----------------------------------- Super Mario Advance 4 Version World-e FAQ 1.0 ----------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS 1: Version History 2: Introduction 3: World-e Walkthrough -3a: Classic World 1-1 -3b: Wild Ride in the Sky -3c: Slidin' the Slopes -3d: Vegetable Volley -3e: Doors o' Plenty -3f: Bombarded by Bob-ombs -3g: Magical Note Blocks -3h: The Ol' Switcheroo -3i: Piped Full of Plants -3j: Swinging Bars of Doom -3k: Para Beetle Challenge -3l: Airship's Revenge 4: World-e Mushroom Houses 5: World-e Fortress 6: Credits ************************** 1. Version History ************************** 10/25/03 1.0: FAQ Started ************************** 2. Introduction ************************** Super Mario Advance 4 is the much-anticipated GBA remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, what many consider to be the singlehanded best video game ever created. The best part of it is that Nintendo decided to add e-Reader support! This means via the e-Reader, players can now scan in power-up items whenever they want, and also view special tips, like unlimited 1-ups or infinite star power. But by far the coolest addition with e-Reader cards is the inclusion of level cards. They allow players to play through new levels in classic SMB3 style! These levels are stores in a special world exclusive to the GBA version, titled World-e. In World-e, there is not a whole lot in terms of the map: just three mushroom houses, a fortress, and an "action" space (where you scan and access e-Reader levels). This FAQ is basically a walkthrough of the levels obtained only via the e-Reader, as well as detailed info on the special mushroom houses and fortress. *************************** 3. World-e Walkthrough *************************** *** 3a. Classic World 1-1 *** E-Card Number: Star 01 Where To Get the E-Card: Series 2 Advance Coins: 1 Difficulty Level: 1/5 Description: "See where all of Mario and Luigi's adventures began, and find the first-ever 1-Up Mushroom!" How To Beat Round: Get a Tile Walkthrough: This is a remake of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros, gane! Complete with the original music, layout, and everything. First thing's first, grab the power-up block which is the second ? block from the left. Continue hopping over the pipes until you reach the fourth one. Here, go down the pipe. ADVANCE COIN #1: In the pipe, you will see several blocks, coins, and an advance coin, the only one in this round. Then go through the pipe on the right. Continue going through the round and you will come upon a block staircase. To the right, just like in SMB1, there's a flag! Jump as high as you can to get some extra points, then continue to the right to finish the level just like any other Super Mario Advance 4 level. *** 3b. Wild Ride in the Sky *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 01 Where to Get the E-Card: Packaged in game Advance Coins: 4 Difficulty Level: 3/5 Description: "Take a wild ride in the sky! Think you can nab all the coins? Not if Bullet Bill has anything to say about it!" How To Beat Level: Get a Tile Walkthrough: This round alternates between regular side-scrolling and "persistent scrolling" (where the left side of the screen keeps moving and you must keep up with it). The first part is pretty straightforward: just keep jumping from platform to platform. When you reach the two ? blocks next to each other, the one on the right has a power-up. The "persistent scrolling" gets a little faster at this point, so make sure not to fall behind. After going on a upwards zip-line platform, you'll reach a section of clouds. The ? block on the left. Continue jumping the clouds and you'll reach the "solid" clouds (the ones with faces on them). ADVANCE COIN #1: Jump over the three blocks and you'll see two rows of solid clouds. Go to the bottom one and you'll see an Advance Coin! Now backtrack and go to the top row of solid clouds. Jump through the sets of falling "U" blocks until you reach the next section of solid clouds. ADVANCE COIN #2: You'll see two "U" blocks in the row of solid clouds. Stand on one of them to make you fall. Once you've done that, you can get the Advance Coin! Continue to the right and you'll be at a new section of regular clouds. If the screen is starting to catch up with you, don't bother with the ? blocks (they're just coins). ADVANCE COIN #3: Once you reach the cloud with two ? blocks on it, you'll see two clouds. I reccomend jumping to the top one, then falling off the right side to get to the bottom cloud, which has the next Advance Coin! Jump back up as quick as possible, being sure to watch out for the red-shelled koopa troopa. Again, the two ? blocks just contain coins. Jump up a couple more clouds and you'll reach a really long cloud. Once you are in the middle of it, the "persistent scrolling" will stop. Watch out though, because a few seconds later, four bullet bills will come at you from all corners of the screen. My technique to avoid