============Bowser's Inside Story============
===============Ability Guide===============
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----------------------------=== Intro ===-----------------------------
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The Mario & Luigi RPGs are always great games. They focus on gameplay instead
of telling some angsty plot about a boy with a big sword saving the world.
One of the major focuses of these games is on timed hits. In battles, you
can avoid damage by countering attacks with jumps or correct hammer presses.
You can also do more damage with timed button presses. This guide focuses on
the latter: timed button presses. Specifically, I'll explain how to properly
use the various skills in this game in the most effective way possible.
Also included are guides to unlock the 4 secret skills of this game:
Spin Pipe, Magic Window, Falling Star, and Broggy Bonker.
This is my first FAQ.
Update version 2.0: Guides for unlocking more abilities have been added. I've
also put all of that in its own section.
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--------------------------=== Contents ===--------------------------
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1.) Unlocking Abilities
-Basic Tips [BT]
-Goomba Storm [UGO]
-Shy Guy Squad [USS]
-Koopa Corps [UKC]
-Bob Omb Blitz [UBO]
-Magikoopa Mob [UMK]
-Broggy Bonker [UBB]
-Green Shell [UGS]
-Fire Flower [UFF]
-Jump Helmet [UJH]
-Yoo Who Cannon [UYC]
-Super Bouncer [USB]
-Mighty Meteor [UMM]
-Spin Pipe [USP]
-Snack Basket [USN]
-Magic Window [UMW]
-Falling Star [UFS]
2.) Bowser's Abilities
-Goomba Storm [GO]
-Shy Guy Squad [SS]
-Koopa Corps [KC]
-Bob Omb Blitz [BO]
-Magikoopa Mob [MK]
-Broggy Bonker [BB]
3.) Mario's Abilities
-Green Shell [GS]
-Fire Flower [FF]
-Jump Helmet [JH]
-Yoo Who Cannon [YC]
-Super Bouncer [SB]
-Mighty Meteor [MM]
-Spin Pipe [SP]
-Snack Basket [SN]
-Magic Window [MW]
-Falling Star [FS]
4.) The Cholesteroad Challenges [ROAD]
-Green Shell [CGS]
-Jump Helmet [CJH]
-Yoo Who Cannon [CYC]
-Super Bouncer [CSB]
-Spin Pipe [CSP]
-Magic Window [CMW]
5.) The Massage Challenges [MASG]
-Goomba Storm [MGO]
-Koopa Corps [MKC]
-Bob Omb Blitz [MBO]
-Magikoopa Mob [MMK]
6.) Notes [NO]
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-----------------=== Ability Unlocking ===-----------------
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~~~~~~~~~~~~Basic Tips [BT]~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.) Bowser's moves are almost all unlocked as part of the story. All
you need to do is punch open cages with minions in them.
2.) As Bowser you should use vacuum at the beginning of every battle
against a new enemy. This will net you Blitties. If you do this,
unlocking Bowser's final move will be easy.
3.) For Mario and Luigi's skills, you should make liberal use of the
select button whenever you are inside a new area of Bowser.
This brings up a map of the area that you are currently in. If you are
missing attack blocks within an area, you should try to see if there
are rooms of the map that you haven't visited yet. Use the map to make
your way over to those rooms.
4.) In rooms you HAVE visited, attack blocks will be displayed on
the map. Sometimes attack pieces are located in normal ? blocks.
However, these will be displayed as attack blocks on the map.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Goomba Storm [UGO]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Obtain: Received as part of the story. Right after Bowser spots
the Goombas, you'll see a Wiggler statue. When you try to lift it, you'll
have to play a minigame with Mario and Luigi in order to power up Bowser.
When you succeed, the Wiggler statue forms a bridge that you can use to
hop to the island where the Goombas are. Just punch open the Goomba
cage afterward in order to unlock the Goomba Storm move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Shy Guy Squad [USS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Obtain: The Shy Guy Squad is found in Bowser's Path. Head up one screen
from the entrance. Then head right two screens. You should find a room with
them. Use your sliding punch to move quickly along the conveyor belts once
you've found them. Then punch their cage until they are free.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Koopa Corps [UKC]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Obtain: When you are at Blubble Lake, at one point in the game
you will need to play a nostril minigame. After you've finished, Bowser
will sneeze so hard that his sneeze sails a ship straight through a bunch
of rocks. Once this has happened, you will have access to a cage that
houses the Koopa Corps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Bob-Omb Blitz [UBO]~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be added in a later update.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Magikoopa Mob [UMK]~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be added in a later update.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Broggy Bonker [UBB]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Unlock: Basically you have to use vacuum against every
enemy you face at least once throughout the game. When you vacuum
a new enemy, you obtain a blitty. After you've collected the last few blitties
in Peach's Castle, use the chakroad (MIIIIIIIIIIND Warp) to go back to the
forest where Mr. Broque opened up a stand. Broque will give you Broggy as a
minion.
If you're missing some blitties by the time you've been around Peach's Castle,
go to "view collected blitties" at a shop block. You can see the EXACT
locations of each blitty you still need to obtain. For quick reference,
here are all the enemies that you need to vacuum.
Plack Beach-Chuboomba, Toothy
Dimble Wood-Treevil, Trashure
Bumpsy Plains-Flifit
Bowser Path-Chain Chawful
Underground Tunnel-Choomba
Blubble Lake-Beehoss/Crawful
Bowser Castle-Jailgoon, Sniffle Thwomp
Peach's Castle-
Mechawful (Located in Peach's courtyard where you first are given control of
Bowser.)
Naplock (You can find them within the interior of Peach's Castle.)
Dark Trashure (A purple treasure chest found within the interior of Peach's
Castle.)
Dark Mechawful (A purple version of Mechawful. You can find them within
Peach's Castle after you obtain the key to the blue door. Past that door,
you can get to an area where you'll find Dark Trashures and Dark Mechawfuls)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Green Shell [UGS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to obtain:
1.) At the beginning of the game, you go through an area called the
Trash Pit. After a while, you'll stumble upon a block marked with
the letter A. Hit it.
2.) This will open up a door to the right where there are more attack blocks.
As you enter the next room, hit the attack block at the entrance. Now fall
down and head left to obtain two more attack blocks. Head right to obtain
another one. Jump up two platforms and then head right to get the 6th one.
Jump up to the top platforms and you shall see 3 more attack blocks.
If you have trouble obtaining any of the attack blocks I mentioned (there are
9 in total thus far), you can press select to view a map of the two rooms
I've talked about thus far. The attack blocks will be shown very clearly on
the map.
3.) Once you've collected the 9 attack blocks, another room opens up at the top.
Enter it to obtain the final attack block for the "Green Shell" ability.
You'll need it to fight the upcoming enemies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Fire Flower [UFF]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Obtain:
1.) While Bowser is drinking water, head one screen to the right
from the entrance.
2.) Have Bowser stop drinking water and then head right
with Mario and Luigi. You should see three pipes. Enter the middle, orange
one. Hit the block and you'll be tested with a memory game. Memorize the
pattern you see with the attack block here, hit the blocks in the indicated
order with Mario & Luigi, and you'll obtain the first attack block.
Head back through the orange pipe.
3.) Bowser should now start drinking water again. After he does so, head right
one screen. You'll come across the second attack block immediately.
