Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight

Chapter Four: Trials in the Toy Box

Peach's Castle (Peach sequence 3)
Gusty Gulch (3)
Boo's Mansion (2)
Forever Forest (2)
Toad Town (7)
Toad Town Tunnels (3)
Toad Town (8)
Shy Guy's Toy Box
Toad Town (9)
Shy Guy's Toy Box (2)
Toad Town (10)
Shy Guy's Toy Box (3)
Toad Town (11)
Shy Guy's Toy Box (4)

Peach's Castle (Peach sequence 3)

Poor Peach, she doesn't get to hear any news while locked in her room! Of course she just has to know whether Mario has defeated Tubba Blubba, so it's time to sneak out again. I hope you know it by now, but the secret button is behind the picture just east of the fireplace. You must then walk through the door in the fireplace, walk west down the hallway, and press the red button there to cause the wall to rotate into a different room of the castle.

Unfortunately, Bowser and Kammy are already in this room, discussing the meaning of invincibility, and the passage doesn't work in reverse. Strangely, neither Bowser or Kammy hear the revolving wall, and Kammy doesn't see Peach though she is facing her direction, yet Bowser manages to notice her while turning back and forth with his eyes closed. (The ! does appear before he opens his eyes.)

Peach is busted, but before she gets hauled off to her room again, Bowser decides to ask her some questions about Mario's weaknesses. This could be a good idea, except that Bowser is so gullible that he'll believe whatever she says. You must choose between Goomba, Clubba, and Mushroom, then Fuzzy, Hammer Bros., and Thunder Rage, and finally Pokey, Koopatrol, and Super Soda. You should have Peach give the third answer all three times, but if you feel like making Mario's future a little tougher, you can pick some of the other options.

After Peach answers Bowser's questions, Kammy Koopa will fly off to do his bidding. Although she will be unsure that this is the right thing to do if Peach gave the third answers, Bowser is the king after all. As for Peach, she'll be sent back to her room for another chapter.

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Gusty Gulch (3)

Skolar will give you his Star Power, Star Storm, as well as a third unit of Star Energy. Then he'll threaten your life if you don't free the remaining four Star Spirits in the next ten minutes. Ok ok, that doesn't happen, but the convo is kinda dull so I'm trying to liven it up. After Skolar leaves, head west to Boo's Mansion.

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Boo's Mansion (2)

Nothing to do here except use the south gate and then the west exit to re-enter Forever Forest.

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Forever Forest (2)
Enemies: Forest Fuzzy, Piranha Plant
Boss: Jr. Troopa

Your main goal here is to head back to Toad Town, but first you'll have to battle Jr. Troopa again. Clearly he didn't learn his lesson the first two times, but maybe the third time's the charm... or not. After you beat him, take random exits until you reach the sign that points you to Toad Town. Take the south exit from there to make it back to safe ground. Jr. Troopa is happy to be back, though, so maybe you should head back into the forest just to spite him. Well... maybe later.

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Toad Town (7)
Item: Letter
Badge: Quick Change

Since you last visited, Toad Town has become literally infested with Shy Guys. They're everywhere! Like the Fuzzies back in Koopa Village, you can beat them up if you wish, but there's no reward for doing so unless you want to take the train to Mt. Rugged, shop in the first store, or sleep in the Toad House, in which case you'll need to bop a Shy Guy. You should have a Letter to deliver to Fice T. in the guard shack thingy for a Star Piece, and his reaction will be humorous if your active partner is Bow. If you continued the chain Letter through to Franky, you should also have a Letter for Dane T., the red Toad kid near the train. You can't yet deliver the Letter to Red Yoshi Kid that he gives you, so let it sit for a while.

If you head north, aside from watching helplessly as a Shy Guy steals Rowf's Calculator, you can hear an interesting dream told by Merlon. Apparently, it involves running around a red tree in Dry Dry Outpost. You know, in games, all dreams mean something. Head over to Dry Dry Outpost and run clockwise around the red tree in the western section of town. After a while someone will ask you what you're doing, then tell you about the strange dream they had. Apparently, something good is supposed to happen if you do three ground pounds in the house with a spinning roof. Sound familiar? Head back to Merlon's house and do three ground pounds to earn the Quick Change Badge.

At this point, I suggest you head down to Toad Town Tunnels.

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Toad Town Tunnels (3)
Enemy: Dark Koopa
The visit to this area is optional.

Ground pound the boards in the middle of the floor and drop through the hole. Head through the west exit and your path will be hindered by the doors behind and ahead of you becoming barred. To free yourself, you'll have to beat the three Dark Koopas in here. Dark Koopas are tough enemies, so be careful. I suggest you use Goombario because he can help Mario flip them over. Try to kill or flip a Dark Koopa if it's grinning because that means it will unleash a confuse attack that's nearly impossible to block. The worst thing is when multiple Dark Koopas gang up to keep Mario confused. It's not a happy time. If you have a POW, it will come in handy.