getting hit is to just be in the middle and jump when they're about to all reach the same point. After the bullet bills have come and gone, go to the zip-line platform to the right. Be careful because Bullet Bills will continue to be coming towards you. ADVANCE COIN #4: THe zip-line platform will take you in several curves and turns, and eventually it will be right by an Advance Coin. Get it as quickly as possible and land back on the platform. After you get the Advance Coin, just stand right in the middle of the platform and you should be safe from the rest of the Bullet Bills. Once you platform ride ends, it's a straightforward dash to the end of the round. *** 3c. Slidin' the Slopes *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 02 Where to Get the E-Card: Series 1 Advance Coins: 4 Difficulty Level: 2/5 Description: "Run and slide all around. You'll even get to go up-side-down!" How To Beat Level: Get a Tile Walkthrough: The first part of this level is the most difficult. Make sure you get the Power-Up from the ? block on the right of the second set of ? blocks. Go to the top of the hill with all the koopa troopas. ADVANCE COIN #1: It's right there on top of the hill. Jump up and it's yours. ADVANCE COIN #2: Slide down the hill, and when you reach the music note block, push right on the D-Pad and jump when the note block is sagging from you falling on it. You must time this perfectly to get the Advance Coin, which is part of a string of coins you get when you make the perfect jump. Once you're safe on the other side of the gap, jump up the note blocks and go through the pipe. ADVANCE COIN #3: You'll see the Advance Coin as soon as you enter the pipe room, but you'll have to take the long way around to get it. Just hold down the B button and press right on the D-Pad. The purple triangle blocks will take care of directing you the right way. Just make sure not to let go of the B button or right D-Pad button too soon or you'll fall on a piranha plant. Once you fall down from hitting a block, the Advance Coin is there for the taking! Jump up through the flippers and go back through the pipe once you have the Advance Coin. Continue the round as normal, watching out for all the flying goombas and other bad guys. After going up a sort-of-tall hill, you'll see: ADVANCE COIN #4: If you're Mario, it will be a little more difficult to get it -- what you need to do is wait for a flying goomba and jump on it so it throws you up and you can get the Coin. If you're Luigi, just jump from the little plateau to the left. Go up the hill, being especially careful about the flying goomba who throws down the mini-goombas. Once you reach the top of the hill, just slide down and enjoy the ride! You'll reach a section of coins that spell out "e+" Don't start running just yet! Right after the coins, there's a boomerang bro, so watch out for him! After that, the end is very much in sight! *** 3d. Vegetable Volley *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 03 Where to Get the E-Card: Series 1 Advance Coins: 5 Difficulty Level: 2/5 Description: "Pull up the vegetables and toss them at the enemies to succeed. Don't touch the blue Poisonous Mushrooms!" How To Beat Level: Get a Tile *There is an e-Coin in this level* Walkthrough: This round is all about using the Super Mario Bros. 2-style vegetables. The first notable thing you'll come across is a mushroom inside what seems to be a big plastic bubble. If you are small, pick up vegetables from around it and throw them at the bubble. Three hits will open it. As you trek a little further along, a Chargin' Chuck will appear. It takes three hits to take care of him. Continue a little more to the right and you'll see: ADVANCE COIN #1: Don't try anything suicidal -- there's no way to get this by any fancy jumping. You need to pick up a vegetable and toss it so that it hits the Advance Coin. The middle of the row of ? blocks up ahead has a power-up. You'll also see a chain chomp. The only real way to be safe from him is to grab a vegetable from below and toss it at him. Continuing a little further ahead, watch out for the spiked bad guys. Either throw fireballs at them or pick up vegetables and get them with those. Then you'll see a clapping Chargin' Chuck. You don't need to worry about him. ADVANCE COIN #2: Just make sure to jump over him and get the Advance Coin directly above. Just ahead, there's another power-up. ADVANCE COIN #3: You can see the Advance Coin below the series of blocks and between two Chargin' Chucks. You'll need to take out one of them to get to it. Either hit one of them five times with fireballs or use a vegetable to get him out of the "clapping" state. Then you can take care of him like a regular Chargin' Chuck. Once you've done that, you have easy access to the Advance Coin! The ? blocks are just coins, so unless you're trying to get 100 coin lives, don't worry about them. Up ahead, you'll come across a koopa troopa and some more spike-top bad guys. Take