4.) Head right until you see one of those frowny bone blocks. Have Bowser stop
drinking water to lower it. You'll come across a switch you can hit to open up
another pathway. Hit it. Head right and then have Bowser imbibe more liquid.
Head through the area that opened up, move to the right of the second frowny
bone, and then have Bowser stop drinking. Hit the switch beyond the frowny bone
and a pipe opens up.
5.) Head through this pipe, save your game if you want, and then go right
another screen.
6.) Make sure Bowser is drinking water, then head up. You'll see
two more attack blocks. Collect them and then drop back down. Check your map
to find a third attack block. Swim right and then up and you'll find it.
7.) Head right two screens. Hit the exclamation mark box, then head right
another screen. The first thing you'll see is another attack block.
8.) Now head right one screen. On this new screen, you'll see another bulging
switch that you need to hit. Hitting this switch releases a circle thing. Move
the circle thing left and a new path below will open up. Head down it.
9.) Once you reach the bottom, head right. You'll find another pattern
memorization block. After hitting the block in order, you obtain attack piece
#7. Head right another screen.
10.) If Bowser is drinking water, have him stop so that the frowny bone lowers.
In this area, you learn a field skill that makes Mario small. Using this
ability, head through the tiny gap to hit a switch that frees Toadbert and
opens up access to another switch. Hit the new switch and then head down.
Make Mario miniature again so that he can head through the gap, jump up some
platforms, and hit another switch. After this, head left and go through the
bottom left exit.
11.) You'll see a bunch of purple platforms that seem to block your
path. However, you can go right through them. Do so to find attack piece #8.
Now head left one screen.
12.) Here, head straight left to see a bulging switch. Smash it with your
hammer to reveal another circle thing. Push it to the right to open up a path.
Head down said path to get attack piece #9. Hit the bulging switch again to
reveal another circle thing. This time, push the circle to the left. Head down
the newly opened path and make Mario miniature sized. Have mini-Mario hit the
switch in the mini-room. Now head left one screen.
13.) Right as you enter the next screen, you find attack piece #10.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Jump Helmet [UJH]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Obtain:
1.) From the entrance of the Flab Zone, head up the fatty platforms.
Then head right one screen. The first attack block appears as soon as you enter
the second screen.
2.) Head right two more screens. Jump up the fatty platforms, head right, and
then go right one more screen.
3.) Here you'll see a bunch of pipes. Press select to view them all on the map,
and then head into the upper right green one.
4.) Head right now and you'll spot a ? block. Hit it and you'll be given a
challenge to hit a block with Mario & Luigi 15 times. If you're successful
at this, you obtain 4 attack pieces at once. Now head right another screen.
4.) On this new screen, head into the bottom right pipe. You should come
across a save block. To the right of the save block is another ? block.
Hit it 20 times with Mario & Luigi to obtain 4 more pieces.
5.) To the right, you'll see two pipes. Enter the green one.
6.) After this, you'll be in the room with the final attack block. Move left
until you spot a bump on the ground. Hitting this bump with your hammer
unleashes a tornado. Mario and Luigi will notice these as familiar from
Superstar Saga. As a result, they'll remember how to do spin jumps that help
them cross gaps.
7.) Use the spin jump to enter the tornado that you unleashed. Then use the
spin jumps to cross the various gaps in this room. At the left end of the
room, you obtain the final attack block of the Flab Zone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Yoo Who Cannon [UYC]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Obtain: The Yoo Who Cannon is obtained as part of the story.
1.) After you first get out of Bowser, you end up in Toad Town Caves.
Head left from the entrance and you'll see a yellow pipe. Enter this
pipe.
2.) Go down. Jump up the platforms to the left and go left a screen.
3.) You'll see a burst of air coming up from the ground. Use your spin jump
on it to rise up to the cloud above. Enter the pipe on the left.
4.) Next, use your spin jumps on the various clouds until you reach the
pipe at the top right. Enter it.
5.) Here you'll come across a shell block. If you hit it, a cutscene
will ensue. After a tutorial, 3 Blue Shell Paratroopas will give you
all 10 attack pieces for the Yoo Who Cannon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Super Bouncer [USB]~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be added in a later update...
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Mighty Meteor [UMM]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Unlock: After you obtain the second Star Cure, head over to Dr.
Toadley's clinic in Toad Town. After some cutscenes, you'll learn a
field ability where Mario can puff up like a balloon. Now talk to the
receptionist at the clinic. You'll learn Mighty Meteor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Spin Pipe [USP]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Unlock:
1.) After unlocking the second star cure, you'll learn an ability
that allows Mario to suck up air to become balloon-like. Once you've gotten
this ability, head over to Dimble Wood.
2.) Using the map, make your way all the way south until you end up in Plack
Beach. From here, go down one screen.
3.) Then go left one screen. You should arrive at the squid fountain where
Bowser drank a lot of water. Go down another screen.
4.) You should see a save block. To the right and below the save
block, there are some platforms you can jump on. Jump on them and then head
into the hut you see atop said platforms.
5.) This hut houses Kuzzle, the old guardian of the second star cure. After
listening to the old geezer ramble on, you should be given the option to do a
puzzle. By this point of the game, you will already have done one puzzle within
Bowser's memory banks. Given that, you shouldn't have too much trouble with
this one. If you're still having trouble though, try the following:
a.) Look for pieces with two yellow lines on the sides. These are corner pieces
that can only go in one of four spots (the corners). Look at the colors of them
to figure out where they go. Then rotate them until they fit snugly into one of
those corners.
b.) After placing the corner pieces, look for pieces with one yellow line on
the side. These are edge pieces. They can only possibly fit at the very top,
very left, very bottom or very right of the puzzle. Basically they make up the
walls of the puzzle. Try to find pieces with one yellow line that have similar
colors as the corner pieces. These will probably be adjacent to the corner
pieces you've already placed. After placing these, it shouldn't be too hard to
figure out where to put the rest of the wall pieces.
c.) Once you've placed all the wall pieces, look at the top screen for objects
in the puzzle that stand out. Depending on the puzzle, this includes things
like starfish, specific colors, coral, and so forth. Approximate where those
pieces are in the puzzle and keep rotating until you get a fit. You should try
to place pieces that border the wall pieces first. Then work your way towards
the middle of the puzzle. Assuming you've already placed the corner and wall
pieces, the rest of the puzzle should fit in place fairly fast.
If you solve Kuzzle's first puzzle, you obtain the spin pipe move!
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Snack Basket [USN]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to obtain: You acquire the Snack Basket by unlocking all 10 pieces
in Dimble Wood. You will need to have gotten the field ability where
Mario can turn into a balloon (Dr. Toadley's clinic) in order to get
several of them. You will also need to have visited the third sage in
Plack Beach in order to obtain the last 4. An exact guide on how to
unlock all of the attack pieces will be added at a later date.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Magic Window [UMW]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Unlock:
1.) After getting the field skill where Mario can suck up air to
become a balloon, you receive the option to also go to Bowser's Castle.
2.) From Plack Beach, head into Dimble Wood. From there go 9 screens up. You'll
know you're at the right place because you'll be at the location where Bowser
fought his first "Gigantic" battle. Bowser's bodyprint should serve as a
reminder of that. Go up one more screen and into Bumpsy Plains.
3.) From the first screen of Bumpsy (with the save point), go up one screen
and right one screen.
