Paper Mario: Chapter 2 -- The Mystery of Dry Dry Ruins -- Part 1

After a short train ride to Kalamari Desert music, Mario disembarks at Mt. Rugged. Mario must go over Mt. Rugged and go east to reach Dry Dry Desert. Check out the shrubs at the station for coins and an Egg. Follow the arrows posted on the mountain to find your way through. Go to the top of the hill and try to go east. Mario will bump into a Paratroopa named Parakarry. He recognizes Mario and tells him he lost something. He delivers letters all over the Mushroom Kingdom and lost a letter on Mt. Rugged. He asks Mario to help him find the letter. He'll search this area. Go east.

Go up the hill and slide down the slide for some coins. There are Monty Moles in the area. They have 3 HP and give 2 SP. They'll throw rocks at Mario. Drop down in the area to get a Sleepy Sheep from the item block. Break the yellow block to reach Whacka. Whacka is a blue mole-like creature. Hit him on the head to make a Whacka's bump appear. Take the item as it restores 25 HP and 25 FP. Don't hit it too many times or it will disappear forever. Go east.

There's a Save Block in the area. Stand on the ledge and have Kooper get the first letter. Go east again. You'll find strange rocks that move. They are Clefts, spiked rock enemies with high defense. They have 2HP and give 3 SP. Use a POW Block or Bombette's Bomb to defeat them. Go up the hill and under the rock to the left. Drop down to get a Star Piece. Go west from the top of the hill, slide down the slide, then go west again. Drop down the stairs, grab the Mushroom from the item block, then walk under the rock to the left. This will take you to a chest with the Damage Dodge badge. Spring up to the top of the slide. To the far right, is a Honey Syrup, guarded by a Cleft. Slide down the slide to reach a letter. It seems Parakarry lost more than just one letter here. Drop down, go east, then go down the slide.

Go east, climb to the top of the hill, then go east again. The bridge is out here, so drop down. You'll find a letter and a Cleft. Return to Parakarry and give him a letter. He's thankful for Mario's help. He then admits that he lost letters all over the Mushroom Kingdom. He says that Mario's good at finding letters and he wants to join the party so he can get help finding letters. In return, he can carry Mario over gaps. He can attack enemies in the air with Sky Dive and Shell Shot. Mario can deliver letters to the addressee if Parakarry is by his side when Mario talks to them. Use him to cross the gap to hammer the Quake Hammer badge.

Cross the gap to the east where you first encounter Clefts. You'll find a Bub-ulb here that will give you a Magical Seed. Go back to the west where you used a spring to reach the top of a slide. Cross the gap to the left of the spring to get some coins and a Star Piece. Go to where the bridge is out and cross that gap. On the other side is a bridge that goes past a large nest. There's a vulture in the nest that stops Mario. He checks a piece of paper, saying Mario looks like the Mario on a wanted poster Bowser gave him. He asks his name. You can fool the vulture by saying "Luigi", but if you say "Mario" or "Princess Peach", he'll battle you.

The vulture's name is Buzzar. Buzzar will throw feathers at Mario, attack with its claws, pick up Mario, or flap its wings. When it picks up Mario, repeatedly hit the (A) button to fill the meter. If the Mario icon running around on top of the meter stops on the filled part of the meter, Mario will be let go. Otherwise the attack deals 4 damage. When Buzzar flaps its wings, press (A) repeatedly to fill the meter as much as possibly. This will reduce the number on the meter. The number on the meter represents how much damage Mario will take and how many turns his partner can't attack. Hit him with your best attacks. Parakarry's Shell Shot does a lot of damage. Once you defeat Buzzar, you get 15 SP. Buzzar falls off the cliff.

Go east and down the hill. Heal and save, then go east to the desert. Dry Dry Desert is a large desert where it can be very easy to get lost. In the first area, you'll find a tent. Kolorado is here, looking for the ruins. You can deliver one of the letters to him for a Star Piece. Kooper is excited to be on an adventure  and wants to team up with Kolorado someday. Talk to his assistants and they'll tell you to go due east across the vast desert to reach Dry Dry Outpost. Follow the directions and go east 6 times. Just outside Dry Dry Outpost are many trees. Hit the trees. One of them will drop a letter.

