PM Post-Chapter 2 Part 2: Running Some Favours

We're starting here in Toad Town Tunnels. We're going to be spending a lot of time here as we progress.

This Stone Block covers a great deal of treasures.

But first, we have to fight a promised boss. Why do I have Heart Finder and Quake Hammer? Presumably, we're really at a premium on good Badges. We're not quite at the point of having more good Badges than BP to use it on.

Squiddy, the sequel!

This is an Electro Blooper. Electro Bloopers are electro-charged. Max HP: 50, Attack Power: 4, Defense Power: 0. A bit of advice: When they're emitting electricity, it'd be a smart move to avoid contact with 'em. If you can manage to damage 'em while they're emitting electricity, they'll go back to normal. Their attack power when they're emitting electricity is 6. Let's try to be careful, what do you say?

Electro Blooper (Lv. 50) will be the second Blooper you fight. If you didn't go get Shrink Stomp, this room would be guarded by Blooper, and going back for Shrink Stomp would have the Electro Blooper fight. Electro Blooper is almost as simple as Blooper was- it can stomp you or spray you with ink, both doing 4 damage. Its new technique is to gain an electric charge, before unleashing a stomp move that does 6 damage. This electric charge has an important role to play in the fight.

No other Mario game uses "Electro Blooper", nor can I think of any that even associate Blooper with electricity.

Electro Blooper is most weak to Shrink and Stop (80%, -1 turns). If you can land it, Dizzy doesn't have the turn penalty, but it's 60%.

I think this is an emulation glitch. Any time an enemy gets electrocuted (by Zap Tap or other means), a square surrounding the enemy glows, rather than just the enemy. I'm just used to it.

(Despite the size of the hitbox, Electro Blooper is still shrunk, so his 2 Atk is being blocked by Damage Dodge.)

It's sad to say that the +3 Atk is boosting us up to 4 + 4. Mario's Jump is still worth 1 + 1, and Goombario will be doing most of the damage.

With Zap Tap on, I would rather he physically attack me and take one recoil than ink me. Although the fact I'm bad at blocking it isn't a horrible reason.

2 + 2 is our main damage.

Here's Electro Blooper charging himself up. While charged, it's harder to status him- he's immune to Stop and has halved chances on Sleep and Dizzy, although Shrink only goes down to 70%.

He is also going to damage you for one damage and end your attack early if you try and land a contact hit. With Zap Tap on, Mario is immune to this, and can contact damage him with no concerns. Shell Shot's got you covered without Badges- if you're good at landing Sky Dive, Parakarry is probably the way to go.

That stung.

Got one!

Power Rush gave me an extra 2 damage per hit, which would have won me the fight had I hit that Action Command.

Instead, I had to finish up next turn. Without Power Rush, this battle wasn't meaningfully changed. I do use it better later.

Our reward is the Star Points and this button. Those panels in the back also look pretty conspicuous. You might have recognised them around the world.

They're about to come into play.

These three pipes allow us to cross the Mushroom Kingdom with ease, taking us (from right to left) to Goomba Village, Koopa Village and Dry Dry Outpost. All from the one room.

We've got a few bits of business in Goomba Village, starting with Goompapa's mail.

I bet Goombario is pulling out his Game Boy Colour right about now.

Not a reaction that Paper Mario fans would disagree with.

Goompapa's letter starts a chain of letters, taking you from hither and thither all over the Mushroom Kingdom. The ultimate reward for delivering all this mail is better than a single Star Piece, at least, although it's worth mentioning we can't beat it until Chapter 7- one of the participants lives there.

Koopa Village's pipe is right next to Koopa Koot's house!

Finally, we can turn in Luigi's autograph.

Oh, that gives nightmares...

"Unique treasures" about Luigi's autograph. He'd probably feel good about it, at least.

Yay.

Starting the Chapter 2 favours, we begin with Koopa Koot's lost wallet.

That's a pretty reasonable favour, all told.

Despite Kooper's mother being a character that exists, these Bob-ombs are squatting in his house uncontested.

Oddly, Kooper has no reaction to this situation. He doesn't even say "sure, you can crash at my place".

