Super Paper Mario -- Chapter: 6-4

The castles are green and Ninjerrys may appear.

76.      Wandering Spiny- normal with a sword

77.      Ripper Van Fish- normal with a sword

78.      Infinite Jump- normal with a spike and sword. He uses shockwaves.

79.      Alternate Path- normal with a sword. He jumps.

80.      Dayzee the Merciless- normal with a mace

81.      Smiling Cloud- normal with a spike and a sword. He is rainbow-colored and he flips.

82.      Bullet Bull- normal with a sword. He jumps.

83.      Block of POW- large with a club. He jumps.

84.      Inferno Flower- normal with a mace. He uses energy balls.

85.  Plugged Snifit- normal with a spike and a mace

86.  Bounding Star- tiny with a spike and a sword. He jumps and uses shockwaves.

87.  Metal Cap- normal with a spike and a sword

88.  Belly of the Yoshi- normal with a sword

89.  No Charging Chuck- normal with a mace

90.  Climbing Vine- normal with a spike and a sword. He uses shockwaves.

91.  Quizmo Question That Has No Answer- normal with a spike and a mace

92.  Strolling Ptooie- normal with a sword

93.  Fuzzy on Face- tiny with a spike and a sword. He jumps and uses shockwaves.

94.  Glitz Blade- normal with a spike and a sword. He is rainbow-colored and can flip.

95.  Cloak of Tanooki- normal with a sword

96.  Coin Harverster Without Remorse- normal with a spike and a sword

97.  Pidgit on Wind’s Breath- normal with a spike and a mace. He jumps and uses energy balls.

98.  Sensei Ruff Puff- normal with a sword. He jumps and uses shockwaves.

99.  Pit of Crying Snares- normal with a spike and a sword

100.  End Boss- large with a spike and a club. He is gold-colored and he jumps.

I beat End Boss with 5 HP left and no items. Once you defeat him, go through the door. King Sammer is dancing. Their jaws are agape at the spectacle of warrior prowess. He never imagined them as the victors. He asks if the combat got boring. Since he no longer has the Pure Heart, he offers some of his other treasures. They are the Goombella, Koops, Madame Flurrie, Yoshi, Vivian, Admiral Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz cards. The battle is over and they were most entertained. The heroes may return again for another melee. The star to end the chapter is to the left.

We are now officially done with Super Paper Mario. I will be on hiatus until Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker comes out.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door -- Part 3

After defeating the Shadow Sirens and Doopliss, go though the east door back into the palace. There are stairs leading down now, with pictures of stars and planets on the walls. At the bottom of the stage, do a Spring Jump to get the Thunder Rage in the item block. Walk to the far right and use Flurrie to reveal a tunnel under the stairs. Walk up the stairs and cross the gap to the doorway with Yoshi.

Go through the doorway and you'll find a room with spinning gears in the background. There's a switch on the ground. Hold Koops in front of the switch, then walk up the stairs to the left. Release Koops and he'll hit a switch, making a platform temporarily slide out of the wall. Use it to cross the gap quickly before it slides back into the wall. You'll find an item block with a Repel Cape here. Go through the door on the front wall.

You are now in a different room. Go up the stairs and west to reach the room you were in. Carefully go up the stairs, or you'll fall and have to go back through the area with the hiding platform again. There are two switches at the top of the stairs: a yellow one and a green one. Hit the green one, then go back east. To the right is a large yellow block. There was a green one next to it, but it was blocking the way. Hitting the switch made it drop down out of the way. Cross the gap with Yoshi. Drop down the next gap and you'll find a purple block and a red block. Hit the purple switch and stand on the purple block to ride it to the top. Cross the gap with Yoshi to reach the red switch. Hit it to make it rise up, then stand on it while holding Koops's shell in place. Let Koops hit the switch, then run to the right while the block is falling. You should land on an area between the red switch and the floor. Use Yoshi to cross the small gap here and go east.

This room has pipes overhead. Stand on the gold lines on the floor to line yourself up with the pipes. Spring Jump to them to cross the spike-filled gaps. Drop down when the pipe does to reach a doorway. Go through it and you'll find Phantom Embers. On the far left is a chest with a Shooting Star. Go up the stairs on the right, then throw Bobbery into the gap. There's a switch in the gap that will make a platform slide out of the wall. Be careful when you jump across, as there's a Chain Chomp on the other side. On the wall behind it are seven stars. Take note of which stars are brighter than the others. For me, it was the first, third, fourth, and sixth stars. Go up the stairs, where you'll find a Save Block and a locked door. To the right is a stationary Ferris wheel. Drop down to its lowest platform and use Koops to get the Palace Key to the right. Go back and unlock the door.

Go to the left and you'll find an item block with a Life Shroom and some stairs you can't jump up normally. You'll either have to flip sideways or roll up into a tube to get up the stairs. At the top are seven switches with a star above each of them. Hit the switch corresponding to the brighter star in the room with the Ferris wheel. The ground will shake and the Ferris wheel will star spinning. Go east and use the Ferris wheel to cross the gap. At the top of the Ferris wheel is an item block with a Life Shroom. Go to the right, then east.

The door leads to a room with a large stone structure near the door. Use Flurrie to reveal it to be a large stone block. Break it with the Ultra Hammer to reveal a panel in the floor. Spin Jump on it to break through. There's a coin in the item block. Go through the front door and you'll find a very narrow path leading to the east door. Walk carefully. The door leads to a room with an airplane panel. Fly about halfway across the room to the landing with the doorway. Cross the gap with Yoshi to reach a Life Shroom and a Shooting Star across the next gap. Drop down and go left past the Phantom Embers. There's a spring that will take you back to the airplane panel. Fly to the doorway and go through it.

