Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam -- Part 14: When Star Sprites Attack

Head toward where the Bowser medallion fits. On the way, you may encounter Ant Troopers. They'll lose their spiky helmets after enough damage. When you reach the gate, check it out. Mario places the medallion and the gate lowers, revealing a dirt path up the wall. Use the Trio Drill to climb the wall. There are conveyor belts ahead. If you need to go in the opposite direction of the belt, dash and jump with (X). Go east through the pipe.

The bros wind up in a different part of the Twinsy Tropics. There's a pipe here, encased in some sort of mineral. There's nothing you can do to it for now, so check out the other parts of the area. The pipe to the left leads back into the dungeon. There are spider webs here, but you can dash through them. Hit the ! Block to start a timer. You have 38 seconds to reach the other ! Block. There are many webs in the way. Dash through the least complex web to make good time. If you look below, you'll see the same mineral that's covering the pipe outside. Grab the beans and coins in the wall if you'd like, then walk west. Hit the button with Trio Hammer and the shell on a statue opens. It shoots a beam of energy to the mineral encasing the pipe outside. There's another pipe in the middle. There are Paper Swoops here. Climb the wall and Drill Dash to the rings. Some may rotate to allow you to change direction. Go to the upper right area to find the next button. The pipe to the right leads to an area with more Paper Swoops. The dirt patch is to the far right. The rings here move, so time your Drill Dash. You'll loop around to the upper right, where the last button is.

The last beam of energy destroys the mineral around the pipe. The pipe leads back into the dungeon. Go as far right as you can and the bros will stop. Starlow asks why. Mario has a strange feeling about what lies ahead. Starlow's not too worried about it. Saving may be a good idea. Walk towards the pipe and Starlow says Mario's hesitation was unjustified. Go into the pipe and a Koopaling demands a pass. Another one says Bowser's Castle is through this pipe. Luigi gets knocked out of the pipe. Starlow says his mustache fell off and he should stick it back on. The bros take a few hits and Starlow gets upset enough to use her secret attack: Supernova Sparkle. Unfortunately, the attack hit the bros as well. Larry Koopa appears from the pipe. Starlow thinks Larry's on the small side. This upsets Larry. Luigi's ready to battle, but he's standing next to Larry, who tells him to get on the right side of the face-off. He calls in Ludwig von Koopa to help out. Ludwig got stuck in the pipe.

At the start of the battle, Ludwig wonders why the bros get to use Battle Cards and they don't. He pulls out a card to increase speed, which requires 2 dark Star Points to use. They don't have any at the moment, but will earn them for each time they hit the bros. Ludwig and Larry will attack the bros with their shells, then slowly go past Paper Mario. Hold the jump for as long as possible. Ludwig will attack Mario or Luigi with magic. Counter with the hammer. Larry will attack Paper Mario with magic as well. Jump to dodge, land, then jump again as Larry will charge. Hold the jump for as long as possible as Larry is still attacking. Land to counter. The Koopalings will summon some Shy Guys carrying a giant bomb. Use the Boomerang Dodge. This is another one of those fights where it's easiest to just leave Paper Mario alive. Only Larry attacks. You can revive the bros towards the end of the fight. Once Larry is defeated, Ludwig will attack with a large ball of magic. Counter with the hammer, as before. Once they're defeated, Ludwig concedes the bros aren't as wimpy as they look. Starlow says they'll just pass through the pipe. Larry says them losing was part of the plan. Starlow suggests proceeding with caution.

Go through the pipe. There are conveyor belts carrying ore into Bowser's castle. Minions go back inside the castle. Starlow reminds them that saving the princesses is their main priority. Go through the other pipe. There are Boomerang Bros here. Jump with (X) to cross to stones floating in the lava. The second one will toss the bros high in the air before landing far away. Paper Mario folds into an airplane to save them. The bros want to try something light that. The bros learn Trio Glider. Press (A), (B), and (Y). Press (Y) again up to three times to fly higher. Starlow says it can be used to reach high places as well. Follow the path and go west. A Koopa complains that he can't keep hauling stuff around. Another one agrees with him. Kamek announces that break time's over, so they try to look busy. He says they need to get back to hauling papercrafts.

Go west. Use the Trio Glide to cross the lava. The path splits ahead. Take the path due east, then go east again and hit the ! Block to connect a path back to the pipe. Return west to reach the pipe the Koopas went through.