4.) Bowser needed to use his sliding punch to get across the gaps here, but
the Mario bros can use their air spinning move (R+R+A). Anyways, make your way
up one more screen, using the air spinning move to cross gaps.
5.) At this area of Bumpsy Plains, jump directly up onto the far right
platform. Enter the cave (Bowser's Path).
6.) Go up one screen.
7.) Go right onto the ramp. Then go up and left. Jump onto the platform,
go down a very tiny ramp, and enter the pipe.
8.) Go right into the other pipe.
9.) This pipe takes you directly into Bowser's Castle. From here go right
two screens.
10.) Go all the way to the very right and tunnel under the metal bars. This
leads you to a room with a black pipe. The black pipe is a warp pipe to
Bowser's insides. It saves you many long trips to Bowser's Castle if you
wish to ever go here again with the Mario Brothers. Enter it, then exit once
you've taken care of business inside Bowser.
11.) Exit the room with the black pipe by once again tunneling under those iron
bars. Head over to the concession stand on the left. You should see more
iron bars at the bottom of this stand. Tunnel under them. This gives you access
to a blue pipe. Enter it.
12.) In the new room, have Mario suck in air from the wind tube thingy. With
balloon Mario in hand, float up onto the platform above you and head right into
the next screen.
13.) You now are in the Bowser Secret Society Preservation Chamber. Chippy
will suggest that there's more to this room than meets the eye. You'll
see three pillars here with buttons and a door with a button. You need a
code to get through the door.
13.) Now, you can head south from this room to explore Bowser's Castle in order
to obtain hints. While not necessary, there are various items you can find
along the way. For information sake, I will provide the clues as well as the
code-
Secret Notes:
1.) Square once less than Triangle.
2.) Square once more than Circle.
3.) Order is Square->Circle->Triangle->Door
4.) Circle once only
Code: Square, Square, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Triangle, Door.
14.) Hit the buttons on the pillars as indicated in the Preservation Chamber
and voila! The door opens up. At this point you should probably save your
game and heal your health. There's a boss battle coming up. Inside the
mysterious chamber you find your arch-enemies from the previous
game-The Shroobs!
15.) Beat the Shroobs to unlock Magic Window. Snack Basket helps against
these guys, but they're easy either way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Unlocking Falling Star [UFS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Unlock: The Falling Star is unlocked at the very end of the game. You
must have obtained the three star cures. You unlock Falling Star by finding 4
attack cubes within Peach's Castle.
1.) First of all, enter Peach's Castle using the entrance from Toad Town. Head
up one screen.
2.) Head up and then right. You should see a platform you can jump on. Do so
and then head right into the next screen.
3.) On this new screen, head to the very bottom. You should see platforms that
form stairs. Jump on each of these blocks until you reach the top. Then jump
onto the pink rampart nearby. Head right and you will enter a tower. Head up
to exit the tower.
4.) Go straight forward and you'll come across a shell block. Turn Mario
into a turtle, then head left a little bit. You should see an attack block.
5.) Whack turtle mario into it and Bam! 7 attack pieces right off the bat.
There will be a brief cutscene with the blue koopas who taught Mario how to
be a turtle. They'll demand 300 gold coins, but fortunately this is pittance
by this point in the game. Pay the limey bums their pocket change and they'll
circle 3 areas of the map where they suspect more attack blocks are located.
These are invisible. They appear when you jump up from under them. I will try
to indicate as best as possible where they are.
6.) Ditch the shell, jump down, and go left two screens into the first area
with a blue circle.
7.) Head down to see a platform. Jump on it, and then jump on the hedge bush
above it. Keep jumping atop the hedge bush within the blue circled area of
the map. The attack block here shouldn't be too hard to find. Once you're done
with that, head up one screen and into the next area.
8.) Jump on the platform, and then jump on the hedge bushes. Now jump onto the
pink rampart here. From this rampart, you need to use Mario and Luigi's aerial
spin jump to reach another pink platform leading into a tower. Enter the tower.
Then exit the tower from the right.
9.) From here, go right one screen and jump through the gap onto the above
rampart. You should now see a tiny hole. Have Luigi hammer Mario into a
midget.
10.) As mini-mario in the next room, head up until you touch the wall. Then
head left and jump onto the platform. From the platform, jump up onto the wall.
On this wall, jump around a lot while heading right. The attack block should be
on the wall. Exit the room once you've obtained it.
11.) Now backtrack a little bit. Get off the rampart and back out through the
tower. Then drop to the ground. From here, head left all the way until you're
at the edge of the screen. Now head up. You should see a large block blocking
your way. Fortunately, it has a little hole in it. Drill into the ground
(R+R+B) and underneath said block into the next screen.
12.) Jump up onto the pink platform. You should see a wind tube that will
allow Mario to turn into his festive balloon self.
13.) Use balloon Mario to jump up onto the platform up and slightly right
of your location. Jump once on this platform to reveal the final attack
block. Hooray! Now you can use Falling Star (sounds like something Captain
America would use in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, right?).
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-----------------=== Bowser's Abilities ===-----------------
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~~~~~~~~~~~~Goomba Storm [GO]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Goomba Storm hits one enemy, but will start attacking another enemy
if the originally targeted one was defeated. As Bowser, your job is to set
those goombas on fire so that they come crashing down upon the heads of
their enemy. The move occasionally burns enemies. It's also the cheapest SP
move that Bowser has. Goombas that aren't burned will still ram into your foe
and do a little damage. This move costs 6 sp normally, 3 sp with the economy
ring, and 12 SP with the heroic ring.
How to use: All you have to do is tap each charging goomba with the stylus.
Bowser will spit fire at them. If you miss a few Goombas, it's OK. Just try
to tap as many as you possibly can.
Overall Effectiveness=***/*****: Goomba Storm is your best move for hitting
multiple targets before you get the Koopa Corps. It's a cheap SP move that you
should use if you want to conserve SP. While Goomba Storm isn't as good as most
of Bowser's other skills, Bowser is powerful enough that he'll often be able to
kill 1 or 2 enemies with it anyways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Shy Guy Squad [SS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Bowser rolls up into a ball. Those adorable Shy Guys pull him back
on a rope. Then they let go and Bowser goes flying into the enemy. This only
hits one enemy. It will not damage another enemy if it kills its target. This
move costs 8 sp normally, 4 sp with the economy ring, and 16 SP with the heroic
ring.
How to Use: Simply slide the stylus left multiple times. Slide it left once,
then pick up the stylus, move it a little bit to the right, and slide it left
again. Rinse and repeat. You have to do this quickly, but it really isn't a
difficult feat to perform at all. You can slide the stylus left from anywhere
on the screen, not just from where the Shy Guys are loading up Bowser.
Overall Effectiveness=***/*****: Shy Guy Squad is the easiest move to use that
Bowser has in his arsenal. It does excellent damage to one enemy and costs very
little SP. Before you get Broggy Bonker, it is an excellent attack against
single-enemy bosses.
Trivia: Canonically, this move makes no sense. Bowser gets this early in the
game, but by then his back hasn't loosened up enough so that he can roll into
a ball. Oh well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Koopa Corps [KC]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Bowser ducks into his shell. Koopa shells meanwhile go flying at the
enemy. You have to hit the shells with Bowser directly to send them spinning
again towards your opponents. It's kind of like pong. The koopa shells hit all
opponents individually and at random. This move costs 10 sp normally, 5 sp with
the economy ring, and 20 sp with the heroic ring.
