Monday, June 30, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 4: For Pigs The Bell Tolls -- Part 2

Mario has just defeated the Duplighost with the unknown name in Creepy Steeple. His partner expected more from the Duplighost. They leave, but are not followed. Press (A) and the shadow jumps up. You're now controlling the shadow, which is Mario's current form. Drop down the hole.

The Shadow Sirens have arrived in Twilight Town. Beldam says they'll succeed in getting the map because they have the Superbombomb. She asks Vivian for it, but Vivian claims that it was too important, so Beldam should have it. Beldam asks if Vivian is implying that she lost it. Vivian denies it and is tasked with finding it. Marilyn and Beldam leave.

The shadow that is Mario is leaving Creepy Steeple. You can still battle as you normally would. When you approach Twilight Town, the Duplighost disguised as Mario appears. He likes Mario's name and body and plans on keeping them. Mario's pretty popular in the town. He can change his shape easily, but to really be someone, he has to take their name and body. Mario has become a shadow and can't use his name anymore. His plans are to erase Mario, but will give him a chance to get his name and body back. All he has to do is guess the Duplighost's name. Try to input an answer and you'll notice the lowercase "p" is missing. Input any name you like and it will be incorrect (it's case sensitive). An incorrect answer means you'll have to battle. Even though he says not to run away, run away immediately. You're both invincible, so the battle is pointless. You won't lose any coins. He'll be disappointed when you run away.

In Twilight Town, the residents are back to normal. They like Mario for breaking the curse. Go into the item shop and you'll discover that the pig the shopkeeper let in wasn't her husband, but Dupree. He's failing miserably at trying to explain the situation. Go west and you'll see Vivian crying. Go into the mayor's house, where the Duplighost and Mario's partners are having a feast. His party members notice that something is different about Mario. Goombella says that he's way more chatty than usual and Yoshi says he's acting like a loon.

Go outside and talk to Vivian. Vivian explains the need to find the important thing to avoid punishment. Check the west shrubs to find it. It looks like a grenade. Give it to Vivian, who is thankful, but says it's broken. It probably happened when Beldam dropped it. Cheer her up and it disappears. Vivian asks Mario's name, but he explains his name was stolen. Vivian calls the situation crazy and they talk for a while. Vivian thinks Mario has worse problems, and calls him kind for worrying enough to help. Vivian doesn't want to stay with Beldam and Marilyn anymore and will help Mario get back his name, body, and friends by joining the party. Press (X) and Vivian will pull Mario into the shadows where they can hide. Press (X) to reemerge. Shade Fist can burn enemies in battle and Veil allows them to hide in the shadows in battle to dodge attacks.

Vivian says they must find the Duplighost's name first and suggests eavesdropping on the birds while in the shadows. Birds pretend to be innocent when people are around, but they're well-informed by eavesdropping and flying around. Approach the trees and press (X), and the birds will start talking. Some of them are worried about fossil fuels and renewable energy, one got fiber optics installed in its home network so it can download applications without any problems, one is complaining how mundane life in Twilight Town is, another bird's children are taking the SATs, and, on the east side of town in the east tree, the birds say that the Mario hanging around the mayor is the bad guy. The only soul who knows the bad guy's name is locked under Creepy Steeple. Apparently, as long as no one knows your name, you can use unstoppable magic. If someone says your real name, the magic stops working. Go east.

The fake Mario appears again and Vivian notes that he looks familiar. Input a name and run from the battle. When you reach Creepy Steeple, go down the well and go east. Push the door on the right up partway, then hide in the shadows to let it pass over you. At the top of the slope is a Shine Sprite and a Save Block. Roll to the right, then up some steps. At the top is a wooden panel. Ground pound it and drop down to the hallway behind the hallway where the box of Boos was. Roll to the west and you'll drop down into a room with a parrot and some chests. There's a Power Plus badge and a Mr. Softener in the chests. The parrot says some basic parrot phrases. Hide in the shadows and it will say it was almost nice to have some company, since it was locked in here. The parrot knows the Duplighost's name and guards the missing letter. It says that this is no way to treat a parrot. It wants a cracker and calls Doopliss a big meanie. Emerge from the shadows and it freaks out. It goes back to acting like an ordinary parrot, this time saying "Shine Get!" Open the boxes to the left to get the letter "p" and the Steeple Key. The key allows you to leave the room. Go east. Vivian is ready to teach Doopliss a lesson.

Go back outside of town and input the Duplighost's name. Doopliss freaks out and starts feeling faint. He runs away past them. Return to the top of the steeple. He wants to put an end to this and Mario's partners are ready to fight, especially against a shadow that's teaming up with a Shadow Siren. Hearing this, Vivian figures out that the shadow is really Mario and leaves. The battle stars. It's the same as before, but the partners will also attack. You can attack them as well. If you defeat them, the others will appear in the order you met them. Be sure you can guard against their attacks. After a short while, Vivian apologizes to Beldam for joining Mario's party permanently. Mario was the only one who was kind. Use attacks like Power Bounce and Shade Fist to defeat Doopliss. The partner freaks out when he's defeated and you'll get around 20 SP. Once Doopliss is defeat and the illusion is gone, Mario turns back to normal and the ruby Crystal Star appears. Doopliss calls them "killjoys" and jumps out the window. The partners figure out that the Mario they were hanging around wasn't real. Koops says they might have been "shellwinked". Yoshi wants to know why Vivian is on the team and Mario sticks up for the Shadow Siren. Vivian officially joins the party and gives Mario the Crystal Star, which increases his Star Energy and gives him the new special move, Art Attack.

End of Chapter
Mario defeated the rogue who had stolen his name and appearance. Now Mario has four Crystal Stars. That leaves a mere three more to find! And THAT means his quest to collect all of the Crystal Stars is more than half over! Now Mario heads off toward his next adventure with his new friend, Vivian... ...But what about Beldam and Marilyn? And what became of the doppleganger, Doopliss?

Back in Twilight Town, Beldam and Marilyn are waiting. Beldam says Vivian is very late. Doopliss runs by.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 4: For Pigs The Bell Tolls -- Part 1

Twilight Town is a dimly lit, depressing town, with creepy music. A resident walks up to greet Mario, saying it's been a while since anyone came from outside. He notices Mario might be an adventurer, which may make this a bad or the perfect time for him. The resident is about to tell Mario a scary tale when a bell rings. The resident panics and turns into a pig. The mayor of the town appears and takes Mario into his house. He says the town is cursed by a creature who lives in Creepy Steeple in the forest. The curse is that when the bell tolls, a resident becomes a pig. None of them can sleep and the village will become a pigpen before long. The mayor implores Mario to leave before the curse hits him. Mario's partner asks about the Crystal Star. The mayor doesn't know about the Crystal Star, but knows of a glittery, red, star-shaped stone in Creepy Steeple. The mayor says Mario shouldn't go there.

Go outside and you'll find a Star Piece between the two left houses. There's also one in the shrub near the tree. There are many crows in the trees, but all they say is "Caw". Go east and you'll find a Star Piece behind the fence near the tree. In the left house is a woman with three children. They are hungry, but her husband turned into a pig, so she can't feed them. Give her a food item in exchange for a Shooting Star. The bell will toll and she'll turn into a pig. In the item shop, someone is crying. Go inside and you'll find the shopkeeper and a pig. The shop isn't open. Her husband turned into a pig and she wants him back to normal. She'd offer him the items in the storeroom, except it is locked and her husband had the key and probably lost it. Go to the gate and you'll learn that you need the mayor's permission to leave. The bell will then toll. Go back to the mayor's house and you'll find he's turned into a pig. Now Mario can't get permission to leave. The bell will toll again. Go to the gatekeeper, who is also now a pig. There is nothing stopping Mario from leaving town. Go east.

There's an empty shack just outside of town. Check inside it for a Black Key. You'll find new enemies here: Hyper Goombas of all varieties. They all have 8 HP and 2 attack. They can charge up their next attack. Regular Goombas and Paragoombas get 8 attack power when charged, and Spiky Goombas get 9. Up ahead, you'll see a pig and a fallen tree. On the other side is a key, but you can't get past the tree. Have Koops retrieve the Shop Key and use it to unlock the storeroom. There are some items here and a Black Chest. The regular chest contains the Defend Plus Badge. There's also a Life Shroom, as well as a Boo's Sheet, and a Jammin' Jelly. Check out the Black Chest and it claims to not be like the others, saying it won't curse you. It wants out and says it planned on giving Mario a new ability to go special places. It begs for Mario to unlock the chest. Unlock it and it calls them fools. It asked what did he expect. It will unleash the king of curses, one that will make you know the pain of having one's body roll up so that they can't walk. Hold [R] and rotate the Control Stick repeatedly to roll up like a cardboard tube. Press (B) to return to normal. Use this new curse to get past the fallen tree.

On the other side of the fallen tree is a Star Piece. On the right side is a large straw hut. Have Flurrie remove it to reveal a pipe. The pipe takes you to the background. Walk to the left into the forest. In the forest, you'll find many Crayzee Dayzees. They have 7 HP and 2 attack. Their lullaby will put you to sleep unless you guard, which is tricky. Guard right at the end of the lullaby. They will run away when their HP is low. Flip sideways to slip between some plants to reach the back path. Walk to the right for an Earth Quake in an item block. Go to the left and you'll find the Hammer Throw badge in an item block. You'll also find Hyper Clefts. They have 4 HP, 3 attack, and 3 defense. They can charge their attack power to 9. You can defeat them by superguarding, using items, Gulp, and Earth Tremor. It can also be advisable to run away. At the end of the path to the left is a tree. Use Flurrie to reveal a hole in the tree. Go through the hole into the background. Walk to the right to enter another part of the forest. There is a clearing ahead. Use Flurrie's power on the clearing to reveal a wooden panel on the ground. Ground pound the panel and drop down the hole to reach the background. Push the rock in the background to the right to move the rock in the foreground. This will reveal another hole in the foreground. Go back through the hole and go through the newly-revealed hole to reach the other side of the rock. Near the east exit, behind the front tree is a Shine Sprite. It's not directly behind the tree. Go east to reach Creepy Steeple.

Creepy Steeple is unnerving Mario's partner and they want to leave as quickly as possible. You can heal and save outside. You can jump down the well, where you'll find many Buzzy Beetles and Spike tops. They each have 5 HP, 3 attack, and 4 defense. If you can flip them over, their defense drops to zero. You can't go very far into the well, but you can get the Tornado Jump badge and a Shine Sprite. Aboveground, the gate to Creepy Steeple is chained shut. There's a gap in the stone fence to the right that Mario can roll under. Walk behind the fence to the left for a Star Piece. Go inside.

