--------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | /-- | | |-\ --- |-\ | | /-\ |-\ --- /-\ ----- | | | | \--\ | | |-/ |- |-/ |\/| |-| |-/ | | | / \ | | | | --/ - | --- | \ | | | | | \ --- \-/ \ | | | | / | | | | ---- ---- -- ----- - - ----- ---- --- / | | | | | \ | \ / \ | | | | | \ / ---- | | | | | / | / | | | | | | | / \ \ | | | | |-- |-- | | | |---| |-- |-- --- \ | | | | | \ | \ | | | | | | | \ \ / | | | | | / | \ \ / | | | | | \ / \ / | | | | ---- - - -- - - - ----- - - --- ----- | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- F O R T H E 8 - B I T N I N T E N D O V e r s i o n 1 . 0 M a d e B y S t a r F i g h t e r s 7 6 Welcome all to my walkthroughs on this very popular game called Super Mario Brothers 3. I hope this walkthrough helps out as much as possible. Below is nothing but spoilers on the game, so if you don't want to be spoiled, please take a detour and hit the Back button now. However if you want to be spoiled or need some help, please scroll down as far as you need to. Consider this as your Spoiler Warning! PLAYER'S NOTE: This walkthrough will only cover World 1 (Grass Land) and World 8 (Dark Land), and World 9 (Warp Land) if you wanna count that as a world. ----------------- |TABLE OF CONTENTS| ----------------- SECTION 1: Intro A: Version Guide B: The Story Of Super Mario Brothers 3 C: What Is Super Mario Brothers 3 D: About This Walkthrough E: Control Configuration SECTION 2: Walkthrough A: World 1 - Grass Land (Part 1) (World 1-1 through World 1-4) B: World 1 - Grass Land (Part 2) (World 1 Fortress through World 1 Castle) C: World 9 - Warp Land D: World 8 - Dark Land (Part 1) (Doom Tanks through Fast Moving Air Ships) E: World 8 - Dark Land (Part 2) (World 8-1 through Bowser's Castle) F: The 1 1/2 World Challenge SECTION 3: The Goodies A: Items B: N-Spade Bonus C: Mushroom Houses D: Spade Panel E: White Pirate Ship SECTION 4: The Baddies A: Basic Enemies B: Fortress Enemies C: Military Enemies D: Bosses SECTION 5: In Conclusion A: What's To Come B: Special Thanks C: The Disclaimer ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- SECTION 1: |INTRO| ----- ------------- A: |Version Guide| ------------- Version 1.0: Just finished making the walkthrough for the game, and submitted it to GameFAQS. (11/05/03) Version 2.0: Decided to update this some by adding a new section called "The 1 1/2 World Challenge". It's right below the initial walkthrough. (10/16/04) ----------------------------------- B: |The Story Of Super Mario Brothers 3| ----------------------------------- Taken from the Super Mario All Stars manual: The Mushroom Kingdom has been a peaceful place thanks to the brave deeds of Mario and Luigi. The Mushroom Kingdom forms an entrance to the Mushroom World where all is not well. Bowser has sent his 7 childern to make mischief as they please in the normally peaceful Mushroom World. They stole the royal magic wands from each country in the Mushroom World and used them to turn their kings into animals. Mario and Luigi must recover the royal magic wands from Bowser's 7 kids to return the kings to their true forms. "Good-bye and good luck!" said the Princess and Toad as Mario and Luigi set off on their journey deep into the Mushroom World. ------------------------------ C: |What Is Super Mario Brothers 3| ------------------------------ Super Mario Brothers 3 is the 3rd side scrolling game of the Super Mario series for the Nintendo Entertainment System, not to mention one of the best Super Mario games ever. You play as Mario or Luigi, who must save the Mushroom Kingdom again from Bowser Koopa, but this time you have to fight his 7 kids as well. New surprises wait for you as you get help from brand new power ups, such as the Super Leaf. New things await you in this wild adventure, so get ready for Super Mario Brothers 3. ---------------------- D: |About This Walkthrough| ---------------------- Okay this is important. This is a special walkthrough, which only tells you how to get through World 1 (Grass Land) and World 8 (Dark Land) ONLY. Because of that, this walkthrough is known as "2 World Challenge". What makes this a challenge? Well you will be beating the game with as few lives and items as possible. Most of the stuff you would see in the game (or in other walkthroughs) I will leave out, because I'm mainly focusing on the stuff you will come across in these 2 worlds alone. I hope this helps out as much as possible. --------------------- E: |Control Configuration| --------------------- -------------------------------------- | - | | | | | | - - ------ ----- - - | | |D-PAD| |SELECT| |START| |B| |A| | | - - ------ ----- - - | | | | | | - | -------------------------------------- D-PAD : Moves left, right, up, down SELECT BUTTON : No effect START BUTTON : Pauses games 'B' BUTTON : Throw fireballs (Fire Mario), use tail attack (Raccoon Mario), and allows you to run/Brings up Item Screen on World Map. 'A' BUTTON : Jumps/Uses Items on World Map I assume you have an idea of all the button combination in the games, so I won't explain any of them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- SECTION 2: |WALKTHROUGH| ----------- Before we get started, each level I described (except the first one) will be given the assumption you start the level with Super Mario or higher. ----------------------------- A: |World 1 - Grass Land (Part 1)| ----------------------------- This part will cover information on World 1-1, World 1-2, World 1-3 and World 1-4, as well as the Mushroom House and Spade Panel. --------------------- | W O R L D 1 - 1 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------- Let the adventure begin! Start off by killing the Goomba that comes towards you. You should see 4 different blocks. Hit the very last block on the upper row to reveal a Mushroom. After you get it, to be come Super Mario, make your way past the Pirahna Plant in the tube. You should see a Red Koopa Troopa. Use the Koopa Troopa to kick open the '?' towards the right to reveal a Raccoon Leaf. Get that to become Raccoon Mario. Now on the platform where you got the Raccoon Leaf, you should see 2 Goombas and a Para- Goomba. Kill them, and now you are left with two choices. One you can continue onward through the level, or two you can go find the secret coin room. Let's continue the level first. Jump over the pit, and you will see some Para-Troopas coming down off the different color platforms. Ignore them, and stay underneath the platforms and continue onward. Watch out for the Koopa Troopa that's walking around. You will see another '?' Block. It's just another Raccoon Leaf. Get that if you want, then jump over the next couple of pits, and you will come across a couple Pirahna Plants. Avoid those then jump over them and you will see a bunch of blocks. Hit the upper right block of the first set to reveal a P-Block. Hit that, and get the coins and continue the level (watch out for the Koopa Troopa). You will then see some pipes. Get past them, and