pipe closes up. Starlow explains the problem. Bowser is pleased, enough to make her an honorary minion, but she politely declines. Bowser asks her name and she calls herself "Chippy". Odds are, you're going to forget her real name by the end of the game. In an explanation, she uses the term "we" and Bowser asks who else is in his body. She tries to come up with an explanation, but he doesn't really care. He can unleash his inner pyro again with (Y).

Burn the trees and go back south. Burn the tree to the left of the raft to allow you to move through Plack Beach better. You can burn green trees, so try it out. When you return to the statue, go east. Broque Monsieur is here, with a problem. He lost his pet block, Broggy. Broggy is a block dog, who isn't particularly obedient. He knocks Broque Monsieur to the ground. He asks Bowser to teach Broggy some manners. Punches won't work, however. The battle starts. Broque Monsieur says Broggy likes to jump on people, so Bowser should use his shell defense with (Y). This will allow him to duck attacks, protecting himself with his shell. He also explains that Broggy doesn't like fire. Bowser can breathe fire in battle. As with punching, build up power to the last second, then hold (X), when Bowser's face gets red. Hold (X) longer to do damage longer. The fire makes Broggy turn around, so you can punch him. Defeat Broggy and he runs away. Go to the northeast to a Save Block.

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 2: Mind Travel

Bowser's on his own to explore and battle. He'll first face Chuboombas, fat Goombas with lollipops. He can get first strikes by punching. There smaller enemies he can instantly defeat for money by running into them or punching them. Punch brick blocks for items, like hot drumsticks, which restore HP. Bowser largely can't jump like the bros, so he can only reach things accessible by ramps. Head south and you'll eventually hear a voice. The voice says it is the voice within, his consciousness. The voice asks Bowser if they should travel together. Bowser doesn’t want to listen and the voice calls him unenlightened. Their minds have bonded, which is rare. The voice says to smash the nearby boulder. Bowser does so, and a pink, yellow, and brown swirl appears. It is called a Chakroad. Bowser touches it and somewhere else on the world map, another one appears. The voice says they will travel with their minds. This places him back in the cave. The voice says the Chakroad took them to a place etched in Bowser’s mind. Bowser touches the Chakroad again to return. Bowser wants to go to his castle, but he can only travel to Chakroads he has found. They are hidden in breakable objects, like boulders. Look for pink swirls coming out of things to find more Chakroads so you can quickly travel place to place. Bowser asks who the voice is, and it replies that it exists somewhere in the kingdom.

Go east, enter the cave, then go south. This will take you to Plack Beach. Go north, then go to the east side of the beach, where you'll see a raft. Hop on it and punch a surface in the opposite direction you'd like to go. Ultimately, you'll want to go northwest. To do this, you can go east, north, and while moving north, hit a set of rocks to go west. This will take you back to the beach. Here, you'll find enemies called Toothies, which are Pokeys made of teeth. The beach has a tooth theme. You'll have to hit them when only their head is left to do damage. Go north.

Someone with a French accent calls to Bowser. He's stuck on an island and needs Bowser's help. His name is Broque Monsieur and has a block collection. He was cleaning up the collection on the island and the bridge fell into the water. Bowser doesn't want to help. Broque Monsieur will give him gratitude in the form of a block. Bowser isn't interested until Broque Monsieur says it is rare and powerful. Broque Monsieur says the island's floating in the water, and to earn the block, Bowser must pull the island to shore with the rope. Bowser grabs the rope and pulls.

Inside Bowser, a new area appears in his arm. It's called the Arm Center and contains his arm muscle, which is reacting. Nearby is a switch that Luigi hits. It sends an light ball flying at Mario. Mario hits it with his hammer into the arm muscle. Bowser thinks he just got a power boost. More color-coded light balls appear and the bros have to volley them until they strike the muscle, boosting Bowser's strength. Missing will make the bros lose coins. At last, the light ball increases in size and when it hits the muscle, Bowser pulls the island to shore. Starlow figures that the bros can make Bowser stronger this way.

Broque Monsieur landed on his head. He gives Bowser the Vacuum Block as promised. Bowser is underwhelmed. Broque Monsier explains that hitting the block allows Bowser to inhale whatever is in front of him, even in battle. Bowser is interested. Broque Monsieur challenges him to a battle as a tutorial. Bowser can inhale small monsters. If there is something Bowser can inhale, the Vacuum Block will flash. He can use the block if it doesn't flash and it will do damage. When it does flash, it means there is something Bowser can inhale, either items or enemies. Once the block is selected, hit (X) repeatedly to inhale. Bowser inhales Broque Monsieur and finds the bros, ready to battle. If Bowser inhales enemies, the bros will get to battle them. Enemies that are on the top screen during battle will either be inhaled, or brought down to the touch screen. Pressing (X) quickly increases the vacuuming power, useful for stubborn enemies. Broque Monsieur gives Bowser a Retry Clock, which allows the user to redo a battle if their HP drops to zero. It also restores all items used in the battle, as well as all HP and SP. There are a limited number of Retry Clocks in the world, so they must be used wisely. The battle continues. Broque Monsieur can hit a block containing a Mega Mushroom, that increases his size. He runs into Bowser. With a punch, Bowser can knock away his body and repeatedly punch the head for coins. For the rest of the battle, just punch him. He'll just leave if Bowser inhales him. He can also hit blocks with mushrooms that can either heal him or Bowser, depending on where they go. He'll eventually stop the battle and Bowser and the bros get experience. Broque Monsieur wants to meet again and leaves for now.

Head north until you reach a statue. Starlow thinks it's the Sea Pipe Statue. Bowser thinks it's ugly and starts punching it. It starts moving and waving its pipe arms. Bowser says the statue's going nuts. "I HAVE CHORTLES!" This is Fawful's new catchphrase, with "chortles" being coined by Lewis Carroll as a combination of "snort" and "chuckle".  One of Fawful's robots appears, so he can tell Bowser, "It is I who added the nuts to that statue! I HAVE CHORTLES! Your plan that I laugh at now makes for more laughing! You are wanting your castle? You are not getting there!" Bowser doesn't want to deal with Fawful right now. "You have the impatience... You must stop and sample the sprinklies in life's salad bar. I say no to your rushing! Time instead for some playing with a Fawfulized statue!" The statue moves faster and starts the battle.

The Stone Blooper on the statue will fly at Bowser through a pipe after looping around the screen. Bowser must inhale it, even though it will drill into him, dropping his HP. If you don't, Bowser's attacks will not do any damage. The Stone Blooper will attack the bros overhead. Counter with a hammer. Hit the Blooper enough times, and it will turn red and fly at the bros. Use the hammer to knock it out of Bowser and stick it in the statue's side. Punch it repeatedly. Once the Stone Blooper has been defeated, the battle ends. The Sea Pipe Statue stops moving.