Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Strategy Guide (Page 02)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Strategy Guide (Page 02).

You hear a commotion ahead; several weird, bespectacled creatures led by one 
with purple horns are attacking a Goomba girl! They seem to be demanding to 
know about things called "Crystal Stars," which the girl claims to know nothing 
about. After the leader of the thugs tells his minions to take her to their 
base (who are these guys?), regain control of Mario and run up. She Goomba 
quickly runs behind you and gets even more defiant. The leader, who you're 
about to learn is named Crump, engages you in a battle; prepare for your first 
fight of the game!

MINIBOSS: LORD CRUMP

Appearance: A short, fat guy with round goggles, a red cape, a white X on his 
chest, and a weird purple hat with horns.
HP: 6
Attack: 1
Defense: 0

This wierdo should be incredibly easy; a few attacks should finish the fatso 
off. Use the battle as a chance to practice the in-battle controls as the 
Goomba girl guides you on what to do.

After you win, Crump is enraged and summons hundreds of minions to PUNISH YOU! 
They swarm around you and begin piling up into where you are...or were. You and 
the Goomba both appear outside the pile as the wierdos remain oblivious. Go up 
the stairs to the right and through the archway to another area of Rogueport. 
After you leave, Crump calls all his minions off, making them snap to attention 
and stop beating the pulp out of him.

Meanwhile, you and the Goomba girl appear in the main square of Rogueport, 
where you saw Princess Peach in the into. A gallows is the square's most 
prominent feature, which should tell you a bit about what the town is like. The 
girl thanks Mario with a kiss. (He seems to have gained the ability to 
unwittingly attract every female he sees between games) She introduces herself 
as Goombella. She has come to Rogueport to find a treasure, the same one your 
map supposedly leads to. Suddenly, a resonant "GREAT HOOGLY BOOGLY!" is heard 
and an elderly Toad whom veterans of *shudder* Super Mario Sunshine should 
recognize as Peach's attendant Toadsworth. He asks what you're doing here, and 
after earning you're looking for the Princess, says he doesn't know where she 
is! (Not again!) He gives you a tip to stay at the nearby inn (visible by its 
bed sign) and then leaves with another warning to watch your back. Goombella 
comments that Peach may have gone out on her own to search for the treasure and 
joins your party!

GOOMBELLA'S ABILITIES: A PRIMER

Goombella is Mario's very first partner. She is a smart, if slightly sassy, 
Goomba girl who has come to Rogueport to look for Professor Frankly. She 
specializes in attacking air enemies, and, of course, finding out information 
on enemies with Tattle. Her field skill tells you everything she knows (which 
is plenty) about the current area. Using it in front of a person or object 
tells you about it instead.

HP: 10/20/30
---Abilities---
Headbonk: 1 + 1/2 + 2/3 + 3 damage to any non-spiked/fire enemy
Action Command: Hit A just before striking target
Style Command: Hit as Goombella jumps
Headbonk is Goombella's most basic attack. It works exactly like Mario's Jump 
and is best used on flying or low-defense enemies.

Tattle: Adds target to your Tattle Log and reveals its HP permanently
Action Command: Press A as the small cursor aligns with the big one
Style Command: Hit A right after aligning cursors and making them disappear
Tattle is a very useful move that tells you everything you'll need to know 
about the target. It's recommended you Tattle on every new enemy you find.

Super Ability-Multibonk (3 FP): 2 + 1 + 1.../3 + 2 + 1 + 1...
Action Command: Hit A just before striking target
Style Command: Same as Headbonk
Multibonk is an extremely deadly move that lets you repeatedly Headbonk the 
target until you miss the Action Command, allowing for potentially unlimited 
damage. Note that the attack does less damage with every hit; use some Charges 
beforehand to boost the move's power to insane levels.

Ultra Ability-Rally Wink (4 FP): Enables Mario to act again
Action Command: Mash A or B to fill gauge, whichever one is shown
Style Command: Press A about a second or so after Goombella winks
This ultra-useful Ultra Ability gives Goombella's turn to Mario, which is very 
good if he's doing lots and lots of damage. When doing the action command, pay 
attention to which button is enlarged; mashing the other one empties the gauge.

After joining you, Goombella asks you to help her look for Professor Frankly, 
then lets you roam Rogueport freely...or almost freely. If you approach a grey-
haired woman on the west side of the square, she tells you she's looking for a 
contact lens, and orders you not to move. She's never going to find the lens, 
so you'll have to move eventually. When you do, it magically appears right 
under your feet and you crush it. She decides to block the way to the western 
side of Rogueport until you can get a replacement lens, which won't happen 
until after Chapter 1.