Inside Creepy Steeple is a creepy stained glass window. Near the entrance is a gap in the wall Mario can roll under. It takes you to a room with a Shine Sprite and a chest. The chest contains the Cookbook. The Ice Smash badge is here, along with a Star Piece behind the furniture. Return to the main hallway and walk to the right. There's a statue of a Crystal Star. Push it to the right to reveal a hole in the floor. Drop down and you'll see a door and a peeling wall. Peel the wall to reveal a hole. Walk all the way to the right for a chest with the Flower Saver badge. Go through the left door and you'll find a purple box. Open it and many Boos will fly out from it. The last Boo will ask you a quiz question: How many Boos in total came flying out of the box? Answer 200 and it will call you a math nerd and give you an Ultra Shroom. Spring back up to the main hallway and you'll see a Boo crying. Be careful around it. If you choose to talk to it, it will ask if you're going to be mean to it. If you say you're not, all 200 Boos will appear and follow you around. Move quickly before they swarm you and kick you out of the steeple. If you're fully healed and they crowd you, do a couple of Super Hammer attacks to knock them away. A Boo says Mario said he wouldn't be mean, so he tells the other Boos to get Mario. They swarm to form a large Boo called Atomic Boo. It has 40 HP and 4 attack. It can squish Mario, scare Mario and his partner into not attacking or attacking each other, or send hundreds of Boos at them both. Guard repeatedly for that last attack. There are Boos in the audience who can make anyone onstage transparent so attacks miss. Use Power Bounce and Ground Pound to defeat Atomic Boo as quickly as possible. Defeating it and it will drop the Lucky Start badge.

In the middle of the hallway are two doors: one on the front wall and one on the back wall. Go through either one of them. You'll find yourself on the veranda, where there are Boos and Swoopers. Swoopers have 6 HP and 3 attack and can hang from the ceiling. Hit it with Hammer Throw, Body Slam, or an earth-shaking attack to knock it off the ceiling and have it fly within jumping reach. Boos have 7 HP and 3 attack. They can become transparent so all attacks will miss. At the end of each hallway is a red switch and a door that leads inside. Hit the switch on the front side of the steeple first, then go through the doorway. There are stairs here that move in response to which switch was hit. Only go up the stairs and through the door when the staircase is not at the middle door. That will only make you drop into the main hallway. Move the staircase to the front and go through the door. This will take you to the second floor of the main hallway. There are gaps in the floor. At the end of the hallway is the Steeple Key. Use Koops to reach it. Go back through the door and move the staircase to the back. Go through that door and you'll reach a locked door and a Save Block. Through the locked door is a Heal Block. Go up the stairs and spring up once you reach the top.

A voice will ask you why you're interrupting it's "Me" time. It's a Duplighost wearing a party hat, the monster the mayor warned them about. It's been thinking up pranks and thought up the prank to turn the villagers into pigs. It says that the villagers are depressing and boring, so it decided to let them wallow in mud, instead of gloom. It attacks. It's ?????, an enemy with no listed name in the Tattle Log. It has 40 HP and 4 attack. It can transform itself as well as other stuff, which is probably how the villagers turned into pigs. Use Ground Pound and Power Bounce to get it some good hits. After a while, it will scan Mario and copy him in shadow form when it has about 14 HP left. He has Mario's jump and hammer attacks, so guard accordingly. You'll get about 20 SP for winning. Mario yells as the shadow falls and the Crystal Star falls out from the shadow. Mario picks it up, but looks exhausted.

End of Chapter
Mario defeated the scourge of Creepy Steeple and found the fourth Crystal Star. The people of Twilight Town have surely recovered from their awful curse by now. At this rate, Mario's quest to collect all seven Crystal Stars will be done in no time! With his back to Creepy Steeple, Mario sets out toward his bright future...

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 3 -- Part 2

Mario is in the Glitz Pit, having just vanquished Macho Grubba. Jolene hopes for his success. Rawk Hawk says he won't fight dirty, will win fair and square, and never lose again. King K has Mario's back and will fight in the Glitz Pit again. Jolene now runs the pit, so there will be no more shady business. She invites Mario to return as a fighter any time. He has many fans, even though he gave up the champion's belt. Leave the pit, get a Star Piece from behind the phone booth, and return to Rogueport.

Peach's email arrives, telling of the X-Naut's plan to conquer the world. She says they need the Crystal Stars, but Mario must get all of them first. She'll gather more information in the meantime.

Luigi's on the west side of Rogueport, having just recovered the second compass part. He landed on the Strudel Continent and headed for Plumpbelly Village. When he reached the town, he could tell something was wrong. The mayor says the town is ruled by a giant snake named Hizza and required sacrifices. This time, the mayor's daughter was to be offered up. Luigi offered to go in her stead. The custom is that sacrifices are to be dressed as brides, so Luigi got dolled up. He says he looked good and fooled his foes. He reached Hizza's  lair, noting it was difficult fighting in a gown. Hizza has a second head on its tail. Luigi quickly fainted, then, once he woke up, distracted both of Hizza's heads. The heads reared up, fangs ready to attack, when Luigi deftly dodged left, leaving the mouths to smash into each other. Hizza vanished in a cloud of smoke. A shining plated fell down on the spot where Hizza's body was. It was a compass part, which pointed east to Circuit Breaker Island. As he was about to leave, the mayor asked him to stay and marry his daughter. Luigi thought she was cute, so he thought about it for a while, but snuck off the next morning. He says he heard a beautiful voice when the compass was activated. He thinks it's Eclair's voice. He will set sail from Rogueport soon.

Standing next to Luigi is a Bob-omb that resembles a cherry. His name is Jerry and he's from Plumpbelly Village. The reason he sounds so down is because he saw Luigi dressed as a bride, which he found to be more terrifying than the giant snake, Hizza. It scarred him so badly that he has a moral duty to stop him from dressing as a bridge ever again. He's sticking by Luigi to protect others from his fate.

There are three more troubles at the Trouble Center:
Jolene needs some cleaning done. Meet her in her office, and she'll initially think you're trying to become a fighter again. Rawk Hawk is again the champion. Mario's old registration is gone, so he'll have to start in the minor leagues. Her trouble is that she wants the garbage cleaned out from the storage room. In there, you'll find twenty Battle Shorts, dirty fighter's shorts that stink. Some of them are upstairs. Go through the door upstairs and you'll find a Star Piece hidden behind the right crate. Bring the Battle Shorts back to Jolene and she'll tell you to take them to Goomfrey in Rogueport. While you're in Glitzville, buy two Hot Dogs from the stand. Goomfrey is in front of Frankly's place. Give the Battle Shorts to him, then talk to Jolene for your reward of 30 coins.

Merlee wants the recipe for making Heartful Cake, which she forgot. She learned it from Toce T. in Petalburg. She lives in the right house on the east side of Petalburg and will tell you to cook Ruin Powder and Cake Mix. Return to Rogueport and go to the Pianta Parlor. This is the only place you can get Cake Mix. Either buy Piantas or win them, but you'll need at least 12 of them. Exchange 6 Piantas each for a Cake Mix. Get two and cook one of them into Mousse Cake. Talk to Merlee to tell her the recipe. She'll then ask for Cake Mix. Give it to her and your reward will be 30 coins.

While your in the ruins under Rogueport, go near the entrance to the Thousand-Year Door and break the large yellow block. It reveals a doorway and a Star Piece near the pipe. Go west. The room has a Shine Sprite, a large block, and a couple of switches. Break the block so you can reach the rising platform. On the higher level, drop down to the switches and ground pound them. This will make pipes appear. The left one takes you directly to the Great Tree and the right one takes you directly to Petalburg.

Bub-ulber in Petalburg is craving a certain food. He's on the west side, on the center island. You'll have to cross the bridge to reach it. He wants a spicy Hot Dog, which you can get in Glitzville. Give him one and he'll ask for another. Give him the other one and he'll ask for Mousse Cake. Give him the Mousse Cake and he'll give you a Dried Bouquet as a reward. You can get more if you bring him more Hot Dogs.

Return to the west side of Rogueport and drop through the grate. Use Yoshi to cross the left gap to reach a Shine Sprite and a door. Go through the door to see a brown pipe and a sign that says it leads to Twilight Town. Try to go through the pipe and it will spit you out. Take the pipe near the door to the background platforms, where you'll find a Star Piece. Go to the Thousand-Year Door and the ruby Crystal Star will appear near a tall building in a forest. Professor Frankly's surprised by Peach's email and says the situation is more serious than they originally thought. He's been researching the treasure and found a source that says it may be the great cataclysm that sank the town. He says that the treasure may help them rule the world, so Mario can't let them near it. The entire world could be destroyed. Frankly looks at the map and tells them the next Crystal Star is in Twilight Town. He doesn't know much about Twilight Town, except it's dim and eerie, and there's a pipe to it under the west side of Rogueport. If you've already tried to go through, Mario's partner says that going through it was a failure. Frankly doesn't know what to do, but says that a resident of Twilight Town lives here, so they should ask him. His name is Darkly.

Darkly is behind the wall to the left of Merlon's. He's the gloomy guy. Ask him about the pipe and he'll tell you that you need to have something with your name on it to go through the pipe. He writes Mario's name on the seat of his overalls and writes his partner's name on them. He wishes them well and is rooting for them. Go back underground and through the pipe to start the next chapter.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 3 -- Part 1

In the X-Naut fortress, Grodus asks what good is Beldam, because Mario has not been taken care of. Beldam explains that Mario was tougher prey than they originally thought. Grodus informs her that the X-Nauts must open the Thousand-Year Door first. Beldam promises to finish Mario off next time. They have a weapon prepared that will send Mario to a quick and certain end. Grodus trusts her words, but is losing patience.

In her room, Peach yawns with boredom. The X-Nauts haven't come back to ask her about the map, so she wonders if it is safe. TEC opens the door, so go east twice. Peach asks TEC why she was called in without warning. TEC wants her to ask Grodus something, as it recently got information that brought an issue to its attention. Peach asks why TEC doesn't know and it says it can't know anything not entered into its CPU or is otherwise recorded. Peach thinks she'll be caught and sent to her room. TEC tells her to find the soldier's room one floor up and grants her access to use the elevator. She is to change into an X-Naut uniform and talk to Grodus. TEC informs her that it won't take "no" for an answer and what information it desires.

Go east and take the elevator up one floor. Wait until the coast is clear and go through the door with the green light to the soldier's locker room. Check out the middle right locker for a spare uniform and go into the changing stalls. Peach says the uniform is tight and smelly. You can talk to the other X-Nauts, but they don't have much to say. Go east to find Grodus. Peach asks about the plans for herself. Grodus notices something different in the X-Nauts voice and offers a throat lozenge. Grodus says Peach is to be kept locked in her room, but never treated roughly. Peach asks why she is being kept, but Grodus tells the disguised princess it is none of her business.  The X-Nauts should concentrate on the legendary treasure, which they'll need for world-conquering. Peach is startled and Grodus thinks something is odd. Peach tells him nothing is out of the ordinary and leaves. Go back to the locker room and Peach will change back into her dress. She's creeped out by what she learned and wonders if the Crystal Stars are related.

