Saturday, May 31, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 6 -- Dark Days in Flower Fields -- Part 2

Mario has obtained a Magical Bean, as well as Fertile Soil and some Miracle Water to help it grow. It still needs sunlight. Heal if you need to and go northwest of Wise Wisterwood and you'll see many thorns ahead. Nearby is a blue plant blowing bubbles. It's called the Bubble Plant. Give it a Bubble Berry and it will blow a large bubble. Jump into the bubble and it will take you across the pit of thorns. On the other side of pit are more Spinies. Sometimes, you'll find a Green Magikoopa. They have 11 HP and 3 attack power. They can increase the defense of their allies and run away. Go up the stairs, and walk through the log (it opens up) to reach a Star Piece. Go through a different log and go west.

There are more Lakitu and Spinies here. Go up the stairs and have Bombette break the rock at the top. Drop down where the rock was to reach the Mega Smash badge. Go west and the music changes. There's a tall tower in the area. Walk around on the ground and you'll find a doorway. Go inside and use Bombette to blow up the rock. This will make part of the tower lower so you can reach a doorway higher in the tower. Go up the stairs to the top of the tower. The sun is at the top. It says it was the sun. The clouds in the sky prevent it from climbing into the sky. It says it's failing as a sun with all the plants and flowers suffering. It tells Mario that the Puff Puff Machine is likely to the east, as that is where the clouds seem to be coming from. It then tells Mario to just go home and give up.

Go back east and a voice says to stop. It's a Lakitu wearing sunglasses. He says his name is Lakilester, then changes it to Michael, then Spike. He has no personal problem with Mario, but has orders from Huff N. Puff to deliver a beat down. He then wonders to himself if he sounded cool. It's time to battle. He appears under the name of "Spike?". He has 50 HP and 4 attack power. He throws Spiny Eggs like other Lakitu. Bow's Fan Smack and Power Bounce work well. Defeat him and you'll get 12 SP. At the end of the battle, even his cloud is frowning. He gives up, saying Mario is tough as nails. He then tells Mario to do his worst, whatever he does to those he defeats, be it a Fire Flower in the eye or a POW Block.

Someone else says to wait. It's another Lakitu, one with a ponytail. Her name is Lakilulu. She asks for mercy on Lakilester. He says she's embarrassing him, but this makes him like her even more. He then says to forget he said that. He lost a challenge and he and Mario must settle it. Lakilulu asks Mario to forgive him. Forgive him and he says he joined Huff N. Puff to be part of something big. Unfortunately, all he's been doing is picking pointless fights. He asks Mario what he's fighting for. He decides to join Mario. Lakilulu wants to go with him, but he wants her to stay. He's going to return to her after he becomes a man. She agrees to wait, but tells them not to make her worry. He joins the party, revealing that his name is really Lakilester. His starting attacks are Spiny Flip and Spiny Surge. He can also carry Mario over spikes and lava.

Return to Wise Wisterwood, then go northeast. There's a platform puzzle here. There are colorful platforms over thorns. If you ground pound the platform, all of the platforms of the same color will move in the direction that the arrows on them indicate. There are three green platforms, two red ones, and two purple ones. Keep Lakilester out, as you'll need him to carry you over the thorns as you manipulate the platforms. The way to solve the puzzle is to pound the platforms in the following order: right green, left purple, left red, left green, right green, then right purple. This will take you to the ledge on the other side of the pit of thorns. You may find a Yellow Magikoopa battling alongside other enemies. According to Goombario's Tattle, yellow's the new black. They have 11 HP and 3 attack. They can electrify allies, so do not attack them directly. They can also run away. They give 2 SP. Use the spring under the back ledge to reach a Super Block. I upgraded Lakilester.

Go east and you'll find a few logs over the thorns. You can use them or Lakilester to cross the thorns. You'll find a letter in the flowers here addressed to Minh T. I delivered the letter when I returned to Toad Town to heal. She'll give you a Star Piece. Go east of here and you'll here some mechanical sounds. To the right are some Lakitu and a Yellow Magikoopa, and the Puff Puff Machine. Hit it on both sides with the hammer and it will start falling apart. The Lakitu will tell you not to hit the machine. Once it's destroyed, all four will battle Mario at once. Defeat them and they'll retreat. The sky clears and the sun once again rises into the sky. The plants of Flower Fields are thankful. Lakilester says helping people feels good, so he'll follow Mario around.

Return to Wise Wisterwood and he'll say to plant the Magical Bean in the nearby soil patch. The order is soil, bean, then water. The bean sprouts and the stalk spirals up to the clouds. Jump on the cloud to reach Cloudy Climb. Ride the cloud towards the back to reach a cloud with the Super Jump Charge badge. When you're fully healed and ready, go east. Go up the cloudy stairs and you'll see a lump in the clouds. It shakes and asks if Mario is who he thinks he is and if he broke a Puff Puff Machine. Mario ruined his plan to cover Flower Fields in clouds to make a paradise. He can't expect Mario to understand. If Lakilester is out, he'll notice him and says Lakilester has betrayed him and he will be punished. He has a Star Spirit that he refuses to give up. Huff N. Puff says that Mario will pay dearly. The battle starts.

Huff N. Puff has 60 HP and 5 attack power. His thunder attack does massive damage, but he has to charge it up. Use Outta Sight when you see him charge up. Each time he takes damage, Tuff Puffs appear from him, representing the amount of damage done. They ask permission to attack Mario and it is granted. They'll crowd Mario, doing damage until he can fill the meter by repeatedly pressing (A). He can also inhale them, effectively negating any damage you did, so don't leave them on the field for long. Use attacks that hit all enemies, like Spiny Surge, to clear them out, which is especially effective after using a move like Power Bounce. Some more Tuff Puffs will appear because you hit Huff N. Puff, but he can't heal as much. Huff N. Puff also has a wind attack. Press (A) repeatedly to fill the meter as much as you can so you only take 2 or 3 HP worth of damage. Keep attacking and you'll eventually defeat him. You'll get 31 SP. Huff N. Puff says he can't lose before exploding into smaller clouds. The Star Spirit's card appears.

End of Chapter
So it is that Mario and party defeat cruel cloud Huff N. Puff and set free the sixth Star Spirit. The thick clouds that once cast dark shadows have gone, and Flower Fields is bathed in sunshine again. A single Star Spirit waits to be rescued, waits to take its place in the Star Sanctuary. Perhaps you will see Princess Peach soon... Perhaps... Just wait and see. Kammy Koopa, who watches impatiently from Bowser's Castle, is waiting, too... for you to try to save them...

Friday, May 30, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 6 -- Dark Days in Flower Fields -- Part 1

Mario has arrived in Flower Fields. A voice asks who he is. The giant tree is talking to him. The gate to Flower Fields is part of him. He is the Wise Wisterwood, the oldest tree in Flower Fields. He knows of Mario's quest and says the Star Spirit may be here. Unfortunately, Flower Fields is in trouble. Huff N. Puff invaded recently and brought many clouds to the sky. It's been dark and cloudy ever since, because the sun doesn't rise. The plants here are weak and fading. Huff N. Puff took a Star Spirit captive. Mario says he'll defeat Huff N. Puff. Wise Wisterwood says that Huff N. Puff is in the sky, on Cloudy Climb. Mario can't reach him without a Magical Bean or something that grows high. A flower named Petunia may have a Magical Bean, so Mario should find her. She is due east of here.

Where Wise Wisterwood is, there are six paths out of the area. Go due east first to find Petunia. You'll encounter Crayzee Dayzees, enemy flowers with 8 HP and 4 attack power. They will sing, which can hurt Mario or make him fall asleep. Guard when they're done singing, meaning when no more musical notes appear. They may run away if their HP gets low. They give 2 SP. Also in the area is a bee called a Bzzap! Some of them hide in trees. They have 3 HP, but 6 attack power. They can sting Mario, which may poison him, or send a swarm of smaller bees to attack individually, in quick succession. This may shrink Mario. They give 2 SP.

Go east and the music will become intense. There are several Monty Moles in the area, around an angry flower. This is Petunia. Talk to her and she'll tell you that there's no sun, so she doesn't have any energy. She's starting to droop and the Monty Moles are biting her roots. If they aren't stopped, they'll eat her seed collection. She asks Mario to get rid of them. These ones have 12 HP and 3 attack power. They still just throw rocks. They give 2 SP. There are 4 of them. There's also a Crayzee Dayzee behind the tree, but you don't have to deal with it. Once you defeat all of the Monty Moles, Petunia will give you the Magical Bean. She says not to plant it (even though the description says it's twitching as if to say "plant me right now!"). As a seed, it can enjoy freedom. It can't move once it's been planted. So, Mario definitely shouldn't add Fertile Soil and Miracle Water to it and plant it. Hit the tree in the area to get some Red Berries. Keep at least one in your inventory. To the left of Petunia is a hidden panel with a Star Piece. Return to Wise Wisterwood, then go southwest.

There's a red flower guarding a gate. He won't let Mario through, but he can be bribed with something delicious. Give him a Red Berry and he'll open the gate. Here, you'll find Ruff Puffs, small clouds that will attack you. They have 10 HP, 4 attack power and give 2 Star Points. Hit the green tree for a couple of Yellow Berries. Keep at least one in your inventory. Go west. There's a flower by a Crystal Tree. Her name is Posie and she has a long nose due to the fertile soil in the area. She gives some to Mario. Return to Wise Wisterwood and go southeast.

There's a yellow flower guarding the gate here. Give him a Yellow Berry and he'll open the gate. There are thorny vines here, so be careful. Jump over the vines, then have Parakarry help you cross the larger gaps. There are many Crayzee Dayzees here, and rarely, you'll find an Amazy Dayzee. They are yellow and sparkly, and will try to run away from you. If you managed to engage them in battle, they have 20 HP, 20 attack power, and 1 defense power. Most of the time, they will runaway instead of attacking, so the attack power isn't much of a concern. If you want to challenge it at this point, equip badges that will give Mario powerful attacks. If Mario and his party member can do a total of 20 HP worth of damage on their first turns, you'll be okay. Otherwise, you'll have to get lucky and hope the Amazy Dayzee attacks instead of running away so you can attack again. It's worth it, though. Defeating the Amazy Dayzee will give you about 42 SP. This particular area is a great place to find them. To keep finding them, leave to the east and return until you see one to the left of the tree. It can also appear on the ledge to the left, but it's easier to deal with near the tree. Hit the tree for Blue Berries. To the right of the tree is a Star Piece hidden in the flowers. If you are in good shape in terms of health and flower points, you may battle the Dayzees on the ledge. There's a Super Block to the far left. I upgraded Bow. Go east.