Now, to check out the other attractions of Rogueport Square. Next to the house 
of the woman whose contact lens you crushed is an item shop. (Recognizable by 
the Fire Flower sign) Feel free to fill your pockets with items here and to try 
out the various shop features. (You start with 100 coins, which is plenty to 
buy things)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TOAD BROS. BAZAAR
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Fire Flower-10 Coins
Fright Mask-5 Coins
Honey Syrup-5 Coins
Mushroom-5 Coins(!)
Sleepy Sheep-8 Coins(!)
Tasty Tonic-3 Coins(!)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
LOVELY HOWZ OF BADGES (Second price is for if Badge is one of 6 randomly 
selected Badges on the counter)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
---Prologue---
FP Drain Badge-100/70 Coins
Happy Flower Badge-150/105 Coins
Last Stand Badge-50/35 Coins
Last Stand P Badge-50/35 Coins
Piercing Blow Badge-75/52 Coins
Power Jump Badge-50/35 Coins
Simplifier Badge-50/35 Coins
Super Appeal Badge-50/35 Coins
Unsimplifier Badge-50/35 Coins
---After Chapter 1---
Close Call Badge-100/70 Coins
Close Call P Badge-100/70 Coins
Sleepy Stomp Badge-75/52 Coins
---After Chapter 2---
First Attack Badge-100/70 Coins
Power Rush Badge-50/35 Coins
Pretty Lucky P Badge-150/105 Coins
---After Chapter 3---
Ice Smash Badge-75/52 Coins
Power Rush P Badge-50/35 Coins
Shrink Stomp Badge-75/52 Coins
---After Chapter 4---
Damage Dodge Badge-150/105 Coins
Head Rattle Badge-100/70 Coins
Soft Stomp Badge-75/52 Coins
---After Chapter 5---
Damage Dodge P Badge-150/105 Coins
Fire Drive Badge-100/70 Coins
Super Appeal P Badge-50/35 Coins
---After Chapter 6---
Attack FX P Badge-100/70 Coins

After you're finished there, check out the alley behind the shop and Inn. This 
leads to the back alley, the seediest part of Rogueport. Once the camera 
rotates around to show the alley, go left to find a run-down house next to the 
Inn. Go inside and look behind the mattress leaning on the left wall for a Star 
Piece! These crystalline objects are used to buy Badges from a certain wierdo 
you'll meet later. There's nothing more to do here, so go back to the square. 

Look behind some boxes near the east entrance, then finally go into the inn. 
There isn't much to do on the first floor, a bar, except talk to the people. Go 
upstairs before the rich merchant Flavio's singing drives you crazy. The second 
floor is the actual Inn. Unlike in the first PM, you have to pay to stay here. 
(Luckily, the fee here is only 5 coins) You can also talk to that loony 
Toadsworth here.

Once you're finished in the Inn, go out the second-floor door to the left. The 
walkway you enter leads to a Badge shop, the Lovely Howz of Badges, but it's 
closed for the Prologue. For now, jump onto the room next to the show winder. 
Go as far left on is as you can and feel around on the back side of it to 
hopefully find a third Star Piece! Now that you're probably finished in the 
square, go back outside and take the east exit to East Rogueport.

As you first enter the eastern side of Rogueport, a bandit runs past you! At 
first he just seems like a rude passersby, but Goombella notices he stole half 
your coins! Chase the bum down! Run back to the house in the back alley you got 
the Star Piece in and talk to the little thief; he reluctantly hands your coins 
back. Now, return to East Rogueport.

Notice the attractions here. Next to an ugly brick wall is a house with 
a...Shine Sprite from Super Mario Sunshine over its door!? If you go inside, 
you can find from Goombella that the man is Merlon! (Not the same one from 
Paper Mario, though) In exchange for 3 Shine Sprites, he'll promote one of your 
partners *BOOM* to the next rank. However, since you don't have any Shine 
Sprites yet, begone! The house next to Merlon's belongs to Professor Frankly, 
the man you're looking for, but I'll skip him for now. Guarding a doorway 
through a brick wall is Gus, a spearman Craw who charges an admission fee of 20 
coins to anyone wishing to enter what's behind the wall. You can't really do 
anything there yet, so don't bother with the toll. Later, you'll be strong 
enough to fight him and never have to pay. Finally, look south of the two 
houses. There's a warp pipe here, but it's behind a fence and you can't open 
it. Finally, give that brick wall next to Merlon's place a closer look. If you 
try to walk right into the center of it, you actually can! It turns out that 
part is indented, leading to a secret alley; how cool! If you go down the alley 
behind Frankly's house, past the creepy, dark-faced man, and jump onto some 
crates, you can walk just to the right to find your fourth Star Piece.

Once you're ready, enter Professor Frankly's house. The two greet each other 
and Goombella shows off her school spirit. ("Gooooooo Goombas!!!") He then 
notices the famous hero Mario standing behind her. (What are you, a sidekick?) 
He asks why you've come; Goombella replies that they're looking for the ancient 
treasure that lies behind the Thousand-Year Door. Even Frankly has no idea what 
it is; it could be a legendary treasure beyond imagining, a terrifying monster, 
or even nothing. All he knows about it is that you need the Crystal Stars to 
open the Door, and you need the map to find the Crystal Stars. He's practically 
blown away when Goombella tells him you actually have the map! He's excited and 
decides you should all set off for the Door at once!

