Mario and Luigi: Dream Team -- Part 8: Sidequest Resort

Now that we know where Bowser and Antasma took the Dream Stone, we can follow them to Mount Pajamaja. Head west to where the path forks to Dozing Sands and Driftwood Shore. Someone will announce that they're taking applications for the Mount Pajamaja tour. The bros can visit the Shelltop making the announcement in Wakeport to register. They will take climbers of all skill levels, but only registered climbers are allowed on the mountain. Dreambert says Wakeport is to the west of Mushrise Park. While in Mushrise Park, talk to Eldream about the rescued Pi'illos. So far, we've saved 13. For saving seven Pi'illos, we get the Birthday Hammer and for saving 12, we get POW Gloves. If you past Mushrise Park and head north, you'll see the bridge to Pi'illo Castle has been rebuilt.

When you're ready to go to Wakeport, head west of Mushrise Park. There are stronger enemies called Hermite Crabs that hide under nuts. They'll throw out a decoy nut to confuse the bros. Memorize where they are and be aware that they move around. Go west twice, then go south.

The bros will find themselves in Wakeport, the best resort on the island. There are Attack Pieces here. One of them is in the northeast corner. Walk over to the pink Zeekeeper to the right of the fountains and talk to him to get one. One of the Toads in the middle hotel says that guests and staff here may carry Attack Pieces. There's one in this hotel. Jump from the beds, then reach the windowsill. If you go into the left hotel, climb the stairs, go outside to the left, and walk on the buildings going west, you'll reach another Attack Piece. Walk back east for more items and another Attack Piece. To the south are more Attack Pieces and some shops.

Go into the badge shop. The bros are the first two customers to come in for the badge awareness campaign. He explains that Luigi's badges control what effects will be granted and Mario's badges control how powerful those effects will be. Each bro can only hold six badges. In the southeast corner of the shopping district are a pillow and an Attack Piece you can't reach yet. In front of the badge shop, to the right of an orange Zeekeeper is a resident of Hoohoo Village. He wants to propose to his girlfriend and will give the bros lots of items in return for their help, including gear and an Attack Piece. Agree to help him and you'll get the Attack Piece and a plush Zeekeeper. Inside the gear shop, talk to the Beanbean resident in the dressing room. Tell them their outfit looks great three times, then say they look equally as gorgeous as Peach for a Super Candy. In the item shop, talk to the blue Shelltop, who wants a plush Zeekeeper. Trade it for a rare fruit. A red Yoshi in the hotel district is looking for rare fruit. He'll trade a Yoshi egg for the rare fruit. Go west to where the tour center is.

Somebody in the area is disappointed that there's no treasure here. Out of the nearby buildings comes Popple, the shadow thief. He doesn't recognize the bros, but remembers dealing with people like them. He's trying to make a fresh start of thievery on this island. He leaves and Starlow suggests finding the tour center. On the way, you'll find a Toad who wants to see a Yoshi egg. Give him the egg to receive Peach's photo. Go on top of the tour center for an Attack Piece. Go north of the tour center to find a Brock who's a huge fan of Peach. Give the Brock Peach's photo and he'll give the bos a super rare guide booklet only available to researchers, called the Book of Ruins. The Beanbean resident wearing red in the gear shop wants this. In exchange, he gives them Queen Bean's photo. Take it to the Beanbean resident hiding under the stairs in the left hotel. He gives the bros a lost camera. Go up the stairs and go outside onto the awning. Talk to the Toad, who's looking for his camera. He tells the bros that between the left fountain and the parasol, on the light-green grass, a bird buried something. The bros can have whatever it is. Dig in the lightest patch of grass to get the Pi'illo ring. Give that to the Hoohoo Villager and he proposes as a crowd gathers. She says yes. The bros get a 1-up Mushroom, a Heart Bean DX, Rally Wear, and a Sap Hammer.

Go west of the shopping district and enter the only building in the area. You'll hear a familiar "YOIKS" and Kylie Koopa will walk in. She's older than when you last saw her, which is when the bros were still babies. Instead of being an ace reporter, she's now an ace guidebook writer for the island. She doesn't recall meeting them while being a reporter as she's had many jobs. She asks them to be her assistants and she'll pay them. The first assignment is called Shot Collection. She's stationed camera blocks all over that take and save pictures. Hit the block to get the photograph. The photograph's encrypted, so the bros have to decrypt it. This involves putting the pieces together like a puzzle. Move the pieces until they lock into place. The button at the bottom of the frame will rotate the piece. Completing the puzzle will unlock new levels. Completing the puzzle within the target time, Kylie will give the bros coins and prizes. The first photo is of Starlow and a Mushroom over Mario's head. Wakeport Level 1's target time is 3 minutes. It's a simple 12-piece puzzle. I completed it in 1 minute, 10 seconds. Kylie gives the bros 100 coins. This unlocks Wakeport Level 2. Complete the puzzles at your leisure. The puzzles have greater target times with more pieces that are smaller. As you go, the picture will zoom out. There are three levels to the Wakeport shot. Kylie wants the bros to grab photos from camera blocks all over the island. Return to Wakeport to put the photos together. Go upstairs for an Attack Piece.

