Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 16: Astral Shimmy

Now that we have a new Special Attack, go south to Bumpty Plains, then Dimble Wood. Go east from the north entrance, then go south, then east. The bros will run into Scutlets, smaller than the one they found in Bowser's Flame Pipe. They attack in large numbers, so be careful. To the east is one of the Attack Pieces. Return, then go south for another. Go west, north, then west again for another. There's another one to the south, where you'll find Sockops. Do not use jump attacks on them as they will swallow the bros and drain their HP. Go west twice, then north to reach Blubble Lake. Go west, then northeast for another pipe into Bowser. Return to Dimble Woods, go south twice, then east for a pipe into Bowser. Go northeast, east, south five times, then east, to the southeast corner of the Dimble Wood. Balloon Mario out to get over the ledge, then go north. An Attack Piece will be on the small peninsula. If you'd like, you can talk to Broque Monsieur, but he's not a fan of the bros as they hit blocks, turning them brown, and reducing their collector's value. From the Save Block in the southeast, go west three times, then north. Use the shell to hit a ! Block that rolls away a Wiggler statue. The Attack Piece is across the water. Go south to Plack Beach.

Birdley will tell you that the cliff the sage is on is to the south. Go south, then west to the Sea Pipe Statue, then south. Birdley says that the cliff is west of here. The path the cliff is marked with a couple of statues that look like they're doing yoga. On the east side is a house. This is the house of Kuzzle, the sage who had the Star Cure Bowser stole. He doesn't hear very well and repeats himself frequently. He likes puzzles. He tried making puzzles out of Attack Pieces, but couldn't finish them. Complete his puzzle to get Attack Pieces for a new Special Attack. His puzzles become real when they're completed. The first puzzle turns into Attack Pieces for the Special Attack Spin Pipe. Mario and Luigi will get into a pipe and it will spin around. Keep track of which bro is on the bottom and hit his button when he lands. Kuzzle says his house is empty due to an incident, but wants furniture in the place. His furniture puzzle pieces are scattered all over Plack Beach in puzzle sacks. Retrieve them and solve the puzzles for beans. He'll show the areas on the map where they are. When you return with some puzzles, he'll notice the Star Cure and tell the bros about it. Bowser came in when he was about to solve a puzzle. Bowser tried solving one, gave up quickly, and trashed the place. He left, taking the Star Cure with him. Solve the four new puzzles to replace the furniture, or retry a puzzle to get a perfect score of 100. When you complete all four furniture puzzles, you get ten of each kind of bean.

Go west to find the sage. You'll run into Pendrils and Drillbit Crabs. Don't hit the Pendrils when they attack if they have a rock on their nose. This will release a Bob-omb/ Go west, then climb up the cliffs. Some platforms will rise to help you reach areas. Ahead, you'll be using the air vents and currents a lot. Use them to explore. When you get the chance, save. Go east, then go through the green pipe. This will take you back down to the beach. Be sure to hit the ! Block, then go back up. The sage is up ahead, doing yoga. His name is Chakron and he meditates on the nature of all. (Yes, he's the one who manages the Chakroads and talks to Bowser about them.) Starlow explains the situation while Luigi copies Chakron's yoga pose. He tells them to leave. He is busy absorbing waves from the cosmos in his pose. This is how he gains knowledge and enlightenment. He has been standing this way for a thousand years. Breaking out of this state of perfect balance will be difficult. He'll give the bros the Star Cure if they can break him out of this pose. Luigi tries tickling and poking, but to no avail. The event must be shattering, but the hammer doesn't quite cut it. Starlow says to use their best attack and the bros "battle" Chakron. Don't bother using your best attacks, as they do nothing. Jump or hammer until Chakron gives up. The bros need an attack that shakes the ground. Leave and Chakron mentions the Wood. The attack they need is there. So says outer space.

Take the pipe back down to the beach and go to Dimble Wood. We already have 6 Attack Pieces, so there's only four left to find. Once in Dimble Wood, from the south entrance, go north, then west. Heal and save, then approach Wiggler. The forest has seen too many incidents lately, partly due to Bowser's activities, so he won't let the bros go past. Mario explains they're looking for Attack Pieces. Wiggler's familiar with them, but won't let the bros have them. He thinks they want to cause trouble as well. He'll let the bros proceed if they find six Attack Pieces in Dimble Wood. Since we did that earlier, we're good to go. He lets the bros pass, saying to find them quickly.