the goal will be in sight. Hit it and it'll be off to World 1-2. Now if you're going after the secret coin room, this is what you do. On the platform where you killed the Goombas, turn around and head back to the block where you got the Raccoon Leaf. Now with the path clear. Run as fast as you can to get your P Meter lit up. Once that happens, start flying towards the upper right. You should see a block, some clouds (as a platform) and some coins. Hit the block to reveal a 1-UP Mushroom. After that, you can get the coins if you like. But if not, build up some speed and then start flying towards the right. You should see a pipe sticking straight up. Go in it, for a bonus room with 12 coins in it. Get to the other side and go back up the other pipe. Once you are back in the overworld, head right and you will see the goal. Hit the goal, which completes World 1-1. Now onto World 1-2. --------------------- | W O R L D 1 - 2 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------- This is a simple stright-forward type level. If you are still Raccoon Mario, then this should be really esay. Start off by running up the hill, then jumping on to the pipes. After which, jump up and float over to the next pipe. Don't worry about the '?' Block, it just has a Raccoon Leaf in it. Once on the next pipe, float over the Para-Goomba and jump over the next pipe. Go down this hill and you will see 2 blocks (as well as coins) and a pipe hovering over it. Hit the left block to reveal a P Switch. Jump on it and the coins will turn into blocks and vice versa. While this is going on, jump on the blocks and make your way onto the pipe. While standing on it, stand on the right part of it and jump up, to reveal a 1-UP. If you don't want it, then go down the pipe and you will be in a bonus room of 20 coins. Get them and head out the sideway pipe. This will take you to the pipe before the P Block. Once back on the overworld, continue your journey. Once on the other side of those 2 blocks, climb up and then jump over the two Note Blocks (one of which has a Raccoon Leaf in it), then slide down the hill killing the Goombas. Watch out for the Pirahna Plant that spits fire. Once it's gone, jump on the pipe then on the three note blocks. The last one has a Starman in it. Get that and you will be able to get through the remaining of the level easily. Hit the goal, which completes World 1-2. Now onto World 1-3. --------------------- | W O R L D 1 - 3 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------- Ok the beginning of this level could be a bit of a pain, since you have a Boomerang Brother to deal with. But no worries, just stomp, then kick the Green Koopa Troopa towards him and he will be easily defeated. Just watch out for the shell when it comes flying back at you. After that, you should see severeal blocks. Jump on top of them and kick a Red Koopa Troopa towards the left to clear most of them out. With whatever was left behind, stand next to the left set of blocks, jump up and a pink Note Block will appear. Now you have a choice to make, jump on the block or continue with the level. Well if you jump on the block, it will take you to a coin heaven bonus area, where you can get lots of coins and a 1-Up (Raccoon Mario needed for that). Or you can choose to continue the level. Let's choose the latter. Continue your way through the level normally. You will first see a Goomba, and some Para-Goombas. Kill them if you wish, but be careful because there is another Boomerang Brother just past that, and this time there isn't a Koopa Troopa to help. Kill the Boomerang Brother and continue onward. Now you will see different color platforms. If you continue past that you will find the goal, but for this particular way to play the game, you don't need the goal. Instead stay at the platforms. Kill off any enemy in the way and get the coins if you want. Notice the white platform? Well get on it, and press down for 5 seconds, and you will drop through, causing you to be BEHIND everything. Now this lasts only for a short bit, so you gotta be quick. Make your way through the rest of the level, avoiding what enemies there are (you can still take damage while behind the scenory). You will see the goal, but what you're going to do is go BEHIND the goal. Do that and after wiggling around back there, you will go through a door that will take you to a Mushroom House, with a lone chest. Go up to the chest and low and behold, it's a Warp Whistle! Don't worry after getting the Warp Whistle you will be taken back to the World Map. Now if you went to the bonus area, get as many coins as you can. At the end, will be a pipe. Take it and you will land somewheres close to the goal. Now onto World 1-4. --------------------------- | W O R L D 1 - 4 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Raccoon Mario | --------------------------- Before we get to World 1-4, let's go to the Mushroom House first and get an item. Either a Mushroom, Fire Flower or Super Leaf can be received in here. After getting whatever item you got, head to World 1-4. Now for World 1-4. This is what I call a "push-over" level, because you can only go in the direction the level pushes you in, which is right. Now for most beginners this level is a pain in the butt, but after playing it for a while, you'll get use to it. Being Raccoon Mario would be very helpful in this case. Also, it's important to get ALL the coins in this level, because of something special. Actually you need to get only 44 coins, but to be safe, get them all. A way to know, keep track of how many coins you started the level in, and subtract the number you end up with. If it's 44 or higher, you did it! So with that, from the starting point, make your way through the level carefully. The first thing you should notice is two rows (one above the other). Get on the lower row and hit the second block from the right to reveal a 1- Up. Chances are you may not get this, if not, don't worry. Now continue onward until you see a tiny 'L' Shape set of blocks, and a couple of rows of blocks right with it. The lower part of the 'L' contains a Super Leaf, but don't worry about that. Instead the row of blocks next to it, hit the very first one for as many coins as you can get, then jump above it and continue on. Make sure you tread carefully because there are some Koopa Troopas that will sneak out on you and get you. Notice the backward 'L' set of blocks? Get up to that, and break open the top block to reveal another 1-Up. Get this and continue onward. You will see several coins in a row vertically. Get on the drop platform, and get those coins, then jump on the lower block next to it. Jump up, break that brick, then jump up again and get as many coins as possible out of that. Continue on, getting the remaining coins, then enter through the pipe. On this new screen, to the right is the goal and to the left is a Boomerang Brother. Ignore him, and go to the goal. Hit the goal, which completes