There's a Chain Chomp here, and a red switch. Hit it, and move quickly with Yoshi so you can reach the platform. It stays out longer than the others, but not by much. On the other side of the gap is a chest with the Palace Key. Get it and go back to the airplane panel. Fly to the far right to reach a locked door and unlock it. To the east are several hallways. On the far right are a Heal Block and a Save Block. Make use of them, then prepare yourself. Go east when you are ready.

Go up the stairs and Grodus says he was looking forward to meeting Mario. He's the supreme leader of the X-Nauts and thanks Mario for doing all the hard work of gathering the Crystal Stars for him. He decided to let Mario gather them and open the Thousand-Year Door. He entrusted his only Crystal Star to his least competent underling, knowing that, regardless of how that fight turned out, he'd get all of the Crystal Stars together. He thought the Shadow Sirens would have slowed Mario down more. He will send Mario to oblivion and rule the world once Mario is gone.

Grodus has 50 HP, 7 attack, and 1 defense. He is protected by Grodus Xs, which create a shield around him and increase his defense by an amount equal to their number. He can use electric, fire, time-stopping, countering, and dodgy magic attacks. Defeat the Grodus Xs to destroy the shield. As long as the shield is gone, you can attack him. Grodus Xs will appear after Grodus's turn, even if you previously defeated them all, but they may or may not create a shield. Art Attack, Power Bounce, Love Slap, and Lip Lock work well. You'll get about 27 Star Points when you win.

Grodus says Mario is more than he seems, but he foresaw this possibility. He reveals Peach, trapped in a shield. She calls to Mario. Grodus threatens to kill her if Mario makes a move. He zaps Mario and his ally with lightning. His ally asks what they should do: attack or stay put. Choose to attack and the ground starts shaking. Dust falls from the ceiling. Bowser drops in, landing on Grodus. He didn't think he would fall through and wonders if he's putting on weight. Kammy drops in and they ask why Mario and Peach are here. Bowser says he'll put an end to whatever was going on by pounding Mario and taking Peach and the treasure. Mario's ally says this isn't fair, because they're still worn out from their battle with Grodus. Bowser is okay with an easy win against Mario.

In battle, Bowser says that a finale without an appearance from him is a lousy finale. Kammy Koopa joins him in battle. Bowser has 70 HP, 7 attack, and 2 defense and Kammy has 50 HP and 5 attack. Bowser will breathe fire, stomp, and bite, while Kammy will heal 8 HP or use magic attacks. Heal up enough to be safe, then defeat Kammy first so she can't heal Bowser. Supernova is a great attack for hitting both of them. Good attacks include Power Bounce, Ground Pound, Lip Lock, and Love Slap. You'll get about 26 Star Points for winning.

Bowser wonders how this could happen. Mario's ally says they should save Peach, but wonder where Grodus is. Peach screams and they see Grodus take her to the other side of the wall. Go east, heal, grab the Ultra Shroom and Jammin' Jelly in the chests, and save at the bottom of the stairs.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door -- Part 1

When you're ready to start the final chapter, go to the Thousand-Year Door. There's an invisible panel with a Star Piece in front of the fallen column near the center of the room. There's also a Shine Sprite on the left airplane panel. I upgraded both Koops and Goombella, so the entire team is Ultra Rank.

Professor Frankly says that Peach and the suspicious figure are no longer in the area and probably found another way through the door. He says to hold aloft the last Crystal Star. Stand on the pedestal and all of them appear, then disappear. They reappear over the larger pedestal and the ground shakes. The stars on the Thousand-Year Door light up and the walls around the door crack. The Thousand-Year Door opens, revealing a dark void. This is the entrance to the Palace of Shadow. Frankly says Mario must stop the cataclysm and save the princess. He'll watch the door so he doesn't get in the way, but he doesn't sound very confident. Go through the door to start the final chapter.

The Palace of Shadow has a rich red décor, but Mario's ally calls it a nasty place. They have no choice but to be here if they want to save Peach. The music is a medley of dungeon themes. Go east and you'll find a Stopwatch at the base of the back stairs near the west exit. There are Swoopulas here. Go down the stairs, then go east. There's a Shooting Star in the item block and Dry Bones in the area. There are also Bombshell Bills, golden Bullet Bills. They have 3 HP, 6 attack, and 2 defense. At the end are Bombshell Bill Blasters, with 10 HP and 4 attack. They only fire Bombshell Bills, so defeat the blasters before the stage is flooded with them.

Go east and you'll enter a long hallway. There are spikes that appear from the floor, so you can't take a straight path through. The spikes are in the middle of the room, towards the front, and the back. There's also the All or Nothing badge in the room. If it lands on the spikes, have Koops get it. You'll have to avoid the spikes instead of trying to hide with Vivian. Go east and you'll find a narrow bridge with some fire bars. You can jump over them repeatedly and they'll spin faster. After a while, they'll disappear, producing coins. Ignore the double fire bar. There are Phantom Embers in the area. Drop down the stairs to see waves of flames approaching the stairs. Jump over the low ones, but hide with Vivian to dodge the high ones.

Go east to a large, mostly empty room. There's a Dark Bones, a blue Dry Bones in front of a locked door, slumped on the floor. Check out the bones and it says that none shall pass. Those that disturb her sleep fall into the depths of endless darkness. There's a rush of Dry Bones in the room. The Dark Bones wanders around, saying "May the intruder never find the key". Clear through the Dry Bones, which will keep coming back, and chase down the Dark Bones. Touch it to battle it, alongside four Dry Bones. The Dark Bones has 20 HP, 5 attack, and 2 defense. Fire and explosions will get rid of it permanently. Once you win, it will drop the Palace Key. Unlock the door and go east. There's an Ultra Shroom in the item box here, as well as more Bombshell Bills at the bottom of the stairs. Go east to a large room with a few Dry Bones and a Phantom Ember. On the back wall are item blocks with an Ultra Shroom and a Jammin' Jelly. Go east.

