After the attack on the bridge, Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario wake up in a dark prison cell deep beneath the Twinsy Tropics. The Koopalings have taken the three brothers to the Rogueport Underground of Bowser’s Castle and, as a precaution, confiscated their equipment and all combat squads. Mario and Luigi sit tied to the floor, while Paper Mario can slip out of the shackles relatively easily thanks to his flat shape. He first frees his two companions and then squeezes between the grid bars in order to open the cell door from the outside. This is the first step to the Flee, but the way back to the surface leads through a vast cave system guarded by Hammer brothers and other Bowser minions.
Leave the cell and first look at the western part of the room. Here, several obstacles block the way, which you can not overcome with your previous abilities. We’ll come back to this place later. Therefore, first go east into the next cell tract. In this area are two? blocks, which contain 50 or 10 coins. Open both before you move on. In the middle you can also see a folded yellow bridge that blocks the way over the water. You still lack the right ability to attract them, so you first follow the eastern exit.
The captured Toads
In the next room are more prison cells. Unlike Mario and Luigi, numerous toads were imprisoned here, who are forced to work in the Rogueport Underground by Bowser and his minions. Some report an unusual ore to be mined deep underground. The large violet rocks, which you will already see in the next rooms, obviously belong to this occurrence. To talk to the prisoners, you have to send Paper Mario through the narrow spaces between the grids. Mario and Luigi can wait outside while Paper Mario examines the individual cells. Talk to the Toads to learn more about their imprisonment and what’s going on in the Rogueport Underground.
As soon as you try to reach the eastern exit, several Hammer brothers suddenly appear. They have divided your confiscated command blocks among themselves and want to bring the three escapers back to their cell. This starts a special task in which you have to gradually regain your lost combat skills. Unlike the previous opponents, you can at first neither ordinary jumps nor hammer or bros. Select attacks from the battle menu. Even the object management and a large part of the other commands are temporarily not available.
Bring back the five command sets
In the first fight, you have to rely completely on your counterattacks. Wait for one of the Hammer brothers to attack and watch exactly which character he is aiming for. Some Hammer brothers hurl individual hammers towards Mario, Luigi or Paper Mario. Jump over the projectile at the right moment with A, B or Y to avoid the attack. Even better is to hit the Enemies directly at the jump and thereby cause damage. Paper Mario, in particular, has an advantage with its copies: Even if you can not completely defend against an attack, the copies catch some of the hits. After enough successful counterattacks, the first fight is won and you get the Flee Command Block back.
This gives you at least an additional opportunity in the fight, but for the next Enemies escape is not a sensible solution. Instead, return to the previous prison rooms through the western exit and search for the remaining Hammer brothers. The order in which you defeat the Enemies is not crucial. The stolen commands are returned in a fixed sequence. In the second successful fight, you will get Mario’s Rocket Blast and Luigis Drill Shell back. This will finally allow you to get back to Bros. Using attacks. Once the commands are available, you should also use them, because the Hammer brothers have significantly more life energy than ordinary Goombas and can be defeated much faster with strong special attacks.
After the third win, you get the Hammer Command Block back. With this you can now attack the Enemies directly with the hammer and reliably repel their shells in combat. The fourth win brings back Paper Mario’s Trio Kite. Especially against several Hammer brothers, this attack is very effective, as long as you have enough BP and execute the keys cleanly. With the fifth victory, you finally get back all the missing commandos. So you have all the usual jumps, hammer attacks, Bros. Attacks, trio attacks and items are available.
During these five battles, you should counter as many enemy attacks as possible, instead of just dodging. Especially in the beginning, if no own attacks are available, you cause the necessary damage in this way. As soon as you get the bros. If you have received attacks back, you can take a more offensive approach. Pay attention to your BP stock and use the syrup glasses from the previous chapters if necessary. After the last fight, the game confirms that the stolen abilities have been completely recaptured. Only now do you return to the previously blocked eastern exit and continue the flee.
Keys and healing objects
In the next section of the cave you reach a larger island surrounded by water. Several Hammer brothers patrol between rocks and raised platforms here. Defeat the Enemies as early as possible by a first strike on the field, so that you start the subsequent fight with an advantage. Right on the southern edge of the area is a? Block with three syrup glasses. A little further north, on an elevated platform, there is another crystal block containing five mushrooms. Open both and then go first to the big locked door in the north. Right next to it is a Heart-Crystal block where you can completely fill up your HP and BP. Use it if the fights against the Hammer brothers have already left greater traces.