them out by A: fireballs; B: vegetables; C: Knocking the koopa troopa shell there. I don't advise C because you'll probably have a difficult time going through the small space with the shell bouncing back and forth. Continue on and you'll see another Chargin' Chuck. Since there is so little space, I suggest using vegetables or fireballs to take care of him instead of jumping on him. A little further on, you'll come across another Chuck. He should be a little easier to get since there is much more space to work with. E-COIN #1: After you get rid of the Chargin' Chuck, run left and jump up to the platform with the red-shelled koopa troopa. Once you're there, run left and jump again so you're on top of the big platforms and not visible on the screen. Just walk to the left until you fall into a small "room" with two vegetable-esque tops. The one on the right is the Mushroom e-Coin! Make sure to also grab the item on the left, which is a 1-up. There is a note block on the right side of the e-Coin "room" -- go to the right side and jump; it will appear. Now work your way back to where you beat the last Chargin' Chuck and continue right. You'll see a HUGE formation of spike-top bad guys. If you have fire power, you can easily take care of them. If you don't, use the big vegetables to the left of them and strategically toss them so they make a domino effect on the bad guys. Hopefully you'll get them down to two or three. ADVANCE COIN #4: Once you've taken care of the spike-top bad guys, you can jump and grab the Advance Coin (if you're Mario, you may need to jump from the block on the left side) ADVANCE COIN #5: Almost immediately after advance coin #4 is the next one. It's in a deadly hole, so you know what to do: grab the vegetable close by and toss it so it hits the Advance Coin. Now jump over the chain chomp and dash to the end of the level! *** 3e. Doors O' Plenty *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 04 Where to Get the E-Card: Series 2 Advance Coins: 5 Difficulty Level: 4/5 Description: "Travel through this puzzling maze. Beware of Big Boo! He'll confound you!" How To Beat Level: Defeat Boss (Big Boo) *There is an e-Coin in this level* Walkthrough: This level features the music and style of a Super Mario World ghost house. First off, if you're small, I suggest doing the following: jump over all the gaps, avoiding the ghosts, until you reach the end of the room. There's a door and a ? block. Hit the ? block for a power-up. Repeat if you want a raccoon tail. Go through the door and you'll end up at the beginning of the level again. This time, stop when you get to the pyramid-style set of ramps and doors and go through the one at the top. Go to the left and maneuver yourself to get to the key. Hold down the B button to pick up the key. Keep holding B so you don't drop the key. Go back as if you were trying to get the key again, but this time, go down instead of up. You'll see a door at the bottom. Go through it. Now you'll be in the middle row of the "pyramid", on the left side. Go to the right side, and enter that door. Drop the key for now. ADVANCE COIN #1: From the door you just entered, go right, down, left, left, and up, and you'll find the first Advance Coin of this level! Now go back to where you dropped the key. Now keep jumping up and when you reach the top, head to the left. You need to jump over the flippers to the locked door. Make sure not to jump too soon or you'll fall through the flippers. Try to jump the moment you are about the run on the flipper. If you have the raccoon tail (or cape) you can take advantage of the gradual fall. Your key will unlock the door -- now go inside it. E-COIN #1: This is kind of a long procedure so bare with me. You'll know you're in the right place if you see a P switch on the right side and a ? block on the left side. There's also a door in mid-air Hit the ? block and coins will start to come out. Use the D-Pad to control the rings to end up directly under the mid-air door. To help make sure you direct it there, the bottom of the mid-air door is the same as the top of the door you entered through (direct the coins so that they go to the right from the top of the main door). Now, especially if you're small, jump through some of the coins, but make sure to leave at least the coin directly under the door. Once you've done so, hit the P switch and very quickly jump onto the blocks and go through the door. Once you're in the new room, hit the P switch to the left and very quickly do the following: go down the narrow passage to the right, go up the middle passage, and fall through the right edge of the passage on the right. Once the P switch time is up, go back up through the middle passage and this time fall to the middle of left side of the next passage. Now you should be able to go through the door. You'll notice right away the Leaf e-Coin. Hit the P switch next to where the e-Coin was. Go back through the door, then go to the door on the left side of the