All information in this walkthrough was extensively researched and documented by
Douglas Hawkins. You may freely redistribute this information and use this
information as long as the source is clearly labeled. I place no other
restrictions on the use of the information in this document. This document was
written to benefit all who have ever enjoyed playing Super Mario Bros., and I
wish to keep an open policy so that objective can be met. I would appreciate
it if you would inform me when you use any information in this walkthrough, but
I do not require it.
Super Mario Bros., Super Mario All-stars, and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (DX), The
Legend of Zelda, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment
System, and Gameboy are all copyrights/trade marks of Nintendo of America.
********************************************************************************
* *
* Table of Contents *
* *
********************************************************************************
+ Version Notes
+ Introduction
+ Notes
+ Before You Begin
+ World 1
- Level 1-1
- Level 1-2
+ Warp Zone to 2, 3, 4
+ Warp Zone to -1, 5, -1
- Level 1-3
- Level 1-4
+ World 2
- Level 2-1
- Level 2-2
- Level 2-3
- Level 2-4
+ World 3
- Level 3-1
- Level 3-2
- Level 3-3
- Level 3-4
+ World 4
- Level 4-1
- Level 4-2
+ Warp Zone to 6,7,8
+ Warp Zone to 5
- Level 4- 2
- Level 4-3
- Level 4-4
+ World 5
- Level 5-1
- Level 5-2
- Level 5-3
- Level 5-4
+ World 6
- Level 6-1
- Level 6-2
- Level 6-3
- Level 6-4
+ World 7
- Level 7-1
- Level 7-2
- Level 7-3
- Level 7-4
+ World 8
- Level 8-1
- Level 8-2
- Level 8-3
- Level 8-4
+ Items
- Coin
- Mushroom
- Fire Flower
- Starman
+ Enemies
- Goomba
- Koopa Troopa
- Koopa Paratroopa
- Buzzy Beetle
- The Hammer Bros.
- Lakitu
- Spiny Egg
- Spiny
- Piranha Plant
- Bullet Bill
- Cheep-cheep
- Bloober
- Podoboo
- Firebars
- Bowser: The Koopa King
+ Techniques
- Controls
- Basic Techniques
+ Koopa Kick
+ Duck Slide
+ Duck Jump
+ Stutter Step
+ Wrap Around Jump
+ Mushroom / Enemy direction change
+ Running over one wide gaps
- Advanced Techniques
+ Plant Jump
+ Through the Plant
+ Abstract Plants
+ Lip Landings
+ Jump and Shoot
+ Lip Jump
+ Double Lip Jump
+ Tactics
- Handling Lakitu
- Water Tactics
- Defeating the Hammer Bros.
- Defeating the Koopa King
+ Koopa Tricks
- The Koopa Trick
+ A Little Note
+ How to do it
+ Where can I do the koopa trick?
+ What Game Over?
- Why 128?
- The New Koopa Trick
+ Hidden Areas
- Coin Rooms
+ Coin Room #1
+ Coin Room #2
+ Coin Room #3
+ Coin Room #4
+ Coin Room #5
- Coin Heavens
+ Day Coin Heaven
+ Night Coin Heaven
- Hidden Water Area
- Warp Zones
+ Where is the 1-Up?
+ End of Level Scoring
+ More Information on the Minus World
- The Minus World
- The Minus World Explained
+ A Few More Worthless Tricks
- Dancing on the Vine
- Run on One Foot
- Small and Fiery
- Thank You, Dead Mario
********************************************************************************
* *
* Version Notes *
* *
********************************************************************************
9-15-2001 Version 1.01
Minor grammar or ommission fixes in a few places. Completely revised
description of the 128 life limit and the life display system.
9-10-2001 Version 1.0
The first real release of this walkthrough. There is now a table of contents.
Numerous grammatical corrections and a slightly revised description of how to
do the koopa trick.
8-2001 Version 1.0 Beta
The initial release of this document. There are known grammatical problems and
there is no table contents, yet.
********************************************************************************
* *
* Introduction *
* *
********************************************************************************
You may wonder why I saw it fit to document a game that has been around for
approximately 15 years. The main reason is simply that I was not satisfied with
the information that was available about this game at the time of my writing
this walkthrough. Searching around the web, I could find no walkthrough that
provided a sufficient level of detail, and much of the information I could find
was incorrect. This walkthrough is my best effort at remedying that situation.
This walkthrough aims to be completely thorough. In it, I aim to document every
pipe, vine, coin, warp zone, and power-up. I also aim to provide strategies
for handling enemies. If I have overlooked any of these I would like to know.
If you have any other strategies which you believe to be better than mine, I
would also be interested to hear those. If I happen to provide any information
that is incorrect or incomplete I would also like to know. You may contact me
via email at dqh1108@yahoo.com. I DO NOT wish to receive anything unrelated to
Super Mario Bros. I will entertain questions related to Super Mario Bros. if
they have not been answered in the walkthrough. Before you email make sure that
your question has not been answered in this walkthrough. There is a VERY good
chance that whatever you may want to ask has already been answered in the
walkthrough, but if there is something that you find unclear I will try to help
clarify what I was trying to say.
I will also entertain questions about Lost Levels for those who wish to learn
more about that game. I eventually hope to do an equally detailed walkthrough
for Lost Levels, but that may not occur for some time.
********************************************************************************
* *
* Notes *
* *
********************************************************************************
I would urge you to read all of the note paragraphs, so that you are fully aware
of the structure and limitations of this document.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on the browsing this walkthrough:
Each level is addressed in the order it would occur during a complete play
through of the game. Worlds are flagged with blocks of stars ****, so you
should be able to easily scroll through this document. Long lines of dashes
separate each level to further aid you in navigating this document. All
sections pertaining to non-level specific information are after the conclusion
of world 8.
When the level is displayed to you it is displayed as -. The
world comes first then the level within the world. The levels range from one to
four in each world, so two numbers are needed to specify a level, but only one
is needed to specify a world. Each world contains four levels.
Example: World 2 contains the levels 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on the structure of this walkthrough:
This document is arranged in an outline format and attempts to present you with
an easy means to read the document regardless of the decisions you make or the
situation in which you may find yourself throughout your play through.
Best Option and Alternative Option paragraphs
The best path to take at any point is flagged with the text ** Best Option **.
This indicates that this path will maximize the number of lives you gain through
out your play through of the game. Each ** Best Option ** block has a
corresponding ** Alternative Option ** block. This indicates your other
inferior choice. At certain points one pair of these will be nested inside of
another pair. In this situation the ** Alternative Option ** under a best
option may not be better than the original ** Alternative Option ** in a future
version of this walkthrough I may provide an indication of the quality of a path
in its heading, but this has not been done at this time.
Regular, Super, and Fiery Mario Pargraphs
Frequently, there are situations where based on the current strength of your
Mario you should approach a situation differently. In these cases I have
flagged the paragraphs with appropriate headings. i.e. ** Regular Mario **
would indicate a paragraph that pertains only to a small or Regular Mario.
There are also combinations like ** Super/Fiery Mario ** which indicates that
this paragraphs applies to Super and Fiery Mario. I hope this feature makes the
walkthrough more readable.
First and Second Quest Paragraphs
There are also situations where you should approach things differently depending
on which quest you are currently playing. If you have not beaten the game,
since you turned the power on you are playing the first quest. These paragraphs
are flagged with ** First Quest ** and ** Second Quest ** as appropriate.
Frequently, I refer to information that is common across multiple levels. In
this event the blocks are flagged with the text ## section name ##. If you are
interested in that information, simply scroll down past world 8, until you
find the section in which you are interested.
Sometimes, other special sections occur. These paragraphs are also flagged with
** section name ** to help you distinguish them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on accuracy with respect to Super Mario All-stars and Super Mario Bros. DX:
This walkthrough is written based on the original 1986 classic Nintendo
cartridge. Some information may not be completely accurate for the re-release of
Super Mario Bros. that was in the Super Nintendo game Super Mario All-stars. In
the places that I know things are different between the original and All-stars
version I have noted it, but I do not claim that this walkthrough is completely
accurate for the All-stars version of the game. The "Best Options" discussed in
this walkthrough are probably not completely accurate for Super Mario Bros. DX
for Gameboy Color. From what I understand, that version of the game introduces
back-tracking in the level, which will probably change the best path to some
degree. For those playing DX, I will say that the walkthrough does cover all
places you can go in any level, so you should be able to deduce the best path
from that information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
********************************************************************************
* *
* Before You Begin *
* *
********************************************************************************
If you are new to the game, I would advise that you scroll down to the end of
this document and look at the sections labeled ## Controls ##, ## Basic
Techniques ##, ## Items ##, and ## Enemies ## before you begin reading the
walkthrough. You may have a hard time understanding what I am talking about at
times if you do not. I refer to enemies only by their actual names, so if you
are not familiar with their names I would strongly recommend reading the ##
Enemies ## section.
Also, when I make reference to not slowing down. This actually means running at
full speed. Slowing down as I use it means anything besides maximum speed.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 1 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 1-1------------------------------------
The first ? block is a coin. The first ? block in the row of 5 suspended
blocks is a power-up. The second ? block is a coin. The ? on top by itself is
also a coin. Jump from pipe to pipe until you reach the fourth pipe.
**Best Option**
Do not go down the fourth pipe. There is a hidden 1-Up. Five blocks
from the left of the edge of the gap. Jump to reveal it and collect the
1-Up. Now, jump over the gap; the first ? block is a power-up. Jump
the next gap.
**First Quest**
Jump on the lone supended block and hit the ? block above it to
collect a coin. Now jump down and hit the block you were
standing on to collect multiple coins. From here on this block
is referred to as a multi-coin block. There is a group of two
bricks coming up. The right block of that pair is a starman.
Next you will encounter a group of disconnected single ? blocks.
The lower three of this group are coins. The upper one is
another power-up. The two upcoming ? blocks contain coins.
Jump over the stairs.
**Second Quest**
Jump on the first buzzy beetle after you have jumped over the
gap. Kick him to the right and follow him to collect a 1-Up.
You will not get as many coins, but you will get another life.
In Super Mario Allstars you can also do the new koopa trick
here. See the section labeled ## The New Koopa Trick ## for
more information.
**Alternative Option**
After the fourth pipe lies a 1-Up. 5 Spaces from the left of the hole.
It is possible to get the 1-Up and go down the fourth pipe, but it is
not easy. Now go down the fourth pipe to lead you to Coin Room #1. See
the section on ## Coin Rooms ## at the end of this walkthrough. Collect
the coins in the coin room and go in the pipe on the right.
If you did not go donw the fourth pipe. You will see a short pipe after the
second pair of stairs. This is the pipe from which you emerge if you did take
fourth pipe. There are two goombas ahead who guard a single ? block
that contains a coin. Climb the stairs to reach the first flag pole. For more
information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of
Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
----------------------------------Level 1-2-------------------------------------
You will now see an animation of you entering a pipe. You will enter the pipe
and then fall to the floor. When you enter there is a row of five ? blocks.
The first of these five is a power-up. The others are coins. Climb over the
one wide columns.
**First Quest**
There is a lone goomba guarding a single brick. That brick is a
multi-coin block. Kill the goomba and collect the coins.
**Second Quest**
The same brick is there, but it is now guarded by a buzzy beetle. This
makes collecting the coins significantly more difficult. You may wish
to simply bypass these coins, because you are fairly likely to get hit
collecting these coins. Getting hit here will cost you more coins than
you stand gain. If you do wish to collect the coins, stand on the
column to the left of the buzzy beetle. Drop down as he approaches the
column you are standing. Land on him to incapacitate him. Now, quickly
collect as many as possible before he gets back up.
Jump from the columns to the top of the brick formation, which is in the shape
of a W. On top of the W rest six coins.
**Best Option**
Drop down from the top of the W on the right side.
**Regular Mario**
If you are Regular Mario, you must proceed with a bit more
caution. You will also not collect as many coins. Ahead lies a
narrow shaft. Traverse it being careful to avoid the koopa that
lies on the other side. You can run through the shaft at full
speed and then quickly jump out the koopa's way. This maneuver
is possible in both quests. Grab the four coins that are on top
of the group of bricks and then proceed left. Now get the single
coin that is in the hook shaped configuration of bricks.
**Super Mario / Fiery Mario**
If you are Super break the right most column of bricks in the W.
The top block is a starman. Now proceed to the right. A narrow
one tall shaft lies ahead. The fastest option is to duck slide
through the shaft, but you may also break the bricks to advance.
Once you are through the shaft, collect the four coins on top of
the bricks. You will approach a hook formation of blocks.
Above it lies a single coin. The top right block of the hook is
a power-up. There is a suspended column of bricks that is two
bricks wide. The second brick up on the right is a multi-coin.
Now, jump on the row of four bricks before the gap. Jump from there to
the large group of suspended bricks on the opposite side of the gap.
Collect the six coins on top of the brick formation.
**Regular Mario**
Now you have a couple more options.
