Super Mario Advance:
Classic Arcade Mario Bros. Single Player FAQ
By Jaybee_721
Email:
Sabertooth101@hotmail.com
ICQ #: 31455612
Note: This FAQ is for the Single Player portion of the Classic Arcade Mario
Bros. for the Game Boy Advance.
----Contents----
I. Introduction
II. Mario and his Moves
III. The Object of the Game
IV. The “Pests of the Pipes”
V. The POW Blocks
VI. Points and Coins
VII. The Bonus Games
VIII. Additions to the Phases
IX. Gameplay Tips
X. Copyright & Credits
I. Introduction
I must say, with an excellent version of Classic Arcade Mario Bros. in Super
Mario Advance, the game’s fun factor and overall excellence greatly increases.
Both Single and Multiplayer are a blast, and following is a FAQ for the Single
Player version. (Note: Obviously, you need connector cables for multiplayer
gaming. You can have up to 4 players for multiplayer. Single player (again,
obviously) requires nothing extra, and is just as fun.)
II. Mario and his Moves
In MBC, (Mario Bros. Classic) Mario comes in his regular package, I
guess you could say. Unfortunately, you stay only one size, meaning you can take
only one hit by a baddie. Also, Mario cannot shoot fireballs, you have to do it
all the old-fashioned way. Just as in Mario Bros. 2, Mario can do a super jump.
Hold down on the D-Pad until he begins flashing, then press A to take a super
jump. I recommend running (holding down B or R while moving) the majority of the
time, especially in the later levels; it can be essential to life. Also, Mario’s
jump is nice, because when you jump, you sort of half-float for a second, rather
than quickly coming down. This is quite convenient because you’ll find yourself
barely making a jump over a baddie at many times.
III. The Object of the Game
The object to MBC is to make your way through the game’s many phases. To
accomplish this, you must bump the baddies from underneath, then jump up to
where they lay stunned, and run into them to kick them into the water below.
(Note: Once the enemy has been stunned, you can hit them from any side to be rid
of them, not just kicking them from the side. Stepping on them, or, [if they’re
in mid-air,] jumping into them from underneath is also fine.) In Phase 1, you
must only defeat three Spinys to clear it and go to Phase 2. In Phase 2, you
must defeat four. As you increase phases, you must defeat more enemies. But, of
course, there is a limit. Obviously, by the time you reach Phase 50, you aren’t
having to eliminate about 100 baddies!
IV. The “Pests of the Pipes”
There are six kinds of baddies in MBC to pester you. Each has a specific
attribute to make Mario’s life just a little tougher.
1. Spinys-Spinys are the easiest pest to eliminate. They travel rather
slow, and do nothing but walk down the different platforms. Their natural color
is red.
2. Fighter Flies-Fighter Flies are annoying little creatures that hop
their way down the platforms. You can only stun them when they land. This is
true when using the POW blocks as well. Bump the block when he lands, otherwise
it’s a big waste of a block use. Their natural color is peach and blue.
3. Crabs-Crabs are the toughest guys you’ll encounter. They move quite
quickly, and even worse, they take two hits to stun. Their natural color is
reddish-pink.
4. Freezy-Freezy is not the toughest baddie, but likely is the most
annoying. He can and will freeze all of the platforms (except the two short ones
on each side). Take him out quickly by bumping him from underneath. (Note:
Freezy can be eliminated by just the one bump-you don’t have to kick him off the
screen; he’ll evaporate when you bump him.) Also, you will know when he is about
to freeze the platform, because he will stop in the middle of it. (He will only
stop to freeze a platform.) He will stay still for a few seconds before he
freezes it, so you have time.
5. Fireballs (Red)-The red fireballs glide across the screen in a large,
zigzag motion. They can be eliminated, but you must bump them when they touch
the platform above you. Timing is very essential for ridding of the fireballs.
Generally, the red fireballs stay at the very top, but will occasionally find a
way into the levels below.
6. Fireballs (Green)-The green fireballs wiggle across the screen in a
very small zigzag motion. They too must be eliminated by a good timed bump from
underneath.