After you defeat the Dark Koopas, the doors will become unbarred and a Switch will appear. Hit it and a warp pipe leading to Boo's Mansion will become available. It's not used as often as the other three warp pipes you found, but it's still very nice because you probably don't want to hike through Forever Forest again.

If you take the west exit, you'll be able to reach a Super Block. Push the blue block until it's parallel to the southern base of the two high platforms and all the way west in its square depression. Jump on top of the block, then do a double jump into the air and you should find a hidden block containing a coin. There are two more of these to the east. When you find all three, you'll be able to climb the stairs to the east and jump across the now-visible blocks to a Super Block. It could be your sixth, which means you can't actually use it yet. If it is your sixth, remember it for later. Otherwise, take it and look through previous Chapters for the other five.

Head west past your warp pipe and use the warp pipe in the room you dropped into to return to the highest level of the tunnels. Take the pipe against the north wall to return to Toad Town- unless, of course, you first want to check back with Koopa Koot and Quizmo, never a bad idea.

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Toad Town (8)

Walk west towards the pier. When you reach the area with Toad Town's second shop, you'll be stopped by Twink, who will waste your time by telling you useless things. After he leaves, head over to the house closest to the pier. Step inside, and after a short while a pink Shy Guy will come in, see you, and run out. Use Bow to become transparent and when the pink Shy Guy returns he won't notice you. He'll walk over to the right wall, perhaps even moving straight through you, and use a secret door to pass through to the other side of the wall. Press A while standing against the middle of the wall so you can go through as well. Jump on the Spring on the other side to get transported into Shy Guy's Toy Chest.

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Shy Guy's Toy Box
Enemies: Groove Guy, Shy Guy
Boss: Anti Guy
Items: Cake Mix, Calculator, Fire Flower, Fright Jar, Maple Syrup, Mushroom, Mystery?, Stone Cap, Storeroom Key, Thunder Bolt
Badge: Power Plus
Will also include: Goomba, Clubba, or Mushroom

Inside the Toy Box, near the east wall of the first room, you may be able to find a hidden block containing a Stone Cap, a rare and useful item. Take the southwest exit, then head west. Near the entrance you may be able to find a hidden block containing a Maple Syrup. If you can defeat Anti Guy you'll earn a Power Plus Badge which, when paired with the Power Plus Badge you should have bought from Merlon, will allow Mario to defeat the Shy Guys and all of their friends in one round by himself.

Take the west exit to enter the wide open room at the end of the hall. There are a bunch of cowardly Shy Guys each holding an item, which they will drop if you defeat them. You can pick up a Cake Mix, Fire Flower, Mushroom, and Calculator in here. If you leave the Toy Box and come back, the Shy Guy that used to hold the Calculator will be carrying a Maple Syrup instead. Near the middle of the room to the north are two hidden blocks right next to each other, one containing a Mystery?, the other a Fright Jar.

Head back east to the room where there is no train (well, where there should be a train, but there isn't), then take the southeast exit. You'll see Kammy leave behind the first of the three things Peach named, and again showing doubt if it's really a good item. Move east, stopping along the way to pick up the Star Piece hiding against the north wall behind a green block, until you see a hole and a flight of stairs to the north. Use them, and when you reach the top use Parakarry to fly over to the west and pick up a Star Piece. Fly back, then hop the short gap to land on a lower ledge. Use Parakarry to fly over the gap to the east, where you should find a ? Block containing a Thunder Bolt. Head east until you encounter the enemy or item Kammy left. After dealing with it, open the chest to receive the Storeroom Key. Now head all the way west back to the Spring near the train station and leave the Toy Box.

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Toad Town (9)
Items: Dizzy Dial, Snowman Doll, Toy Car, Volt Shroom
Badges: Group Focus, I Spy, Spin Smash

Since you hopefully retrieved the Calculator, head over to Rowf and return it to him. Although he is greedy, he won't be able to resist giving you a gift in return for it, namely the I Spy Badge. When you wear it, you'll be alerted whenever you're in an area with a Star Piece hidden under a panel, which you can uncover by doing a ground pound nearby the secret location. Since you have it, you may want to check out some of the earlier areas of the game. I've found secret Star Pieces in the following previous areas:

Goomba Town: In the clearing where Mario fell after losing to Bowser.
Goomba Road: Northeast of Goomba King's fort.
Toad Town: Near the three girls in front of the Dojo.
Toad Town (Tayce T.'s area): Near Fice T.
Toad Town: Near the east wall of the train area.
Toad Town: Northeast area of the pier.
Shooting Star Summit: Just east of the bridge in the panel west of Merlow's house.
Shooting Star Summit: South of Merlow's house.
Shooting Star Summit: On the first stair leading up to the summit.
Pleasant Path: Between the three candy canes near Koopa Village.
Pleasant Path: In the panel east of the last one, around the area where a Koopa Troopa jumps out at you.
Koopa Village: Just south of the three Bob-ombs.
Mt. Rugged: On the raised area north of Whacka.
Dry Dry Desert: On the main road, just south of the stone cactus.
Dry Dry Outpost: On the roof near Moustafa.
Boo's Mansion: Near the couch in the foyer.
Boo's Mansion: In the room at the end of the hall atop the stairs (you got the Record here).
Boo's Mansion: Near the door to the store in the basement.
Shy Guy's Toy Box: The middle of the floor of Blue Station.

When you've finished your hunt, and checked with Rowf to see if he's offering the Group Focus or Spin Smash Badges, head over to the second store in Toad Town and talk to the shopkeeper. He'll be so happy to have his Storeroom Key back that he'll let you into the back room, where you can take whichever items you want. Do what you like with the Snowman Doll, Dizzy Dial, and Volt Shroom, but be sure to pick up the Toy Car. When you're ready, head back over to the Toy Box, but don't jump in. Inspect the box itself and drop in the train. It won't shrink like you do, instead becoming usable once you shrink down. Convenient! Now you can jump inside yourself.

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Shy Guy's Toy Box (2)
Enemies: Groove Guy, Medi Guy, Shy Guy, Sky Guy, Spy Guy
Items: Frying Pan, Mailbag
Badges: Defense Plus, Ice Power
Will also include: Fuzzy, Hammer Bros., or Thunder Rage

Go over to the train, jump on the button with the arrow pointing east, and speak to the conductor, With your permission, he'll take you to Pink Station. At the train stop there, you can find another Star Piece buried in the center of the floor. Don't forget to open the chest nearby to receive the Mailbag.

Take the southeast exit, then wait for Kammy to place the second of the three items Peach named. In this room, wherever you see a square box, you can do a ground pound on it to get sprung up in an arc. Ground pound the block in the corner against a wall near the start to be sprung up to the ledge above. Head west to the treasure chest at the end of the passage to collect a Defense Plus Badge. Walk back east and jump down to the floor. Keep heading east until you come to a section of blue wall. Push against the east edge of it so that you can squeeze through it when a Shy Guy comes out from the other side. Head west down the passage, stopping to collect the Ice Power Badge in the ? Block.

If you had Peach pick Hammer Bros., you may have a little trouble here as you'll have to battle one. If you're wearing the two Power Plus Badges, you should be able to defeat it in two rounds without too much difficulty. If not, you'd better make sure to block its hammer throw, or else you could end up shrunk and even weaker. Get by whatever Kammy left to collect the Frying Pan from the treasure chest. Then head back to Pink Station, ride back to Blue Station, and leave the Toy Box.

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Toad Town (10)
Item: Cake

Return the Mailbag to the Post Office to earn a Star Piece and the ability to once again read mail for your party members. The important thing to do here is to talk to Tayce T. so that you can return her Frying Pan. In return, she'll cook up her delicious Cake, just for you. Lucky! Take it back to the Toy Box.

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Shy Guy's Toy Box (3)
Enemies: Groove Guy, Medi Guy, Pyro Guy, Shy Guy, Sky Guy, Spy Guy
Items: Cookbook, Dictionary, Dizzy Dial, Fire Flower, Mystery Note, Super Soda
Will also include: Pokey, Koopatrol, or Super Soda

Ride the train back to Pink Station, then take the west exit. Walk all the way west until you meet a huge Shy Guy, known across the land as Gourmet Guy. Hey, I hear his shadow weighs fifty pounds, heh heh heh! He's looking for some Cake, and you just happen to have some. Hand it over and- the verdict is in! One out of one Gourmet Guys agree: Tayce T.'s Cake is the best! Wow, what a crazy reaction. After he, well, I'll just say leaves, you'll be able to pick up the Cookbook. Walk through the passage he was blocking, and see if you can find the hidden block near the west wall to find a Super Soda. From there head east, stopping to find the hidden block Dizzy Dial between two ? Blocks.

This area includes Pyro Guys, so that Ice Power Badge you hopefully found earlier would come in handy right about now. Head east as far as you can and you'll eventually come to a lever. Pull it, thus revealing a section of railroad track so that your little train can continue. Walk back west, then south, and finally east to return to the train. Hop aboard and ride to Green Station.