**Best Option**
There is 1-Up above the last brick of the suspended
brick formation. Hit it and then run to the right
avoiding enemies and obstacles being careful to keep
the 1-Up on the screen. Once you reach the platforms
that are going down. Time your jump onto the platforms,
so that you will be in a position to collect the falling
1-Up.
**Alternative Option**
At the sacrifice of the 1-up mentioned in the **Best
Option** section above. You may go in the first pipe
after the group of bricks to enter Coin Room #2. See the
section on ## Coin Rooms ## at the end of this
walkthrough.
**Super Mario**
**Best Option**
Poke a hole in the ceiling to the right of the right
edge of the suspended group of bricks on which you are
standing, but do not drop down to the floor. Now hit
the brick above the right most brick in the group of
suspended bricks. The 1-Up will fall through the hole
you poked previously. You can also hit the 1-Up and
then quickly poke a hole to the right. If you are quick
enough the mushroom will fall through the hole.
Hitting the 1-Up first is the technique I prefer because
it is faster.
**Best Option**
To collect a few more coins go in the first
pipe after the group of suspended bricks. This
pipe will take you to Coin Room #2. See the
section on ## Coin Rooms ## at the end of this
walkthrough.
**Alternative Option**
You may alternatively ignore the pipe and
proceed to the right.
**Alternative Option**
Poke a hole in the ceiling two bricks from the right
edge of the suspended group of bricks on which you are
standing. Now hit the brick just above the right most
brick of the suspended group of bricks to expose a 1-Up.
Jump through the hole you previously poked and run
across the ceiling to the right collecting the 1-Up
along your way.
**Alternative Option ( Super only )**
You can punch a hole in the ceiling while you are on the W and jump onto
the roof of the cave. Doing this will cost you a great deal in terms of
coins and lives. Now run to the right and you will rejoin the other
path.
You should have now reached a group of platforms that go down. Jump to those
platforms and then onto an island guarded by a single koopa. The right most block
of the row blocks above the island contains a power-up.
**Warp Zone to 2, 3, and 4**
You may ride the rising platforms to the right of the island up to reach
the ceiling. Run to the right to reach the warp zone to worlds to 2, 3,
and 4. For more information on warp zones see the section labeled
## Warp Zones ## near the end of this document.
**Warp Zone to -1, 5, and -1**
This is the so called "Minus World" trick. It can not be done in
All-stars. The result is not the same in Super Mario Bros. DX. The
easiest way I have found to do it is to do the following. Go the area
where the end of level pipe is. Break the second brick from the right
above the pipe. Leaving the right most brick touching the pipe. You
might also wish to break the brick that is third from the right. Now,
stand on the left edge of the pipe while facing left. Duck and jump.
While in the air move slightly to the right. Do not hit the brick you
left unbroken. Instead move slightly to the right while in the air, so
that Mario comes in contact with the left side of that brick. When you
do this correctly, Mario will be sucked into the brick. Mario will
continue to travel right through the pipe and the wall into the Warp
Zone area. You will not be able to see very far to right when you enter
this area, so proceed over the pipes gradually to avoid the piranha
plants. The first and third pipes in this area will take you to the
"Minus World". For more information on the so called "Minus World" see
the section labeled ## The Minus World ## near the end of this walkthrough.
The second pipe takes you to world 5. If you scroll the screen to far to
the right when doing this trick the room will convert to the actual level
1-2 warp zone that takes you to Worlds 2, 3, and 4. For more information
on why this bug occurs see the section labeled ## The Minus World
Explained ## near the end of this walkthrough.
**Enter the end pipe to reach 1-3**
If you do not wish to warp enter the horizontal pipe on the right side
of the rising platforms to reach the end staircase and flagpole for
this level. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see
the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this
walkthrough.
----------------------------------Level 1-3-------------------------------------
This level is little more than a series of relatively easy jumps from one
landing to the next. In the second quest, this level contains bullet bills
and the platforms are slightly narrower. When you begin there will be a lone
koopa guarding a group of three coins on the highest landing. After that there
is a single coin on the lowest landing. Two coins are suspended in the air as
you climb up the next couple of levels. A vertically moving platform will now
be between you and a ? block. That block contains a power-up. Four coins lie
on landing above the ? block. Use the vertically moving platform to reach them.
You will climb a couple levels and encountered a pair of horizontally moving
platforms. Above each of these two platforms is a pair of coins. Two more
coins are suspended just path the later of the two vertically moving platforms.
At the lowest level are three coins guarded by a vertically moving koopa
paratroopa. Two more coins lie over a small gap separating two landings. Climb
the rather deformed staircase to complete the level. For more information on
the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ##
near the end of this walkthrough.
----------------------------------Level 1-4-------------------------------------
Welcome to the first of eight castles. The second quest version of this level
is exactly like 6-4 from the first quest, but it is slightly faster.
The Power-up
**First Quest**
Run full speed jumping as necessary until you reach the island with the
firebar and ? block. Quickly jump and hit the ? block to reveal a
power-up. Grab the power-up and proceed right. If you are quick enough
you can get the power-up and be gone without ever allowing the firebar
to go around.
**Second Quest**
Run full speed jumping as necessary. You must jump under the podoboo to
the left of the island with the firebar. If you are Super you must duck
jump. Pulling this off is not easy and you might be best off just
waiting to jump to the island with the ? block. Once there quickly hit
the ? block and grab the power-up and proceed right. If you are quick
enough you can get the power-up and be gone without ever allowing the
firebar to go around.
The Narrow Passage
**First Quest**
Jump into the narrow passage and run full speed. If you do this
properly you will not be hit by any firebars.
**Second Quest**
There are now four firebars in this passage, but you still do not have
to slow down if you enter at the right time. The only firebar that is
really a threat is the fourth one in this passage.
The Gauntlet
**First Quest**
This area does not pose much of a threat in the first quest. Only
three of six firebar blocks actually have firebars. Jump over the first
two and under the third one.
**Second Quest**
Now, all six firebars are here. They are timed so that you do not have
to slow down to get through them. Not slowing down can be tricky and
may require some duck jumping, but it can be done.
Six hidden coins
You have now passed all the firebars. You will enter a large pit. There is a
hidden coin block four blocks over from the left edge of the pit. Jump on it
and hit the hidden coin block above it and one block to its right. Another coin
is hidden three blocks to the right of the first one. It also has a coin above
it and to its right. Finally, there is another hidden coin three to the right
of the second one on the bottom. It also has a coin above it and to its right.
Bowser
You will now have your first encounter with Bowser. See the ## Defeating the
Koopa King ## section near the end of this walkthrough for tips on how to defeat
Bowser.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 2 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 2-1------------------------------------
Hit the center brick in the first row of three bricks for a power-up. Climb
the stairs and drop into the pit with the koopas. Four blocks from the left
wall of the pit, there is a hidden coin block. Jump on the hidden coin block
and then jump again to reveal a hidden 1-Up. See the section ## Where is the
1-Up? ## for an explanation about the potential lack of a 1-Up. Collect the
1-Up and continue right. Past a four tall pipe lie two rows of five ? blocks.
The lower left ? block is a power-up. The other nine are coins. Soon after
there will be a single block suspended in the air. Jump on it and hit the
brick above it and to its right to reveal a starman. There will now be two
groups of blocks. One group is a row of four ? blocks. The other is a row of
three ? blocks. All seven ? blocks are coins.
**Best Option**
Above and to the right of the right most block in the group of four is
a vine. Climb it to reach the day coin heaven. See the section on ##
Coins Heavens ## near the end of this walkthrough.
**Alternative Option**
Now you have a couple more options.
**Best Option**
If you do not take the vine, you may go down the first pipe to
reach Coin Room #1. See the section on ## Coin Rooms ## near the
end of this walkthrough.
**Alternative Option**
If you do not take the vine or the pipe you will jump over a
gap and be at the point where the pipe emerges.
You should now be at a short pipe. After the short pipe is a group of
three pipes with a row of bricks above them. The left most of those
bricks is a power-up.
Jump over a gap and a short column to reach the return point of the
vine.
There should now be a single brick in front of you. This brick is a multi-coin
block. After it there will be a single ? block. It is a coin. Collect the
coin and then jump on the ? block. Hit the brick above it and to its right to
reveal a power-up. Pass the short pipe. There will now be a koopa, a pair of
bricks, and a trampoline. Above the brick on the right is a hidden coin block.
Use the hidden coin block or the trampoline to jump unto the tall column. Jump
from the top of the column to flagpole to complete the level. For more
information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of
Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
----------------------------------Level 2-2------------------------------------
This is the first water level. For more information on how to swim see the
section labeled ## Water Tactics ## near the end of this walkthrough. As you
enter the water, two coins sit ahead on the sea floor. A little further ahead
two coins are suspended in the water. Just past the coral column, three coins
rest on the sea floor. Swim further and three coins sit above the first suction
pit. This pit can draw you into it and kill you. Swim a short distance and
three coins are just above the sea floor. Ahead three more coins are suspended
slightly higher in the water. Five more coins rest over the second suction pit.
The final six coins rest above a suction pit with large inverted L shaped
structures on both sides of it. When going for these coins make sure there are
no bloobers in the area. Continue swimming to right until you encounter the end
pipe. Climb the stairs and then jump on the flagpole to complete the level.
For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled
## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
---------------------------------Level 2-3--------------------------------------
This level consists of jumping from bridge section to bridge section while
avoiding flying cheep-cheeps. The second quest adds a few more koopas to this
level.
Run to the right. There will be a row of four coins in the air. Next there is
a W shaped formation of five coins. This is followed by a gap in the bridge.
The next section of bridge has an arch shaped configuration of four coins above
it. After that, there is another gap in the bridge. Now a stretch of bridge
with no coins. That stretch is followed by another gap. The next stretch of
bridge has a ? block above it. That ? is a power-up. The next gap has three
coins above it. You will land on a grassy landing. Jump from the landing to a
suspended bridge fragment. Jump the gap after the fragment. Above the next
stretch of bridge is a row of six coins. Then there is another gap. Above the
next stretch of bridge is a row of four coins, and then there is another gap.
Now there is heavily broken stretch of bridge with six coins suspended above it.
After that run to the right to reach the stairs, the flagpole, and the end of
level. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section
labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
---------------------------------Level 2-4--------------------------------------
The Power-Up
Run full speed from the start and jump all the way to the top center platform.
Quickly hit ? block to get a power-up and proceed right. In the second quest,
there is a large firebar, but if you are fast enough it should not be an issue.
The Corridor
**First Quest**
After the power-up, you encounter an area where you may go high or low.
Run full speed while taking the low path and the firebars will
not touch you.
**Second Quest**
After the power-up, you encounter an area where you may go high or low.
Take the low path while running full speed like in the first quest.
This time you will have to jump when you reach the third firebar on the
bottom. If you are Super/Fiery you must duck jump to avoid it. Do this
properly and you can traverse this corridor without slowing down.
You will now encounter a pair of elevator platforms. Traverse them and reach
the other side of the gap. Watch out for Bowser's fire on the opposite side.
Six Coins
**First Quest**
In the first quest, the six coins are easy to collect. If you are
Super/Fiery you will have to duck slide for the one under the block.
**Second Quest**
This time around the six coins are guarded by a firebar. Five of the
coins are relatively easy to get. You just have to avoid the firebar.
The sixth coin, the one beneath the firebar's block, is more difficult.
You must gain enough speed to do a duck slide under the block from the
right to the left and then get out of the way of the firebar to collect
it. It may be best to not collect the coin under the firebar's block.
Finish the level
Jump the lava pits while dodging fire. In the second quest, you will also have
to avoid podoboos. Now go defeat Bowser. See the section ## Defeating the
Koopa King ## for tips on how to beat Bowser.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 3 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 3-1------------------------------------
The first two ? blocks you encounter in this level are coins. The third ? is a
power-up.
**Best Option**
Go down the second pipe you encounter. This will take you to Coin Room
#3. See the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## near the end of this
walkthrough for more information. You come out of a short pipe to the
left of a bridge.
**Alternative Option**
If you do not go down the second pipe, you will encounter a gap. Jump
the gap pass two more pipes and jump another gap. You are now where the
second pipe emerges.
You should now be at a bridge. There are two clouds above the bridge.
Immediately to the right of the cloud on the right is a hidden 1-Up. See the
section ## Where is the 1-Up? ## for an explanation about the potential lack of
a 1-Up. There will be a row of bricks just past the bridge. The left most
brick of that group is a starman. The starman can be difficult to get, if you
are Regular Mario, but it is possible. Jump over the pipe for your first
encounter with hammer bros. If you are invincible you should have no trouble
dispatching the hammer bros. Otherwise see the ## Defeating The Hammer Bros. ##
section near the end of this walkthrough. The ? block on the left in the hammer
bros' area is a coin. The ? block on the right is a power-up.
**Best Option**
Jump into the area between the two rows of bricks over the gap (This is
most easily done from the ground). Hit the right most brick of the top
row of bricks to reveal a vine. This vine will take you to the night
coin heaven. See the section labeled ## Coin Heavens ## for more
information.
**Alternative Option**
**First Quest**
If you do not take the vine climb the stairs avoiding the
goombas.
