The Sunbeam Plains
After Mario and Luigi leave Peach’s Castle, the search for the remaining paper toads begins on the Sunbeam Plains. Follow the way east from the castle courtyard and finish the first paper goombas that meet you. The two brothers have to assert themselves without Paper Mario, so you should take the opportunity to practice your jump and hammer attacks. Pay attention to the right timing: If you press the action button immediately before a hit, the damage caused increases. Even with enemy attacks, the right moment decides whether you need to avoid unscathed or take a hit. After the fight, you can continue the way north. Open all accessible? blocks along the way, including the multi-colored Bros. blocks, which you have to meet with Mario and Luigi in turn. Some contain coins, others already contain useful healing objects. On an elevated platform in the northwest, for example, you will find two mushrooms and five coins. The two Bros. blocks in the northeastern area also open the gate to the next section.
In the following area you will encounter a frightened paper toad. As soon as you approach him, he runs away and finally disappears towards the east. Follow him first over the small projections and collect the reachable coins on the way. To the north of the trail stand two? blocks with ten and five coins respectively, while another Crystal block to the west contains an additional five coins. In the eastern area you will also find two syrup glasses and other coins. Defeat the Goombas on your way so that Mario and Luigi gain early experience. For the colored blocks on the upper platform, more objects are waiting. A Heart-Crystal block near the eastern exit then completely replenishes the HP and BP of both brothers. Use it before you go on, because a somewhat unusual fight awaits.
Paper Mario joins
East of the big rocks you will be surprised by a group of paper Goombas. Among them is the Goomba, which Mario and Luigi have already met before. The Enemies team up to form a huge rolling Goomba wheel and pursue the two brothers. During the flee, repeat A and B to run away as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the Goombas manage to overwhelm Mario and Luigi. At the last moment, however, Paper Mario appears, who lets himself slip down from heaven and comes to the aid of the two.
This will give you your third playable character. Mario continues to control with A, Luigi with B and Paper Mario with Y. In combat, Paper Mario has some special abilities. If you hold Y during a jump, it slowly floats back to the ground and can dodge enemy attacks longer. His biggest advantage, however, is the copies he can create using the copy block already preserved in the palace. Use the Block to fight the Goomba wheel and duplicate Paper Mario until a total of six copies stand on top of each other. Then all copies attack together. Paper Mario’s jump attack hits the Enemies several times, while additional copies can also intercept hits. If you lose some of them in battle, you can restore them at any time with the copy crystal block.
After the Goombas are defeated, Paper Mario joins the two brothers permanently. First practice joint control and jump with all three figures on the nearby projections. With the X button you can perform the team jump, where the entire group jumps together. This makes the upcoming platform passages easier, because you no longer have to move each character individually over an abyss. Then open it? Block on the northern hill and take the super mushroom with you. West of it stands a Bros.-Crystal block with other coins. Directly behind these blocks you can also see a narrow gap in the rock face, through which Mario and Luigi do not fit. Press Y to send Paper Mario through alone. On the other hand, there are two? blocks waiting with a candy and a pair of boots. Take both items with you before you let Paper Mario return to his companions.
Save all eight paper toads
Now go back west to the rocks through which the frightened Paper Toad has previously disappeared. In this area, the game’s first proper paper toad rescue mission starts. In total, you need to find eight paper toads spread over two neighboring areas. Two are located immediately near the large rocks, the remaining six further west. Right at the beginning of the mission, you will discover a Goomba who has captured a paper toad and carries it away on his head. Pursue the Enemies and defeat him in battle to free the first Toad. Then you go to the large rock formation in the northwest. Between the stones there is a narrow opening through which only Paper Mario fits. Send it through with Y and talk to the hidden paper toad on the other side. This has already saved two of the eight residents.
Leave the rock area and head west to the previous area. In the meantime, other Enemies have spread there, including Goombas and flying Koopas. On an elevated platform, a Goomba walks around, who also holds a paper toad. Defeat him and you get the third paper toad. Then you will move to the northeast part of the area. There, a paper toad hops over several colorful note blocks. Don’t try to catch him by running behind. Instead, stand directly under the note blocks and jump against them from below. Once you hit the right Crystal block, the Toad falls down and can be collected. You have already found four of the eight paper toads.
The remaining four are located in the southwestern part of the plain. One of them runs conspicuously fast between the flowers. With your previous running speed you will not reach it, so we will take care of the three others first. Continue south to the red and white sign on the water. Right next to it, three paper toads have set up so that they look like part of the fence. Talk to them. The three give you the sprint socks and explain how you can run much faster with them. During movement, press the appropriate sprint button and hold the direction until the group reaches its top speed. With a final jump or a pike movement, escaping paper toads can be captured particularly easily. Then run towards the three toads on the chain link and collect them one after the other. This increases your progress to seven rescued paper toads.