Sounds pretty open-and-shut to me. She doesn't like you, get over it. Reminder that you are squatting and I have the house's true owner with me.

I have absolutely no idea why Bombette isn't interested. /s.

It is impressive, how pathetic you are.

Bombette's even nice enough to offer a suggestion.

Oh, blow up.

Koot's wallet is, as he hinted, in a bush just beneath the radio Koopa's house. They're kinda making a bit of a punchline about how much he's worried about missing an empty wallet. Then again, maybe someone else got to it first? Little harder to blame Koot for his one coin prizes, though.

"Mort T. of Koopa Village" can only describe the proprietor of the Toad House.

Glad to hear it. Where's she live, by the way? This seems like a long distance relationship, but I'm not sure when you go back to visit her.

Being the mailman is rewarding work.

Now to return a loose sack that I hope was empty when Koot lost it.

...That doesn't really feel natural, although it is an expression we have an equivalent for.

And yes, he rewards us one coin. Honestly about what I'd expect for returning a wallet anyway.

For his next ask, he wants a Tasty Tonic. He claims it's a common item for sale, and while it is available in two shops (one of which we can access), it's more of a Tayce T. item than anything.

There's one hidden in Dry Dry Desert, next to the oasis, or you could make one from a Lemon or Lime.

I used the Dry Dry Desert one.

I think he's talking about Piranha Plants, although the fish kind are the ones that pour.

You asked for it. Although yes, I did happen to magically have one on me through the power of checking a guide.

It's 5 coins to buy it from Harry's shop in Toad Town, and 2 coins from a shop a little further into the game.

Of course he does.

Soon as I can.

This room of three warp pipes is the best place to grind Chuck Quizmo. Since warping from one town to another triggers his respawn, you can check him in Goomba Village (1 check), Koopa Village (3 checks on 2 screens) and Dry Dry Desert (3 checks on 2 screens, but longer than Koopa Village). Now that I have access to this, I'll be keeping on top of my Quizmos.

Meanwhile, in the desert...

Remember this terrible lyricist composer?

We have an excellent lyricist but so-so composer who wants your help.

This is the greatest way to commission someone. Try it in real life! (Don't.)

They don't actually share these Lyrics, which is probably for the best. I doubt any of the writers are as good a lyricist as this line claims of Simon, especially considering the lyrics we do hear him recite.

Wow, not only is he a good composer, he's able to compose without playing any instruments!

Don't worry, we have one of those. Although I admire your guts saying "I don't know if this music can ever be heard the way I intended it, so long."

Let's see what Pop Diva can make of this.

...Right after I investigate the other side of this room.

Do you wanna build a Snowman Doll? Four damage to all enemies, and also does elemental damage to fiery stuff. You'll want one in your inventory for one boss in particular. Preferably two, but I usually beat him with just one. (I still bring two.)

Beyond that room, we have this one. There are three exits to this room: West, east and south.

This is a Spiked Gloomba. They're Spiked Goombas who live in the Toad Town Tunnels. Max HP: 7, Attack Power: 3, Defense Power: 0. Be careful of the spiked hats they wear. It'll definitely hurt if you jump on 'em.

Starting in the west, Spiked Gloomba (Lv. 12) is filling out a vital service in being something around our level worth fighting. He's as original to Paper Mario as Spiked Goomba and Gloomba themselves were. There's also Buzzy Beetles in here- they usually have a few enemies from an appropriate chapter to add some variety.

I went for him first. Zap Tap doesn't block damage, but it's worth it when it kills the guy.

Buzzy Beetles, like Kooper, don't land contact damage, so they don't get affected by Zap Tap. Zap Tap is kinda underwhelming in practice, since there's a lot of non-contact damage running around- especially in the scary areas- but whenever you can benefit from it, it's amazing.

This is a Paragloomba. Paragloombas are nasty winged Gloombas who make their home in the Toad Town Tunnels. Max HP: 7, Attack Power: 2, Defense Power: 0. Just like Paragoombas, Paragloombas lose their wings when attacked, then they fall and become Gloombas.

Paragloombas (Lv. 11) are even less interesting than the Spiked ones. I can full block these guys and they'll take the hit in return.