**Second Quest**
The buzzy beetles descending the stairs can be used to do the
koopa trick. See the section labeled ## Koopa Trick ## near the
end of this walkthrough for more information.
You should now be in an area where there are four groups of blocks. The
outer two of each group of three are bricks and the center one is a ?
block. The lower left ? is a power-up. The other three are coins.
You should now see a row of bricks. The second brick is a multi-coin block.
Climb over the column to reach the stairs. You can use the koopas here to do
the koopa trick to gain many lives. For more information see the section marked
the ## Koopa Trick ## near the end of this walkthrough. Finish climbing the
stairs to finish the level. For more information on the flagpole and its
scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this
walkthrough.
------------------------------------Level 3-2-----------------------------------
Just before the first ? block, there is a group of three coins. The ? block
contains a power-up. There is a koopa between two short columns with a brick
above him. Above that brick there is another brick. Hit it to acquire a
starman. Use the starman to kill the koopa. Hit the brick he was guarding; it
is a multi-coin block. Now quickly jump over the gap and run to the right. Use
the starman to your advantage to mow through the enemies. You will reach a
small island with a column on it. Your starman should run out about the time
you reach the island. Quickly jump past the island and land on the first koopa
you see. Stomp on him and kick him to the right. Chase after him to collect a
1-Up. In Super Mario All-stars, you can do the new koopa trick here. For more
information see the section marked ## New Koopa Trick ## near the end of this
walkthrough. After that, four more coins are above a pipe. Climb the stairs
and jump onto the flagpole to complete the level. For more information on the
flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near
the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 3-3------------------------------------
This level is similar in nature to Level 1-3. Two coins lie underneath a pair
of horizontally moving platforms on a low landing. One coin is suspended the
air just to the right of those platforms. Three coins are suspended in the air
slightly further to the right. The only ? block is just past those coins and
contains a power-up. Three coins rest on the landing below the ? block and are
guarded by a single red koopa. Two more coins rest on a higher landing to the
right of the ? block. Here you encounter your first weight triggered platform.
This platform will continue lower as long as you are standing on it. Do not
ride the weight triggered platform down to the bottom. Jump to the series of
pillars with coins on them. There are four pillars each one having a single
coin on top of it. You will now encounter your first balance platform system.
These platforms will simply be referred to as balances in the future. The
platform you are standing on will lower while the other one will rise. The
left platform of the balance has a single coin by it. The right platform of
the balance has a pair of coins by it. Past the balance there are horizontally
moving platforms. After the platforms you encounter a group of landings. The
highest landing has two coins on it. The middle and lowest landing each have a
single coin on them. Use the horizontally moving platform to reach the final
balance. Ride the left platform down slightly to raise the right platform.
Now jump on the right side to get 5000 on the flagpole and advance to the next
level. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section
labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 3-4-----------------------------------
Jump over the gaps avoiding the podoboos. You will reach a group of three ?
blocks. The ? block on the right is a power-up, and the other two are coins.
Jump through the three pairs of firebars. The top firebar of the third pair has
three coins to its right. You can run through the pairs of firebars and collect
the coins without slowing down. Avoid the podoboos and fire while jumping over
the lava pits to reach Bowser. See the section ## Defeating the Koopa King ##
for tips on how to beat Bowser.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 4 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 4-1------------------------------------
This level will be your first encounter with lakitu. For more information on
avoiding lakitu and his spinies see the section labeled ## Handling Lakitu ##
near the end of this walkthrough. The first ? block on the bottom is a
power-up. The one above it is a coin. After that there is a gap. The next
section of land has 4 coins configured in arch over it. Then there is a group
of four disconnected ? blocks arranged in a rectangular formation. All four of
these are coins. Jump over the next gap to find a row of four ? blocks. All
four of these are coins. Above the third ? block from the left in the row of
four is a hidden 1-Up. See the section ## Where is the 1-Up? ## for an
explanation about the potential lack of a 1-Up. Jump onto the column and into
the air to collect the four suspended coins. After the next pipe there is
another set of four suspended coins.
**Best Option**
There is another pipe with four coins after it. Collect the coins making sure
to keep the pipe on the screen. Go down the pipe. This leads you to Coin Room
#4. For more information see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## near the
end of this walkthrough.
**Alternative Option**
Grab the coins after the next pipe, but do not go down it. Ahead lies a series
of ? blocks and bricks. The lower row is a combination of eight blocks. The
three blocks on both ends of the row are ? blocks. The center two are bricks.
Above that row of blocks is a row of four ? blocks. The third ? block from the
left on the bottom is a power-up. The other nine ? blocks in this area are
coins.
Run to the right jumping gaps and columns as necessary until you reach the
stairs. Once at the top of the stairs do NOT jump onto the flagpole. Drop down
to the ground and hit the brick which is a multi-coin block. Now jump on the
block and onto the flagpole to get 5000 points. For more information on the
flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near
the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 4-2------------------------------------
At the beginning of this level you will fall into a cavern again ( like
Level 1-2 ).
Note:
This level contains so many possible points where you could run across
the ceiling and later drop down that I will not attempt to make note of
all of the possibilities. I will do my best note all points where you
can access the ceiling and where you can drop down, but will not
describe every combination.
Note 2:
The outline form used in the rest of this walkthrough becomes slightly
more difficult to use here, so there are some paragraphs that may not
pertain to you despite there positioning in the document. If that is
the case it is noted.
Jump on the first island and then over the one wide island. Landing beside the
brick formation to the right. The best thing that you can do is a duck jump
from the first island and slide into the one tall opening between the brick
formation and the floor, but you can also just go over it. Once you get to the
right end of the brick formation there are three coins on the floor. Grab the
coins. There is a pair bricks above the area where the coins were. The right
brick of that pair is a power-up. Now climb up into the tunnel. Dispatch of
three goombas/buzzy beetles in the tunnel. If you are Super/Fiery you can break
the brick above you that is five spaces from the the right edge of the tunnel.
Above the brick you just broke is a multi-coin. Now exit the tunnel. There are
two rows of two ? blocks. All four of those ? blocks are coins. The center ?
block in the row of three ? blocks is a power-up.
**Regular Mario**
Collecting the power-up in the group of three ? blocks can be slightly
tricky. You have several options that are equally good.
**Option 1**
Do not hit the right most block in the group of three ? blocks.
Hit the center ? block first (the one with the power-up) and
time your hitting of the right ? block, so that you hit the
mushroom back to the left. This may take some practice.
**Option 2**
You could wait until you will have a platform to jump onto to
the right. Then quickly hit the center ? block (the one with
power-up) and quickly jump onto the platform and let the
mushroom come to you.
**Option 3**
You could also hit the center ? block and then jump up and
around the three ? blocks on the right side landing on top of
the ? blocks. This may be slightly more difficult than the
other options, but this is the one I prefer.
**Super/Fiery Mario**
The center ? block will produce a fire flower. It is not going
anywhere, so you should have no trouble getting it.
Cross over the descending platforms to the right.
**Warp Zone to 6, 7, and 8**
Above your head there is group of three bricks arranged in a row. There
is also a series of hidden blocks as illustrated below.
[_][_][_]...
[V][_][_]
[H]
[H] [H]
[H]
-------------------------...
The blocks with Hs in them are hidden coin blocks. The brick marked
V is a vine. You do not wish to hit the hidden coin below the vine
before hitting the vine if you plan to warp to 6, 7, or 8. For more
information on warp zones see the section labeled ## Warp Zones
## near the end of this walkthrough.
**Warp Zone to 5**
There are number of places where you can access the warp zone to five,
but this is the first. The others will be noted through out the
remaining paragraphs on this level (4-2). The figure below illustrates
the block formation that you can you use to get to the warp zone to six,
seven, and eight. Hit the hidden coin blocks (marked with Hs in the
picture) to reach the three bricks above them. Jump on top of those
bricks and then onto the ceiling. Stay on the ceiling until you pass
the end pipe for the level, and you will reach the warp zone to five.
For more information on warp zones see the section labeled
## Warp Zones ## near the end of this walkthrough. It is also possible
to access the row of three bricks from the descending platforms to
their left. You have to have quite a bit of speed and good timing, but
it is possible.
Note:
If you get on the ceiling here some information in the **
Finishing 4-2 ** section below is still pertinent.
[_][_][_]...
[V][_][_]
[H]
[H] [H]
[H]
-------------------------...
**Finishing 4-2**
**Best Option**
Collect the four hidden coins shown in the diagrams in the **
Warp Zone to 6, 7, and 8 ** and ** Warp Zone to 5 ** sections
above. Now proceed to the right. You will encounter a short
pipe just to the left of a tall pipe. A koopa is guarding a
pair of bricks between these two pipes. The right brick of this
pair is a multi-coin. It may be best to leave this multi-coin
block alone unless you can dispatch of the koopa using
fireballs.
**Best Option**
Climb over the tall pipe and drop down to the left of
the pipe. There is a short pipe just to the right of
the tall pipe. Between the tall pipe and the short
pipe to its right is a buzzy beetle guarding a pair of
bricks. The right brick of that pair is a star. If
you plan on taking the best sub-option of this option
there is little benefit to getting the star.
**Best Option**
Go down the short pipe to the right of the tall
pipe to access Coin Room #5. For more
information see the section labeled ## Coin
Rooms ## near the end of this walkthrough.
This pipe will bring you out of a short pipe on
the left side of some descending platforms.
**Alternative Option**
Do not go down the pipe. Proceed to the right.
You will eventually reach a pair of platforms on
either side of an island with several rows of
blocks above it.
**Alternative Option (Super only)**
You can stand on top of the tall pipe and punch a hole
in the ceiling to gain access to the roof. You can then
run a considerable distance to the right. If you stay
on the roof you will eventually reach the warp zone to
five. For more information see the section labeled **
Warp Zone to 5 ** earlier in this level.
DISREGARD THIS IF YOU WENT DOWN THE PIPE AS SUGGESTED AND SKIP
TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH
You may now be at a pair of platforms on either side of an
island with several rows of blocks above it. The left platform
descends while the platform on the right ascends. You can use
the platform in this area to gain access to the ceiling and to
thus the Warp Zone to world five. The middle brick of the
second row of bricks (the row of 3 bricks) above the island is
a power-up. Proceed to the right until you reach another
descending lift. You can use the ascending lift of this pair
to get you access to the roof again. You can then run across
the roof to reach the warp zone to five. For more information
see the section labeled ** Warp Zone to 5 ** earlier in this
level.
THIS PARAGRAPH PERTAINS TO ALL
You will eventually reach an area with descending platforms.
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO AVOID WARPING TO WORLD 5. Get off
the ceiling here if you do not wish to warp to world f. On the
right side of the descending platforms is a long row of bricks
with ten coins on top. The left most brick of that row of
bricks is a power-up. After that there is a set of stairs
followed by a tall pipe. If you are Super/Fiery you can get on
the tall pipe and punch a hole in the ceiling for one last
chance to access the warp zone to five. For more
information see the section labeled ** Warp Zone to 5 **
earlier in this level. You can actually gain enough speed to
launch yourself off the short staircase before the tall pipe
over the plant and over to the landing where the end pipe is.
Doing this may take some practice, and if you are Super/Fiery
you will have to duck jump. Go in the pipe. Then climb the
stairs and jump on the flagpole to complete the level. For more
information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section
labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this
walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 4-3-----------------------------------
Cross the one wide gap to get on the landing to your right. Jump onto the
landing above you and to your right. This landing has five coins guarded by two
red koopas. Above that landing and to its left is another landing with three
coins. Now go right. Jump to the highest landing. The lowest landing to its
right has three coins guarded by one red koopa. Above that landing there is
another landing with a ? block above it. That ? block is a power-up. To the
right of that ? block there is a balance. The left platform of that balance has
a coin below it. You must gradually lower the balance until the coin is just
within reach or you will raise the right platform of the balance to the point
that it is too high for you to easily advance. After the balance there is a
pair of vertically moving platforms. Cross these platforms to reach a series of
landings. Two of these landings have three coins on them and another one has
one coin. The second balance after the group of landings has a single coin
above its right platform. The next balance after that has a single coin above
its left platform. Finally, there is a row of five coins resting on another
landing. You can actually run off the right edge of this landing and land on
the landing below it and to its right. Next you will encounter a vertically
moving platform. This is here in place of the stairs. Wait until the platform
is about at its peak then and run and jump at the flagpole. In the first quest,
you should be able to easily get 5000; however, in the second quest, I have been
unable to get a 5000. I speculate that it may not be possible, but I could be
wrong. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section
labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 4-4-----------------------------------
This castle is actually a maze, so you must follow these directions closely to
complete it. Jump over the two lava pits. Jump on top of the block formation.
