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

Chapter Eight: A Star-Powered Showdown

Shiver Mountain (2)
Shiver Region (4)
Shiver City (3)
Toad Town Tunnels (6)
Toad Town (17)
Shooting Star Summit (2)
Star Way
Star Haven
Bowser's Castle
Peach's Castle (2)

Shiver Mountain (2)
Enemies: Frost Piranha, Gulpit, White Clubba

As a result of her becoming tied up, you won't get to control Peach this chapter. I don't know what she would have done if Bowser hadn't come for her, seeing as she's already found a way out the front door of her castle. In any case, Kalmar, the last Star Spirit to be rescued, will teach you Up & Away, then use it on himself, in result if not in actuality. Head west back to Shiver Region.

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Shiver Region (4)
Enemies: Frost Piranha, Gulpit

Nothing's changed here, except that there are now some Gulpits walking around the panel just east of Shiver City. Walk west and make your way past them,

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Shiver City (3)
Items: Mushroom, Ultra Shroom

Take a snooze at the Toad House and someone will drop off an Ultra Shroom and four Mushrooms. Who is your secret admirer? For some reason I think it's Fros T. from Starborn Valley, but I guess we'll never know. Pick up your Shrooms, then take the warp pipe.

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Toad Town Tunnels (6)

Head on back to Toad Town. You probably have some extra coins so you may want to deal with Rip Cheato when you pass by. Otherwise there's nothing special to be done here.

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Toad Town (17)
Badge: Lucky Day

Your next destination is Shooting Star Summit, but there are a few things you may want to take care of first. For one thing, if you delivered the chain Letter as far as Fros T., you'll now have a Letter for Goompapa who, you may recall, started the whole thing. Deliver the Letter and you'll finally receive your reward, a Lucky Day Badge. You may also want to visit Koopa Koot and catch up to Quizmo for his last few questions. Finally, it might not be a bad idea to go cook with Tayce T. as this is your last chance to do so without coming back from Bowser's Castle, and the stronger the items you have on you, the better.

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Shooting Star Summit (2)

You may want to stop by Merlow for some Badges before you travel above the clouds. Make your way east and up until you reach the summit, where you spoke to the Star Spirits earlier. They will create a star column for you. Step inside and you'll be pulled up to Star Way.

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Star Way
Enemy: Ember

There aren't any items here, so just head east to Star Haven. The Embers along the way can be dangerous, but you'll have an easier time of it if you're wearing the Ice Power and Fire Shield Badges, and using Kooper.

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Star Haven
Items: Life Shroom, Maple Syrup, Shooting Star, Stop Watch, Super Shroom, Super Soda

Visit the store to the north if you want to buy a Stop Watch, Shooting Star, Super Soda, Maple Syrup, Life Shroom, or Super Shroom. Take the east exit when you're ready. After the short cut scene, walk east until you're stopped by the Star Spirits. They'll give you a new Star Power, Star Beam, which cancels Bowser's invincibility. They'll also give you the Star Ship, which you can use to take you to Bowser's Castle and back. Quite handy, really. Hop in and get ready for a wild ride!

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Bowser's Castle
Enemies: B. Bill Blaster, Bombshell Bill, Bony Beetle, Dry Bones, Hammer Brother, Koopatrol, Magikoopa
Bosses: Koopatrols and Magikoopa, Anti Guys, Duplighosts, Jr. Troopa
Items: Dizzy Dial, Jammin' Jelly, Life Shroom, Maple Syrup, Mystery?, POW, Shooting Star, Super Shroom, Tasty Tonic, Thunder Rage, Ultra Shroom
Badge: Deep Focus

After you arrive in the parking lot and hop out of the Star Ship, take the semi-hidden door in the south wall. Once past it, head north across the bridge over the lava to a locked door. You don't have the Key so head east and through the opening in the wall. Defeat the Koopatrol guard and pick up the Key. Watt will help you against the guard and just about every other enemy in Bowser's Castle because most of them have high defense. Some of them are also spiked, so it would be a good idea to have the Spike Shield Badge.