Now only the fast paper toad between the flowers is missing. Run back to the western area and approach it carefully at first. As soon as he runs away, you activate the sprint and pursue it. Try not to run immediately after him if he constantly changes direction, but cut off his walk. As soon as you get close enough to him, you make a sprint jump and catch him. This concludes the first rescue mission and all eight paper toads are safe. The Lakitus automatically bring the rescued residents back to Peach’s Castle.
With the sprint socks you can also activate the small rotating flowers on the Sunbeam Plains. Run against them in the sprint so that they open up and release additional coins. Just on the paths between the two rescue areas are several such flowers, so you should take them directly on the way back.
Hidden equipment before onwards
Before we leave the rescue areas, it is worth a small way back to the very first section of the Sunbeam Plains. There is a large oblique cardboard flap, with which Mario and Luigi could not do anything at the beginning. Thanks to the sprint socks, you can now use them as a catapult. Stand in front of the shutter, take enough start and run against it at full speed. The entire group is hurled over the water to a small island. It says a? Block with a piece of clothing that you can equip for one of the two brothers. This object is already accessible and should therefore not be collected only on a significantly later visit.
Then return to the area with the rock gap where you started the first rescue mission. After the eight paper toads have been brought to safety, two additional? blocks can be reached here. Send Paper Mario through the narrow gap again and open both. They contain three mushrooms and ten coins. After that, go east with the entire trio to the place where Paper Mario joined the brothers.
The First Trio Attack
In the eastern area, Mario is stopped by a Toad who delivers a message from Peach’s Castle. The rescued paper toads have already started work and would like to thank you for your help. You will receive the first Trio Attack. Unlike the previous Bros. Attacks attack all three figures together. The new technique works like a small ball game: Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario alternately hit a ball against the Enemies, which are fastened on the opposite side of the pitch. Press A, B or Y each time the ball reaches the appropriate character. With each successful hit, the ball gets faster, so you have to pay attention to the right rhythm especially towards the end.
The new attack requires six BP and, if carried out cleanly, causes significant damage. Just a few steps later you can try them, because a larger group of Goombas stands in your way. Use the Trio Attack to hit as many Enemies as possible during a single attack. If Paper Mario has lost his copies before, you should also restore them with the copy crystal block. Then you can use the other Goombas with normal jumps or the Bros. Attacks by Mario and Luigi.
After the fight, follow the path south first. There you reach a small side area, in which three? blocks stand. Open them and take the Refreshing Herb, ten coins and the 1-UP mushroom with you. Since we want to play the full run without any detours later, you should not just leave this area out. Then return to the large oblique cardboard flap. A sign near them explains again how you use them. Run against it with the sprint socks and let yourself be thrown over the abyss to the east. On the other hand, there is a heart crystal block where you can fill up all HP and BP. Use it and follow the path.
Through the paper world
In the next section, the environment changes significantly. Large parts of the landscape now consist of cardboard and paper, which makes the effects of the opened book particularly clear. Right at the beginning is a? Block that you can open with Paper Mario and that contains ten coins. Then climb to the higher platform and follow the path to the right. There, a huge cardboard wall with Bowser’s face blocks your way. Next door is another oblique flap that you can use as a catapult. Stand a little distance in front, activate the sprint and run at full speed against the shutter. Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario are thrown forward and break through the big Bowser picture. The wall tips over and the way to the east is free.
In the following area you will meet a Toad who is completely out of breath. He reports an attack on Peach’s Castle. Shortly afterwards you will find out what happened: Bowser and Papier-Bowser have teamed up and kidnapped both Princess Peach and Papier-Princess Peach. The two kidnappers fly away with their prisoners and make their way to Bowser’s Castle. When Mario and Luigi want to follow them, however, a particularly large Enemies stands in their way. Petey Piranha was left behind to stop the brothers.
Boss Fight: Petey Piranha
Petey Piranha has significantly more life energy than the previous Enemies and is the first real final opponent of the game. Before attacking, make sure that all three characters have enough CP and paper Mario’s copies are fully built. The boss can temporarily remove individual characters from combat and also has multiple attacks that threaten all three characters simultaneously. Particularly effective are the recently received Trio Attack as well as Marios and Luigis Bros. Attacks. In between, use Syrup Jar if you run out of BP instead of relying solely on ordinary jumps.