The next several rooms are a maze, with exits to the east and west on two floors. The correct path is marked by a lit torch on the east side of the room. For me, it was lower, lower, upper, upper, lower, upper, and lower. The last door leads to a quiet, open area, the Palace Garden. There's a flowing river and a central building. To the east is another door back into the palace. There are a couple of Chain Chomps. Battle them, then heal and save. There are a couple of Chain Chomp statues here. Have Bobbery blow up the Chomp part of the statues to reveal pipes to the background. Hit the switches to reveal boat panels under some statues. This will allow you to reach the central building.

Go east back into the palace. Go through the four long hallways with a few enemies. Save at the Save Block before going east. Someone asks who Mario is. It's a dark dragon, who hasn't been disturbed in eons. It asks who dares defile this sacred space. The ally is confused, thinking the dragon is Hooktail, who was defeated much earlier. The dragon is surprised, saying Mario destroyed its precious younger sister, who hadn't written recently. There's no telling how the letters were delivered. This is Gloomtail, who will avenge Hooktail by taking their lives and gnawing on their bones. Gloomtail has 80 HP, 8 attack, and 2 defense. It will bite and stomp, as well breathe poison breath. When Gloomtail's health gets low, it will use its Megabreath attack, which has 16 attack power. It will charge up for this attack, so hide with Vivian to dodge it. Use attacks like Power Bounce and Supernova, but keep yourself healed. Before Gloomtail starts using Megabreath, Flurrie's Lip Lock is a good attack. Keep attacking and eventually, Gloomtail will fall, wondering if it can expire. You'll get about 23 Star Points from the battle, double if Merlee decides to be generous, like she did for me. Gloomtail spits up a small chest with the Star Key in it. Pick it up, then have Bobbery blow up the east wall. This reveals a hidden tunnel that leads to a room with item blocks with an Ultra Shroom and a Jammin' Jelly. Leave the room and save, then head back to the garden.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 7: Mario Shoots The Moon -- Part 2

Mario has just landed on the moon. The moon is spherical, so you can go either east or west to find the building on the map. Mario walks more slowly, but jumps much higher here. There are cracked rocks scattered about. Have Bobbery blow them up for items. There are also Moon Clefts here. They have 6 HP, 5 attack, and 5 defense. Have Bobbery flip them over with an explosion to reduce their defense to zero. After a while, you'll come across the building on the map. There are Z-Yux here. They have 7 HP and 4 attack. The Mini-Z-Yux will protect the Z-Yux and can restore its HP. There's a Star Piece behind a rock on the left side. On the left side is a large cracked rock. Blow it up to reveal a pipe to the background and go through it to reach the building.

Mario's ally calls the building suspicious. Go up the ramp and through the door. A couple of X-Nauts spot and recognize Mario and battle him. They are Elite X-Nauts, with 10 HP, 5 attack, and 1 defense. They can boost their power and size. After the battle, they run off. Mario's ally thinks that the Crystal Star and Peach are here, as this is the X-Naut Fortress. Go east and you'll find more Elite X-Nauts. Go east and memorize the path of the tiles that glow differently than the others. You must only step on the tiles that glow or you'll be shocked, take damage, and sent back to the start. The glowing tiles will all look the same after a while. Go 2 tiles north, 3 east, 5 south, 4 east, and 1 north to reach a chest with the Elevator Key. The tiles will deactivate and be safe to walk on.

Go back west and use the Elevator Key to activate the elevator. This will take you between level 1 and sublevels 1 and 2. Go to sublevel 2. You'll find X-Naut PhDs here. They have 9 HP and 4 attack and throw many potions with many effects, such as burning and confusion. They can also drink their potions to make themselves dodgy or transparent, or heal themselves. Go through the west door to find another tile puzzle. Go 2 tiles south, 3 west, 1 north, 1 west, 4 north, 3 west, 4 south, 1 west, 1 south, 3 west, and 1 north to reach a chest with the Card Key. In the main hallway, go through the middle left back door. There's a large computer bank with a red button. Hit the button and stand in the glowing chamber. This will warp you to a smaller room. Go outside and you'll find yourself in the ruins under Rogueport. Mario's ally says this is how the X-Nauts reached them from the moon. You can use it to go between Rogueport and the moon if you need more supplies. Warp back. There's a Cog on top of the computer bank, but you can't reach it.

Go through the middle right back door to reach a room with an open air vent. Spring Jump up it into the space above the room and walk to the far left to get a Star Piece. Go through the vent on the left that's closest to the open vent by flipping to land on top of the computer running the transport module. Use Koops to get the Cog. The vent next to it leads to the chemistry lab, but there's not much there. Go through the back door on the far right to reach the changing room. Read the memos to find out what the passcode is and the order of activating switches (left, right, middle). If you drop down into the changing room from the grate in the ceiling, you'll end up in a changing room. When you come out, Mario and all of his allies will be 8-bit.

Go up to sublevel 1 and go through the west door. Stick the Cog in the machine and hit the left red switch, then the right, then middle. This will turn on the crane. First, hold (A) to make the crane move as far to the left as you want, then hold (B) to move it back. Once you let go of the button, the next step will happen. After holding (B), the crane descends to pick up an item. You can get a few coins, a Star Piece, and the Feeling Fine and Feeling Fine P badges. Go to the east door and enter the passcode. The door unlocks and you'll see a Thwomp statue. Check it out and it will ask if Mario's here to get the Elevator Key with access to the computer room. Mario must beat him in a challenge, or his life is his.