In the desert, you'll find a couple of enemies. Pokeys are moving cacti with spiky heads and sides. They have 4 HP and give 2 SP. They can throw their segments at Mario, fall on top of Mario, or make more Pokeys appear. Use the hammer or Koopers attacks. The other enemy is the Bandit. They'll try to attack Mario to steal a coin. If Mario fails to guard, they'll steal the coin and hold it over their head. They can steal up to 10 coins each. If Mario guards, they get nothing. If you damage them while they have coins, the coins will be returned. They can run away with the coins, so hit them quickly. They have 5 HP and give 2 SP.

In Dry Dry Outpost, the first house you come across has a Toad that will give you some interesting information. If you wind up in a twister, it will blow you to another part of the desert, where you can easily get lost. If you go south three times, then west two times, you'll find something interesting. It's an invisible block with the Attack FX C badge over a rock. If you leave the Outpost, then  south as twice, you'll come across an oasis. Hit the lush trees with the hammer to get a Lemon and a Lime. There's a Super Block in the area. Hit it to upgrade a party member to Super Rank. This will increase their attack power and give them a new attack. I chose Bombette. Back in the Outpost, go behind the Toad House on the right side to find Merlee. She can put a spell on Mario to help him out. The benefits include increasing damage done on an attack, increasing defense for when it's the enemy's turn to attack, doubling Star Points earned in battle, or increasing the amount of coins won from battle. Go for the Special Course, as it lasts the longest.

In the Outpost, many people will talk about Moustafa, the leader of the Outpost. If anyone knows about the Dry Dry Ruins, he might. Go east and talk to the Nomadimouse in robes and a turban. Follow the purple mouse from the shop to him. His name is Sheek and he'll tell Mario that nice people give him things. To speed things along, give him his favorite item, a Lemon. He'll give you the password to finding out about Moustafa's whereabouts. The password is to buy a Dried Shroom, then a Dusty Hammer. The shopkeeper will recognize Mario as a friend of Moustafa and tell Mario that he can be found on the highest part of the Outpost. Go into the house Sheek was standing in front of, then exit to the right. Climb on the crate to reach the roof, then walk and jump across the roof to the left. There's a house up there, where Sheek is. He gets rid of the robes, saying he is also Moustafa. His ancestors watched over the ruins after the kingdom that used to be there fell. He gives Mario the Pulse Stone, which will flash over Mario's head as he gets closer to the site of the ruins.

Leave the outpost and deliver a letter to the Nomadimouse in the desert. He'll give you a Star Piece. Go west three times to reach him. From the Outpost, go west five times, then north three times, as far north as you can go. Place the Pulse Stone on the rock in the center of the area. The sky grows dark all over the desert and in the Outpost. Swirling winds slowly reveal the ruins. Use the Heal Block if you need to, then enter Dry Dry Ruins.

Paper Mario: Interlude After Chapter 1

In the castle, Peach paces, wondering about Mario. Twink provides encouragement, saying Mario's probably saving some Star Spirits now. Peach wants to leave her room, but there are guards right outside her door and jumping out of the window isn't an option. She remembers the Minister telling her of a secret passage out of her room, so she starts to look for it. Check out her dresses and she'll tell Twink that they're all slightly different and very fashionable. If you check out the cosmetics, she'll powder her nose. She doesn't want Twink looking at the picture of Mario for some reason.

Check out the fireplace. For some reason, Twink finds the warm fireplace to be suspicious. Check out the picture to the right of the fireplace and Peach will find a switch behind it. Hit the switch and the fire goes out and the grate falls, revealing a passage through the fireplace. It leads to a dark hallway. Walk to the left and you'll find a wall with a switch. Hit the switch to make the wall rotate into the next room.