(Note: Neither of the fireballs come from the pipes. They form on the
screen. If you look carefully you will be able to see them slowly forming and
getting bigger; then they will take off. Also, they won’t go into the pipes at
the bottom.)
All of the baddies (except fireballs) come from the two pipes on the top
level. Each will move its way down the platforms, until it reaches the bottom
level, and then will go into the pipes on either side. They will then
re-circulate and come back from the top pipes, if you failed to eliminate them.
(They only come from the top level, and only go into the bottom pipes.) Be
careful, because they will often switch the direction they are moving.
If you bump a baddie and then fail to kick it away, it will begin
turning a different color and shaking. Once it begins shaking heavily, don’t try
to kick it unless you’re sure you can, because those signs mean it is ready to
spring back up. Once it does, it will move faster than before, and it will also
stay a different color.
Also, you will know when you have only one baddie left to rid of. Once
you kick away the next to last one, the final one will turn another color and
begin moving faster, like they do when they get back up from being stunned.
Knowing only one is left can be helpful.
Extra Annoyance-The Icicles-Beginning on Phase 17, icicles will form on
the top two platforms. (They can also form on the top two pipes.) They begin
small, and will get bigger, then eventually drop off and fall the depth of the
screen, landing in the water below. Just one can knock out Mario. However, you
can bump these away, too. Just make sure you bump it quickly, because once it is
fully formed and ready to drop, it will kill you if you touch it. But bumping
them away is a little tough because, obviously, you must stay on the middle
platforms to be able to knock them away. And during a tense segment of avoiding
and bumping away baddies, staying on just one platform level and trying to rid
of the icicles is secondary, because getting rid of them doesn’t help you clear
the phase. It’s more important to concentrate on beating the pipe pests and
simply avoiding the falling icicles. It’s generally an easy task, but they often
will snare you as you jump to avoid a baddie or slide on an icy surface. Pay
attention to where they are falling at.
V. The POW Blocks
There are two POW blocks placed in each phase for your convenience. They
are both located in the middle of the screen; one in between the two bottom
platforms and one at the top of the screen above the middle of the two top
platforms. When you bump a POW block, it serves the same as one bump Mario would
give. However, it is a big bonus because it will stun all baddies that are
currently on the screen and touching the floor. This can be a great advantage in
a tight situation, when you are surrounded. Each POW block provides three bumps
before it disappears. I recommend only using the POW blocks when it is really
necessary. Otherwise it is a big waste because they can really come in handy in
tight situations, or when you are desperate to stun that one last, quick moving
baddie so you can move on.
In addition to bumping the blocks, you can also pick them up. However, I
don’t recommend this for several reasons. First, they only will serve one bump
when thrown, unlike when jumped into, where they will serve three. So basically
it is a waste of two more bumps. Second, you can’t bump the platforms while
holding the POW block, which makes it impossible to bump a few baddies yourself
(while holding the block) and then throw it for the final hit. So stay away from
this unless you just have a few baddies left and are near a bonus phase.
Also, in addition to using the POW blocks for offensive purposes, they
can also be used for defense. You can stand on them, making a great place for
Mario to relax for a moment. While on the block, the only thing that can hurt
you is the fireballs, because they can float over the gaps. And this is pretty
easy to avoid. With the blocks making these nice spots, it is another reason to
save them until it is necessary.
Once you have used the block completely, it will remain gone until a
bonus phase. After coming out of the bonus phase, two new POW blocks will be
available.
VI. Points and Coins
Scoring in MBC is pretty simple. Here is a list showing how many points
you receive for doing each action:
*Stunning a baddie- 10 points
*Eliminating a Green Fireball- 200 points
*Eliminating a Freezy- 500 points
*Eliminating Spinys, Crabs, or Fighter Flies- 800 points
*Getting a coin- 800 points
*Eliminating a Red Fireball- 1000 points
You can get multiple points by hitting and defeating more than one enemy
at a time. For example, if you kick away two stunned Spinys simultaneously,
you’ll get 1600 points. If you kick away three, you’ll get 2400 points. However,
you don’t have to do it exactly simultaneously; if you can get to the second or
third enemy within a second or so it will still double the points.