Up ahead, send Mini Mario past the fence and hit the ! Block. One appears near Luigi. Luigi freaks out when a bunch of Sockops abduct Mario. Luigi's on his own. Hit the ! Block to open up the path the Sockops took. There are lots of thorns on the ground. Follow the path over the spikes to the west, ignoring the Attack Pieces. Go west to see the Sockop with Mario jump into a large Sockop. The small Sockop soaks in some liquid while the large one starts moving and inhales some Scutlets. After defeating them, Luigi pounds the Sockop to free Mario from the liquid. The Sockop spits Mario out and shrinks around Luigi. He can't get free, so he hops around it, like a Goomba's or Kuribo's Shoe. This allows him to cross spikes with ease and talk to the other Sockops. Take the opportunity to grab the Attack Pieces. The Sockops say he looks like the boss, and talk about chugging things, like blocks and Luigi. Go east over the spikes and hit the ! Block to the right to form a bridge. Go north, then go to the west to see the Sockop that had Mario now has a block with the last Attack Piece. He wants to chug the block. His name is Kuribo and he'll chug just about anything. He releases the block, saying he doesn't like them and wants to chug the bros. Luigi wakes up Mario, which makes the Sockops realize that Luigi's not a Sockop in full command of its body. Mario peels the Sockop off Luigi and it wakes up. Kuribo says it's sick that Luigi hopped around in a knocked-out Sockop. All four rush the bros to chug them. Defeat them and grab the last Attack Piece. This gives the bros the earth-shaking Special Attack Snack Baskets. Snacks will rain down, so move Luigi to eat them. Luigi will get super large, Mario lifts him up by hitting (A) repeatedly, then Luigi slams down to the ground. Return to Chakron.

Use the Special Attack Snack Baskets on Chakron to knock him over. The statues around him crumble. Chakron doesn't like this new pose. He will no longer receive information from the cosmos. He won't give the bros the Star Cure. Starlow reminds him to keep his promise, so he inches off the edge and retrieves the green Star Cure, assuming a new pose. He likes the pose as he receives waves of energy from the earth. He offers to help the bros reach Toad Town more quickly. The bros gaze into outer space, so as not to see Chakron's secret for launching them to Toad Town. Go to the clinic when you land.

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 3: Unleash Your Inner Pyro

Bowser is still on Plack Beach, after defeating the Sea Pipe Statue. Suddenly, some brown trees spring up, blocking Bowser's path to the south. The Sea Pipe Statue starts spewing water from its pipes. Bowser starts drinking it and a new area opens up, called the Pump Works. It's filled with water, so the bros will have to swim around. The water makes things like bony walls float up, opening access to new areas. Swim up and Bowser moves away, instantly draining the area. Starlow convinces Bowser to keep drinking. Move him away from the water when you want to drain the area. The next area has a Save Block and three pipes. Go down the middle pipe to reach a special block. Hit it and five blocks stack up. Memorize the order of the blocks and have the correct bro hit them. This will give you one of the Pump Work's Attack Pieces. You'll want the water drained for battles. Bloopers shrivel up without water, but can take moisture from Bowser's body if you let them live long enough. In the next area, change the water level so you can reach switches. Go to the right and grab some Attack Pieces. You'll find Protobatters in this area. They increase in size every time they're hit. The pipe that appears takes you to an area that looks like DNA is arched over the doorway. Go to the right until you see something sparkle with electricity. Hit the ! Block above to go right.

Go as far to the right as you can and hit the switch. This makes an explosive ball appear. Push it towards the Chombone, the bony bug-like thing in the ceiling. It will break the floor below it. Drop down and go to the right. You'll find Toadsworth trapped near a switch. He doesn't know where Peach is. The bros will help Toadsworth out and Luigi notices a small gap. Mario tells Luigi he should use his hammer to make him Mini Mario. To the left, through the gap, is a switch that frees Toadsworth. He tells the bros he saw a huge flat bug by a door. He goes to Toad Square. Hit the switch where he was and drop down. There's another switch to the right. It's easy to reach with water. This will allow you to go to the left. Get the Attack Piece in the lower left corner and go left. There's a switch to the left that makes another explosive ball appear. There are Chombones to deal with, so move an explosive ball in front of each. This will allow you to reach an Attack Piece and a switch that opens the path to the left. The last Attack Piece is there. The new Special Attack is Fire Flowers. Hit the switch on the left to make an explosive ball appear and open a gap in the floor. Push it to the left into the next area. Drain the water so it falls into a cannon. Have Mini Mario hit the switch below to fire the cannon. Go back right, raise the water level, and push it to the left, so the Chombone can get it.