But this fight in general doesn't look like one I want to be in long.

When it works, Lullaby is an excellent boon for managing the amount of damage you're due. (Paragloomba and Spiked Gloomba have 70% Sleep, Buzzy Beetle 90%. Most regular enemies are somewhere in that zone).

The scary enemies are zoned out and the not-scary one is finishing himself off.

This is also a good chance to Quake Hammer and knock over the Buzzy Beetles, just to be even more annoying for them.

...Excuse me, they weren't attacking me, I didn't need the Defence.

Knock down a spring and we find Power Smash (1 BP). For 2 FP, you do a Hammer attack worth around +2 Atk- yes, this is just Power Jump, but for Hammers.

To go east, you have to wait on this platform to drop it and raise the other one. Despite kinda being based on a scale system, those two Spiked Goombas scripted to walk off it don't seem to have any influence on its weight. Mario a-feeling bad about all that pasta he ate in Dry Dry.

The east side has some platforming.

Hold on, I've gotta deal with this first, though.

Although considering I can perfect-block Paragloombas (yes, you can block First Strikes) and I have Zap Tap, that doesn't seem too bad.

Anyway, if you go up the elevator, you can Parakarry across for a Star Piece.

And what happens if we keep going up?

Secret room. Keep going up an elevator in 1-2 in SMB1, you find the first Warp Zone. They seem to love having this secret appear in some fashion.

Nothing up here, but a way down for a secret.

Got my revenge!

Down here happens to be the last Super Block I need to have everyone upgraded. Dizzy Shell, Power Bomb, Headbonk and Shell Shot are now all online.

To leave this room, you use a Warp Pipe that comes out in the room you started in.

So much for blocking these.

I can't reach this heart, it's just slightly too high. Get back down here you-

South, meanwhile, has absolutely nothing for us except a Buzzy Beetle encounter. And foreshadowing for later.

Anyway, now we're done exploring, I think we had a question for Merluvlee?

Despite her beauty attracting a lot of admirers around Toad Town, apparently Merluvlee hasn't had any issues with people trying to actually act on it.

Merluvlee realises she can get a favour of her own done.

Merlee has a Crystal Ball Merluvlee would like to have retrieved. I think she's the only one to specify she's in the back alley.

Muss T. is this Toad besides Peach's Castle. Imagine how bad this letter chain goes if he was standing a few steps to the left.

Get used to it, Parakarry.

...How old are you? (How old do Toads get?)

Here we go again.

And now we're heading to Koopa Village. Interesting escalation, if we could get this started before Chapter 2.

Everyone wishes the same of their mail.

This guy is Koover. Could've been worse. Could've been one of the random ones in the bushy area.

Koover's been thinking of setting something up with all his friends, and he's glad to notice Muss T. is on the same page.

I'll take your word for it. I prefer a little more feedback from my hobbies.

Anyway, now he knows everyone's game, time to figure out the logistics. This must've been hell before the internet was released to the public and this whole process could be done in a day.

Call him Fishmael. Legitimately, I don't think he actually has a name in the original JP version: he's just "the fishing guy" there. He's the weird not-Mario creature with a fishing rod in port.

But since I'm down in the Tunnels, might as well pick this up, too.

That was easy.

Oh yeah, this Stone Block.

Despite having Parakarry out, you legitimately can just jump on top of it from that Brick Block if you move precisely enough.

You can even hit the block that the Stone Block is guarding, although I had to break out Bombette to do so- couldn't find it with my hammer.

For your satisfaction, here is the block being smashed anyway.

Fishmael is trying to use this... "caterpillar" as bait. I'm actually kinda surprised they don't use Wiggler for this, but I suppose Wiggler isn't usually this small.

Also Wigglers don't typically have an attitude problem, anger issues nonetheless.

You know how Fishmael isn't named in JP? That comes through here.

Fishmael is on the fishing team.

No fishing minigames. Leave me out of this.

And back to Koover it is.

For the luvva fishes...

Anyway, while we're in port, we can deliver this, too.

Simon seems to think the music is good, although we don't really have an way to play it for him.

Even Chanterelle can read the sheet music.