He walks over to the fence next to the warp pipe, and kicks a portion of it 
away. (You could SO have done that) Before entering the pipe, he decides to 
teach you about the action command and has you and Goombella fight. In this 
mock battle, he teaches you about using your hammer, jump, guard, and 
Superguard. He walks you through the whole thing, so just follow along. After 
the battle ends, jump on the nearby pipe and press down on the control stick to 
enter it. (Check out the cool new pipe animation)

ROGUEPORT SEWERS

PM veterans should be familiar with the concept of a min-level beneath the main 
town which becomes more open to you with every new ability you gain. Save at 
the Save Block if you wish. If you want, go to the left to reach an underground 
plaza of sorts beneath Rogueport Square. Unfortunately, a fallen pillar blocks 
everything except the fortune-teller Merluvlee and the happy local wierdo 
Dazzle. You can use your Star Pieces to buy a Badge from Dazzle if you want, 
but it's best to save for something better like the Quick Change or Power Plus 
Badge, some of the best in the game. 

>>>>>>
DAZZLE
<<<<<<
Attack FX Y Badge-1 Star Piece
Chill Out Badge-2 Star Pieces
Flower Finder Badge-6 Star Pieces
Flower Saver Badge-10 Star Pieces 
Flower Saver P Badge-10 Star Pieces
Happy Flower Badge-4 Star Pieces
Happy Heart Badge-4 Star Pieces
Happy Heart P Badge-4 Star Pieces
Heart Finder Badge-6 Star Pieces
Item Hog Badge-5 Star Pieces
Peekaboo Badge-7 Star Pieces
Power Plus Badge-15 Star Pieces
Power Plus P Badge-15 Star Pieces
Pretty Lucky Badge-3 Star Pieces
Quick Change Badge-8 Star Pieces

Since you have this guide, you shouldn't ever need Merluvlee's services at all. 
=P Now, return to the first area and go down some stairs to a lowered area to 
the right of the entry pipe. A gang of 3 Goombas stands on the other side of 
the gap. The sickos are..."interested" in Goombella and fight you for her!

As you and Goombella enter this battle against the 3 types of Goomba, Frankly 
stands on the sidelines and explains flying and spiked enemies. Makes sure not 
to jump on spiked enemies or try to hammer flying enemies (Goombella can't 
Headbonk the Spiky Goomba, even with her helmet) and you should do fine. Make 
sure to try out that action command and guard! After the battle is over, 
Frankly explains first strikes to you. Make sure not to get hit by one!

After beating the ruffians, climb the stairs they were on top of and ride the 
moving platform across the indentation you just crossed to a warp pipe behind a 
fence. Enter it to reach a new area of the Sewers.

In this new area there are 2 more easy enemy groups containing one Goomba each. 
Just use the right attacks for first strikes and these battles will be over 
before you blink. Go down some stairs. You can hit the 2 blocks here for a Fire 
Flower and Mushroom if you didn't stock up. Anyway, use your Hammer to smash 
the 2 yellow blocks, then enter the warp pipe behind them.

You emerge in an even lower room, behind a MASSIVE yellow block. You'll find 
some new enemies, Spinias and Spanias, down here. Luckily, they aren't much 
tougher than Goombas at all. (They just have 1 more HP and don’t have flying 
varieties) As you go to the right, you see a tiny grey creature disappear into 
a crack in the wall...what was that all about? Keep going right to some stairs. 
(Note the off-color section of wall with peeling wallpaper; its location will 
be important later) Climb the stairs and enter the doorway to the right of the 
top of them.

The only object in this room is a strange black treasure chest. When you 
examine it, it talks to you! It says that you must be a legendary hero to hear 
its voice. The poor soul inside was sealed there by a great demon long ago. 
Professor Frankly says not to trust the box, or to mention the Crystal 
Stars...oops. The chest says it contains a power that will help you find the 
Crystal Stars, but you'll need to find the key. Leave the room and go left to 
fall off the ledge you're on, onto a lower one containing the Black Key! (That 
was easy)

Return to the chest and give it the Key. When you open the chest, it turns out 
to be a demon! He has tricked you into freeing him, and will curse you for your 
insolence! Oh no, oh no! After the curse concludes, the demon...explains it? He 
says that you can now stand on special Plane Panels (like the one you saw above 
the Black Key ledge) and press Y to become a paper airplane...wait, how is that 
a curse? The demon pathetically attempts to make this new ability sound like a 
bad thing and explains it further. You can press B or hit a floor or wall to 
return to normal. You can only steer up and down, or left and right. Holding 
the control stick back (the direction you are gliding away from) angles the 
Mario-plane upward, making him gain altitude but lose speed rapidly. Pressing 
the direction he is gliding in makes him dive and lose altitude but gain speed. 
Balance the two for maximum distance. After you ensure the demon you understand 
your "horrible" curse, the cutscene ends with Goombella just as wierded out as 
you.