How to Use: Slide the stylus up or down to move Bowser's shell. You can do this
anywhere on the screen. I recommend doing it on the far right of the screen so
that your hand doesn't block Bowser or the shells. Try to hit the shells coming
towards you head-on. If you hit them from below or above, they'll be destroyed.
When there are two shells coming at you at once, you will have to start sliding
the stylus a little bit faster. Even if you miss a shell at some point, you can
still easily obtain an Excellent rating.
Overall Effectiveness=*****/*****: The Koopa Corps do very good damage. They're
more likely to clear out all enemies at once than Goomba Storm. Even towards
the end of the game, they can often still defeat all enemies in one turn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Bob-Omb Blitz [BO]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Bowser lines up Bob-ombs. They then rush forward and blow up if they
come into contact with the enemy. Sometimes this move dizzies opponents. Since
it's up to the player to decide where to line up the bob-ombs, you can hit
whichever enemies you want (including all of them if you desire) with as many
bombs as you want.
However, while it is easy to line them up against one opponent, it becomes far
more difficult to accurately gauge how to line them up against several
within the time limit. In light of that, I think this move is best used
against a single enemy that you line up your bob-ombs against. This move costs
12 sp normally, 6 sp with the economy ring, and 24 sp with the heroic ring.
How to use: You have to drag the bob-ombs using the stylus. Drag one so that
it's lined up with an enemy. If you want to hit said enemy multiple times,
drag other bob-ombs directly behind or in front of the first one. If you want
to hit another enemy, you will have to line another bob-omb up with said enemy.
Overall Effectiveness=**/*****: I think this is Bowser's worst move. It is
very easy to mess up. Even when I do get an Excellent with it, Bob-Omb Blitz
often does less damage than Bowser's other special attacks. Bob-Omb Blitz also
costs a high amount of sp. If you're fighting a boss and can line up your
bob-ombs right, this could be useful I guess. Given how good all Bowser's other
moves are though, you have far better options.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Magikoopa Mob [MK]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: A bunch of magikoopas will get into formation. They'll then raise
their wands into the air to prepare a spell. Bowser can power up their wands
with fire before they attack. This increases the damage they do and may result
in burning the enemies they target. This move costs 15 sp normally, 8 sp with
the economy ring, and 30 sp with the heroic ring.
How to Use: The magikoopas will raise their wands into the air. At this point,
their wands are blue. Using the stylus, you need to trace a line over the blue
parts of their wands. Tracing a line in front of the magikoopas or on the
magikoopas won't do it. You MUST trace over their blue wand lights. You'll
know you did it right because their wand lights will turn red. Depending on
their formation, sometimes you will need to trace a straight line, sometimes a
sideways U shape, etc. It doesn't matter which one you start with so long as
the stylus hits all their wands within the time limit. Obviously it's best to
start with either the top or bottom magikoopa as opposed to one of the
middle ones.
Overall Effectiveness=*****/*****: This move is absolutely fantastic whether
you're fighting a group of enemies (who will be destroyed in one turn by this)
or a single one. The only downside is the high sp cost. If you think you're
powerful enough to destroy all the adversaries you're facing at once with the
Koopa Corps, use that move. If not, use the Magikoopa Mob.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Broggy Bonker [BB]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Bowser gives Broggy a scrubbing. If you clean him very well, Broggy
will give the enemy a serious beatdown in return. If you don't, he'll only do
a couple attacks. If you manage to get an Excellent while using this skill,
numerous blitties will follow Broggy and do some minor additional damage. This
attack hits one enemy, but will start targeting another if the first enemy you
target is killed. The attack also may dizzy opponents. This move costs 20 SP
normally, 10 SP with the economy ring, and 40 sp with the heroic ring.
How to Use: Move the stylus over Broggy very quickly. Scrub his body all over.
You have to target the dirty spots in particular. You will also need to scrub
his left ear a little bit. After a short while, you'll get a rating. If you
cleaned off all of Broggy's dirty spots, Broggy will attack the enemy three
times. Several blitties will finish the attack off.
Overall Effectiveness=****/*****: This is Bowser's strongest move against a
single enemy. However, given the high sp cost, this skill is best utilized
primarily against the final few bosses of the game. You can destroy Fawful
with it REALLY quickly in particular. If you're just fighting several random
enemies, you'll probably be able to kill them just as easily with the Magikoopa
Mob or the Koopa Corps. Both of these moves cost less SP than Broggy Bonker,
which in my book puts them one tier ahead.
=====================================================================
-------------=== Mario & Luigi's Abilities ===---------------
=====================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~Green Shell [GS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: The Green Shell has similar properties as a hammer. It will allow
you to hit enemies that are spiky or on fire with a special attack. However,
like the hammer, it will miss airborne enemies. The bros take turns kicking the
shell with A (Mario) and B (Luigi). If the attack kills the targeted enemy, the
bros will start kicking it at another enemy. The attack will end if the bros
miss, an "Excellent" is achieved, or all enemies are destroyed. The move
costs 3 SP normally, 2 sp with the budget charm, and 2 sp with the tight belt.
How to Use: The brother that starts the attack kicks the shell. When the shell
gets near the other brother, the player is given control. Pressing the A button
results in Mario kicking the shell. Pressing the B button results in Luigi
kicking the shell.
You alternate between pressing the buttons. One, then the
other, then the one again, ad nauseum. As more successful kicks are made, the
shell starts coming at you faster and faster. It shouldn't be difficult to get
an excellent rating at all. Just speed up the kicks as the attack goes on and
eventually you'll be getting Excellent! every time.
Overall Effectiveness=**/*****: This is the first move you obtain in the game.
As such, it is useful at the beginning, but becomes less efficient later on.
Due to its cheap SP cost, it's always good to have around. When you want to
conserve SP without wasting a turn by using syrup, notably against bosses,
this is a fine attack to throw out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Fire Flower [FF]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Mario and Luigi take turns chucking fire at all the enemies at
random. The fire flower hits enemies when they are airborne or on the ground.
It hits pretty much all enemies. It occasionally causes burns. Fire Flower
costs 4 SP normally, 3 SP with the budget charm, and 2 SP with the tight belt.
How to Use: Mario and Luigi both have fireballs in their hands. When the
fireball gets big in one of their hands, you rapidly tap either A or B. If the
fireball gets big in Mario's hands, you repeatedly press A. If it gets big in
Luigi's hands, you repeatedly press B. After several successful attacks, the
fireballs will get big in both plumbers' hands. At this point, you repeatedly
mash both a and b at once. Doing this, you will get an excellent every time
without fail.
Overall Effectiveness=*/*****: Although it hits against any enemy and it's easy
to use, this attack deals horribly weak damage. Burns are very uncommon with
this as well. To be honest, burns aren't even that great a status effect to
begin with (dizzy, power down, and defense down are all much better). I suppose
that this move mainly exists to give you a technique that you can use against
aerial enemies at the beginning of the game. After that, it is pretty much
never worth using again. I'd say it's the worst ability in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Jump Helmet [JH]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Luigi moves around and provides a springboard for Mario to jump off
of. If Mario falls without touching the spring at all, the move is ended
instantly with no damage done. Otherwise, the goal is to center the spring so
that Mario jumps right in the center of it with every bounce. After a few
bounces, Mario jumps onto the specific targeted enemy and deals pretty good
damage.