Like the first two stations, Green Station also has a hidden Star Piece near the middle of the floor. Unlike the other two stations, there is only one exit. See if you can find the Fire Flower in the hidden block near the east wall, then take the southeast exit. For the third and final time, you will have to suffer to see Kammy placing an item. The west half of this room is full of moving converor belts. When you come to a conveyor belt moving under a fence, use Bow to become transparent so that you can pass through. Just on the other side you should find a Shy Guy carrying the Mystery Note. Beat him up and claim your prize.

Further west in the room you should find blocks moving up and down. The easiest way to get across them is to stay near the north wall and use Parakarry to jump three or so gaps. One of the moving blocks has a 10-coin block above it, but you'll probably only be able to pick up five or so. When you reach solid ground again, jump down to the west and sneak down east of the blocks into an alcove with a Star Piece and a few coins. You'll then need to make your way back west of the blocks, then use Parakarry to get across them again. Just east of the blocks you'll find the third item Peach named. If it was Koopatrol, you'll have a bit of a tough time. I suggest you use Bow because of their charge up ability, and wear the Spike Shield Badge so you can flip them over. Try to defeat them quickly or they may call in reinforcements.

Get past the item and open the treasure chest to recover the Dictionary. Return to Pink Station, ride back to Blue Station, and leave the Toy Box.

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Toad Town (11)

Stop by Tayce T.'s and give her the Cookbook. This will allow you to cook with two items as well as one, vastly increasing her repetoire. Bring the Dictionary and Mystery Note to Russ T. near the main gate to receive a Star Piece and a more important prize. Russ T. will translate the Mystery Note so that you can find out the order of how you must hit the four blocks in Green Station: yellow, green, red, and then blue. Return to the Toy Box.

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Shy Guy's Toy Box (4)
Enemies: Groove Guy, Medi Guy, Pyro Guy, Shy Guy, Sky Guy, Spy Guy
Bosses: Big Lanturn Ghost, General Guy and his Army
Items: Shooting Star, Sleepy Sheep, Snowman Doll, Super Shroom, Volt Shroom
Badge: Deep Focus

Take the train to Green Station so that you can Hammer the four blocks in the southeast corner in the order Russ T. told you: yellow, green, red, and then blue. Do so to reveal the missing section of railroad track. Now you can ride to Red Station. (If you try to ride all the way around to Blue Station, you'll have to stop halfway so you can pull one last switch, no big deal.) At Red Station, you'll once again be able to uncover a Star Piece hidden in the middle of the floor. You may also be able to find a hidden block containing a Super Shroom against the west wall. Take the west exit.

Near the entrance you might find a hidden block containing a Volt Shroom. Head to the left and use the rising platform to make it over the dividing blocks. Jump west to the rotating platforms, at the top of which is a 10-coin block. Jump west to the next ledge of blocks, then jump down to the floor. Near the south wall, between two ? Blocks, is a hidden block containing a Deep Focus badge. Use the rising platform northwest of you to get over the final set of dividing blocks, then look for the Snowman Doll in the hidden block near the west exit. When you find it, you can then take that west exit.

Uh oh, it's dark in here! I hate the dark, but Big Lanturn Ghost likes it. Even though he's in his environment of choice, you can still give him a pounding. Once you defeat him, crack open the lamp he drops to the floor to eventually have Watt the Sparky join your party. Head back east and use the rising platform. When you get on top of the blocks, instead of dropping down to the floor, use Parakarry to fly to the right. You should land on a ledge with a Super Block. This one's for Watt since he's the best in the upcoming end-of-Chapter boss fight. Now you can make your way back to Red Station.

If you missed any of the hidden blocks I mentioned in the Toy Box, you can use Watt's power to hunt them down much more easily. Otherwise you can take the southeast exit. After the Shy Guys run off, with one straggling behind, you can head east into the room. You will have to use Bombette to break a hole in the wall. When you see a Shooting Star atop a wooden block, check west of it for a hidden block. The hidden block only contains a coin, but it offers you a platform from which Kooper can break the wooden block so you can collect the Shooting Star after it falls. Near the east exit is another hidden block, this one containing a Sleepy Sheep.

Past the exit you'll again see the cowardly Shy Guys, complete with their straggler. They will bust a hole through the east wall in desperation... a nice move really. Chase after them until you meet up with General Guy and his army. He'll call you rude and I'd say he's right, what with your messing up Shy Guy Paradise and everything else. Nevertheless, it's time for a revolution, so take down the general. After the battle all the Guys will run off in a completely mob-like fashion, but there will still be that one straggler. Well, I guess there will always be runts. Hit the card to free Muskular, the fourth Star Spirit, and complete Chapter Four. Well done soldier!

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