Return to the previous room and try out your new ability on the Plane panel you 
saw. (Make sure to start from as far to the edge of the panel as possible for 
maximum distance) Hit Y and balance pressing the control stick left or right. 
You only need to glide to the top of the giant yellow block; from there you can 
jump to the left ledge and enter the doorway.

You emerge in a huge, roughly circular chamber: the Thousand-Year Door room. 
Professor Frankly is excited about finally seeing the door, and Goombella is 
confused about the strange pedestal in the middle of the room. Jump onto it; 2 
circles of blue light surround you and the map rises into the air! On it, a 
strange castle thing appears on some grassy fields northeast of Rogueport; this 
is where the Diamond Star is! Also, Mario gains his first Star Power: Sweet 
Treat! Frankly takes you back to his house to explain.

ROGUEPORT

Back in Rogueport, Frankly takes out outside to show you how to use your new 
Star Power. He'll teach you about using Sweet Treat, your Star Meter, and 
appealing. He also talks about the Bingo slot machine that periodically appears 
and the audience. (He doesn't teach you about Stylish moves, which are detailed 
in Game Basics for normal attacks, Partners for partner abilities, and Badges 
for Badge attacks) After that tutorial, you go back inside to discuss the next 
Crystal Star, the Diamond Star. He says it's in Petal Meadows. He also wonders 
if Peach went off there to search for the treasure on her own. Goombella 
mentions there are some evil people looking for the Crystal Stars. (Remember 
Crump and his army of wierdos?) Frankly decides to stay here and sends you and 
Goombella off to search for the Crystal Star...and Princess Peach. As you're 
leaving, however, he stops you one last time to give you your first Badge: 
Power Smash. He teaches you briefly about using Badges, then finally leaves.

Before continuing on to Petal Meadows, there are a few other things you may 
want to do. The Lovely Howz of Badges (out the second-floor door in the Inn) is 
now open, and you can buy Badges from it if you want and have the coins. I'd 
recommend the Super Appeal and Power Jump Badges for now. After that, you may 
also simply want to train against the weaklings in the sewers some more to earn 
more coins and level up, which will make Petal Meadows much easier.

ROGUEPORT SEWERS

When you're ready to advance the storyline, go right in the first Sewers area, 
past where you boarded the moving platform. There's a Plane Panel here; use it 
to fly the gap with the Spiky Goomba to the far right ledge and enter the next 
area.

There's a strange tentacle coming out of the sewage here. If you whack it, an 
enraged Blooper appears and fights you!

MINIBOSS: BLOOPER

Appearance: A giant white squid thing with a black band between its eyes.
HP: 12
Attack: 1
Defense: 0, is flying
Location: Rogueport Sewers
This giant squid thing shouldn't be tough at all. You can choose to attack it 
with Jump Attacks (especially if you got the Power Jump Badge) or attack its 3-
HP tentacles to make it fall to the ground where you can hit it with Power 
Smash attacks. Use Sweet Treat if need be to heal HP and FP.

Once you beat the Blooper, two moving platforms rise out of the water. Jump 
across them (don't worry about Goombella's falling into the piranha-infested 
sewage every few seconds) and go into the warp pipe here to enter...
---
b. Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon (Chap1)

Enemies: Goomba, Paragoomba, Spiky Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Bald Cleft, Bristle, 
Fuzzy, Gold Fuzzy, Paratroopa, Dull Bones, Red Bones, Hooktail

PETAL MEADOWS

Ah, scenic Petal Meadows. A place where people can relax and enjoy the beauty 
of nature. Your first Crystal Star will be a piece of cake! After emerging from 
the warp pipe, you can whack the trees behind the pipe to get a Star Piece of 
the left one and a Mushroom from the right. Save at the Save Block, then go to 
the right. You don't get far before a massive dragon flies overhead to the 
castle in the background, the one pictured on the map as the location of the 
next Crystal Star! Maybe Petal Meadows isn't so peaceful after all. Keep going 
and note the strange rock formation here. 6 rocks surround a larger one that 
looks vaguely like a warp pipe, and the left and right ones have strange 
indentations. You can't do anything here for now, so keep going to the next 
area. (You can hit the yellow block for another Mushroom on your way out)

You'll fight some Goombas in the next area; nothing new. Be sure to get first 
strikes on them and the battles will be easy. Hit the red block here for a 
fairly worthless Close Call Badge. You'll see short and tall pipes here as 
well, but once again you can't do anything here yet. One other thing for this 
area: if you hit one of the weird poles with eyes near the end of the area with 
your hammer repeatedly (it's the one that bobs up and down when hit) a 
Horsetail pops out. It's a useful item for cooking.