Pop Diva is a little worried about not living up to it, but we've got nothing better to attempt.

Time to give it a go.

The bartender walks in out of nowhere and plays the guitar for no real reason other than "he could". There's an extended segment where Pop Diva sings, but no vocals (I think it's a little early for those, although there was a bunch of Pokemon spinoffs saying otherwise). It's actually a pretty good tune, too.

...I've never heard of "crank" used in that context.

We managed... something good.

And in reward, we get the Attack FX D Badge (0 BP) and Pop Diva will show up on the radio sometimes. Not much, but it's there.

I also cook a Nutty Cake, because it occurs to me I'll need one in the near future and I won't have another chance before then. It's going right into storage until then.

Here's your Crystal Ball.

It doesn't get put on the table to replace the tetrahedron.

...Actually, I don't think that's a tetrahedron, there's a few more triangle shapes.

...What are you planning on doing?

Anyway, here you go.

Jungle Fuzzies are a recolour of Fuzzies. Funnily enough, not even the next one.

...If it's any consolation, I think this is the last time this happens. Still, I did not need three of them in the first few rounds.

And at least this is one of the good ones this time.

For these repeats, Parakarry is a bit more informal with the names. There's a few where it's the same NPC.

Fortunately, this is not our problem.

...Mr. E is in this fishing party? It's a little ambiguous (and this is the letter that gets us out of the fishing subplot), but I'm fairly sure we're supposed to take that as him being on the fishing team.

Mr. E is a Dryite, and unlike Koover himself, he's fairly recognisable by sight.

He's this guy, to be specific.

...Never mind, he's just a delivery guy. Although what he's delivering to a fishing team from the desert is beyond me. Exotic bait?

We're taken out of the fishing sidestory and into this order thing. Although, considering something we're going to learn, maybe this guy is on the fishing team after all...

We've got to go back to Toad Town.

Huh, I don't think I've talked to these three yet. Miss T. is this yellow one, and it does matter for the purpose of this chain.

I think this is just superstition. Bowser has not given any thought, positive or negative, to the wishes of other people. Letting them go ungranted is a positive to him, but mostly he wants his own wishes granted.

Honestly, same. But I have something different in mind for them.

Anyway, mail call!

Yeah, Mr. E wasn't a merchant. This casts doubt on the "I'm a merchant for Koover" story, but the question instead becomes why he lied to us about it. I mean, we're the mailman, we might judge him for his life choices, but we're under no obligation to deny him in spite of that.

Miss T. is taking deliveries from Dry Dry Outpost. I... would rather not know why Mr. E knows that.

It's a skincare routine. I mean, I'm sure the desert people have that figured out. Mousers and Dryites don't have much exposed skin, but it would come in handy.

Miss T.'s actual supplier is the guy running the shop.

And he's a big fan of her wallet.

...Apparently Tasty Tonics are the key. Possibly. Probably not- Miss T. could buy locally if those would do.

And this is the story of why we're not finishing this now. There's three letters to people I can't find now, each from progressively later and later chapters.

We can get to this one soon, but we've got more coming later. We'll take this slow. Now then... time for some Quizmo!

Simple. Although since this is a Prologue question, it does somewhat bluntly say "we'll be upgrading your Hammer entirely"- although the grey blocks aren't exactly hiding it.

I assume "Jump" and "Dive" are supposed to make you think of Headbonk. Headbonk is technically neither, despite functioning as one or both.

These sorts of questions irk me on some level, but if you just did the chapter, the answers are less horrible than if you're coming back this far in the future. That is, if you get enough Chuck Quizmo spawns- I highly doubt you can until now.

Depends a little on your definition of "left", but this is the only real answer that fit.

They really need another window. If the pants thing was awkward, this one's just cruel to be cruel.

And then we go from that to this. Dr. Goomba became a thing for a mobile Dr. Mario game to make you spend money on, not a funny RPG character. Not that I think there's much humour to milk from a Dr. Goomba.

This is the fun kind of trick question, though. Luigi wears green, but his pants, specifically, are blue.

Well, his overalls. Not sure those are pants.

Goompa, Gooma, Goompapa, Goomama, Goombaria, and Goombario himself. Questions of this nature are annoyingly tricksy about whether they count the original, but that's not really this game's fault.