The door cannot be opened at the moment because you lack the right key. However, a sign on the elevated platform will tell you where to look. Therefore, follow the way south until you reach an old, rather rotten wooden bridge. On the other side lies the key sought, but as soon as Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario attempt to cross the bridge, it collapses among them. The three can just hold on to the edge and climb back up. This blocks the direct path to the key.
Learning the Trio Tomb
Starlow realizes that the three characters can help each other to reach the other side of the gorge. After a short explanation, you will learn the Trio Grab. In this new trio action, Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario take on each other and form a long chain together. In this way, far-away objects can be gripped or bridges folded down can be pulled over larger abysses. The new technique works in specially marked places, which you can recognize on the opposite object or on the yellow mark.
Stand on the edge of the destroyed bridge and choose the Trio Tomb. Align the group to the key and execute the displayed keystring. The three brothers stretch over the gap together and grab the key without one of them having to jump to the other side. Once you pick it up, you return to the big locked door in the north. Use the key and open access to the next part of the Rogueport Underground.
The Ore in the Rogueport Underground
Behind the door you reach an extensive section of caves with several small islands. There are large purple ore chunks everywhere, which are clearly different from ordinary rocks. With the Trio Hammer you can destroy them. Many of them contain additional coins, which is why you should take the accessible deposits directly on your way. You do not have to be involved in a fight every time, but can smash the rocks normally outside the fights. First go north and open it? Block near the entrance. It contains 50 coins. Then you follow the way east and defeat the Enemies that appear there, including some particularly nimble paper rats for the first time.
Is there another on the northeastern island? Block with three mushrooms. Take them with you and then examine the western edge of the platform. There you can see a yellow folded bridge that would lead over the water to the next island. Stand directly in front of the yellow marking and use the recently learned trio grave to draw the bridge to you. Once it is unfolded, you can cross it with all three characters. On the other hand, more Enemies and additional ore chunks are waiting, which you destroy with the Trio Hammer. One individual? Block on the middle island also contains ten coins.
Follow the path north. Here you reach a long hallway, at the end of which there is a particularly large door with the Bowser emblem. Although you have uncovered the path so far, the gate cannot be opened yet. The required item is only in a later stage of the adventure. Remember the position of the door, because behind it is the access to another part of the Rogueport Underground and finally to Bowser’s Castle.
The Working Toads and Roys Control
Go west from the Bowser door. There you will meet two toads who are busy mining the precious ore from the Rogueport Underground. Talk to them for more information about work at Bowser’s prison. Shortly after, Roy Koopa appears, who checks the works and checks whether his prisoners are also properly employed. Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario hide in time, so Roy does not discover the three breakers. After he disappears again, you can continue on your way.
Leave the area through the southwest exit. You will now reach the previously inaccessible western part of the large cave, which you have only seen from a distance before. Right at the entrance you can see several collapsed bridges that lead from a central island in different directions. With the Trio Grab you can take them off one after the other and thus connect the entire area. Since we want to take all currently accessible objects, we start with the western bridge and then work our way over the southern path to the next cell tract.
The three bridges and hidden equipment
First, stand on the western edge of the middle island and use the Trio Grab to fold out the first yellow bridge. Cross them and remove the Hammer brothers patrolling the other side. On the raised platform in the northwest are two? blocks. One contains 50 coins, the other contains a piece of clothing that complements your equipment and can be particularly interesting for longer attack combinations. Open the equipment menu and compare its characteristics directly with your previously worn clothing. If the values match your style of play, you can create it immediately.
Then return to the central island and take off the southern bridge with Trio Grab. Follow the path to the small crossroads and go south first. Are there more ore and one? Block with ten coins. Hit the reachable deposits with the Trio Hammer and take the coins with you before you run back to the intersection. In the southwest awaits the next collapsed bridge. Bring them in with the Trio Grab and cross the watercourse.
On the opposite island you should not immediately go through the western exit. First stand on the northern edge and use the Trio Grab again to fold out another small bridge. Does it lead to an individual? Block containing another 50 coins. Only then will you return to the previous island and enter the western passage. Thus, the currently accessible byways of this cave section are fully explored and we arrive at another cell tract.