World 1-4. Now on the World Map if you got all the coins like I said, a White Mushroom House will appear. This is simply called, the White Mushroom House. Go up to it, and you will be taken into a Mushroom House with a lone chest. Go to the chest and receive a P-Wing! Now with that, you will be on the World Map once again. Now go down to the Spade Panel, and chance your luck on getting some extra lives. After doing that, head over to the World 1 Fortress. ----------------------------- B: |World 1 - Grass Land (Part 2)| ----------------------------- This part will cover information on World 1 Fortress, World 1-5, World 1-6 and World 1 Castle, as well the Mushroom House and Hammer Brother. ------------------------------- | W O R L D 1 F O R T R E S S | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Raccoon Mario | ------------------------------- Welcome to the World 1 Fortress. This is a fairly simple one to get through. Here's what you need to do. From the start, keep going until you come across a '?' Block, which contains a Fire Flower. Get it to become Fire Mario then keep going. Watch out for the Roto-Discs that are in the way because they will be troublesome. Keep going, jumping over the lava pits, making sure you don't get hit by the Podoboos. Now soon as you get on this next stretch of land, stay on it. You will see a lone block. Jump up and hit it and a Super Leaf will appear. Get it to become Raccoon Mario. Now here's the tricky part. Stomp on the Dry Bones, but do not go in the door at the end. Instead, turn around, build up speed and fly upwards alongside the wall. Continue flying up and towards the right until you are on a secret platform. The screen won't show you where you are (I wish it did), but you'll know you're up there because the screen will move. Now, continue all the way right until you can't go anymore. Once there, press UP and you will enter a door which will take you to a secret room. Inside here a small chest will appear. Get it and a Warp Whistle will be inside. This will complete World 1 Fortress, now onto World 1-5. Now you will be taken back to the World Map. On the World Map, you will notice that the Fortress will crumble, but the locked door will remain locked, that's because you did not beat Boom Boom at the end of the Fortress. Don't worry though, you don't need to defeat him to complete this game (in the sense of following my FAQ). --------------------- | W O R L D 1 - 5 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------- You start off in this level on a slope. My advice is to hit the Down Button so you can slide down it, that way you can take out the 4 Buzzy Beetles in the way. Once at the bottom of the slope, go through the water and get the coins then up the next slope. As you go up the the slope, you will see a Pirahna Plant and another Buzzy Beetle. Take these out as they will be in your way, and get to a 3-way type intersection. Now you are left with a few choices. You can either take the upper path, or the lower path. Take the upper path and there will be choices you can take that way. The lower path is filled with coins, water and a '?' Block which has a Fire Flower in it (don't worry about it though), and a slope leading upwards. The upper path has some more slopes and a few Koopa Troopas. Also if you take the upper path, halfway up the first slope you come across, jump up and a pink Note Block will appear. By jumping on it will take you to the same coin heaven bonus area as you seen in World 1-3. Take any path, and you will end up in the same place. Once there, continue onwards down the next slope and down another slope. Watch out for the two Pirahna Plants along way though. Make your way to the end, and go up the pipe, and you will be in the overworld. Hit the goal, which completes World 1-5. Back on the World Map, you should have racked up somewheres between 75,000 to 80,000 points. If so an N-Spade will appear (See 'N-Spade Bonus' below). Go up to it to play the memory game, but be careful because this is the only time you will be able to do this (unless you can rack up another 75 to 80 thousand points in one level). Given this, I can't really say what board you'll be uncovering, since it's random, so I really can't help you there. After successfully beating it though, head onto World 1-6. ---------------------------- | W O R L D 1 - 6 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Raccoon Mario | ---------------------------- Get ready to do some major jumping, because that's pretty much the highlight of this level. If you're Raccoon Mario great, if not, don't worry you will be. From the start, jump from platform to platform carefully. You will instantly come across a '?' Block with a Koopa Troopa below it. Take care of the Troopa and get the block, which has a Super Leaf in it. Get the leaf to become Raccoon Mario, then continue onwards with the level. You will soon see some blocks on a platform and another Koopa Troopa. Get down there, take care of the Troopa. Now with the row of blocks above you, there is a 1-Up in the 2nd block from the right. With the blocks on either side of you, they contain some coins. After getting those, proceed with the level. You should see some good size platforms up ahead. Now if you're still Raccoon Mario, try to build up some speed and fly up and towards the right because there are about 21 coins up in the sky. This will actually be easier. However if not, drop down below on the lower platform and it will take you near another platform. Don't worry about the Para-Troopa in the way. Jump off to the next platform and wait for another one to appear. Then basically leapfrog from one to another until you see a long platform on the ground. When seeing this, time it right and run/jump to the platform. Keep going, and you will see the goal as well as a Koopa Troopa. Don't worry about it, and hit through the goal, which completes World 1-6. Now onto World 1 Castle. ---------------------------- | H A M M E R B R O T H E R | | TIME LIMIT: 200 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | ---------------------------- Now I'm not exactly sure where to put this part, because the Hammer Brother does move around the World Map alot, but let's just assume he will be after World 1-6 (though it don't matter where he is, it'll still be played the same way). Anyways here is what you will be doing. Very simple task, you will be face to face with a Hammer Brother, and about 7 blocks. Surprisingly if you're Small Mario, you have a better chance of winning, but if you're something else, it's cool. Make sure the Hammer Brother is ON TOP of the blocks before making your move. Get underneath the blocks, and hit the one it may be standing on. Careful, it will move about between 2 to 3 blocks and jump, so it can make this a bit difficult. Defeat the Hammer Brother and a small chest will appear, which will contain a Starman. Now, also once in a while if you're lucky, and you hit the last block, a