Mutant-tyranha’s most common attacks include a vigorous jump in the air. As soon as he lands on the ground again, a shock wave spreads across the battlefield. Jump in time with Mario and Luigi and let Paper Mario evade with Y. Due to his ability to float in the air, he has a slightly more generous window of time than his two companions. In another attack, Petey Piranha runs towards a single character. Wait until he is close to the target and jump over him. If you succeed in countering his head, the boss is thrown back and remains dazed on the floor for a short time. Use this moment for the strongest possible attack.
It is especially unpleasant when Petey Piranha grabs one of the brothers with his leaves and swallows them. Therefore, observe which character he is currently moving towards and keep the appropriate jump button ready. If Mario or Luigi is eaten anyway, the affected brother is no longer available for his own attacks. Continue attacking Petey Piranha with the remaining characters until he spits out the swallowed brother. Paper Mario is especially helpful in such situations because his copies can catch several hits and he alone still causes decent damage. If he loses his copies, rebuild them as soon as possible.
The Flee with the Paper Flyer
After some successful attacks, the fight changes to a special action sequence. Petey Piranha chases Mario and Luigi across the plain and throws large brown slime balls at them. Meanwhile, Paper Mario turns into a paper plane and hovers over the two brothers. Your task is to get Mario and Luigi out of the danger zone in time. Pay attention to the faded icons on the top screen. As soon as Petey Piranha attacks a particular brother, you control the paper plane to him and hold the appropriate button so that he can hold on to the plane. Then move Paper Mario in the right direction and avoid the bullets. The order and timing become more difficult with the duration, which is why you should orient yourself especially to the A and B symbols displayed.
Then the fight returns to its normal form. As soon as Petey Piranha has little life energy, his body starts to glow conspicuously. This means that his attacks become more dangerous and often consist of several successive hits. Therefore, do not jump back to the starting position immediately after the first avoided attack, but expect a second movement. Heal your characters in time, use strong trio and bros. Attacks and use every opportunity for a successful counterattack. After enough hits, Petey Piranha is finally defeated.
As a reward, you will also receive a? card in addition to experience and coins. These cards can later be used for the combat card system or converted into character cards using compatible amiibo. Therefore, also collect them if you want to unlock all functions and rewards of the game.
The Road to Toad Village
After Mutant-Petey Piranha’s defeat, you can continue the way north. First, however, go a bit east to open the? blocks there. Next to an exchange crystal block are three normal blocks, which together contain 25 coins. Then return to the northern path. In the next area you will encounter several points and parakoopas, which you can defeat for additional experience. Shortly afterwards you come across a group of scared paper toads. Before you can help them, Kamek appears and has a huge Papercraft Megacrinkle Goomba set up. The formidable cardboard opponent completely blocks the way to the Doop Doop Dunes. With the usual attacks of Mario and Luigi, you can do nothing against this construction.
Fortunately, Toadette appears, who has already worked on a large cardboard figure in Peach’s Castle. She explains that the rescued Paper Toads can help her build her own colossus. For this, however, significantly more paper toads are needed. The frightened inhabitants therefore run north towards the nearby Toad village. Before you follow them, you should still search the area completely. South of the great Goomba Colossus is a? Block with a 1-UP mushroom. On an elevated platform in the northwest there are three more blocks with five coins, two syrup glasses and ten coins. Take everything with you and then enter the Toad village in the north.
Bringing 20 paper toads to the village
As soon as you have reached the Toad village, the next rescue task begins. A total of 20 paper toads run excitedly through the southern part of the village. In the west there is a fenced area with a narrow gap. There you have to drive all the paper toads so that they can be collected safely. The small residents always move away from your group. Take advantage of this and first walk along the right side of the herd until all the toads are in front of you. Then move slowly from east to west and change regularly between the upper and lower edges of the path. This keeps the group together and prevents individual toads from breaking out laterally.
When the herd reaches the western fence gap, the paper toads crowd in front of it. Stand right behind them and press the faded button repeatedly to push the entire group through the opening. Make sure that no Toad is left behind or escapes towards the southern exit. If one of them leaves, you have to drive him back to the group. Once all 20 paper toads have been pushed through the gap, the task is complete. The Lakitus take the rescued inhabitants to Peach’s Castle, where Toadette and the remaining paper toads are already busy building the carton colossus.
Toadette then explains to you that the number of helpers is still not enough. We therefore have to look for more paper toads in the village. For this, the Lakitu Info Center opens, which is located in the large cloud-shaped building on the right. Before you start the next missions, however, we first explore the houses and collect the accessible items.