It's the 66th Annual Quirk Quiz. Get 5 questions correct to win. Get 3 wrong and you lose.
1. Exactly what's hidden here? Elevator Key
2. What is the name of the girl in Petalburg who's patiently waiting for Koop's return? Koopie Koo
3. How many feet total do the following enemies have: Goomba, Lava Bubble, Buzzy Beetle, and Boo? 6
4. Where was the only diamond Crystal Star? Hooktail's belly
5. What is the name of Glitzville Arena's very first champion? Prince Mush
The Thwomp is so mad it lost it can't see straight. It gives you the Elevator Key

Go back down to sublevel 2 and go through the east door. This is the room where Grodus frequently sends out orders. There's an X-Yux here, which protects extra-important areas. It was designed to be unbeatable, but it isn't. It has 10 HP, 3 attack, and 1 defense. It can deploy 2 Mini-X-Yux to protect it and it can immobilize its opponents. Go through the east door to Grodus's office, where there's a Card Key on his desk. Go back in to the main hallway and activate the other elevator.

Take this elevator down to sublevel 3. Go through the west door, where there is yet another tile maze. You can only stand on the glowing tiles, which move around. Just stand on the middle of the three tiles and follow the trail around and around to the chest, which contains a Card Key. Go through the east door to reach an area with 3 card readers. Use the three Card Keys to unlock the door (there's no particular order).

Go east and you'll find a room with many moving platforms and pipes. After you beat the X-Naut PhD, toss Bobbery over the fence to hit the switch. This will get the conveyor belt behind the fence moving. Flip sideways to reach the conveyor belt and hide in the shadows with Vivian to get pass the metal wall. Hop up on the rising platform to reach the top of the metal scaffold. Take the platform to the pipe on the left, which takes you to the background. Use the moving platforms to reach an Ultra Mushroom. Go back right and drop down on the cogs. Go to the far right and then go up to reach a pipe back to the foreground. There's an airplane panel nearby. Fly to the left to reach a Card Key. Drop down and you'll find a Heal Block and a Save Block. Go through the low green pipe to go back to where you started. Go back to the airplane panel  and drop down to the moving platform. There's a switch to right which reveals stairs to the door. Go up the stairs after healing and saving, then unlock the door with the Key Card.

Go east and Lord Crump is there, saying he's been waiting for Mario, and he hates waiting. His genius plan was to lure Mario here with his Crystal Star to he could take the other ones that Mario has. Peach isn't in the fortress anymore, but he won't tell Mario where she is or what the plan is, as that is novice-villain stuff. He will, however, show off Magnus Von Grapple 2.0, a larger robot with the bugs worked out and many improvements. It has 70 HP, 6 attack, and 2 defense. It can drill from above and release its flying fists, with 5 HP, 9 attack, and 0 defense. Get rid of them immediately. It can also throw a metal shield at him and do other attacks. When Magnus Von Grapple 2.0 is low in HP, it will inhale some audience members and rapidly fire them, so guard repeatedly and keep yourself healed. Power Bounce and Love Slap work well. You'll get about 30 SP when it is defeated and explodes. Crump calls Grodus before being blasted into space. The Crystal Star appears, giving Mario the new attack, Supernova.

End Of Chapter
The last Crystal star had been hidden in the X-Naut hideout on the moon... But by the time Mario recovered it, Peach had already been taken away... Where could Peach be now? And what of the elusive Grodus? Perhaps he holds the key to the remaining puzzle... Mario finally has all seven Crystal Stars... Where will they lead him next?

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 6: 3 Days Of Excess -- Part 2

On the second day of the train ride, Heff T. announces that he's friends with Chef Shimi. Zip Toad's not in his room. The Ratooey businessman is in Pennington's cabin. Pennington says they have a new case: the Ratooey's briefcase is missing. He had it when he boarded the train, but it was gone when he woke up this morning. It contained the contracts for his company's next deal and a prototype of their product. At the minimum, he may lose his job if he doesn't recover the briefcase. The most vital piece of information is that the new product is Nitro Honey Syrup. If used properly, it can raise the dead. Perhaps they can use it on Ghost T. If Nitro Honey Syrup is mixed with seashell calcium and gold, the results are explosive. The blast will immobilize everyone in a sticky, yummy shellac, which means bad things will happen if the product gets into the wrong hands. Because the train hasn't stopped since it left Rogueport, Pennington deduces the obvious: the thief is still on the train. Pennington asks if Mario has checked with the waitress and Toodles, the Toad in 002. They both lost something and if the person who stole their things also has the Nitro Honey Syrup, they can carry out the threat. Pennington tells Mario to find the thief before the plan can be put into effect.

Leave Pennington's cabin and talk to the waitress. She says that Zip Toad came to last night's dinner, but he looks cuter on the big screen. Go to Zip Toad's cabin, 001, and you'll find a note on the floor. This is the Vital Paper. Take it to Pennington. The Ratooey says it's a contract for his business deal. It's an important clue and Pennington says he suspected Zip Toad for a while. He hasn't seen him for a while, so he may be hiding. Pennington says to find him.

Go to Mario's cabin and you'll find a note on the floor. It's another document from the Ratooey's briefcase. Hide in the shadows with Vivian and Zip Toad will peek out from behind the couch. Talk to him and he's says he won't be caught. He starts hopping around the room, but gets hurt when he hops from the windowsill.

Dusk falls and Pennington and the Ratooey are in Mario's cabin. Pennington accuses Zip Toad of stealing to aid his plan. Pennington knew he wasn't really Zip Toad because of a discolored nose hair. The thief says he would have gotten away with it if he got off the train at Riverside Station. Pennington tells him no one escapes his improbably large brain. Mario gets the stolen items: the Briefcase, the Shell Earrings, and the Gold Ring. Give the briefcase to the Ratooey, who is very thankful. Pennington says a disaster was thwarted by rudimentary deductions.

An announcement comes on, saying that the train will stop at Riverside Station to refuel. When the train stops, the thief calls Pennington "slick" and says that Beldame will flip if he is detained. He reveals himself to be Doopliss, saying the disguise is a means to an end. The plan for a sticky mess didn't work out, so he leaving, and the rest is up to Beldam.