Now that you have the Key, return west to the locked door and step inside the castle. After two east exits you'll be stopped by the first of Bowser's three Guard Doors. Tell the door that you would like to go through, then step in front of him. He'll trick you by creating a hole in the floor that will take you down to a dungeon, promising to let you through if you can get back up, but clearly expecting that you won't be able to. This fall into the dungeon is very reminiscent of Koopa Bros. Fortress, especially the part where you can use Bombette to destroy a wall, although this time it's the east wall, not the northwest one. Before you leave the dungeon through the hole in the wall, ground pound the boxes to the east. There is a Tasty Tonic under the set of two boxes, and a Life Shroom under the box next to them.

After you leave the dungeon, take the east exit to enter an area with lots of lava. Use Lakilester to float to the south wall, then take the southwest exit. Continue west across the lava, stopping to pick up a Life Shroom from the ? Block along the way, until you reach the front of the castle. Jump out of the lava when you reach the west wall and you'll be able to get a Deep Focus Badge from a red ? Block. Return east to the room where you first used Lakilester to glide across the lava. Jump or use Parakarry to get across the small platforms against the north wall, then take the east exit. In the next room, use Lakilester to float over to the Switch. After you hit it, float back to your original platform and hop aboard the platform that starts moving back and forth as a result of your hitting the Switch. After you get across, you'll need to repeat the process by hitting another Switch and riding on another platform. After the second moving platform, use Parakarry to get across the platfroms against the north wall, which are farther apart than they were in the last room, and take the door in the east wall.

More lava awaits you in the next room. Use Lakilester to reach the Switch, then ride back and board the now-moving platform. The platform moves under a lavafall; to get through, use Bow to become transparent. Past the lavafall, use Parakarry to continue east. The door in the east wall is locked, so take the one in the north wall instead. You'll need to use Lakilester to get inside since the door is right on the lava. Once inside, head east, then north and west until you meet up with some Koopatrols and a Magikoopa. After they debate the importance of the Switch behind them, you'll get to clobber them. After the battle, hit the Switch to stop the lava flow and turn it rock-solid. Now you can walk on it!

Walk west and out of the room, back to where there used to be lava on the ground. Continue west until you see a door in the north wall, stopping along the way to pick up the Thunder Rage and Mystery? that are now in your reach. After you take the north exit you'll be able to reach a chest with a Key inside. Leave the room, then walk all the way east to the locked door mentioned in the last paragraph. Now you can make it unlocked, so why not go ahead and do so?

You'll find yourself in a cave. While in the cave you must use Watt to see, both in and out of battle. Follow the bend to the east, then start heading west. The ? Block to the north contains a POW. Just south of that, you'll need to use Parakarry to get across a gap in the platform. While using him you won't be able to see yourself, but if you let Parakarry fly as far as he can, you'll make it over the gap. Further west you'll need to use Parakarry again to get past the gap in the middle of the three paths. Head west through the west exit and find the Shooting Star in the ? Block near the north wall. Once again you'll need to use Parakarry to bridge the gap in the middle path. When the path branches out again, take the north path but don't use Parakarry this time. Drop down to the spring, then continue west. The Magikoopa near the exit will put up a fight, but if you can get past him and through the west exit you'll make it out of the cave.

A large block awaits you in this room. Push it to the west, then enter the newly-opened door in the south wall. Would you lookie there, you're back in the room with the Guard Door. The door is not especially happy to see you, but you know he really wanted to betray Bowser anyway. Step through the door (you can now open it like any other door, despite how ugly it looks) and head east to the second floor of the castle.

Once on the second floor, take the lower east exit to reach the outside of another prison cell. Defeat the Koopatrol guard and use the key he drops to get into the cell. You can use this as a Toad House if you like. Return to the landing, then go up the stairs and to the west if you want to buy some items. You can buy a Mystery?, Dizzy Dial, POW, Thunder Rage, Maple Syrup, or Super Shroom here, but you'll need to speak to the Spiked Goomba every time you enter if you want to conduct any business. This is also the last shop in the game, so you should use it to pick up any items you might need.