Run full speed across the top and you will not fall through the holes or be hit
by the firebar. You will reach a point where the floor is slightly elevated and
the ceiling is slightly lowered forming a short tunnel. Once you pass through
this tunnel, if you did the first section correctly you should be at the second
part of the maze. Jump from platform until you reach the top of the structure
ahead of you. Drop through the first hole in the top of the structure. Now
drop through the hole to your left. Continuing running along the bottom until
you encounter a firebar. You will have to alter from your usual running
slightly to avoid it. If you are small you can do what I call a stutter step,
this a short tap of left followed by immediately pressing right again. For more
information on this and other techniques see the section labeled ##
Basic Techniques ## near the end of this walkthrough. If you are Super/Fiery,
you can use a well timed duck slide. The slide should slow you down just enough
to get under the firebar safely. This is probably the hardest Bowser in the
game, if you use standard techniques. For more information about the standard
Bowser techniques see the section labeled ## Defeating the Koopa King ## near
the end of this walkthrough. Fortunately, I have developed a technique that is
fast and works with a high rate of success. This Bowser is only made difficult
by the firebar and podoboo that protect him. If you approach Bowser's area
running full speed you can jump over the firebar and under the podoboo. If
Bowser's first reaction was to jump straight up or backwards then you can follow
the first jump with a quick jump over Bowser to the ax. If he jumps forward
things are more difficult. You can make it under him, but that would basically
require your knowing he was going to jump forward. You will probably have to
make a hard stop and time running under Bowser just right to avoid the podoboo
that will be leaping out of the lava from under you. You could use the more
common techniques, but this works pretty often.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 5 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 5-1------------------------------------
Run to the right avoiding enemies. The first gap has a couple small pipes on
either side of it. The one on the left is offset from edge of the gap.
Continue to right killing/avoiding enemies. The next gap has backwards inverted
L-shaped formation of blocks over it. Above that formation is a group of three
bricks. The center brick of those three is a starman. Use the your
invincibility to mow through enemies until you reach a column that is four
blocks high and has a pair of bricks to its right. Between the bricks and the
column there is a one wide hole. Drop through that hole and then jump into the
hole to reveal a hidden 1-Up. See the section ## Where is the 1-Up? ## for an
explanation about the potential lack of a 1-Up. The column and brick formation
just described is just to the left of a gap in the ground. On the right side
of the gap there is a pipe suspended in mid-air.
**Best Option**
Go down the suspended pipe to reach Coin Room #5. For more information
see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## at the end of this walkthrough.
**Alternative Option**
If do not go down the pipe you will encounter a few more enemies and not
get as many coins, but that is all.
You should now be at a short pipe with a bullet bill cannon to the right and
a pair of koopa paratroopas coming at you. You can lure these koopa paratroopas
back to the stairs that are just to the right of where you encounter them. If
you can get one of them back to the steps you can then execute the koopa trick.
For information see the section labeled ## Koopa Trick ## near the end of this
walkthrough. Climb the stairs and complete the level and advance to Level 5-2.
For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled
## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 5-2-----------------------------------
Climb the short staircase at the beginning taking care to avoid any bullet
bills coming out of the cannon at the top. Grab the three coins on your way
down to the ground below the stairs. You can use the trampoline to get any coins
you missed. Jump from the left over the gap landing on top of the lower of the
two rows of bricks on the right side of the gap. Grab the three coins on that
row. The right-most block at the end of the top row of bricks is a power-up.
**Regular/Super Mario**
You are now at what is probably the hardest enemy in the game to get by
unscathed, if you do not have fire. There is hammer brother on a short
set of steps in front of you. Your best option is to wait a few seconds
and a get feel for the pattern to his throwing of hammers. He throws
his hammers in a fairly regular pattern. He throws one. Then he
quickly throws another, and then he pauses. Your goal is to stomp on
him during the pause. Trying to jump over him is not advised. It is
much safer to stomp on him and then advance.
**Fiery Mario**
Just torch the hammer brother on the step and continue right.
You should now be at the pipe after the hammer brother on the steps.
**Best Option**
Do not go down the first pipe you see after the hammer brother. You can
acquire more coins by passing it. After the pipe there is a set of
stairs with goombas coming down it. Climb the stairs and you will
encounter a hammer brother guarding a row of five ? blocks. All of the
? blocks are coins. To the right of the row five ? blocks there are two
groups of three bricks. The lower group is slightly further to the
right than the higher group. Below the lower right group there are two
coins on the ground. Collect these coins, but take care not to advance
the screen to far to the right or you will be unable to take the **Best
Option** below. There is hidden coin block two spaces to the right of
the row of five ? blocks. Jump to reveal the block. Jump on that block
and then hit the left most block of the top brick formation to reveal a
vine. Grab the two coins to the left of the vine.
**Best Option**
Climb the vine to access the day coin heaven. For more
information see the section labeled ## Coin Heavens ## near the
end of this document. You will land in area where there is a
group of two bricks with one space of clearance between them and
the ground.
**Alternative Option**
Do not climb the vine. You may proceed to the right.
Obviously, there was no need to hit the vine in the previous
paragraph, but it made the description a little bit more
compact. Proceed to the right. You will encounter a short pipe
quickly followed by a pair of hammer bros. on two rows of bricks.
For more information on how to handle the hammer bros. see the
section labeled ## Defeating the Hammer Bros. ## near the end of
this walkthrough. The right most block in the top row is a
starman. Jump over the gap and the short column to the right and
destroy the buzzy beetles with your invincibility.
**Alternative Option**
Go down the first pipe you see after the hammer brother. This will take
you to a water area. For more information see the section labeled ##
Hidden Water Area ## near the end of this walkthrough. You will come
out of pipe near two rows of bricks. The right-most block of the top
row contains a starman. Jump over the gap and short column to the right
and destroy the buzzy beetles with your invincibility.
You should now see a pair of bricks with one space of clearance above the
ground. The brick on the left is a multi-coin and the brick on the right is a
power-up. Now proceed to the right. You will reach a single brick by itself
before an island pipe with a row of four bricks above the pipe. The single
brick is a power-up. There are two coins on top of the row of four bricks which
are above the island pipe. A koopa paratroopa descends a broken staircase after
the island pipe. He can be used to do the koopa trick. For more information on
the koopa trick see section labeled ## Koopa Trick ## near the end of this
walkthrough. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the
section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 5-3------------------------------------
This level is little more than a series of relatively easy jumps from one
landing to the next. This level is simply level 1-3 with slightly smaller
platforms and some bullet bills. When you begin there will be a
lone koopa guarding a group of three coins on the highest landing. After that
there is a single coin on the lowest landing. Two coins are suspended in the
air as you climb up the next couple of levels. A vertically moving platform
will now be between you and a ? block. That block contains a power-up. Four
coins lie on landing above the ? block. Use the vertically moving platform to
reach them. You will climb a couple levels and encounter a pair of
horizontally moving platforms. Above each of these two platforms is a pair of
coins. Two more coins are suspended just past the later of the two vertically
moving platforms. At the lowest level are three coins guarded by a vertically
moving koopa paratroopa. Two more coins lie over a small gap separating two
landings. Climb the rather deformed staircase to complete the level. For more
information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of
Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 5-4-----------------------------------
This level is just level 2-4 with slightly more firebars.
The Power-Up
Run full speed from the start and jump all the way to the top center platform.
Quickly hit ? block to get a power-up and proceed right. There is now a large
firebar, but if you are fast enough it should not be an issue.
The Corridor
After the power-up, you encounter an area where you may go high or low. Take
the low path while running full speed just like in Level 2-4. This time you
will have to jump when you reach the third firebar on the bottom. If you are
Super/Fiery you must duck jump to avoid it. Do this properly and you can
traverse this corridor without slowing down. You will now encounter a pair of
elevator platforms. Traverse them and reach the other side of the gap. Watch
out for Bowser's fire on the opposite side.
Six Coins
Now the six coins are guarded by a firebar. Five of the coins are relatively
easy to get. You just have to avoid the firebar. The sixth coin, the one
beneath the firebar's block, is more difficult. You must gain enough speed to
do a duck slide under the block from the right to the left and then get out of
the way of the firebar to collect it. It may be best to not collect the coin
under the firebar's block.
Finish the level
Jump the lava pits while dodging fire and podoboos. Now go defeat Bowser. See
the section ## Defeating the Koopa King ## for tips on how to beat Bowser.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 6 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 6-1------------------------------------
This level contains a lakitu. For more information on how to handle lakitu see
the section labeled ## Handling Lakitu ##. Climb the pseudo stairs at the
beginning of the level. The first two ? blocks are coins. Climb the staggered
staircase. The left brick of the pair bricks at the top of the staircase is a
power-up. Take this opportunity to get rid of lakitu. Over the gap to the
right there is a group of three bricks. The right-most brick of those three is
a multi-coin. Jump over the gap. Three coins are suspended in the air after
the gap. You will now encountered a short staircase. Two coins are suspended
over a gap at the top of the staircase. Climb up the short broken staircase.
The staircase has three bricks to the right of it even with the highest stair.
Drop from that row of bricks down to the row below and then go to the left
until you are next to back of the stairs. Jump to reveal a hidden 1-Up. See
the section ## Where is the 1-Up? ## for an explanation about the potential lack
of a 1-Up. Now continue to the right. There are three coins after the pipe.
There is a hill in the background of the original version of the game at this
point. Just above the peak of the hill there is a hidden coin block. If you
are playing All-stars you can not use the background as a guide. The hidden
coin block is nine blocks to the left of the stairs to your right. Above that
hidden coin block there is another hidden coin block. You can use these blocks
to help you take out lakitu, if you so desire. Now climb the short staircase.
There are two ? blocks to the right of that staircase. The left ? block is a
power-up. The right ? block is a coin. Now climb the next staircase. There is
a series of three rows of brick landings arranged in a descending pattern to the
right of the stairs. The right block of the middle row of bricks is a
multi-coin. You can slide in from the left side and get the coins. You will
always exit to the right when you stand up, so there is no concern of falling
into the pit below as long as you do not over slide. Climb the final broken
staircase and jump on the flagpole to complete the level. For more information
on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level
Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 6-2------------------------------------
Jump over the first pipe, but keep the pipe on the screen. Under the middle
block of the group of three bricks overhead is a hidden coin block. Jump on it.
The center brick of the group of three is a hidden coin block.
**Best Option**
Now go down the first pipe to reach Coin Room #5. For more information
see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## near the end of this
walkthrough. You will come out of the left pipe of a pair of short
pipes. There will be a suspended pipe to your left.
**Alternative Option**
Do not go down the first pipe continue right. Jump over the pipe to the
right. Pass the suspended pipe and the pair of short pipes.
You should now be at a four tall pipe. On the right side of it, there is a buzzy
beetle guarding a pair of bricks. The right brick of that pair is a power-up.
To the right of those bricks is a five tall pipe.
**Best Option**
Do not go down the five tall pipe and continue to the right. There will
be two rows of suspended blocks ahead. One block to the right of the
second group. You will be on the right side of a pipe that is
underneath the row of blocks. Jump here to reveal a hidden coin block.
**Best Option**
Jump on the hidden coin block and hit the right-most block in
the row of bricks above it. That brick is a vine. Climb the
vine to reach the night coin heaven. For more information see
the section labeled ## Coin Heavens ## near the end of this
walkthrough. You will come out near a short staircase. Run to
the right until reach a group of three pipes next to each other
whose heights increase from left to right.
**Alternative Option**
Do not go up the vine. Proceed to the right over a very tall
pipe. Past three more smaller pipes. Past a suspended pipe
with a brick on either side of it.
**Alternative Option**
Go down the five tall pipe to go to the hidden water area. For more
information see the section labeled ## Hidden Water Area ## near the end
of this walkthrough.
DISREGARD THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU CLIMBED THE VINE AS RECOMMENDED
You will come to an area where there are four rows of bricks. Two rows of two
and one of three. The left block of the top left pair is a starman.
**Best Option**
Go down the next pipe after the area with the starman to reach Coin Room
#4. For more information see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## near
the end of this walkthrough. You will come out of the left-most pipe in
a group of three pipes.
**Alternative Option**
Run to the right using the invincibility to your advantage until you
reach a group of three pipes whose heights increase from left to right.
THIS PARAGRAPH PERTAINS TO ALL
You should now be at the set of three pipes. The final stairs are to your
right. A koopa paratroopa is descending them. You can use him to do the koopa
trick, if you like. For more information see the section labeled
## Koopa Trick ## near the end of this walkthrough. Climb the stairs and jump
on the flagpole to finish the level. For more information on the flagpole and
its scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of
this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 6-3-----------------------------------
Run and jump onto the second landing. Jump from there to the vertically moving
platform. Above the vertically moving platform are three coins. Jump down to
the right onto the landing below. Jump from the higher landing to the left of
the landing on which the trampoline sits to the horizontally platform to the
right. There are total of six coins above this group of three horizontally
moving platforms. The ? block above the third horizontally moving platform is a
power-up. Get the power-up and jump from the top of ? block down to the
vertically moving platform. There are now a couple of balances ahead. There
are two coins above the first balance. Three coins lie on the highest landing
of the series of landings to the right of the balances. Now bullet bills will
start to come at you. Use the trampoline to launch yourself onto the
horizontally moving platform. Jump from that platform to the balance and
collect the two coins. The next four platforms are weight triggered platforms.