There's a drained pool here. Drop down into the pool and get out using the stairs, then go east. There's another pool here, with a flower sitting at the bottom. Her name is Lily and she's throwing a pity party. The spring went dry because Huff N. Puff took the Water Stone. Water flows from this stone and fills the pool. She needs water to recover or else she'll wither. She hopes for a handsome prince to rescue her. She then sees Mario. She says to herself he looks more like a plumber than a prince, but won't be choosy. She asks him to retrieve the Water Stone. Hit the tree in the area for a Jammin' Jelly. Return to Wise Wisterwood, then go due west.

There's a blue flower here who'll open the gate if you give him a Blue Berry. You'll find Lakitus and Spinies here. The Spinies are the ones you'll have to deal with. They have 5 HP, 4 attack power and 3 defense power. Flip them to reduce their defense power to zero or use Watt's Electro Dash. They will roll up and slam Mario. They give 2 SP. While in the area, do not break the brick block near the spring. Have Watt reveal two invisible blocks, one of which is directly above the brick block. Use the spring to land on the invisible block after you hit it, then jump to the brick block. Hit the invisible block above it for a Shooting Star. Go west.

There are a couple of Lakitu here looking for something. They lost the Water Stone, which they need for the Puff Puff Machine. They notice Mario and start a fight. They have 12 HP and 3 attack power. They throw Spiny Eggs at Mario or onto the ground. The ones on the ground become Spinies. The Lakitu give 2 SP each. In the area is a hedge maze that can be tricky to navigate. You can walk around in the low hedges and pass through parts of the tall hedges. Your goal is to reach the pipe in the middle. To do so, enter the hedges, walk north, cut through the tall hedges and walk west until you're north of a section of low hedges that run due south. Go south through the tall hedges and then go east. You should be near the center pipe. Approach the center pipe from the east, going through the tall hedges. The pipe will take you to the west exit. Go back into the hedges from the west side to reach a brick block with many coins, then go west.

There's a flower here, a Rose Spirit named Rosie. She's upset that she's in full bloom and no one's there to admire her beauty. She shows off the Water Stone the Lakitu dropped. Mario wants the Water Stone badly. Mario explains the situation and Rosie is not sympathetic. The Water Stone is hers. She says Lily competes with her in beauty and wouldn't mind if Lily was gone. She will only part with it if Mario brings her something more beautiful.

Go back to Posie (southwest of Wise Wisterwood). Posie says Rosie's a little self-involved. Posie says her roots are connected to the roots of the Crystal Tree, so she can shake the roots to make a Crystal Berry appear, in an unladylike manner. Take the Crystal Berry to Rosie, who happily casts aside the ugly Water Stone. She says to let Lily know that it was she who saved her. Take the Water Stone to Lily and put it in the center of the pool. Water flows from the stone, filling the pool with water. Lily is happy and gives Mario the Miracle Water. She says to get the sun in the sky again. Go west and swim in the pool in this area with Sushie to reach the blue tree. Hit it to make Bubble Berries fall from it. Go back to Wise Wisterwood and save.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Paper Mario: Interlude After Chapter 5

In her castle, Peach tells Twink that she wants to sneak out again. Twink says she's become so bold, when he originally thought she was gentle and delicate. Peach emphasizes that she is delicate and is behaving just like the Ministers taught her. Hit the switch on the wall and you'll end up on the other side of the revolving door. Deposit any badges you have into the chest, then go downstairs, then to the door on the left.

A Koopatrol is on the other side of the door and immediately notices her. A Hammer Bro walks up, saying it isn't so bad if Peach wanders around because she can't escape from the castle. The Hammer Bro asks Peach to be the third member in the game they're about to play. He won't tell Bowser about her sneaking out if she participates.

The game they're about to play is the 64th Trivia Quiz-Off, brought to you by Koopa Korps. The host is Mr. Hammer. He'll ask 10 questions. Answer the most to win a fabulous prize. There is also a participation prize. If you have the answer, press (A). The questions are as follows:

1. What's the name of the boss inside the volcano on Lavalava Island? Lava Piranha
2. Where did Master Huff N. Puff imprison the Star Spirit? Flower Fields
3. What's the name of the scary round monster living in Dry Dry Ruins? Chomp
4. How would you get to Flower Fields? Pass Flower Gate
5. What's the name of the person who King Bowser really loves? Princess Peach
6. What thing is most deeply related to Flower Fields? Flower
7. What's the name of the most admirable, invincible, most downright cool guy around? Bowser (No, really, the answer is not Mario. Bowser's minions wrote the questions.)
8. What's the name for the ghosts who live in and around Forever Forest? Boo
9. What's the name of the area just to the south of the post office in Toad Town? The Flower Garden
10. Where is Peach's Castle now? On Bowser's Castle

Many of the questions are less than subtle hints about where Mario should go next. If Peach wins, she'll get a Jammin' Jelly, an item that restores 50 FP. Regardless of who wins, Peach will get the participation prize, the Sneaky Parasol. If Peach faces someone and press (B), Peach will transform into them. Mr. Hammer makes her promise not to use it to sneak out, as no one would know it's her. Bowser walks in, wanting to play the game. Peach tries to sneak out. Mr. Hammer breaks the news that the game is over. Bowser is disappointed, then surprised when he notices Peach in the room. He orders them to take her back to her room. The guards apologize when they pick her up.

Back on Lavalava Island, Misstar is thankful that they escaped the volcano safely. Kolorado is still upset about missing the treasure. Misstar chastises him, saying no treasure is more valuable than life. She also says that Lavalava Island was imperiled by Bowser's men's meddling. The eruption will subside and the island will be the same as before. She gives Mario more Star Energy and the new ability Smooch, which restores 20 HP. Misstar is thankful and wishes Mario success. She returns to Star Haven. Kolorado returns to Yoshi Village, dejected.

Go through the village to reach the jungle. Go west to reach the chest with the Volcano Vase, the treasure. Talk to the Bub-ulb and he'll tell you he gave the seed to Kolorado. Return to the village to give the Volcano Vase to Kolorado. He's joyful, calling Mario the "cat's meow". In return, he gives Mario the last Magical Seed and calls the trip a success. He now wants to return to Toad Town. Heal and save and make sure you have the Spiky Shield badge equipped. When you're ready, go and board the whale. He'll leave just as Jr. Troopa reaches Lavalava Island with a yell. He swam the whole way here. He still wants to beat Mario, but soon notices that Mario has already left. He swims after him.

When they reach Toad Town, Kolorado announces that he shall never again travel by tuna and he will be returning home. Jr. Troopa finally arrives, declaring that he will never swim again in his life. He wants to battle Mario once again. Because he is tuckered out from swimming, he loses half his HP, leaving him with 20 HP. He also has 6 attack power and 1 defense power. To make life difficult, he grows wings and has a spike on his head. Some party members can easily reach him, namely Watt, who's Electro Dash bypasses defenses. If you have the Spike Shield badge equipped, Mario can use jump attacks. Otherwise, use items or Star Powers. He'll attack with a dive kick. Once you defeat him, you'll get 22 SP. He then realizes that flying to and from the island wouldn't have reduced his HP and he might've defeated Mario.

When you try to leave the port, you'll see Goombaria and Goomama. Bring out Goombario and they'll tell him that they're proud of him. Leave the port and go to the train station to deliver a letter to Dane T. He has a letter for his uncle Frost T. in Starborn Valley. We'll deliver it later. Go to Russ T., the Toad who translated the Shy Guy's note, and deliver the letter. He'll give you a Star Piece. Go into the Toad Town Tunnels and go to the mansion. Deliver a letter to Igor, who runs the shop in the basement. He'll give you a Star Piece. Heal and save outside the mansion, then return to the tunnels.

Use Sushie to swim across the water east of the blue pipe that leads to the mansion. When you reach the other dock, Super Blooper will appear. It has 70 HP and 5 attack power. It can produce Blooper Babies or charge up, turning red in the process. The Blooper Babies have 6 HP each. When they appear, use a Shooting Star or Star Storm to get rid of them. You'll get 25 SP when you defeat it.

A switch will appear. Hit it to make the blue pipe to Lavalava Island appear. Go east in the tunnels. There are Dark Koopas here. Go east again and you'll see an area with some invisible blocks. Go through the pipe on the right to an empty room. Have Bombette blow up the right wall to find the hideout of Rip Cheato. He'll sell you mystery items for 64 coins each. Some are worth the deal, others are not (like Dried Shrooms). Go through the pipe in this room to reach the inside of the locked house in Toad Town. The key is in the upper left corner, so unlock the door to leave.

Koopa Koot has some more favors to ask of Mario. First, he lost his glasses somewhere in Koopa Village. They're in the shrub with the flower near the Toad House. Your reward is 1 coin. Next, he asks for a Lime. They can be found in the oasis in Dry Dry Desert. The reward is 3 Star Pieces. After that, he wants a Kooky Cookie. Have Tayce T. cook with a Koopa Leaf and a Cake Mix, then bring it back to him for 1 coin.

If you're feeling confident, you can try to take on the Master of the Dojo one more time. This time he has 99 HP, 10 attack power and 1 defense power. Equip the Zap Tap badge (obtained from Merlow), have Watt as your partner, and keep a Repel Gel on you. His attacks are very strong, and he can hit multiple times in a single attack for massive damage, unless the Zap Tap badge is equip. The badge will shock him, only allowing him to hit once (and it does a little damage). Have Watt power up Mario's attack, and use Electro Dash to get past his defense. Power Bounce works well. Be sure to heal when you need to. Smooch comes in handy here. Use the Repel Gel to dodge attacks for a few turns. Keep at it and you may defeat him. He'll say you've bested the strongest of fighters and award you the Diploma. Heal and save.

Near the Toad House, you'll find Kolorado. He says he can't go home because Kent C. Koopa is blocking Pleasant Path and charging a toll of 100 coins. He's a strong Koopa. Kolorado is going to look for a secret way into the village. Instead of telling him about the Toad Town Tunnels, go east to challenge him. He's a giant Koopa wearing glasses. Tell him twice that you want to fight and he'll battle you. He has 70 HP, 3 attack power, and 6 defense power. He'll slowly attack Mario and his partner with his shell, causing the partner to sit out a few turns if you don't successfully guard. He'll also stomp Mario with 10 attack power. He's difficult to beat unless you make him fall asleep. Sleepy Sheep or Lullaby will work. Then, flip him over on his shell and stomp his tail, his weak point. Once again, have Watt power up Mario, then use Electro Dash. Keep at it until you defeat him and get 20 SP. He says Mario must be really strong and runs away crying. Return to Toad Town, heal and save.