Go to the tour center. The bros ask to be registered for the Mount Pajamaja tour, and the clerk says it's a challenging climb. The bros show off, but Luigi still hasn't mastered catching his hammer after he throws it... the first time. The clerk's impressed, so he'll let the bros go on a core-focused tour, called Massif Vert: A Big, Bad, Brutal Mountain Tour. The tour group is meeting in the south part of town in front of the clock tower. Go south and you'll find the tour group. The tour guide is the younger Massif Bro, named Li'l Massif. He tells the tourists that climbing Mount Pajamaja is difficult. All other tourists disappear. Li'l Massif is surprised the bros stuck around. The tour gets delayed because Li'l Massif can't find his older brother, Big Massif. The tour changes to Big Massif Hunt: Extreme Beefing Wakeport Tour. The bros must find Big Massif before the Mount Pajamaja tour starts. The bros can go south from here.

This part of town holds the event stage. They're currently holding a Mad Skillathon. Go east to see the stage, then south to find some rocks on the right. Break the rocks to reach an Attack Piece. To the left is a rock covering a pillow. In the dream world, there are enemies called Cocoknights. They will rush towards Mario in a circle, surround him, then run around. Move with the circle to avoid being hurt and jump over them when the circle approaches or leaves. After saving the Pi'illo, you can talk to the Shelltop with sunglasses onstage about the Mad Skillathon. Participants show off their skills for money. He thinks the bros are comedians. He asks if they have any combo skills. Bros. Attacks will work. Use Bros. Attacks in an endless mode to see how long you can keep the combo going.

Go to the east side to find some ruins and more enemies. At level 16, the bros will rank up to Flower Rank. You can choose another bonus, but there are more bonuses to choose from. At the entrance, someone whispers to the bros. It's a Brock hiding behind the ruins. He does research on the ruins, but the monsters scared him off. As thanks, he explains some of his research. The gate to the north was designed by the Pi'illos. The key to opening the gate is in the panels in front of it. He found the words, "The Awakening Gate opens when matched symbols unite..." written on a wall. The panels have symbols that match the symbols on the ground. The Brock can't lift them, but Mario can tunnel under them and flip them into place. The gate opens when the symbols are matched. Go north.

You'll wind up in the shopping district on the island you couldn't reach. Send Mini Mario to the left to hit a switch, lowering the bridges. This will allow you to reach another Attack Piece and a pillow. In the dream world, you'll find Ticksquawks. They'll fly around in circles, then explode. Hit them with a hammer before they can explode. They'll also send out birds after their clock hand makes a full revolution. Save the Pi'illo, then walk up on the awning, then on the buildings. Have Mini Mario get the last Attack Piece. This unlocks the Bros. Attack Bye-Bye Cannon, which can be initiated by Mario. The bros will load themselves into the cannon, then multiple copies of themselves will be launched. Memorize the order of the launch, then hit each bros' button as they land on the first enemy, then hit the button of the bros as they hit the second enemy while stacked up in reverse order. Go west while still on top of the buildings to go to the other side of the ruin wall. Hit the switch to lower the wall. There's another gate and a set of panels to open it. Open the gate and save.

You'll see Big Massif lying on the ground. The bros and Starlow try to wake him up, but fail. The place sparkles like a Dreampoint. Dreambert says that Big Massif could sleep here forever, due to the Dreampoint's dream aura holding the person in the dream. Big Massif seems to be choosing to remain asleep. The bros will have to wake him up in his dream by finding him in the dream world and convincing him to wake up. This is possible if Luigi sleeps nearby, allowing him to share the dream. Luigi falls asleep and Mario jumps through the portal.  

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- Part 13: An Unexpected Battle

After you've made your preparations, stocked up on items, optimized gear, saved, and fully healed, proceed through the door in the statue. Peach is ahead, surrounded by an energy field. She's glad the bros reached her safely. Mario explains that they recovered the Cobalt Star shards. This upsets Peach greatly. As Peach is about to explain, the Shroob mother ship appears and fires at the statue. Princess Shroob is on board, directing the attack. Peach directs the bros to a saucer port upstairs. Go to the left to find the doorway.

There's a Save Book ahead. Stuffwell can send you back in time to the previous Save Book if you'd like. When you're ready, go on ahead. The top of Princess Shroob's statue's head is a flying saucer as well. Control it the same way as the mother ship. Hit the smaller flying saucers to knock them into the mother ship. Four hits will shoot it down for good. The smaller flying saucers will move towards you and you'll take damage if they hit you. Four hits will sink your ship. Once you defeat the mother ship, it crashes into the side of the statue.