There are two more groups of coins on your way to the elevated landing which is
there in place of the stairs. Jump from the elevated landing to the flagpole to
complete the level. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see
the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 6-4-----------------------------------
This castle is just level 1-4 with more firebars. In the second quest things
move slightly faster.
The Power-up
Run full speed jumping as necessary. You can jump under the podoboo to the
left of the island with the firebar. If you are Super you must duck jump.
Pulling this off is not easy and you might be best off just waiting to jump to
the island with the ? block. Once there quickly hit the ? block and grab the
power-up and proceed right. If you are quick enough you can get the power-up
and be gone without ever allowing the firebar to go around.
The Narrow Passage
There are now four firebars in this passage, but you still do not have to slow
down, if you enter at the right time. The only firebar that is really a threat
is the fourth one in this passage.
The Gauntlet
Now, all six firebars are here. They are timed so that you do not have to slow
down to get through them. Not slowing down can be tricky and may require some
duck jumping, but it can be done.
Six hidden coins
You have now passed all the firebars. You will enter a large pit. There is a
hidden coin block four blocks over from the left edge of the pit. Jump on it
and hit the hidden coin block above it and one block to its right. Another coin
is hidden three blocks to the right of the first one. It also has a coin above
it and to its right. Finally, there is another hidden coin three to the right
of the second one on the bottom. It also has a coin above it and to its right.
Bowser
You will now have another encounter with Bowser. See the ## Defeating the
Koopa King ## section near the end of this walkthrough for tips on how to defeat
Bowser.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 7 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 7-1------------------------------------
The left most block of the group of three bricks above the stacked cannons is a
power-up.
**Regular Mario**
The mushroom will fall off the brick formation to the right. Just
retrieve it there.
**Super/Fiery Mario**
The fire flower will be difficult to get, but it is obtainable. The
best way is to break the other two bricks then go to the left without
scrolling the fire flower off the screen. Now run from the left jump
on the stacked cannons and then jump up toward the fire flower. You
can not land on its block, but you if come into contact with the left
side of the block properly you will still get the fire flower.
The next four ? blocks you encounter are all coins. You will soon encounter a
row of five blocks. A cannon rest on the middle block of the five. The other
four are bricks. The brick just to the right of the cannon is a multi-coin.
It is best to scroll the cannon to your left off the screen and incapacitate
or kill the koopa paratroopa before attempting to collect the coins from the
multi-coin block. You will soon encounter a pair of hammer bros on two rows of
bricks. Kill the hammer bros and advance to the right. For more information
on how to handle the hammer bros. see the section labeled from ## Defeating the
Hammer Bros. ## near the end of this walkthrough. You should now be at the
first pipe after the hammer bros. Above the left half of this pipe is a 1-Up.
See the section ## Where is the 1-Up? ## for an explanation about the potential
lack of a 1-Up.
**Best Option**
Your best option at this point is to go down the pipe the 1-Up was
above. This pipe will take you to Coin Room #1. For more information
see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## near the end of this
walkthrough. You will come out short pipe just ahead to the right you
will encounter another pair of hammer bros.
**Alternative Option**
Ignore the pipe and proceed to the right. Eventually you will reach
another pair of hammer bros.
You should now be at the second pair of hammer bros. Dispatch of them taking
care to avoid any bullet bills coming from the cannons to your right. Just to
the left of the next set of stairs there are several bricks. The highest brick,
the one that is directly above the trampoline, is a power-up. Climb this
staircase to reach the final staircase. A buzzy beetle is coming down the final
staircase. He can be used to do the koopa trick. For more information see the
section labeled ## Koopa Trick ## near the end of this walkthrough. Climb the
final staircase and jump on the flagpole to finish the level. For more
information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of
Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 7-2-----------------------------------
This level is simply level 2-2 with more enemies.
For more information on how to swim see the section labeled ## Water Tactics ##
near the end of this walkthrough. As you enter the water, two coins sit ahead
on the sea floor. A little further ahead two coins are suspended in the water.
Just past the coral column, three coins rest on the sea floor. Swim further and
three coins sit above the first suction pit. This pit can draw you into it and
kill you. Swim a short distance and three coins are just above the sea floor.
Ahead three more coins are suspended slightly higher in the water. Five more
coins rest over the second suction pit. The final six coins rest above a
suction pit with large inverted L shaped structures on both sides of it. When
going for these coins make sure there are no bloobers in the area. Continue
swimming to right until you encounter the end pipe. Climb the stairs and then
jump on the flagpole to complete the level. For more information on the
flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ##
near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 7-3-----------------------------------
This level is also recycled from world 2. This level is simply Level 2-3 with
more enemies. Nintendo simply added a few more koopas and paratroopas to the
level.
Run to the right. There will be a row of four coins in the air. Next there is
a W shaped formation of five coins. This is followed by a gap in the bridge.
The next section of bridge has an arch shaped configuration of four coins above
it. After that, there is another gap in the bridge. Now a stretch of bridge
with no coins. That stretch is followed by another gap. The next stretch of
bridge has a ? block above it. That ? is a power-up. The next gap has three
coins above it. You will land on a grassy landing. Jump from the landing to a
suspended bridge fragment. Jump the gap after the fragment. Above the next
stretch of bridge is a row of six coins. Then there is another gap. Above the
next stretch of bridge is a row of four coins and then there is another gap.
Now there is heavily broken stretch of bridge with six coins suspended above it.
After that run to the right to reach the stairs, the flagpole, and the end of
level. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section
labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 7-4-----------------------------------
This castle is a maze, so these directions should be followed closely. The
first two platforms you encountered are weight triggered. A podoboo jumps up
and down between these platforms. You can begin by running to the right and
jumping over the podoboo and landing on the second platform.
You should now be across the lava pit with the weight triggered platforms
above it, and now the maze begins. You will encounter a block formation where
you have the option of going above or below it. Take the low path. Next there
will be two rows of blocks jump onto the lower row and proceed right. From the
lower row of blocks jump to the top of the next block formation. I describe
this as low, medium, and high which will be used again in the next section of
the maze. If done properly you should now advance to next section of the maze.
You will encounter a firebar to the right. You want to go over this firebar,
so jump on the row of blocks even with the firebar and proceed right. If you
do not slow down the firebar will not be able to touch you. Now drop through
the two wide hole after the firebar down to the floor. I am not referring to
the one wide openings near the firebar. You wish to run over those. Now you
should be on the floor. Run under the first two short rows of blocks you
encounter. Now jump onto the lower of the next two short rows of blocks you
encounter. Now jump to the higher of the next two short rows of blocks you
encounter. Again the pattern is low, medium, high. Jump over the small gap
between you and the next block formation to remain on the high path. You
should now be out of the maze.
Continue to the right until you encounter Bowser. See the ## Defeating the
Koopa King ## section near the end of this walkthrough for tips on how to defeat
Bowser.
********************************************************************************
* *
* World 8 *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Level 8-1------------------------------------
Congratulations, you have now reached the final world of the game. Unlike
previous worlds, if you die in a level in this world you will start at the
beginning of the level.
You should move quickly in this level. You are only given 300 game seconds and
to complete all tasks will take close to 200 game seconds.
Jump over the first pipe and continue right. Between the third and second pipe
there is a buzzy beetle. You will encounter a coin on your way to the next
pipe. Two spaces to the left of the third pipe there is a hidden 1-Up. See the
section ## Where is the 1-Up? ## for an explanation about the potential lack of
a 1-Up. You will encounter another coin between the third and fourth pipes.
Another coin can be found between the fourth and fifth pipes. When you reach
the fifth pipe get the two coins after it, but take care to keep the fifth pipe
on the screen.
**Best Option**
Go down the fifth pipe. This pipe will take you to Coin Room #2. For
more information see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms ## near the end
of this walkthrough. You will emerge from a short pipe. Go over the
next short pipe, and you will encounter a group of three goombas.
**Alternative Option**
Do not go down the fifth pipe instead head to the right. You will pass
a few pipes and some koopas and reach another trio of goombas.
You should now be at a group of three goombas who are to the left of a four
tall column. Jump over the column and into the area underneath the row of
bricks. Five to the right of the column to your left there is a hidden coin
block. You might want incapacitate/kill the koopa paratroopa before trying for
this coin. Hit the hidden coin and then jump on it. The brick above the hidden
coin is a multi-coin block. Go over left column and continue left. You will
encounter two koopa paratroopas jumping around an area with one wide gaps in
the ground. Next you will see a row of bricks. The third brick from the left
in that row is a starman. Jump the upcoming gap and grab the two coins. Jump
across the three pipes using your invincibility to your advantage. Climb the
stairs and claim two coins on your way down. Two more coins lie over the next
pair of gaps. The next gap requires that you at least be partially accelerated
to make the jump to the one wide island. This should hopefully not be a
problem by now. Jump each of these two gaps grabbing the two coins over each
gap. Continue to the right and complete the level. The final staircase is
heavily broken consisting of a series of columns and that is all. For more
information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section labeled
## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 8-2-----------------------------------
You wish to climb the stairs ahead avoiding the lakitu and paratroopas. For
more information on handling lakitu see the section labeled ## Handling Lakitu
##. You probably do not need to consult that section here because lakitu goes
away very shortly after you encounter him.
** Regular Mario / Difficult **
This is the fastest way to do the stairs, but is fairly impractical for
any Mario besides Regular Mario. If you are Regular, you might still
prefer the technique described in the Super/Fiery section below. Jump
over or under the first koopa paratroopa and land on the left edge of
the second step. Jump immediately upon landing to the step one away
from the top of the stairs (That is high as you can go). Jump
immediately again. If you did this correctly, you will have just barely
gone under the second koopa paratroopa with your second jump. With this
technique you can climb these stairs without slowing down. This
technique can be done when Super/Fiery if you duck during your second
jump, but that may be a bit impractical.
** Super/Fiery Mario / Easy **
This is the easier of the two methods for climbing these stairs. It is
the one I would initially recommend that you use. It is probably also
the best choice if you are Super/Fiery, but the more difficult technique
above can still be used. The way I would recommend is to quickly jump
to the second step of the stairs. Now jump to the step just before the
hole in the stairs. Finally jump from there to the top of the stairs.
If you did this properly, you should have little trouble with the
stairs. You may have to duck jump if you are Super/Fiery.
The four ? blocks after the stairs are all coins. In the brick above the
trampoline there is a 1-Up. You will probably have to follow it until it
reaches the left edge of the row of bricks. You will now pass a single cannon.
After it there is a set of stacked cannons. To the right of the stacked cannons
a koopa paratroopa guards a pair of bricks. The right brick of that pair is a
power-up. The next pair of bricks contains nothing. Next there is a group of
three blocks. The middle block has a cannon resting on top of it. The right
block of the three is a multi-coin. The best way to capitalize on the
multi-coin is to first stand on the one tall cannon to the left of the blocks in
question. Jump on the first buzzy beetle and kick him to the right. Let him
deflect off the cannon to the right of the blocks. Stop him with a light jump
when he returns to the one tall cannon and pass over him to the right. Now
quickly get as many coins as possible taking care to avoid any bullet bills.
This technique should allow to claim the majority of coins in the multi-coin
block. Now continue right over the cannon to the right of the blocks. You are
now at the next point where you need to have a reasonable amount of speed to
make the jump. You will encounter a koopa paratroopa who is to the left of a
short pipe. To the left of the pipe there are two wide pieces of land. After
those one wide pieces of land there is a large hole. The best way to approach
this situationis to jump over the koopa paratroopa and the pipe landing on the
right one wide strip of land. Then you want to immediately jump again to get
over the large gap. There are other ways, but this is the fastest and in my
opinion the easiest way.
** Best Option **
Go down the first pipe after the one wide gap. This will take you to
Coin Room #5. For more information see the section labeled ## Coin Rooms
## near the end of this walkthrough. You will come out of the pipe to
the right of the one you went down initially. You will also avoid a
rather annoying group of three koopa paratroopas.
**Alternative Option **
Do go down the first pipe after the gap. The next pipe you encounter is
the one from which you would have emerged. You will have to deal with a
somewhat annoying group of three koopa paratroopas, if you take this
route.
Continue right avoiding enemies and past the island cannon. Two goombas are
coming down a short staircase on the right side of the gap. To the right of
this staircase there is a set of stacked cannons and then the final staircase.
A koopa paratroopa is coming down the final staircase. He can be used to do the
koopa trick. For more information see the section labeled ## Koopa Trick ##
near the end of this walkthrough. Climb the broken stairs and jump on the
flagpole to complete the level. For more information on the flagpole and its
scoring see the section labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this
walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 8-3-----------------------------------
Jump over the first cannon and continue to the right. You will soon encounter a
koopa paratroopa. If you jump at the right time you can jump over the koopa
paratroopa and onto the second cannon without slowing down. Past the pipe you
will encounter a pair of hammer bros on two rows of bricks. For more
information on how to handle hammer bros see the section labeled ## Defeating
the Hammer Bros. ## near the end of this walkthrough. Carefully kill the
hammer bros. The second brick from the right of the top row of bricks is a
power-up. Jump over the stairs and continue right. After the two block wide,
four block tall column there is another set of hammer bros. Kill them being
careful not to scroll any of bricks in the two rows of bricks off the screen.