Fire Flower will emerge, but this DOESN'T happen all the time, so keep that in mind. Now back to the World Map. Before we get to World 1 Castle, let's go to another Mushroom House first and get an item. Either a Mushroom, Fire Flower or Super Leaf can be received in here. After getting whatever item you got, head to World 1 Castle. --------------------------- | W O R L D 1 C A S T L E | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------------- Well it seems there is a bit of a problem now. It seems that the king was transformed into a dog, and it's up to you to change him back. After the cinema takes place, you will be taken onto the Doom Ship. For beginners I would suggest being Super Mario or higher. Once on board of the Doom Ship, it will become a push-over level, so be ready to move. From the start, just make your way through the level, avoiding Cannonballs and Bullet Bills. The ship will also be moving up and down as well, making things a bit more challenging, but not too hard. You will only see one lone '?' Block, which contains a Fire Flower in it. Get it to become Fire Mario if you like. Either way continue onwards. Continue dodging the bullets and cannons launched at you, and at the end you will see a pipe which you will drop into. Once inside you will be faced with a boss, Larry Koopa! Very easy to defeat, either stomp on him 3 times or launch 10 - 15 fireballs at him. Just watch out for the magic he will shoot at you (see 'Bosses' below). After defeating him, grab the wand, and your surrounding will disappear. You will fall down what seems like a bottomless pit, but no fears you will eventually be in the castle. The king will be turned back to his old self, and after thanking you, you will receive a letter from the Princess, who in this letter, gives you another P-Wing! This concludes World 1. ------------------- C: |World 9 - Warp Land| ------------------- After beating World 1, you will now be in World 2, which is known as Dessert Land. Don't worry, you won't be doing anything in here. Instead, use a Warp Whistle, and it will take you to the infamous World 9, which is known as Warp Land. Many don't consider this a world simply because there is really nothing to it. However I consider it a world because it says "World 9" in the bottom left corner of the screen. Anyways, once landing in World 9, you will be on the middle row facing World 5, 6 and 7. Don't worry about those, instead pull out the second Warp Whistle, and use it, this time you will be taken to World 9 once again, but you will be on the bottom row, facing World 8, which is where you need to be. Enter the World 8 Warp Pipe, and indeed you will be in World 8 which is known as Dark Land. Also note, you are about halfway through the game now. ---------------------------- D: |World 8 - Dark Land (Part 1)| ---------------------------- This part will cover information on the Doom Tank, Doom Boat, Hammer Brother Hand Trap, Podoboo Hand Trap, Cheep Cheep Hand Trap and the Fast Moving Air Ships. --------------------- | D O O M T A N K | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------- Welcome to the first level of Dark World. As you will notice, it is made up of a bunch of tanks. This (like many other levels) is another push-over level, but there's really nothing to it. The only set back would be all you have to face in this level, which are Rocky Wrenches, Cannonballs, Bob-Ombs and Flamethrowers. Take note that once you stomp on a Rocky Wrench, they won't come back. All you need to do is make your way through the level, carefully. You may get hit by an attack if you are not careful, be proceed with caution. I would also not suggest picking up any Bob-Ombs because that would be pretty dangerous. Only one '?' Block in this level, and that has a Super Leaf in it (get it if you like). Also that would be the halfway point roughly, so keep that in mind as well. Continue your way towards the end, but be careful because there will be a Giant Cannonball shooting out at you, so try and get above that thing as much as possible. Once at the end, go down in the pipe and you will be against a Boomerang Brother. Defeat it, and a small chest will appear with a Starman in it. Get that and that will complete the Doom Tank level. Now onto the Doom Boat. --------------------- | D O O M B O A T | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------- The Doom Boat is a bit more tougher than the Doom Tank level. This is another push-over type level, with a twist. You start off like normally, nothing big. Continue your way avoiding/killing the same enemies as before (this time the Rocky Wrenches will regenerate after you kill them). You will also see a '?' Block as well. Ignore it completely, it has a Fire Flower in it, but it won't matter because no matter how fast you go, you won't get it. Now here's the thing, at the end of the first boat, you can continue going through the level by boat, OR you can take a shortcut which is going UNDER the boat. This way is kinda tricky because you have to make your way under the boat without sinking (it can be done, I've done it many times), but you have to repeatedly press A and RIGHT at the same time to stay afloat. The boat will move up and down, but so long as you continue pressing those two buttons, you'll stay alive. Now you have to make your way past the second and third boat, because at the end will be a pipe you can go down. Make your way to the end of the third boat, wait till it sinks down, then jump up on it. Now if you rather take the dry route, that's fine, it'll just be as tricky because of all the enemies in the way. Whichever you do, go down the pipe and you will face against Boom Boom. Defeat him the same way and you will have complete the Doom Boat level. Now onto the Hand Trap levels. Go through the pipe at the end of the 1st World Map, and you will end up on the 2nd World Map. Once on the 2nd World Map, you will see 3 strange looking spots. Those are Hand Traps. Now you can either play them or not. The way to know, is if you pass over them and a hand reaches up to grab you, you have to play it. If it doesn't you can pass by without playing it. However if you want to play it, and the hand doesn't grab you, just enter it like a normal level. These can be optional, unless the hand grabs you, this is why they are called Hand Traps. Each one contains a Super Leaf at the end. ---------------------------------------------- | H A M M E R B R O T H E R H A N D T R A P | | TIME LIMIT: 200 | | REQUIRED : Fire Mario | ---------------------------------------------- Although the 3 Hand Traps are fairly easy to get through, I would say this one is the "hardest" of the 3. It's probably best you go in this level with Fire Mario. You start off this level with a Fire Brother greeting you, already launching fireballs at you. Just throw one back at him to kill him, then continue onward. Next you will come across a classic Super Mario Brothers scene, two Hammer