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam -- Part 6: Reaching for Freedom

The new and improved papercraft is Papercraft Luigi. It's holding a hammer. There are Papercraft Pokeys on the battlefield, as well as Papercraft Goombas. Papercraft Luigi's flying hammer attack (the throw attack) is needed to defeat these spikey enemies. Charge up the Toads again, but the rhythm is different. Clear the field to make Papercraft Kamek appear. The Kameks use magic to surround Papercraft Kamek with a barrier and make more brick blocks appear. Use the flying hammer attack to hit it. Papercraft Kamek can warp around the battlefield, so don's expect it to stay put for long. It can also expand its barrier to cause damage. After it has half of its health, the barrier will disappear and it will shoot magic. Counter the attack with the flying hammer attack. Keep attacking and keep your papercraft healed with Mushrooms from the item blocks.

After Papercraft Kamek is defeated, Kamek says they could've won if it wasn't so ugly. They retreat to come up with a new strategy. Approach the bridge to Bowser's Castle and something appears in the sky. It's a giant cannonball with Bowser's emblem on it. It destroys the bridge. Bowser wants a damage report from within his castle. He was aiming for Mario and wonders if his minions do anything correctly. He apparently has planned for their ineptitude and tells them to keep firing, as they have enough cannonballs to compensate for their terrible aim. The next one nearly hits them and knocks them away. Roy Koopa, Ludwig von Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, and Larry Koopa appear. Ludwig says they have to take the bros to the secure location. Roy summons a pickup from some Chargin' Chucks. In the process, the book falls out of Luigi's hands. The Koopalings are about to walk away when Roy wonders why there aren't paper versions of them. Wendy thinks their paper versions are doing important things in their world. She also thinks they don't need their help. She leaves and Roy spots the book. He thinks books are dumb, so he decides to throw it away when the Bowser Jrs. appear. Bowser Jr. says he'll tell his dad if Roy throws his book away. Bowser Jr. picks it up.

In the secure location, the Mario Bros are tied up and Paper Mario is tied up in a roll. Paper Mario stands up and rolls himself up tighter so the ropes fall away. He frees and wakes up the bros. Starlow wonders how they'll escape the cell and Paper Mario slips through the door's bars. He hits the lock with his hammer to open the cell door. The bros leave the cell and Luigi starts checking for something. Mario explains the book containing the Paper Mushroom Kingdom is gone. Luigi mopes around for a while. Starlow tries to make him feel better, but then makes it worse. Paper Mario suggests they look for it after they defeat Bowser. Paper Mario folds himself into a hankerchief, then wrings himself out after Luigi dries his eyes. Starlow suggests exploring to figure out where they are. There are a couple of cells in the area. Send Paper Mario into the one with the Toad, who says they're in the Twinsy Tropics Dungeon. A nice paradise having a dungeon is creepy. He says the minions are talking of harvesting something from here. Go east, as you can't get far going west.

There's not much here except some item blocks with coins. Go east. There are more cells here. The blue Toad explains that Bowser's after an ore only found here. The yellow Toad says they are used to haul the ore to Bowser's Castle. Try to go east and a Hammer Bro notices they're trying to escape. More Hammer Bros appear. The bros want to fight, but the Hammer Bros say they'll find battle difficult without their Command Blocks. They can't attack, use Bro or Trio Attacks, flee, or use items. The bros will have to fight for their Command Blocks back. They leave to go on patrol. Getting their Command Blocks back is the bros' next challenge.

Find a Hammer Bro and engage it. You can't attack, so all you can do is counterattack. They'll throw three hammers, then charge. Jump to dodge the hammers, except the ones that are thrown high in the air, then jump to counter. The first Command Block you'll retrieve is the flee one. You can press [R] to idle, which is a problem when your [R] button is broken. You'll then recover Drill Shell and Rocket Blast, then hammer, Trio Kite, then everything else. Go east. There are a few Hammer Bros here. The sign says the bridge is old and rickety. There's also a key to the gate on the other side. Walk under the bridge and up the ramp to reach the bridge. The bros are initially cautious about crossing, but then start jumping lightly and the bridge collapses. The bros form their own bridge using themselves and inch their way back up. Luigi gets an idea. It's the Trio Grab. Like the Trio Hammer, press (A), (B), and (Y) in order, which allows the bros to form a chain to reach things. Unlock the door and Starlow suggests they go outside to see what the Bowsers have done to the Mushroom Kingdom. She also says they should look out for the book, as it would be terrible if it fell into the wrong hands (too late for that), and they have to save the princesses. Being a hero requires a lot of multitasking.