The second brick from the left of the top row of bricks is another power-up.
Hopefully, you are Fiery at this point. If you are not things will be a bit
more difficult.
** Regular/Super Mario **
The first thing you will encounter after the second pair of hammer bros
is a koopa. If you are playing All-stars he can be kicked to the right
to take out the first two hammer bros. If you are playing the original
the shell will probably go right through the hammer bros., but you
might get lucky and actually have it kill one or both of the hammer
bros. The hammer bros. you encounter are at ground level. The best
way to approach them is to wait until they jump and then run under them.
You will pass a total of four hammer bros at ground level.
** Fiery Mario **
If you have fireballs simply torch the four hammer bros that lie
ahead.
After the fourth hammer brother that is at ground level, you will see a thin
white line. This line actually indicates a brick that is blending in with the
background. In All-stars, the brick does not blend in due to a change in
background. That brick is actually a multi-coin block. Climb the stairs which
are made only single suspended blocks and then jump on the flagpole to complete
the level. For more information on the flagpole and its scoring see the section
labeled ## End of Level Scoring ## near the end of this walkthrough.
-----------------------------------Level 8-4-----------------------------------
This level is the last level of the game. This level is also a maze, so follow
the instructions closely.
Descend the initial staircase and jump over the lava pit. The best way to get
past this lava pit is to run to the right immediately at the start of the level.
Mario will land on the second step down when he does quickly tap the jump button
to go over the lava pit. This is one of the fastest methods for crossing lava
pit and also one of the easiest. Now continue running to the right. Go past
the first and second pipe, and you will encounter a second lava pit. You can
actually jump over this pit, but it would probably be best to just use the
horizontally moving platform to get across. On the right side of the lava pit,
you will encounter a row of blocks. Go under that row and go down the pipe. If
you are playing the original game, the plant will disappear when you get close
to the pipe. That means you can jump directly at the plant, and it will
disappear.
Going down that pipe will bring you out of a short pipe. Now continue right.
After the next pipe, you will encounter a group of three buzzy beetles. After
the next pipe you will encounter one/two koopa paratroopas. Jump over another
pipe and the lava pit, and you should now be at an area with a suspended pipe.
Two spaces to the left of the suspended pipe is a hidden coin block. Hit the
block and then jump onto it.
Now, go down the suspended pipe. When you come out of the next pipe you will be
attacked by cheep-cheeps. Run right avoiding the cheep-cheeps and go down the
first pipe after the lava pit.
This pipe will take you into a water area. Navigate the water area taking care
to avoid the bloobers and firebars.
You will emerge from the water area out of a short pipe. A hammer brother lies
just past the next pipe. You can get enough speed and do a short jump just over
the hammer brother and then quickly jump under the podoboo and over the lava
pit, but this will take some practice. If you have fireballs, your best option
is to torch the hammer brother and then wait for the podoboo to descend to jump
over the lava pit. If you are Regular/Super your best option is to wait for an
opportunity where you can run under the hammer brother when he jumps and then
immediately jump over the lava pit. I would not recommend running under the
hammer brother and then trying to wait for an opportunity to jump over the lava
pit, because the hammer brother will continue to throw hammers at you which
makes things quite difficult.
You should now have crossed the lava pit and be to the final encounter with
Bowser. See the section labeled ## Defeating the Koopa King ## near the end of
this walkthrough for tips on how to defeat Bowser.
Congratulations. You have now beaten the game; however, a second quest lies
ahead. The second quest is essentially the same as the first quest, but with
more enemies and faster enemies. All the goombas are also replaced with buzzy
beetles. Finishing the first quest also gives you the ability to select the
world you wish to play at the title screen by pressing B. This feature can be
nice, if you are looking to write a very detailed walkthrough.
You should now consider playing another Super Mario Bros. game or perhaps Super
Mario World. The skilled player should consider trying their hand at the Lost
Levels for a real challenge. You could even just continue playing this game
seeing how few lives it takes you to beat it or how quickly you can beat it.
All the sections I promised in the level descriptions above lie below this point.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## Items ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
---------------------------------------Coin-------------------------------------
A gold coin
Collect 100 of these to earn an extra life.
---------------------------------------1-Up-------------------------------------
A yellow mushroom with green spots when in above ground levels
A brown mushroom with blue spots when underground
Both move along the ground initially going right.
Collect it, and you earn an extra life.
-------------------------------------Mushroom-----------------------------------
An orange mushroom with red spots.
This mushroom moves along the ground initially going right.
Collect it to transition from Regular Mario to Super Mario.
------------------------------------Fire Flower--------------------------------
A multi-colored flower
The Fire Flower remains stationary.
Turns Super Mario into Fiery Mario.
Turns Regular Mario into Super Mario.
--------------------------------------Starman----------------------------------
A star that bounces along the ground.
When collected it makes Mario invincible for a short time.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## Enemies ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------Goomba---------------------------------------
Description:
A small mushroom shaped enemy.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
None
Incapacitate with:
Nothing, everything kills a goomba.
Kill with:
A stomp
Fireballs
A kicked shell
A hit from underneath
Impervious to:
Nothing
Points:
100 points
----------------------------------Koopa Troopa----------------------------------
Generally referred to simply as koopa
Description:
An enemy that resembles a turtle
Weapons:
None
Notes:
This enemy comes in two varieties. One is green and the other is red.
Green koopas move in one direction continuously until they encounter an
obstacle at which point they turn around. Green koopas will walk off
cliffs. The red koopas behave identically to the green koopas, but when
they encounter an edge they turn around and walk the other way. Koopas
can be incapacitated. They will retreat into their shells at which time
you can kick their shells.
Incapacitate with:
A stomp
A hit from underneath
Kill with:
Fireballs
A kicked shell
Impervious to:
Nothing
Points:
100 points
-------------------------------Koopa Paratroopa---------------------------------
Description:
A koopa troopa with wings.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
The green koopa paratroopa bounces toward you. The red one flies in a
controlled pattern in either a horizontal or vertical line. The first
stomp on a koopa paratroopa causes it to lose its wings. It will then
behave like a regular koopa troopa of its color.
Incapacitate with:
A pair of stomps
A hit from underneath
Kill with:
Fireballs
A kicked shell
Impervious to:
Nothing
Points:
400 points
----------------------------------Buzzy Beetle----------------------------------
Description:
A small black enemy with hard black outer shell.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
This enemy replaces the goombas in the second quest.
Incapacitate with:
A stomp
A hit from underneath
Kill with:
A kicked shell
Impervious to:
Fireballs
Points:
100 points
--------------------------------The Hammer Bros.--------------------------------
Description:
An upright standing turtle-like creature that throws hammers at Mario.
Weapons:
Hammers
Notes:
This enemy throws hammers at Mario and can jump through platforms. They
do not move horizontally; only vertically. For more information on how
to handle Hammer Bros. see the section labeled ## Defeating the Hammer
Bros. ##.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
A stomp
Fireballs
A kicked shell ( this will not always work in the original NES version )
A hit from underneath
Impervious to:
Nothing
Points:
1000 points
------------------------------------Lakitu--------------------------------------
Description:
A turtle floating around in a cloud.
Weapons:
Spiny eggs
Notes:
Lakitu moves on one horizontal line. He attempts to harm Mario by
throwing spiny eggs which hatch to become spinies ( see below ).
Killing lakitu will only rid you of him temporarily he will return after
a few seconds. For more infomation on how to handle Lakitu see the
section marked ## Handling Lakitu ##.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
A stomp
Fireballs
Impervious to:
Nothing
Points:
200 points
----------------------------------Spiny Egg-------------------------------------
Description:
A spiked egg that turns into a spiny.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
This egg is thrown from above by Lakitu ( see above ). When a spiny egg
hits the ground it hatches to become a spiny. It falls straight down
with no arc in its path to the ground.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
Fireballs
A kicked shell
Impervious to:
A stomp
A hit from underneath
Points:
200 points
-------------------------------------Spiny--------------------------------------
Description:
A small enemy with spikes on its back.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
None.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
Fireballs
A kicked shell
Impervious to:
A stomp
A hit from underneath
Points:
200 points
----------------------------------Piranha Plant---------------------------------
Description:
A plant that emerges from pipes to attack Mario.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
These plant are less of a problem than they may originally appear to be.
For more information consult the ## Advanced Techniques ## section below.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
Fireballs
Impervious to:
A kicked shell
A stomp
Points:
200 points
-----------------------------------Bullet Bill----------------------------------
Description:
A bullet shaped enemy.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
Bullet bills emerge from a cannon in most levels with bullet bills.
In Levels 1-3 ( Second Quest ), 5-3, and 6-3 they appear from the right
edge of the screen.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
A stomp
A kicked shell
( only those that appear from the right edge of the screen )
Impervious to:
Fireballs
A kicked shell ( only those emerging from cannons )
Points:
200 points
------------------------------------Cheep-cheep---------------------------------
Description:
A fish that is after Mario
Weapons:
None
Notes:
Cheeps-cheeps are found both above ground and underwater.
Underwater they can travel through walls.
Above water they jump at you from underneath.
For more information on how to handle water areas see the section
labeled ## Water Tactics ##.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
A stomp ( above ground only )
A kicked shell ( above ground only )
Fireballs
Impervious to:
Nothing, but there is no stomping underwater.
Points:
200 points
------------------------------------Bloober------------------------------------
Description:
A squid that is after Mario
Weapons:
None
Notes:
Bloober only appears underwater. He moves in quick bursts. He can also
travel through walls. The lower block of a bloober can not harm Mario.
For more information on how to handle water areas see the section
labeled ## Water Tactics ##.
Incapacitate with:
Can not be incapacitated; only killed.
Kill with:
Fireballs
Impervious to:
Nothing, but there is no stomping underwater.
Points:
200 points
--------------------------------------Podoboo----------------------------------
Description:
A fireball that leaps from the lava pits in the castles.
Weapons:
None
Notes:
These enemies jump slightly higher in the All-stars version of Super
Mario Bros. than they do in the original game.
Incapacitate with:
This enemy can not be incapacitated.
Kill with:
Nothing, this enemy is invincible.
This enemy is not actually invincible. If you have played Lost Levels
you might know that Podoboo can be killed with a kicked shell, but this
opportunity does not present itself in this game.
Impervious to:
Fireballs
A stomp
Points:
Can not be killed or incapacitated.
----------------------------------------Firebars-------------------------------
Description:
A line of fire that rotates around a fixed point which is usually
inside of a block.
Weapons:
None
Incapacitate with:
This enemy can not be incapacitated.
Kill with:
Nothing, this enemy is invincible.
Points:
Can not be killed or incapacitated.
-------------------------------Bowser: The Koopa King--------------------------
Description:
A large reptilian creature that guards the end of each castle.
Weapons:
Fire
Hammers
Notes:
For information on how to beat Bowser see the section labeled ##
Defeating the Koopa King ##. The Bowsers in worlds 1-5 do not throw
hammers, but the Bowsers in worlds six through eight do throw
hammers.
Incapacitate with:
Can not incapacitate; only kill.
Kill with:
5 Fireballs
Stomping on the ax behind him
Impervious to:
A stomp
Points:
Death by fireballs - 5000 points
Death by somping on ax - 0 points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## Techniques ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------------## Controls ##-------------------------------
The controls for Mario are deceptively simple, but offer a great deal of
functionality.
Up does nothing.
Left moves Mario to the left.
Right moves Mario to the right.
Down causes Super/Fiery Mario to duck.
Down will also cause you to go down a pipe you are standing on, if you can
go down that pipe.
The B button, the button on the left, causes Mario to run faster when it is
depressed.
Pressing the B button causes Fiery Mario to shoot a fireball.
The A button causes Mario to jump. The longer you hold the A button the longer
Mario will stay in the air, but there is a limit to how high he can jump.
Continuing:
If you get game over you can continue at the beginning of the world where you
died by holding A while pressing start at the title screen.
------------------------------## Basic Techniques ##----------------------------
This section is a list of moves that will prove useful while playing.
** Koopa Kick **
Once you have incapacitated a koopa or buzzy beetle, you can kick it. The kicked
shell will kill enemies in its path. The shell will rebound off of pipe,
stairs, or a wall. If the shell hits a total of eight enemies you will earn an
extra life. The shell will not hurt enemies that are off the screen, but it can
rebound off of objects that are off the screen.
** The Duck Slide ( Super/Fiery Mario ) **
Run and then press down to duck. Mario will slide a short distance while
ducking.
** The Duck Jump **
This move is continuation of the duck slide. You begin by executing a duck
slide and then jump while in the slide. You can do this at the very beginning
of the slide for a nearly instantaneous duck jump.
** Stutter Step **
This my term for running full speed in one direction ( generally right ) and
then tapping the opposite direction for a split second and then immediately
pressing the original direction. All this is done while constantly holding B.
The result is a very small amount of slowdown, but this is enough in many
situations. Super/Fiery Mario can use a well timed duck slide to get the
same result.