...I don't want to ask about number 1.

I kinda wish it was Smarr T. Not sure who Toace T. could be, though- obviously something related to the volcano level.

Moving into Chapter 1-specific questions, this one's pretty obvious- you don't need to use the third one for anything if you're not into real-time things, but both screens have three houses and you can't really miss that.

This is a question that might be relevant to people thinking of the Ninja Turtles- since there is a blue one and no black one- but it might also be a colour-blindness issue too. Black might look a little navy if you don't look too closely, and it's not like they keep calling him Black.

I'm told, in a manga adaptation of Paper Mario, that they expanded on Kooper's character by making him a former member of the Koopa Bros. That would make this question awful.

If you didn't go to the shop, you might not know this one, but the price for Mushrooms hugs 3-5 no matter which shop you're buying at, so it's an easy guess.

Imagine having to wait until Bowser's Castle. Apparently she doesn't "live" in town, though.

The one time you get two partners in a Chapter, and they make this question trickier as a result. I'm sure Bombette would have choice words if I got it wrong in front of her.

Surprising to think most people don't really notice the hair on the design? He's mostly green and yellow, but his hair is red.

It'd be cool if this was a Chapter 2 question by design, since it would be ambiguous wording on "how many do you still need". That question would age poorly, though, so of course they mean seven.

Old Koop wouldn't be an awful name. It also doesn't make him a punchline, which is nice.

This is another interesting question in the Japanese version. The top option, Nokotaro, was also used for a party member in TTYD. (The correct option in JP is "Nokojiro").

I'm not sure if thirteen Bob-ombs not realising they can blow up the wall is funnier or dumber.

Kolorado is almost never found there, but the alternatives aren't exactly winning any prizes for distracting.

And onto Chapter 2, an easy one. The train might've made decent fast travel, but the pipes might be even more convenient.

Merlow sells Badges, but in Shooting Star Summit and for alternative currency.

He stole Princess Peach from her castle. Also debates about whether she's a treasure, but details.

You probably weren't paying attention, since it's such a useless house. Blue it is.

He idolises both, but yeah, you're supposed to think Kolorado. I think we can change his mind.

Making sure you're keeping an eye on which wizard you're talking about. The location is a huge giveaway, though- they have separate locations.

Neither appears in Dry Dry Ruins at all, although I wish Moustafa did. "Mummy Man" might be a DQ reference

Cards, that's Paper Mario: Colour Splash you're thinking of. Coins would be such a waste, though. Those are much easier to get even without save-stating Jump Attack.

The other two are supposed to know to be good at their jobs. Goombario wouldn't be much help if he knew, while Kolorado is just dumb. Sorry, Kooper, but it's the truth.

Weirdly, the next question doesn't have much to do with Chapter 3- and is actually pertinent to Chapter 4. I suspect it's kept until then for that reason.

At any rate, with our newfound wealth of Star Pieces... we can afford anything. Well, one anything.

This one will do. Universal Atk ups are pretty rare. This Badge is probably never coming off.

Figured I might as well get this with the leftovers. I know what I want to use this on, not sure I'll remember to do it, though.

This is just for fun. I'm not bothering to equip this.

Anyway, it's about time we give a try to the Dojo's next round. Probably should've gone Power Smash, but meh. Power Jump isn't a great technique when you star Power Plussing.

We've gotta fight Lee this time.

He's rather enthusiastic about it.

So what's his special trick?

Super-ultra-presto-TRANSFORMO!

This is Lee, of the Dojo. He's training under The Master and is happy to fight us. Max HP: 20, Attack Power: 5, Defense Power: 0. He has mastered the art of disguise, so don't let it faze you when he suddenly mirrors us. Remember, he can't stay disguised forever. Don't let his strange tactics throw you off guard, no matter how many times he transforms.

Lee (Lv. 1) is a Duplighost, an enemy we'll see more of later, and their thing is transforming into you. Lee (and Duplighosts) can only transform into your Partners in this game.

