PM Post-Chapter 6: Hidden Secrets

So, what's Peach going to get up to this time?

It's time to pull out the disguise umbrella.

Sounds good!

Unfortunately, it doesn't work on Twink. This is mainly because he's a party follower and the game doesn't put as much into making party followers have presence in the world as NPCs. Besides, I think this is just a disguise umbrella, Peach is hardly going to adopt Twink's physics.

Despite the fact that the far Koopatrol should be able to spot you if you try and sneak up on the rear one, these guys won't spot you unless you talk to them.

Making it easy to tag them.

The Koopa Troop has been hard at work since last time we checked their pulse.

And the news does not look good.

With our newfound freedom of access, we can walk into this room, and-

Paper Mario Chapter 6: Dark Times in Flower Fields

Chapter 6 is a much different chapter from the rest. Or well, perhaps it borrows from Chapter 4 in all the wrong ways.

Getting into Flower Fields, we understand immediately what our objective is- grow a beanstalk that'll get us to Cloudy Climb to fight Huff N. Puff. While the first two objectives are relatively easy, the Miracle Water requires a long, extensive fetch quest. Flower Fields is considered the dullest chapter in the game, and this is the major reason why. Only the Miracle Water is really as bad as people make it out, but it is still far longer and more tedious than it needs to be, not helped by how obviously chokey the design of the Fields are and how narrow the passages to avoid enemies are. And, of course, TTYD is infamous for a backtracking-intensive area with narrow passages swarming with Crazee Dayzees...

After finding the Miracle Water, the last objective to restore the Sun finally- finally- introduces Lakilester, the final party member. Not only is he really late in the chapter- only Bombette and Watt compete, and Bombette at least had Kooper to compensate- but arriving in Chapter 6 doesn't really allow Spike to make his mark. Which is a shame, because he had a pretty interesting story, buried under the less interesting parts with more focus. Spike is a victim of peer pressure, and the fact Huff does actually have a coolness factor makes this a story I'd like to see written here in Mario, even if I've probably seen it before. It would've fit the tone of the game pretty well, and it's far better than whatever they have with Lakilulu.

Huff N. Puff, that factor with the coolness in the music aside, is also not nearly as developed as he's been talked up to be. He put clouds in the sky that threatened the lives of the entire Flower Fields- yes, those stakes aren't normal for Mario. With that said, he loses his luster when you consider TTYD and SPM both raise the stakes, meaning "choking the sunlight out of plants" seems as small time as all the other villains are, doing things like erupting a volcano, stealing random stuff, eating ghosts and whatever the Koopa Bros. thought was mischief. Yes, Huff has the highest stakes of the story, but much like with the peer pressure possibilities, the game barely seems to consider the fact- and then there's Rosie who's happy to let it happen to satisfy her vanity. Huff, meanwhile, just doesn't have time to make personal appearances. Which is such a waste- Huff is a hive mind of some description, you could have him fly around to gloat with his Ruff Puffs. And hey, it's not like they look that different from Lakitu clouds...

Mechanically, Flower Fields isn't that interesting. These enemies have teched up, and one hit killing anything that isn't the Bzzap! is an ordeal that's not worth springing for. Spike could've been a helpful aid, with his cheap-ish AoE attack, but by the time he shows up, you really don't need to fight much of anything. The backtracking, and inventory management for the Berries, is free to eclipse what combat there is. I suppose it's meant to be a breather between 5 and 7, but with enemies like Crazees and Bzzap!, it's never going to accomplish that. It's a chapter that wants to be a few things that it isn't, and in the process ignoring a few better ideas it could've gone for instead.

PM Chapter 6 Part 2: Bringing the Chill

Right, time to get the sun to rise on this land of flowers.

Not enough sun does that to a person, especially a flower.

...The sun is male? I always though the sun was female in Paper Mario. Most myths about the sun and moon typically make the sun male and the moon female, but I think I've seen the inverse.

...Wait a second, you guys have your own sun? I mean, I guess Super Mario Bros. 3 set precedent with the Angry Sun enemy, but wow.

Of course he does.

The Bubble Berry will allow us to head on over to the north-west.

...In a manner of speaking.

PM Chapter 6 Part 1: Tending to the Garden

This chapter took that literally. Flower Fields is being besieged by the clouds.

Welcome to Flower Fields's central lobby.

And meet our main guide through the fields, the very tree we just crawled out of.

Which means we're going to help you with your problem!

Wise Wisterwood is also the only talking tree, although there's plenty in the way of flowers.

We already have an objective. I always like knowing my objectives ahead of time.

(We are largely going to brush aside the question of why clouds are being treated as the antagonist, when rain is as essential for flower growth as sunlight. Huff is never treated as anything less than evil here.)

Turns out he means this quite literally. It's amusing. If it wasn't so perilous.

I love how much they stick to the idea that Mario is only interested in helping because it will end with him getting a Star Spirit. Some hero.

And also save their lives. Possibly. They seem to think so, but they don't really treat it as such.

Our main obstacle is getting to Puff. We know exactly what he is, but Mario can only jump so high. Even Luigi's not getting up there.

Fortunately, we have a plan that might allow us to get that height.

PM Post-Chapter 5 Part 2: Lady Bow's Fury

For the next step, I'm going to need some Cake Mix. I feel like putting Cake Mix somewhere more easily accessible was a huge step in making cooking in TTYD and SPM feel more fun.

The Kooky Cookie can also be made with a Koopa Leaf, not sure why I used a Maple on it. Probably because there wasn't much reason to go in and out of Koopa Village this time.

Koopa Koot's first favour is to find his glasses somewhere in the village. Once again, something you'd expect an old man to ask as something short and easy to do.

Although perhaps not to the exclusion of everything else. Then again, since the task is so small, there's no real point to trying to multitask something else in.

Not to worry. This time (and only this time), him not being home is not his fault.

...OK, he could've used the Toad Town Tunnels, but I'll take the game at its word that only Mario able to get through that OK.

Some things never change.

...I'm asking you.

This Koopa proves a little more informative. Kent C. Koopa has a weakness to Sleep- although it's somehow only 80% (with +1 timer).

Glasses are in this bush right at the entrance of town.

Another weak point! This sounds obvious, but it is actually not so.

There's a third weakness that doesn't seem to be mentioned by any of the Koopas in Koopa Village, and it's one of those things that's so obscure I had never been told it was a weakness until after I did the fight.