The Paper Goomba and the First Combat Card Set
In the next room, several prison cells await you again. Run past the first cell and approach the second. There sits a paper Goomba, whom you have met earlier in the adventure. Unlike most other residents of the paper world, he seems to have little interest in attacking Mario and Luigi immediately. Talk to him and listen to his story. During the conversation, he manages to free himself from his cell. However, other Hammer brothers appear shortly afterwards and try to capture the group again.
This starts another battle. The paper Goomba takes the opportunity to explain a completely new combat system to you: the battle cards. He will give you your first full set of cards that you can use to support your group during the fights. A collection consists of ten cards that have different effects. Some temporarily increase your power or defense, others restore life energy or directly damage all opponents. The cards appear on the touch screen and can be selected during a fight as soon as you have enough star points.
Use star points and combat cards
Star points are obtained by performing successful actions in combat. Especially well-timed jump, hammer, pair and trio attacks bring additional points. On the touchscreen, you can always see how many star points you currently have and how many points a certain map needs. To use a card, first touch it with the stylus and then confirm its activation. The required star points are subtracted and the corresponding effect occurs immediately. What is especially practical is that playing a combat card does not consume a turn of its own. So you can continue to attack normally or use an object afterwards.
Up to three combat cards can be on the touchscreen at the same time. If you do not want to use a card, you can turn it over and discard it so that another card is pulled later. Once all ten cards of your set have been used or discarded, the pile will be reshuffled and you can receive the same cards again. For the following battles, you should pay particular attention to cards that increase your power or restore lost HP. This allows you to save healing items and defeat strong Enemies faster. After completing the tutorial, you have defeated the Hammer brothers and can use the new combat cards permanently from now on.
The paper Goomba then says goodbye and disappears from prison. Before you follow it, you should examine the cells again. In the first cell, do you already recognize one behind a narrow gap in the wall? Block. However, this area is currently still blocked by a toad or an obstacle. We come back here after the upcoming boss fight. The Block contains three 1-UP mushrooms, which of course we will not miss.
A shortcut to the first cell tract
First leave the room through the southern exit. You reach an area you already know from the beginning of your imprisonment. The folded yellow bridge, on which you could not do anything before, can now be taken off with the Trio Grab. Stand on the edge, activate the trio action and draw the bridge to you. This creates a permanent connection between the two cell tracts. On the elevated level there are also two more? blocks with ten or 50 coins. Open both and then use the new abbreviation to return to the previous cell area.
Then go back north and through the western exit. In this part of the Rogueport Underground, several Enemies and purple ore boulders are waiting again. Destroy the reachable deposits with the Trio Hammer and collect the coins. In the southwest you will find two? blocks with a total of 60 coins. In the northwestern area there are another two blocks containing ten coins and two nuts. Take all items with you and then move to the western part of the room. There is another bridge waiting.
Draw her with the Trio Grab over the water and cross the new transition. Right on the other side is a Heart-Block. Complete the HP and BP of your three characters here and save your progress. The next part of the Rogueport Underground still contains several valuable items, but eventually leads to a longer boss fight against two of the Koopalings.
The last great cave section
Behind the Heart-Block you reach another cave area with several raised islands. Right at the entrance, Starlow points to a green warp pipe to the north. It will bring us back to the surface later, but it is not reachable for the moment. Therefore, first go south and use the Trio Grab on the collapsed bridge. This opens a shortcut to the previous areas, which can also be helpful for the return to the cells later.
Then follow the road to the east. Here are a total of four? blocks, including two Bros. blocks. Strike Bros. blocks alternately with Mario and Luigi to collect 50 coins each. The two normal blocks contain ten coins and two nuts. Open all four before you move on. Then you return to the western side of the area and follow the long path to the north. Along the way, you will find more purple ore boulders that you can destroy with the Trio Hammer.
On the higher western platform are two more blocks. One contains 50 coins, the other a candy, with which the HP and BP of a character can be restored. Take both objects with you and follow the path south. There you can see another collapsed bridge that leads to a small remote island. Take them off with the Trio Tomb and cross them. Is there waiting at the end? Block with a pair of boots. These are particularly interesting if you currently have rather weak jumping equipment. Compare their values and equip them if necessary.