Fight another group of Goombas in the next area; this one is bigger than any 
others you've faced, with 4 various Goombas in it. After beating them, examine 
the two large bushes to reveal a warp pipe behind them and enter it to appear 
in...the background! Cool! Run to the right and whack a ! switch to trigger a 
cool animation in which a bridge spanning the nearby river appears from turning 
pages. After hitting the switch, keep going right to find yet another Star 
Piece, then return to the foreground and across the bridge. You can examine the 
lower bush for a Mystery and hit the block for a Fire Flower. Then go right 
through the wooden arch.

PETALBURG

You've arrived in Petalburg, the village of the Koopas! The first building 
you'll see if the local Inn, and the second is the item shop, which carries a 
few items Rogueport's doesn't.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NIFF T'S SHOP
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Courage Shell-5 Coins(!)
Fire Flower-8 Coins
Honey Syrup-5 Coins
Mr. Softener-8 Coins(!)
Mushroom-4 Coins
POW Block-5 Coins(!)

You may want to buy at least 2 POW Blocks here; you'll need them soon! There's 
nothing much else to do in the first area, so continue to the second.

There isn't much else to do here, and you can't continue east as the gate is 
shut. To continue, visit the mayor of Petalburg in the ugly pink house in this 
area. (Also, you can search the bushes in his yard to find Turtley Leaves, 
valuable cooking ingredients) When you ask the senile, bushy-eyebrowed old coot 
about the Crystal Stars, he says the dragon you saw earlier, Hooktail, has one. 
(But you probably already knew that) He was going to give a reward for the 
defeat of Hooktail, but since you can't protest he cancels it and calls you 
Murphy. He says there is a pipe near Petalburg that takes you to Hooktail's 
castle, but you need stones called the Sun and Moon Stones to gain access to 
it. (Could he mean the rock formation in the first area? Those indentations 
must have been where the Stones go) Anyway, the Stones are hidden in Shhwonk 
Fortress east of here. He gives you permission to go there. Now, leave before 
he drives you crazy!

Now, talk to the Koopa guarding the gate; he lets you through. A sweater-
wearing Koopa you probably saw near the mayor's house walks up to you. He 
introduces himself as Koops and tries to ask you for a favor, but nervously 
changes his mind and leaves. Now, go through the gate to the path to Shhwonk 
Fortress.

SHHWONK FORTRESS

Besides the usual Goombas here, you'll also fight some new enemies: Koopa 
Troopas. These shelled enemies have high HP, attack, and defense, but they can 
be flipped over if you jump on or Headbonk them, leaving them helpless against 
attack. If you want, you can use Sweet Treat to heal and then appeal to get 
your Star Power back while they're flipped; they take 2 turns to get up. Upon 
entering the area, search the first bush you see for a Star Piece. If you 
didn't stock up on POW Blocks in Petalburg, don't worry; hit the block here for 
one and continue into a guardhouse of the fortress.

There are two rocky enemies called Bald Clefts in here; examine the pedestals 
they're sitting on to fight them! They have the same attack and HP as a Goomba, 
but also 2 defense. You can take them out with Power Smash attacks if you want, 
but it's best to simply destroy them simultaneously with a POW Block. After the 
Bald Clefts go down, the door to the next area opens up.

Defeat more Goombas and Koopas here. If you're out of POW Blocks, search the 
last patch of bushes to the right for another, then enter the next guardhouse.

This room is just like the first only with Bristles. They not only have massive 
defense and have spiked all over them preventing you from getting close, but 
also an immunity to fire. This means the only way to slay them now is to use a 
POW Blocks. With one of those, they go down as easily as the Bald Clefts. 
Defeating them opens the next door.

In the final outdoor area, defeat more enemies and get some items if you wish. 
The block contains a Fire Flower and there's an Inn Coupon behind the wall near 
the center of the area. Enter the far door to find...

It's a Thwomp! He apparently guards the Sun and Moon Stones. If you agree to 
battle him for them, he challenges you to...a game show! (This sounds like 
something out of Banjo-Tooie) Switching the scene out to a glitzy set, he 
starts asking you questions. You must get at least 5 questions right to get 
past; failing 3 or more will make him send some Clefts after you. The answers 
should be easy, but for the truly clueless, here they are:

1. Stone Keys
2. ??? (This randomly generated question asks the sum of two prices of items; 
check my shop guide and add them up)
3. Kroop
4. Hooktail Castle
5. Go through a pipe
6. Koopa Troopas
7. Question 7 (he's actually asking you what number question this is...O_o)

After you win, the Thwomp is angry but reluctantly slides aside and raises a 
warp pipe. Enter it to reach some waterlogged tunnels deep under the fortress.