The door leading out of the room is locked. On a table to the left is an open book. It's a private diary. Twink asks Peach if she will read it. She starts reading it. The first entry says the owner of the diary went to Star Haven, stole the Star Rod, and captured the Star Spirits. The second entry says they used their castle to lift Peach's Castle in the sky, beat up Mario, and kidnapped Peach. They hope Peach likes them. It becomes obvious to Peach and Twink that this is Bowser's diary. Peach has a choice to either stop reading or to continue. If she continues reading, she'll find the third entry says that the Koopa Bros. were defeated by Mario and the Star Spirit they held was freed. But there is no way that Mario can save the Star Spirit in Dry Dry Ruins because he'd have to solve the mystery of the sand and find the ruins in Dry Dry Desert. Mario wouldn't know to go there to look for a Star Spirit. Twink says he'll go inform Mario.

Bowser walks in, worried about leaving his secret diary out in the open. He'd be embarrassed if anyone read it. He sees Peach, figures out that she read it, and freaks out. He has the guards take her to her room.

Outside Koopa Bros. Fortress,  Eldstar, the Star Spirit Mario saved, is talking to Mario. He's thankful for being saved and believes Mario can save the other Star Spirits. Now that he has been freed, the seal on his power has been broken and he will slowly recover it. He powers up Mario, giving him the ability to use the Star Spirits' power in battle. Mario will need Star Energy to use these powers. Star Energy appears as a gauge under HP. If there is a Star filled up at the end of the bar, he has that many units of Star Energy to use. His first Star Power is Refresh, which heals 5 HP and 5 FP. When it's Mario's turn, a bit of Star Energy is restored. Using Focus during battle restores a greater amount of Star Energy. Mario can also fully replenish Star Energy by staying at a Toad House. Eldstar tells Mario he must save the other Star Spirits quickly so they can give him the Star Beam, an attack that counters the Star Rod. Eldstar will go to Star Haven for now, but is always watching over Mario and his friends. It's time to leave the fortress.

Have Bombette blow up the cracked wall blocking access to a pipe. The pipe will take you onto the roof of a structure. There's a chest here with the FP Plus badge. Drop down and go west. Back in Koopa Village, Koopa Koot wants Mario to retrieve a tape from Goompa. Once you give the tape to him, he'll give you one coin. Head west to Toad Town, but stay healed. At the edge of Toad Town, Jr. Troopa appears, then falls into the water. He's back and asks if Mario remembers him. He's confident he'll beat Mario. He has 15 HP and will give 20 SP when defeated. He'll hide in his shell to increase his defense. Use the hammer, Shell Toss, or Body Slam to do damage. Once you defeat him, go into Toad Town.

Once in Toad Town, Twink finds Mario, saying he heard that Mario saved a Star Spirit and that Bowser's angry about it. He says there's a Star Spirit held in the Dry Dry Ruins in the Dry Dry Desert. He'll send more news once he and Peach get more information.

In Toad Town, you can reach more places. The badge shop is now open and Mario can head to the southern part of the town. Here, you'll find the train station and the port. There's a pink Bub-ulb, who'll give Mario the pink Magical Seed. You'll also find the pipe into the Toad Town Tunnels, the sewers that run under the town.

Inside the tunnels, you'll find Gloombas and Spiked Gloombas, dark Goombas with more health and more powerful attacks. They each have 7 HP and give 4 SP upon defeat. Go all the way to the east and a Blooper will appear. It has 30 HP and gives 20 SP upon defeat. It will drop down onto Mario or hit him with a blast of ink. It floats over the ground, so use jump attacks and Headbonk. Once you defeat it, you can access the chest with the Shrink Stomp.

Return to the surface and check out the Dojo. You'll initially fight Chan, a Buzzy Beetle with 15 HP. Flip him over with a jump to decrease his defense. Once you defeat Chan, you'll get the First-Degree Card from the Master. Heal and challenge Lee, the Duplighost. He'll imitate one of Mario's partners. He has 20 HP and you'll get the Second-Degree Card for defeating him.

Go east, then south to reach the train station. The train is the only way to reach Dry Dry Desert, but a boulder fell on the tracks when Peach's Castle was lifted into the air. Use Bombette to clear the path, then board the train.