Drop down the gap and grab the Stingler, the thing that's sparkling with electricity. Go back to the right to the special door. Place the Stingler in the door to unlock six new areas: the Nerve Cluster, Flame Pipe, Airway, Chest Station, Nose Deck, and Pipe Yard. Go to the Flame Pipe. Climb up the platforms and have Mini Mario hit the switch on the left. This allows you to go right. At the top, the huge, flat bug Toadsworth mentioned is there, between two pipes. Starlow says it's from Dimble Woods. She notices it's much larger than usually. Some flames briefly lift the bug up. He's blocking Bowser's flame pipe, preventing him from breathing fire. The bug eats Starlow.

The bug is called Scutlet and the bros must defeat it. Fire Flowers work well. It will try to eat the bros, so stomp on its tongue when it approaches. It will also throw Starlow at the bros, then eat her again. After it takes enough damage, it will fly up and drift down to attack the bros. Defeat it with Special Attacks. They'll get a lot of experience, so they may level up. Once they hit level 6, the bros will rank up from Mushroom Rank to Shell Rank. The bros can equip two pieces of equipment at Shell Rank, and shop at better shops. Scutlet explodes and frees Starlow. The pipe is clear, so flames shoot forth, burning the brown trees. The gap in the pipe closes up. Starlow explains the problem. Bowser is pleased, enough to make her an honorary minion, but she politely declines. Bowser asks her name and she calls herself "Chippy". Odds are, you're going to forget her real name by the end of the game. In an explanation, she uses the term "we" and Bowser asks who else is in his body. She tries to come up with an explanation, but he doesn't really care. He can unleash his inner pyro again with (Y).

Burn the trees and go back south. Burn the tree to the left of the raft to allow you to move through Plack Beach better. You can burn green trees, so try it out. When you return to the statue, go east. Broque Monsieur is here, with a problem. He lost his pet block, Broggy. Broggy is a block dog, who isn't particularly obedient. He knocks Broque Monsieur to the ground. He asks Bowser to teach Broggy some manners. Punches won't work, however. The battle starts. Broque Monsieur says Broggy likes to jump on people, so Bowser should use his shell defense with (Y). This will allow him to duck attacks, protecting himself with his shell. He also explains that Broggy doesn't like fire. Bowser can breathe fire in battle. As with punching, build up power to the last second, then hold (X), when Bowser's face gets red. Hold (X) longer to do damage longer. The fire makes Broggy turn around, so you can punch him. Defeat Broggy and he runs away. Go to the northeast to a Save Block.

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -- Part 2: Mind Travel

Bowser's on his own to explore and battle. He'll first face Chuboombas, fat Goombas with lollipops. He can get first strikes by punching. There smaller enemies he can instantly defeat for money by running into them or punching them. Punch brick blocks for items, like hot drumsticks, which restore HP. Bowser largely can't jump like the bros, so he can only reach things accessible by ramps. Head south and you'll eventually hear a voice. The voice says it is the voice within, his consciousness. The voice asks Bowser if they should travel together. Bowser doesn’t want to listen and the voice calls him unenlightened. Their minds have bonded, which is rare. The voice says to smash the nearby boulder. Bowser does so, and a pink, yellow, and brown swirl appears. It is called a Chakroad. Bowser touches it and somewhere else on the world map, another one appears. The voice says they will travel with their minds. This places him back in the cave. The voice says the Chakroad took them to a place etched in Bowser’s mind. Bowser touches the Chakroad again to return. Bowser wants to go to his castle, but he can only travel to Chakroads he has found. They are hidden in breakable objects, like boulders. Look for pink swirls coming out of things to find more Chakroads so you can quickly travel place to place. Bowser asks who the voice is, and it replies that it exists somewhere in the kingdom.