The move will fail and do damage to Mario if the enemy has spikes or is on
fire. The main downside to this move is that it only hits a single enemy.
Unlike the spin pipe, it can't hit other enemies after you've defeated the
enemy you targeted. This move costs 6 SP normally, 4 SP with the budget charm,
and 3 sp with the tight belt.
How to Use: The move starts out with Luigi equipping the helmet and Mario
jumping. Right when Mario lands on the spring, it's your cue to press the
A button. Mario will then fly up into the air and do some flips. While he is up
there, you should move Luigi forward with the directional pad so that Mario
lands on the center of the spring when he comes down. As soon as Mario lands on
the spring again, press A.
Basically this attack is all about moving Luigi forward to catch Mario and
pressing A when Mario hits the spring. When Mario lands on his enemy, it's also
your cue to press the A button in order to perfect this move. Even if you mess
up on one of the jumps (you don't press A at the right time or don't center the
spring right), you can STILL get an Excellent! rating so long as you do all
other jumps right.
Overall Effectiveness=***/*****: The Jump Helmet's main purpose is to beat up
bosses and particularly tough opponents. This move is an absolute godsend in
the gauntlet early on in the game. It does fantastic damage that can end battles
within the turn limit easily if you equip the powerful badge on Mario. Once
you've gotten some of the better abilities, you will not be using jump helmet
as much or at all. However, it's still an ok skill that is worth using against
single-enemies/bosses if you wish to save some SP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Yoo Who Cannon [YC]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: 8 barrels appear. 4 Marios appear and wave at you from random
barrels and 4 Luigis do the same. Then you take turns shooting the Marios and
Luigis at random enemies. This is another move that hits pretty much any enemy.
The move costs 7 SP normally, 5 SP with Budget Charm and 4 SP with the Tight
Belt.
How to Use: When the 8 barrels appear, you should memorize the positions of
only ONE of the brothers. This shouldn't be too difficult to do. Sometimes it
also helps to think of the set of barrels one of the brothers appear in (I
usually spot Mario more readily) as a shape. For instance, sometimes the 4
barrels that Mario will appear in form a cluster of sorts. Other times they
form a square or a diamond.
Let's say you memorized Mario's positions. When the fuse is lit on the first
barrel, think to yourself whether it was one of the barrels with Mario in it.
If so, press A. If not, press B. That's basically it.
Overall Effectiveness=**/*****: Unlike the fire flower, it actually can do
some pretty good damage. Sadly, it's weaker than your other options for
attacking all enemies. It's useful at the point of the game you get it at.
Once you've got the super bouncer, you don't ever need to touch Yoo Who
Cannons again unless you want to throw out something different now and
then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Super Bouncer [SB]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Luigi gets on a ball that Mario bounces up into the air. Luigi then
tries to get to the top of the ball. This attack hits all enemies individually
and at random. Occasionally it dizzies enemies. The move ends when the player
messes up, an "Excellent" is achieved, or all enemies are defeated. Just like
Yoo Who Cannons, this move costs 7 SP normally, 5 with the budget charm, and
4 with the tight belt.
How to use: The move starts out with Luigi on top of a ball. The ball will
bounce on top of Mario's head until you press A. Once you do, Mario launches
the ball into the air. At this point, pay attention to the top screen. Use the
directional arrows so that Luigi ends up on top of the ball (as opposed to
underneath it or to the side of it). When the ball lands on top of an
enemy, press B. The ball will then ricochet back to Mario. When Mario is
below it, press A so that he launches the ball into the air again. Rinse
and repeat. The hardest part of the move is getting Luigi into the right
position. It's easy to mess up and fail the move fairly early on.
Overall Effectiveness=***/*****: Basically this move has similar properties
as Yoo Who Cannon (hits all enemies individually and at random), but it's
better. Compared to Yoo Who Cannon, it's a bit more difficult to use.
However, the extra damage and dizzy effects are well worth it in my opinion.
Unlike most "jumping" special attacks, this one can hit spiky enemies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Mighty Meteor [MM]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Mario and Luigi take turns hitting a meteor with their hammer at all
enemies individually and at random. If they are successful with every hit or
kill all enemies with this move, they will obtain an item from the meteor. The
items you get include (though may not be limited to) max nuts, ultra mushrooms,
1-up deluxes, and star candies. The move will always hit the enemy provided
that you successfully knock the meteor at them. It also will occasionally lower
the power of an enemy, which makes it a useful tool against bosses. This move
costs 8 SP to use normally, 6 sp to use with the budget charm, and 4 sp to use
with the tight belt.
How to Use: This is arguably one of the hardest moves to use in the game. In
fact, I sort of hated it at first. I still (albeit very infrequently) sometimes
mess it up. If you find this a difficult move to use at first, do not give up
on it. There are many great reasons to use it. First of all, you should start
by moving whatever character the meteor is moving towards 2 steps back. Now
charge up his hammer. Hold A to charge Mario's hammer. Hold B to charge
Luigi's.
After this, the meteor will move towards either Mario or Luigi at
random. How far it moves is also random. Depending on how far it goes, you
may have to move 2 steps back or 3 steps back to hit it. Charged hammer
attacks are more likely to hit the meteors. I'm guessing they do more damage
too. However, you can get an "Excellent" rating with Mighty Meteor simply by
hitting those meteors consistently, charged or not. You also get the items
within them.
Overall Effectiveness=*****/*****: This is one of the best moves in the game by
sheer virtue of its versatility. It has a cheap sp cost compared to the other
top tier moves, it nets you great items, it will always hit the enemy, it hits
multiple enemies, it occasionally powers down really buff enemies, and the
damage is good. The item bonus happens to be extremely helpful in the gauntlet
as well. Your items are limited there depending on which battle you do, but
thanks to mighty meteors, you can get some other really good ones to help you
out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Spin Pipe [SP]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: The spin pipe hits a single enemy with a series of attacks that may
dizzy the adversary. Each of these attacks will require a correct button press
(either A or B). If the move kills the enemy you targeted and is not over yet,
it will start targeting another enemy. It will continue to do this until the
move ends after the player messes up, after an "Excellent" is achieved, or
after all enemies have been defeated.
It will not work against spiky or flaming enemies. If you touch those enemies
with this move, you will take damage and the move will end. This move costs
10 SP normally, 7 sp with the budget charm, and 5 SP with the Tight Belt.
How to Use: If Mario uses the spin pipe, Luigi will jump on top of him. If
Luigi uses the spin pipe, Mario will be on top. The spin pipe will then launch
in the air and start spinning around. During this time, you cannot see Mario
and Luigi. It will land on an enemy's head after several spins. You then have
to press either A or B depending on whether Mario or Luigi is on bottom at the
time the spin pipe lands on the enemy.
The spin pipe may seem like a random guessing game at first, but it's not. You
can easily determine which brother is at the bottom of the pipe by paying
careful attention. The best way to use this skill effectively is to keep an eye
on only ONE end of the pipe. If Mario starts out on the bottom, keep an eye on
the bottom of the pipe before it starts spinning. If that end of the pipe is
on the bottom again when the spin pipe comes down on the enemy, that means
Mario's still on the bottom (you need to press A). If it ends up on the top
when the spin pipe comes down on the enemy, that means Luigi's on the bottom
(you need to press B).