Return the items to their rightful owners and you'll get 30 coins from Toodles and a Star Piece from the waitress. The exit is near cabin 001.

Outside, you'll see the drawbridge is up. A river used to flow under the bridge, but it dried up. The train can't leave the station. One of the staff says that a shadowy person in a hat went into the station. He says the switch for the drawbridge isn't used frequently anymore, so no one knows where it is. He gives Mario the Station Key and asks him to throw the switch. Open the door to the station and go inside.

It's quiet inside. There's a badge high up, but there's no way to reach it. There's also an elevator that needs a key to operate. Go east and roll under the partly raised gate to reach a switch to the right. Some stairs appear, so go upstairs and through the door at the top. There are some enemies here. They're Ruff Puffs, with 7 HP and 4 attack. They can swoop to attack or build up an electrical charge. If you hit it when it's charged, you'll take damage. Defeat all of them, then go upstairs. There's a platforming challenge of spinning gears. Not every gear will lock into place after a platform rotates level with the stairs. You'll want to jump to the yellow gear, then the green, then pink, back to green, then blue to reach the other side. There are many rotating parts here. Stand on the spinning yellow gear, then jump up to a spinning area to the right, when an area comes rotates into view. Jump to a gear to the right, then use Koops to get the Station Key when the gate rises out of the way. Leave, then unlock the door to the east.

The door leads to the outside. Hit the invisible block over the used item block for a Thunder Rage. There are Poison Pokeys out here. They have 8 HP and 4 attack. They can fall on their target, hit a segment at their target, and summon reinforcements. They can poison you if you don't guard correctly. Roll under the stairs at the top to the left for the HP Plus badge. Drop down and walk to the right for a Shine Sprite. Walk to the far left and use Flurrie to blow away the old posters, revealing a door. You'll find Spiky Parabuzzies in here. Roll down the hill to the left to enter a maze. Drop down, then roll to the right and jump over the gap. Fall through hole and roll left for the P-Up, D-Down badge. You'll fall into a bin with a Dried Shroom. Go through the front door.

It leads to a room with a key you can't reach. Go west into an area with the station's files. There are Goombas here. Defeat them all to reveal 3 switches on the floor, each with a number. Hit them that many times to reveal a staircase. Go up the stairs and use Koops to get a Shine Sprite. Go east at the top of the stairs. The room contains a large chest with the Ultra Boots. Toadette appears, saying these boots increase jump attack power and allow him to perform a new move called the Spring Jump. Hold (A) while rotating the Control Stick repeatedly and Mario will fold up many times. Release (A) to for a giant jump that allows him to reach new areas and grab pipes. When Mario's holding onto a pipe, press (B) to let go. He can use this move in battle. Line up with the trail of water from the leaky pipes on the right side to reach the pipe with a Spring Jump. Cross over the boxes and flip sideways to drop through the grate. This will take you back to the room with the key. Climb up on the boxes and cross the gap in front of the door with Yoshi. Spring jump to the pipe above and drop into the fenced-in area. Hit the platform with the key with a Spring Jump from below to knock it off the platform. Get the Elevator Key and climb out of the fenced-in area using the pipe.

Go back to the room with the elevator and hit the platform with the badge with a Spring Jump. The badge is the Close Call P badge. Activate the elevator with the key and go down into the basement. There are many creatures in the basement, but Mario's ally doesn't know what they are. They may have flipped the switch. Use the Spin Hammer move to clear them out, and, after a few times, they'll clear out, revealing a lever. Move it to reveal a switch and some stairs. Hit that switch to make the drawbridge lower. Take the elevator up and board the train. There's an announcement saying the next stop is Poshley Heights. Save and go to sleep.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 5: The Key To Pirates -- Part 2

Flavio writes in his diary that the explorers have entered the cave and he wonders if they'll find the treasure.

Mario has discovered the Pirate's Grotto. There's a Ruin Powder behind the barrel near the entrance. Save and go east. Someone's groaning echoes throughout the cave. Drop down twice, then go east. There are Lava Bubbles here. They're like Embers, but have 6 HP and 4 attack. Jump over the water to the shipwreck, then walk onto the bow. Jump for a hidden Shine Sprite. Use Koops to get a Star Piece on an island. Walk to the back and use Vivian to cross to the right, avoiding the spikes. Go east.

Here you'll find Bullet Bills, which have 2 HP, 4 attack, and 1 defense, and the Bill Blasters that fire them. They have 5 HP and 2 defense, and only fire Bullet Bills when battling. The Bullet Bills will hit you and disappear. Go east again and jump across the broken bridge, then cross the water on the higher rock near the waterfall with Yoshi. There's a winch that controls the sluices here, but the handle's missing. There are Bulky Bob-ombs in the area. They are large, pink Bob-ombs that will explode when their fuses are lit. They have 6 HP, 2 attack, and 1 defense. They never attack, but when they explode, they'll hit with 2 attack, unless they charge their attack up to 8. The explosions hit both Mario and his partner.

Go east and you'll find a Save Block and a locked door. Climb up the rocks and you'll find Parabuzzy Beetles. They have 5 HP, 3 attack, and 4 defense, but if flipped over, their defense drops to zero. Use Bobbery to reach the Shine Sprite over the rocks. Jump across the water and throw Bobbery on the ledge to hit the switch. This raises the metal door so you can go west. Go up and across the waterfall, then go west again. This takes you to a rom with a crate floating in the water and a platform attached to a counterweight. With good timing, throw Bobbery onto the crate, as it's moving away, so Bobbery can hit the switch in the middle of the water. While Bobbery is walking, run to the platform. The switch will make it rise up, so go to the right for the Grotto Key. Hit the switch again and jump to the counterweight. Wait for it to rise up to the top shelf of barrels, where there's a Shine Sprite. Go back east, save, and unlock the door.