Go back downstairs and the energy field around Peach is gone. The impact from the crash knocked it out. The bros and Peach check out the crash site and a door from the mother ship opens. The babies push the bros to check it out. Princess Shroob descends from the ship on a throne. She's fuming. We can understand what she's saying. Peach is useless, so Princess Shroob will finish her off. The kingdom is hers and there is no escape.

At the start of the battle, Princess Shroob will be surrounded by a barrier. It will take multiple hits to break, so use an attack like Copy Flowers or Trampolines. When the barrier starts turning red, it will break soon. She'll land on the ground and throw energy balls at the bros. She'll also aim stars at the bros. After a while, she'll put up the barrier again, and attack from a robot. Jump through the rings, then knock her back with a hammer. She will also aim lasers above and below the bros. After she takes enough damage, she'll start glowing. She'll get more attacks per turn. She's almost out of health.

Once you defeat her, Peach suggests getting out of there. The Cobalt Star floats in. Peach shows off the center shard she's been holding onto. She won't allow it to reform. At the most inopportune time, Baby Bowser drops in and grabs the shard. He's been hiding to get back his "treasure". He lets the Cobalt Star reform, despite Peach's protests. Princess Shroob crawls in, saying it's her sister's turn. The Cobalt Star shoots lightning everywhere, turning Baby Bowser into a mushroom. Peach explains that the Cobalt Star contains another Shroob Princess, the twin sister of Princess Shroob. She was attacked when the time machine arrived in the past. Peach trapped Princess Shroob in the Cobalt Star and shattered it. The younger Princess Shroob (the one the bros just defeated) attacked Peach. Reforming the Cobalt Star gave the elder Princess Shroob all her power back. Elder Princess Shroob frees herself from the Cobalt Star and speaks clearly to the bros. She taunts them for gathering the shards and not knowing the truth. She was also the Star Sprite that spoke to the bros on Star Hill. She's going to avenge her sister. The platform they are all standing on rises high into the sky.

Some flying saucers appear. Peach, who's hiding behind the throne, will help by throwing a star to knock away the flying saucers. The elder Princess Shroob will charge the bros. If any saucers remain in the sky, they'll give Elder Princess Shroob a large rock to hit the bros with. Counter with a hammer, repeatedly. The saucers can also bring her a drink to heal herself and can lead a Chomp around to attack the bros. After a while, it will seem like she's been defeated. She'll touch her crown, releasing purple gas. She'll transform into a creature with tentacles. She'll send an energy ball at the bros and try to trip them with her tentacles. She'll also spit poison gas. Peach is unconscious, so she can't help. Her crown is too pointy to jump on, so use other attacks. You'll have to get rid of her arms and damage her legs. Mix Flowers are great for this. Once her arm and legs are gone, take care of the crown. Once it is dull, you can use jump attacks. She'll summon flying saucers and hit them with an energy ball. Some will crackle with electricity and other burn. The burning ones are aimed at Mario and the electrified ones are aimed at Luigi. Once she regrows her arms, she'll try to stab the bros with them. As you battle, her arms and legs will periodically regenerate, and her crown will become active. Use Mix Flowers to deal damage to her head and all other parts. She'll use more and more flying saucers to attack as the battle wears on. Keep using Bros. Items and heal when you need to. Eventually, you'll do enough damage to her, and she'll be defeated. She says she may have been defeated, but the Shroobs will live on and one day, dance on the remains of the Mushroom Kingdom. She'll explode into a plain old mushroom, which Baby Luigi picks up.

The platform lands back in the statue and Peach thanks the bros. The babies are having fun bouncing on the mushroom that is Baby Bowser. Peach wonders how to get rid of the mushrooms. Baby Mario jumps on Baby Luigi, making him cry. The mushroom turns back into Baby Bowser. Peach thinks that baby tears will turn things back to normal. Gadd gets the message and fires up the Hydrogush and sends babies tears into all of the time holes. Toadiko, Kylie, and Toadbert return to normal and the mushrooms disappear. Gadd can't believe the cure is baby tears. Kamek's got Baby Bowser in tow, who's still upset about his "treasure". Kamek tells him to let it go. Gadd goes to Peach's castle of the past in a restored time machine. It's running off the energy of the time holes, since the elder Princess Shroob destroyed the Cobalt Star. Everyone returns to the present in the time machine.

In the present's castle, Gadd mentions that he found something interesting, but will talk to the bros later. Toadsworth is relieved that Peach is safe. She says they owe Mario and the babies a great debt, leaving Luigi out of the equation. The Toads cheer Mario's victory. One lone Toad cheers Luigi, saying it was nice of him to go into the past to greet Mario, but tells him he can't shirk his house-sitting duties. He's only kidding. The other Toads cheer Luigi. One Toad tells the bros to follow him. You can't wander around the castle anymore, as Toads block your path. Go north to the throne room.