When Mario enters Toad Town, Twink finds him, saying that he heard Mario saved a Star Spirit. Bowser's angry about it. He tells Mario that there's a Star Spirit in the Dry Dry Ruins in the Dry Dry Desert. Twink will send more news when he and Peach get more information.

Paper Mario: Chapter 1 -- Storming Koopa Bros. Fortress -- Part 2

Mario has arrived at Koopa Bros. Fortress. When you approach the front door, Black Koopa opens the door and is surprised to see that Mario's already here. Inside, you'll find Koopas. Battle them and you'll find Bob-ombs battling alongside them. They have 3 HP and give 2 SP. You must attack them at a distance, as they will explode. Be sure to defeat them immediately after hitting them, or else they'll get angry and explode when they attack you. Use your hammer or Kooper to attack. Defeating the only Koopa in the area will give you the key to the door to the east.

In the next room, Green Koopa places another key in a cage. To the right is a badge in a cage. You can slip into this cage from the right near the back wall. The badge is the Power Bounce badge. Go east into the next room. There's a set of stairs suspended by chains. You can't take them to the next floor. Battle the Koopa and three Bob-ombs to make the switch appear. This lowers the stairs so you can go downstairs. Go downstairs and go west.

As soon as you enter this room, the doorways move so they are out of reach. Defeat the three Koopas in the room to move the doorways back into place. While you're here, jump over the fire bars repeatedly to make them disappear and give you coins. Go west to retrieve the key. Go back upstairs and unlock the locked door.

You'll see Yellow Koopa working on the floor near an item block before leaving. Go upstairs and hit the item block. It's a trap and the item block activates a trap door below Mario. He drifts down into a cage below holding many Bob-ombs. The Bob-ombs say that they were locked down here by the Koopa Bros. The Koopa Bros. worked them into the ground. The pink Bob-omb, Bombette, says she was imprisoned after she exploded near them. Others were locked up to prevent a rebellion. They want help breaking out. Agree to help them and she'll join your party. She can blow up cracked walls to reveal new paths. Heal and save, then have her blow up the crack in the cage. She never thought about exploding near cracks. She and Mario leave the cell and a Koopa and a couple of Bob-ombs come to investigate. Defeat them, then go west and up the stairs.

Walk to the east side of the room and blow up the cracked wall. This leads outside to a chest with the Refund badge. Go west twice to the room with three cages and blow up the cracked wall to reach the key. Walk up the ramp to reach the locked door. This will take you to the room with the three cages. Use Kooper to hit the switches. The switches will make stone slabs appear in the gaps between the cages and walls appear. Cross the slabs in the gaps, then hit the switch again so you can reach the next switch. Go all the way to the left and go through the door.

Hit the blue switch in the room to make the stairs lower. Go downstairs and blow up the cracked wall to reach the key Green Koopa hid. Go back up the stairs to unlock the door. This will take you above the first room of the Koopa Bros. Fortress, where the pool of water is. Hit the switch to make the stairs under the water rise, making the Koopas in the water panic. The stairs will rise to your level and the Koopas may attack you. Use the stairs to reach the ramp. Go to the top of the ramp for the Smash Charge badge, then go partway down to the door. The door leads to the roof.

The Koopa Bros. are here and didn't think Mario would make it. They'll stop him with a barrage of Bullet Bills. The Airship music plays. Drop down near the door and blow up the rock for a Maple Syrup. Keep going to the right. You may battle the Bullet Bills that they fire. They have 2 HP and give 1 SP. They will hit Mario and explode. Drop down near the Bill Blasters to heal and save. Jump on the Bill Blasters to battle them. They have 4 HP and give 3 SP. They have a decent amount of defense, so use attacks that do at least 2 HP of damage when they land, such as the hammer and Body Slam. Once you defeat them, heal and save again, then go through the door to the east when you're ready.