Down here, hit the red block for the useful Multibounce Badge. Note the two 
tunnels; a Stone key is down each. The tunnels leading to the Stones contain 2 
groups of 2 Fuzzies each, and upon grabbing the Stones you're assaulted by 4 
Fuzzies. Get first strikes in the tunnels, and try your new Badge out to soften 
all of them up. A Fire Flower helps against the 4-Fuzzy battles, but this 
shouldn't be hard either way. After you get both Stones, a gold-colored Fuzzy 
will appear and attack you! This guy is just like a normal Fuzzy only with 
over3 times as much HP. Use the Power Smash attack to heavily damage him. Once 
he's down to 5 HP or lower, he falls in a swarm of Fuzzies to aid him. (Try 2 
consecutive Power Smashes to make him at 2 HP when he does this, at which point 
he can easily be finished off) The Fuzzy horde attacks many times per turn, but 
it's a little too powerful; focus on the Gold Fuzzy. (It's a wonder you can 
even find it) Once the Gold Fuzzy goes down, all the others retreat and you're 
home free to return to Petalburg. Backtrack all the way to the peaceful 
village.

PETALBURG

Restock and heal here if you wish; you've got a long dungeon ahead of you. You 
may wish to train in Shhwonk Fortress some more. Once you're ready, leave to 
the west to head for the strange rock formation.

PETAL MEADOWS

As you leave the village, Koops stops you again. He manages to say what he has 
to this time; he wants to join you to continue what his dead father left off by 
storming Hooktail's castle and proving his strength to the village. Without 
further ado, he joins your party!

KOOPS' ABILITIES: A PRIMER

Koops is your newfound Koopa partner. He's a timid Koopa who first joins Mario 
to defeat Hooktail, who killed his father, and impress his girlfriend Koopie 
Koo. He also has quite a useful field skill. Hitting X sends him shooting out 
forward. He'll strike any enemies/switches or grab any items he hits. (And with 
items, return them to Mario) It's great for long-ranged first strikes as well 
as going places Mario can't. Also, if you hold X, Koops will continue to spin 
in one place. Mario can then do anything he wants while keeping Koops spinning 
as long as you hold X. Release X to make him shoot backwards even farther than 
he was shot forwards. This lets you remote-control him to hit some switches. 
When battling, Koops excels at hitting ground enemies. Also, because of his 
shell, Koops innately has 1 Defense, which offsets his low HP.

HP: 10/15/25
---Abilities---
Shell Toss: 2/3/5 damage to front ground enemy
Action Command: Hold the control stick left and release when it passes through 
the red circle
Style Command: Hit A as Koops strikes the target to make him spin on his shell; 
hit it again as he's slowing and about to stop spinning for even more appeal.
Koops' Shell Toss works much like Mario's Hammer attack. Since it's a hit and 
run, it ignores any effects the target may have on it.

Power Shell (3 FP): 2/3/5 damage to all ground enemies
Action Command: Hold the control stick left and release when it fully fills
Style Command: Press A as Koops returns to regular position after attack to 
make him handstand; press it again about 2 seconds later for more appeal.
This move works like Shell Toss, only hit hits all ground enemies for 
relatively little FP. When fighting hordes of weak enemies, this move is 
probably your best bet.

Super Ability-Shell Shield (4 FP): Protects Mario from a 6?/8 damage
Action Command: Hit A as the needle passes through the red area
Style Command: Press A as shell is falling, right before it covers Mario
Koops can pull a giant shell out of somewhere and put it over Mario to protect 
him from a set amount of damage, depending on how well you did with the action 
command. It's unlikely you'll get the numbers above very often, since the 
timing is so hard to pull off.

Ultra Ability-Shell Slam (6 FP): 6 damage to all ground enemies, pierces 
defense
Action Command: Flick the control stick to the left repeatedly
Style Command: Same as Power Shell
This stronger version of Power Shell does more damage and, if you're 
successful, ignores defense, which is great for heavily armored enemies. The 
action command is very hard, however. I've been able to achieve results by 
turning the controller 90 degrees counterclockwise (so the control stick is on 
the bottom) and using your pointer finger to flick the control stick rapidly.

After he joins you, his girlfriend, Koopie Koo, comes out. She wants him to 
stay and not risk his life in the Castle, but Koops is insistent. He gets mad 
and beats the pulp out of you, then storms off. (That's love for you)

As you cross Petal Meadows, try out Koops' cool, ground-based abilities, which 
can attack spiked enemies. Try using his field skill for a first strike at long 
range!

In the middle area, enter the lower warp pipe you see; with Koops, you can now 
get the treasure. You'll emerge on the tall warp pipe nearby. Use his field 
skill to hit the block the Happy Heart Badge sits on, then jump down and pick 
it up when it falls.