New Super Luigi U: Sparkling Waters- Castle -- Larry's Trigger-Happy Castle

As the name suggests, you're going to be dodging some bullets in this castle. There are Bullet Bills and Banzai Bills in the air and Torpedo Teds in the water. The Ice Flower is available here. The first Star Coin is high in the arch of coins over the water between two Bill Blasters. Take the pipe near the brick wall down underwater. Here you'll find homing Torpedo Teds. Hit the block between two item blocks to make a P-Switch appear. Lure the Torpedo Teds into break the brick blocks around it and hit the switch. This will turn the brick blocks into coins so you can get the second Star Coin in the coins in the middle, near the floor. Alternatively, you can lure the Torpedo Teds into breaking the brick blocks surrounding the Star Coin. On the right side is a pipe and an 8-bit Luigi. Take the pipe to the main level. There is an item block to the left next to the wall of brick blocks. Get the powerup quickly if you need it, as a Banzai Bill will break through the wall very soon. Jump on the brick blocks to the right and keep going. Jump from the brick blocks to reach the third Star Coin before the Banzai Bill destroys the blocks. Keep going to the right to the boss door. Water pillars will appear in Larry's Airship, making stomping him and dodging his attacks a little more difficult. Stomp him three times to win. This opens the path to the Airship in the Soda Jungle. We now have all of the Star Coins in Sparkling Waters.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga -- Part 15: A Duel of Words

When you're ready, use the portal to leave Ludwig's room. Have Mini Mario go under the grate and hit the switch to raise a platform. Go through the door. Ahead is an area with lots of gates. Send Luigi under the gates, then loop around to the left while still underground. Hit the switch, then use the spring to get out of there and rejoin Mario. Mini Mario should take the same path Luigi did, but he can go farther. Hit the switch and use the spring. The switch opens the door ahead. On the back wall of the next area is a switch. Hit it and have Mini Mario go through the gap towards the front of the room and climb up onto the walls. Be warned that there are Boos on top of the walls. Walk on top of the back wall, then go south, then right. This leads to a 2D platforming challenge resembling an 8-bit Bowser's Castle. Hit the ax past Bowser to drop him, then hit the ! Block to open the door ahead. If you go above the area with the moving platform after you use it to cross the lava, you can get an Ultra Mushroom and Ultra Nut in the blocks up there.

The gate ahead leads to Roy Koopa's room. This room has Simu-Blocks. Hit each set to clear the path ahead. Roy appears, but when you try to reach him, he leaves and a portal appears. Take the portal to the main hallway and go left. When you approach the switch, Roy appears and the battle starts. A Time Bob-omb appears alongside him in battle, telling you how many turns you have until it explodes. If it does, it's Game Over. You have 8 turns to defeat Roy. He sends out shockwaves, like Morton, but they move together. He also spits fireballs and attacks the bros in his shell. It took me three turns. Once you defeat him, a barrel will appear so you can hit the switch. This will propel the barrel to the top level. Break out of the barrel and jump down to reach the blocks.

Go through the door ahead. There are Boos ahead. Defeat them before using the barrel to hit the switch. After hitting the switch, keep the barrel on as you go through the door. You'll need it to help you light the torches. Go past the rollers and hit the switch, then go through the door on the left. You'll have to have to use the Thunderhand twice.

Ahead is Wendy O. Koopa's room. There are three pipes. Use the gate to separate the bros. Position them at the edges of the outer two pipes with hammers ready. Have one bro hit Wendy, then switch to the other bro when she appears from the other pipe. Hit her again and she'll appear in the middle pipe, ready for battle. She is accompanied by a Time Bob-omb as well. You have 8 turns to defeat her. She'll split into four, spit fireballs, and throw rings at the bros. A portal will appear and youll be able to progress.

Activate the orb to make some platforms appear. In the next room, position Luigi in front and have Mario ready with the Firebrand. You'll have thirteen seconds from the time you hit the ! Block to use the Firebrand to run through the walls and hit the other ! Block. In the next area, split up the bros. Have Luigi hit the yellow platforms so Mario can move forward, like in Joke's End. There is a Hoo Bean at the end of Luigi's path. Hit the ! Block to form a bridge joining the paths in the previous area.