three-passage room. Go to the left and fall through the first gap. Now switch directions and go right. ADVANCE COIN #2: The Advance Coin here is quite obvious. Just be sure to watch out for the ghost (remember, when you're facing the ghost, he won't move). Keep working your way down and you'll come to a spot where you can either go left or right -- go right. ADVANCE COIN #3: It's right there for the taking! Once you jump up from where Advance Coin #3 was, you can go up, left, or right -- go left. Keep going until you find another fork in the road: left or up. This time, go left, and keep jumping up until you reach another door. When you go through, this time you'll be on the bottom tier of the pyramid. ADVANCE COIN #4: Go to the left and you'll nab the 4th Advance Coin of this level! Now go the right and jump on the yellow "!" switch. Go to the end of the room (the same place where the power-up ? block is) and you'll notice yellow "!" squares under the three-block set. Quickly go under and hit the middle block (the only one that isn't a ? block). Climb up the vine. ADVANCE COIN #5: At the top of the vine, you'll see an Advance Coin to the left. Jump over to get it and quickly grab back onto the vine.. Climb back to the top of the vine and this time jump to the right. Go through the door. BOSS BATTLE: BIG BOO There are two small ghosts, Big Boo, and a bunch of blue blocks in the room. To hit Big Boo, pick up a block and chuck it at him when he's low enough to be hit. Every time you hit him, he'll turn invisible for a little bit, and go too high for you to hit him, so wait until he comes back down to pick up another block. It only takes three hits to defeat him, but don't forget about the small ghosts, and don't ever push B to pick up a block unless there are two blocks under you! Once you hit Big Boo three times, the level is over. *** 3f. Bombarded by Bob-Ombs *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 05 Where to Get the E-Card: Series 1 Advance Coins: 5 Difficulty Level: 4/5 Description: "Can you weather the storm of bomb blasts and collect all the Coins?" How To Beat Level: Defeat Boss (Boom Boom) Walkthrough: This level is insanely difficult! A starman, a P-Wing, a Hammer Bros suit -- nothing can make it much easier. When you start, you'll see one of the "ring containers" that are normally used to indicate you can get a special mushroom house. That's not the case here -- if you hit the ring container and collect 110 rings, you'll just get 3 lives. Anyway, watch out for the first Bob-omb and the cannon directly ahead. Once you get past that, there's another cannon, but on the other side is a power-up! Now for the first difficult part of the round: There's a big cannon with two small cannons, one above and one below the big one, and they come out at almost the same time. To successfully make it over, jump on the big cannonball as soon as it comes out and try to make it all the way to the top from bouncing on it. ADVANCE COIN #1: On the other side of the three-cannon menace is the first Advance Coin! Now you're safe until you come across the gray pipe. Once inside the pipe, the "persistent scrolling" will begin. The first ? block you see is a power-up. In the next section, the Bob-omb problems begin. Try to run past immediately after one of the Bob-ombs explode. ADVANCE COIN #2: Once the area is relatively safe (but don't wait too long!) quickly grab the Advance Coin under the row of four blocks. In the next section, there are Bob-ombs only on the top area, so when it's safe, dash to the safe divot between the two sets of ? blocks. Again, when it's safe, jump out and sprint to the next section. In the next room, there is really no safe area. Just try to move along as quickly as possible. If you notice a Bob-omb about the explode in the top area and it's right on top of a ? block, hit the ? block -- but be careful to watch out for the Bob-ombs on the lower area as well! ADVANCE COIN #3: In the next section, wait for the next Bob-omb to be shot out of the cannon, then quickly go under it to get the third Advance Coin! The ? blocks on either side of the wooden plank in the middle of the room each have power-ups, so this is your chance to get a little safer if you've gotten hit. In the area between the previous section and the upcoming section, wait for the scrolling until you see one of the ? blocks. Now wait until it's safe, run, and jump on top of the ? blocks (none of them is a power-up). Now the scrolling will stop and you'll see a gray pipe. Don't go down the pipe! Instead, jump into the little space at the top-right part of the screen. If you're big, hold down the down button as you jump. Move along through the secret passageway there. ADVANCE COIN #4: In the middle of the next room is an Advance Coin! You should be able to get it without too much trouble from the Bob-ombs below. As for the gray pipe at the end of this room, you can go down that one. ADVANCE COIN #5: As soon as you go through the pipe, there's