Exit the shop and head east through the large doors. Travel east through a hallway filled with nasties, then take the east door. You'll emerge in a wide open room with some ledges above you, but you can't reach them quite yet. Take the east exit and use the spring in the next room to bounce up to a ledge with a chain hanging down over it. Jump up and pull down the chain to cause some water to fall down into the room. Now use Sushie to swim back west to the room you passed by just a minute ago. You can swim to a platform you were unable to reach earlier. Once on the platform, use the spring to bounce up to the left, where you'll need to use Bombette to make a whole in wall. Go east through the hole to end up higher in the room where you pulled the chain earlier. Do a double jump to drop the switch, then hit it to create a path through a previously solid wall. Follow the path, and when you reach the little landing that you have to travel south to reach, jump to find a Maple Syrup in a hidden block. Pull the chain at the end of the path to make the water go higher. Return west until you find a dock, then use Sushie to swim west to another dock. Use it to get out of the water and find a Key.

Now that you can unlock the previously unmentioned door east of you, you need to drain all of the water so that you can return to ground level. Go back east through the hole you blasted in the wall and pull the chain to drop the water a level. Return west, jump off the dock, and use Sushie to swim west into the next room. Get on the dock against the north wall and pull the chain on the platform there to drain the water completely. Jump down to the floor and unlock the door in the east wall to proceed.

The next room has four sets of B. Bill Blasters which shoot Bombshell Bills. These are a lot like the bullets and cannons you met back at Koopa Bros. Fortress, if you can remember that far back. Dodge or jump on the Bombshell Bills to avoid getting hurt. If you let them get a first strike you'll get hurt a bunch, and you'll also be hurt if you enter a battle with them normally unless you use a move like Star Storm, since you'll be against three Bombshell Bills and can usually only kill two per turn. You'll have to battle all four sets of B. Bill Blasters. If they're still dropping Star Points and you feel you need the stat boost, you can pick up an instant level-up from each one by keeping the cannons alive until you've killed 100 bullets. Once you're past all the enemies, take the door in the east wall.

You'll meet Dry Bones in the next room. Watch out for the bones he throws in Field Mode, and be aware that in order to defeat him in battle you must have all Dry Bones present be down at the same time, or use a fire move on them like Kooper's Fire Shell. The ? Block contains a Super Shroom, and parallel to it, to the west, is a hidden block with a Maple Syrup. The eastmost Bowser block in the north wall can be pushed aside to reveal a passage that you should take. Move east through the short hallway beyond it to reach a room that looks like the one where you met Dry Bones, except this one has a door in the east wall with a lock on it. Push the westmost Bowser block west to access another passage in the north wall. Take it to enter another short hallway, this one with a Heart Box in it. Take the east exit to find another open room with three Bowser blocks. This room seems to already have a visible north passage, but if you take it you'll end up in an empty dead end. Instead, push the Bowser block next of it east, so that the block covers the passage. In its place you'll find the true north passage. Take the now-unblocked north exit and follow the hallway behind it east to pick up the Key you need.

With Key in tote, move west, south, west, and south again to return to the room with the locked door. You may want to save before entering because the next room can be tough. When you're ready, enter the locked door in the east wall to meet up with the second Guard Door. This one has an "impossible" challenge for you. It's not really impossible, but it is very difficult. The door will challenge you to observe some enemies he'll have enter the room, then answer a question about them. He will do this eight times, and you must answer at least six questions to advance the easy way. However, you'll need to be very observant of the enemies in the room in order to do so, because he could ask how many of a certain character there was, what door a certain character entered or left through, what color an enemy was, or anything related to these. It's tough to remember the answers to all these questions, but you can do it if you're careful.

If you don't manage to answer six questions correctly, you'll be given another chance to get through this room. However, the alternate route may be harder, if anything, since it requires you to defeat three Anti Guys at once. This may actually be the hardest fight in the game, so be sure to check the boss section for tips. Once you meet the Guard Door's challenge, exit east to reach a roof-type area with Koopatrols and Magikoopas hanging around. There are three hidden blocks near the entrance to this area, two of which hold Super Shroom while the third holds a Maple Syrup. You can also pick up a rare Jammin' Jelly by jumping south off the first flight of stairs at the right place. Once you've found these things, climb all the stairs and take the west exit above them to reach the third floor.