The next room belongs to Larry. Send Luigi under the gate. When he's across the lava from Larry, a barrel will drop on him. Larry will pick up a tennis racket and Luigi must use the barrel to volley the fireball so it does not hit the Bob-omb behind him. Once the fireball hits Larry, he'll run away, a bridge will form, and the gate will open. Larry's up ahead. Again you have 8 turns to defeat him. He'll spin in front of the bros and spit fireballs, then volley them with his tennis racket. Once you defeat him, a portal appears and you can move forward.

Ahead is a Save Book. Stand between the spotlights behind the ring in the lava to make Fawful appear from the lava. He says, "I have fury! At last, my entrance with drama! Finally! Now is the time where my true might shines, like many angry sunbeams of rage! St-Standing in the spotlight at such a gala of spectacularity... My nerves are nervous! But... Now that I am thinking.... Cackletta's revival was all thanks to my quite nasty efforts! Which means that all this time, I am Fawful, who is just a toady! Such working, all for others! And THAT means... The true meaning of our battle gives me fear and confusion!! I need no long speech before this battle, which will now be mighty! Snack on my wrath, fink-rats!

He'll start the battle by shooting energy blasts at the bros. Hit them back at him. He'll then enclose himself in his ship. Use a multi-hit attack, such as Chopper Bros, to get him to appear. Otherwise, he'll say, "What a wasting..." When you hit him enough times, he says, "You have annoying persistence! And now you eat this!" The ship will spin around, creating energy balls. Hit as many of them as you can with your hammers. You'll have to jump over the remaining ones. Afterwards, he'll appear from the ship, saying, "Ouch! HOTNESS! It is the overheat!" After a few turns, he'll go back into the ship, which will fire lasers. He may also appear and dive-bomb the bros. When you defeat him, he says, "Agh-agh-agh! Urggh... Unless my mind is crazy, I have somehow managed to lose... This must be... fate... Urrrgh... I must accept the defeating..." He sends out an energy blast at Mario. "I have fury! Hah! Now taste the finale, when carelessness opens the door to a comeback not expected by you! Your lives that I spit on are now but a caricature of a cartoon drawn by a kid who is stupid! You shall all fall and vanish with your precious Beanbean Kingdom as I laugh heartily at you!

Prince Peasley arrives and counters with, "HAH! In the finale of the finale, when negligence begets rashness, the comeback is come-back upon!" Fawful hits him with another energy blast and says, "I have fury! In the last moments of the finale of the finale, when relief leads to negligence that begets rashness... That is when the comeback that faltered comes back and beats your pathetic comback that I scoff at!" Mario hits Fawful into the ground and Luigi smacks him out of the castle. Peasley leaves. Ahead is Bowletta, the final battle. Make sure you're fully prepared and stocked with items. It's going to be a long battle.

New Super Mario Bros. U: Sparkling Waters- Castle -- Larry's Torpedo Castle

This level features Torpedo Teds in the water, which are similar to Bullet Bills. It also has jet engines spewing flames. There are moving grates which allow to you stay out of the water. Wall jump up when the jet engines are not firing for the first Star Coin. Go up and over the ceiling to a pipe that takes you underwater. Torpedo Teds can't freeze, so just avoid them. You'll soon reach the midpoint. Keep going right, go down behind a grate, and go left for the second Star Coin. Go up the first green pipe where you'll find coins, Red Coins, and more grates. One of the grates moves vertically. Climb on it and jump when it reaches the ceiling to get the third Star Coin, which is hidden. Dodge the jet engines and you'll eventually reach the boss door. There's a Fire Flower on the right wall in an invisible block. Take the cannon to the Airship. Larry's Airship has waterspouts, which can make stomping him difficult. They also affect his movement while he's in his shell. Use the waterspouts to your advantage and stomp him three times to defeat him. His Airship crashes. We have all of the Star Coins in Sparkling Waters. This opens the path to the Soda Jungle, but be careful if you go forward. There's another special level just ahead.

New Super Mario Bros. 2: Mushroom-Castle

This level takes place on stone blocks over spikes. A giant spike ball destroys the floor, so move quickly and carefully. Trip the Thwomps and jump over them. Pound the brick blocks over the first Star Coin to reach it. Jump over the Whomps, or defeat them if you like. At the end, you'll see a green pipe. Before you take the pipe, go to the right for the second Star Coin. The green pipe leads to the midpoint. The pipe below will take you to the next stage, which is similar to the first. There are rotating brick blocks here and skulled Piranhas. At the end, get enough of a running start with the Raccoon Tail to fly over the boss door for the third Star Coin. Approach the area from the left. This world's boss is Larry Koopa. There are pillars appearing from the ceiling and floor in an alternating pattern. The pillars will allow you to reach the platforms above and will limit Larry's movements during his shell cycle. Three hits will defeat him and the key will appear. The path will open to World 3.
Coin Total: 57,272

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 1-Fort QSC

I need the 2nd Star Coin here. I found it in a hidden area above a ledge. I got applause, then died from being crushed between pillars.