the final Advance Coin of the level, begging for someone to take it. No Bob-ombs or any other distractions here to worry about. Go down the pipe in the bottom part of this room. BOSS BATTLE (Boom Boom) Fairly simple -- just like any regular mini-fortress boss. Just hit him three times by jumping on him. *** 3g. Magical Note Blocks *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 06 Where To Find the E-Card: Series 2 Advance Coins: 3 Difficulty Level: 3/5 Description: "Jump on the Note Blocks to reach towering heights!" How To Beat Level: Get a Tile Walkthrough: Obviously, this level features the music note blocks. In the first room, just go straight through the pipe at the right edge. You'll go to a room with note blocks all over the place! This is a level where you can go from the right end of the screen to the left end of the screen (like those passageways on Pac-Man) and vice versa. So if you see a koopa troopa on the opposite end of the screen from you, don't assume you're safe! After a little bit of bouncing around, you'll see a staircase of note blocks inhabited by a couple koopa troopas. When you reach the top of the staircase, you'll see three note blocks above you. Hit the one on the left for a power-up. Bounce around a little more and you'll come across another, smaller staircase with a red koopa troopa on top. ADVANCE COIN #1: The Advance Coin is on the left hand side of the screen surrounded by note blocks. Jump from the middle block of the three-block staircase and, if timed right, you will end up in the area with the Advance Coin. Bounce up a little more and there's a big area of note blocks scattered everywhere. The first note block on the right side has a power-up. Eventually you'll reach a three-wooden-block platform and a fire chain chomp. The note block directly above contains a power-up. ADVANCE COIN #2: Above the note block with the power-up is an Advance Coin. Be careful about the firey enemy! Bounce up a little more (watch out for the flying koopa troopa) and you'll come across another wooden block platform. The pipe to the end of the round is dirently above, but don't go up it just yet. ADVANCE COIN #3: Advance Coin #3 is at the top-right of the screen. The best way to do this is to jump from the highest note block on the left side of the screen. Timing and how much you push the left button from that block are important, so keep trying until you get it! Now go up the pipe and then directly to the end of the round. *** 3h. The Ol' Switcheroo *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 07 Where To Get the E-Card: Series 1 Advance Coins: 5 Difficulty Level: 3/5 Description: "Activate the hidden P-Switch so you can get all the coins." How To Beat the Level: Get a Panel *There is an e-Coin in this level* Walkthrough: When you come across a waterfall, jump down it. Once you fall down a little, start swimming so you don't fall to your death. ADVANCE COIN #1: The Advance Coin here is pretty obvious -- near the bottom left corner of the waterfall. Just be careful to stay above the bottom of the screen! Once you get the A. Coin, you'll see a little open space to the right, with tan colored blocks. Go there and descend through the pipe. In the pipe room, hit the P switch and run fast through the block formation. Before you get to the solid blue blocks on the other side, hit the brick block that's sort of sticking out (five blocks to the left of where the blue blocks begin) and hit the P switch there. Now quickly get on the blue blocks! ADVANCE COIN #2: You should pass right through this one, but get it quickly! Run through the pipe, and when you enter the new room, jump on the two-brick-block platform and jump up through the pipe directly above. Go up via the alternating platforms. ADVANCE COIN #3: You'll see #3 on the second of the blue block platforms in the room. Again, keep going up with the rising blocks. When you reach the orange platforms, it may seem like a dead end, but go to the left side and jump up. Go up through the pipe that appears, and swim up the waterfall. ADVANCE COIN #4: At the top of the waterfall, jump, and you'll get the Advance Coin! Now go back through the pipe and work your way down that room. Go down the pipe on the right. In this room, grab the vegetable near the pipe on the right, and keep the B button held down until this guide says specifically to "let go of the B button". Now go through both pipes, hit the P switch in the new room, and run as quickly as possible through the blocks (no need to hit a specific block near the end this time). Once you reach the safe area of the blue blocks, let go of the B button. E-COIN #1: Now hit the e-Coin in the small box at the bottom right section of the screen. You now have the Star e-Coin! Go up the pipe at the end of the room. Now go to the right and swim through the huge waterfall. ADVANCE COIN #5: In the second "opening" you see at the top of the waterfall (the one after the really skinny opening), swim up and