The Toadsworths thank the bros. Toadsworth the Elder must bid farewell to his younger self. Before that happens, the bros must deal with the fact that Bowser has collapsed in the throne room. He fell from high up into a time hole and landed in the back yard of the castle. Baby Mario tries to wake him up by jumping on him. The mushroom Baby Luigi was holding onto appears, speaks, and feeds itself to Bowser. He wakes up, spewing purple gas. Peach and the Toadsworths evacuate. Bowser feels reborn with a power burning in his belly. The bros are ready to team up one last time against Bowser. He promises to show no mercy. Bowser spews purple gas into the air, reforming the spirit of the elder Princess Shroob. 10 Shroob heads form the health meter. Bowser says the bros won't get a chance to attack, as he'll barrage the bros with attacks. He'll shoot energy balls and fireballs. Dodging or deflecting the attacks will make them hit and damage Princess Shroob, reducing her health meter. Watch which bro she points at to know who will receive the attack. After all of her health has been depleted, they both explode. Victory at last!

The Toadsworths bid each other farewell, and entertain Baby Peach with a Toadsworth Twist. Peach thanks the babies, telling them to look after her younger self and Toadsworth. Baby Mario gives Mario his hammer. Baby Luigi doesn't want to leave and tries to ride piggyback. Luigi give Baby Luigi a Yoshi cookie and he gives Luigi his hammer. The time machine takes off as everyone waves goodbye. We're done here! Roll Credits!

I had fun playing this game again. The controls took a little getting used to, but once I got into the rhythm, everything was fine. I highly recommend getting Ulti-Free Badges as early on as possible, one for Mario and Luigi. The babies will be alright with the stash of Bros. Items you pick up from item blocks. With that chapter out of the way, I think you can figure out what I'm going to play next. Stay tuned!

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- Part 11: The Secrets of the Stars

Star Hill is a peacefully, starry road, with soothing music. It's still infested with enemies, however, so a leisurely stroll is not in order. You'll meet Handfakes, enemies that hold paper signs of enemies and attack in the same way as they do. Fire-based attacks do critical damage. Mix Flowers are a new Bros. Item found here. The bros surround the enemies, throwing fireballs into the air that conglomerate into a giant fireball. When the bros can no longer support the fireball by throwing fireballs, it drops on all enemies. It's incredibly powerful. You'll also encounter Fly Guys, Shy Guys with helicopters on their heads, carrying spike balls.

In the next area, send the Baby Cakes in a narrow gap and spin the gear to increase the air current. You can exit on the second and third levels on the left. On the second level, you can get some coins and items. On the third level, you can reunite with the bros and keep going. Save when you reach the Save Book.

Just up ahead, in the same area, is a Shroob. He summons an army of Shroobs to fight the bros. A flying saucer drops in a giant bomb. The Commander Shroob hides off screen, so lure him out with the bomb, by hitting the middle and right Shroobs. The left Shroob can't hold the bomb on his own and it rolls backwards, hitting the Commander Shroob, bringing him on screen. He takes critical damage from Ice Flowers. He'll fire with his ray gun and send Shroobs at the bros from the ground and the sky. After a while, he'll have the Shroobs bring in another bomb. Use Bros. Items and you'll defeat him quickly.

Ahead is an area with three star-shaped pillars. Stuffwell reports high Cobalt Star readings. He lets the Cobalt Star out and the pillars reform it. It reveals the Star Sprite that lives within the Cobalt Star. The sacred power of Star Hill allows the Star Sprite to speak with the bros. It says it has the power to defeat the Shroobs, which is why Princess Shroob shattered the Cobalt Star. The Star Sprite tells the bros to retrieve the other shards to restore the Cobalt Star. If they find two more shards, they'll be able to break the barrier that surrounds Peach's Castle. It says that when they collect the last shard, they'll be heroes. It opens a starry path ahead to the Star Shrine, where another shard is. Inexplicably, Baby Luigi starts crying. Walk or roll up the path ahead.

The pipe leads to the Star Shrine. There is a large star-shaped door ahead. The door opens its eyes and asks what the bros are doing there. Those unworthy or without purpose will not enter. Mario and Luigi will be appraised of their worthiness. Mario is deemed true and courageous, virtuous, and concerned about Luigi. He should watch his diet, however. He is worthy. Luigi, on the other hand, gets wished good luck. The door mentions that Luigi has secrets that he might not wished revealed. The door has no issues with the babies, but that only allows three bros through. The door presents three options: give up and go home, leave Luigi behind, or find and hit the Aurora Block. The Aurora Block is a rare block. If they find it and hit it, the door will let Luigi through.