The Koopa Bros. are setting up their special attack, trying to make sure everything looks cool. Bowser??? appears and battles Mario. It has 10 HP and is theoretically invincible. Hit it with the hammer and other attacks that can do 2 HP of damage at once and you'll slowly damage it. The Koopa Bros. will mention that it's starting to fall apart. Once it does, the Koopa Bros. will appear in battle. They'll stack on each other and do a spin attack that will do 1 HP of damage for every Koopa Bro in the stack. Use the hammer to knock them off balance, then have either Bombette or Kooper use their basic attack to knock them over. You can then attack them like normal Koopas. They are Ninjakoopas and have 12 SP each. Once you defeat them, they fall into the cage where they held the Bob-ombs, but the hole in the wall has been patched up. The Bowser robot fell down here as well, and there's a poster of Peach in it. A card with a Star Spirit appears. Get it to free the Star Spirit.

END OF CHAPTER!
And so Mario and friends beat the Koopa Bros. at their fortress and rescue the first Star Spirit. Stilll, six Star Spirits remain imprisoned, and they must save them as quickly as they can. The future of the Mushroom Kingdom, Star Haven, and of course, Princess Peach... lies in the hands of Mario... and his new friends. Their adventure has just begun.

Paper Mario: Chapter 1 -- Storming Koopa Bros. Fortress -- Part 1

Head east of Toad Town and you'll encounter Koopas. They have 4 HP and high defense, until you knock them over with a jump or POW Block. They will give you 2 SP when defeated. In the first area, you can get the Dizzy Attack badge and a Fright Jar. Go east and you'll find a POW Block in an item block. There's a gap ahead. Hit the nearby tree and a switch will fall from it. Hit it to make a bridge appear. On the other side of the bridge, there's a Sleepy Sheep behind the fence.

Go east and you'll find some blue hills. Run in circles around the left one and it will give you hearts to heal yourself while playing the Starman theme. Walk behind the right hill for a Honey Syrup, which restores 5 FP. The path splits in this area. Take the lower route to Koopa Village. Before entering Koopa Village, hit the brick blocks on the ground in the following order: left, right, back. This will make an item block with the Attack FX B badge appear.

Mario gets a very brief welcome into Koopa Village as it is being attacked by Fuzzies. They will steal the shells from the Koopas and run away with them. Hit them with hammers to beat them and the shells will be returned to their rightful owner. Some are in trees, others over blocks. Go east and you'll find one on a brick block that's too high to reach. Push the blue block underneath it, then jump from it to retrieve the shell.

In the house with the blue roof are Bob-ombs that used to work at Koopa Bros. Fortress. The yellow house is the home of Kolorado, an archeologist and explorer. Next door is the house of Kooper. A Fuzzy stole his blue shell and runs off with it. Follow it out the back door into the forest.

In the forests, chase down the talking Fuzzy. On the way, you'll encounter Fuzzies that will battle you. They have 3 HP and give 2 SP. They'll latch onto Mario and drain his HP to restore their own. The timing to guard against this attack is tricky, so keep trying until you get it right. Go east and the talking Fuzzy will hide in a tree. He'll bounce around the four trees with other Fuzzies, but keep track of the blue shell. Hit the tree it ends up in three times. The Fuzzies will move faster after finding him each time. After three times, the Fuzzy will surrender and returns the shell. He says he won't bother him anymore. Try to go west and Kooper will appear. He says he has to stand up for himself against the Fuzzies and is here to get his shell. Goombario lets him know that Mario already got the shell. Kooper thanks Mario after he returns the shell. Kooper tells Mario that he wants to travel with Kolorado and wants to come along on Mario's adventure. He joins the party. He can be sent out in his shell to hit or retrieve distant items Mario can't reach. Try to leave the area again and the Fuzzy will change his mind and attack. There are four of them in this battle. Use Kooper's Power Shell to hit all of the Fuzzies at once.

Once you defeat the Fuzzies, head west back to Koopa Village. Use Kooper to help you get the HP Plus Badge. When you return to the village, there will be a Star Piece over the high brick block. Nearby, you'll find a worm in a top hat. His name is Chuck Quizmo and he'll periodically appear and give Mario a quiz. If Mario answers the question correctly, he'll get a Star Piece. The question he asks here is "What is the name of Goombario's younger sister?" The answer is "Goombaria". In the red house is the Koopa elder, Koopa Koot. He'll ask Mario for favors. First, he wants Mario to bring him a book from Kolorado. Talk to Kolorado's wife and she'll give you the book. Give it to Koopa Koot for one coin. Next, he wants a Sleepy Sheep. If you don't have one, they can be purchased in Toad Town. He'll give you a coin and a Silver Credit to the Toad Town Playground.