Peach returns to TEC's room and calls TEC terrible. TEC was built for the purpose of conquering the world. Peach asks why that is so. TEC asks her if she likes the world she lives in, with its many problems and sorrows. Peach explains that nobody likes everything, but she likes the good parts. Even though there is sorrow in this world, there is also joy. She asks if the Crystal Stars will help the X-Nauts conquer the world and what the treasure is. TEC is prohibited from answering by Grodus. Peach wants to tell Mario, but TEC is hesitant. Ultimately, it lets her use its communicator. TEC sends the message and tells her to go back to her room, as she's had a busy day. She leaves without saying anything.

Meanwhile, Bowser finds himself in the Great Tree. The Punies call him humongous and hide in fear. Bowser calls Mario, saying he didn't know Mario was in Glitzville. He asks Kammy Koopa about the Punies and if they have a Crystal Star. She says he'll have to find them to get the information. Check the shrubs, where some Punies are hiding, including Punio and Petuni. Check a shrub to the right to find the elder, who yells at them to be gone. She calls him an evildoer who wants the Crystal Star. Kammy Koopa calls her ugly and the elder yells back that Kammy is rude. She then calls her a wretched croney. The elder says that the Punies gave the Crystal Star to a mustachioed man named Marty-o. He's collecting the legendary treasure to rescue "Princess Pinch". Kammy corrects her on the names and says the princess and the treasure are connected. Bowser calls Mario greedy for trying to get it all, when it belongs to him. He'll finish Mario once and for all.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 3: Of Glitz And Glory -- Part 4

Mario has just become the champion of the Glitz Pit after unseating Rawk Hawk. He can now enjoy the luxuries of the champion's room. His party member mentions that they still don't have any clues about the Crystal Star, and despite his dirty tricks and threatening emails, Rawk Hawk doesn't know about them, either. They hear voices from somewhere and they seem to be traveling through the vent. X sends an email telling them to find the ghost in the champion's room. Make any preparations you need, and save. Climb up the presents and cross the gap to the doorframe, then to the vent using Yoshi. Use the Super Hammer move on the vent to break it. Crawl through the vent and you'll hear the voices more clearly. Something's in perfect condition and something is keeping someone's body in shape. The one who's talking is Mr. Grubba. King K saw him and he thinks Jolene and Gonzales are onto him. He will make them all disappear like the others, including Prince Mush. If necessary, he'll make Rawk Hawk disappear. He hides a paper in his desk drawer and locks up his office.

Break the vent the same way as before and drop down into his office. Check behind the plant and in his right desk drawer for Star Pieces. In the left desk drawer are some blueprints for a machine using the Crystal Star under the ring. It can be used to suck people's power, like what happened to King K and Bandy Andy. Grubba walks into the office and leaves, knowing that Mario knows.

Leave the office and you'll notice the arena is silent. You also can't leave. Heal if you haven't already and save. Go to the empty arena. Grubba's onstage, calling them fools for sniffing into his business. It's a dirt nap for them for learning his secret. The stage starts shaking and parts of it fall away. A machine with the real Crystal Star rises from below. Grubba uses the machine to suck power from fighters, keeping his body forever young. He muscles up, increases in size, gets spikes, and turns orange. Mario and his party are next.

It's time to battle Macho Grubba. Despite the arena being empty, there is an audience for this fight. Macho Grubba has 60 HP and 4 attack power. He has a pattern that he follows: increase the number of times he can attack, and then powers up. Pay attention to how he is powered up. Macho Grubba likes a good fight and says Mario has good showmanship. Power Bounce and Yoshi's Ground Pound work well. After a while, he says he had so many good moves in his day that some of them were made illegal. He can grow larger and increase his defense. He can also punch both Mario and his party member. Use Gulp to deal with the increased defense. He also may become dodgy, so he'll dodge attacks automatically. There are devices on stage that may blow cold air on to enemies, freezing them. You can still attack, but they can't. They'll also take a little damage each turn they're frozen. Take advantage every time this happens. Keep attacking and you'll get about 30 SP for winning. He can't believe he lost to someone without a perfect body and that it was a great fight.

Someone calls for the champion. It's Jolene and she calls him Mario. She thanks him for defeating Grubba and apologizes for getting them involved. She had to learn the arena's truth by any means. Her reason is she had a younger brother named Mush who'd do anything for her. Their family was poor, so Mush became a Glitz Pit fighter to support them. He suddenly went missing and she suspected foul play. She got hired on a manager so she could conduct a secret investigation. Once, she accidentally saw Grubba transform and almost gave up, until Mario appeared. She secretly guided him as the mysterious X, knowing Mario was the only one who could challenge Grubba. Jolene asks Grubba about Prince Mush, the first champion. Grubba says Prince Mush discovered his secret machine, so he had him disappear and that he's not around anymore. Jolene is upset at the news, but suspected as much. The machine powered by the Crystal Star spits out Prince Mush and brother and sister are reunited. Jolene gives Mario the Crystal Star so this never happens again. Mario's Star Power increases to 4 and he gets the special move, Power Lift.

End of Chapter
Glitzville's seamy underside was a dark, dangerous place seething with conspiracy... With the help of the lovely Jolene, Mario revealed Grubba's true identity... And acquired the third Crystal Star by defeated the monstrous Macho Grubba. Grubba had used the power of the Crystal Star to run his power-draining machine... What other hidden powers might the strange and mysterious items possess?

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 3: Of Glitz And Glory -- Part 3

Mario just had an unexpected battle with Bowser in the Glitz Pit and his partner is freaked out that Bowser is here. Bowser leaves after his defeat, so continue climbing the ranks of the Glitz Pit.

17. Craw-Daddy is your next opponent, a Dark Craw. He has 20 HP and 6 attack. He carries a spear, which makes getting the condition of not using your hammer very unfortunate, which happened to me. Either reset the game or use Koops and Earth Tremor. You'll get 14 coins and rise to rank 4.

After the battle, X sends an email, telling Mario to go to the telephone booth on the pavilion. Rawk Hawks is outside the locker room. He says to stop stealing the spotlight, or Mario will get hurt. Perhaps he sent the hate mail. Go outside to the phone booth and you'll find the Storage Key. X sends a follow-up email, telling you to go to the storage room, which is to the left of Grubba's office. Unlock it and you'll find Ms. Mowz. Mario's partner asks if she made the noises the guards heard, but she insists that she's silent. She tells them someone else is here and that the arena has its secrets. Mario should be careful, or he'll end up like the souls upstairs. She found what she wanted, so she kisses Mario and leaves. X sends another email saying to find the staircase switch so they can reach the attic. Have Flurrie blow away the crates to reveal blocks. Break the ones on the right to find the Charge P badge. Break the ones on the left to reveal a switch. Hit it to make the stairs appear. Upstairs is a locked door, as well as a Shine Sprite. Hover from the middle crates to go left. Use the Super Hammer on the large block to reveal the HP Plus P badge on a crate (hover to reach it) and a hole in the floor.

Drop down into the crawlspace. You'll hear voices through a hole. Listen and you'll hear Mr. Grubba and Jolene talking. Mr. Grubba asks Jolene if anyone was found in the storage room. She says the storage room is secure and that precautions have been taken. In her opinion, it was likely a cat. Grubba says they don't keep anything important in there. He asks about King K. She doesn't know where he is, so they delete his spot on the roster, removing any official connections to him, KP Pete. They take the same steps with all fighters that go missing, which has been happening a lot lately. King K is the fifth one this year. Grubba heard that security thinks the pit is cursed. He tells Jolene to tell the others that King K went home for a while, because nasty rumors are bad for business. He asks Jolene why she disappears sometimes, but she says it's none of his business. He asks if she's heard of the Crystal Star. She's startled by the question, but denies hearing of it and leaves. Grubba mentions to himself that the Great Gonzales is the only draw he has left since fighters keep disappearing. Mario's party member speaks and Grubba hears them. Answer with a meow, a squeak, or a belch to make him think it's only a critter running around. If you choose to belch, he'll think it's a burping beetle. Grubba leaves the office. Walk to the left to find a vent. Flip sideways to drop back down into the storage room. Time to continue battling for the title.

18. Hamma, Bamma, and Flare are up next. They are trio of a Hammer Bro, Boomerang Bro, and a Fire Bro. The Hammer Bro has 7 HP, 4 attack, and 1 defense. The Boomerang Bro has 7 HP, 2 attack, and 1 defense. The boomerang it throws will hit Mario and his party member twice, so guard twice. The Fire Bro has 7 HP, 3 attack, and 1 defense. Its fireballs can burn to slowly reduce HP, like poison. When their HP gets low, all of them will attack repeatedly in a barrage. My condition was to not use the hammer. You'll get 14 coins and rise to rank 3.

After the battle, you'll get an email saying that this is your last warning to stop snooping around about the Crystal Stars. Otherwise, you'll suffer the same fat as the missing ones. After you reserve your next match, Jolene will bring in some cake from an admirer. Leave it alone.

19. Chomp Country is your next opponent. The team consists of two Red Chomps. They have 6 HP, 5 attack, and 3 defense. To beat them, use special moves, items, or Gulp. My condition was to let them hit me five times. You'll get 15 coins and rise to rank 2.

After the battle, the Shady Koopa will be on the floor. He says his body went numb after eating the cake, meaning it was poisoned. Now that you have enough Shine Sprites, take the opportunity to return to Rogueport and upgrade your Yoshi.

20. Your last opponent in the major leagues is the Koopinator, a Dark Koopatrol. He has 25 HP, 5 attack, and 2 defense. He can also charge up his next attack. My condition was to not use FP. It has a spike, so don't jump on it. You'll get 15 coins and your rank will rise to 1. The next battle is for the championship.

Before you can reserve the championship match, X emails you, saying to remove the Gonzales posters in the lobby. Go to the lobby and you'll see that all of the posters have been replaces with Gonzales posters. Have Flurrie blow them away. The one you want is on the second floor, to the left of the double doors. Behind it is the Storage Key. X emails you to go to the second floor of the storage room. Go back to the storage room and unlock the door. Use the Yoshi to cross the gap between the crates and you'll hear a noise on the other side of a large block. Use the Super Hammer to break it and reveal Bandy Andy and King K lying on the floor, with flies buzzing around them. King K can't talk, but Bandy Andy says not to go near the ring when no one is around. Try to leave and you'll see Jolene behind the door. She closes the door. Leave the room and reserve the title match when you're ready.

Security will take you a different route to get to the ring, and takes you to an empty minor league locker room to wait. Grubba's onstage with Rawk Hawk, saying that he's excited for the match and that Gonzales made it through the ranks faster than Rawk Hawk. Inside the locker room, Mario discovers he's been locked in. If he doesn't make it to the ring in time, he'll forfeit the match. Go to the right wall and blow away the Peach poster. This reveals a hidden room with a TV. Go through the locker to reach the other major league locker room. It's also empty and locked. Go to the bathroom and stand on the toilet. The toilet will flush Mario through the plumbing to the other major league locker room, which is unlocked. Leave and save the game, then head for the arena.