Go east, enter the cave, then go south. This will take you to Plack Beach. Go north, then go to the east side of the beach, where you'll see a raft. Hop on it and punch a surface in the opposite direction you'd like to go. Ultimately, you'll want to go northwest. To do this, you can go east, north, and while moving north, hit a set of rocks to go west. This will take you back to the beach. Here, you'll find enemies called Toothies, which are Pokeys made of teeth. The beach has a tooth theme. You'll have to hit them when only their head is left to do damage. Go north.

Someone with a French accent calls to Bowser. He's stuck on an island and needs Bowser's help. His name is Broque Monsieur and has a block collection. He was cleaning up the collection on the island and the bridge fell into the water. Bowser doesn't want to help. Broque Monsieur will give him gratitude in the form of a block. Bowser isn't interested until Broque Monsieur says it is rare and powerful. Broque Monsieur says the island's floating in the water, and to earn the block, Bowser must pull the island to shore with the rope. Bowser grabs the rope and pulls.

Inside Bowser, a new area appears in his arm. It's called the Arm Center and contains his arm muscle, which is reacting. Nearby is a switch that Luigi hits. It sends an light ball flying at Mario. Mario hits it with his hammer into the arm muscle. Bowser thinks he just got a power boost. More color-coded light balls appear and the bros have to volley them until they strike the muscle, boosting Bowser's strength. Missing will make the bros lose coins. At last, the light ball increases in size and when it hits the muscle, Bowser pulls the island to shore. Starlow figures that the bros can make Bowser stronger this way.

Broque Monsieur landed on his head. He gives Bowser the Vacuum Block as promised. Bowser is underwhelmed. Broque Monsier explains that hitting the block allows Bowser to inhale whatever is in front of him, even in battle. Bowser is interested. Broque Monsieur challenges him to a battle as a tutorial. Bowser can inhale small monsters. If there is something Bowser can inhale, the Vacuum Block will flash. He can use the block if it doesn't flash and it will do damage. When it does flash, it means there is something Bowser can inhale, either items or enemies. Once the block is selected, hit (X) repeatedly to inhale. Bowser inhales Broque Monsieur and finds the bros, ready to battle. If Bowser inhales enemies, the bros will get to battle them. Enemies that are on the top screen during battle will either be inhaled, or brought down to the touch screen. Pressing (X) quickly increases the vacuuming power, useful for stubborn enemies. Broque Monsieur gives Bowser a Retry Clock, which allows the user to redo a battle if their HP drops to zero. It also restores all items used in the battle, as well as all HP and SP. There are a limited number of Retry Clocks in the world, so they must be used wisely. The battle continues. Broque Monsieur can hit a block containing a Mega Mushroom, that increases his size. He runs into Bowser. With a punch, Bowser can knock away his body and repeatedly punch the head for coins. For the rest of the battle, just punch him. He'll just leave if Bowser inhales him. He can also hit blocks with mushrooms that can either heal him or Bowser, depending on where they go. He'll eventually stop the battle and Bowser and the bros get experience. Broque Monsieur wants to meet again and leaves for now.

Head north until you reach a statue. Starlow thinks it's the Sea Pipe Statue. Bowser thinks it's ugly and starts punching it. It starts moving and waving its pipe arms. Bowser says the statue's going nuts. "I HAVE CHORTLES!" This is Fawful's new catchphrase, with "chortles" being coined by Lewis Carroll as a combination of "snort" and "chuckle".  One of Fawful's robots appears, so he can tell Bowser, "It is I who added the nuts to that statue! I HAVE CHORTLES! Your plan that I laugh at now makes for more laughing! You are wanting your castle? You are not getting there!" Bowser doesn't want to deal with Fawful right now. "You have the impatience... You must stop and sample the sprinklies in life's salad bar. I say no to your rushing! Time instead for some playing with a Fawfulized statue!" The statue moves faster and starts the battle.

The Stone Blooper on the statue will fly at Bowser through a pipe after looping around the screen. Bowser must inhale it, even though it will drill into him, dropping his HP. If you don't, Bowser's attacks will not do any damage. The Stone Blooper will attack the bros overhead. Counter with a hammer. Hit the Blooper enough times, and it will turn red and fly at the bros. Use the hammer to knock it out of Bowser and stick it in the statue's side. Punch it repeatedly. Once the Stone Blooper has been defeated, the battle ends. The Sea Pipe Statue stops moving.