Go west twice. Drop down and have Kooper retrieve a Star Piece from across the water. Go east and take the upper path. There's a coin on the ground. It's a trap that makes a Koopa appear. There's a switch across a gap. Have Kooper hit it to make a bridge appear. On the other side of the bridge are Paratroopas. They have 4 HP and give 2 SP. Jump on them once to make them regular Koopas, then land another jump to knock them over. There's an invisible block between the two brick blocks with a Fire Flower. Go east and you'll find a Star Piece in a tree. Use the Heal Block and go east to reach the Koopa Bros. Fortress.

Paper Mario: Prologue -- A Plea from the Stars -- Part 3

As you head east from the crater where Peach's Castle once was, you'll notice the sky growing darker and shooting stars falling to the ground. Take the lower path to a small house. It's home to a fortune-teller, Merluvlee, and Merlow, who will trade badges in exchange for Star Pieces. He's upstairs. Go back and go up the higher path. The path spirals around the hill to Shooting Star Summit. Go to the left for a Star Piece, then right to reach the Summit.

The seven Star Spirits are waiting for Mario. They tell Mario that they grant the wished of good people. They ignored Bowser's selfish wishes, so he invaded Star Haven, stole Star Rod, which grants any wish. He's currently content with his wishes, but may wish for more. The Star Rod must be returned and the Star Spirits need Mario's help to do so. Mario's not strong enough to deal with Bowser now. He must save the Star Spirits, who will give him their power to defeat Bowser. Their strength fading, they tell Mario that they're held by Bowser's followers in the Mushroom Kingdom. They disappear. Goombario's worried about Peach.

High in the sky, Peach is worried and wishes for help. Bowser and Kammy Koopa appear, telling her that Mario can't reach them and that no wishes will be granted. Bowser says it serves them right for mistreating the Koopas. They tell her she shouldn't cause trouble, then leave. Soon after, there's a tapping on Peach's balcony window. A small Star Kid flies in. His name is Twink and he came from Star Haven to grant her wish. Peach asks him to take back the Star Rod or carry her out of the castle, but these wishes are too much for a novice Star Kid. He needs an easier wish. She asks him to find Mario and give him the Lucky Star. This he can do. She also wants Mario to know she's fine and he shouldn't worry. Twink flies off.

Mario leaves Shooting Star Summit and heads west to Toad Town when Twink bonks him on the head. He's happy to have found Mario and gives him the Lucky Star. This allows Mario to use Action Commands, timed button presses that allow Mario and his partners do extra damage in battle. Each attack has its own Action Command, which appears at the bottom of the screen when you select the attack. For the jump and Headbonk attacks, press (A) just before landing. For the hammer, hold the Control Stick left until the red star button lights up, then release it. If executed correctly, you'll see the word "NICE" appear. To reduce damage from enemy attacks, press (A) before the enemy lands the attack. Practice the Action Commands as much as you need.

A Magikoopa appears, saying he followed Twink here. He wants to defeat Mario for fame and to impress Kammy Koopa. It has 8 HP and gives you 15 SP. It will shoot magic at you, so guard with (A). After the battle, Twink says he'll stay by Peach's side, giving Mario her message. She's fine, but lonely. Go into Toad Town.