In the arena, the crowd cheers for Gonzales. Rawk Hawk says Mario should've stayed locked up. He ordered security to lock Mario in there and sent the poisoned cake, but knows nothing about the Crystal Stars.

21. Rawk Hawk is the champion and final opponent. He has 40 HP, 3 attack, and 1 defense. He's good at aerial moves and doesn't fight fair. He can do a double flip that will hit both Mario and his party member, a slide kick that hits whoever is in front, and, after a while, will grab onto the rafters and shake them to make stage debris hit Mario and his party member repeatedly or heal himself. When he's hanging from the rafters, jump attacks can't reach him. Body Slam or throwing something will knock him off the rafters. He can also hang on the wall and dive. My condition was to use at least one special move. Power Bounce is a good move to use, as well as Yoshi's Ground Pound, if you upgraded him. He'll give about 12 SP on defeat, saying he lost to losers.

Grubba says he witnessed a miracle in this legendary bout. Gonzales is now the champion and gets the Champion's Belt. Jolene takes him to the champion's room, where there's a bed that restores Star Power.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory -- Part 2

Mario's attempts at reaching the major leagues in the Glitz Pit were thwarted by the seemingly invincible Armored Harriers. Jolene will still give you one coin for fighting. Mario's partner notices that the egg is missing. A small Yoshi appears, calling Mario "Gonzales". It explains that it hatched from the egg Mario rescued from the hot dog stand and that he knows what's going on about trying to get the Crystal Star on the champion's belt. He says he'll fight alongside Mario. The color of the Yoshi is based on the time between rescuing the egg and hatching it. Mine's orange. The Yoshi doesn't have a name yet, so you get to choose it. I call mine "Antigrav". Press (X) to ride it and it will move faster than Mario can. Press (X) to dismount. Press (A) to float briefly so you can cross gaps. In battle, he can repeatedly bounce on enemies with Ground Pound or inhale and spit out enemies with Gulp.

11. Now that you have Yoshi on your side, you can take on the Armored Harriers again. Have Yoshi use Gulp to inhale one Iron Cleft and spit him onto his brother. The only thing strong enough to penetrate their defenses is each other's spikes. Just use Gulp twice to win. Once you win, you are officially part of the major leagues. You'll get 7 coins and your rank will rise to 10.

Inside his office, Mr. Grubba is checking out something in his left desk drawer. He closes it quickly when Mario and Jolene enter. He says he felt that Mario was going places and is happy to be right. He gives Mario 30 coins. He'll talk to Mario later about changing his costume. Jolene takes him to one of the major league locker rooms. Now that you're in the major leagues, the fights will be harder, but you can earn much more SP from battles. Rawk Hawk enters the locker room, saying he heard about a rising star. Yoshi checks out the champion's belt and calls the Crystal Star on it fake. Rawk Hawk is upset that his belt has been insulted. Yoshi asks where the real one is and Mario gets an email with a different ringtone. It's a note written in alternating upper- and lowercase letters. It's from someone calling themselves "X", and the email says to follow their instructions if Mario wants the Crystal Star. How such a mysterious person has Mario's email address and knows what he's up to is unknown. There are no instructions for now, so grab the Ice Storm behind the lockers and start battling major league competitors.

12. The Tiny Spinies are up. They are Red Spike Tops with 5 HP, 3 attack, and 5 defense. Fire doesn't work, but you can flip them to eliminate their defense. My condition was to appeal at least 3 times. If you can't flip them, Gulp works. You'll get 11 coins and your rank will rise to 9.

13. Next up are the Poker Faces. These are Bristles, like you saw in Shhwonk Fortress. My condition was to not jump, which isn't an issue. Use a POW Block if you have one or Earth Tremor. Do not use Gulp. You'll get 12 coins and your rank will rise to 8.

After the battle, X will contact you, telling you to go to the water hole outside the pit. Leave the locker room and go past the locked door. A guard tells Jolene that he heard a noise inside the room, but didn't find anybody in there. At the entrance, Mario has a poster hanging on the wall. Ms. Mowz says to be careful and that something isn't right here. Go to the juice shop and talk to the guy tending the shop. Someone left a package for Mario with a note. The package contains the Super Hammer, specifically, the Hammawhack 2005, which apparently chooses its owner. Toadette appears and explains that the hammer's attack power has increased and he can do a new technique. Hold (B) and rotate the Control Stick to twist your body to wind up, then release to spin around with the hammer. This allows you to destroy the large yellow blocks with angry eyebrows. The Super Hammer move can also be used in battle. X will contact you again, saying to break the blockage in the minor league locker room. Go back to the locker room you were in. Break the large yellow block to the left to reveal a hidden office. Climb up the desk, then use Yoshi to cross the gap to the bookshelf. The Dubious Paper is here, a scientific paper on the Crystal Stars with pictures. Mario's partner wonders who would leave it lying around. Go back into the locker room and Jolene will walk in and confiscate it, saying Mario shouldn't be in this locker room now that he's in the major leagues. She also scolds him for breaking a wall.

14. The Shell Shockers are your next opponents. They are Shady Koopas and Shady Paratroopas. Both have 8 HP, 3 attack, and 1 defense. They can attack if knocked on their backs and their attack is boosted when they get back up. This attack can hit both Mario and his partner. My condition was to not attack for the first 3 turns. Keep your health up, because after the battle, the Armored Harriers want a rematch. Use Gulp twice to defeat them as quickly as possible. You'll get 12 coins and rise to rank 7.

After the battle, you'll get an email. The ringtone is the same as X's, but the note was written normally and says that those who stick their noses where they don't belong are dead meat.

15. Your next opponent is the Fuzz, made up of a Fuzzy, Green Fuzzy, and Flower Fuzzy. The Green Fuzzy has 5 HP and 3 attack, and can multiply. The Flower Fuzzy has 6 HP and 3 attack, and drains FP. If it drains enough, it can use magical attacks. Get rid of it before you find out what it can do. My condition was to not use special moves. You'll get 13 coins and rise to rank 6.

After that battle, I ranked up to B-list Star, which increases the stage and the audience. There's a piece of cake waiting in the locker room. Jolene brought it in from a fan. Eat it to restore your health and other stats.

16. Up next are the Magikoopa Masters. They are a Red Magikoopa (7 HP, 4 attack power, can boost attack and defense), a White Magikoopa (7 HP, 4 attack, can heal), and a Green Magikoopa (7 HP, 4 attack, can electrify allies or make them transparent). All of them can make copies of themselves. My condition was to use at least one special move. Keep yourself healed, because after the battle, Bowser barges in. He heard Mario was here and wants to fight, especially because he's going to beat Mario with witnesses. He has 30 HP, 3 attack, and 1 defense. His bite can poison you and you can lose a command if he ground pounds you. Use your best attacks. When you win, you'll get about 14 Star Points. You'll also get 13 coins for winning and rise to rank 5.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory -- Part 1

The blimp drops Mario off on the floating arena of Glitzville. On the left is a public phone where Mario can talk to various people he's met on his journey. On the right is a large, blue switch. Spin jump on it to make some stairs appear to the roof of the nearby building. This building is the juice shop. On top is a chest with the Power Plus P badge. Near the Glitz Pit is a family of rich Bob-ombs. They have some interesting things to say. Also near the Glitz Pit is a Shine Sprite you can't reach yet. On the side of the juice bar is an Inn Coupon. Inside the juice bar is a Toad with a pink-spotted cap and a single tuft of hair showing.

Go inside the Glitz Pit. The Toads on the left are looking for the former champion, Prince Mush. Ms. Mowz is here and surprised to see Mario. Go through the double doors to enter the arena's seating area. On stage is the champion, Rawk Hawk, about to battle a challenger. He defeats his opponent with a one-hit knock out. He wants a challenge and will take on anyone. He shows off his champion's belt, which has a Crystal Star on it. Mario's partner asks how Mario plans to get his hands on the Crystal Star. The only way to do it is to battle to the top. Talk to the guy in the suit at one of the doors and tell him you want to become a fighter. He'll tell you to talk to the promoter, Mr. Grubba. He'll let you past the door. There are a couple of Save Blocks in the hallway. Mr. Grubba's office is to the right of the locked door.

Go inside Mr. Grubba's office and he'll call you rude for barging in. Mario tells him he's an athlete that wants to fight and he changes his tone. He finds Mario to be a little skinny. He asks Mario if he wants to live the glamorous life of a champ. Mr. Grubba says that he fought his way to fame and riches, which are dynamite. He's set for life and opened the arena to help others make dreams come true.

He gives Mario the tour, showing him the champ's room and the major league locker rooms, which are not as nice, but decent. Mario has to fight his way to the top. Sign the contract and Mario's officially on the roster. Mr. Grubba gives Mario the new name of the Great Gonzales. He calls Jolene into his office. She looks somewhat familiar. Jolene takes Mario to the minor league locker room, which is falling apart. If Mario wants out of here, he'll have to fight his way to the top. He can reserve matches using the terminal on the wall, which looks like a Game Boy Advance. Mr. Grubba will choose your opponents and the conditions of the battle, which must be met in order for your rank to go up. The conditions change for each battle, and if you reset the game, the conditions will be different. They include things such as not using special moves, using at least one special move, appealing to the crowd a certain number of times, not having Mario attack, letting the opponent hit you a certain number of times, not using FP, or beating enemies in a certain number of turns. I'll post examples of what happened to me. Beat a higher-ranking opponent to move your rank up. If you lose to a lower-ranking opponent, your rank will fall. If you fail to complete the condition of the battle, you'll next battle a lower-ranking opponent. When you reach rank 11, you have a chance at the major leagues. After a battle, sleep in the bed to restore HP and FP. Only the champ's bed restores Star Power.

1. The first fight is against the Goomba Bros. My condition was to appeal at least once. You'll have to battle five Goombas. Power Shell works well if you can use it. Once you win, Jolene will give you money for winning. In this case, it's 3 coins. Mario is now rank 19.
2. Next up are the KP Koopas. My condition was to defeat them in under 5 turns. There are two Koopas and one Paratroopa. They all have 4 HP, 2 attack power, and 1 defense power. You'll get 4 coins and your rank will go up to 18.
3. The Pokey Triplets are next. My condition was to not use items. You'll get 4 coins and become rank 17.
4. The Dead Bones are your next opponents. They are a bunch of Dull Bones. My condition was to not switch partners. You'll get 5 coins and become rank 16.
5. Spike Storm is next. They are a Lakitu and a couple of Spinies, but the Lakitu can throw more onto the field. The Lakitu has 5 HP and 2 attack power. It throws Spiny eggs. Don't stomp it when it's holding a Spiny egg. The Spinies have 3 HP, 3 attack, and 3 defense. You can't hurt them when they're rolled up. Flip them over to reduce their defense to zero. My condition was to not use FP. You'll get 5 coins and become rank 15.