Across the road from the Toad House is the Flower Garden, tended to my Minh T. There are some Bub-ulbs here from Flower Fields, saying Flower Fields is in a state of despair due to Bowser's minions. Minh T. says to get to Flower Field, you need four kinds of seeds only Bub-ulbs have and you need to find them. We already have them, so hand them over so she can plant them. They bloom instantly. The archway in the middle lights up and flowers flow through it. A door appears and Mario can go through it to start the next chapter.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 5 -- Hot Hot Times on Lavalava Island -- Part 2

Once Mario enters the volcano, a Piranha Plant sees him and sounds the alarm. He leaves to alert the boss. Go east at the bottom of the slope. Kolorado is here and says he senses danger. He jumps on a nearby rock that starts sinking, but he doesn't get off the rock. The lava burns him and he decides to follow Mario's lead. Jump on the rocks quickly to keep them from sinking. The large rock ahead won't sink. Wait a while and a rock will appear. Jump on it and it will take you to another rock. Equip the Ice Power badge now. There are Lava Bubbles here. They have 9 HP and 4 attack power. They can attack your party member, rendering them unable to attack. Use ice or water attacks for extra damage. They give 2 SP. Once on the other side, equip the Spiky Shield badge and go east.

There is a zipline here. You can drop off at any time by pressing (A). Doing so with good timing will allow you to reach certain things. You'll find Spike Tops in the area. They have 4 HP, 3 attack power, 4 defense power, and give 2 SP. You can flip them over to reduce their defense. Like Buzzy Beetles, fire attacks have no effect on them. Use Watt's Electro Dash to get rid of them quickly. While wandering around, use Kooper to get a POW Block. Go east and you'll find some fire bars. Past them is a Super Block. I upgraded Sushie to Ultra Rank. Return to the previous area and drop down to a Save Block. There's a zipline here as well. Drop down with good timing to reach the Fire Shield badge. Equip this one as well if you can. Drop down and go west.

You'll be in a long tunnel with gas near the ceiling. Don't worry about the gas, just follow the tunnel. Go west. Near the entrance to the tunnel is an invisible block with a Life Shroom. In the middle of the room is a river of lava. Use Parakarry to cross the river at the top. There are three blue blocks here. Push them into the river to form a bridge and staunch some of the lava's flow. Cross the bridge, drop down and cross the narrower channel of lava. Go west. There's another river of lava and two blue blocks nearby. Push the blocks into the lava so they form a line partway across the lava. Stand on the farthest block and have Parakarry carry you across. There are more Lava Bubbles here. They may be accompanied by Red Magikoopas. They have 11 HP and 3 attack power. They can also charge up their allies' attack or run away from battle. Deal with them quickly. Go up the stairs and drop down to reach a large chest. This contains the Ultra Hammer, which powers up Mario's attack and allows Mario to break metal blocks. There's a metal block nearby so you can try it out.

Go back to where the Save Block is and break the metal block so you can go east of the Save Block. Kolorado is here, saying the treasure is on the other side of the block. To the east is a zipline. Kolorado fails to use it and runs off the ledge. Take the zipline almost to the end before dropping down to find an upgrade block. I upgraded Watt. When you head back to the zipline, you'll see Kolorado flailing about on his shell. He says he's investigating the floor more closely. Take the zipline to the end to go east. A rolling spiked rock will chase you down the tunnel.

Once you exit the tunnel, cross the lava, dodge the fire bars, and go east. There's another spiky rock at the top of some stairs with metal blocks. You can't reach the metal blocks, so walk far to the right. Kolorado says that the treasure should be nearby, but they must go farther. There's a blue block here, so push it all the way back to where the metal blocks are. Use this to reach and break the metal blocks. Once all of them are gone, the spiky rock will start rolling. Run out of the way to where Kolorado is. The spiky rock will hit Kolorado before breaking a hole in the wall. Go east.

There's a Heal Block here and a Save Block below. Go due east from the Heal Block (without dropping down) and you'll find item blocks with a Super Shroom and a Maple Syrup, but no treasure. Return and save, then walk due east from the Save Block. The Piranha Plant from before appears, saying that Mario is still here and he's searching for the Star Spirit. It leaves to report to the boss. Go east to the lava pool.

The boss appears. It's Lava Piranha. He says Mario and his partners are the bad guys, here to steal the Star Spirit. Mario will get hurt before it lets that happen. Lava Piranha got to control the volcano in exchange for trapping the Star Spirit. The battle starts. Lava Piranha has 40 HP, 5 attack power and breathes fire, but slowly. It has two Lava Buds, each with 8 HP and 4 attack power. They breathe fire or seeds at Mario. They will wilt when they run out of HP, but can be regenerated. Stomp on it and use attacks like Electro Dash, Power Bounce, and Smack to deal with the Lava Piranha. You'll also want to get rid of the Lava Buds so they can't attack you. Once Lava Piranha runs out of HP, it will fall into the lava and 15 Star Points will appear. Lava Piranha will be reborn, but this time with fire, with the same amount of HP. After you get in one attack, Kolorado rushes in to save the day, but falls in the lava, saying he can't do anything more to help. This is Sushie's time to shine! If she's Ultra Rank, she gets an attack called Tidal Wave. Press the buttons that appear on screen quickly and she'll swim around and fill the battlefield with water. This will do a lot of damage to Lava Piranha and get rid of the Lava Buds. Attacking with Snowman Dolls or with the Ice Power badge equipped will make this part of the fight fairly easy. Once you defeat Lava Piranha for a second time, you'll get 30 Star Points.

After the battle, Kolorado says there's nothing between them and the treasure. He runs off to the east. The Star Spirit's card appears from the lava.

End of Chapter
Venturing deep into the steaming Mt. Lavalava, Mario and friends plucked the Lava Piranha... and rescued the fifth Star Spirit, Misstar from a fiery fate. But the "treasure" Kolorado is looking for is yet to be found. Wherever could it be? What's that...? Something... strange... is going on around here...

Back in the volcano, the ground is shaking. Misstar says they should get out of the volcano, so head east. Kolorado is complaining that he can't find the treasure. Go upstairs and Kolorado will join you. He thinks Misstar might be the treasure, or some sort of starfish. He's still looking because the adventure's not over until the treasure is found. He thinks the Lava Piranha had it, so he tries to go back, The ground starts shaking violently and he dismisses it as kids playing with fireworks. He then notices that the lava is rising. Misstar says the volcano will erupt soon, so they can't go back and must leave another way. She feels a breeze come through a crack in the wall. Use Bombette to break the wall. Go through the wall and you'll see a chest on a pillar Kolorado can't reach. He says he'll risk his life to get it. Misstar picks everyone up and takes them out of the volcano. The volcano erupts and the treasure flies out, landing in the jungle near the Bub-ulb.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 5 -- Hot Hot Times on Lavalava Island -- Part 1

The whale ferries Mario and Kolorado across the sea and eventually reaches Lavalava Island. Kolorado sees Mt. Lavalava off in the distance and runs off. There's a Stopwatch behind a shrub. You'll find small ferns on the island that give Mario hearts when he touches them. They're called Heart Plants. There are blue Spinning Flowers on this island Mario can stand on and float in the air. Press [Z] repeatedly to float higher. In this area, you can reach coins this way.

Go southeast. Hit the coconut tree for a Coconut. You can throw these at enemies with 1 attack power. Up ahead is a Fuzzy attacking Kolorado. It's a Jungle Fuzzy. Jungle Fuzzies have 7 HP and give 2 SP. They have 2 attack power and will keep attacking and draining HP until the action command is performed. This means you have to repeatedly press (A) until the meter is filled. Save Kolorado and he runs off again. There's a letter on the nearby rock. It's addressed to Igor, the shopkeeper in the mansion in Forever Forest. Go east to Yoshi Village.

The village is full of Yoshis going about their lives. Talk to the Yoshi Kids and you'll find they're up to something. Sushie, the purple Cheep-Cheep will stop them, as she is in charge of keeping an eye on them. Talk to the red Yoshi Kid with Parakarry to deliver Dane T.'s letter. He has a letter in response. Heal in the Toad House if you need to and save, then go east into the jungle.

There's a cry for help once you enter the jungle. It's Kolorado getting himself into trouble again. He's being attacked by a Spear Guy. Spear Guys have 7 HP, 3 attack power, and give 2 SP. They'll either point their spear at Mario or up in the air. Do not attack them with the hammer when the spear is pointed at Mario or you'll take damage. They will stab Mario with the spear or throw the spear at him. After throwing the spear, they become normal Shy Guys. Once you save Kolorado, he runs to the right, where you can see the entrance to the volcano. Unfortunately, it's blocked by a river of lava. He decides to return to the village for clues, but not before a false alarm call for help as a joke.

In Yoshi Village, the Yoshis are panicking. The Yoshis will tell you that the Yoshi Kids went missing, probably into the dangerous jungle. They aren't thinking straight, so they're not much help. Talk to the chief, the one wearing the feather. He'll try to calm the other Yoshis down and asks Mario to help find them. Go northwest of the item shop to enter the jungle.

Check the nearby shrubs to make them part. There are a lot of dangerous enemies here, many of which are disguised as plants. Avoid checking out the shrubs that are blue in color. These are M. Bushes, sneaky enemies with 8 HP and 3 attack power. They have a poisonous bite and give 2 SP. Hurt Plants look like Heart Plants, but you can't tell them apart until you touch them. They have 8 HP, 2 attack power and give 2 SP. Their bite is also poisonous. Go east.

Sushie calls out to the Yoshi Kids. Cross the log bridge to the island and you'll see Sushie in a tree. Hit the tree with the hammer multiple times. She's thankful for the help. She fell into the Yoshi Kids' trap. Sushie says the jungle is dangerous for Mario as well. Mario explains that he's helping to find the Yoshi Kids and Sushie wants to team up and join the party. If you stand on docks, she can swim with her. Press the same button to dive. She has a jump attack called Belly Flop and can spray water with Squirt. Use her power to reach a Star Piece. On the same island, hit the tree for a letter. There's a Bub-ulb on the island, but he says the seed is not ready yet. Go west.

There's a Spear Guy on an island with a badge block. The badge is the Power Quake badge. Go west while swimming and you'll reach an island with a Spear Guy and a Super Block. Upgrade Sushie. Swim to the other dock in the area and you'll here crying. Part the shrubs, battle the M. Bush, then check the shrub behind it to find the red Yoshi Kid. He's scared because they were playing hide-and-seek, but the M. Bush trapped him here. He's sorry he disobeyed Sushie and heads home. If you go southwest, there's a shortcut to the beach where the whale is waiting.

Go north and part the shrubs. There's a coin over plant. Ignore the plant as it will hurt you. Hit the tree for a Fright Jar. Go west while swimming. Dive down into the water for a Star Piece. Get on land and hit the log to make a bridge appear. Cross the bridge and talk to the blue Yoshi Kid. He was "it" in the game, but he couldn't find anyone and got lost. He asks Mario to be "it" and find everyone because he's going home. Don't hit the tree unless you want to battle a Jungle Fuzzy. Return to the previous area and go east.

Hammer another log to make a bridge. There's a statue of a raven here. Go to the south dock and go south. The purple Yoshi Kid is sleeping in a tree. Use a hammer to knock him out of the tree. He took a nap in the jungle and thinks it's not so bad, but he's lonely. Make another bridge, which will take you to the village. Return to the area with the raven statue and go east. The yellow Yoshi Kid is being attacked by Putrid Piranhas. They have 12 HP, 3 attack power, and give 2 SP. They can bite Mario or try to poison him with their poison breath. Beat them and the yellow Yoshi Kid is thankful and sorry. Return to the area with the statue.