There are more Parabuzzies on the other side of the door. Go through the hole in the front wall and use Koops to get a Shine Sprite. Roll up into a tube and roll left under the spikes. Some of the spikes are at ground level, so be careful. Go west. There's a Shine Sprite just out of reach. There's an invisible block below it, so you can reach it. Cross the barrels and shipwreck to a broken bridge with an Ember and a Lava Bubble. Use Bobbery to blow up the door on the left wall and go west. Jump left and you'll come across a shipwreck. Enter it and you'll find the P-Down, D-Up badge behind a Black Chest. The Black Chest thought no one would come. Mario just wants the curse. The chest says it practiced a speech, but Mario says that this one is the fourth chest he's come across. The chest thinks Mario is jaded and wanted to see the face of the unlucky fool it got to cruse. It says there's a ghost nearby with the key, so Mario should get it so they can get this farce over with. an Ember appears. Beat it and the Black Key drops down. Unlock the chest and it delivers its spiel. Mario is cursed forever. It forgets a part of its speech and, after cursing Mario, asks if the curse really hurt him. It tells them to squirm and suffer like socially awkward worms. For this curse, press (Y) on boat panels to turn into a paper boat. He will float on the water and people will laugh at him. It only works in certainly places, so the chest thinks it isn't too bad. Approach the panel and press (Y) in the water to return to normal. It thanks Mario for letting it do its think and it feels better. Mario's partner thinks this chest may be on their side.

Sail east to the other side and return to the area with the Save Block. Climb up the rocks and go west. Change into a boat and sail east, then go under the waterfall. To the right is a chest with the Defend Plus P badge. Go back west and drop down the waterfall. Sail west twice to the area with the rising spikes. Return to normal, then jump to the ship. It has the Gate Handle you need to operate the floodgates. Walk back there and raise the floodgates. Go back up to the waterfall above the floodgates and turn into a boat. Sail down the waterfall again and sail through the floodgates. Sail east to the area with the spikes coming out from the walls. There are large waves here. Avoid them, or you'll sink and have to start back on the left side. Fortunately, you won't take damage.

Go east and someone notices the boat on the water. It's one of a bunch of Toads stuck on a shipwreck, asking to be saved. Sail past them and they'll be disappointed that it's just a paper boat. On the left side is a pipe. Go through it and it takes you to the background. Go over the ship and to the far left to reach another pipe. This brings you back to the foreground, near an airplane panel. Fly a short distance to the right for a pipe. It takes you to the background, where a switch is. This makes barrels appear to the right of the pipe. Go left to the pipe to the airplane panel and fly farther to the right for another pipe. This switch makes barrels appear between the shipwreck and the pipe. The Toads can cross to the other side now, and as they do, you'll see Frankie and Francesca among them. Fly and jump to where they are and the Toads thank Mario for saving them. They were looking for the treasure when they were surrounded by ghosts. Francesca recognizes Mario, saying she and Frankie took a trip, but their ship got too close to the island. She's relieved to hear Mario isn't here to take her back under order of Don Pianta. She thinks that Cortez is nearby and the rumors are true. They were trapped on a raft, so she asks Mario to deal with Cortez. The Toads will figure out a way out of here if Mario will deal with Cortez.

Go east to an area with a ship and Four-Eyes walks in. He says he followed Mario and got lost. He tells them that the Crystal Star and Cortez are in the ship. Mario can take him and they're counting on him, especially him and Grodus. Heal and save, then enter through the door on the ship.

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...

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...

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.

Paper Mario: The Thousdand-Year Door -- Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon -- Part 2

Mario has reached Hooktail's Castle. Go through the gate and you'll find that the bridge is broken. Drop down and have Koops get the HP Plus badge. Go back into the gate and spring up to an airplane panel. Fly east to the door. Inside the castle are many piles of Koopa Bones. Go east and you'll find a pile of bones that reminds Koops of his father. The bones are holding a letter. Read it and it says that the writer came to the castle to beat Hooktail, but can't go on. The writer did find out Hooktail's weakness, something that begins with "cr" and ends in "icket". Somewhere in the castle is an item related to this weakness. It must be found in order to defeat Hooktail. If Hooktail is faced with ultimate doom, she'll use any trick to save itself. The writer warns not to fall for it. The writer is proud of and loves his son, Kolorado. Koops is a little embarrassed that he read a letter that wasn't from his father.

There is a key behind some bars, but you can't reach it. Walk towards the east door and you'll wake up a red pile of bones. It says that they don't value their lives if they came to the castle to disturb them. Many Dull Bones rush the area. Clear them out with your hammer to make a path back to Red Bones to battle. Red Bones has 5 HP, 3 attack power, and 1 defense power. He might revive after you drop his HP to zero and create more allies. Get rid of the Dull Bones first. The Dull Bones have 1 HP, 2 attack power, and 1 defense power. They throw bones at Mario and his party and can assemble reinforcements. You'll want to hit them all at once. Power Shell works well here. Once you defeat them, the other Dull Bones clear out. Go east.

On the back wall is a Shine Sprite. Go up the stairs on the right side and drop down towards the front wall. There are some small switches that control blocks of the same color. Hit the purple switch to make the purple block drop. Hold the shell in the path of the purple switch and stand on the purple block. It rises to a doorway with a Star Piece. Drop down to the stone blocks below. While standing on them, break the yellow block. Hit the yellow switch near the purple switch to move the yellow block out of the way, then hit the red switch with Koops. This will make the staircase flip. Go up the stairs to get the Castle Key, then flip them again so you can reach and unlock the east door.