Go either east or west. Either way, you'll reach the same place. In the next areas, you'll encounter Piranha Planets. You'll also find Wonder Thwacks. In the areas to the north, you'll need to Spin Jump from high platforms. If you find yourself falling a lot, try walking around in the Spin Jump pose, with Luigi standing on Mario. This may help you control the bros better. You'll reach a star-shaped area. Go north to an area with a gear, a rainbow block, and a couple of springs. Send the babies up the left spring and have Baby Mario drink water. Spin the gear to move the rainbow block to where the babies are. Hit the block with water, then go up the right spring. Hit the block and it moves to where the bros are. Have a bro and baby team up to hit the block and it moves in front of the door.

The door congratulates the bros on finding the Aurora Block. Luigi is to hit the block, but it moves out of the way. The door asks Luigi who is responsible for bringing the Aurora Block over. He gives Luigi three choices: Mario, the babies, or himself. Whichever you pick is incorrect and the door will ask again. And again. The door will say the correct answer was the fourth choice, everyone. Luigi complains that there were only three choices. The door reprimands him, saying Luigi is destined to be lonely. Luigi starts crying and Mario says the door is lying. The babies also defend Luigi. The door says they are the best siblings ever. The door says that it was all a test. He knows Luigi is pure of heart and they all may pass. Luigi hits the Aurora Block, which alters its size to match the size of the heart of the one who strikes it. Luigi is flattened into a disc. The door opens. This leads to a pipe to a new part of the Star Shrine

This part of the Star Shrine is shaped like a pentagon. Each point of the pentagon has a block with a star on it. Hit it to send a couple of beams out. Keep hitting those blocks to form beams that connect in the center of the pentagon, forming a star. You must form at least one connection between two sets of beams or the other will shut off. There is one puzzle where you'll have to match a pattern dictated by a ! Block. Hit the blocks in question with the baby of the same color as each part of the pattern to make the block with the star appear. This will form a path to the center of the pentagon from the north point. Take the pipe deeper into the Star Shrine.

Everything connects in a weird maze, but all you have to worry about is moving forward. In the third room, Stuffwell spots the Cobalt Star shard. Hit the switch to open the door ahead and release the shard. Suddenly, Toadbert and Kylie drop in after being carried by a Lakitu. Kylie explained that when she landed on Toadbert's head, his memory came back. He was holding onto a Cobalt Star shard in secret. He also reveals that restoring the Cobalt Star will not help us defeat the Shroobs. Toadbert says not to reform the Cobalt Star and runs off when Mario shows that they have four shards already. The Cobalt Star tries to communicate that a strong power ahead beckons and flies off.

In the next area, send the Baby Cakes under the low ceiling on the left. There are many paths to take, but one leads to a grate, leading to a switch. Hit the switch, which will allow the bros to climb higher. Climb the mostly pink stairs, Spin Jumping and Baby Spinning when you need to. Grab some items and save in the next area. Ahead, Toadbert and Kylie have been knocked down. Kylie says something about a monster and danger. Toadbert mentions his sketch. He says the hidden answer is there. We must rub the dirt smudge to reveal it. The dirt smudge in question is in the lower right corner. It reveals another Shroob wearing a crown. Before Toadbert can explain, a Shroob appears and turns Kylie and Toadbert into mushrooms. The explanation will have to wait.

This is the Elder Shrooboid. He'll approach the bros and spin into them. Counter with a hammer repeatedly. It has spikes on its head, so no jump-based attacks. He'll put the bros in crystals, then spin a giant iron ball at them. Jump repeatedly to break the crystal, then dodge him hitting the iron ball and diving at the bros. He'll also send a spike ball to circle the bros. Knock it away with a hammer and it falls over, so you can use jump attacks. After enough damage, it will grow larger and send out a flying saucer with a time bomb. He has all the same attacks. If you can repel the spike ball attack, it will fall down and the time bomb will move over him. He can also throw fireballs. Once it is defeated, it explodes, revealing the Cobalt Star shard. The rest of the Cobalt Star returns. We must leave Toadbert and Kylie here. Approach the door to open it. This leads to a time hole in the basement.  

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- Part 10: A Fungus Among Us

The bros get to explore the Shroob mother ship. Oddly enough, it has quite a few bean spots. The room to the south is split by a wall. Go east to a narrow hallway. You'll encounter Guardian Shroobs. They're faster than normal Shroobs and like to team up for attacks. Ice Flowers do critical damage. In the background, you'll see Shroobs soaking in green liquid. Keep going to the right. You'll see a large purple ! Block. Hit it and it flies away. Send the babies up on the spring. There will be switches to hit,  illuminating the area ahead. You can only hit the ! Block when the area around it is lit up. Go to the right and hit the ! Block to form a bridge between the split rooms. When you're ready, go up the elevator.