** Wrap Around Jump **
This is the name I have given the jump where you are jumping from a block
directly below the one you want to land on or from above to a block directly
below. Quite simply you jump slightly to one side and then while in the air
pull in the opposite directions to wrap around a block.
** Mushroom / Enemy direction change **
To change the direction an enemy or mushroom on a group of blocks above is
travelling bump the block on which the reside from underneath. If the enemy
is advancing right and you want to redirect them to left you want to hit
the block while the enemy is on the left half of the block. If the enemy gets
to far to the right you lauch into the air, but they will continue moving
right.
** Running over one wide gaps **
If you are travelling at full speed you can run over one wide gaps without
falling into them.
-----------------------------## Advanced Techniques ##--------------------------
These techniques are generally intended only for a veteran Super Mario Bros.
player. A great number of these techniques can not be executed in the All-stars
version of Super Mario Bros. That alone prevents me from playing the All-stars
version. I have placed a difficulty rating on beside the names of these actions
to help you judge the difficulty of these maneuvers. The scale is from -10 to
10. 0 is of the difficulty that a person with average playing ability should be
able to accomplish it. Most of the moves in the ## Basic Techniques ## section
lie in the negative range, but there might be some exceptions. This scale is
meant to provide an approximate idea of the difficulty of a move, but is not
intended to be exact. These techniques will be needed if you wish to play Super
Mario Bros. as fast as possible.
Plant Jump: Difficulty 1
A jump over a 4 tall pipe while the plant is out. You just need to jump at the
right time and you can jump over a plant that is out of a four tall pipe. This
is particularly useful in 4-1 and 8-1. This move can not be executed in
All-stars.
Through the Plant: Difficulty 3
When a plant is only half out its pipe, you can use this technique to go down
that pipe if possible. This is mainly useful for the pipe in the cheep-cheep
area of 8-4. Jump up over the pipe and come down close to the center of the
pipe. If you land while holding down on the directional pad you will go through
the plant and into the pipe. It is important to be centered when you do this
you will be hit, if you are not over the center of the pipe. This technique can
not be done in All-stars. You can actually do this move at any point after the
piranha plant begins to withdraw into the pipe, but you must be well centered.
Abstract Plants: Difficulty 1
This is another trick that takes advantage of the somewhat bizarre hit detection
for piranha plants. When a plant is only about one quarter visible it can not
hurt you. You can use this to your advantage, if you see a plant retracting and
do not wish to wait. You can also use this, if you know plant is about to
emerge. This technique will not work in All-stars.
Lip Landings: Difficulty 3
This can be done in All-stars. When a plant is out you jump up onto the lip of
the pipe to one side of plant. You can now jump over it without being hit.
This is useful if you are too close to a pipe to do the "Plant jump" listed
above. You have to have a fair amount of control to pull this off.
Jump and Shoot: Difficulty 4
This maneuver really is not that useful once you have master the Lip Jump
(below), but I will mention it for completeness. The goal with this maneuver is
jump directly toward a piranha plant and then shoot it with fireballs before
you come in contact with the plant. If timed correctly, the plant will die and
you will land safely on top of the pipe. This move is significantly less useful
than the lip jump because it requires that you be Fiery.
Lip Jump: Difficulty 7
This maneuver is actually worthy of very high difficult rating. It is sort of
the combination of a "Lip Landing" with a "Plant Jump". This move can be done
in All-stars, but it is more difficult. There is less room for error in All-stars
and there is not much room for error in the original. The idea here is to be
running full speed and jump and land on the lip of a pipe while the plant is
out. You then immediately jump again to jump over the plant. Your landing on
the first jump must be ridiculously precise and you must be able jump
instantaneously after landing. This move is crucial to learn if you have any
interest in rivaling fast Mario times you will see on the web. If you are not
playing All-stars you can do a right edge lip jump. This can be useful for
doing the Double Lip Jump below or for just showing off.
Double Lip Jump: Difficulty 9
It is not hard to guess what this move is. It is two lip jumps one right after
the other. This is really only useful at the beginning of 5-1 and only if you
do not have fireballs. You will jump and land on the lip of the first pipe you
encounter and then jump from that pipe to the left lip of the second pipe.
Finally, you will jump from that pipe to the ground. This can also be somewhat
useful for the three pipes near the end of 1-2. You can do a left side lip jump
off the first pipe and then do a right side lip jump off the second pipe.
********************************************************************************
* *
* Tactics *
* *
********************************************************************************
------------------------------## Handling Lakitu ##-----------------------------
Handling Lakitu is actually quite easy. Lakitu poses no threat as long as you
run at full speed through out the level. If you wish to stop and collect
things, you have two options. You can climb your way to Lakitu's level and take
him out, but you can also just move quickly. If you move quickly, only a couple
spinies should accumulate.
-------------------------------## Water Tactics ##------------------------------
Water areas should be pretty easy if you have fireballs, but if you do not have
fireballs you may find them difficult. I personally believe that with practice
water levels are some of the easiest. The controls take some getting use to in
the water, but in most situations you have a full range of motion. It may be
tempting to hug the seafloor, but I think it unwise. If you stay centered in
the water then you can move up, down, left, and right to avoid your enemies.
Cheeps-cheeps pose no great threat, but the bloobers are not so easy to avoid.
Bloobers move in random fashion which makes them somewhat of threat. It is ill
advised to enter a narrow passage way with a bloober. The bloober could
suddenly dart in your direction and hit you. It should also be noted that the
lower block of bloobers' can not hurt you. There is a catch to this. When
a bloober pulls his tentacles in he actually compresses himself into one
block. When he does this the block that can hurt you shifts down by half a
block. You should careful when swimming through a bloobers tentacles
because he can compress and quickly lower the harmful portion of his body by
half a block. The interesting hit detection with bloobers means even
Super/Fiery Mario can walk along the seafloor without being injured by a
bloober. Bloobers also generally toward you, so you can attempt to lure
them away from the area where you wish to go. When you have lured the bloober
into the open area you should be able to get by him with ease.
With these tactics you should be able to handle the water levels.
-----------------------## Defeating The Hammer Bros. ##-------------------------
If you have fireballs hammer bros. should be no problem. Without fireballs
things are a bit more difficult. This section primarily primarily refers to
two hammer bros. on a pair of rows of bricks. While they are on the ground you
generally wish to stand well to the left. When they go up to a higher level
move in under the lower row of bricks. Avoid any hammers they may be tossing
and position under and slightly to the left of the lead hammer brother if
possible. This will not be possible when both hammer bros. are on the lower row
of bricks. In this situation the hammer bros. on the right will be throwing
his hammers in the area where you wish to stand. You can rush in through the
flurry of hammers and hit them from underneath in this situation. If that
situation did not occur, you will now be slightly to the left of the left hammer
brother. Do not stand directly underneath him because he can drop through the
lower row of bricks even from the top row of bricks. You may wish to take him
out when he is on lower row of bricks. If he drops down to the ground stand
close to him and his hammers will go over you. This will not work if they both
drop down to ground level. In that situation you will probably have to retreat
back to the left. After taking out the hammer brother on the left use a
similar approach to take out the remaining hammer brother. He should be easier,
since he will be the only one left as that point. This is the basic approach to
handling hammer bros. It can also be useful to quickly rush in and take out
any hammer brother that might be on the lower row of bricks when you first
encounter them. This will make things easier when it is possible.
-------------------------## Defeating The Koopa King ##-------------------------
Bowser can be somewhat difficult, but with little knowledge he is not too bad.
The early Bowsers ( worlds 1 - 5 ) attack only with fire. You can fairly easily
jump over Bowser in most situations, but you can also run under him when he
jumps. You can run under him pretty easily even if you are Super/Fiery. You
should not even have to duck if you time it correctly. If you are Fiery you can
always torch Bowser with 5 fireballs to reveal his true form. The later Bowsers
( worlds 6 - 8 ) become more difficult because they also throw hammers. At this
point you pretty much have to run under Bowser if you are not Fiery. The brave
can actually pick a gap in the hammers and jump through the hole, but this will
take some practice. After you are on the right side of Bowser jump on the ax
to lower the bridge and drop Bowser into the lava. Bowser will walk toward you
not jumping once you are the right side of him. He will also not shoot fire to
the right. He can throw a few a hammers to the right as he turns around, but he
will not continue to throw hammers once he is facing right. You also have to
take care when fighting Bowser to avoid any podoboos or firebars that are in the
area. You should also note that the hit detection on Bowser is slightly
deceptive. Bowser occupies a 2 by 2 square stepping anywhere within that square
will get you hit. This can be deceptive because you might think you would be
safe under Bowser's nose, but you are not. There is another way to beat Bowser.
I will call this method the wimp method. You can if you are Super simply run
into Bowser and then go through him while you are temporarily invincible to reach
the ax.
Those were the fundamentals of beating Bowser. Now, I will address some of the
more fun options and their difficulty. The difficulty scale here is the same as
the one used in the ## Advanced Techniques ## section above.
Run under and shoot Difficulty: 3
The idea here is to run under Bowser then turn and shoot him with
fireballs anyway.
Through the hammers Difficulty: 7
The idea here is to jump through Bowser's hammers. You can actually
make it through the hammers in places where there does not even appear
to be an opening. In the second quest, there is actually a timing that
guarantees your getting through the hammers for Level 6-4 and Level 8-4.
Through the hammers and shoot Difficulty: 10
Jump through Bowser's hammers pulling back, so that you do not land on
the ax. Now, turn around and shoot Bowser with fireballs just for
kicks.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## Koopa Tricks ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
-----------------------------## The Koopa Trick ##------------------------------
$$ A little note $$
This is the classic way to earn tons of lives in Super Mario Bros. It will also
earn you a ton of points. The first opportunity to do this trick is in level
3-1. Most walkthroughs only acknowledge the ability to use this technique in
level 3-1 and level 7-1, but it can be done in many other places. These places
have been noted during the course of this walkthrough. I will describe this
process being done with a koopa shell, but it can also be done with a buzzy
beetle's shell. It should also be noted that the koopa trick has been made
easier in the All-stars implementation of Super Mario Bros.
$$ How to do it $$
The basic technique for the koopa trick is as follows. Stomp a koopa as it
comes down the stairs. You want to incapacitate, so that the koopa shell
lies approximately one third to half a block's width from the edge of the step
above the step on which the shell is resting. Now approach the shell from the
step below the one where the shell rests.
** Regular Mario **
It is significantly more difficult for Regular Mario to successfully
complete the koopa trick. I would not in general recommend you try the
koopa trick, if you are Regular Mario. I will describe the process
anyway. Approach the shell from the step below the one on which the
shell rests. Stay just to the left of the shell. Jump and tap right
slightly. Pull back slightly to the left and you may be able to
stabilize your jump to where you can continually bounce on the shell.
This is more difficult for Regular Mario because Regular Mario has to
jump forward. If you are not careful, it is easy to kill Regular Mario.
** Super/Fiery Mario **
If you are Super/Fiery approach the shell and stand, so that your body
is inside approximately the left fourth of the shell. Now, jump
straight up cutting your jump off just at the top of the shell.
If you did this correctly Mario, will continually bounce on the shell and the
points will increase until you earn a 1-Up. If you do not succeed the first
time keep trying and it may still work. Even when you succeed in doing the
koopa trick, you will eventually fall off the shell. If after several attempts
you can only achieve a few bounces on the shell. When you fall off, just hop
back up onto the shell to get more lives. It may be best to let the koopa
recover and try again with the koopa at another position. You must be careful
when doing the koopa trick to not exceed 128 lives or your game will end the
next time you die. For more information on this quirk see the subsection of $$
What Game Over? $$. Getting Game Over is not a concern in All-stars because
your lives are capped at 128.
$$ Where can I do the koopa trick? $$
This is list of places you might be able to do the koopa trick. Those I have
not done are listed as QUESTIONABLE. The ones I have been able to do are
mentioned throughout the walkthrough and are marked as CONFIRMED. The quest in
which the trick can be done is also noted. If you are able to pull the koopa
trick off in any of the places marked questionable I would like to hear from
you.
End of Level 1-2 Second Quest QUESTIONABLE
Beginning of Level 2-1 First Quest QUESTIONABLE
End of Level 3-1 Both Quests CONFIRMED
Middle of Level 3-1 Second Quest CONFIRMED
Middle of Level 4-2 First Quest QUESTIONABLE
End of Level 5-1 Both Quests CONFIRMED
End of Level 5-2 Both Quests CONFIRMED
End of Level 6-1 Both Quests CONFIRMED
End of Level 7-1 Both Quests CONFIRMED
End of Level 8-2 Both Quests CONFIRMED
$$ What Game Over? $$
Basically you get game over if you exceed 128 lives in the original, but you
are capped at 128 in All-stars. Read more of this section only if you care
about the intricacies of the koopa trick in great detail. There is also a
subsection on how the life display system works, which the studious reader
might find interesting.
$$ Why 128? $$
You may or may not be aware that the Nintendo is an 8-bit system. This
means that a fundamental memory unit in the system stores eight 0s or
1s. This means that the system can store 2^8 or 256 unique values in
one of its basic memory units.
For a signed integer these numbers range from -128 to +127. These
numbers are relatively arranged in a circle like this ...