Brothers and 2 rows of blocks. Take these guys out, and on the bottom row, the 3rd block from the right is a Super Leaf, which you need to get. Continue onwards and you will see a Boomerang Brother, which should be easy to take out. After that, there's a Sledge Brother. Be careful when approaching this thing, because you will be paralysed if it jumps. After that, go up the pipe and you see a small chest appear. Go to it and it will be a Super Leaf. By getting that, ends this level. Now onto the Podoboo Hand Trap. --------------------------------- | P O D O B O O H A N D T R A P | | TIME LIMIT: 200 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | --------------------------------- This is the easiest of the 3 Hand Traps (except for maybe the end). All you have to do is jump from platform to platform, collecting coins and avoiding the Podoboos. time your jumps carefully though. Close to the end however, there is a pretty big gap between two of the platforms, so you will need to do a run/jump combo to get across. Raccoon Mario would be great here, however it is not at all necessary to be that, so might as well just save your Super Leaf for later levels. Once you get to the end, jump up the pipe and you will be in new room, where a small chest will appear. Go to it and it will be a Super Leaf. By getting that, ends this level. Now onto the Cheep Cheep Hand Trap. ---------------------------------------- | C H E E P C H E E P H A N D T R A P | | TIME LIMIT: 200 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | ---------------------------------------- This is the last of the Hand Traps, and it's fair on difficulty, that is if you recall the classic stages of Super Mario Brothers where the Cheep Cheep flew through the sky making things difficult for you. Well, you got that here as well. From the start, quickly and carefully make your way through the level trying to dodge as many Cheep Cheeps as possible. You will come across two '?' Blocks. Ignore those, those are just coins. Keep going and you will come across another '?' Block. Get it if you want, it don't matter, it's just a Fire Flower. Right next to that, do a run/duck combo to get past that small gap under those blocks. Continue onwards dodging and jumping until you reach the end. Once there, go up the pipe and you see a small chest appear. Go to it and it will be a Super Leaf. By getting that, ends this level. Now onto the Fast Moving Air Ships. ---------------------------------------- | F A S T M O V I N G A I R S H I P S | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : P-Wing Mario | ---------------------------------------- Before starting this level, make sure you use a P-Wing, because it is a total must for this level, especially for newbies. Now enter the level and you'll see why. I call this level "Fast Moving Air Ships" because it lives up to the name. The moment the level starts, and you land on the first small air ship, everything will move FAST. It may not seem like it as P-Wing Mario, because you'll be in the air, but if you're using something else, it will appear to be fast. Here's the deal, if you're P-Wing Mario, this level is a breeze, just keep flying until you reach the end, but stay on the left side of the screen (if you happen to fly above the screen, you should be okay). Once at the end, you will be able to drop down on the last air ship with no problem, if you stay on the left side like I said. Now if you're something else, I would suggest you be Raccoon Mario because it will help you get from one air ship to another, and trust me there are some pretty good size gaps. Think it would be that easy, well there are some Rocky Wrenches and Flamethrowers to get in your way, so be very careful. Also something to note, when you make it to an air ship (whether flying or jumping) that is a fairly good size one, with a lone crate on it, you're about halfway through the level. However when you get to the end, go down the pipe and you will be faced with Boom Boom. I'm sure you know how to defeat this character by now. If you're P-Wing Mario, obviously you will have a slight more advantage over him. Defeat Boom Boom and this level will be complete, and the locked door on the World Map will be unlocked. Head through the pipe on the 2nd World Map, where you will be on the 3rd World Map, then head onto World 8-1. ---------------------------- E: |World 8 - Dark Land (Part 2)| ---------------------------- This part will cover information on World 8-1, World 8-2, World 8 Fortress, Super Doom Tank and Bowser's Castle. --------------------------- | W O R L D 8 - 1 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Raccoon Mario | --------------------------- Now this level is pretty hard to get through, but being Raccoon Mario (since P-Wing Mario powers has worn off) makes it slightly easier here. First off, build up some speed on the area you're on alone. Soon as you do that, fly straight up and you will see a P- Switch. Hit it, then drop right below and coins will appear. Grab as many as you want until the P-Switch wears off. Now, on the same area you started on, build up some speed again, and this time fly up and right as far as you can into the sky, and you will come across a pipe. Go into it and you will be in a secret room, where a giant '?' Block sits. Hit it and 3 1-Ups will appear. Get them then follow the path to the end, and go down the tube, and you will be back in the overworld. The way I just described is actually easier than had you went through the level normally, because you would of had to deal with Pirahna Plants and Bullet Bills, and trust me, that's not fun. When back on the overworld however, you still have some more obsticles to go. Carefully make your way right, and there will be more Bullet Bills, with a pit and a Koopa Para-Troopa. Time your move right and jump on the Para-Troopa then jump over on top of the cannon. From there, jump as far as you can over to the next cannon. It gets more tricky after this. Carefully walk over a bit and you will see a Note Block. Use that to jump over to the pipe standing in the pit. Watch out the Bullet Bills will probably launch at you making this VERY difficult. From that pipe, jump over to the next pipe (watch out for the Pirahna Plant), and it should be easy from here on out. Continue the rest of the way and you will see the goal, which you will jump through to finish this level. Now onto World 8-2. On the World Map, if you're not Raccoon Mario after beating World 8-1 (which you probably aren't), go ahead and use one of your Super Leafs you received from beating the Hand Traps, and enter World 8-2. --------------------------- | W O R L D 8 - 2 | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Raccoon Mario | --------------------------- Believe it or not, next to the 3 Hand Traps, this is the easiest level in World 8, and here's why. First off, being Super Mario or Raccoon Mario will be VERY crutial to playing this level. You will notice