Go north and you'll see the princess. Rather, it's a hologram. An army of Shroobs appears and the princess walks in with them. She rips off the fungus covering her face and reveals herself to be Princess Shroob. This time, her speech is translated. The bros are to be consumed. One Shroob doesn't seem to be celebrating and breaks out a camera. After snapping a few pictures and taking out the army with a ray gun, the Shroob reveals herself to be Kylie. The five escape into the elevator ahead. She's calling it even for saving her from Petey Piranha. Kylie thinks it may have been Princess Shroob's plan for the bros to take her to the present Mushroom Kingdom to take it over, as well. For once, Bowser's useful for something, as he foiled her plans. Get off the elevator and save.

Ahead, Kylie's found the keyhole for the key she found. It opens a trapdoor out of the mother ship. Baby Bowser, who's still on the roof, hears the noise and breaks through the roof. He hides on the ship.

In Yoshi Village, Toadbert's helping repair the village. The image he drew keeps bothering him, but he won't think about it anymore. Kylie lands on his head. This jogs his memory.

The bros land in a devastated area. Stuffwell says it's Toad Town. Explore the houses. Check out the glow gaps and send the Baby Cakes in for extra items. There are Shroids in this town, robotic Shroobs. If you counter their spike ball attack, they'll malfunction. Another attack is their flag attack. If the flag of the same color as the bro is raised, the bro should jump. This changes if the Shroid malfunctions. On your way, you'll pick up Red Shells. They're like Green Shells, but will hit other enemies after your target has been defeated. There's a house to the east that has a bridge connecting it to a house on the other side of the wall. Send the babies over and have the bros go south. The babies should go south to hit the blocks to open the gates ahead. They'll run into Skellokeys, skeleton Pokeys. They'll also encounter Love Bubbles, which attack from the air.

Throughout Toad Town, the bros will be separated from the babies. Stuffwell reports that the Cobalt Star is reacting strangely. Stuffwell says the activity is related to a place called Star Hill. There is a path there in Toad Town. The bros should go west, then east twice to the next set of blocks. The babies should go southeast, then south to reach their next set of blocks. Have all four bros go south to be reunited. Hit the ! Block to open the gate to the Time Hole. The pipe will take you to Star Hill.

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- Part 7: And yet, I don't feel Over-Powered Enough

The Gritzy Caves are a bit of a maze. To the north, put out the fire and break the rock to reach the shop. The pipe to the southwest will take you back to the Gritzy Desert. Go east. In the center of the room is a ! Block on a ramp. Use it to lower platforms to another ramp. The area behind the grate on the back wall has items and coins. The ramp will lead to the area to the east. Roll to the next area. Petey Piranha appears, looking to snack on Kylie Koopa. The bros can't reach her in time and Petey disappears. Go south, then west. There's a device activated by the Bros. Ball. Send the babies past the grate and have Baby Mario drink some water. Activate the device and two sets of items will appear. Hit the item with a drop of water if it matches the item on the bros' side. Do this three times to form a bridge. The item on the bros' side will move faster the longer it takes you. To the west, hit the ! Block to make a shortcut for the Bros. Ball. Go to the southeast.

Along the way, you'll encounter Dark Boos, which are faster and more powerful. They can also steal items. The enemy that looks like a sarcophagus is a Snifaro. They'll shoot above and at you.

The pipe leads deeper into the caves. Have the babies go past the ledge in the back and wall far to the right. Hit the ! Block to lower the gate for the bros. They have 20 seconds to reach the ! Block at the other end. You'll need to Spin Jump to reach it. This will lower a gate below. Go east. There are a couple of pipes here. (Side note: I got the 90 beans needed for the Ulti-Free Badge, so I returned and got one. That means unlimited Bros. Items for the wearer of the badge only. I'll need another.) In the next area to the west, there are Elite Boom Guys, also faster and more powerful. Hit the switch on the wall on the left side, then climb up to the ledge and go west. Check out the pipes and go south. There's another device activated by the Bros. Ball. Send the babies up on the ledge and have them stand on the platforms. The rolling activates the platforms. The longer the bros roll, the faster the platforms will move, so have the bros stop rolling when you need to. Have the babies hit each of the three blocks to make a platform appear in the spike pit. Go east, then east again for items. Go west to the pipe.

The pipe leads yet deeper into the caves. Get the items in the room with a Save Book and save. Ahead is a room with a single item block. It's a trap. Petey Piranha appears, eats the block, spits it out, creating a crack in the wall. After a game of hide and seek, the battle starts. He'll fly into the air, so some attacks will miss. He'll fly up on some blocks, then dive, sending rocks at the bros. He takes critical damage from Fire Flowers. Trampolines are a new Bros. Item. They're like Cannonballers, but you can keep the attack going until you mess up the action command or you win the battle. The bros will fall faster, so it will be difficult after a while. Once he takes enough damage, he'll sink into the ground. Don't use jump-based attacks. He'll make the ground sink, like quicksand. Jump to avoid sinking. He'll also send a piranha plant on a vine at a bro marked by the block above. When you defeat him, he explodes, leaving a Cobalt Star shard and Kylie. She looks at the shard and freaks out, saying someone was looking back at her. She says that while she was exploring, she picked up a key that she thinks opens something on the Shroob mother ship. Mario asks about Peach and Kylie says Peach was inside Petey until he spit her out after eating Kylie. She thinks Peach might be in the caves ahead. In the meantime, she'll be trying to find the lock for the key.