After the first attack, keep an eye on which brother is at the bottom.
Then watch that same side of the pipe carefully. If it's on the bottom again,
you need to press the same button as before. If it's on the top, you need to
press the other button. Rinse and repeat and you have mastered the spin pipe.
Overall Effectiveness=**/*****: In my opinion, this move is a bit better than
the jump helmet due to the dizzy effect and the fact that it can hit other
opponents after killing the original target. It also does a bit more damage.
Unfortunately, you get Spin Pipe at a time when it's competing with mighty
meteor and snack basket for your sp, as well as potentially magic window.
All of those moves are much more versatile for dealing with enemies.
Mighty meteor even costs less SP. Spin Pipe is practically useless once
you have all of them. Although Spin Pipe is better than jump helmet, you
obtain jump helmet at a point in the game where you actually need it. By
the time you get Spin Pipe, you'll have plenty of better moves to throw
at your foes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Snack Basket [SN]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: Luigi pigs out, becomes very fat, is lifted by Mario up into the
air, and then slams into the ground. The slam creates a shockwave that hits
all grounded enemies all at once. It will miss airborne enemies. This move
costs 14 sp normally, 10 sp with the budget charm, and 7 sp with the tight
belt.
How to use: The move starts out with food falling from the sky (top screen).
As Luigi, you move left and right to catch the food. Luigi will then become
morbidly obese and jump onto Mario. As Mario, rapidly tap the A button to lift
Luigi into the air. When Luigi is up in the air, press B. Luigi will slam into
the ground and create a shockwave.
Despite several steps to the move, it's extremely easy to do perfectly. The
difference between a "Good," "Great" and "Excellent" rank is dependent on how
much food you eat and how rapidly you tap the A button when it's Mario's turn
to lift up Luigi. Pressing B at the top of Luigi's launch into the air is
easy.
Overall Effectiveness=****/*****: Magic Window and Snack Basket compliment
each other well. Magic Window can't hit spiky enemies, but can hit airborne
ones. Snack Basket can hit spiky enemies, but can't hit airborne ones. Snack
Basket is certainly one of the better moves in the game. It's capable of ending
many battles in one turn immediately after you get it. Hitting all the enemies
at once also is useful against certain boss battles.
However, there are a few problems with Snack Basket. It only hits one time.
It doesn't hit certain enemies. It doesn't have a bonus effect, and the sp
cost is high. Overall, it's still pretty good. It's funny as hell too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~Magic Window [MW]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: The magic window skill hits all the opponents one by one and at
random. This occurs until the player fails, an "Excellent" is achieved, or the
battle is over. Windows will appear at various places on either screen. Mario,
Luigi, or both will pop out of these windows and jump at enemies. The player
will have to press A, B or A+B depending on which brother(s) jump out. Each
successful jump does damage and may dizzy the enemy. If Mario, Luigi or both
jump on an enemy that is spiky or on fire, they will take damage and the move
will promptly end.
The damage of each jump is based on the power of each bro. If Mario is more
powerful than Luigi for instance, each of his jumps will do more damage. When
both bros jump at once, they do more damage than if either one of them were to
attack individually. This move costs 18 SP normally, 13 SP with budget charm,
and 9 SP with the tight belt.
How to use: This move is fairly straightforward to use. Mario, Luigi or both
will pop out of windows. If Mario pops out, press A as soon as he lands on an
enemy. If Luigi pops out, press B. If both pop out, press A and B at once. The
windows will start appearing faster and faster as you land more and more
attacks successfully. The trick to getting an excellent off of this move is to
be very attentive.
As soon as you see a window, you should turn your attention to it immediately.
Once you notice which brother(s) appear out of it, you should be ready to press
A, B or A+B. The timing is easy at first, but gets harder when they start
popping out fast. While the magic windows may take practice at first, they are
not difficult to master.
Overall Effectiveness=*****/*****: In my opinion, this is one of the best
moves in the game. It rivals falling star in damage, but hits all enemies
instead of just one. It's easy to use compared to mighty meteor and
falling star. It does extreme damage and occasionally dizzies opponents.
The downside of this move is that it costs a great deal of SP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Falling Star [FS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
Move Info: The bros take turns chucking little stars at a much bigger star that
hovers around the top screen. After a short while, the big star crashes down
upon a single enemy along with the little stars you threw at it. Occasionally,
this attack will lower an enemy's defense. The attack will end as soon as the
targeted enemy is defeated or all the stars have fallen onto it. If the move
kills an enemy before it is finished, it will not further damage other enemies.
The move costs 20 SP normally, 14 SP with the budget charm, and 10 SP with the
tight belt.
Overall Effectiveness=****/*****: Keeping in mind the defense sap, the insanely
large sp cost, and the fact that this move only targets one opponent, Falling
Star is best utilized during boss battles. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars.
Honestly, it probably deserves something more like 3.5 stars due to how late in
the game you get this move. There aren't very many bosses left by the time you
obtain Falling Star. Falling Star is, though, particularly great for clearing
round 7 of the Gauntlet due to the defense sap and high damage.
=====================================================================
---------------=== Cholesteroad [ROAD]===----------------
=====================================================================
The Cholesteroad is located in the challenge node. This is a part of Bowser's
body that the Mario bros unlock at the very beginning of the game. The
Cholesteroad itself is unlocked right after Scutlet is defeated by the
Mario Bros and you get to level 6.
The Cholesteroad is a true test of your gaming skill. Stats do not matter
here. You get rewarded entirely by how well you time attacks. Your mastery
of your various skills is the only factor at play. Acquiring the B rank in
any Cholesteroad challenge will net you a very paltry amount of coins.
Acquiring the A rank in any Cholesteroad challenge results in a larger
amount of coins as well as a piece of equipment. If you obtain the A rank
in every Cholesteroad challenge, you acquire the Master Wear.
The Master Wear has the following stats-
SP: 20
Defense: 140
Special Attack Amplifier: Increases special attack power 25%
Statwise, it is worse than the A-OK wear in everything except SP. However, the
25% special attack bonus is exclusive to the master wear. It is worth equipping
on Mario because he has high SP and high power. He can easily decimate any
enemy with the master wear equipped. He'll also do pretty well against the
bosses.
Other equipment you obtain from the Cholesteroad:
Challenge Medal (Green Shell A-Rank): Foes power up but drop 1.5x coins. If you
A rank the Green Shell task early in the game, this equipment is your ticket to</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
buying anything in the game that you desire. It can also be used to
artificially increase the game's difficulty.
Bro Socks (Yoo Who Cannon A-rank): They raise your defense 100% if you are
holding a KO'd bro. This is a good item for Luigi because he has higher defense
and HP than Mario in general. If Mario has the daredevil boots equipped, bro
socks are even more valuable.
Dizzy Boots (Super Bouncer A-Rank): May daze a jumped-on foe. Either bro can
use this pretty well. It's good if you like jump moves a lot.
Advice Patch (Spin Pipe A-Rank): Apparently this raises "suggested" attack
power by 30%. I still have no idea what this means.
Siphon Gloves (Magic Window A-rank): Makes hammer attacks restore SP 10%.