grab the fifth Advance Coin! Now work your way to the end of the waterfall and swim up there, jump out, go the right, and finish the level! *** 3i. Piped Full of Plants *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 08 Where To Get the E-Card: Series 2 Advance Coins: 3 Difficulty Level: 4/5 Description: "Duck, leap and run to avoid the hot-tempered Piranha Plants!" How To Beat Level: Get a Panel Walkthrough: The very first ? block you come across is a power-up. You'll have to jump strategically to not get hit up ahead. Jump when the bottom Piranha goes down, ducking when you do so. The Piranha above will not get you if you are ducking. Go ahead, using the basic techniques -- jump when the Piranha's head starts to go down, watch out for fireballs, etc. The next double set of pipes you come across will have the same problem as the first one, so use the same strategy. ADVANCE COIN #1: It will be very hard to get this Coin from the bottom of the double-pipes, so I suggest jumping up on the pipe directly to the right, and from there, jump so that you grab the Advance Coin and land back on the bottom of the double-pipes. So now jump back on the pipe from where you jumped off to get the Advance Coin. Again, just use common techniques to get to the horizontal pipe. You'll see a transforming item block. Jump on top of the Piranha pipe. ADVANCE COIN #2: When the mini-Piranhas under the Advance Coin go away, jump on their pipes and grab the Advance Coin quickly! Then jump on to the next horizontal pipe to be safe. Make a quick jumping spree to the top of the staircase of horizontal pipes and then jump down as the bottom Piranha Plant is about to go away. Go through the pipe on the bottom right. ADVANCE COIN #3: This is one of the most difficult Advance Coins to get! You want to have a running start -- go a little to the right, near the end of the round, run (holding down the B button) and jump up to the Coin. You're going to need to practice some to time it so you jump right as the top Piranha Plant is going back in its pipe. Now go to the finish! *** 3j. Swinging Bars of Doom *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 09 Where To Get the E-Card: Series 1 Advance Coins: 4 Difficulty Level: 4/5 Description: "Run fast to get past the Thwomps, fire bars, and Boos." How To Beat Level: Defeat Boss (Two Boom Booms) Walkthrough: The first part is pretty straightforward. Watch out for the spiked block after the first Thwomp -- it does jump; just make sure it doesn't catch you off-guard. The first ? block you come across is indeed a power-up. Turn away from the ghost so it's in the blue blocks and isn't a threat. ADVANCE COIN #1: Jump up and grab it! Not much to say about this one. Again, just go through the level as normal, making sure to watch out for the jumping fireballs. ADVANCE COIN #2: This one is a little difficult to get without being hurt by the fire bar. Go to the right side of the platform first. Then, as soon as you see the fire bar in the middle of the Coin, jump over and grab it. Now continue on as normal. When you reach a fork in the road, with a top passage and a bottom passage, take the top one. Go through all the fire bars. It's not that difficult as long as you go somewhat fast. The top bars will never touch you if you are ducking, so you need to watch the lower bars a little more closely. ADVANCE COIN #3: When you reach the end, make sure to grab the Advance Coin before you go through the flippers, otherwise you'll have a long and difficult backtracking to do it over again. Continue on, keeping in mind that any fire bars on the top will not hurt you if you are ducking. This is especially important when you come across the Thwomp -- just duck until you can make a quick dash under him. The next ? block you come across is another power-up. You'll come across another "fork in the road". Fall down in the area where the ghost is. You'll see the Advance Coin above but you can't get it yet. ADVANCE COIN #4: Go to the right of the coin and jump up in the open area to reveal blocks. Now you have a way to get to the Advance Coin. Go back and jump up to the "fork in the road" and this time take the path on the right, but fall through one of the holes. It's best to take the hole furthest on the right so you will end up right on your path of blocks. From there, nab the coin and fall through the flippers. Again, make your way to the top and take the path on the right, this time running over the holes. Now jump over to the platform with the fire bar. Then jump on to the next platform. From here, take a running jump to the right and you should end up by the door to the boss. BOSS BATTLE (Boom Booms) This is quite a bit more difficult than just one Boom Boom. The only strategy to follow is to just keep hitting whichever one you can. Don't necessarily worry about just getting one of them, because then your focus will undoubtedly be less fixated on the other one. If you're extremely lucky, you can make a domino effect