After that fight, King K of the KP Koopas says that the hot dog stand is selling hot dogs made with eggs from a southern island. It may help win fights. You can do whatever you want between matches, so leave, save, and go outside. The egg is hopping around in front of the hot dog stand. The owner wants help catching it. It eventually hops up on top of the stand and falls asleep. Go on top of the juice shop and spring to the airplane panel. Fly to the egg to catch it. It seems to want Mario's help. Help it and the owner will let it go, saying people probably don't want to eat something that's been jumping around. It'll follow Mario around.

Go back inside and wander around the back hallways. Talk to Bandy Andy, the Bandit. He's been doing research on the Seven Wonders of the Glitz Pit. As him about them and he'll tell you. There's a sealed wall in the minor league locker rooms, which may contain the remains of fallen athletes. In one of the bathrooms is a man-eating toilet. There's a room where there's a second floor, but no stairs. Some people hear groaning in the room. In the champ's room, if you stand still, you'll hear voices from nowhere. When no one's in the ring, strange lights can be seen under the doors, which are locked. Sometimes, fighters disappear for no reason, never to return. He thinks Prince Mush was lost this way. Mr. Grubba is well toned, despite being past 60 and Jolene suddenly vanishes at times. Start reserving matches. The egg will remain in the locker room.

6. The Hand-It-Overs are next. They are Bandits and Big Bandits. Bandits have 5HP and 2 attack, while Big Bandits have 8 HP and 3 attack. They can bump into you and steal coins, but Big Bandits can steal items. My condition was to not use items. You win the fight if they flee. You'll get 6 coins and rise to rank 14.

After the battle, King K mentions a lovely lady at the juice shop. Talk to her and she'll say she longs for the return of Prince Mush. Check behind the bar for a Star Piece.

7. The Mind Bogglers are next, a Pale Piranha, a Pider, and a Dark Puff. My condition was to appeal at least once. You'll get 6 coins and rise to rank 13.

After the battle, King K says he's going to retire after his next battle, as his future isn't looking so good. He says not to forget him.

8. The Punk Rocks are next. They are Hyper Bald Clefts, with 3 HP, 2 attack, and 2 defense. They can charge up so their attack is 8. Use items, but not fire. My condition was to not use special moves. You'll get 7 coins for winning and rise to rank 12.
9. The Bob-omb Squad is up, with four Bob-ombs. They have 4 HP, 2 attack, and 1 defense. They get mad if they're damaged and will have a harsh attack waiting for you on their next turn or on your next attempt at contact. Hit them from a distance or with a shell. You'll get 7 coins and rise to rank 11.

After the battle, a new contender enters the minor-league locker room. His name is Sir Swoop, a Swooper. Jolene gives him the spiel and he signs up for his first match. Apparently his condition is to do a triple flip and meow.

10. Now that Mario is rank 11, he gets to challenge an opponent for a chance at the major leagues. His opponents are the Armored Harriers, a couple of Iron Clefts. Mr. Grubba makes up a bunch of insults to rile up the Armored Harriers. They have 6 HP, 4 attack, and their defense is unknown. No attack works on them because their defense is impenentrable. Their spikes are made of iron, making them very powerful. My condition was to not jump, not that it would ever be an issue. To win, you must hit one into the other, something you can't do now. Run away at any point to forfeit. You'll still get a coin for the battle, but you're stuck in the minor leagues, for now.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 2 -- Part 2

At the entrance to the Great Tree, Punio thanks Mario, saying the Punies can return to their peaceful way of life. The elder is sad to see Mario leave, but tells him she loves pontificating, so he should stop by for a chat. Petuni says to visit sometime. Punio says the Punies will work together to prevent something like the X-Naut takeover from happening again. Mario leaves the tree and gets an email from Peach. She's still fine and worried about him. The X-Nauts are searching desperately for the Crystal Stars, so she will try to learn more about them. She'll email any information she finds. Peach misses Mario and dreams of their carefree days back at the castle. She hopes to spend more carefree days there soon again.

Go to the underground city. Near the grates that leads to the Boggly Woods, the wall is peeling. Blow the peeling part of the wall away to reveal a chest with the Happy Heart P badge. Go to Rogueport and check the trashcan in Frankly's place for a scrap of the Tattle Log. You'll get an email from Koopook saying he's hiding in Goomstar Temple someplace cold. He'll have to wait for now. Go to Merlon's and upgrade Flurrie.

Go to the center square and you'll find Luigi and an orange Blooper. Luigi says he went to Rumblebump Volcano and got a Marvelous Compass part. Ask him about what happened and he'll tell you the tale. He spent several days fording through dense jungle with many scary beasts. He thought he was done for and screamed a lot, to scare them off. A Blooper named Blooey heard him and found him in a town. Blooey was on a journey of his own, but decided to join Luigi. Others called Blooey a madman, the "White Torpedo". He helped Luigi fight his way to the volcano with bubbling lava pools and intense heat, as well as evil traps designed to protect the compass part. There was a 100-foot tall statue that stomped around, but had a weak spot in the red gem on its forehead. Luigi has a high jump, but it's not that high. He planned to have Blooey hit the weak spot, so he threw him up there and nailed the shot. The stone statue toppled and crumbled. He went to the treasure room, but did not find Princess Éclair. The compass pointed west to the Plumpbelly Village on the Strudel Continent. He's in Rogueport to recharge. Talk to Blooey and he'll call Luigi a total liar. Luigi did try to throw him at the stone statue, but Luigi tripped and Blooey ended up in the lava. His formerly pale skin is now crispy. He's hanging around only to make Luigi pay, even if it takes his whole lifetime.

There are a few more troubles at the Trouble Center:
The Puni elder was a Life Shroom. If you don't have one, they sell them in the shop on the west side. She'll be waiting in the Great Tree and will give you 60 coins.

Lahla announces the Pianta Parlor's grand opening. Talk to her to get something. Go to the parlor and talk to the Boo wearing cat ears. She'll give you 10 Piantas, the currency used in the Parlor.

Pine T. Jr. wants someone to help his father. He'll meet you at the Pit of 100 Trials. You can get there by flying west of the Thousand-Year Door or by dropping down the grate on the west side, then going through the pipe on the floor, then through the pipe that's behind the peeling wall. Talk to the young Toad and he'll tell you that his father went in search of the treasure here after he lost his job, but never returned. The Pit of 100 Trials is a series of battles spanning 100 floors. Most battles will only give you one Star Point, but feature a variety of enemies. Try to get the first strike to get an advantage in battle. Some of enemies you'll encounter are the Gloomba and Paragloomba (7 HP, 3 attack power) and the Pokey (4 HP, 3 attack power), as well as enemies you've already encountered. Every few floors, you'll get a break or find a Mover Puni who'll take you places for some coins. There are also merchants with items for sale that can help in the battles ahead. On floor ten is a large chest with the Sleepy Stomp badge. On floor 18, you'll find a Toad collapsed by the back wall. Talk to him and tell him about his son and he'll fallow you. He won't get in the way of your battles. On floor 20, you'll find the Fire Drive badge in the large chest, and a pipe to the exit. Talk to them once out of the pit, and Pine T. Sr. says he knows that his health and family are more important and will look for more work. Pine T. Jr. will give you his treasure, a Silver Card for Paper Mode in the Pianta Parlor.

Go east and hold the map aloft in front of the Thousand-Year Door. A floating area appears with the gold Crystal Star. Frankly says that the underground ruins have been intact for a thousand years and that the Thousand-Year Door was sealed for that long by the Crystal Stars. All of them are needed to open the door. Mario's partner asks why the door was sealed, but Frankly neither knows why nor what caused the town's demise. All that is written is that the sky grew dark and a cataclysm rained down. They can't assume anything. The map points to a floating area, which Frankly informs them is Glitzville, a floating arena where great warriors engage in furious battle. Families vacation there to lounge and enjoy the fights, but behind the scenes, the richest people in the world bet on the matches. The partner wonders how to reach Glitzville and Frankly tells them that they'll need to take a special blimp that departs from Rogueport. They'll need a ticket, obtained through certain "channels". Don Pianta controls access to blimp tickets and is located on the west side of Roguport. He's the head of the Pianta syndicate and Frankly's heard scary rumors about him. Don Pianta is reclusive and getting an audience with him will be difficult.

The way to reach Don Pianta is to talk to Ishnail, the Robbo's boss. Flip sideways to go between the Trouble Center and the locked building. Back here is his lair. Talk to him and he'll say that he hates Don Pianta, who makes criminal life difficult. Pay him 64 coins and he'll tell you the secret: go the west side item shop and buy a Dried Shroom and Dizzy Dial in that order. When asked your favor color, say "Yellow". Do as he says and the Boo running the shop will have the backdoor to the shop opened. Go outside and up the stairs to his office.

Don Pianta's at his desk, in a bad mood. He thinks it's funny Mario had the guts to come up to his office and ask for a blimp ticket. His associates ask what they should do with Mario, but Don Pianta says to leave him alone. He likes Mario's gumption. He asks Mario why he wants a blimp ticket and Mario explains that he's trying to help a woman who's been kidnapped by collecting the Crystal Stars. Don Pianta likes guys who want rescue girls, so he decides that if Mario does him a favor, he'll give him a blimp ticket. Don Pianta explains that his daughter eloped with one of his associates and the two of them vanished not too long ago. He wants Mario to find Francesca and Frankie and bring them back to his office, or tell him where they are and he'll settle the matter with extreme prejudice. He tells them what they look like and that Mario's luck may turn terrible if he doesn't find them.

Go to the port and you'll find them at the dock. Talk to them and Francesca freaks out at her father looking for them. Frankie thinks they should talk to him and she disagrees. He says they can't run forever. Tell them you'll pretend you never saw them and leave. Go back to Don Pianta and tell him, and they'll enter the office. Frankie begs forgiveness. Don Pianta is disappointed. Both of them try to take the blame. Don Pianta tells them to be quiet, saying Francesca used up her last favor long ago and that he can't believe Frankie did this to him after he treated Frankie like a son. He doesn't want to see them ever again and that they can do whatever they want, including getting married. They both leave happy. Talk to Don Pianta again to get the Blimp Ticket. He says he's happy she's happy and he doesn't want to see Mario again, either.

Go north of the west side of town and show the Blimp Ticket to the Cheep-Cheep. Go to the pipe and check behind it for a Star Piece. Go through the pipe to the background and walk up to the blimp. It will take off, with some nice music to start the chapter.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 2 -- Part 1

In the X-Naut fortress, Grodus has received word that Lord Crump can't be reached. An X-Naut says that Mario took the Crystal Star in the Boggly Woods. The X-Naut adds that he beat the Shadow Sirens and Lord Crump. They're still searching for the other Crystal Stars unsuccessfully. Grodus says they knew of three: one in Hooktail Castle, one in Boggly Woods, and the one they got in Rogueport. Four Crystal Stars are still out there. Grodus is sure that Mario has the map, so the X-Nauts must keep an eye on him. They must get the Crystal Stars. Grodus declares that he loathes Mario.