Near the entrance to the jungle is an island with a high wall and a blue Spinning Flower. Use it to reach the top, where a Spear Guy is. Part the shrubs to reveal a pipe. The pipe takes you into a dark cave. Use Watt to see so you can reach the green Yoshi Kid. He was spinning on the Spinning Flower and ended up in here. He couldn't find a way out. Now that all give Yoshi Kids have been saved, return to the village.

Talk to the chief Yoshi near the raven statue on an island in the village. He's thankful Mario saved the Yoshi Kids and no expression of gratitude is enough. Kolorado told him that they wanted to go to Mt. Lavalaava. He says he'll show them the way and gives Mario the Jade Raven. The Yoshis ask Raphael the Raven, the island's master, for help. He lives in the depths of the jungle. To find him, they must place the Jade Raven into Raphael's statue, but it's difficult to find. Sushie wonders why Mario is going to such a dangerous place as Mt. Lavalava and doesn't approve of it. Mario explains and she's touched by the romantic story of saving Peach. She'll stick with him, as she loves taking care of others and Mario will need her help.

Go northwest into the jungle, cross the split log bridge, then north again. This will take you to the statue, which is on the north side. Place the Jade Raven into the statue and it moves, revealing a path to the north. There are several trees with vines here. Pull on the vine of the far left tree for an Egg and the one near a pink flower reveals the path to the north. There are blue blocks and a water spout. Push the blocks over the water spout to make it appear somewhere else. Once you cover all of the holes in the ground, the water spout pushes a giant rock out of the way, revealing a path to the north. Plug up that water spout so you can continue. Once again, you'll find more vines. They make a Fire Flower, a Mushroom, and Fuzzies appear, as well as the path to the north.

In this area, you'll hear someone laugh. There are three Putrid Piranhas here and they're joined by a white Magikoopa. The Magikoopa has 11 HP, 3 attack power, and gives 5 SP. It can heal other enemies, so deal with it first. Defeat all of them for 11 SP, then go east.

You'll see a giant tree. Go through the doorway and save. Go up the stairs, which lead to a door. On the outside, climb up the vine circling the tree to the very top. You'll find the Happy Heart badge here. Partway up the tree is a doorway back inside. Take the stairs up to the top of the tree. There's a giant Raven in the nest that talks like he's on a CB radio. His call sign is Raphael the Raven. It's been a while since anyone came. Mario explains the situation and Raphael says he knew Mario was coming, due to a message from the stars. He'll give Mario something later. He caws for Ravens and they drop in. He explains the situation to them and they all jump off the tree. Follow suit and jump off the tree as well. Raphael raises the tree root so they can go east.

The Ravens are working on a tree. Kolorado appears. The Ravens build a zipline to the volcano and a basket to reach the tree where the zipline is. Kolorado goes first. Raphael calls him bold and certifiably nuts. The item Raphael mentioned earlier is the Ultra Stone, which can upgrade any Super Ranked party member to Ultra Rank, increasing their attack power and giving them another attack. He says ranking up party members is the key to success, as a Star Spirit told him in a dream. Take the basket to the zipline and use that to reach the volcano's entrance, where there is a Heal Block. Go inside.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Paper Mario: Interlude After Chapter 4

In the castle, Peach notices that the guards are not paying attention to them anymore and she wants to sneak out to find more news for Mario. Twink wonders if the secret passage is still safe and if Bowser has figured out how Peach keeps sneaking out. Peach says Bowser hasn't noticed anything because he isn't too bright. Hit the switch and you'll already be in the room where you found Bowser's diary. Leave the room.

Go to the room that's to the right of the locked door to the first floor of the castle. This room is a dining room and someone's at the table. It's Gourmet Guy. Somehow, he wound up here after launching from Shy Guy's Toy Box. He asks who Peach is, and when she responds, he says he should report her to Bowser. He can be bribed, however, and will keep this a secret if she makes something delicious. Peach agrees, but lacks ingredients and utensils. Gourmet Guy mentions there's a five-star kitchen one floor below and gives her the key to the door that leads to the first floor. Sneak out of the dining room. Go through the door on the right and you'll find a blue chest and a regular chest. The regular chest contains the Deep Focus badge. Check out the blue chest. Peach says it's a mysterious chest that was passed through generations of Peach's family. It's connected to another chest that looks just like it in the Mushroom Kingdom. If you put something in this chest, you can take it out of the other chest. She doesn't remember where the other chest is. Even so, she can only put in the badges she's found about the castle and not herself, which would be a viable escape method. Unlock the door, then sneak around on the first floor.

Go through the door on the right side that's up the stairs. There's a wardrobe that's shaking and a regular chest. The regular chest contains the Last Stand badge. Open the wardrobe and you'll find a Toad hiding. He's going to keep hiding until Mario rescues them.

Go back upstairs and put the badge in the chest. Go through the lower right door (the door on the left doesn't have anything but some building materials and decorations) to find the kitchen. Twink grabs a cookbook and picks a recipe for Special Strawberry Cake. Twink will read the recipe, so once you complete a step, talk to him to continue or start over. The recipe is as follows:
1. Place sugar and an egg in a bowl.
2. Mix the ingredients in the bowl. (Press (A) quickly for 10 seconds.)
3. Add flour and butter.
4. Mix and pour batter into a pan. (Peach will mix this on her own.)
5. Bake for 30 seconds. (Put the pan in the oven with (A) and take the cake out with (A). Use a watch or other timer.)
6. Cool cake and decorate with cream and strawberries. (Place cream, then a strawberry on the cake.)
After that, pick up the cake and take it to Gourmet Guy.

He says he's been waiting and is wasting away to nothing (he's the same size as before). He loves the cake and says it's too delicious. He runs around and says he hasn't ever felt like this. He'll share a secret as thanks. There's a Star Spirit in Mt. Lavalava on Lavalava Island to the south. The Lava Piranha is guarding the Star Spirit. She can tell Mario all this. He tells her the information because he doesn't dislike Mario. He leaves and Peach sends Twink to Mario. Twink leaves. Someone asks about the shouting in the room. Kammy Koopa enters the room and tells Peach to keep it down. Soon after, she figures out the obvious and orders the guards to take her back.

Back on the ground, Muskular, the newly-freed Star Spirit, expresses his gratitude about being saved. He's enjoying the fresh air and needs some outdoor exercise after being cooped up. He helps out Mario with more Star Energy and a new Star Power, Chill Out. This lowers the attack of all enemies. He says he's going back to Star Haven when Twink drops in with the news. He's star-struck by meeting a Star Spirit and shocked that Muskular recognizes him. Muskular says they're like family. Twink is touched. Muskular leaves. Twink, still star-struck, gives Mario the news about Lavalava Island. He returns to Peach's side.

Give Tayce T. the Cookbook, which means she can now use two ingredients in a recipe. You can try out new recipes now. Go to Merluvlee's house near Shooting Star Summit to retrieve the badges from the mysterious chest. Koopa Koot has some errands for you to run. First, he complains about the loud noise coming from next door, which is Kooper's house. There are a couple of Bob-ombs making a ruckus. One of them is crazy about Bombette. Talk to them, then report back to Koopa Koot for 3 Star Pieces. Next, he says that a Boo in the mansion in Forever Forest has an old photo of him. Talk to Franky, who'll tell you about Koopa Koot when he was younger, then give you the photo. Return it for 1 coin. After that, he wants some Koopasta. Get a Koopa Leaf from Koopa Village and buy Dried Pasta from the shop in Dry Dry Outpost, then have Tayce T. cook with both items. Return it for 1 coin.

Head over to the port in Toad Town. Kolorado's here, and he has the same idea of traveling to Lavalava Island. He's going there to solve a diabolical mystery of ancient treasures in a volcanic cave. Unfortunately, he doesn't know of a way to get there. He'll notice that you have the Artifact from Dry Dry Ruins. Give it to him for a Star Piece. Walk up to the front dock and onto a blue object in the water. Spin jump on it and it will start to move. Kolorado thinks it's a tuna, but it's actually a whale. The whale says there's something jumping around in his belly, causing discomfort. Kolorado asks Mario to help the whale out. The whale opens its mouth, so walk inside.

It's dark inside the whale, so use Watt to illuminate your surroundings. Go farther in and you'll see the Fuzzipede hopping around. It's pretty mad. You'll have to battle it, so place yourself near where it lands within reach. It has 20 HP and gives 15 SP. It will frequently hang on the spine, so use attacks that shake the ground, Hammer Throw, Shell Shot, Sky Dive, and Electro Dash. Once you defeat it, it says it was trying to get away from Fishmael when it was swallowed by the whale. Now that he's been beaten by a mustache man, he declares that he's had a pretty lousy life. The whale says that his stomachache has calmed down. His stomach fills with water and he spits Mario and the Fuzzipede out of his blowhole. The Fuzzipede tells off the whale, who admits he was napping with his mouth open. The Fuzzipede thanks Mario and leaves.

The whale feels better and says they should call him Dr. Mario. It wants to show its gratitude and it's good at swimming. The whale offers to take Mario anywhere. Kolorado wants to take the whale up on the offer and accompany Mario to Lavalava Island. The whale says they can go there, but it's dangerous as Mt. Lavalava is on the verge of erupting. Talk to the whale when you're ready to go to Lavalava Island to start the next chapter.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 4 -- Trials in the Toy Box -- Part 2

When you arrive at Green Station, you'll notice four Star Boxes, red, green, blue, and yellow. If you hit them from left to right, you'll get four coins. Hit the boxes in almost any other order, and four Shy Guys will pop out. Go southeast and return to reset the blocks. Go southeast and you'll see Kammy Koopa place Peach's last choice to guard a chest.

This part of the Toy Box is filled with moving conveyor belts and wire fences. Use Bow's power to go through the fences so you can reach the Shy Guy holding the Mystery Note. Defeat it to get it, but you can't read it. To the right is the slot machine. Getting two or more coin panels will get you some coins, two or more Shy Guy panels will make Shy Guys appear, and two or more stars will make mushrooms appear. Farther right are moving platforms. The brick block over the pink area has many coins, but the platform moves away from the brick block. Cross the gaps with Parakarry. There's a blue building next to the moving platforms. When the platforms lower, you can go inside for a Star Piece. Cross over to the building's roof and open the chest for Russ T.'s Dictionary. Leave the Toy Box to return it to him.

Russ T. lives in the house near the pipe to Mario's house. Return the Dictionary for a Star Piece as a reward. Talk to him again and he'll translate the note, which is written in the Shy Guy language. It says to hit the blocks in the following order: yellow, green, red, blue. Heal up and return to Green Station. Hit the blocks in the correct order. Panels from the wall on the other side of the tracks fall down to fill in the gap in the tracks. The star blocks disappear. Go east to the Red Station.