Coins-Even with all of the bad guys coming from the pipes, so do good
things. I’m talking about the golden coins you can get in the phases. Coins will
come from the top two pipes, just like the enemies. They too will slide along
the different platforms and will eventually go into the pipes at the bottom if
you don’t get them. They can be snatched up either by walking into them, (or
jumping on them, etc.) or bumping them from below. Each one is worth 800 points.
VII. The Bonus Games
Every so often in MBC you will reach a bonus game phase. In these, you
must collect the 10 coins placed on each of the platform levels. There is a time
limit, so you must hurry. (There are no enemies in the bonus games.) If you get
all 10 coins, you will receive a large point bonus and a very important 1up. If
you fail to get just one coin, you will receive no bonus, so be quick. There are
several versions of the bonus games. Here is how they are:
*Phase 4 (first bonus game)- Regular, visible platforms. Time- 20
seconds
*Phase 9 (second)- Frozen, visible platforms. Time- 20 seconds
*Phase 16 (third) and on- Regular, invisible platforms. Time- 15 seconds
Both 4 and 9 are easy; the frozen platforms in 9 are no big deal, and 20
seconds gives you plenty of time to get all ten. With 16, it is a rather drastic
change because both the invisible platforms and the five less seconds make it a
difficult task. In these bonus games, you must hurry and be sure to jump in the
right places to get all 10 coins. The main advice I can give is to completely
familiarize yourself with the layout of the platforms. Once you have, it is no
big deal to clear these bonus games as long as you are quick-at best speed you
should probably wind up with about 3 or 4 seconds remaining when you get the
last coin.
After collecting the 10 coins, you will go to another screen where it
will add up the coins you collected while giving you points for them. If you
have collected all of them, you will receive a 3000 point bonus (Phase 4) and a
1up. From Phase 9 and up, you will receive a 5000 point bonus and the 1up. After
this you will go on to the next phase.
As noted earlier, new POW blocks will appear after each bonus phase to
replace the ones you used. Also after bonus phases are when the “additions” to
the game appear. These additions usually happen only after a bonus phase.
(It should also be noted that if you bump or throw a POW block in the
bonus games, it will affect them permanently until the next bonus game. For
example, if you pick up and throw the top POW block during the bonus game in
Phase 4, that top block won’t reappear for Phase 5, since you already used it.
So never do anything to them in whole or in part during the bonuses.)
VIII. Additions to the Phases
After the bonus games are when you will notice additions to the phases.
These additions usually occur in the phase right after the bonus ones, with the
exception of the introduction to the Fighter Flies. However, after the addition
in Bonus Phase 24, no major additions or changes come about. Here is a list of
the additions or changes that occur after the bonus games:
(Note: The phases listed are the phase number after the bonus game, therefore
the phase number of the actual bonus game is the number right before it.)
*Phase 5- New background, Crabs appear, Fireballs appear
*Phase 7- New background, Fighter Flies appear
*Phase 10- New background, Freezy appears
*Phase 17- Top platforms already frozen, icicles form on them
*Phase 24- Enemies recovery time increases
IX. Gameplay Tips
Here are some tips to follow in MBC:
-Do your best to not lose any lives during the first ten phases or so at least,
because losing lives for dumb things really hurts you later in the difficult
phases.
-Pay close attention to where the fireballs are forming, because often you may
be standing right where they form, and when they are ready to move they will
kill you right away. Also watch out while they’re moving-it’s best to get them
out of the way if you can.
-As mentioned earlier, the icicles are usually the number one killer, because
they can snare you so easily while you are distracted with something else. The
best tip to avoiding them is obvious; just pay close attention to where they are
forming at, because you will then know where they are going to fall and you have
more time then to react. Also, if you’re on the middle platforms, you may want
to bump the icicles away.
-Staying on the main middle platform and quickly eliminating the enemies right
as they come out is good for the very first phases, but as the phases and
difficulty increase, it is harder to be able to do your best at that spot. If
you want to go to an area where you can wait and be able to do the best at
eliminating them, stay on the very bottom on the ground. This is a good spot
because you have access to bump enemies from both of the bottom two platforms,
as well as the POW block to help out. If you should miss a baddie on the
platform, you can use the block and still be able to get them. This is a good
reason to save the POW blocks for emergencies.