In Toad Town, a Toad tells Mario that Merlon has been looking for him. He lives in the house with the spinning roof. Go over to the house and knock twice. Merlon knocks Mario over when he opens the door. He lets Mario into his house and tells him that he, Merlon, is a wizard. He tells Mario a long story that relates to what is currently happening, but Mario falls asleep and most of the story is cut off. He can help Mario in his adventure by telling him where to go for a small fee. Right now, Mario must go to the Koopa Bros. Fortress to the east. Leave Merlon's house and try to go east. There are four Toads with black caps blocking the road. They discourage him from leaving and said it would be bad for them, or him if he asked Merlon. Go back to Merlon's house and talk to him directly, instead of across the table. Merlon is perplexed that strange Toads would block his path, so he goes outside to investigate. Follow Merlon to the Toads and stand between them. Merlon uses magic to reveal that the Toads are really the Koopa Bros. They run off to their fortress. Merlon tells Mario that to get to the fortress, he will need the help of a Koopa with a blue shell. With that cryptic clue, head east to start a new chapter.

Paper Mario: Prologue -- A Plea from the Stars -- Part 2

After breaking the block on the path leading out of Goomba Village, head east. There is a Goomba on a nearby sign. Reading it make a Goomba come off the sign and it can attack you. The red item block in the area contains the Close Call Badge. This badge may make enemy attacks miss when Mario's HP is low. All red item blocks contain badges. There is a sign with a Mushroom on it. The Mushroom will peel off, so you can pick it up. It heals 5 HP. Go east and use the Heal Block, then go east again when you're ready.

Two large Goombas appear, one red, one blue. They say that the Goomba King says Mario can't go through here. The Goombas are the Goomba Bros., Red Goomba and Blue Goomba. They battle Mario. Blue Goomba has 6 HP and Red Goomba has 7 HP. Each give you 10 Star Points when they are defeated. Just keep hitting them and heal when you need to. After you defeat them, they run away. Heal and save, then follow them using the spring. Go east, where you'll find another Mushroom sign that's a Goomba in disguise, then go east again to King Goomba's Fortress.

The Goomba Bros. ask King Goomba for help. They enter the fortress and King Goomba appears. He respects Mario for making it this far, then all three battle Mario. The Goomba Bros. are much weaker now, but King Goomba has 10 HP. To deal with them, first hit the Goomnut tree, where it is bandaged (you can select it as a target). It will make a Goomnut fall onto King Goomba and the Goomba Bros., dealing 3 HP of damage to each of them. This should get rid of the Goomba Bros. and make King Goomba easier to deal with. King Goomba can also hit the Goomnut tree to hurt Mario. Defeating them will give you 30 Star Points. They retreat into the fortress.

Hit the tree in front of the fortress for a Star Piece. Goombario says that there used to be a bridge behind the fortress, but it's gone now. Check the shrub on the side of the fortress for a blue switch. Hit it and you'll hear the Goomba Bros. tell King Goomba they hid the switch that opens the fortress outside. King Goomba tells Mario not to hit the switch, but it's too late. The ground starts shaking and the fortress's tower collapses and reveals itself to be the bridge. Go through the fortress and cross the bridge. On the other side, you'll find a brick block on the ground. Hit it with your hammer to make an item block appear. This contains a Super Mushroom, which restores 10 HP. Go east, and you'll see that Kammy Koopa is watching. You can now save.

Kammy Koopa flies to the castle and reports to Bowser that Mario defeated King Goomba. Bowser used his Star Rod on King Goomba to make him a king, but that didn't work out. The Star Spirits are being held separately by Bowser's subjects, so they can't give Mario their power. The closest Star Spirit is held by the Koopa Bros. at Koopa Bros. Fortress. The Koopa Bros. appear, saying they're the coolest of cool. Bowser isn't sure about entrusting them with the task of guarding the Star Spirit, but they convince him with their power of teamwork and their special attack. Bowser asks who's currently guarding the Star Spirit and the answer is nobody. The Koopa Bros. run off.

Mario's getting closer to Toad Town. Drop down the hill to find an item block with a Sleepy Sheep, which may put some enemies to sleep. Hit a nearby tree for a spring. This will allow you to reach the roof of the gate. There's a chest on the roof with the Hammer Throw Badge. Drop off the roof and go east into Toad Town.

In Toad Town, near the gate, is a pipe. This leads to Mario's house. Luigi is sitting on the porch, singing. He wonders what Mario's been up to when Mario appears through the pipe. He was worried about him. He was near the door when the castle started shaking and escaped. He's upset that Goombario's on an adventure with Mario and he isn't. He has to look after the house. Return to Toad Town to start exploring.