Take advantage of the Heal and Save Blocks, then go southwest first. There's a lot of platforming here, including a Ferris wheel. Hit the invisible item block between the two item blocks for the Deep Focus badge. On the tall green block in the back is a Super Block, but all of our party members have been upgraded. This is about to change. Have Bow out, then go west.

To the west is a dark room. Someone says that someone's in the dark and it's Mario. It's a Big Lantern Ghost and he won't let Mario go. The battle starts and he says he'll take care of Mario quickly, then return to his darkness. He hates the light and will take Mario to the deep dark. When it's dark, all you can target is the lantern. Have Bow smack the lantern to make the light brighter. Repeated hits make the light brighter. The Big Lantern Ghost says that it's so bright, which isn't good. When the lantern is at its brightest, the Big Lantern Ghost will shine its light on Mario and his party member. If you don't guard, your party member will be blinded and temporarily unable to do anything. Now that the light is bright, you can target the Big Lantern Ghost. He has 40 HP and an attack power of 5. The light attack has an attack power of 2 on Mario, regardless of whether he guards, but guarding will protect party members. After hitting him for one or two turns, he'll dim the lantern's light by blowing on it. Attack the lantern again to restore the light. He gives 15 SP when defeated. He then runs off, leaving the lantern behind. Check it out.

The lantern talks, saying it wants out. Hit the lantern with the hammer to free a Li'l Sparky named Watt. She's happy to be free and recognizes Mario, calling him a hero. He saved her from the lantern ghost and to make it up to him, she'll go with him. She heard the Shy Guys say that Mario's trying to save Peach from Bowser. She joins the party. She can illuminate dark areas and reveal the location of hidden blocks, even with the lights on. She can shock enemies with Electro Dash or paralyze them with Power Shock. Oddly enough, she kind of likes the dark. Leave the room and use the platforms and Parakarry to reach the Super Block to upgrade Watt right away. Use her power to reveal an invisible block with a Snowman Doll.

Return to Green Station, heal and save, then go southeast. Be sure to have some healing items on you. There's a Shy Guy that jumps over a wall when it sees Mario. Blow up the crack in the wall with Bombette, which will knock the wall over. A bunch of Shy Guys are on the other side of the wall and they run away screaming. Use Watt to locate an invisible block, then hit it. Stand on it, then send Koooper to retrieve a Shooting Star. Avoid battling and go east into a dark room. The Shy Guys are still screaming. They say to run for it and break through the wall. Follow them.

There's a Shy Guy dressed in military dress here. He's General Guy and he has the Star Spirit. As long as they keep the Star Spirit secure, Bowser lets them do whatever they want. He says Mario's trespassing and that the treasures in the Toy Box are for Shy Guys only. His army charges at Mario. First up is the Shy Squad, a group of 15 Shy Guys. Each Shy Guy has 1 HP and 1 attack power. One Shy Guy will be lost from the squad for every 1 HP of damage the squad takes. This will reduce their ability to attack. When they attack, each Shy Guy gets to attack and they move quickly. Repeatedly guard to reduce the damage Mario takes. When there are about 8 or so left, or if you happen to defeat them, they'll run off, General Guy will appear, and say the Shy Guys must stand their ground. He'll send out his next wave in front of his tank so you can't attack it. This wave is made up of two Stilt Guys, which have 7 HP each and 4 attack power. They'll try to jump on Mario. Using attacks that shake the ground will turn them into normal Shy Guys, but you can also just defeat them when they're on stilts. After you defeat the Stilt Guys, the third wave will be of Shy Stack, four Shy Guys stacked on each other like the Koopa Bros. They have 10 HP and 1 attack power for each of the Shy Guys in the stack. They attack with slingshots. Spinning attacks will knock members out of the stack. Once you defeat these guys, General Guy will now battle you. General Guy has 30 HP , 2 defense power, and will throw bombs at Mario with 4 attack power. He can also use the light bulb on his tank to shine a light with 5 attack power. It will blind your party member if you don't guard. To keep this from happening, first target the bulb. It has 1 defense power, which is completely useless against Watt's Electro Dash. Power Bouncing also works. After the bulb breaks, he can no longer use this attack and you can focus your attacks on him. He says his defenses are useless, your attack is too powerful, and that you're breaking the rules of war. Your hammer can get past his defense, but a basic attack won't do much damage. When you defeat him, his tank falls apart and you get 33 SP. The Shy Guys run off screaming. Watt is happy that she got to beat them up. The Star Spirit's card appears.

End of Chapter
To save the fourth Star Spirit, Muskular, Mario and team disbanded the gang of Shy Guy toughs. Slowly, it seems as if the life force is return to the once bleak night sky... But the stars won't truly shine until the Star Rod is wrested from Bowser's evil grasp. Three Star Spirits still await rescue. Where in the world are they being held?

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 4 -- Trails in the Toy Box -- Part 1

Mario lands in Shy Guy's Toy Box, which, oddly enough, has a functioning railroad. The map shows that there are four train stations and that the spring to exit the Toy Box is at the Blue Station. Mario's stuck at the Blue Station for now, as there's no train on the tracks. Go southwest (towards the screen on the left side).

As expected, this place is crawling with Shy Guys. In fact, the only enemies in the Toy Box are Shy Guys, with the possible exception of enemies Peach chose earlier and an enemy that hides in the shadows. All of them have 7 HP and give 2 SP. First, you'll encounter normal Shy Guys. They have 2 attack power normally, but if they do an acrobatic attack, initially marked with a sound effect, that attack will have 3 attack power. Here, you'll find a gray Shy Guy guarding a chest. Leave him alone as he is very strong. Deal with him when you are much stronger. Also in the area are Groove Guys, who are dressed like jesters. They have a spin attack that will make Mario dizzy, and they can also dance for reinforcements. Go west.

This area is filled with Shy Guys carrying some stolen stuff as well as some items you can use, like Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Cake Mix. The Calculator from the badge shop is here, so be sure to get it back. Once you've collected all the items you want, return to Blue Station and head southeast from there.

Kammy Koopa appears near a chest and guards the chest with the first choice Peach picked. If it's an item, Kammy Koopa doubts whether to trust Peach. In this room are large boxes decorated with stars on them. Stand on them and spin jump on them for a boost. Use them to cross gaps. In this area, you'll find Sky Guys. They hang from balloons and attack with sling shots with 3 attack power. You can attack the Sky Guy or their balloons to make them into normal Shy Guys. On the back wall are three buildings. Go through the doorway of the middle building, then go upstairs. You'll need to go up the stairs on the outside to reach the roof. Cross the gap with Parakarry to the left for a Star Piece and to the right to get over the wall. Use the coin block in the gap as a stopping point when crossing to reach an item block with a Thunder Rage. The chest at the far end contains the Storeroom Key for the southwest item shop. Return to Blue Station and pick up a Star Piece from behind a yellow hexagonal prism on the ground. Return to Toad Town.

Return the calculator to the badge shop so it can open again. You'll get the I Spy badge as a reward. Go to the southwest item shop and unlock the storeroom door. The owner says Mario can take anything from the backroom. There are four items: the Toy Train, a Dizzy Dial, a Volt Shroom, and a Snowman Doll. Take what you want, but be sure to grab the Toy Train. Go back to the house with the Toy Box and check out the box before going inside. Toss in the Toy Train and it becomes a full-size, fully functional train. Jump back into the Toy Box.

The Toads at Blue Station are amazed to see a train and thankful to be employed again. Hit the switch on the right to send the train to the east, to Pink Station. When you get there, check the nearby chest for the Mailbag. Go west. Here, you'll find Spy Guys, Shy Guys in camouflage. They change their weapons each time they're attacked. You'll want to avoid being attacked by their hammer, as it will cause you to lose a command in battle for a while. For example, they can take away Mario's ability to attack using a jump, the hammer, or use items. Medi Guys are Shy Guys in small helicopters. They have a weak attack, but can heal others and themselves. Get rid of them quickly.

Go west and you'll find a large Shy Guy. He's called the Gourmet Guy, a food-loving Shy Guy. He's hungry and won't move until he gets some food. He's blocking the path across the tracks, so you can't go much farther here. Return to Pink Station and go southeast.

Kammy Koopa appears and leaves Peach's second choice to guard a chest. Use the star block to bounce to the background. Go left for a chest with the Defend Plus badge. Use another star block to bounce back to the foreground. Farther to the right is a large blue wall. It rotates when a Shy Guy comes out from behind the wall. Stand next to the wall and wait so you can be flipped behind the wall. There are Shy Guys coming from the right side, so be careful. There's a chest nearby. Open it to get the Ice Power badge. The guarded chest is just ahead, with Tayce T.'s frying pan. Return to Blue Station, then return to Toad Town.

Return the frying pan to Tayce T. and she'll make you some of the most delicious cake as thanks. Now that she can cook again, go to Goomba Village to get a Goomnut if you haven't already. Have Tayce T. cook with it for some Nutty Cake for Koopa Koot. Your reward from him is 1 coin. Return the mailbag to the Post Office for a Star Piece as a reward.

Go back into the Toy Box and go to Pink Station. Gourmet Guy says he's too hungry to move and needs cake, specifically cake with sweet frosting and cookie crumbles. Give him the cake and he runs around saying how delicious it is. He launches into the air and drops the Cookbook. You can now cross the tracks. Equip the Ice Power badge now. There's an invisible item block with a Dizzy Dial between two item blocks. Go east.

In this area are Pyro Guys, flaming Shy Guys. Do not hit them without the Ice Power badge or you'll take damage. They have an attack power of four. Ice and water attacks do extra damage, and regular attacks when the Ice Power badge is equipped do extra damage. Go east to reach a switch. This will flip over the train tracks, fixing the broken section of track. You can now go to Green Station.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Paper Mario: Interlude After Chapter 3

In Peach's Castle, Twink wonders about Mario and Peach is worried. Twink suggests eavesdropping again, which would make Bowser and his followers mad. Hit the switch and go through the secret passage to the revolving wall. On the other side of the wall, Bowser is upset when Kammy Koopa tells him that Tubba Blubba was defeated even though he was invincible. The wall rotates while they're talking, but they don't notice. Bowser stamps his foot, angry that Mario figured out Tubba Blubba's secret. Kammy Koopa suggests a new tactic to use when Mario goes to Shy Guy's Toy Box next. Bowser says they'll prepare for Mario's arrival by finding his weak points and humiliating him. But first, they need to find out what Mario hates. At this point, they finally notice Peach standing around. He's initially upset, but says her timing is fortunate. He asks about Mario's weak points and to answer honestly. He presents the following options: in group 1: Goomba, Clubba, Mushroom; in group 2: Fuzzy, Hammer Bros., Thunder Rage; and in group 3: Pokey, Koopatrol, Super Soda. If you want an easy experience, choose the items. If you want the Star Points, pick the second option in the list. If you pick the items, Kammy Koopa will have her doubts. Bowser declares this to be the end of Mario and orders the guards to take Peach back to her room.