It's Lee disguised as me. His Max HP is 20. Do I really look like that? No way... He'll use Headbonk and Tattle. He has the same skills as me. Of course, I'm much better looking and more debonair. And I hope that I'm stronger!

This is Lee disguised as Kooper. His Max HP is 20. Lee has disguised himself as Kooper perfectly, so his attack power is the same as Kooper's usual power. Just like Kooper, he attacks with his shell. If you flip him over, you'll beat him with ease. Incidentally, Lee's red scarf and wristband look cooler than Kooper's. ...Don't tell Kooper I said that, though.

This is Lee disguised as Bombette. His Max HP is 20. Lee has disguised himself as Bombette perfectly, so his attack power is the same as Bombette's usual power. Sure, he looks cute as Bombette, but he packs a punch!

This is Lee disguised as Parakarry. His Max HP is 20. Lee has disguised himself as Parakarry perfectly, so his attack power is the same as Parakarry's usual power. He's usually slow, but once he's in battle, he's a whirlwind of feet and feathers. He's a sight to behold in the heat of battle. To tell the truth, I think he's the most intimidating one on our team!

If you Tattle Lee while he's in disguise, you get unique Tattles for each form he can assume, including those of later partners. I really like his Tattles for partners 6 and 8, but no point in delaying the match that far. I waited this long for Parakarry's- for Goombario's high opinion on Parakarry's use in battle. Also his comment on Kooper is funny.

Incidentally, while transformed, Lee's only abilities are the ones that do not cost FP- Headbonk, Tattle, Shell Toss, Body Slam and Sky Dive. It will have the power that matches yours based on current Rank.

All Partners have 0 Defence except the Koopa Troopas. Kooper has 1 Def and has proper shell-flipping mechanics, while Parakarry has 1 Def and will never get knocked out of the air like a Paratroopa might. Number 6 has her own tricks (which is part of why I wanted to talk about her Tattle), but no Defence.

We've just got to deal with that point of Def for trying this out. Wondering if Parakarry had shell-flipping mechanics was another reason I wanted to wait to check out. Lee is pretty easy to deal with, especially if you have Kooper as your partner.

Beat him up enough, and he transforms back.

Lee's default attack is pretty powerful. Honestly, stronger than any party member at this point, although it is contact. If you let Lee-as-Kooper attack, he pierces Zap Tap if you have it.

That's better.

And a Defence buff...

For him transforming. Yes, this uses a turn. We're not benefitting from that spell.

Now we have hostile Goombario.

I used a second Tattle, but mostly to pass Goombario's turn. There's something to bring up.

Lee totally does pass his own turn to Tattle. It doesn't do anything for him, but it's cool to see Mario Tattled.

Too strong for you, Mr. Perfect Duplicate Of Me.

...How much training can he do when his whole thing is that he's as good as his opponent?

We now have a card with another sticker.

Anyway, that's enough checking out literally every other part of town.

Time to check on our hapless guard.

You can catch a little bit of it just as its leaving the screen. I managed to get the tail end.

"I have successfully spotted a threat!" Less good at keeping it out of town, but...

Good luck when it comes to Boos. Mario can't do anything to them in the platformers but hit them with a Starman.

They also don't tend to stick around long when you look at them.

Kinda makes it tricky to pull off a conventional scare, but they are masters of the gaslighting variety.

On the other hand, this Boo is dressed up like a butler.

Now then, who wants to go ghost-busting?

Not him. His loss.

It is now time to set foot in this forest ourselves. I'd say I barely feel more prepared, but I do have a secret weapon this time...

Once you get close enough into the forest that it stops being Toad Town, you get a little scene.

So much for all the hauntings. Boos love to scare, but this group wants to meeet Mario on friendy terms. Fice T., on the other hand? No mercy.

His master is female. I don't think they try too hard to keep this a secret, I'm just commenting on the fact he didn't go for the gendered title.

Remember how Kammy said Tubba Blubba's Star Spirit got away? I think we have a lead on that. Funny how Twink didn't come to tell us about it, though.

He says that.

I love how the butler loves scaring as much as any Boo, despite being as tidy as a butler might be expected to be. I'm coming, I'm coming. (Also, the partner not reacting at all to the jump-scare.)

Next time: Forever Forest.