( I will not explain why they are arranged like this, but this is how
they are arranged. )
*------------------------*
| |
| -1 | 0 |
| -32 | 32 |
| | |
| -64 | 64 |
| | |
| -96 | 96 |
| -128 | 127 |
| |
*------------------------*
I have left out values obviously. The line down the center divides the
circle in half ( numerically ).
When gaining a life do not think of it as adding 1, but moving clockwise
in the circle. Here you can see that if I move clockwise from 0, I go to
1; however, if I move clockwise from 127, I go to -128.
Similarly for losing a life, do not think of it as subtracting 1; think
of it as going counter-clockwise in the circle. So if I have 1 life and
I lose a life, I have 0 lives. If I have -128 lives and I lose a life,
I have 127 lives.
The Nintendo determines if your game is over by having you lose a life
( that is move counter-clockwise in the circle ) and then checking to see
if your life count is less than 1. In the picture above that means your
number of lives lies in the left half of the circle or is zero.
If I have 127 lives and I get a life that's fine, because when I lose a
life I am back to 127. If I have a 127 lives and I get two lives, then
when I lose a life I am at -128 which means my game is over.
Remember, the check is not done until you die.
You can also go all the way around the circle ( and therefore lose lives ).
Example:
1> First lets say I have 10 lives, I do the koopa trick and get up to 121
lives.
2> I kill Mario. I have 120 lives.
3> I do the koopa trick again and gain 150 lives, which means I went
completely past the left half of the circle. I am now back near
the top of the circle, and I now have 14 lives ( but I started with
120 ).
If you were curious the Super Nintendo would have a similar circle that
encompasses 65536 values ranging from -32768 to + 32767.
$$ How is the Game Displaying My Lives? $$
The game displays lives 1 through 9 in decimal numbers. Then you enter
crown notation. The lead crown indicates 10. The decimal numbers that
follow indicate that number ( so crown 9 is actually 19 and crown 0 is
10 ). After that the game resorts to letters. A=10 and Z=36. So crown
A is 20 and crown Z is 46. After the game runs out of letters you enter
random graphical elements.
You may ask why does this happen. I will enlighten you. The game is
arranged with all the graphical elements in a block of memory
essentially arranged in a line. Picture 0 could be considered to be the
number 0 for our purposes. Think of it something like this ...
*--------*-*-*---*-*--*--*---*--*---------*---------*---*---------------*
|Picture#|0|1|...|9|10|11|...|36|37 |38 |...|N |
*--------*-*-*---*-*--*--*---*--*---------*---------*---*---------------*
|Graphic |0|1|...|9|A |B |...|Z |Some |Some |...|Some |
| | | | | | | | | |Graphic 1|Graphic 2| |Graphic N - 36 |
*--------*-*-*---*-*--*--*---*--*---------*---------*---*---------------*
Once you past ten lives the game gets the picture with the
number your number of lives - 10. The problem comes when you reach
pictures above 36 at that point you have passed all the alphanumeric
characters. The game continues to display with whatever picture is
there anyway.
You might still wonder why the pictures are in such strange colors.
I can explain that also. The game uses several different color
palettes. Not all the pictures are intended to be displayed using the
same color palette, but when the Nintendo is displaying your lives it
is always trying to use the color palette for displaying text. Many of
those pictures are not intended to be displayed using that palette, so
the colors come out looking a little screwy.
---------------------------## The New Koopa Trick ##-----------------------------
For those of you playing All-stars there is another koopa trick. This one is
fairly easy to execute, but can only be done in level 3-2. Kick the shell
described in the description of level 3-2 that will get you a 1-Up. That shell
will rebound off a pipe. Stomp shell when it rebounds. If you stomp the shel
soon enough after it killed the last enemy you will get another 1-Up. As you
come down from stopping the shell stomp land on the shell again to kick it back
toward the pipe. The kick will get you another 1-Up. Repeat this process for
numerous lives. This trick is not all that useful in Super Mario Bros., but it
is quite helpful in Lost Levels where it can be used far more often. I
personally do not condone using this trick because it was not in the original
game.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## Hidden Areas ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
-------------------------------## Coin Rooms ##---------------------------------
** Coin Room #1 **
This is a coin room with a brick pedestal in the center. Above the
pedestal there are two rows of rows of seven coins and one row of five
coins.
** Coin Room #2 **
This room has a single row of bricks and a rather low ceiling. A row of
nine coins rests on top of the row of bricks. Another row of nine coins
rests on the floor. The right most block of the row of bricks is a
multi-coin block.
** Coin Room #3 **
This room has a rather strange block formation. This is the only coin
room where you must be Super/Fiery to access everything. On top of the
block formation there are ten coins. Two diagonals of three coins each
run through the block formation. If you are Regular Mario the only
coin you can collect are those in the diagonals. Regular Mario can
collect those coins by hitting the bricks from underneath. If you are
Super/Fiery, you do not want to break the bricks underneath the coins
in the left diagonal. This could prevent from collecting the power-up.
The power-up is located in the brick that is that is on the top row and
is second from the left.
** Coin Room #4 **
This room has eight coins on top of a brick formation. Another ten
coins rest on the floor, but most are under the brick formation. You
will have to duck slide to the coins under the brick formation if you
are Super/Fiery. The single brick above the pipe is a power-up. You
can get this power-up even if you are Super/Fiery. You will have to run
and slide while on top of the brick formation. You will slide off the
formation and under the single brick above the pipe. When you are under
the brick you must jump to unleash the power-up. It is imperative that
when doing this technique you hold down while in the air. Mario will
stand up, but he will revert to a duck when he comes in contact with the
pipe.
** Coin Room #5 **
This room has a rather bizarre hook shaped formation of blocks. The
brick above the pipe is a multi-coin. Jump from on top of the pipe to
the two brick protrusion on the right side of the hook. Now jump onto
the roof. There are two ways you could access the coins. One is to
advance to the left edge of roof area above the hook and do wrap around
jump into the hook. The other is to get on the one wide column of
bricks that makes up the left wall and jump into the hook from there.
Both of these are equally good methods. The hook contains a total of
ten coins.
------------------------------## Coin Heavens ##---------------------------------
** Day Coin Heaven **
Jump on the platform and repeatedly jump into the air to acquire coins.
This coin area starts with a row of sixteen coins that are easily
accessible to Regular, Super, and Fiery Mario. Next is a row of three
coins which are two spaces higher than the row coins that came before.
Regular Mario will have to gain a little speed to reach these coins.
The next row is a row of sixteen coins and is one space lower than the
row of three coins that preceded it. These coins are easily within
Regular Mario's reach. The next row of three coins is at the end the
same height as the previous row of three. Again Regular Mario will
need a little speed to reach these coins. Now jump off the platform
before it gets over the pit. Get a running start and leap to get the
three coins off the right edge of the clouds. This pit is not dangerous;
you will simply fall back down to the level below.
** Night Coin Heaven **
Unlike the day coin heaven, all coins are easily accessible to any size
of Mario. Jump on the platform and repeatedly jump to get coins. First
you will encounter a row of sixteen coins. After that there is a single
cloud. Now, there is a row of twenty coins. Followed by a column of
two clouds. Now, there is a row of seven coins. Next is another two
cloud column. Gain a little speed and jump to the row of clouds above.
These clouds are all separated by a single space, but you just need to
run to get these gaps. The separated clouds have a total of ten coins
on them. Now drop down to the cloud floor below. Jump off to the right
and grab the three coins on your way down.
---------------------------## Hidden Water Area ##------------------------------
This is small hidden area that is underwater. This area is never on any ideal
route, but I have documented it anyway. The first thing of significance you
encounter is a row of ten coins that spans two suction holes. Over each suction
hole there is a set of descending platforms. After those coins, two coins rest
on a two wide strip of sea floor with suction holes on both sides. Two sets of
four coins rest on suspended rows of four blocks ahead. You will then reach the
exit.
------------------------------## Warp Zones ##----------------------------------
This is simply a single pipe or a group of three pipes that take you to the
first level of another world. Warp zones are generally somewhat hidden. They
are noted throughout the walkthrough as they occur.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## Where is the 1-Up? ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
The hidden 1-Ups which occur in the first level of every world will not always
be there.
** Warping **
If you warp to the world the 1-Up will always be present the first time you
play the level.
** Non-warping **
If you do not warp the conditions are more elaborate. I am not certain what the
exact conditions are, but I can offer some educated guesses. You must play the
last world well. This probably means some combination of not getting hit much
and collect items and coins. Not getting hit alone is definitely not enough. I
have verified that much. It may be the presence of the 1-Up is solely dependent
on item collection, but I am uncertain.
** Presence after death **
If you die in the level where the 1-Up is the 1-Up may still be present. If you
die before you reach the area of the level where the 1-Up is it will definitely
be there the next time, but that is only in the event that it would have been
there in the first place.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## End of Level Scoring ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
The scoring for the end of a level is somewhat interesting. The higher you land
on flagpole the more points you earn. Your score can be 100, 400, 800, 2000, or
5000. You can additionally earn fireworks at the end of the level. You get
fireworks when the right most digit of your time is a 1, 3, or 6. You get one
firework for a one. Three fireworks for a three, and six fireworks for a six.
Each firework earns you an additional 500 points. It usually takes 4 game
seconds for you to travel from the top of the stairs to the flagpole. If you
really want to get sixes, I suggest that you come to a stop at the top of the
stairs. Run when the clock hits one and jump to the flagpole, and you should
get a six.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## More Information on the Minus World ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
------------------------------## The Minus World ##-----------------------------
The minus world is basically just Level 2-2/7-2, but you never get to leave.
When you go in the pipe at the end you come, out of an invisible pipe at the
beginning of the level . You can acquire just short of 100 coins before you run
out of time, so you can sustain yourself for some time. If you die around the
mid-point of the level, be careful because you will begin play with your next
life above a suction pit.
-------------------------## The Minus World Explained ##-----------------------
The Minus World is not in fact world -1. It would better be described as the
unspecified world because what is actually occurring is that the Nintendo is not
displaying a world so instead of seeing world_number - level_number you simply
see - level_number. The level number happens to be one, so you see -1.
You might ask why the warp zone takes you to this place in the first place. I
can provide speculation on that as well. The programmers at Nintendo
frequently recycled level segments. In fact the stairs you climb when you come
out of an underground area or out of the water are actually the stairs at the
end of level 1-1. I suspect that th warp zone area for level 1-2 and the warp
zone at the end of level 4-2 are the same. Perhaps someone with more
familiarity with the programming of the game could confirm this for me.
Nintendo also had a tendency of hard coding differences in displaying object
based on which world you are currently playing. The mushroom platforms in
World 4 are same as the treetops in all the other worlds. They are just
displayed differently in World 4. I speculate that for the warp zone room in
World 4 Nintendo did not display the left and right pipes.
I will now explain why I believe all this information is significant. I
conjecture that when you do the minus world trick you are actually loading
the warp connections for the pipes from World 4. The two pipes that do not
show up in World 4 have unspecified values, but the center pipe takes you to
World 5. This is the kind of behavior you see from the three pipes when you
do the Minus World trick.
********************************************************************************
* *
* ## A Few More Worthless Tricks ## *
* *
********************************************************************************
These are some worthless little tricks that you can do in Super Mario Bros.
Some of these will not work in All-stars and DX and that is noted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dancing on the Vine
Climb a vine to a cloud heaven or the first warp zone in level 4-2. Hop off the
vine; now, climb up again. When you reach the top continue to hold up and Mario
will begin to dance on the top of the vine.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Run on One Foot
When you go into pipe hold B. Hold B constantly while you are in the pipe.
Continue to hold B once you come out and Mario will run on one foot until
you jump. This trick also works for when you go into a castle. This trick also
works for warp zone pipes, if you hold the button during the life display
screen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small and Fiery ( Not in All-stars or DX ).
When you reach Bowser at the end of a castle you want to be Super or Fiery.
Jump so that you land on Bowser and the ax simultaneously. You will flash, but
remain big. You will start the next level appearing as if you are Super, but
you are not. You are actually Regular. If you get hit you will die. Now,
collect a mushroom; you will shrink and appear as if you are Regular Mario.
You are actually Super Mario. Now, collect a fire flower and your outfit will
change so that you have a small Mario that appears as if he is Fiery.
In fact, he is Fiery. When you tap B Mario will suddenly grow abruptly, throw
a fireball, and then revert back to being short. Getting hit at this stage
will revert you back to appearing Super, but will actually be Regular Mario.
This odd behavior will last until the next time you die. This trick is
obviously not useful in level 8-4 where there is no level to follow it.
As I said this trick can not be done in DX, but I have read that there is
another method will allow you to small and Fiery in DX. Look around on the web
for more information.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You, Dead Mario( Not in All-stars or DX )
This trick is similar to the small and Fiery trick above. Reach Bowser while
being Regular Mario. Jump and land on Bowser and the ax simultaneously. Mario
will die, but Bowser will drop into the lava. You will see the Thank You screen
and begin the next level without having lost any lives. You can see the result
of this trick in level 8-4.
