As an old, suitcase-shaped friend of Mario’s used to say, “BACK TO ADVENTURE!”
In the next room, we find Starlow, whom I’ll refer to as ‘Chippy’ from now on. It’s easier to remember, more fun to read, and the guy who made the manual did it as well. The poor thing’s trapped on the ceiling by some kind of parasite. By the cry of “That’s not how you should treat a lady” that she cries out, I assume I can safely eliminate ‘male’ when it comes to determining her/its gender. After an Emoglobin tells me that those disgusting tube-shaped things that are a part of Bowser’s body can be used as pipes, I use said pipes to free Chippy from the creature...which turns into a Goomba and attacks.
Apparently, it’s called a ‘Goombule’, as I learn in battle. I guess Bowser thinks of his troops as more than meat shields, if even his genetic structure is based off of them. Chippy tries to teach me how to counter attacks and how to use items in battle; I ignore the second one because I’m greedy when it comes to Mushrooms. After a curb-stomp fight, Chippy also mentions the ‘Flee’ command, AKA ‘The button I’ll only press if my thumb slips’. Once that’s done with, the path to the next room appears. Before I proceed, I head back to the last room and save. I then head through the room Chippy was held hostage in, enter the new room, and find…a save point. Well, those are twenty seconds I’ll never get back…
As I keep on going through these 2-D passages, I fight a few more enemies, gain a couple of items in random encounters and ? Blocks, and find an Emoglobin that I could’ve used to heal myself completely if I wasn’t still at full health. It’s probably for the best that I didn’t take up its offer; last thing I need is Bowser cooties over Mario’s skin. After a bit more side scrolling, I find Luigi, who cries manly tears of joy after I free him from the amoeba he was stuck in. I’m just going to assume that Mario got stuck in Bowser’s larynx for a while, since Luigi was inhaled AFTER Mario, and thus wouldn’t have been found until this deep into the dungeon if Mario hadn’t been held up somewhere along the line.
The amoeba that held Luigi splits into two Goombules, and Chippy tells me how to jump on enemies on the field to get an advantage in the proceeding fight scene. Thing’s a little too late for that; I’ve stomped on every last random encounter on the way here, and I think I’ve got the technique down pat. In battle, both brothers get dinged up a bit; now that I’ve got both Bros. in the party, the enemies start giving off signs as to which one they’ll attack, and I completely misinterpret them. Thankfully, Chippy provides the advice I need to figure out the little pests’ movements, and I pull off a victory. Following that, Luigi gets bonked on the head by Chippy in a small cut scene that immediately leads to unlocking the Start Menu and Map options. I’m also asked if I want to learn how to use items from the menu, but again, I don’t want to waste one of my 8 valuable Mushrooms just to practice something I’m firmly aware of!
In the next room, there’s yet another save point. I doubt they’ll be this frequent after we’ve moved past this stage of the game, of course. Somewhere around the middle of the room, I manage to advance Mario up all the way from Level 1 to Level 2! I’m so proud of myself! All of his stats go up, and when the roulette comes, I choose to upgrade his Stache points. This stat improves critical hit rate, gives you discounts in stores, and improves your luck in scratch card games. Plus, my chances at getting a high number for the other stats stink right now. Stache gets a +3 bonus, which I’m happy with.
As I exit that room, I get my first Syrup Jar item. I forgot to check what it does, but I bet it has something to do with the SP points I haven’t learned how to use yet. The next room has…wait, I know! Let’s make a game out of this! VIEWERS! Out of the following, which do you think I found in the room?
A) A Tutorial
B) A Save Point
C) A Boss Fight
D) Princess Peach
E) Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
F) Both ‘C’ and ‘D’
If you guessed ‘A’, you win an imaginary one hundred points and win the game! And if you guessed anything else, I’ll still give you 100 points; I feel like being generous today. Anyways, it’s an Emoglobin that tells me to press both the A and B buttons as I progress forwards; otherwise, at least one brother will not jump when he’s supposed to, causing me to either get stuck on a staircase. After the staircase come some pits with acid in them. The Emoglobin tells me that I’ll grow three moustache sizes if I can cross it successfully, so now I’m scared that my head will become too heavy for the rest of my body to hold up. Thankfully, my facial hair remains the same after completing the task; instead, the Emoglobin ‘sweats from his eyes’ (for the record, EWW!) and says he’s proud of me. Next room has an elevator which needs both brothers to be operated, followed by a room with a save point.
And that’s the end of this update. After I post the next, I think I’ll stop…for HAMMER TIME! That’s right; there’s a box o’ hammers just next to the save point, and I’ll be sure to find out how to open it up soon!
Mario’s Stats: Level 2, 27 Max HP, 12 Max SP, 22 Pow, 18 Def, 18 Spd, 24 Stache
Luigi’s Stats: Level 1, 30 Max HP, 9 Max SP, 16 Pow, 19 Def, 10 Spd, 30 Stache