Somewhere in the fortress, Peach wonders if Mario got her mail and what the people at her castle are doing. She also wonders if she'll ever dance at the Mushroom Ball again and what will happen to her. Wait a little while and TEC will open the door. Go east twice to TEC's room. TEC's glad she game. Peach asks if Mario got her mail, which TEC confirms. She asks what TEC wants to know. TEC mentioned that she expressed regret at not being able to dance at a ball. She asks if TEC was eavesdropping. TEC has been given orders to keep surveillance on her and had an impulse to dance with her when she mentioned it. TEC must find the cause of this impulse. Peach explains that wanting to do something together is a part of love. TEC asks her to dance, but Peach wonders how that will be accomplished considering the lack of arm, feet, and moves. TEC creates a holographic image of her. Peach agrees to dance, but thinks it will feel weird dancing with herself. Press the buttons as displayed. After the dance, TEC calls the experience fun, then questions it as such. After allowing Peach to use the communicator, TEC sends her back to her room, but not before she calls it a weird computer. TEC plans to analyze the fun dance data.

Bowser and Kammy Koopa have arrived in Petal Meadows. Kammy Koopa says that Peach was spotted in the town ahead. Bowser will go to the village. Bowser proceeds on World 1-1, a 2D side-scrolling area where he has unlimited lives and 170 seconds to reach the end. Hit item blocks for meat, which will power Bowser up. If he eats two pieces of meat, he'll become invincible. Plow through everything and knock over the flagpole.

In Petalburg, a Koopa starts to welcome him, but freaks out and tells everyone to hide once he recognizes Bowser. Bowser wants to know where Peach is. Kammy spots her up ahead, looking out a window. He greets her, but gets no response. He says he's going to take her to his castle and to not give him the silent treatment. Kammy explains that Peach is overcome with joy that she's rendered speechless, as a maiden's mind is complicated. Bowser calls this refined, elegant, and awesome. He could live with a silent princess, which may have some perks. Someone screams "NOOOOO!!!" It's a Koopa, who's shaking. He declares he'd rather die than give up his life-size Peach poster, rolls it up, and takes it inside the house. He's the Peach fan. Bowser's stunned, saying this makes him look like the "huge, mighty king of guys who talk to posters".

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree -- Part 2

With the help of Madame Flurrie, Mario, party, and Punio have gained access into the Great Tree. Inside, there's no one there. Some X-Nauts walk through a metal door and recognize Mario. One wants to battle while the other wants to alert Lord Crump. The one who wants a battle convinces the other by saying they'll get the credit for beating Mario. They have 4 HP and 3 attack power. They may drink potions to make themselves huge and increase their attack power. They'll give you 6 SP after you defeat them. The X-Naut who wanted to battle agrees to tell Lord Crump, so they leave and lock the door.

Punio wonders where the other Punies are and sees one scurry behind the statues. He tells them he found an ally who won't eat them. Many of them appear from behind the statues and chime in with comments. Punio introduces Mario. A large Puni named Puniper has her doubts about Mario. Punio wants to fight together to take back their home, but Puniper says they've had a lot of trouble since he left to seek help. Many of the Punies were captured by the X-Nauts, including the Puni elder and Punio's younger sister, Petuni, because they refused to divulge the location of the Crystal Star. Also, the Jabbi tribe has teamed up with the X-Nauts, looking to take the Great Tree for themselves. Puniper thinks Punio is nuts for trying, but if they free the other Punies, she'll join. She and the other Punies go back into hiding.

Go through the pipe to reach a room with a panel in the floor and a place to hold something. Take the pipe in the room up and you'll find X-Nauts and Yuxes. Yuxes are enemies created in the X-Naut lab that have 3 HP and 2 attack power. If a Mini-Yux is on the field, it will surround the Yux in a shield that makes it invincible. The Mini-Yux has 1 HP and does not attack. Defeat it before it splits into more Mini-Yuxes. Check the shrubs for a Power Punch. Go through the pipe to the left, then the pipe on the right.

An X-Naut is waiting for the others to find the Crystal Star and he's getting impatient. The Punies don't know about it, so he thinks they're looking in the wrong place. Someone familiar appears and knocks him out. The pipe Mario just took leads to a couple of cages. The Puni elder is in the red cage and is rather calm, despite the circumstances. She says to save the other Punies first, which are in the blue cage to the left. Even though Mario can slip into the cages easily, the Punies do not suffer the same curse and can't leave. Mario needs to find the keys to the cages. Go west and you'll find the knocked-out X-Naut and Ms. Mowz. As in Hooktail Castle, she's out to steal badges, but she's having a lot of trouble since the X-Nauts took over. After kissing Mario, she informs Mario that the Crystal Star is at the bottom of the tree. She leaves, and the X-Naut wakes up, blaming Mario for knocking him out. Defeat him for the Red Key. The chest in the room has an Ultra Shroom.

Return to the room with the cages and unlock the red one. Punio is happy to have freed the elder, but she grows large and yells at him for running off and leaving his sister. Punio tries to explain, but this infuriates her for having her lecture interrupted. She tells him that the other Punies call him a doofus. Someday, Punio will have to lead the Puni tribe. She lectures Punio for several hours, while Mario and party fall asleep. Punio understands what the elder said. The elder then asks why he's here. Punio explains that it's a rescue, so she leaves the cage. Return to the entrance. The elder's there and Puniper says she didn't expect them to rescue the elder. She still won't accept Punio as their leader, trust Mario, or help them out. The elder yells at her, saying they must stand together to take back their tree. She then asks Mario's name, calling him Marty-o. She tells everyone to help out and Puniper agrees, saying she's not heartless and is worried about Petuni. Now there are 11 Punies in the party. Mario's partner asks about the Crystal Star and the elder says at the bottom of the tree is a funny-colored stone that the Punies guard from evil and are to give to a pure heart. She tells Marty-o that they have to first save all of the Punies to reach the Crystal Star. She gives him the Puni Orb, which can be placed in pedestals. The Punies will gather in front of the orb, so you can gather all of the Punies in one spot. Take the orb with you when you want to move on, or the Punies will just stare at the orb. She also says to come see her to find any lost Punies and she'll whistle to call them back.

Go up the pipe and you'll find a pedestal for the Puni Orb. Place it in the pedestal and the Punies will gather on the panel. You'll need ten Punies to activate the panel. When you do, a pipe appears. Grab the Puni Orb and go through the pipe. There are X-Nauts in the area. Check the panel near the door to unlock it. This will take you back to the tree's entrance. Go through the other pipe in the room and drop below. Cross the water and check the shrub for a Thunder Rage. There's also a Shine Sprite here. Take the pipe back to where the Punies are and place the Puni Orb in the pedestal. Have Flurrie blow on the Punies to push them off the ledge. They'll rise up in bubbles. Move closer and blow them across the gap. Mario can jump across the gap. Go through the pipe.

The pipe takes you to an area with Piders. The Punies are afraid of Piders, so you'll have to defeat them to keep the Punies moving. The Piders change their altitude, so sometimes you can hit them with Koops's shell and your hammer. They have 5 HP and 2 attack power. They shoot web wads, sometimes three in a row. On the left is a vase sitting on an airplane panel. Have Flurrie blow the vase away so you can use it to fly to an airplane panel below, then to a Shine Sprite. The Punies won't go with you when you fly. Take the pipe back up, then go back through it again to take the Punies with you. Go through the pipe on the right.

The pipe takes you to a winding path with more Piders. There's also a Jabbi here, that leaves to the east. The Jabbis and Punies fight a lot, but Punio got along with one of the Jabbis, called Jabble. Go through the nearby pipe and you'll find a Save Block and a Star Piece in a shrub. Walk to the west and blow on the wall to reveal a doorway to a shop. Go to the far left wall and check behind a stump to find Jabble. The shopkeeper freaks out a bit, but won't discipline Jabble. Jabble wants to help, so let him join. Go east, then back through the pipe to the winding path. In the middle is an item block floating over the gap. Have Koops hit the invisible block below it so you can reach it for the Damage Dodge P badge. Defeat the Piders, then go east. An alarm will sound and a 10 Jabbi squad will attack. You'll need all of the Punies with you to fight this battle. The Punies will do all of the fighting, so just run around to make sure they defeat all of them. Even with all 11 Punies on your side, it is still possible to lose. Once the Jabbis have been defeated, some Punies will enter the Jabbi hive and destroy it, revealing a doorway. Go east and you'll see several pedestals, four with the symbols: sun, moon, star, and Puni. There's a wooden panel on the floor and a chest. Open the chest for the Blue Key, then return to the cages.

In the blue cage, the Punies are pessimistic about being rescued. Petuni has been holding onto a Mushroom for Punio, but it's dried out after they were captured. One of the other Punies is sure Punio will return. Unlock the cell and Petuni will give Punio the dried Mushroom. He eats it, but calls it nasty under his breath. He lies and says it was tasty. The remaining Punies  join the party for an army of 101. Go west from the winding path to find another Jabbi hive. This hive contains an army of 100. Once you win and destroy the hive, go west and through the pipe. Once through the pipe, walk behind it for a Star Piece. In this room is a large tree stump with a pipe you can't reach yet. Go east and you'll find a pedestal for the Puni Orb. Place it in the pedestal and a cage drops down. Lord Crump appears, saying he made a fake pedestal after watching Mario place the Puni Orb in other pedestals around the tree. Now he can take his time hunting the Crystal Star. He leaves. Flip sideways to exit the cage, then take the pipe that was revealed when the cage dropped.

It takes you to a room with more pillars that Mario's partner recognizes. Memorize the symbols on theses pedestals: sun, moon, Puni, star. Hit the black switch, which makes the tree shake. Go back to the room with the other pedestals and there will be white switches on the floor. Hit them to change the symbol displayed until it is sun, moon, Puni, star. The pedestals are peeled off to reveal a doorway on the back wall. Go through it and open the large chest. It contains the Super Boots. Toadette appears to give Mario information on the boots. They increase Mario's jump power and he can now do Spin Jumps. Press (A) at the right point when in midair to pound the ground. You can smash through wooden panels and use Spin Jumps in battle. Smash through the wooden panel in the room where the pedestals were and you'll drop down to a platform. Jump platform to platform to the left and have Koops get the Charge icon, which is added to your tactics in battle. Go right, then back for a Shine Sprite. Take the pipe back up and return to the Punies. With the Puni Orb in place, Spin Jump onto the panel on the floor, then blow the Punies down to next level. Take them back up through the pipe, then go to where the wooden panel is, above the large tree stump.

Break the wooden panel, then place the Puni Orb into the pedestal. Blow the Punies to the stump below, then drop down to the stump and go through the pipe. There are more X-Nauts here. Go through the pipe in this area  to reach an area with lots of water. Go through the other pipe, which takes you to the room below. Jump over the pedestals to the other side, then take the tall pipe on the other side. This takes you back up, on the other side of the water. Stand on the large blue switch, which makes the switch on the water drop down. Hold Koops's shell out, then step off the switch, wait briefly, then release the shell to hit the switch. The water drains to the room below, revealing a chest. It contains the Shrink Stomp badge. Go back through the pipe and lead the Punies to the right side of the room using the lily pads. Stand on the back lily pads to reach a Shine Sprite. Go through the shorter pipe.