-If you bump an enemy, and then are unable to go kick it away, here’s what you
should do. If it begins shaking and turning color, (indicating it will get up in
a second) and you cannot get to it to kick it away, I suggest bumping it again
from underneath. This will revive the enemy, however, they will remain their
original color and speed if you do this before they hop up. This is a good
tactic because it is easier to deal with the slower speed ones than the fast
ones, so use your own power to revive it to its natural form if you are unable
to get to it. Make it easier on yourself.
-After you have been knocked out by an enemy, you will make your reentrance from
the top of the screen. You will be lowered down on a small platform. It will
slowly get smaller, then disappear and you will fall if you have not jumped off
yet. You can jump off at any time, but just make sure you jump in the right spot
and don’t land on an enemy. The particular thing to watch for is the red
fireballs, because they are usually bouncing around up there and can hit you
before you even jump off, really. So be very cautious while making your
reentrance.
-Phase 99 is as high as you can go. It will initially be a bonus game, and then
when you come out of it it will still be at Phase 99. At this point you can’t go
up any higher on the phases, but you can continue to play and rack up your
score.
-If you want to check your stats, pause the game. The screen will then display
what phase you are currently on, as well as the number of lives you have. I
should also mention to be careful that, while the game is paused, you don’t
accidentally move the arrow to “Quit” and then press A thinking you have the
arrow on “Continue.” That could be an awful miscue.
-You can trap enemies (and coins too) in between two other enemies that are
stunned. This usually happens by accident; it is pretty hard to accomplish on
purpose. But if and when it does happen, it can be to your advantage.
-You have the power to control which direction the baddie goes when you bump and
stun it. Bumping just in front of it will send it backward, bumping right into
it will stun it right where it is, and bumping just behind it will make it float
forwards. This option can really help you out, and it is also the key move to
being able to eliminate multiple baddies at once. For example, bump a baddie in
the direction where one or more baddies already lie stunned, then boot them all
away in one big jump or run.
-As noted earlier, the enemies can quickly change the direction they are moving.
Be sure to watch out for this; it can be a killer. One way to know it’s going to
happen is when two run into each other; when this happens, they will change
directions.
-As noted in section VIII, the enemies recovery time from being stunned will
increase starting on Phase 24. This does make a big difference, because it
greatly reduces your ability to have multiple enemies stunned at one time. After
you stun an enemy, almost immediately they begin changing color and preparing to
pop back up. Be aware of the fact that you cannot stun an enemy, then go bump
away an icicle or something, then come back and kick away the stunned enemy like
you could in earlier phases. Be sure that you can rid of the enemy if you stun
it; otherwise, you may want to use the strategy I suggested earlier-revive the
enemy yourself to revert it back to its original form.
-If you are running on a frozen platform, and you are about to run into an
enemy, keep going that direction and jump over it, if possible, rather than
trying to turn around. Because, obviously, if you try to turn around while
running you’ll have an awful skid in the direction that you were running, which
means you’ll run into the baddie. So basically, try to avoid any skids, because
they are so often a cause of death. (The above situation is a good example of a
problem skids create.) Skids can set you up to be hit by baddies walking toward
you, dropping from the platform above you, or they can cause you to slid right
into an icicle or fireball. Avoid them at all costs!
X. Copyright & Credits
This FAQ is for individual use only, via the WWW. Feel free to print
it out for your own use, but it cannot be redistributed, rewritten,
retransmitted or used in any other unlawful way without permission of the
author. Violation of this code is against the law.
You can use parts of this for your own FAQs or webpages as long as you give me
credit.
This FAQ was written entirely by me. If you have any questions or
comments, or feel there is incorrect information given, please email me at the
address listed at the beginning of the FAQ, or at my secondary address,
cybergouki88@hotmail.com. Also, you can reach me via ICQ, number 31455612.
Credits-
• Nintendo; for putting out this great game.
• Thad_theImpaler; for giving me the details about the Game Boy Advance.
• Newduck; simply for being the video game expert!
• Jaybee_721; and then me for putting forth the effort to write this FAQ.
Time of completion: A couple days
By Jaybee_721; © 2001