Take 2- I got a Super Shroom, which I lost to a Dry Bones. I got another, which I lost to another Dry Bones. I got the 2nd Star Coin. I powered up at the midgate and got a 1-up Shroom and a Fire Flower from 8 red coins. I got a 100-coin 1-up and reached the boss door. I killed Larry with fire balls.

87 down, 120 to go.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 1-Castle -- Sorry, Mario, but the Princess is not in this Castle!

Rotating gears and lava- not good! I died after falling in the lava- didn't activate the Propeller Suit in time.

Take 2- Got a Super Shroom, but immediately lost it because I was caught between the gear and the ground. I got a new Super Shroom, but I died because I did not build up enough speed to jump over the lava, and did not wall-jump off the edge in time to save myself. This could take some time.

Take 3- Got a Super Shroom, and saved myself with a last second wall jump from over the lava. I got an Ice Flower, but I lost it to a Thwomp while trying to get a Star Coin. I should've been more patient. It wasn't that bad, because soon after, I got enough coins for a 100-coin 1-up! Unfortunately, while trying to land from a jump, I lost my Super Shroom from touching another Twomp. I then died from touching a Dry Bones.

Take 4- I got a Fire Flower for collecting 8 red coins, but I lost it to the same Dry Bones. I saw a green pipe near the bottom of the screen after a gear and got the last Star Coin. I hit the P-switch to solidify blocks over the lava and turn the blocks blocking the Star Coin into coins. Near the boss door, I got a Fire Flower and went through the door. While in the corridor, I was able to shoot up to 4 fireballs at a time. The corridor was quiet, with soft music and echoing gutteral sounds like stones grinding against each other and drops of water. Before I can do battle with Larry, the pesky Magikoopa, Kamek, shows up and uses his magic wand to alter the floor, giving it an everchanging rainbow effect. The floor rises up in 5 columns, which are a rainbow from the cool colors spectrum, with stars and other shapes on them. Every other column is in sync, so three might be up and the other two are down, and they are in constant alternating motion, creating an uneven terrain. This could make the battle more difficult when you want to jump on Larry and you're on a lowered column, losing the height advantage. Things are difficult, but not too hard. After being hit, Larry goes into his shell and runs around, but the columns keep him contained in one area by forming walls. As he is thus contained, jumping on him is much easier, and I just keep repeating the cycle until he takes three hits. After he is defeated, a Bowser silhouette key hovers in midair, with soft bells playing and a single note oscillates in volume. Mario grabs the key, holds it triumphantly and says "Mario number 1!"
The column on the right side of the screen lifts up and Mario exits the castle. Outside waiting is Peach on the Airship. Bowser Jr. is there on top of the castle, jumps on the Airship and it takes off. Mario calls for it to come back and follows it to World 2. Now things are about to get hard.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 1-Fort -- Taking All the Credit

The teamwork is still awkward, but it is working. We helped each other climb the Tower- an entirely vertical level. We had to climb up, reaching for platforms, and jumping high. We jumped on each other's heads and dealt with swinging chandelier-like structures. The music is as dark and foreboding as the Fort itself. We only got 2 Star Coins. The player controlling Luigi got bored and the other Wii opened up, so he left after intentionally dying and using up his lives. I died twice in this level. This game lowers the consequence of failure, quite drastically so in Multiplayer Mode, where you appear in a bubble for the other players to rescue. You shake and tilt the Wiimote to make yourself more accessible to them. Your life count still drops, but it is not as noticeable because you don't have to restart the level. I'm still not quite good at the controls, which is probably why I died so quickly from magic blue fire or touching Larry during the battle with Larry. Toad dealt the first two hits, but when he let me out of the bubble, I landed on Larry, dealing the final blow and defeating him, leading Mario to declare, "Mario number 1!" A white flag of surrender is put up on the Fort and Larry hops over to the castle. Save the game? Yes, please! The player controlling Toad leaves, and they resync their Wiimotes to the other Wii, but do not actually leave the game. Thanks to the wonderful staff at the Archive, this situation is remedied. Back to single player mode.