Double 1-UP mushroom
Before going to the boss fight, return to the northern part of the room. Just before the western exit is on a small raised platform still a single one? Block. Open it and you get a double 1-UP mushroom. This allows you to revive two incapable characters at the same time. Since the following encounter against Roy and Wendy contains several strong surface attacks, you should definitely collect this item before the fight.
Check your equipment one last time. Mario and Luigi should wear as strong hammers or boots as possible, while Paper Mario should have built his copies completely. Also, make sure there are enough syrup glasses and nuts. When you are ready, you save your progress and follow the Western exit.
Boss Fight: Roy and Wendy
In the next area, Roy Koopa and Wendy O are already waiting. Koopa, two of the Koopalings that Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario have previously captured. When they realize that the three heroes were able to leave their cell and have even recovered all their equipment, they first get excited. Instead of re-imprisoning the outbreakers, however, they decide to do the matter themselves. This starts a joint boss fight against two much stronger Enemies.
Roy and Wendy have different attack patterns that complement each other well. Roy is the physically stronger Enemies and prefers to attack with large boulders and strong rushes. Wendy, on the other hand, uses her magic rings that can move across the battlefield and threaten multiple characters at once. Precisely because both Enemies fight together, you should prevent your group from having to fight for longer periods of time with low life energy. If necessary, use a groove or a suitable healing card at an early stage, instead of first reacting to an incapacitated brother.
Retaliate Roys Boulder
One of Roy’s most important attacks is a giant boulder he hurls at Mario or Luigi. As soon as the stone flies towards one of the brothers, you must swing the hammer with the appropriate button and strike it back. The rock then flies back to Roy, who in turn throws him back. This starts a short exchange of shots, in which the stone flies back and forth between Roy and your character faster and faster. Stay focused and pay attention to the right rhythm, because overall you have to successfully fight back the rock four times before Roy is finally hit himself.
If you succeed in the entire episode, Roy will suffer considerable damage. At the same time, some stone splinters fly towards Wendy, who becomes angry and attacks Roy herself. This allows you to damage both bosses with a single, cleanly executed counterattack. For this very reason, it is worthwhile not only to avoid this attack, but to fight back the rock as completely as possible. If you lose the rhythm in between, the affected brother is hit by the stone and you have to wait until Roy’s next attack to use the opportunity again.
Wendy’s Magic Rings
Wendy attacks with large magic rings that fly across the battlefield in different ways. Some rings roll flat over the floor and can be overcome with a timely jump. Others are vertically aligned and move in a different trajectory towards Mario, Luigi or Paper Mario. Therefore, pay close attention to their orientation before pressing the jump button. If you jump immediately on each ring, you may end up at the very moment the next floor reaches your character. Wait until the ring approaches immediately, and then jump over it or through the opening in a controlled manner.
Paper Mario has an advantage over Mario and Luigi due to his special levitation. After the jumping off, hold Y, possibly somewhat longer, so that it can slowly slide to the ground and protrude several successive rings. If its copies are lost during the attacks, you should insert the copy crystal block and restore the stack. The copies are especially valuable in this fight, because Wendy often shoots several bullets shortly after each other.
The Persecution with the Paper Flyer
After a few rounds of combat, Roy and Wendy move on to a joint attack in which Paper Mario turns into a paper airman. The entire group now moves automatically across the battlefield while Wendy sends magic bullets towards the plane. Move Paper Mario as far as possible between the projectiles and sideways as soon as you recognize their trajectory. Be careful not to choose a direction too early, because Wendy can fire several bullets shortly after each other.
Meanwhile, Roy rolls a giant boulder towards one of the two brothers. Observe whether Mario or Luigi is being attacked and position the paper plane in time over the appropriate character. As soon as the stone approaches, the affected brother jumps up and holds on to the paper plane. This allows him to avoid the rolling rock while Paper Mario carries him across the danger zone. Alternatively, individual attacks can also be avoided with a precise jump. Since Wendy continues to shoot her magic bullets at the same time, the flying method is often the safer choice.