Either bro can use this effectively. It's good if you like hammer moves
a lot.
Daredevil Boots (Jump Helmet A-Rank): 2x attack power, but a hit KOs you. This
is a real challenging item to use. If you want a little bit of an extra
challenge that comes with a huge attack power bonus, go for it. I suggest
equipping it on Mario since he has the highest speed and pretty good power. If
you equip the daredevil boots on Mario, it's a pretty good idea to equip Luigi
with the Bro Socks (100% Defense Boost while holding KO'd Mario). If you equip
these things, you should also put some of your level up bonuses into Mario's
speed stat. While I wouldn't recommend this normally, the daredevil boots
require you to outspeed everything if you want to use them successfully. These
are best used against random enemies, but in tangent with bro socks they might
be fun to use against bosses. Just keep in mind that you'll really have to be
good at timed evasions. If you want to clear gauntlet battles in very few
turns, the daredevil boots will probably help you do so.
Another good combination is daredevil boots on Mario and Gall Socks on Luigi.
The Gall Socks make it so that enemies will more frequently target ol'
Green Stache. That takes the pressure off of Mario, but unfortunately it
does nothing to help you against attacks that hit both mario brothers.
Below I will provide tips on mastering the Cholesteroad. To be honest, most of
these challenges will just take a lot of patience, a lot of practice, and a lot
of skill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Green Shell Challenge [CGS]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Hit the shell 100 times.
A-Rank: Hit the shell 150 times. That is a hell of a lot. As time goes on, it
becomes harder and harder. I've heard a lot of people say that the trick to
this is merely keeping a good rhythm. The shell will go at different speeds at
different intervals. It isn't random. Once you notice it changes speed, adjust
your kicks accordingly. After it changes speed once, it will be another 10-20
or so kicks before it changes speed again, which means you can get comfortable
with a certain tempo for a bit before having to adjust. At 90 kicks, a big
cholesterol monster will appear and the shell will actually slow down. This
will last for only 10 kicks before the shell starts speeding up again (B rank).
After 100 kicks, the shell starts going really fast. This is where you will
probably be caught off guard. Just keep in mind that around 120 kicks or so,
possibly even before that, the shell will change speed. If you can adjust to
the new speed, you'll have no problem with A rank. When you get to 140, the big
cholesterol monster appears again and the shell inevitably slows down a tad.
For me, this actually made it easier to nab those final 10 kicks.
To sum this challenge up, you have to get used to kicking the shell at 5 or 6
different speeds. You also have to watch out for that big cholesterol monster
and keep in mind that his appearance means the shell will actually slow down
a little bit.
Reward: Challenge Medal (you receive 1.5x gold, but enemies are stronger)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Yoo Who Cannon Challenge [CYC]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Fire 80 cannons.
A-Rank: Fire 120 cannons. This is HARD. You have to have damn impressive memory
and be able to see things very quickly. It took me dozens of tries I think.
Anyways, here's how this works: You start out with your standard set of 8
barrels. Memorize the position of one of the brothers and shoot them off.
After you're done with all of them, another group of 8 appears. The brothers
switch barrel positions completely. Once again, you'll have to memorize the
positions of one of the bros. As time goes on, you get less and less time to
see which barrels the brothers are appearing in before you have to fire
them off.
After about 70 or so shots, you probably don't even have a second to spot the
plumbers. At that point, sometimes I was able to spot all 4 of Mario's positions
and sometimes I just wasn't. I had to guess on some (usually I could spot at
least 3 Marios). Moreover, I wasn't even really thinking about where "Mario" was
so much as "where I saw red." It's easy when Mario appears in a cluster, but
really tough when he doesn't. What makes this even more frustrating is that the
fuses on the barrels get shorter. You don't have time to screw around because
if you don't press a or b right away, you fail.
Reward: Bro Socks (when you hold a ko'd ally, your defense doubles)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Super Bouncer Challenge [CSB]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Hit your enemy with the ball 20 times.
A-Rank: Hit your enemy with the ball 30 times. This is a moderate difficulty
A-rank to achieve. It is actually one of the first ones I got. It's more or
less the same thing as normal except that it gets a lot faster. One thing to
keep in mind is that you do not always have to move Luigi. Sometimes he'll
start out on top of the ball and you'll be set. Another thing to keep in mind
is that when the big cholesterol comes out, you have slightly less time to move
luigi and finish off the move.
Reward: Dizzy Boots (Jump attacks may dizzy opponents)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Spin Pipe Challenge [CSP]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Hit your enemy 20 times.
A-Rank: Hit your enemy 30 times. If you've figured out how to consistently use
the spin pipe, getting an excellent every time in battles, the Cholesteroad
A-Rank Spin Pipe challenge is among the easiest in the game. You do not have to
do anything different from normal. Your goal is to hit the enemy 30 times.
After several hits, the spin pipe will start spinning faster than it normally
does. While this may make the A-rank a bit challenging, you just have to pay
very careful attention to ONE end of the pipe and make sure you know which
brother is in that end. The good thing is, even if you lose track of that
one end, you still have a 50% chance of getting the correct answer when
the pipe falls down upon the enemy. I think that this A-Rank has the big
cholesterol enemy appearing as well. When that happens, you have slightly less
time to input your move. That's really the only major difference though.
Reward: Advice Patch (Suggested power increases by 30%)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Magic Window Challenge [CMW]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Successfully land 70 jumps.
A-Rank: Successfully land 120 jumps. As with the spin jump, there is sadly not
a whole lot I can suggest to help you with obtaining the A-rank. The
cholesteroad challenge is obtained by using the move more or less exactly as
you would normally. Unlike the spin jump however, A-rank is a lot harder to
obtain with magic mirrors. Mario and Luigi will start popping out of those
mirrors very fast.
You should constantly turn your attention to the windows as
soon as they appear. On the other hand, keep in mind that they will be
appearing both from the top and bottom screen. If you focus too much on the top
screen, you might miss a window that shows up on the bottom. That happened a
lot to me when I was attempting to get A-rank. I eventually got it, but just
barely. You'll just have to keep trying and hope you can get good enough to
beat this challenge.
Reward: Siphon Gloves (Hammer attacks restore 10% of your SP)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Jump Helmet Challenge [CJH]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Cross 30 lines within the time limit.
A-Rank: Cross 60 lines within the time limit. Your goal here is to keep
bouncing Mario up in the air while Luigi moves forward. On the ground you'll
see several lines. You need to cross 60 of those while keeping Mario up in the
air. The Jump Helmet challenge isn't that complicated, but there is a bit more
to it than simply catching Mario every time he jumps. The main thing to realize
is that WHERE Mario lands on the spring and presses A is important. If he lands
a little bit to the left of the center of the spring, he'll only move forward
in the air a tiny bit. If he lands right in the center, he'll move forward
his usual amount. If he lands a little bit to the right of the center, he'll
fly forward pretty damn far.
Keeping this in mind, you need to try to get Mario to obtain
either ! targets or + targets. If these targets are very close to
you, the goal is to have Mario land a little bit to the left of the
center of the spring. If they are very far from you, try to land a
little bit to the right of the center of the spring.
Otherwise just spring Mario forward. The opposite is true with -
targets. If they are close by, you'll want Mario to
land a little bit to the right of the center of the spring
so that he flies forward to avoid them.
+ targets add time to the time limit while ! targets stop the time completely.