your surroundings is nothing but a desert. Make your way until you see a yellow pit of sinking sand. Now at this point you have two choices, go in the sand, or continue the level as it is. It's probably alot easier to go in the sinking sand, so do that. Don't worry you won't die, instead you will be taken to a shortcut. When at the bottom of the sinking sand, drop down to the ground below. Notice you can take one of two ways. The left will lead to a room which has a block that has a Super Leaf in it, and the right will take you to a room which has 100 coins in it. Whichever way you choose, complete that room, and you will be back on the overworld. Once on the overworld, you will be on a slope. Be careful though because there are Pirahna Plants on either side of you. Make your way upwards and over the hill. Now as Raccoon Mario, run down the hill as fast as you can, building up enough speed and right when you get close to the edge, fly towards the right (watch out for the Para-Troopa), and keep going until you reach the other side. Do so, and continue onwards through the goal, which completes World 8-2. Now if by some chance you didn't the shortcut, here's what you would be facing. Make your way over the next few small sand traps until you reach the slope (there will be a Para-Goomba and Pirahna Plants along the way). As you go down the slope, you will see a lone block. Hit it and it will be a P-Switch. Hit that, and continue on. You will notice some blocks, that were once coins. Leapfrog from block to block carefully and quickly because the Angry Sun will come out and chase you down. After all that, head up the slope on the other side, and finish the level as is. Either way, you will finish with World 8-2, and now onto World 8 Fortress. Now on the 3rd World Map, move over to the 3-way intersection (don't worry about the pipe), then go up one space and enter the level. This is where the fortress is. ------------------------------- | W O R L D 8 F O R T R E S S | | TIME LIMIT: 400 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | ------------------------------- This is World 8 Fortress, and it's not so much tough, but it is a giant maze, in which case you have a time limit of 400 seconds to get through it. I will cover only the solution to this maze (although there are a few 1-Ups lying around here), so here is what you need to do. From the starting point, make your way until you reach a doorway covered by blocks. There are some Roto-Discs that will be in your way. There is also a Fire Flower in the lone block on the way. I should say that every power-up is important to get, because it will keep you alive, so getting them (whether it's a Fire Flower or Super Leaf) is very helpful. Now, break the blocks and get into the doorway and you will be on the second screen (there will be a Dry Bones and Roto-Disc here). On the second screen, be quick, because you'll be on a conveyor belt. Make your way to the next door or the one after that (it doesn't matter), avoiding Podoboos. Then enter and you will be back on the first screen. On the first screen, there will be several Thwomps around here so be careful. Make your way to the very last door of this section and enter through it, and you will be back on the second screen. Now once on the second screen, this will very tricky. You'll be on a conveyor belt which will take you back some, and you will land on another conveyor belt, which will take you forward. On that second conveyor belt, run jump over to the other side where there is a platform in the air. There will be a Podoboo here making this VERY difficult, so be ready. On the platform, there will be a doorway. Enter it and you will be on the first screen. Once on it, go up a ways and you will see a P-Switch. Hit it then run back to the doorway you came through. Back on the second screen, run as far right as possible. Do not go in that gap you will see. Continue and you will see a '?' Block. Hit it and grab the Starman, and continue racing while the P- Switch is active. Go through the coins after that, and just continue onwards while invincible. You will see another '?' Block, which if you're still invincible, it will be another Starman. Get it, then continue onwards until you reach the end of the section. At the end, your invincibility may of worn off. Either way, there is a Thwomp here. Drop down, and avoid the Thwomp. Now while on the lower level, back track some to the 2 blocks besides each other. Hit one of them to reveal a P-Switch, and the other is just a block. Hit the P-Switch, and enter the first door you see appear. In here there is a '?' Block which will have a Fire Flower in it. Use that to power yourself up as Fire Mario. Now go through the door and make your way to the last door and enter it. When in here, you will drop down. The P-Switch is still active I'm sure, so just duck down and STAY DOWN. When it wears off you will be taken under all those spikes. Once at the other side, you will come across Boom Boom. Defeat him and you will have beaten World 8 Fortress. Back on the World Map, move over one, and up one to the 3-way intersection. Now from here head left all the way to the pipe and enter it. Get through to the other side and you will be on the final World Map of World 8 (not to mention of the game). Now head over and begin the Super Doom Tank level. ----------------------------- | S U P E R D O O M T A N K | | TIME LIMIT: 300 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | ----------------------------- We are getting ever so close to the end. This level is just like the Doom Tank level you played earlier in World 8, except the tanks are a bit bigger as well as the level. But everything else is the same pretty much. If you're Raccoon Mario, you can chance flying up and right above the tanks if you want, to avoid any hits. If not however, just keep going through the level as before. Your enemies, Cannonballs, Rocky Wrenches and Bob-Ombs. Nothing really much to say except be careful. At the end, go through the pipe and you will be faced with Boom Boom again. Defeat him and you will have completed the Super Doom Tank. Now onto the final level, Bowser's Castle. ------------------------------ | B O W S E R ' S C A S T L E | | TIME LIMIT: 400 | | REQUIRED : Nothing | ------------------------------ This is it, the final level, and it's a doozy. Once again you are given 400 seconds to complete it. Also if you wanna use up your second P-Wing here, that would help, but Raccon Mario will do nicely as well. From the start, make your way past 3 statues. Now try to fly above them if at all possible, because these 3 statues will spit out laser attacks at you, which will hurt badly. After that, climb the stairs, and go to where you see a gap going up. Stand there, and an elevator will lift you upwards. Once at the top, get off and continue the path over until you see a Donut Lift, which will cause you to fall. Stay on it until you see a gap towards the right, then