In this room, you'll find a Save Block and a giant green block. Go east. This room looks like a dungeon. There's a badge in one of the cells. On the right side is a red switch. Hold Koops's shell in the path of the switch and stand in front of the right cell. Release the cell to hit the switch, which makes the bars temporarily rise. Go into the cell, then go east. There's a Black Chest in the room. Check it out and whoever's inside admits that it enjoys zinging people with the "If you can me, you must be a legendary hero" line. He wants out and says he won't curse Mario, but help him. Go east into a room filled with holes for spikes. Memorize the layout of where there aren't spikes and the path between the chest and the door. There's a crack in the east wall. Open the chest for the Black Key. Spikes appear from the floor and the ceiling lowers, also filled with spikes. You have 50 seconds to leave the room. The path to the door involves walking a little to the right, then the front, then right, to the back, far to the left, to the front, then left to the door. After the party member says they're thankful to still be alive, open the chest. Whoever's inside calls Mario a fool and says that the castle's traps prevent anyone from leaving. He places a curse on Mario. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. When [R] is pressed, he flips sideways and appears paper thin.

Go west and used the new curse to easily slip past vertical bars. Use it to get the Attack FX R badge in the cell. Go west three times to get the Castle Key behind bars. Go back to the Save Block and have Koops hit the green switch while standing on the giant green block to make it go up. This will take you to some stairs up to a locked door. Go west. This will take you to a Heal Block and a blue switch. Hit it to make the floor appear in the gap. Walk to the left and have Koops hit the next switch. There's an open window nearby. Jump through it and walk to the right for a Star Piece, then all the way to the left for another open window. This is the only way to cross the left gap. Go west and up the stairs.

Hit the green switch while standing on the giant green block. Go through the west door, which leads to the armory, and you'll meet a mouse wearing red heels and a mask. She calls Mario a handsome piece of cheese and can't believe there are other thieves here. Her name is Ms. Mowz, a globe-trotting thief who's here to steal a rare, valuable badge. Mario's party member mentions the Crystal Stars, which Ms. Mowz didn't know about. She sounds interested, but will let them have it. Apparently, she's a thief with some honor. She found what she wanted, so she kisses Mario and leaves, saying there's a badge in the castle that will help them defeat Hooktail. In the room, get the Shine Sprite and open the chests for a Castle Key, Honey Syrup, and a Mushroom.

Go east and across the bridge to unlock the door. Walk to the right and go down the stairs. Hold the shell out and stand on the yellow block, then let the shell hit the switch. The block rises to a narrow ledge. Walk to the left, flip to become paper thin, pass through the bars to the other narrow ledge, and go right for a Star Piece. Go back to the airplane panel and fly right to the door. This leads to a staircase. Go downstairs and cross the yellow block to get the Castle Key. Hit the switch to make the block drop down to the Last Stand P badge. Badges marked with the letter "P" mean that they affect Mario's partner. Return to the higher staircase and go upstairs. You'll find a Shine Sprite and a locked door. Go west. This leads you outside. Cross the bridge to the west to a spiral tower. Climb the tower and beware the Spike Goomba at the top. Equip the Attack FX R badge, heal and save.

Go through the door and someone asks who dares approach. It's a large red dragon who asks if Mario is friends with the strange-garbed one who came earlier. She didn't expect more people to come steal the treasure she protects. She thinks Mario and party may make a good snack, so she'll gobble them up. You can attack her head or her food. I recommend the foot because you'll be onscreen at all times and all party members can attack it. Attack her and she'll feel woozy. The Attack FX R badge makes each of Mario's attacks sound like a cricket (more like a frog). She had a bad case of food poisoning after eating a cricket and she hates them. She has 20 HP, 5 attack power, and 1 defense power, which drops to zero when she hears a cricket. She'll stomp and chew for her attacks, and sometimes breathe fire. The Power Bounce attack can be effective here. Once you get her HP down to zero, she'll say she's sorry and she gives up. She asks for forgiveness, and offers 1000 coins. Reject the offer and she'll offer a rare badge. Turn her down and she'll offer to let Mario smell the bottom of her feet. Reject that offer and she'll eat some members of the audience while the rest flee in terror. It restores some HP. If you attack her head, some Toads will escape and run away. Defeat her and she says she wanted to do more with her life and that there are many more meals she wanted to eat. She goes belly up and gives 30 SP.

After the battle, Hooktail is still twitching a little. The party member says to look for the Crystal Star. Hooktail spits up a shell. The Koopa is thankful to finally be out. Koop recognizes him as his father. Koops has grown so much since his father last saw him. He came to deal with Hooktail, but she played a trick and gobbled him. He hid in his shell for 10 years in her stomach, which was disgusting. Koops tells him they were worried and he came to defeat Hooktail and get the Crystal Star. His father has one. He found it in Hooktail's stomach and kept it as a souvenir. It's the diamond Crystal Star. Take it and Mario learns a new move: Earth Tremor. Press (A) with good timing as the star icons light up.

End of Chapter
Mario and friends finally got a Crystal Star in the castle after defeating Hooktail. Koops even reunited with his long-lost father, whom he thought was dead. Yet they were unable to learn anything about the whereabouts of the princess. Where could Princess Peach be? Yes... Mario's adventure has only just begun.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon -- Part 1

The pipe from the underground ruins takes Mario and Goombella to Petal Meadows, a grassy area with pleasant music. Hit the trees to the left for a Star Piece and a Mushroom. Walk down the hill and something giant flies overhead towards the castle. Goombella notes that there's already intrigue, even though their adventure just started. The item block in the area has a Mushroom. Go east. The red item block has the Close Call badge. Hit the brick block for some coins. Go east and check the shrubs for coins and a pipe. The pipe takes you to the background. Hit the switch to make a bridge assemble over the river. Walk to the far right for a Star Piece. There's a Fire Flower in the item block on the other side of the bridge.