with them, continuing to hit one, then the other, and so on. But I advise not trying too much with that method. Basically it's a matter of luck that one of them doesn't start to fly up when you're about to jump on him. *** 3k. Para Beetle Challenge *** E-Card Number: Mushroom 10 Where To Get the E-Card: Series 2 Advance Coins: 5 Difficulty Level: 5/5 Description: "Use the Para Beetles as stepping stones to cross the vast sky." How To Beat Level: Get a Panel Walkthrough: This is without a doubt the most difficult of the current e-Reader levels! It's even arguably harder than any of the levels in the main SMB3 game! Having the only 5-star difficulty rating, you may find yourself in utter frustration from time to time. I'm just giving you this warning ahead of time. I was frustrated (oh, so frustrated!) with this level at first, and now I'm writing this walkthrough as I'm actually playing the level without any power-ups at the start (I don't just copy this stuff from the strategy guide) so keep at it! Anyway, now that you've read my long, boring intro to this round, let's get started. The ? block at the beginning is a power-up. While there are no enemies other than the Para Beetles, it's still good to be big in case you hit one of the Para Beetles (although if you do, you'll probably fall and die). So what I'm actually trying to say here is, don't use a power-up to start this level with (unless you're using a P-Wing). ADVANCE COIN #1: You don't even need to use the Para Beetles to get this. Just do a running jump to the right and you should get it easily. Land on the first cloud, and once the screen lets you, jump to the second one. Let a couple Para Beetles pass you, and then jump on one. If you're unfamiliar with how these things work, they go down a bit once you jump on them, but then they fly high at a relatively fast pace. ADVANCE COIN #2: With some tricky maneuvering (which you'll just have to work at to conquer), you will see the second Advance Coin in the air. Try to grab it as you're jumping from one beetle to the other, instead of making a special jump just for the coin. ADVANCE COIN #3: After a seemingly endless amount of Para Beetles and jumping higher and higher, you'll reach the third Advance Coin. You'll soon see two Para Beetles coming from the left side of the screen. Jump on the first one. Let the first one carry you to the top of the screen. He will then keep bouncing up and down. You'll need to do some minor D-Pad tapping to stay on him, but it shouldn't be too much of a burden. ADVANCE COIN #4: As long as you are following this guide, you'll get this Advance Coin automatically. You'll reach a series of blocks. Jump on top of it, and try to land just on the left edge of it. Just wait there for the screen to scroll a little more, once you see a new formation of blocks to the right, make a running jump for it (but be careful not to run too far!!) Let the screen scroll a little more, then jump on the Para Beetle that you DIDN'T jump on the first time. Keep jumping on it continuously to lower it. Once it's under the set of blocks, let the beetle rise just a little bit before you jump, but don't make it squish you under the blocks! Think of it as the last Para Beetle, where you had to tap the D-Pad, only now you're adding jumping to it. ADVANCE COIN #5: If you're able to survive, you should get this one without any problem! If you thought this was bad, you haven't seen anything yet! (Yeah, I prefer the grammatically correct version of the saying =P) You're now bombarded with a huge, fast-moving, and unforgiving set of Para Beetles. The fact that you will often go above the screen adds much frustration to it. This will probably take you many, many tries. If you're ever able to maneuver through this section, you'll reach a pipe -- hurray! Go through the pipe and it'll be a comfortingly familiar run to the end of the level! *** 3l. Airship's Revenge *** E-Card Number: PR Where To Get the E-Card: Packaged as a promotional special in the first shipment of games to American Wal-Mart stores Advance Coins: 5 Difficulty Level: 3/5 Description: "Don't let Rocky Wrench throw a wrench into your plans!" How To Beat Level: Defeat Boss (Morton Bowser Jr.) Walkthrough: This is a rather tough round, especially for a 3-star difficulty rating. This is the only e-Reader level so far that actually takes place on an airship for the entire level. The first ? block you reach is a power-up. If you're small, make sure you wait until the screen lets you see above the block so you can be sure to get the mushroom. ADVANCE COIN #1: Just beside where the power-up appears is your first Advance Coin! Now head to the left and you'll soon see another ? block -- another power-up. Go up and to the right, where the Rocky Wrench bad guy is. ADVANCE COIN #2: Right above Rocky Wrench is the second Advance Coin! Keep moving to the right, and you'll come across two fire blowers. Go past them and head down. ADVANCE COIN #3: Keep going down and