Once you make it back to the first area, you can return to Rogueport if you 
want to buy Badges or something. Once you're ready, insert the Sun and Moon 
Stones into the indents in the rocks. This summons 2 ! switches that much be 
hit simultaneously. Impossible? Never! Stand right next to one switch with your 
back to it, use Koops' field skill, and continue to hold X to make him stay. 
Head over to the other switch while doing this. Release X, then IMMEDIATELY 
press B. If successful, this maneuver hit both switches and breaks off the rock 
around a warp pipe in the middle. Take it to enter the background again, then 
go over to Hooktail Castle.

HOOKTAIL CASTLE

This is it: your first real dungeon. As you'll soon see, many hapless explorers 
have lost their lives here...including Peach! (Just kidding) You start out in a 
gatehouse of sorts. Before using the springboard, exit through the ground-level 
door.

The bridge spanning the moat is out, but you'll get past that soon. For now, 
drop down the stairs and jump across some rocks. When you're on the final rock, 
you'll be close enough to retrieve the useful HP Plus Badge from the other side 
of the moat with Koops. Now, return to the gate house.

In here, use the springboard. You can heal with the Heart Block in here, but 
beware; it takes coins now. After that, leave through the door to the right.

Back in the moat, get onto the Plane panel. Use your ability to glide across 
the moat; it shouldn't be hard at all. Enter the double doors here to finally 
get into the actual castle.

See what I mean? The castle is littered with the bones of Koopas unlucky enough 
to venture into the castle...and some Dull Bones. Heh heh heh... You'll fight 
more Koopas in here, as well as new Paratroopas. They are winged Koopas, but a 
simple jump attack or Headbonk grounds and flips them, turning them into easy 
Koopa Troopas. Remember not to use Koops against them. Keep in mind that the 
stairs here simply lead to another Plane panel for exit of the castle. Lastly: 
hit the red block in the first hallway for the potentially deadly Power Bounce 
Badge! Now, enter the next room.

This room is littered with more skeletons. Halfway through, Koops runs to one 
of the skeletons. It's his poor father! He notices a note in the skeleton's 
hand and reads it. It contains the last words of his dad. Although he didn't 
defeat the dragon Hooktail, he did learn its weakness: crickets? There is also 
a cricket-related item in the castle you should find and use against Hooktail. 
The note also warns you not to fall for any tricks when fighting Hooktail and 
not to give in to your kinder side. Then it closes with a final greeting 
to...Kolorado!? It isn't Koops' father after all! (Mario's going to have some 
explaining to do when he revisits Koopa Village) Now, continue to the right. 
Examine an unusual red skeleton at the door to the next room. It comes alive 
and attacks you! More accurately, he summons an army of Dull Bones, weak living 
skeletons, to attack you! They'll attempt to push you back, so clear them out 
with your hammer and make your way to the Red Bones to engage it in battle!

This fight shouldn't be too hard. The Red Bones is accompanied by 4 of his Dull 
Bones minions. The Dull Bones have only 1 HP, but 2 attack and 1 defense. Don't 
try using any jump-based attacks on them. The Red Bones has 5 HP and 3 attack 
and can come back to life a few turns after you beat him, so save him for last. 
To clear out all the Dull Bones at once, try using Koops' Power Shell attack. 
After that, focus on the Red Bones and any Dull Bones it creates until you win. 
After that, go through the door it guarded to the next room.

You emerge in a very tall room. Go right and up the stairs, grabbing the Shine 
Sprite along the way. These objects are used to promote your partners *BOOM*, 
but you'll need 3. You can't go through the locked door, so investigate the 
stone blocks. You don't appear to be able to do anything...or can you? If you 
whack the purple block on the lower ledge, another purple block lowers down to 
the ground nearby! Go back up and use the purple block to jump across the stone 
ones and smash a yellow block. This frees another gravity-defying block marked 
with a yellow triangle. Hit the corresponding block to raise it and stand where 
it was. Hit the red ! switch with Koops' field skill to reverse the direction 
of the stairs! Climb them in their new position and use Koops again from the 
ledge you can reach to get a Castle Key to unlock the door. Hit the ! switch 
again from the other side to reset the stairs.

Before leaving, you have a few Star Pieces to get. First, stand next to the 
purple switch block while facing away from it. Use Koops' field skill and hold 
X. Climb the stairs and get onto the moving purple block, then release X. This 
hits the switch and lets you ride the block up like an elevator. Go through the 
door you can now reach to find a ledge in an adjacent room with a Star Piece! 
Now, go back and lower the purple block. Repeat the "elevator" procedure, this 
time with the yellow moving block. You can now jump to a high ledge with 
another Star Piece on it. Now, unlock the door to the next room.

You can ride the giant green block in here by hitting the switch with Koops, 
but there's another locked door after that. Save with the Save Block, then go 
through the east door.