Walk east to enter Petalburg. A Koopa welcomes Mario and Goombella, saying that they get few visitors, due to their remoteness, and Hooktail, the dragon. Hooktail flies overhead periodically, which scares everyone. This Koopa doesn't know about the Crystal Stars, but says the mayor, who lives in the pink house, might. On the west side of Petalburg, you'll find a white Bob-omb, named General White. He lost his hopes and dreams and wants to be left alone. He's standing in front of a house belonging to a Koopa who's a huge Peach fan. He has many pictures of her. He says that Hooktail lives in the castle nearby and may have some treasure. No one has returned from the castle. Go east and you'll see many Bub-ulbs. There's a Toad here, who says there's a monster in the fortress outside of town. Attacks don't affect it, not even fire. The mayor's pink house is here. Mayor Kroop is at home and thinks Mario and Goombella are thieves. He says there's nothing to steal and to leave his photos alone. Mario explains that they're looking for the Crystal Stars and Mayor Kroop says that Hooktail has one and that the dragon eats people. If Mario beats Hooktail, he'll receive gratitude and rewards. He asks Mario's name and calls him Murphy. He tells Murphy that he needs to find the secret pipe to reach the castle and, to find the pipe, he'll need the Stone Keys. The Stone Keys are in Shhwonk Fortress. He'll give permission for Mario to leave through the east gate.

Go outside and you'll receive an email from Professor Frankly. You can read it on the Mailbox SP. Mario will receive lots of information this way. At the bottom is a picture of Frankly near the trash can, which has something in it. Go back to check the trashcan for parts of the Tattle Log. The Koopa guarding the east gate will open it for you. Before you can leave, a Koopa appears. His name is Koops and he heard that Mario was going to Hooktail Castle. He wants to ask a favor of Mario, but chickens out and says to forget it. Go east.

Check the shrubs in the area. One of them has a Star Piece. There are Koopas here. They have 4 HP, 2 attack power, and 1 defense power. Flip them over with a jump attack to reduce their defense to zero. One of the shrubs has a POW Block. Hold onto it and go east into the fortress. Inside, the door is locked. Check the pedestals and the enemies on the pedestals come to life. They are Bald Clefts. They have 2 HP, 1 attack power, and 2 defense power, rendering your attacks usesless. Fire attacks are also ineffective. Use the POW Block to defeat them. The door unlocks. Go east, which leads outside. There's a shrub near the entrance to the next part of the fortress with another POW Block. Go inside and check the pedestals. The enemies, Bristles, will attack. They have 2 HP, 1 attack power, and 4 defense power. Fire attacks don't work and their spikes will hurt Mario if he tries to use a hammer attack. Use the POW Block. The door unlocks and you can go east to the outside. The item block in the area has a Fire Flower and there's an Inn Coupon on the ground. It makes a stay at any inn free. There's a Heal Block at the entrance to the next building. You'll have to pay the coins posted on top of the block to get a full heal.

Go inside and save. Check out the Thwomp Statue and it says it's been a while since it had contestants. If Mario wants the Stone Keys, he'll need to win at the Thwomp's game. Otherwise, he'll suffer a terrible fate. The challenge is the 65th Super Fun Quirk Quiz. Answer 5 questions correctly to win. Get three wrong and you'll suffer the terrible fate. The questions are as follows:
1. What is hidden in Shhwonk Fortress? Stone Keys
2. What is the cost of a Mr. Softener and a Fire Flower, total? 16 coins
3. What is the name of the mayor of Petalburg? Kroop
4. What is located in Hooktail Castle? Crystal Star
5. How do you get from Petal Meadows to Rogueport? By a pipe

When you win, the Thwomp is angry about losing. He lets them through, revealing a pipe. Save and go through the pipe. It leads to an underground tunnel that has some water in it. In the item block is the Multibounce badge. Be sure to equip it. You can go either east or west and you'll need to go in both directions. Try to stay out of the water to move a little faster You'll find Fuzzies here. They have 3 HP and 1 attack power. They'll drain your HP to restore their own. To guard, press (A) the moment the Fuzzy releases you. The timing can be tricky. Go to the far east and you'll find the Sun Stone. Once you get it, a Fuzzy attacks and you'll have to battle four of them simultaneously. To the far west is the Moon Stone. Once again, you'll have to battle four Fuzzies. Be sure to heal. Return to the part of the tunnel with the pipe and a Gold Fuzzy appears. It says that this is their place and Mario's rude for coming here. It attacks. It has 10 HP and 1 attack power, but it doesn't drain HP. It summons a swarm of Fuzzies which collectively have 20 HP. A few of them will attack one at a time. Focus your attacks on the Gold Fuzzy to win the battle. Leave through the pipe and save.

Go back to Petalburg and leave the town to the west. Koops is there, wanting to talk. He begs Mario to take him to fight Hooktail. He says his dad tried to, but never came back. He wants to finish what his dad started and get revenge. He's been called a crybaby and a weakling and he'll be strong if he defeats Hooktail. Let him come along. Use (X) to shoot his shell to pick up or hit distant objects. Hold (X) to hold the shell in place after shooting, then release to fire the shell past Mario. Mario can move while the shell is being held. In battle, he can use Shell Toss and Power Shell. Press (START) to change party members. A Koopa named Koopie Koo appears, saying she doesn't want Koops to go. Koops wants to be tough for her. She doesn't care that he's timid; she just wants him to be himself. He says his mind's made up and she hits both him and Mario with her shell, calling him a stubborn Koopa.

Go west and take the pipe up to a tall pipe. Use Koops to get the Happy Heart badge. Walk west back to where you can see the castle. Place the Stone Keys in the stones and the ground shakes. Two switches are revealed, as well as some writing on the center stone. The switches must be hit at the same time. Hold Koops's shell out in line with one switch, walk to the other one, and release the shell as you jump on or hit the other switch. The ground shakes again and rocks fall off the center stone, revealing a pipe. Go through it to reach the background and walk into the castle. Go east to see Hooktail Castle.