Explore the Toad Village
First, go to the western side of the village and examine the fence gap through which you previously pushed the 20 paper toads. Paper Mario can get through the narrow opening into the fenced area. Behind it stand two? blocks with ten coins and a groove. Return to the brothers with Paper Mario. In the village itself you will also find several? blocks with coins. Open them directly before visiting each house.
The Quiz of the Wise Toad
In the western mushroom house lives a particularly clever Toad, who challenges Mario and Luigi to a small knowledge quiz. He asks you five randomly selected questions about the previous adventure, well-known items and various Enemies. To successfully complete the task, you only have to answer three out of five questions correctly. There is no time limit. The questions relate, among other things, to the first Enemies of the game, the mysterious book in Peach’s Castle, the kinship of Mario and Luigi, and Papier-Mario’s first appearance. The correct answers are paper goomba, storage room or attic of Peach’s Castle, brothers and that Paper Mario came floating down from the sky. For three correct answers, you get three heart beans. They are among the permanently effective status improvements of the game and should definitely be collected for our full run.
Leave the house and then visit the item and equipment shop on the right side of the village. The dealers now offer additional healing objects as well as stronger boots, hammers and clothes. Just before the upcoming fight with the Papercraft, it is worth checking the equipment of your characters. However, you do not have to spend all coins, because part of the range remains permanently available and can be bought later. Take mushrooms and syrup glasses with you as needed so you have enough supplies for the next fights.
The Lakitu Info Centre
Enter now the cloud-shaped building in the east of the village. Here is the Lakitu Info Center, from which you can start numerous paper Toad rescue missions in the future. Behind the counter are two lakitus. The right offers new missions, while the left allows you to play tasks that have already been completed again. Later, more difficult variants and additional rewards will be available. First of all, the Lakitus demand a completely excessive price of 5,000 coins for their help. However, after a short negotiation, the fee is reduced to just ten coins.
For the story, two new rescue missions are available to you. We start with the game of hide and seek in the Toad village and then take care of the stacking task. After both missions, a total of 50 rescued paper toads are safe and Toadette can complete her first Papercraft.
Rescue mission: Ten hidden paper toads
In the first mission you have to find ten paper toads in the village. Some of the small residents have camouflaged particularly well this time. Start at the western chain link and send Paper Mario through the narrow opening. There are two paper toads in the area behind it. Speak to both and then return to Mario and Luigi. Afterwards go to the western mushroom house to the clever Toad. Here, another paper toad runs excitedly through the room. With normal Dash you will hardly reach it. Therefore, activate the sprint socks and catch it with a targeted sprint jump. So you have already collected three of the ten searched paper toads.
In the item store are the next two. One has laid down so flat on the floor that it looks like a doormat. Examine the area directly in front of the counter and speak to it. The second one is not waiting in the store itself, but directly outside at the sign next to the entrance. Stand in front of the sign and press the action button to discover this paper toad. This increases your progress to five rescued residents.
In the neighboring equipment store, two more paper toads are waiting. One sits on top of the mushroom or tree decoration on the right side of the room. Examine the raised spot to bring it down. The other hid behind the seller. Therefore, talk to the dealer twice and ask him to look behind him at the second conversation. He turns around and discovers the wanted paper toad. Only three of the ten residents are missing.
The last three can be found outside the village near the Lakitu Info Centre. To the right or in front of the building is a larger rock, behind which several paper toads have hidden. As soon as you approach, two of them run away. Follow them with the sprint socks and catch them one after the other with a sprint jump. The third has cleverly wrapped around a fence post in the southwestern area, making it look like part of the fence. Examine the appropriate post to detect it. All ten hidden paper toads are found.
The mission ends and you automatically return to the Lakitu Info Center. If you have searched all the described positions, the task display should now show ten rescued paper toads. Talk to the right Lakitu again and start the next rescue mission.
Rescue Mission: Twelve Paper Toads Stack
This task is not about searching individual hiding places, but to capture twelve fleeing paper toads with the sprint socks. At the beginning, four paper toads run as a small stack through a flower ring. Follow the group, keep your running direction as constant as possible and wait for a favorable position. As soon as the stack comes within reach, you catch all four with a well-timed sprint jump. After that, the remaining eight paper toads are distributed in the northwestern part of the area.
These eight paper toads initially run around separately. If you track them one by one, they’re constantly changing direction and hard to catch. Therefore, gradually bring them together. Run towards a Toad so that he escapes from you towards another Toad. Once two or more meet, they automatically form a small stack. Repeat this until the entire group has joined together to form a single eight-piece paper toad stack.