You're nearly there, as the third floor is the last and smallest floor in Bowser's Castle. Take the lower west exit and descend west through the hallway to find another Koopatrol guard. Defeat this guard to get another key, which unlocks the cage right in front of you. Like the last cage, this can be used as a Toad House. Return east to the landing, then take the stairs and use the upper west exit. Getting through this room can be a little tricky. You need to walk against the north wall, atop the elevated blocks, until you find that you can't reach the platform the door is on. Just below you is a switch, but if you hammer it you won't have time to make it across the blocks before they reset themselves. Instead you need to drop Bombette down towards the switch. If you do it right you'll be able to jump across to the door before the blocks reset. Take the west exit and collect your Ultra Shroom reward.

Return east to the landing and take the upper east exit this time. This new hallway has two doors in the east wall, but the lower one is locked so take the upper door instead. You'll encounter a block puzzle very much like the one you just did, so use Bombette to hit the switch again so you can jump across. It will probably take a few tries to get her in the right spot. Take the east exit and pick up the Key, then head back west to the locked door. Unlock it and enter a room very reminiscent of the path traps in some Mario 1 and Lost Levels castles. You'll need to travel east in a certain way, and the decoration on the north wall tells you how to do it. The next several rooms all have two east exits. First take the higher exit. Next take the lower exit, and then a second lower exit. After that it's an upper exit, another lower exit, and finally an upper exit. If you did this right you will now be on a wide roof with Magikoopas flying around. If you didn't take the right route the game will make you travel east endlessly, and you'll need to take a west exit to end up back in the room with the code so you can try again.

Head east across the Magikoopa roof and through the door at the end. The next room has a Heart Box and, at the east end of it... Peach? When exactly did she get free? Speak to her and she'll follow you, but as you walk west she'll gradually fall behind and then off the screen. Don't go back for her, instead take the west exit back to the long rooftop, then re-enter the doorway to Peach's hall. As you walk east back to where you first saw her, you'll eventually see a surprised Duplighost run away from you. Hm... something odd's going on. Find Peach at the end of the hall like before, but this time don't believe her. Hurt her lots of times with Bombette, Kooper, and your Hammer until she finally shows her true form. You'll need to battle four Duplighosts but you shouldn't have any problem as they're no stronger than the ones you met in the Crystal Palace.

After defeating Peach's impersonators, enter the door in the east wall they were blocking to meet up with the third and last Guard Door. He's revived the Koopa Bros. since you saw them seven chapters ago, only now they're the Super Ultra Mighty Koopa Bros. the Great. They sound kinda scary, but before you can battle them as per the Guard Door's challenge, Jr. Troopa suddenly runs in and beats them up easily. You'll then need to defeat him instead. After you do, the Guard Door will be confused as to whether you actually met his challenge or not, but he'll eventually give in and let you pass. Go through him and continue east until you reach Peach's Castle.

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Peach's Castle
Bosses: Bowser, Bowser assisted by Kammy Koopa (final boss)
Item: Life Shroom, Ultra Shroom

Whoa, what happened to the music? Find the hidden block in the southeast corner to pick up an Ultra Shroom. Enter the castle and take the door in the east wall, then inspect the cabinet to find Toad if you want to heal up. Take the north door at the top of the stairs to reach the second floor of the castle. Enter the library through the southwest door, then travel west to the middle of the room where you'll find a few short stacks of books against the north wall. Use them to reach the balcony above them, then travel west and pick up the Life Shroom that you may have seen back in Chapter Three.

Exit the library, then take the north door on top of the stairs. Walk east until you are stopped by Bowser. After the battle that you knew would be coming, continue east, then up the stairs, and finally west. When you come out on top of the castle, past the farthest point Peach reached, take your final steps across the thin bridge and enter into the final battle of the game. Defeat the super-charged Bowser to take back the Star Rod and save the Mushroom Kingdom!

With your main quest completed, this walkthrough now comes to an end. Of course, if you missed some Star Pieces, Badges, recipes, or hidden blocks, you may still have a long way to go. I hope you enjoyed the Paper Mario experience, and that this guide has been helpful. You've come a long way from back when you were unconscious outside Goomba Village. What will come next?

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