Advance Coin #3 is right there! Continue to fall down until you reach a platform with long silver things (I like to call them "bolt tracks") on each side of it. From here, you'll want to jump to the right instead of just falling down. Keep moving right and you'll come across another power-up -- it's a raccon tail. I suggest not getting it if you have the Fire suit (you can use it to hit the Rocky Wrenches up ahead). Soon you'll be in the deadliest section of the round. With fire blowers and Rocky Wrenches all over the place, it's difficult to maneuver yourself safely. Everyone has a different strategy here, and this is a place where it's really difficult for someone to describe his strategy to another person, so find out what works for you. It's really not too bad, especially if you have a third-tier power-up (fire flower, raccoon tail). Once you reach the top section of this menacing area, you'll see four sets of bolts on the bottom of vertical "bolt tracks". ADVANCE COIN #4: Make sure you don't fall between the bolts as you jump for the fourth Advance Coin, which is easily in view - just make sure not to get hit by Rocky Wrench's wrench! Now jump to the left side and you're a little bit safer. ADVANCE COIN #5: This one makes up for all the simple Advance Coins so far in this round. You can probably see it on top of an upper section of the ship. Let the screen move a little to the left (while you move with it), so you have some running room, but not too much. Once you think there's a good amount of space, make a running jump to the top section and QUICKLY run over to grab the Advance Coin before it's out of view! After that, go back and keep moving left. There are a couple cannons and fire blowers, all easily dodgeable. Once you reach the left end of the screen, jump up the bolts and go through the pipe at the top. BOSS BATTLE (Morton Bowser Jr.) Morton is just like he is in the regular game. No tricks, stomps, or anything of that nature. The only thing to watch out for is the magic wand and Morton himself. Three hits is all it takes to do him in. Grab the magic wand and you beat the level! Well, that's all 12 e-Reader levels that currently exist! That's a total of 49 Advance Coins and 3 e-Coins. ************************** 4. World-e Mushroom Houses ************************** There are three mushroom houses in World-e: a blue one, a yellow one, and a red one. They all have locks by them. To unlock them, you must collect the Advance Coins scattered throughout the e-Reader levels. 30 Advance Coins: Unlocks Blue Mushroom House 50 Advance Coins: Unlocks Red Mushroom House 70(?) Advance Coins: Unlocks Yellow Mushroom House These are not your average mushroom houses, however. Instead of the regular "choose an item" screen, you are taken to a mini-game introduction screen (like the picture slot machine or card memory game). You are then taken to a mini-game. If you win the mini-game, you get an item. Blue Mushroom House: Digging Mini-game This is completely a game of chance. It takes Super Mario Bros 2-esque "inside-the-vase digging" and turns it into a neat mini-game. Basically you must first choose to dig on the right of left side. When you do that, you will fall to the next level where you must again choose to dig on the left or right side. Once again, after digging on your chosen side, you will fall. At this point, you will see if you have won. Either way, you need to do a little more digging to fall to the bottom. If you ended up in the right section, you can claim your prize. This game, thus, has a winning probability of 1 in 4. Red Mushroom House: ??? Yellow Mushroom House: ??? Since it takes 50 Advance Coins to unlock the red mushroom house, and there are only a total of 49 in the current e-Reader levels, it is unknown what mini-games are inside the red or yellow mushroom houses. ************************** 5. World-e Fortress ************************** When you enter the fortress, you will enter a display wall with a bunch of blue frames with circular outlines in them. This is where your e-Coins are stored. So far no one really knows if the fortress has any other purpose, or if you will ultimately unlock anything by collecting a certain amount of e-Coins. It can be assumed that, because the text "1F" appears upon entering the fortress, that there is more than one floor. The second floor could just be another display wall for more e-Coins, or it could be something else. Only time will tell... ************************** 6. Credits ************************** The main thanks for this FAQ is to CJayC. He is the one responsible for putting this up and letting you read it (hopefully!) I also want to give a quick thanks to jasonhill for all his help with discovering many things upon the game's release, such as the Walmart cards. And of course, a shout of appreciation is deserved for Nintendo, for porting what is undoubtedly one of the best video games of all times, and for taking the time to add e-Reader connectivity to it!