In this dungeon-like room, you'll probably notice another Attack FX Badge much 
like the one you could get from Dazzle in a jail cell. There's no way to reach 
it right now; try the ! switch. It briefly raises some bars in another cell, 
but not for long enough for you to go through. Use Koops' field skill again to 
hit the switch while standing right in front of the bars, then quickly go 
through them to the next room.

The only feature of this dungeon is...another black chest! Don't be fooled when 
it begs to be let out and pretends not to know about a curse; if it's anything 
like the last one, there's a demon inside! Still, since the previous "curse" 
was actually a new ability, maybe you should open the chest. (You have no 
choice; in case you didn't figure it out, you're trapped behind the movable 
bars in the previous room) Look for the Black Key by going to the next room.

Note the strange holes in the floor in this room. Try reaching the chest in the 
center without going over them; you'll need practice for later. Once you open 
the treasure chest and get the Black Key, spikes jut out of the holes, and the 
spiked ceiling begins to lower! Luckily, if you have any idea at all where 
you're going, you'll have plenty of time to escape.

Back in the previous room, open the black chest. It goes through the usual 
routine of "cursing" you, laughing maniacally. Unlike the last one, this 
"curse" can be used anywhere. You can now press and hold R to...turn sideways? 
I still don't understand why Mario needs the curse of a thousand-year-old demon 
to do that. Anyway, after the demon finishes his pathetic speech, go back to 
the room with the jail cells.

You can now use your new Paper Mode to slip through the bars of the jail! Cool, 
huh? Before leaving, be sure to slip into the leftmost cell and get the Attack 
FX R Badge. Although it makes your attack sound like a frog, it's supposed to 
be a cricket; this Badge is Hooktail's weakness! Now, exit the room.

Make sure to save in here, then keep going backwards.

Continue to backtrack through the tall room to where you fought the red Bones.

Okay, you're FINALLY where you need to be. One of the sets of bars in this room 
is only vertical; use Paper Mode to slide through them and go right to get 
another Castle Key. Now that you have this, leave and go to the Save Block 
room.

Save once again in here if you wish, then climb the stairs and use Koops to hit 
the small green block while standing on the huge one. After the ride is over, 
climb the stairs and go through the locked door.

In case you have no sense of direction, you're back in the tall room, on the 
next level. If you're injured, heal with the Heart Block in here. There's a gap 
in the walkway up ahead; hit the ! switch to fill it in. At the next gap, use 
Koops' field skill to hit the switch. There is no switch at the third gap, 
however. Jump through the open window near it and go along the windowsill to 
get past the gap. (When you're outside, go to the right first for a Star Piece)

Fight some more Dull Bones in the next room. Hit the green ! block on top of 
the stairs to lower another huge block. Remote-control Koops to hit it while 
standing on the block and ride it up to a walkway with 2 doors and some 
Goombas. Go through the left one first.

This appears to be a storage room; it's filled with weapons and treasure. 
There's also a masked mouse in here who introduces herself as Ms. Mowz, a 
world-famous treasure hunter. She's come to the castle to seek out a rare 
Badge. She doesn't seem to care much about the Crystal Star and leaves, already 
having what she came for. As she does, she kisses Mario. (First Goombella, now 
Ms. Mowz? Does Mario have new cologne or something?) She also gives you a tip 
about a Badge that can defeat Hooktail, which you should already have. After 
Ms. Mowz leaves, plunder the treasure she was guarding. There's a second Shine 
Sprite in here, and the chests contain a Castle Key, Mushroom, and Honey Syrup. 
After getting everything, exit the room.

Go across the walkway and unlock the door.

The next door seems to be on an unreachable ledge. Or is it? Whack the yellow 
block once to lower another block, then remote-control Koops to raise it while 
you're standing on it. Get off the block and carefully make your way along the 
narrow rafter. You'll soon reach a Plane Panel to the left; use Paper Mode to 
slip through the bars and reach it. Before using the Panel, get onto the far 
rafter and go right to reach a Star Piece. Now, return and use the Plane Panel 
to reach the far door.

You're almost to the end, but if you want a Badge you'll have to take a detour. 
Go down the short flight of stairs and hit the small yellow block to lower a 
huge one. Drop down to where it fell; you can now reach the Last Stand P Badge 
on a ledge. If you get the Badge, you'll have to make your way back through the 
last few rooms to get to the highest stairs again. Anyway, climb up to the 
highest landing. Be sure to get the Shine Sprite here; you should have enough 
to level up a partner with Merlon after you return to Rogueport! Now, exit 
through the door.

You emerge on a high bridge far above the ground leading to the tower where 
Hooktail lives. Avoid or fight the Paratroopas up here and climb the long 
staircase leading up the tower. A Spiky Goomba is impossible to avoid, but it 
should be easy. Once you reach the top, Save and Heal if necessary, make sure 
you have the Attack FX R Badge equipped (and some attack Badges like Power 
Smash), then enter the massive final doors.