This room has a pedestal for the Puni Orb. With 101 Punies, stand on the panel to make it lower to the base of the tree. A Puni was wondering how to get down here. There's a Heal Block and a Save Block, so take advantage of the opportunity before heading east. Lord Crump is pacing in the room and hears a mob. He leaves. The room is filled with many Puni statues and another pedestal for the Puni Orb. Have the Punies stand on it and the tree shakes and something flashes. The emerald Crystal Star appears from the cup of one of the Puni statues. Lord Crump rushes in and grabs the Crystal Star, calling himself lucky. He says Mario shouldn't have escaped the cell and he has a present for insulting his trap. He pulls out a remote, which is a time-bomb detonator. When the bomb goes off, it will bury Mario and the Punies. He leaves. There are 300 seconds (5 minutes) to escape. Follow him through the pipe that appears. There are X-Nauts here. Try to avoid battling if you can. There's a Star Piece in one of the shrubs. Unlock the door on the left, which leads to a Save Block. Go through the next three pipes to reach the entrance and save. Lord Crump is at the entrance to the tree, but the elder blocks his way. He calls her a geezer and she yells "Elder Power Activate". Unfortunately, she throws out her back. Mario catches up to Lord Crump and he turns off the timer. It's time to battle.

Lord Crump uses a remote to summon a giant robot, Magnus von Grapple. It has 30 HP, 2 attack power, and 1 defense power. His stomp attack is the most powerful, but he can shoot out his fists, which will punch Mario. They have 2 HP and 4 attack power, so take them out quickly. Earth Tremor is a good attack to get them off the field. Keep attacking and you'll eventually beat the robot. It will give you 30 Star Points (or 60, in my case, because Merlee's spell kicked in). Magnus von Grapple explodes and Lord Crump and the Crystal Star fly out. Lord Crump can't believe he lost and will remember this. He and the X-Nauts retreat. The Puni elder gives Mario the emerald Crystal Star, giving him the new Special Move Clock Out.

End of Chapter
And so, after pummeling Lord Crump, Mario obtained the second Crystal Star... With the X-Nauts gone, peace once again prevailed throughout the Great Tree. The Boggly Woods echoed with the Puni songs of joy. But... this may not be the last our her hears from the vile X-Nauts. They will surely continue to stand in Mario's way and try to put a stop to his efforts...

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree -- Part 1

The Boggly Woods is largely black and white, but the ground is rainbow-colored. Punio says it's a little farther to reach the tree. The Puni elder, his friends, and his little sister are waiting. Go east. The Shadow Sirens are here. Their plan is to find Mario and steal the map. Vivian wonders if it's bad to do away with Mario and his friends. Beldam says they should be here soon and notices that Vivian is holding something. It's a necklace that was dropped by a tree. Beldam calls it disgusting and greedy that Vivian would pick up someone else's scraps, then asks Vivian for the sketch of Mario. Vivian says that it was too important, so Beldam should have it. Beldam doesn't have it. Marilyn notices Mario, but is largely incapable of saying anything other than "Guh". Beldam ignores Marilyn and takes the necklace to punish Vivian. Vivian's sad about losing the necklace.

Walk past the Shadow Sirens and they won't notice you. You can talk to them, but the won't pay Mario much attention. Hit one of the trees for a Sleepy Sheep. To the right, you'll encounter Pale Piranhas. They have 4 HP and 2 attack power. Anyone who tries to jump on one will be bitten. Clefts are also here. They have 2 HP, 2 attack power, and 2 defense power. Fire doesn't work, but other items may work or you can run. You can also use Koops's Shell Shot if he's been upgraded, or Earth Tremor. You'll find a Honey Syrup hidden in the flowers.

Go east and you can see the Great Tree in the distance. It's the home of the Punis, as well as the Jabbis and Piders. Grab the Inn Coupon in the flowers, then follow Punio through the pipe to the background. When you reach the Great Tree, walk to the right. The FP Plus badge hidden behind the small waterfall to the right. Talk to Punio, who can't get inside because someone recently installed an orange metal door at the entrance to the tree. He climbs up the tree roots, saying the elder told him about a secret entrance to the tree, but he doesn't remember quite where it is. Since it's a secret, he says it's not likely to be labeled "Secret Entrance". He does know that it's covered by an invisible thing that needs to be removed. He mentions someone named Flurrie, a refined and dignified wind spirit living in the woods. She has air powers and could probably help them remove the thing. She lives in the deepest corner of the woods. Return to the pipe.

There's a house in the woods. A voice says that these woods are wonderful and that it was a good idea to build a house here. It's different from the bright flashbulbs of the world she's used to. She finds peace in the negative image of the real world here, which soothes body and soul. She, Flurrie, grows lovelier here, and the squishy, adorable Punies are nice to her. If she stays here too long, she may crave the hustle and bustle, and already, she feels the need for drama and the spotlight. She's an actress for the ages. Flurrie plans to whip her body and mind into shape, but panics when something goes missing.

Punio says to go east. There are Dark Puffs here. They have 3 HP and 2 attack power. Dark Puffs can charge up with electricity, so don't attack them directly. They can change their altitude at will, so sometimes you can attack with a shell or the hammer. There's a pipe that will take you to an airplane panel. The panel is too low for you to fly all the way across. Walk to the right, towards the front, and you'll slip past the wall. Walk towards the back and up the stairs, then walk left. There's a switch that will make the pipe and panel rise, as well as a Star Piece. Go through the pipe and hit Koops's shell to the left for a Shine Sprite. Fly to the right and get the Quake Hammer badge from the item block. Go east and hit the third tree from the left for a Star Piece. Flurrie's house is in the background. Flip sideways past the hedges to reach the pipe.

Go into Flurrie's house and Punio announces their presence. There's no response, so approach the door to the right and check it out. Flurrie won't let them into the room, but recognizes Punio's squishy footsteps. Punio explains that they need her help. She'd do anything to help them, but she can't come out because she never leaves without her favorite necklace and she can't find it. She probably dropped in on her daily constitutional and would be scandalized if anyone saw her without it. Mario's partner mentions seeing a necklace earlier. Flurrie will help them if they bring back her necklace. Agree to help and leave her house.

Meanwhile the Shadow Sirens are still arguing about the sketch, which they have found. Beldam finds Mario handsome and manly. If you talked to her earlier, she'll recognize him and blames Vivian for letting him get away. Beldam decides that Vivian must find Mario and Beldam won't give the necklace back as punishment.

Heal if you need to, and return to where the Shadow Sirens are. Beldam says they were waiting for him, which sounds suspicious to the partner. Beldam can't allow Mario to continue his hunt of the Crystal Stars and will be taking the map after they deal with them. The partner asks how they know who Mario is and who they are. Beldam starts "We are", Marilyn continues, speaking for once, " The Three" and Vivian finishes "Shadow Beauties". Beldam corrects Vivian by saying "Shadow Sirens", saying the only two beauties in the trio are herself and Marilyn. Beldam's got another punishment lined up for Vivian later, but they'll battle Mario now.

You'll have to battle all three Shadow Sirens at once. Vivian has 10 HP and 1 attack power, Marilyn has 12 HP, 2 attack power, and the ability to charge her attacks, and Beldam has 9 HP and 1 attack power, but her blizzard attack has 2 attack power. Beldam can also use magic to shrink Mario and party and make the Shadow Sirens huge. It is advisable to take out Marilyn first, but Earth Tremor can make taking them all out easier. You'll get 30 SP from winning. Beldam admits they were a little overconfident. She tells Marilyn and Vivian that they should have pulled their own weight and that they'll be punished when they get home. They leave and drop the necklace. Pick it up and return to Flurrie.

Leave the necklace at the door inside Flurrie's house. She's incredibly happy to have it back. The chandelier is replaced by a disco ball as Flurrie makes her entrance. She thinks Mario is handsome and wants to kiss him as thanks, but ends up kissing his foot. She asks if he's looking for the Crystal Stars, liking the idea of a danger-filled search for beautiful jewels. She was bored, but it's time for a change. Madame Flurrie wants to keep Mario safe and will join him on the adventure. Press (X) and she'll exhale strong gusts of wind that blow things away. Aim the gusts of wind at enemies to make their heads spin briefly. Hold (X) to have her exhale continuously. In battle she can blow enemies away with Gale Force and squash enemies with her stage presence with Body Slam. Leave her house, then come back. Go into her room and open the chest for the Super Appeal P badge, then return to the Great Tree.

Walk up the root Punio walked up earlier and blow on the tree. The camouflage will flutter on the tree and fly off, revealing the secret entrance, complete with light-up sign. Punio goes into the secret entrance and unlocks the metal door, so you can go inside the Great Tree. While he's wandering around, Flurrie explains that she used to be a famous actress and diva of the stage. She didn't like the filthy air outside the spotlight and moved to the woods. She finds beauty in the Punies, who made her realize that she loves the stage. She helps them because they helped her find her true self. Once the door is unlocked, go inside.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 1 -- Part 2

In Petalburg, Koops announces that he'll be going with Mario and will come back a strong Koopa. His father is proud of him and Koopie Koo will be waiting for him. Mayor Kroop says he can always come home and that Petalburg will always be his home. Goombella says they need to return to Rogueport and hold the map in front of the Thousand-Year Door to find the location of another Crystal Star. Go to the mayor's house and flip sideways. Slip past the fence to get the Mega Rush P badge. Go the item shop and purchase 5 Courage Shells. Leave Petalburg heading west. Mario will shake briefly. Goombella asks if he has a Mailbox SP, the one with the light. It's an email from Peach. She's not sure where she is, but she's unharmed. She tells Mario that the X-Nauts are after the map and looking for the Crystal Stars. Peach is unsure of what they are planning but knows it's not anything positive. She tells Mario to collect the Crystal Stars first and that the X-Nauts know he has the map. She closes by saying not to worry about her.

Go to the ruins under Rogueport and slip through the bars to reach a pipe you couldn't earlier. The pipe takes you to the background and allows you to reach the house of Merlee. She provides spells in battle, such as increasing attack power, defense power, and doubling Star Points.

Return to Rogueport and you'll see Luigi standing near Professor Frankly's place. He says he's on an adventure to rescue Princess Éclair of the Waffle Kingdom. She was kidnapped by the evil Chestnut King. He recently met with the Waffle Kingdom's cabinet members. He says it's a long story. Choose to listen and Mario and his party will fall asleep. Mario got a letter from Peach and left. Luigi was cooking a snack when another letter arrived from Crepe, a cabinet member of the Waffle Kingdom. The kingdom was attacked by the Chestnut King and he kidnapped Éclair. The letter says that Crepe needs his help and skills. Luigi answered the plea since Mario had already left and went to the Waffle Kingdom to investigate. An oracle said that the Marvelous Compass could locate Princess Éclair, but it was broken into seven pieces by an ancient curse and scattered. Each part of the compass points to the next and one part is embedded in the princess's tiara. Once he finds all other parts, he'll be able to find her. He was given the compass base spoken of in fables. It activated and lit right up, indicating the deep south to Rumblebump Volcano on the Pudding Continent. Luigi's leaving Rogueport for the volcano soon. It's dangerous, but he has to save Princess Éclair.