Meanwhile, Skolar tells Mario he knew Mario could do it. He's thankful and says it was the right decision to ask him. He gives Mario some power, increasing his Star Energy and giving him the Star Storm attack, which hits all enemies. Bowser's life force is getting stronger all the time due to the Star Rod and Mario must be careful. Skolar returns to Star Haven, asking Mario to keep quiet about getting lost in Forever Forest.

Go into the Forever Forest and you'll hear someone yelling about being scared in a freaky forest and that bugs are crawling on them. Walk a little farther and you'll run into Jr. Troopa, who is almost thankful to see Mario. He says he'll be Mario's worst nightmare and battles Mario. This time, he grows a pair of wings. He has 40 HP and gives 21 SP. He has one defense power, so don't use Bow to attack him. He will swoop down to kick Mario. Parakarry's Sky Shot works well. After you defeat him, he runs off.

Take an incorrect exit, then double back to reach the edge of the forest quickly. Jr. Troopa will appear, happy to be out, and runs off. Inside Toad Town, the music plays at a faster tempo. Shy Guys are making a ruckus all over town according to Fice T., the guard at the edge of the forest, but he says they're nothing compared to ghosts. Deliver the letter from the Boos, which freaks him out. He still gives you a Star Piece.

As you wander through Toad Town, you'll see Shy Guys running amok and stealing stuff. One steals Tayce T.'s frying pan, so she can't cook. Another steals a calculator from the badge shop. Russ T.'s dictionary was stolen and the storeroom key from the southwest item shop was taken. In the north item shop, hit the Shy Guy running around so you can buy items. Hit the Shy Guy in the Toad House so you can use it. Go to the train station to hit the Shy Guy blocking the train and deliver the letter to Dane T. nearby. It's an invitation to a haunted mansion. He asks his friend Mini T. to go, and they suggest sending a letter to their friend, the red Yoshi Kid in Yoshi Village.

Merlon is outside his house. Talk to him and he says an oracle told him in a dream that running around the red palm tree in Dry Dry Outpost will make something good happen. Go to the Outpost and run around the red palm tree. This makes a nearby Toad dizzy. Mario tells him about Merlon's dream and he says he got a message in a dream, but he doesn't taking them seriously. The message said to spin jump three times in a house with a whirling roof in a large town near a castle. Return to Merlon's house and spin jump three times to make the Quick Change badge appear. It allows you to change party members in battle while allowing them to attack that turn.

Return to Mario's house to talk to Luigi and get his autograph. Shy Guys are running around here as well. Luigi's jump is great, but he's not fast enough to catch the Shy Guys. Hit them for Luigi. Luigi says he's going to train so he can go on an adventure, but doesn't want to anymore because he can't. Mario must save Peach for his sake. Now that you can spin jump, go inside the house and spin jump on the panel. This will lead to the basement, where Luigi keeps his diary. You can read it. At this point, he's only written two entries.

Page 1:  Once again, my brother went on an exciting journey. Once again, he went alone. It's so unfair! I remember the carefree days when we played Golf  and Tennis and had Parties. I remodeled the house and made a secret basement my brother has no idea! It's the perfect place to write in you, my secret diary.

Page 2: I heard that a ghost appeared in Toad Town today. It was big, really big. And it had red eyes, a giant, gaping mouth and a mustache. .......... Because you're my secret diary, I'll tell you the truth: Yaaaah! I hate ghosts!! What will I do if it appears at night! Come back, Mario! I'm scared! Yikes! I can feel something behind me. Ahhh! I'm sure it's there, but I can't look back! No! No! Get away! I think I'll be safe if I don't freeze with fear. I'll just shut my eyes and take five steps back, and then I'll jump and dash into bed. Here I go!

Now that you have Luigi's autograph, return it to Koopa Koot for one coin. He'll then ask you to find his lost wallet that he dropped near the item shop. Check the shrubs near the Save Block to find it. The reward is one coin. Next, he'll ask for a Tasty Tonic. You can find them in the southwest shop in Toad Town, the one whose storeroom key was stolen. The reward is one coin. After that, he'll ask for the autograph of Merluvlee. Talk to her and she'll give Mario her autograph on one condition: Mario must retrieve a crystal ball from her twin sister Merlee. Go to the Outpost to retrieve the crystal ball, get the autograph, and Koopa Koot will give you 3 Star Pieces. He next want to read the newspaper. Read both the front and back of the board in front of Merlon's house and report back. The reward is 1 coin. After that, he wants a Life Shroom. You can buy these in the mansion in Forever Forest. He'll give you the Gold Credit to the Playroom. He next wants some Nutty Cake. It can be made by cooking a Goomnut, found in a tree growing next to Goombario's house. This will have to wait as Tayce T. can't cook right now.

Heal up and challenge the Master again in the Dojo. His outfit is now a gold color and he has 75 HP. His attack power is 8 when he punches. Bow's Outta Sight can be helpful, as well as her Smack. When you win, you'll get the Fourth-Degree Card.

Heal and save, then go into the Toad Town Tunnels. Break the wooden panel, drop down, then go west. You'll be trapped in an area with some Dark Koopas. They'll attack like regular Koopas, but also have a spin attack that will make Mario dizzy and unable to attack for a couple of turns. Guarding against the attack is tricky, but it works if you hit (A) near the end of the spin. They have 8 HP and give 4 SP. They will grin before doing the spin attack. Once you defeat all of them, a switch will appear. The switch makes the blue pipe to the mansion in Forever Forest appear.

Go to the area with the southwest shop. On the far west side is an empty house. Go into the house and hide with Bow. A Shy Guy comes into the house, then flips through the wall. Check the wall to make it flip. This takes you to a room with a spring and a large wrapped box. Jump on the spring to launch into the next chapter.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 3 -- The "Invincible" Tubba Blubba -- Part 2

Enter Tubba Blubba's castle with Bow at your side. There are UFO-like creatures called Sentinels that guard the foyer. If they catch you, they'll take you outside the castle, which can be advantageous when you want to reach the Save Block quickly. When they pursue you, have Bow make Mario transparent until they stop pursuing you. Spin dash quickly to the door on the left. There are Clubbas in the hallway. Some of them are sleeping, so you can snake past them if you walk slowly. If you want to battle them, they have 8 HP and give 2 SP. They'll hit you with their maces. Don't jump on them without the Spiky Shield badge. Go through the far left door on the back wall. There's a Star Piece on the table you can reach by jumping on the chair. Go through the west door.

There's a Star Piece on the table you can't reach yet. You can hear snoring here, and it's not just the Clubbas. Go through the left door on the back wall and go down the stairs. There's a panel on the floor. Spin jump on it to reach the basement. There's a chest with a key. Drop down to find a Heal Block and a Boo. He came to the castle with friends to find Tubba Blubba's weak point. He says there's something important in Tubba Blubba's room on the highest floor and to not fight him. Take the door to the left to the base of a different set of stairs. There's an upgrade block here. I upgraded Bow. The stairs lead to the table with the Star Piece you can't reach. Go the foyer and unlock the east door. Saving is a good idea.

To the right of the door is a set of stairs to the second floor. There are Sentinels at the top of the stairs near the west door. The door leads to a hallway over the foyer. Go west. In the middle of the hallway is a crack in the wall different from the others. Bombette can break the wall. Go through the hole in the wall and you'll find three panels. Break the back left panel first, which is over a spring. Spring back up to the second floor, then break the back right panel. This will drop you down onto the table below. Use Parakarry to cross the gap to reach the D-Down Jump badge. Spring back to the second floor. Return to the hallway and dodge the Sentinel. Go through the back left door into a room filled with spikes. When the spikes retract, move quickly to the right. When they're about to appear, use Bow to become transparent. At the far right is a chest with a key. Return to the hallway and go west.

The door leads to a room with a broken railing. Approach the railing from the left and drop down onto the table below with the Star Piece. Return to the second floor and push the clock on the back wall to the left. This reveals a hidden doorway. There are coins on the bed and a drawer is pulled out. Pull out the lower drawer to the right to form stairs, then cross the gap with Parakarry. Grab the coins and climb up the shelves to the left. There is a hidden area to the left with the Mega Rush badge. Return to the hallway and unlock the west door. At the base of the stairs is an item block with Maple Syrup. Go up the stairs and through the door.

Tubba Blubba is in the hallway and smells something fishy. The floor will shake as he gets closer. Hide with Bow until he turns around, then walk east until he turns around. Only move when he's not looking. Go through the door on the back wall and you'll find an area filled with sleeping Clubbas. Quietly walk past them to the left to get the key. Sneak past them and return to the hallway. Unlock the east door, which leads to a Save Block and a Heal Block. Defeat the sleeping Clubbas in the back room of the previous hallway if you like. When you're ready, go east into Tubba Blubba's room.

Tubba Blubba will walk into the room soon after. Mario hides and eavesdrops. Tubba Blubba says he may be in trouble because the Star Spirit escaped and someone suspicious is in the castle. He doesn't want Bowser mad at him. Despite being invincible, he thinks Bowser is scary, because Bowser can return him to normal. He decides to take a nap. Nearby is a chest. Open it and a key appears. This is Yakkey, a "faithful and chatty follower of Tubba Blubba". Yakkey guards Tubba Blubba's valuables. Soon, Yakkey realizes the obvious that Mario is not Tubba Blubba. Yakkey asks if this means Mario's stealing the magical key that unlocks Windy Mill at the foot of Gusty Gulch and find Tubba Blubba's secret. If you answer "No", Yakkey calls you a terrible liar. Yakkey calls for Tubba Blubba and wakes him up. He wakes up and chases Mario. Run for it!

Go through the hallway and Tubba Blubba will ground pound the hallway over the foyer, causing it to collapse. This crushes the Sentinels below. Go through the door. There are Boos here to help Bow out by holding the door shut once Mario exits the castle. Mario must run quickly to Windy Mill and leave the Boos behind. Tubba Blubba smells Boos. They hold Tubba Blubba inside the castle as long as they can.

While running through Gusty Gulch, do your best to avoid enemies. There's a Heal Block inside the village of Boos if you need to heal. Unlock Windy Mill with the mystical key that is Yakkey. Spin jump on the wooden panel on the well and drop down. Go east through the long tunnel and avoid the Hyper Goombas. The signs keep telling you to keep out. At the east end of the tunnel is a heart on a pedestal. It says it's the secret strength of Tubba Blubba. The Tubba Blubba in the castle is really a shell controlled by it. The Heart can't let Mario out now that he knows the secret. Mario now has to deal with a heart attack.