- targets subtract some time. Obviously, the most important thing to try here
is to simply keep Mario in the air. You're more likely to lose by dropping
Mario than you are by running out of time.
Reward: Daredevil Boots (You do 2x damage, but any time you are hit,
you are KO'd.)
=====================================================================
-------------=== Massages [MASG]===-------------
=====================================================================
The Massage Parlor is a place where Bowser uses his minions to give Madame
Broque a back massage. The challenges here are like the Cholesteroad
challenges, albeit with Bowser's skills. The Massage Parlor can be found in
Blubble Lake. It is a purple house that is a screen left of a shop block and
a save block.
Obtaining an A-rank in the Massage challenges nets you Bowser's best armour:
The King Shell. The King Shell has the following stats:
SP: 20
Power: 20
Defense: 260
Punch Pumper: Raises punch power 30%
The King Shell has much better stats than the best shell you can buy, the Dream
Shell. It has only 12 less power than the Wicked Shell that you find at Peach's
Castle. However, in exchange for this very minor power decrease, it increases
the power of Bowser's punches by 30%. I personally find Bowser's flame attack
to be useless for most of the game anyways. The King Shell allows me to do more
damage with normal punches than the Wicked Shell, and it comes with much better
other stats as well. I think it's far superior.
As well as the King Shell, you can obtain the following equipment from
massages-
Treasure Ring (A-Rank Goomba Storm): Foes are more likely to drop items. This
is a pretty decent piece of equipment. If you get it early in the game,
you'll have a very easy time.
Bone Fangs (A-Rank Koopa Corps): Raises defense 30% when you eat a drumstick in
battle. These kinds of items are always great for bosses. Otherwise,
I think there are better things you can equip.
Fury Band (A-Rank Bob-Omb Blitz): Raises attack power by 20% when Bowser
becomes furious. Since this doesn't happen very often, it's not that good. I
only every attained Fury Mode during 3 or so Boss Battles.
Heroic Ring (A-Rank Magikoopa Mob): Doubles SP cost. In return, sp. attack
power is raised 30%. If you don't mind consuming a lot of syrup, be prepared
to dish out unrivaled damage. In my opinion it's not really all that worth
it because Bowser is pretty powerful anyways.
Here are some tips for A-Ranking the massages:
~~~~~~~~~~~~Goomba Storm Challenge [MGO]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Scorch 150 Goombas.
A-Rank: Scorch 250 Goombas.
In the goomba storm massage game, a constant horde of goombas go charging at
madame broque. You have to set them ALL on fire. If you miss even one, you lose
a life. It's important to hold the stylus in the middle of the screen. One
problem you might have is that if you happen to miss a goomba when it passes
by, it will be hard to nab it before you lose a life. That's because your hand
will probably be blocking the screen (unless you're left-handed).
Another thing to keep in mind is that goombas coming from the top and the
bottom will not move straight forward at the end. They will move in a little
bit of an arc in order to hit Madame Broque. If you want to nab them at the
last second, you have to keep that in mind. Otherwise, this is just a very
difficult version of Goomba Storm.
Reward: Treasure Ring (foes more likely to drop items)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Koopa Corps Challenge [MKC]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Deflect 250 Koopa Shells.
A-Rank: Deflect 350 Koopa Shells. At the beginning, three shells will be shot
into the field. You have to juggle ALL of them at once for quite a long
period of time. Every shell you miss counts as a life lost. This means that you
could lose 2 lives at once if 2 shells are missed. Towards the end, they kind
of create the illusion of a constant barrage of shells coming at you. By this
point in time, you will have to hit a shell or two once every second. Get used
to moving Bowser's shell swiftly and constantly.
Reward: Bone Fangs (if you eat a drumstick in battle, you get a 30% attack
boost for that battle)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Bob-Omb Challenge [MBO]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: Successfully hit Madame Broque with 120 Bob-Ombs.
A-Rank: Successfully hit Madame Broque with 150 Bob-Ombs. There is a specific
trick that makes this a lot easier--Imagine the bed that you're on as a grid.
There are several squares on the bed that form one.
When Madame Broque moves, look to see which row of squares she is on. What you
need to pay attention to is where the bottom yellow part of her body is (not
her hair). Sometimes she may also be on the line between two rows of squares.
Now that you've seen which line or row of squares she is on, line up your
bob-ombs all on that same line or row of squares. If Madame Broque appears in
the bottom right corner for instance, you have to line up all your bob-ombs in
the bottom row of squares.
You should always move the bob-ombs furthest away from being directly parallel
to Ms. Broque first. You should also try to figure out if any bob-ombs are
already in the right position (in the same row of squares or on the same line
as madame broque). If so, don't touch them and you'll save about half a second
of time. You'll probably have a natural tendency to move the first bob-omb you
place as far to the right as possible. Don't do this as it wastes time (about
another quarter or half a second). All that matters is that the first bob-omb
you place is in the same row of squares or on the same line as Madame Broque.
Once you've placed the first one, place all the other bob-ombs either smack
dab next to the first one or in a row behind it. When there are only 2-3 bombs,
you can usually get away with sticking them in a cluster. When more bob-ombs
appear though, it's wiser to try to place them in a line.
Missing with even one bomb per attack means that you lose a life. If you miss
with multiple bombs during one attack, you still lose only one life. However,
you're also getting less points than if you had only missed with one bomb.
From my experience with this, the bob-ombs are more likely to miss by going
too high than too low.
Reward: Fury Band (You get an extra 20% attack bonus if Bowser
becomes furious)
~~~~~~~~~~~~Magikoopa Challenge [MMK]~~~~~~~~~~~~
B-Rank: 200 Fire Spells hit Madame Broque.
A-Rank: 300 Fire Spells hit Madame Broque. This is probably the easiest A rank
of Bowser's to obtain. It was my first one with him. You start out with only a
handful of magikoopas with wands you need to trace over. As time goes on,
gradually more and more will appear. If you happen to miss the wand of a
magikoopa with the stylus, you can go back and quickly touch it after you've
traced the other wands. You can do this so long as you do it within the time
limit. If you use this technique, you'll avoid losing unnecessary lives early
on in the challenge. The magikoopas only have a few formations in a few places.
If you've memorized these, you'll generally know where to begin tracing each
time.
As usual, it really doesn't matter whether you begin with the top or bottom
magikoopa. It's simply a matter of preference. During each actual magic attack,
I recommend that you move the stylus either to the top of the screen or to the
bottom so that you can prepare for the next attack. If you miss even one wand
during each attack, you lose a life. If you miss several during one attack, you
still only lose a life. However, you'll also get less points during the attack.
Given the nature of the challenge, the commonly missed wands are at the top
or bottom of each magikoopa formation. If you frequently miss wands at the
bottom and you start at the top, you need to trace your lines faster. If you
frequently miss wands at the top and you start at the top, it means you're
not starting with the right magikoopa. You should probably spend time in
practice mode doing each formation and tracing slowly.
Reward: Heroic Ring (abilities cost double the SP, but get a 30% attack
power bonus)
=====================================================================
--------------------=== Notes [NO]===---------------------
=====================================================================
I'm working on creating guides to finding the attack pieces for the other
skills too. I'll have that up whenever I get around to replaying the game.
I'm also planning on perhaps making a gauntlet FAQ.