The sequence ends as soon as you have completely survived the joint attack. After that, the normal course of the fight begins again. If your BP is still sufficient, you should now use as strong pair or trio attacks as possible. Luigis Drill Shell and Papier-Marios Trio Kite in particular do a lot of damage when they are clean. The new combat cards can also be helpful: A card to increase the power is worthwhile before a particularly strong special attack, while a healing card can bring several characters back to the Dark Star Core at the same time after a failed evasion maneuver.
Defeat Wendy first
Although both Koopalings must be defeated, it is recommended to focus the strongest of your own attacks on Wendy first. Their rings and the joint paper flyer attack are more unpleasant in the long run than Roy’s comparatively predictable Boulder. You can continue to damage Roy through successful hammer counters, while your active pair and trio attacks mainly hit Wendy. This reduces their life energy comparatively quickly without completely ignoring the second boss.
Once Wendy is defeated, Roy gets into a rage and gets an additional attack. Conversely, Wendy becomes more dangerous when you turn Roy off first. In both cases, you should avoid leaving the remaining Enemies unnecessarily long alive. Therefore, try to subtract a part of his life energy before the first knockout and the second Koopaling. This often suffices a single strong bros later. Attack or a successful counterattack to end the fight.
Roy’s Meteor Attack
If Roy is left alone, he summons a particularly large burning meteor that crashes down on one of the three characters. Observe exactly who is attacked and have the appropriate hammer button ready. As soon as the meteor is immediately in front of the affected character, you strike against it with the hammer. With proper timing, the projectile is transported back directly to Roy and causes considerable damage. This counterattack can be so strong that it defeats the boss after only a few successful repetitions. For this reason, you should not try to avoid the meteor just by jumping, but if possible use the opportunity to counterattack.
If Wendy remains as the last opponent, she instead uses much more difficult combinations of her magic rings. Then pay special attention to the successive floors and keep up the copies of Paper Mario. In both cases, as soon as the last Koopaling has little life energy, a strong pair or trio attack is worth more than an unnecessarily long duel with ordinary jump attacks.
After enough hits, both Koopalings are finally defeated. Roy and Wendy can hardly believe that the three escapers defeated them despite their previous imprisonment, and retreat. Meanwhile, the prison doors of the Rogueport Underground open and numerous imprisoned Toads walk towards the exit. Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario will receive Experience Point, coins and, if necessary, additional equipment as a combat reward. This finally clears the way to the green warp pipe.
Three hidden 1-UP mushrooms
Before you leave the Rogueport Underground, you should make a short detour. After defeating Roy and Wendy, a previously blocked area in the second cell tract has become free. Therefore, run back east from the boss room twice until you reach the prison cells where you previously met the Paper Goomba. In the first or left cell there is a narrow gap in the wall, which was previously blocked by a Toad. Now the way is clear.
Send Paper Mario alone through the opening and follow the small hallway behind the cell. It says a? Block containing three 1-UP mushrooms. Open it and then return to Mario and Luigi. Especially for the coming section, these mushrooms are useful, as there are several stronger Enemies waiting for the group. After this find, you can leave the cell tract and return to the green warp pipe.
Back to the Surface of the Twinsy Tropics
Now go back through the western exit and follow the path to the green warp pipe. Enter with the entire trio. After the long fleet through the Rogueport Underground, Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario are finally back in the open air. However, the prison outbreak has taken the group far from Bowser’s Castle. Instead of returning directly to the desert, the three brothers are now on a small group of islands in the middle of the Twinsy Tropics.
This begins the next stage of the adventure. While the Toads try to find a way back to the mainland, Mario and Luigi must save other inhabitants of the paper world. The Trio Grab in particular is now often needed to build bridges over the watercourses and to reach difficult-to-access islands. In addition, the new combat card set has created additional opportunities to weaken strong Enemies, amplify attacks and save items.
After emergence, follow the path north and cross the nearby bridge. There is another heart crystal block where you can fill up your HP and BP. From here you can explore several beach sections of the Twinsy Tropics. Our next destination is the Toad village in the west, where new rescue missions are already waiting for us. However, some remote islands and higher blocks remain unreachable at first, as we later need the Trio Drill or the Trio Glider.
With the Trio Grab, the reclaimed Battle Commandos and the first Battle Card Set, you now have all the skills needed to explore the Twinsy Tropics for the first time. The Bowser door into the Rogueport Underground will be earmarked for a later visit. Once we have the appropriate emblem, we can open a new access to Bowser’s Castle through it.