The Heart has 50 HP and 6 attack power. It can charge up and unleash a terrible attack with 12 attack power. Mario can't dodge this attack alone. When it charges up and starts glowing, have Bow out so she can use Outta Sight. The Heart will unleash smaller hearts to attack Mario. The Heart wants Bow to stick around so Tubba Blubba can eat her. Hit it with attacks like Power Bounce, Smack, and Shell Shot. Smack may be the better choice as it doesn't use FP. Get the Heart down to about 3 HP and it will flee, realizing it's in danger. Follow it out of the tunnels and out of Windy Mill. It will then reunite with its body. This is Tubba Blubba's true self. Unfortunately for Tubba Blubba, when his heart and body reunite, he is no longer invincible. After the beating the heart took, Tubba Blubba has a measly 10 HP. His attack power is 4 when pounding, except when he does his hip attack, which has 6 attack power. The battle is pretty easy and he'll give you 30 SP.

Tubba Blubba remembers that he's not invincible with his heart in his body, which is lame. He gives up and will give back all the ghosts he's eaten. Deep down, he's a sensitive guy trapped in a huge body. He doesn't want to be invincible if it means fighting guys like Mario. He then runs off. Bow is happy. She says she should tell the others not to scare Tubba Blubba, who was originally a coward. She feels that this was an invigorating and good learning experience. Bow wants to experience more of the outside world and will stay by Mario's side, this time with his permission. She returns the Star Spirit.

End of Chapter
After solving the secret of "Invincible" Tubba Blubba, Mario and party set free the Star Spirit Skolar. Now, with Tubba Blubba just a bad dream, the Boos are free to haunt to their hearts' content. Even the lonely wind echoing through Gusty Gulch seems to be celebrating the victory... at least for now. With newest party member Bow in tow, Mario and friends are ready to take on their next challenge.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 3 -- The "Invincible" Tubba Blubba -- Part 1

After receiving an invitation to a mansion, Mario wanders into Forever Forest. The paths here are mostly round. There are four exits out of each area, one being the one you just came through. If you pick the incorrect path, then try to go back, you'll end up at the edge of Forever Forest near Toad Town. Check the areas near the exits to figure out which way is the correct path. The correct path's surroundings look different than the others. Check out the flowers by walking past them in the first area. The correct path is marked by flowers that move and make noise. It is on the opposite side of the entrance, two exits away in either direction.

In Forever Forest, there are two types of enemies: Piranha Plants and Forest Fuzzies. Piranha Plants appear from the ground unexpectedly, so watch your step. They have 5 HP and give 2 SP. They point their teeth upward, so jumping on them without the Spiky Shield badge equipped is a bad idea. They will bite Mario for their attack. Forest Fuzzies are like regular Fuzzies, but green. They have 6 HP and give 2 SP. They'll drain Mario's HP to heal themselves. They can also split to form new Fuzzies which have full health. Eliminate them quickly.

In the second area, a creature will appear, telling Mario that the path ahead is dangerous and to turn back. Talk to it to inform it of your invitation to the mansion and it will let you through, saying to pay close attention to your surroundings or you'll wind up at the edge of the forest. It will give you a hint for this area: look at the inner trees. The correct path will have a hollow tree with strange glowing eyes. This path is the exit to the left. In the third area, the correct path is the exit to the left. The flowers look different. In the fourth area, walk to the left to find a path to the center of the area. There's a Bub-ulb here with a Magical Seed. Take the path to the right of the entrance. The tree here has a glowing red face. The fifth area has mushrooms that light up. The path that is two away in either direction has mushrooms that light up in a series instead of just once. The sixth area has flowers that fall away, except at the path two away from the entrance. In the seventh area, a sign marks the correct path to the mansion.

The mansion looms just ahead. Go through the gate and it will close behind you. The Boo from before appears, saying that his master is in the highest room on the third floor, then disappears. Heal and save, then go inside.

The mansion has a spacious foyer and stairs to the second floor, but not the third. Go to the second floor, because the door on the first floor is locked. You'll see several portraits of Boos. On the far right is a picture frame. Check it out and it will talk to you, saying that you must find what's missing from the frame. If you do, it will let you go to the third floor. It also says that Bow is a harsh Boo for testing her guests like this.

Go through the door on the right. Open the middle cabinet on the left wall (the others will crush you and you'll take damage). Boos will appear with a vinyl record. This is the first challenge. The Boos will move in a circle. One Boo will give another the record. Hit the Boo with the record to get it. You'll need to keep an eye on the Boo with the record. Follow it with your finger if you have to. Go next door to the left. There's a Boo guarding a chest who says he's bored. There's a record player in the left corner. Put the record on and tap the (A) button with good rhythm to play the record. It plays the Super Mario theme while the Boo dances away from the chest. Hit (B) to stop the record and go get open the chest when the Boo is near the record player. The chest contains the Weight. The Boo says Lady Bow will punish him, but Mario can't go anywhere without knowing how to use the weight.

Go down to the first floor and go to the couch. Jump on the brown cushion to bounce high up to the chandelier. Mario's weight will bring the chandelier down, which makes the china cabinet slide away, revealing a door. Use the weight to hold it in place. Open the newly-revealed door and go inside. Ignore the chest on the floor. It only lowers the chandelier to scare Mario. Go downstairs, then through the door on the front wall. Go through the door on the right, which falls away on the other side.

In this room is a giant chest on the right. Open it and more Boos appear, with a pair of green boots. Once again, you'll have to guess which Boo has the item, but this time, the Boos will toss the boots around, then move closer together, then apart. Keep a careful eye on the Boos, then hit the correct one with the hammer. This will give you the Super Boots. Mario's jump power increases and now Mario can do a spin jump by pressing (A) in midair. Use it to break through wooden panels in the floor. Test out this new ability on the panel to the left. This will take you to the shop in the mansion. The shopkeeper won't sell anything to Mario under the direction of Lady Bow. To the right is a blue switch. Hit it and a larger one appears. Hit that one and a giant one appears. Jump on the chair and crates to reach it, then spin jump on it. Stairs appear. Go upstairs to a room with a clock. A few steps in front of the clock is an invisible panel on the floor. Spin jump near it and you'll get a Star Piece. There are other such panels spread out in the Mushroom Kingdom. Go up the stairs, into the foyer, then into the door on the right.

Hop into the vase and you can run around as 8-bit Mario. You can't do much as 8-bit Mario, but it's an interesting Easter egg. Go back into the vase to return to normal. Pound the panel in the room to drop down to the library below. You'll land on the bookshelf. Go to the right and cross the gap to get Boo's Portrait. Jump down from the bookshelf and go left to leave the library, then make your way to the second floor. Check out the picture frame and return the portrait. He's thankful and will help Mario reach the third floor. Jump towards him to warp upstairs. Be careful up here as there is no railing.

There are two sets of doors on the third floor, but they all lead to the same room. Go inside and someone says they were testing Mario to see if he lives up to his reputation. A green Boo appears with bows, along with the Boo from before. The green Boo is Lady Bow and the Boo from before is Bootler, her butler. Bow needs a favor. She tells Mario about the area near the mansion, called Gusty Gulch. At the top of the hill is the castle of Tubba Blubba. He eats ghosts. The Boos tried attacking him, but he's invincible. They do know he has a secret and it's probably about his weak point. Bow wants Mario to find out his secret and defeat Tubba Blubba. Mario, in turn, will be rewarded with the Star Spirit that escaped. This Star Spirit is Skolar. He was too weak to return directly to the sky, so he tried to reach Shooting Star Summit and Star Haven, but got lost in the forest and was captured by the Boos. Bow says Mario would have to fight Tubba Blubba anyway to get the Star Spirit, but this way, he gets to help out the Boos. Bow says she'll go with Mario, which shocks Bootler. She says Mario needs her and can't reach the castle without her. Bootler wants to accompany her, but Bow tells him she's not a child and will be fine by herself. She joins the party, like it or not. She can make Mario become transparent in and out of battle. Stuff goes through Mario when he's invisible. Move to become visible again or hit the same button. She can also smack enemies.

Now that Bow is part of the team, you can now use the shop in the basement. This shop sells Life Shrooms and Super Shrooms, among other things. With Parakarry by your side, talk to the Boo in the foyer. This is Franky, and there's a letter for him. He has a letter for Dane T., a young Toad in Toad Town by the train station. We'll deliver that letter later. Go outside and save, then head east to the gate. Boos will open it for you. Go east to Gusty Gulch.

In the first area is a locked windmill. In the area are Hyper Goombas.  They have 7 HP and give 2 SP. Normally, their attack power is 2, but they can charge up and start glowing. This increases their attack power to 8. If more than one charges up and you can't defeat them all before they attack, have Bow use Outta Sight to prevent taking damage. Go east.

Here is a little village of Boos in Gusty Gulch. The Boos are surprised to see Bow, saying it's dangerous as Tubba Blubba could appear at any moment. Bow says she came to teach Tubba Blubba a lesson. He last came through yesterday and ate Herbert. The Boos are inspired by Bow's bravery. Talk to the Boos as they have helpful information, such as the fact that you can walk stealthily by moving the control stick slightly. This way you can avoid waking sleeping enemies. Another piece of information is that the key to solving the secret of Tubba Blubba is in the innermost room and to pay attention to the heart and body. Go east to another part of the village, where a Boo will tell you that in a dream he heard to turn and run away until he reached the tower with the spinning vanes. Another says that there's something important next to Tubba Blubba's bed. Walk farther to the east and Tubba Blubba will appear. Use Bow's power to become transparent. Unfortunately, the Boo that instructs you to do so doesn't hide and is eaten. Poor Stanley. Go east.

There are more enemies in this area. There are Hyper Paragoombas and Hyper Clefts. Hyper Paragoombas have 7 HP and give 2 SP. Hyper Clefts have 4 HP, 3 defense power, and give 4 SP. When charged, their attack power is 8. You can reduce their defense to 1 by flipping them with an explosion. Use Kooper to get the Dizzy Dial, hit an item block for some Repel Gel, which does the same thing as Outta Sight, and pick up the letter for Fice T., the guard at the edge of Toad Town near the Forever Forest. Go east. Cross the gap with Parakarry, grab a Super Shroom from the item block, and get some coins from the brick block. Go east to reach Tubba Blubba's castle and save.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Paper Mario: Interlude After Chapter 2

Up in the castle, Bowser enters Peach's room and asks her how she's feeling. He wants to see her smile. Peach is in a bad mood, calling him "the single greatest disaster to ever befall the Mushroom Kingdom". She will smile if he makes everything as it was before he showed up. Bowser says he can't do that because Mario defeated the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa and he can't forgive Mario for disrespecting him. He says he'll use the Invincible Tubba Blubba to defeat Mario. He's second to Bowser in strength.

Kammy Koopa enters the room, saying they have a problem. She whispers to Bowser and he blurts out that the Star Spirit Tubba Blubba was guarding flew away from Tubba Blubba's castle. Kammy Koopa tells him to keep his voice down or Peach will hear him. They leave to discuss the matter privately.