There's a post office, Toad House, a shop, and a Dojo in Toad Town, but the Dojo is closed. Heal at the Toad House to the east, then hit the tree for a Star Piece. When you're ready, go through the Star Door to the north. This will take you to where Peach's Castle was. Go east from here to go to Shooting Star Summit.

Paper Mario: Prologue -- A Plea from the Stars -- Part 1

After falling from the castle in the sky, Mario lies unconscious in the woods. The Star Spirits appear, saying Mario will recover. One thinks the situation is hopeless. They use their powers to give Mario strength, then fade away. A Goomba wearing a bow finds Mario, recognizes him, and calls for help when he won't wake up.

Mario is in a bed when a Star Spirit appears. He wants to talk to Mario, but is too weak. He tells Mario to go to Shooting Star Summit so they can talk. The Star Spirit disappears and Mario wakes up. A Toad walks through the door, happy to see Mario awake. Mario's been sleeping for days. The Toad informs him that he's in Goomba Village, which is west of Toad Town. He and a family of friendly Goombas are the only residents. Mario asks about the Star Spirit but Toad thinks it's either a dream or a message. He thinks Mario should go to Shooting Star Summit, but first should visit the family of Goombas, because they carried him here.

Outside are a few of the Goombas. The one with the blue cap is Goombario, who claims to be Mario's biggest fan. Goompapa needs to fix the gate blocking the road to Toad Town. Go into the Goomba's house and talk to Gooma and Goompa, on the veranda. When you go outside, Goombario announces that the gate has been finished and Mario can go to Toad Town. Kammy Koopa appears, saying she can't believe that Mario is back on his feet. She came to check on him and tells him that saving Peach is useless. As a gift, she drops a large block on the newly-fixed gate, smashing it. She says the world is Bowsers and then flies off. Goompapa is upset about the gate, but thinks they can break the block with Goompa's hammer. Mario goes into the house to go get the hammer on the veranda, but the veranda is no longer there. Mario falls down, far below the house.

He lands near the mangled veranda. The path back to Goomba Village is blocked by a block. Goompa is nearby and follows Mario so they can look for the hammer. Go west and search the shrubs. Some of them have coins. The far west shrub has the hammer, which means Mario can now perform hammer attacks in battle and on the field. The hammer can break yellow blocks. Hit the trees for coins and items. The east tree has a Dolly, a doll that looks like Princess Peach. Goompa says Goombaria, Goombario's sister, the one who found Mario, lost it.

Try going east and Goompa gets attacked. A small Koopa, still in its egg shell, walks in. He's Jr. Troopa, the boss of the neighborhood gang. He battles Mario. Use either attack. After a while, he'll charge up to do more damage. Hit him one more time and you'll eventually defeat him. He'll give you 20 Star Points, which is something you'll get after battles. Collect 100 and you'll level up, fully restore HP and FP, and get to increase HP by 5 points, FP by 5 points, or Badge Points by 3 points.

Go east and hit the tree for a Mushroom. There's a Heal Block, which restores all HP and FP. Use the spring to reach a Fire Flower on the top of the hill. Go farther east and you'll find Goombas loyal to Bowser, making them enemies. Hit them on the field for the First Strike. They can do the same to you. Goombas have 2 HP and will initially give 2 Star Points. There are also Spiked Goombas. They have 2 HP and give 3 Star Points at first. Only use the hammer on them. Paragoombas can only be jumped on, and have 2 HP. If you land a jump, their wings will disappear and they'll become regular Goombas. Go up the hill and to the left for a Star Piece. Go east to return to Goomba Village.

Goompa opens the gate and goes into the house to get something. Give Goombaria back her Dolly and she'll give Mario a Star Piece and a kiss. Goompa gives Mario the Power Jump Badge and shows him how to equip badges. Goombario says he works out a lot and that his Headbonk hurts. He joins Mario on his adventure, with the ability to tell Mario about enemies, people, and their surroundings. Use the hammer to break the block and head east for Toad Town.