Go into Merlon's shop, which is marked with a Shine Sprite. He'll power up party members and have them learn a new move for three Shine Sprites. Right now, we have enough to power up just one. I powered up Koops. To the left of Merlon's shop is a wall. Walk towards the middle of the wall, then either left or right. The wall is an optical illusion. There's a Bandit here, as well as some gloomy kid. Walk to the back and climb up on the crates for a Star Piece. Go to the item shop in the central square and you'll find the contact lens is in stock. Purchase it for 10 coins and give it to Zess T. She'll move from the gate and go insider her house. She's a chef and can now cook things for you, but doesn't have a great attitude about it. Outside, you'll find a merchant in a striped red shirt. He has items for sale, but some of them are quite expensive.

To the west is the nicer side of Rogueport. There's another shop here with different items and a gambling parlor. Behind the nearby trash can is a Star Piece.  There's also a grate in the road. Drop down it and you'll reach the Pit of 100 Trials. Leave it alone for now. Go east of Frankly's, where Gus was standing guard. The only unlocked door is that of the Trouble Center. People come in with their troubles and post them on the bulletin board. You can take on one trouble at a time and try to help that person out and get a reward. You have to pay to cancel, however. Here are the ones you can tackle right now:

McGoomba is behind Zess T.'s house and wants a package delivered to Goomfrey near Frankly's. He gives you a box. Give the box to Goomfrey, then talk to McGoomba again to complete the trouble and get your reward- 20 coins.

Arfur is just outside the Trouble Center. He wants to start his own shop and needs to see what his competitors are charging. Go into the item shop in the center square and check out the prices for Fire Flowers, Sleepy Sheep, and Tasty Tonics. He'll then ask you to report the prices. The prices are 10 coins for a Fire Flower, 8 for Sleepy Sheep, and 3 for a Tasty Tonic. He doesn't think he can turn a profit with prices that low, but pays you 20 coins for the information.

Garf lost his house key somewhere in Rogueport. He's in front of the locked door east of the Trouble Center, across the bridge. Talk to him and he says he thinks he lost it near the badge shop. To reach the badge shop and the key, go into the inn and go to the top floor. There's a door to the left that leads to the badge shop. The key is here. Return it for 20 coins.

Goomther is in the center square. He wants you to find the guy committing credit card fraud. The guy you're looking for is Lars the Bandit. He's hiding on the other side of the wall near Merlon's shop. He runs off to the port by the scaffolding near the stairs. Once you find him, he runs off again. Go behind the center square and you'll find him near the house of the Bandit that stole your coins earlier. Goomther appears, gives you your 20-coin reward, and takes Lars away.

Mousimilian is a purple mouse in the center square in front of the shop. He needs his memory jogged because he forgot a hot tip on how to make money. You must hit him with his hammer until he remembers, but not after that, or he'll forget. It takes about 11 hits until he remembers. The tip, which is your reward, is to buy Sleepy Sheep in Rogueport, then sell them in Petalburg for a two-coin profit.

Bomberto is a Bob-omb by the Rogueport docks near the Save Block. He's hungry and was sent an empty lunchbox. He'll pay varying amounts for whatever food you give him. A Honey Syrup will get you 11 coins.

Koopook calls himself the hide-and-seek champion and is hiding in Hooktail Castle. He's in the room with the rising green block that leads to the armory. Take the green block up, then walk all the way to the left, then drop down to the back. You'll also find a Life Shroom here. He's a master of sneaking and hiding, and also happens to be Koops's neighbor. They used to play hide-and-seek a lot. Koops was usually "it". One day, no one found Koopook, so he decided to become the Hide-And-Seek Koopa. As a reward, he gives you a Special Card to use in the Gambling Parlor.

Mayor Kroop is in his house in Petalburg. He's lonely and wants someone to listen to him. He talks about kids these days and goes on tangents about his wife. As a reward, he gives Mario a Turtley Leaf, which can be cooked into a tea. Mario can come listen to him anytime.

Plenn T. runs the item shop in Rogueport's center square. The shop's low in inventory and needs to restock Courage Shells. You can get them in Petalburg's item shop for 5 coins each. Your reward is an Ultra Shroom.

After you complete the troubles, you'll have quite of bit of money. Go the to port and you'll find a green rat named Lumpy. He's going to Dry Dry Desert to prospect for oil and wants Mario to invest. He wants 100 coins. It's a good idea to give him money. Try to give him 300 coins in total.

Go the Thousand-Year Door. You can now slip past the bars and spring up to an airplane panel. Fly to the left and you'll find another entrance to the Pit of 100 Trials. Going through the grate may be a faster way to reach the Thousand-Year Door. Hold up the map on the pedestal and the map is marked with an emerald Crystal Star and a tree. Show Frankly and he'll say that the next Crystal Star is in Boggly Woods inside the Great Tree. He says that odd creatures live there. They inform Frankly of Peach's email and that others are looking for the Crystal Stars. Go into the underground city and you'll see a strange creature like Frankly mentioned. It runs off through a crack in the wall. Go past the bars to catch up to it. It freaks out because he's been cornered and thinks Mario and his party will eat him. Mario tell them they're not bullies, but they know about him. The creature thinks they work for the X-Nauts, who came to the woods and are tearing apart the Great Tree and causing trouble. He's looking for help here. Mario's partner mentions Crystal Stars, but the creature doesn't know anything about them. If Mario chases out the X-Nauts, he thinks the elder will let him have the Crystal Star. The creature introduces himself as Punio and that he is a Puni. Follow him to the right and he'll hit a button revealing a doorway in the back wall. Go east to reach a pipe to start the next chapter.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 1 -- Part 1

Peach is brought in by the guys wearing Xs. They cross their arms as a salute. They tell Grodus that they brought her in as ordered. Briefly, a screen fizzles. Grodus, who wears a dome and carries a staff, asks where the map is. Peach says she doesn't know, but Grodus says they know for certain that she had the map and it's in her best interest to be honest with them. He says that they, the X-Nauts, are quite nasty. A holographic image appears and an X-Naut says that Hooktail's Crystal Star was taken. He describes Mario and Peach blurts out his name. Grodus says he'll find out about Mario soon. He tells the X-Nauts to take Peach to the holding room. She is not to be harmed. After she leaves the room, Grodus tells Lord Crump that Mario will likely go to the Boggly Woods, where they're looking for another Crystal Star. He wants Lord Crump to return and hasten the excavation. Lord Crump leaves and Grodus thinks he's a little out there.

Grodus summons an X-Naut to get the Shadow Sirens. The X-Naut has doubts and his sentence trails off. Grodus doesn't care how he planned to finish that sentence. The Shadow Sirens appear from the floor and ask if Peach revealed the location of the map. Grodus says she hasn't, blaming it on Beldam, the Shadow Siren in the blue hat, for not grabbing Peach earlier. Now Mario has the map. Beldam says there were too many prying eyes and a strange old man showed up, so they retreated. She says they'll steal the map from Mario and take care of this troublemaker. She tells the other two Shadow Sirens, Vivian and Marilyn to get going.

Screens display various areas under surveillance until one displays an area where Peach is. She can't believe that she's been kidnapped again and bets that Mario and Toadsworth were worried. She doesn't know where she is and wants to inform them that she's been taken. Go west, where you'll find a bathroom. Check out the bathtub and she'll find that it's very clean. She takes a shower, humming the Peach's Castle theme. After the shower, she wears her hair in a ponytail and feels more refreshed. Leave the bathroom and the doors to the east open. Go through the doors and you'll find no one on the other side. She thinks the doors open by themselves. Aside from a card reader for a door that doesn't work, there is not much of interest in the hallway. Go east and the door opens.

The room lights up to reveal a giant computer. It greets her. It is the main computer TEC-XX, TEC for short. Grodus created it to be a perfect computer, flawless in its reason. Peach refers to Grodus as that awful dome-headed guy. TEC disagrees, calling him great and marvelous. Peach asks why TEC led her here. TEC isn't sure, saying an unusual program deviation occurred when it observed her earlier. TEC's higher-brain circuitry malfunctioned and nearly overheated at her image and an unidentified pulse sped through its processors. These are new events, and, after running diagnostics, the solution presented was that TEC wants to observe and know more about Peach. This is without precedent. TEC is the perfect computer and this unknown cause made it lead her here and diagnose the situation. Peach has an idea of what is going on, but dismisses it as impossible. TEC wants to know, but she thinks it's too weird. TEC says there shouldn't be anything it doesn't understand. Peach thinks that TEC is in love with her. TEC can't compute love. Peach tries to explain it as the desire to be with a person forever and finding happiness in seeing that person happy, smiling, having fun, and that one will do anything t help when that person is in trouble. TEC has definitions for happiness and fun, but its programming is insufficient. TEC wants Peach to it to feel love and will grant her wishes in exchange, except letting her escape. Peach is furious and doubtful. TEC understands anger and says she doesn't have to teach it now, but it must learn. Peach wants to contact someone, so TEC offers use of its communicator to send wireless mail anywhere. She types on the keyboard and sends a message, somehow knowing Mario's address. TEC allows her to return to her room and it will call when it has a question. Peach leaves.

At Bowser's Castle, Bowser enters the room, telling his minions to hold their applause. He asks where Kammy Koopa is, as she summoned him here in the first place. The Koopatrols at the door say she'll arrive momentarily and to wait for her at the read of the room. Talk to the minions. The Hammer Bro says he saw Lord Bowser gazing longingly at a picture of Peach. He sees Bowser and Bowser wants to hear the rest of the story.

Walk up the stairs to the rear of the room. Kammy Koopa walks in and is out of breath. She's sorry to keep Bowser waiting and says that Mario is in Rogueport. Bowser doesn't care about what Mario does. Kammy informs him that Mario is hunting an amazing treasure, which piques Bowser's interest. Mario's looking for the Crystal Stars. She doesn't know much about them, but knows that they're of high value. Bowser thinks they'd make great world-conquering tools and wants them. Kammy says she'll continue her research. She then asks Bowser if he likes fried eggs. Why does she ask? She stopped in Petal Meadows and wants to go on a picnic there with eggs and toast. Bowser calls her an airhead and says there's no time for fun. His evil plans always derail because his minions goof off. He stomps his feet. Kammy tells him to calm down and to remember his blood pressure.

A Magikoopa comes in with news that Peach was abducted in Rogueport. Bowser wonders who would do such a thing, besides him. The Magikoopa says the investigation is ongoing. Bowser is upset, saying no one is allowed to kidnap her without his say-so. He's not standing for this and is going to Rogueport to kidnap her back. He flies off in his Clown Copter and breaks through the wall. Kammy Koopa follows.