Make a hole in the back wall. To the north are a couple of gates. Send the babies under the gate to the right and approach the switch. A voice will call to Mario, before screaming. The switch opens the other gate. Just ahead is Princess Peach, with an interesting addition to her face. A purple mushroom is attached to her face. She collapses and returns with the bros in the time hole.

In Peach's room, Toadsworth laments Peach's new mask. Peach can't talk. Baby Peach starts crying, so the Toadsworths take her out of the room. In the meantime, Peach will be resting and will not be disturbed.

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- Part 6: The Koopa Dome

The time hole on the viewing platform leads to the Gritzy Desert. To the north is a dome that looks like a Koopa shell. Go inside. An army of Shroobs chase the bros out. Kylie Koopa appears, saying going through the front door is a bad idea. She's onto a new story here. Princess Shroob will make an appearance to celebrate conquering the Mushroom Kingdom. Also making an appearance is another princess, who happens to like the color pink. Mario fills in some details, thinking it might be Peach. Kylie mentions a secret entrance to the dome, but she doesn't know where it's located. She says the entrance is connected to four desert statues. Go east, where the coast is clear.

 As expected in a desert, you can find Pokeys. You'll also find Shrooba Divers in the sand. The statues are clearly marked on the map. What you have to do is split up the bros and have them activate statues that are across from each other. Each statue looks at its partner. You have to situate the bros before you hit the blocks. To reach the east and south statues, go to the northeast. You'll have to hit a ! Block, then hit the other one on the other side of a maze in under 18 seconds to pass through. This opens a gate, allowing you to continue. Another method is to go to the south east. Send the babies into the red pipe, then have the bros roll into the cannon to the right. Hit the switch to fire the cannon across the spiky gap.  There are Bob-ombs on the east side. When you activate a set of statues, a beam comes out of their mouths, aiming for a crystal near the dome. When all four statues are activated, the crystal shatters, revealing a ! Block.

Reunite the bros and return to the dome. Hitting the ! Block lowers a ledge on the dome. The entrance is on the top of the dome. Go through the pipe to the interior of the dome, called the Koopaseum. Kylie follows you in and says Princess Shroob should appear any moment. The five watch through the window. Princess Shroob descends from a flying saucer and fires up the crowd. Peach is brought in over a pipe containing Petey Piranha. The Shroobs cheer. Peach is dropped and Petey gobbles her up. On the other side of the window, Kylie's been caught by the Shroobs. The bros are on their own.

To the right is a room with a grate. The grate leads to many items. To the west, Spin Jump to the ! Block to lower some platforms. Climb up and roll into the next room. Spin Jump over spikes and roll down the path. Downstairs, throw the babies onto the ledge on the right and hit the Shine Sprite block to light their way. Be careful as the path gets pretty narrow in some parts. Once out of the maze, hit the switch to open the door. Stand on the platform ahead when you're ready. The platform takes you on stage. Princess Shroob orders an attack, but the bros defeat most of the Shroobs on stage. A giant Shroob with a lollipop swings in on a chain. Battle time!

The Shrooboid Brat is unusual enemy. He'll ask the crowd which enemy to attack. Whoever gets the most votes has a lollipop coming their way. Now is a good time to try out the Pocket Chomp. A Chomp will chase Mario or Luigi, while a baby rides on the tail. Hit the bro's button as he lands on the enemy, then hit the baby's button as he goes by. The crowd will send the Shrooboid Brat items. He'll eat them and spit them out at the bros. Some items may be harmful, so hit them with your hammer. Sometimes, he'll fire mushrooms. As you weaken him, the crowd will show signs where the color doesn't match the letter. The letter says who he's aiming for. They may also vote more than once, indicating more than one attack.

After you defeat him, the Shroobs pound the floor with hammers, dropping the bros through the floor. The bros land in the basement of the Koopaseum, in the Gritzy Caves.

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time -- Part 3: The Battle for Cookies

Sooner or later, you'll want to return to Bowser's Castle and Toadwood Forest to pick up the beans lying around, and get the beans in the castle. When you're done, you should have around 29.

When you're ready, talk to Gadd. Stuffwell explains that Baby Bowser has the two Cobalt Star shards we retrieved. Gadd says a lot of time holes have popped up lately, namely four around the castle. The one in the second floor's library has strong Cobalt Star readings, so Baby Bowser's probably in the area it leads to. Before we go, Gadd suggests checking on Toadsworth in the garden.