Now all you have to do is follow that big pile. Use the sprint again and cut the way of the group if possible. A clean sprint jump catches all eight paper toads simultaneously. Together with the four residents from the beginning, you have also completed this mission and saved all twelve paper toads. If you have difficulties, focus on driving the group to the outer edge of the site if possible. There are fewer opportunities for sudden changes of direction.
Toadettes Papercraft is ready
After completion of the two rescue missions, a total of 50 paper toads were rescued. The story now moves back to Peach’s Castle, where Toadette and her numerous helpers finish the work on the first great Papercraft. The construction represents a huge cardboard Mario and is strong enough to take on the Bowser cardboard colossuses. So we can finally clear the way to the Doop Doop Dunes.
Leave the Lakitu Info Centre and go back south out of the village. Follow the familiar path back to where the huge Goomba colossus blocks the passage. Toadette appears with the finished Papercraft Mario and explains the basic controls. Then the first real colossal battle of the game begins.
Papercraft Mario vs. Papercraft Goomba
The fights with cardboard colosses work completely differently than the previous turn-based fights. You control a huge cardboard figurine in real time and must defeat your Enemies with sprint attacks and jump throws. At the same time, your colossus has only a limited amount of energy. Every sprint attack and throw consumes a part of it. To replenish the supply, you must visit the marked dance floors on the floor. Stand on such a surface and press the displayed button in the rhythm of the music. The closer you hit the beat, the faster the energy of your colossus is recharged.
At the beginning of the fight, several small Goombas first appear. They are significantly weaker than the large colossi and can be eliminated with a simple sprint attack. Align Mario to one of the Enemies, get some boot and ram him. Use these first Enemies to familiarize yourself with the controls. As soon as larger Goomba colossuses appear, however, an ordinary hit is no longer enough. Wait until one of the larger Enemies prepares his own attack and calls on you. Steer aside or oppose a sprint attack at the right moment. As a result, he loses his balance and falls to the ground.
Now the jump is used. Align your colossus on the fallen Enemies, hold the appropriate attack button and let Mario jump on him or hit him with his weight. The Papercraft causes significantly more damage than with a normal sprint attack. After a successful jump, you must first raise or pick up your colossus before you can continue fighting. Therefore, be careful not to land in the middle of several other enemies, as you are particularly vulnerable to counterattacks during this short phase.
When your energy runs out, you retreat to one of the dance floors and recharge it. If you have already lost some HP, you can also run against the? blocks. From them fall medicinal mushrooms that improve the condition of your carton colossus. In addition, there are some blocks of bricks in the arena, which release additional coins when destroyed. Take them with you when no Enemies attacks immediately.
Boss Fight: Papercraft Megacrinkle Goomba
After defeating the smaller Enemies, the great Papercraft Goomba finally appears. It is much more resistant than its predecessors and has several attack patterns. However, the basic strategy remains the same: wait until he prepares his rush and use the right moment to dodge him or bring him down with his own sprint attack. As soon as it is on the ground, you perform as strong a jump as possible. On the other hand, avoid running head-on towards the still upright boss. In this situation, his attack is often stronger than yours and Mario can be thrown back.
After several hits, the Papercraft Goomba gets faster and begins to move more aggressively through the arena. Therefore, always keep enough distance so that you can react to his rushes. As soon as he runs off, you dodge sideways and then immediately turn your Papercraft back in his direction. Often the boss stops short after a missed attack. Take this opportunity to ram him with a sprint and throw him to the ground again. If you land about five successful jumps, the battle should be won.
With the defeat of the great Goomba colossus, the way to the desert is finally clear. The remaining Goombas flee east, while Toadette and her helpers celebrate the successful use of their first cartonboard colossus. If you did not destroy all the coin blocks during the fight, this will not matter for the conclusion of the action. Above all, it is important that you have understood the movement sequences of the colossal struggles, because later we will encounter several much stronger cardboard colossuses.
Go to the Doop Doop Dunes
After the successful Colossian fight, you can follow the fled Goomba to the east. With this you leave the first large section of the Sunbeam Plains and reach the Doop Doop Dunes. Here you will find new Enemies, much larger areas and more puzzles, for which we will gradually receive additional abilities. Nabbit is also back on the road and still owns several of the stolen Bros. Attacks.
Before entering the desert, you can return to Toad Village one last time if necessary, replenish your supplies and check the equipment. All previously accessible paper toads of the Sunbeam Plains have been saved, Toadette’s first Papercraft is completed and the first Trio Attack is also permanently available to you. For our complete run, only a few paths and blocks remain, which can only be reached with later trio abilities. We collect these on a later visit as soon as Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario have the necessary techniques.