Twink heard the news as well. Peach wants to find out about Tubba Blubba and hopefully information on a weak point. Go through the fireplace and the revolving wall. Go out the door and through the door immediately to the left. This will take you into the library. There are more Koopatrols guarding the library. Hide behind the bookshelves as they pace around the library, then move when they aren't looking. Grab the Power Rush badge from between the bookshelves. Peach can't make use of the badge, so she'll just hold onto it for now. At the other end of the library, a Koopatrol and a Hammer Bro are talking about Tubba Blubba. They says he likes eating ghosts. He lives in Forever Forest and guards a Star Spirit in his castle atop Gusty Gulch. There's a nearby mansion and village of ghosts, where he catches the Boos. They think he may be stronger than Bowser since he's invincible, although he may have a weak point. One of them mentions that Tubba Blubba has a secret that would ruin him if it got out. It's about his past and that he didn't used to be strong. No one knows what the secret is. Peach is excited to hear that Tubba Blubba may have a weak point. The guards hear her and carry her off.

Meanwhile, in front of the Dry Dry Ruins, Mamar, the Star Spirit, thanks Mario. She knows he can save Peach. She gives him a present of a new Star Power and more Star Energy. The new Star Power is Lullaby, which makes all enemies fall asleep. The Star Spirits' power is always growing. Mario must save the other Star Spirit. She returns to Star Haven. Backtrack through the desert to Mt. Rugged. On Mt. Rugged, behind the train station, there's a stone block. Break it to reach a block that will upgrade a party member. I chose Kooper. Take the train back to Toad Town.

Now that Parakarry is a member of the team, we can now deliver the letters he lost on the mountain. One is addressed to Merlon. It's from Merlee, his granddaughter, who has set up shop in Dry Dry Outpost. He thanks Mario with a Star Piece. The other two letters are for Goompapa and Mort T., a Toad House owner in Koopa Village. Instead of backtracking the long way, there is a faster way to get around. Go into the Toad Town Tunnels after healing and saving. Go west by breaking the stone block.

Here, you'll encounter the Electro Blooper. It has 50 HP and gives 22 SP. It can become electrically charged, which will hurt anyone who comes into contact with it when trying to attack. To get rid of the charge, hit Electro Blooper without taking damage. When it's not glowing, you can attack it normally. A great attack is Parakarry's Shell Shot, regardless of whether it's charged. Keep attacking and you'll eventually defeat it. A blue switch will appear. Hit it to make three blue pipes appear behind you. The left pipe leads to Dry Dry Outpost, the middle to Koopa Village, and the right to Goomba Village. You can now easily reach these destinations from Toad Town. Go farther west into the tunnels and break a stone block to reach a chest with the Power Smash badge.

Go to Goomba Village and deliver the letter to Goompapa. A friend is planning a fishing trip. He'll give you a letter for Muss T., a Toad near the castle gardens. This is the start of a long chain letter expedition. While you're in Goomba Village, pick up the Tape Koopa Koot wants from Goompa if you haven't already.

Go to Koopa Village and deliver the Tape for 1 coin. He'll ask you to get him some Koopa Tea. Tayce T. in Toad Town, in the part of Toad Town where the pipe to the Toad Town Tunnels is, can make Koopa Tea from a Koopa Leaf from Koopa Village. Check the shrubs to find one, take it to Tayce T. and ask her to cook with it. Deliver the Koopa Tea for three Star Pieces. Next, he wants Luigi's autograph. He says they should call him "Air Luigi" for his jump. Unfortunately, Luigi's hiding in the basement of his house, so we'll have to wait for now. While in Koopa Village, deliver the letter to Mort T. in the Toad House for a Star Piece.

Back to that chain letter. Return to Toad Town and go past the Star Door that leads to the crater where the castle once stood. The Toad there is Muss T. Deliver the letter and he'll give you one for Koover, a Koopa who hangs out at the entrance to Koopa Village. He was the one who welcomed you into town. Koover, in turn, will give you a letter for Fishmael, who is fishing in Toad Town Port. Go west twice from the part of Toad Town with the entrance to the tunnels to reach the port. Fishmael is the one on the dock fishing. He has a letter for Koover in response. Give the letter to Koover, who has one for Mr. E, a Toad wearing a blue turban near the Toad House in Dry Dry Outpost. He delivers things from the Outpost to other parts of the Mushroom Kingdom. He has a letter for Miss T., one of the amazingly beautiful sisters near the Dojo in Toad Town. She's the one with the orange cap. She has a letter for the shop owner in Dry Dry Outpost. His name is Little Mouser and he says the juice from lemons and limes is very good. He has a letter for a Boo named Franky. Franky lives in a mansion in Forever Forest. Since we haven't met any Boos yet, we can take a break from the chain letter.

In the Dojo, we can now fight the Master. He's very strong, with 50 HP and a punch with an attack power of 6. Use moves like Power Bounce and Super Rank party members. Heal when you need to and keep attacking to win. He'll give you the Third-Degree Card, calling you a masterful fighter.

In the area of Toad Town with the entrance to the tunnels, head east. There's a guard there, who freaks out when Mario shows up. He says there's a ghost nearby. The Boo appears and disappears before Mario can see it. It then goes into the forest. The Toad is too scared to see what's going on, even though it's his job. Go east to the Forever Forest. It grows dark and the Boo from before appears. He inquires if Mario is Mario. His master wishes to see him at the mansion on the far side of the forest. She has important news regarding the Star Spirits. He will come get Mario if he doesn't show up. Go east to start the chapter.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 2 -- The Mystery of Dry Dry Ruins -- Part 2

Now that Mario's found the Dry Dry Ruins, go inside. A creepy voice calls out to Mario. He is Tutankoopa, the remorseless king of the desert. He tells Mario to leave or face disaster. Hit the Save Block and go east. There are several sarcophaguses in the next room. They open up to reveal Pokey Mummies. They have 4 HP and give 2 SP. They are poisonous, so guard against their attacks to avoid getting poisoned. In the middle sarcophagus is the Spiky Shield badge. Equip this immediately. This badge will allow Mario to jump on spiked enemies. Be sure to have many healing items and return to the Heal Block outside often. The path splits ahead. Drop down to the lower path and go east. The room only has a key and a doorway you can't reach. Grab it and go back to the room with the sarcophaguses, then take the upper path. Unlock the door and head east.

This room is filled with sand. Stand on the switch and the sand will drain into the room below. Return to the room below. The sand will allow you to reach the doorway. Go east. Tutankoopa says Mario isn't listening and that if he keeps exploring, he will become a mummy. There are Buzzy Beetles in the area. They have 3 HP and give 2 SP. They are immune to fire. Jump on them to flip them, eliminating their defense, just like Koopas. Go upstairs and cross the gap. Blow up the wall to go into the room to the east. Stand on the switch to make the sand drain from the room. Before you leave, grab the Star Piece in the corner. Drop down the stairs and go to the room below to the east to get a key. Leave the room and drop down to the lowest door in the area, then go west.

Go all the way to the left side of the room and hit the item block. Pokey Mummies will appear and the door will be blocked off. Swoopers may join the Pokey Mummies in battle. They are bats that like to hang on the ceiling. They have 4 HP and give 2 SP. You can't jump on them when they're on the ceiling. You can use earth tremors, Hammer Throw, or Parakarry to hit them. They'll then fly in the air, so you can jump on them. Defeat all of them for the key to the locked door on the left side. Go through it. Cross the gap and go to the west.

This is the puzzle room. Tutankoopa warns you not to go in here. What you need to do is stand on the switches to flip the stairs. The switches flip the all of the stairs of the same color. There are three levels here. Here's what you need to do: Go up to the second level. Hit the green switch and go up the green stairs to the third level. Hit the green switch, then go down the pink stairs to the second level. Hit the pink switch, then go down the pink stairs to the first level, the floor. Go up the green stairs, then the pink stairs, going to the left. Drop down and you'll reach a large chest. It contains the Super Hammer. This makes Mario's hammer attack more powerful and Mario can now destroy stone blocks.

Go back to the room where you were locked in with the Pokey Mummies. Go up the pink stairs, hit the switch, then go up the stairs to the right. Break the stone block to get the Artifact. Go east, go up the stairs, then east. There's a stone block in the room. Break it and the door closes and a chomp from the hieroglyphics comes to life. Grab the Pyramid Stone and battle the Stone Chomp. They have 4 HP and give 4 SP. They'll charge at Mario. Use the hammer to defeat them. The door opens.

Go west twice and down the stairs. There's a crack in the wall. Blow it up, go through it, then drop down. There's a Super Rank Block down here. I upgraded Parakarry. Blow up the crack to the left. Break the stone block, where a Stone Chomp is hiding. Battle it and get the Diamond Stone. Go east twice to enter a long hallway. There are Buzzy Beetles and a map of the Ruins here. Go east and hit the stone block. Stand on the switch to make stairs to the key appear. Spring up and go east three times, meaning the door at the bottom of the stairs on the right. Tutankoopa says to retreat or be in grave trouble. In the middle of the room, there are five Chomp statues. Go up the stairs and unlock the door. Stand on the switch to make the sand drain and take note of the Chomp statues here. They have a pattern: Triangle, space, Diamond, space, Moon. Keep this in mind, then drop down to the door below and go east across the sand. Break the stone block, grab the Lunar Stone, then battle the stone chomp.

Once you're done, return to the room with the Chomp statues. Approach the statues and place the stones in the same pattern as the statues in the next room: Pyramid Stone, space, Diamond Stone, space, Lunar Stone. The ground starts shaking, the Chomp statues' eyes start sparkling, and Mario and his partner start panicking. The music changes. Stairs appear that go below. Use the Heal Block at the bottom of the stairs. Go east. Tutankoopa will give you a final warning. Save and go east again.

Tutankoopa laughs and a headdress appears. It floats up and Tutankoopa materializes. He says Mario ignored his very scary warnings and says he shouldn't mess him, a faithful follower of King Bowser. He stands on a ledge and summons a Chomp. Tutankoopa has 30 HP. He'll throw shells at Mario and use magic. The magic may drop debris on Mario or himself, knocking him off the ledge. The Chomps he summons have 4 HP and 3 defense. They don't like Tutankoopa because he works them too hard. Mario should attack the Chomp if it's there, and the partner should attack Tutankoopa, or else you won't win the battle. Parakarry's Sky Shot is very powerful and useful here, as it can hit Tutankoopa on the ledge or the ground. Keep hitting him and you'll win. You'll get 28 SP from the battle. After the battle, a Chomp appears and chases Tutankoopa around. The card with the Star Spirit appears.

End of Chapter
Thus Mario and party unearthed the legendary Dry Dry Ruins deep within Dry Dry Desert/ They smashed Tutankoopa the Wizard and freed Mamar, the second of the wish-granting Star Spirits. But the enemies awaiting Mario grow ever stronger... and the challenges more difficult. What's in store for Mario and friends... Where will their adventure take them next?