In the garden, Toadsworth the Younger is standing on the Elder's head, trying to entertain a crying Baby Peach. They execute a Spin Jump, calling it the "Toadsworth Twist". Her Majesty is amused. Luigi requests that the Toadsworths teach them the move. It's the same as before, but Luigi stands on Mario's head.

When you're ready to go, go upstairs to the second floor to the library. Stand on the bookcases and Spin Jump to others. There are some items in the area. To reach the time hole, Spin Jump towards the back wall, where you can walk around. Pick up the babies from the pipe block. The time hole is to the left.

The bros wind up in a lush green area with great music. The melody is part of the Yoshi Village music from Paper Mario. Go east. You'll see a large set of shoe prints in the ground. This is the village on Yoshi Island, but it's deserted. Check out the houses. In one house is a Koopa with a camera, wearing a beret. She's Kylie Koopa, ace reporter for the Koopa Kronicle. She says a giant egg just appeared and thinks it's connected to the Shroobs. She wants to use the spring in the corner, but it won't work. Have the babies use it. There are four Yoshis upstairs. They tell the babies to be quiet and loud footsteps are heard. The Yoshis run away outside. Outside is a giant Yoshi-like monster. It eats the Yoshis. Kylie gets some photos before being eaten as well, then spat out. Eventually, it leaves. Outside, the bros meet up with Kylie again. She says the monster is called Yoob. She also mentions a Magikoopa going into the house to the east, but is going to follow Yoob.

In the house to the east is Kamek, gathering snacks for Baby Bowser, who's on the cliff top. He's not going to deal with the bros for now and leaves. There are some items upstairs. Outside, Kamek runs into Yoob. Yoob eats him and spits him out, just like Kylie. Apparently, it doens't like Koopas. Go through the northwest house. To the west is a spring and the shadow of a block. Have the babies use the spring to reach the clouds. Hit the button on the block to put it within reach of the bros. Inside the next house is a pile of Yoshi cookies. Luigi grabs a few. Ahead is the pipe.

Kamek is ahead, but the bros won't let him by. To make the bros' lives difficult, he sets various fires in the area. Have Baby Mario approach the running water. The number near his head indicates how many water drops he can spit up. Having Baby Luigi hit Baby Mario with a hammer will make him spit up the water. Put out the fire to the east and keep going. You'll encounter Pidgits on flying carpets. Defeating the ones with money bags will give you more coins. In the next areas, you'll send the babies to the clouds. There are enemies there called Gnarantulas. Use hammers on them initially, because there are Gnarantulas with spikes covered by the fuzz. Also check out the bean spots on the clouds.

The path ahead will split. There are three areas you need to go to and extinguish the area's fire. This will allow you to hit a block that will make a larger block appear that you can use as a platform. The running water you need may be on the clouds. Go east first to make the red block appear. In the next area, accessible via the red block, go north and tunnel under the grate. Spit the water into both tubes. Have the bros Spin Jump to the green block. To the northeast is a puzzle that has you align blocks with tubes so that water will travel through the tubes to the fire. Hit the blue block and continue north. You may encounter Coconutters, who use spears. The position of the spear will determine if you attack by jumping or using a hammer. Go through the pipe ahead.

There's a tornado in the next area that allows you to cross larger gaps with the Spin Jump. This will scare away Kamek. The babies will take the lower path, which leads to a spring. This will allow the bros to reunite. Continue on to the next area, which requires hitting a ! Block to reveal a grate. This will allow the babies to reach some running water. In the next area, the tornado moves, so time your Spin Jump.

Near the Save Book, you'll see Kamek. Save, then approach him. The bros hide and spy on Baby Bowser guzzling Yoshi cookies. His stomach hurts, so Kamek gives him warm milk from an evil cow. Baby Bowser's okay with being in this ghost town because he gets to eat lots of cookies. The babies reveal their presence and the bros do as well. While they talk, the babies eat the cookies. Baby Bowser thinks they want his treasure, which is correct. He freaks out when he sees the babies in front of what was his pile of cookies. Kamek's going to deal with this.

Kamek starts off flying on his broom. He'll use magic to drop spike balls and mushrooms on the bros. Don't hit the mushrooms at him. He'll also split into five. We have a new Bros. Item to use called Smash Eggs. Kick the egg into the enemy until it breaks or the enemy is defeated. You might get an item from it. If you use Fire Flowers, hit the babies' buttons to hit airborn enemies. Hit the babies' buttons to add power to the next hit. When he takes enough damage, he'll fall off his broom. On the ground, he'll send a flame to hit the bros. It will hit him and he'll run into the bros. After he's defeated, he'll just lay on the ground. Time to chase Baby Bowser!