jump through to it. Continue this path and you will see a Hot Foot. Avoid that and climb the staircase, avoiding the Roto-Discs. Once at the top, stand against the right wall and jump up for a hidden 1-Up. After getting that, drop down the second set of stairs until you reach the bottom. Once there, continue right until you reach the edge. You will notice everything is all lava and Donut Lifts. At this point, when making it to the other side, there are 4 different paths you can take, an upper path, 2 middle paths and a lower path. Don't take the lower path, because it will take you back to the beginning of the level. So of the three, make your way across the lava pit (watch out for Podoboos) and go whichever way you choose. My advice is to do this. Take the 2nd path from the top first. Make your way to the '?' Block where there is a Super Leaf in it. Get that, and stand on the Donut lift. Once you drop down, go right, and (while avoiding the Thwomp), go down that small gap, but push over to the right. Do so and you will be on another platform. This part is fairly simple, just make your way and leapfrog from platform to platform until you reach a doorway. Enter through it. Now on this screen, make your way through the level carefully. The first statue will spit a laser beam at you. Jump over that and you will see a lone '?' Block. Hit it for another Super Leaf. Now just make your way through the level. If you're Raccoon Mario this next part is slightly easy. Jump from each narrow platform to another. Simple? Well there's some fireballs coming at you which will make this VERY difficult. Once you get past that, enter the doorway at the end, and get ready for the final fight. Now before that, let's say you went through the top path instead. Pretty much the same thing, except no '?' Block, and all the platforms are Donut Lifts, which would make that area more difficult. Anyways, now you are in for the biggest fight of your life, so see below on the "Bosses" section to know how to beat Bowser. Once you do that, enter through the door and there will be the Princess waiting for you! Congradulations, you have just beat Super Mario Brothers 3. Oh and for beating it, you will receive 28 P-Wings when you start over. Once again, congradulations on beating this challegne version of Super Mario Brothers 3! ------------------------- F: |THE 1 1/2 WORLD CHALLENGE| ------------------------- Was that challenge too easy for you? Awww, guess I should try harder then, to make it harder for you. I know, how about a newer challenge that I like to call "The 1 1/2 World Challenge"! So what makes this one any different? Well here's how it works. Beat World 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and World 1 Mini-Fortress, then after getting the 2nd Warp Whistle, warp straight to World 8. Meaning you play half of World 1 and all of World 8. Sure, you're thinking "this will be a breeze, just rack up the points, and get the N-Spade". Nope, don't even think about it. The object of THIS challenge is to go through the game with the following: 1 P-Wing (from World 1-4), whatever item you get from the Mushroom House, 1 Starman (from the first Doom Tank) and 3 Super Leafs (from the Hand Traps). That's right, 6 items and whatever lives you may have. Can you do it? Now because of this, I'll have to revise some of my strategy a little in my FAQ. Whatever I said that is perferred to use when playing a certain level, well, ignore that. I'm gonna leave it up to you on what you do. I figure, there is no point of holding your hand through this challenge, so you make the call. It won't be easy at all, but if you're an experienced player, go for it! Why did I come up with this idea? Well, I'm sure you all know about the 11 minute speed run video (DO NOT EMAIL ME ASKING FOR IT PERIOD!). Sure we all know that that is fake, but I thought, what a great challenge that would make! So I present to you my new challenge. Oh and don't worry, you don't have to beat this in 11 minutes, figure I wouldn't make it THAT hard for you, not yet atleast hehe. Think you be up to it? Go on, if you think you can do it, give it a try, IF YOU DARE! :) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- SECTION 3: |THE GOODIES| ----------- ----- A: |Items| ----- 1. MUSHROOM: Turns Mario into Super Mario. 2. FIRE FLOWER: Turns Mario into Fire Mario. 3. RACCOON LEAF: Turns Mario into Raccoon Mario. 4. P-WING: Turns Mario into P-Wing Raccoon Mario. 5. STARMAN: Turns Mario into Invincible Mario 6. WARP WHISTLE: This is probably the most popular item of the game. This will allow you to warp from your current world, to a different world. Use 2 Warp Whistles to go straight to World 8. 7. 1-UP MUSHROOM: Get this to receieve an extra life. 8. COINS: Collect 100 of these things to receive an extra life. ------------- B: |N-Spade Bonus| ------------- You know those things that pop up periodically throughout the game, that looks like a Spade Panel, but it has an 'N' in it? Well those things are called N-Spades. About every 75,000 to 80,000 points you earn, one of these things pops up. Basically you got to match up two cards exactly alike to win whatever it is. There are 8 boards (they are random), and you have only two chances to win everything. But if you don't, the game you are currently working on, will be carried over to the next time an N-Spade appears. Please refer to other FAQs on the solutions for the different boards. --------------- C: |Mushroom Houses| --------------- These are houses where you can get certain items from. In this case, Super Leafs, Fire Flowers or Mushrooms. If you beat a certain level with so many coins, you will get a White Mushroom House which has a P-Wing in it. ----------- D: |Spade Panel| ----------- Here's a chance to get some extra lives. It's basically like a spinning wheel type game. The object here is to line up the 3 wheels to where it makes a picture of either a Mushroom, Fire Flower or Starman. Do so and you will get extra lives: Mushroom picture will get you 2 extra lives. Fire Flower picture will get you 3 extra lives. Starman picture will get you 5 extra lives. ----------------- E: |White Pirate Ship| ----------------- These are a fun little deal you can play if you pull it off right. Basically you have to have your coins at a point where it's multiple of 11 and the 2nd to last digit of your score has to match it. Do so and the Hammer Brother (on the World Map) will turn into a white boat that looks like a Pirate Ship (which is where I came up with the name). On it, the objective is simple. This is a push-over level. Collect all the coins on the boat (it is very possible to do) and you will get 2 or 3 extra lives. Close to the end of the boat, between two circular windows, jump up an reveal a 1-Up hidden in an invisible block. Get it and go down the pipe and you will be faced with two Boomerang Brothers. Defeat them to get the item. If you get killed because of them, the White Pirate Ship will turn back into a Hammer Brother. Have fun! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- SECTION 4: |THE BADDIES| ----------- ------------- A: |Basic Enemies| ------------- 1. Goomba - Basic evil walking mushrooms. 2. Green Koopa Troopa - Turtles that walk around, and can fall off the into a pit. 3. Red Koopa Troopa - Just like the green ones, except they don't fall off into the pits. 4. Buzzy Beetle - Armored shell beetles that are tough to defeat. Fire Mario can't even phase them. 5. Pirahna Plant - Plants that pop in and out of pipes. Some spit fireballs. 6. Green Koopa Paratroopa - A turtle with wings that tries to fly, instead it jumps up and down and in one direction. 7. Red Koopa Paratroopa - Just like the green ones, except this stays in one place and makes a better effort of flying. 8. Para-Goomba - A Goomba with wings, which flies better than the Para-Troopas. 9. Para-Goomba With Kids - Just like the Para-Goombas, except this will launch small mushrooms which will trap you if they hit you, causing you not to jump so high. 10. Cheep Cheep - Fishes that can be seen in the water, or jumping out of the water flying straight at you. 11. Hammer Brothers - A hammer throwing turtle. 12. Boomerang Brothers - A boomerang throwing turtle. 13. Sledge Brothers - A hammer throwing turtle than when it jumps and hits the ground, it'll cause the ground to shake and you not to move. 14. Fire Brothers - Turtles that spit out fireballs. 15. Angry Sun - This evil sun will chase you around, so be careful. ---------------- B: |Fortress Enemies| ---------------- 1. Thwomp - A living stone rock that will try to crush you if you get too close to it. 2. Podoboo - A fireball that will pop up and down out of the lava, but it can't be killed by hardly anything. 3. Boo Diddly - A very popular ghost, that if you look at it, it won't come at you. Turn away however and it will follow you. 4. Hot Foot - Just like Boo Diddly, except this is a small flame that resides in candles. 5. Rotodisc - Discs that will encircle a brown box. Try to avoid these at all times. 6. Dry Bones - A skeleton turtle. You can stomp on it yes, but after a few seconds it will come back to life. ---------------- C: |Military Enemies| ---------------- 1. Rocky Wrench - These pop in and out of the tanks and airships throwing wrenches at you. 2. Bob-Omb - These will walk around and after a few seconds will explode. Stay as far as way as possible. 3. Bullet Bill - Bullets that shoot out from cannons. 4. Cannonballs - Small cannon balls that shoot out from cannons. 5. Giant Cannonballs - Bigger version of the Cannonballs, and when they shoot out, they shoot out fast, so be careful. 6. Flamethrowers - Flames that simply comes out of cannons and goes back in. Time yourself to get around these things. ------ D: |Bosses| ------ 1. Larry Koopa - This is the one controlling the Doom Ship in World 1. To defeat him you can either stomp on him 3 times, or if you're Fire Mario, launch 15 fireballs at him, or you can do a combination of both jumping on him and throwing fireballs. It'll take less from each if you go that route. Be careful, he's pretty slow, but he will shoot out magic from his wand, so try to avoid that if you can. 2. Boom Boom - The easiest of the 3 bosses. This one is the boss of the fortresses and some Doom Tanks. It can be a pain depending on what style he uses to fight with. You can take him out by either stomping on him 3 times, or if you're Fire Mario, throw out 5 fireballs at him, or a combo of both. Now he becomes quite tougher and quicker each time you stomp on him, so proceed with caution. 3. Bowser Koopa - The final boss of the game, and he can be a pain if you're not careful. You will see a whole floor of bricks, and a giant Bowser Koopa. This time you can't jump on him like other bosses, well you can, but it won't do any good. Bowser will shoot 2 or 3 fireballs at you, then jump. He will land depending on where you stand. You have two choices, move out of the way before he lands, or duck down and he won't harm you (it's been rumored that he can't see you when you duck). When he lands, he will destroy some bricks. He needs to destroy 3 groups of bricks in the same row vertically. Soon as the third set is destroy, he will fall into the "basement" (another rumored detail), and with that he will be destroyed. Now if you can get to him as Fire Mario, you can throw fireballs at him, but you have to throw 30 - 35 fireballs before he's defeated (all you'll get is a lousy 100 points for doing this). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- SECTION 5: |IN CONCLUSION| ------------- -------------- A: |What's To Come| -------------- With a game as big as this, who knows what else is to come. But I will keep this open if anything new develops. -------------- B: |Special Thanks| -------------- First off, I wanna dedicate this to my grandma and (late) grandpa, whom back in 1990 bought me this game for Christmas. Since then, I cherish this game, more than any I have because of this. It makes me feel very good knowing I'm making an FAQ for the very game they bought me, so this FAQ has some personal meaning behind it as well. So it gives me great pleasure to dedicate this FAQ to them (This FAQ is for you guys!! ^_^). Personal Thanks To: ExoSquad18: Simply because of his confidence and belief that I will be very successful at this stuff ^_^. On-line Thanks To: To GameFAQS for hosting my walkthroughs, as well as many more. To all my friends I've made on GameFAQs. Hey look, I made something that isn't a mapthrough for once ^_^ To anyone who help made this game possible. Thanks! ^_^ -------------- C: |The Disclaimer| -------------- What can one say about Super Mario Brothers 3, besides that it is the best Super Mario game for the NES, and one of the best Super Mario games of all time. So it goes without saying that this game is one of my personal favorites as well. I mean, come on, it's Mario at his finest, what can you not like about that ^_^. Anyways I made this walkthrough the best way I can and I hope it helps out in every way possible. Now here comes the important stuff you need to read. Ok, I'll make this quick and simple. This walkthrough is my work. I've made this walkthrough, describing the game the best possible way I can. You can use whatever info you want, so long as you give me credit and don't alter anything. All you have to do is email me at StarFighters76@hotmail.com if you're gonna do anything with this walkthrough. And to show that I'm not a complete selfish bastard, if you have something you wanna add, email me and I will give you full credit ^_^. This walkthrough, like many others are intended for GameFAQs ONLY. You want it on your site, well you better start emailing me. Failure to comply with this, and I will be mad, among other things. Email me at StarFighters76@hotmail.com Copyright (C) October 16th, 2004 Mike Leatherwood AKA StarFighters76 Super Mario Brothers 3 (C) Nintendo 1990