Part 4: Tadpole Pond and Rose Way

Main Walkthrough

Rose Town

Upon arrival in Rose Town you'll immediately discover that all is not well in this tiny burg. Arrows will strike the ground at regular intervals as you explore Rose Town, and if you happen to be standing in the wrong spot when one lands Mario will be paralyzed for a few moments. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless.

Your first stop will likely be in the Inn, in the west. Upon entering you'll find a little Toad playing with his toys, and after you prove Mario's credentials (a jump will do) he'll be forced to join the game. It doesn't last for long, and you get a night's sleep out of the deal. You also get your first look at a new party member, though he doesn't join right away.

Once all that is done you can have a look around Rose Town. There are things to collect.

  • On the east side of Rose Town is the item shop. There are two vendors here who can upgrade Mario and Mallow's armor. You can also buy a Fearless Pin here, if you worry about the Fear status ailment, though it is a bit pricey.
  • If you jump onto the shelves in the upper-left corner of the Item Shop you can hop around to find a hidden chest. The chest contains a Frog Coin.
  • If you check the outside of the Item Shop you'll find a stack of crates on the right that you can clmb to reach the roof. Treat the chimney like a pipe and you'll drop down inside the shop, beside a chest. The chest contains a Flower.
  • In the north of Rose Town is a man who's trying to get back into his house. Jump onto his head and use it to reach the house. A button on the second floor will trigger stairs to let the Toad inside. There are two chests in the house, and if you open them before letting the man back inside they will contain Flowers. If you wait until after you hit the button, however, they'll have Coins instead. Stealing the Toad's treasures will earn you a small confrontation, though nothing serious. Whether you snagged the Flowers or not (which you should) the Toad will share a secret about an upcoming area.
  • While you're in the house with the button, check the bed. If you bounce on it you'll collide with an invisible chest containing a Frog Coin.
That's all for Rose Town, at least for now. Next stop, the Forest Maze.

Forest Maze

Enemies

  • Amanita - 52 HP - Weak to Fire
  • Buzzer - 43 HP - Weak to Jump, Lightning
  • Guerilla - 135 HP - Weak to Fire
  • Octolot - 99 HP - Weak to Jump, Fire
  • Rat Funk - 32 HP - Weak to Fire
  • Wiggler - 120 HP - Weak to Lightning

The first thing you'll find in the Forest Maze is a Mushroom, sitting to the side of the main path. Grab it, then check west of here, in the corner of the clearing, to find a hidden chest containing a KeroKero Cola. There's another Mushroom in the area to the northwest, near a log that serves as a pipe. A Wiggler will wander out of and around the log, and if you hop onto it and bop its head you'll receive a coin. Do this long enough and the Wiggler will eventually drop a Frog Coin. The Wiggler gets faster when bopped, so you'll have a tough time keeping up.

Entering the log will drop you into a cave. There's another Mushroom to the east, as well as an Amanita that looks like a Mushroom but will come to life at the last second. The same goes for the rest of the Mushrooms in this passage. Watch your step if you're trying to avoid battles. Keep going east until you find a springboard. It will pop you back outside, and if you check to the left of the log pipe you'll find a hidden chest containing a Frog Coin.

The next major area you'll come across has seven log pipes, arranged in two rows. You won't know what's inside them unless you check them all out:

  • Bottom-right: Enemies, hidden chest containing a Flower (jump in the middle of the spotlight on the ground to your left)
  • Bottom-left: Enemies
  • Middle-right: Enemies
  • Middle-left: Empty, hidden chest (north and a little bit to the left of the springboard, near the wall)
  • Top-right: Enemies
  • Top-left: Enemies
Hop into the northwestern-most log pipe once you've checked the rest. There's a napping Wiggler down here, and if you get close it will knock you back out of the cavern, revealing a pathway out of this area. Before you exit, jump back down to the cavern where you found the Wiggler. It is now gone, and if you check the air by its resting spot (upper-left corner of the cave) you'll find a hidden chest containing a Kerokero Cola.

Follow the newly-revealed path to find another log pipe. Head east through the next cavern, snagging the next Mushroom you find, until you reach a second area. The path splits here, and if you stick to the upper path you'll find another Mushroom as you head east. Both paths merge again at a springboard.


The springboard will bring you up to a path that leads to a save point, as well as a Mushroom. Check the corner of the path to the east of the save point, beside the exit, and you'll find a hidden chest containing a Red Essence.

Beyond here you'll find a series of identical-looking crossroad areas, each with four exits. To reach the end of the forest you need to take the proper paths, which, fortunately, are highlighted by a certain someone who is also wandering through the Forest Maze. Follow him (bottom-right exit, top-right exit, top-right exit, bottom-right exit, top-right exit, and top-left exit) and you'll have no trouble getting through. He doesn't appear in one area, so watch where the arrows land to determine where to go. If you get lost you can return usually to the entrance via the bottom-left exit.

Before you follow the odd stranger's path, however, there's a secret to be found. If you follow the directions given by the Toad in Rose Town - namely, upper-left exit, bottom-left exit, bottom-left exit, and top-left exit - you'll come to a log pipe. Inside the cavern below you'll find chests containing a Frog Coin, two Flowers, and two full health restores.

(Interesting fact: The treasures you receive in this secret area seem to vary based on what you said to the Toad who was locked out of his house in Rose Town. Apparently you'll even get a Frog Coin if you check this place before ever speaking to him. I recommend checking out this little forum entry for more details. That's a lot of programming work for such small rewards.)

Reach the end of the Forest Maze and you'll discover the architect of all the arrows peppering Rose Town. Naturally, he wants to fight.

Bowyer

HP: 720

A loony in bow form, Bowyer is an odd duck. His moves are not especially powerful, but he has a special ability that will prevent you from making the most of your battle party. Quite irksome. Bowyer uses the following attacks:

  • An arrow attack that locks your menu commands
  • Bolt, a Lightning attack against a single target
  • Lightning Orb, a Lightning attack against a single target
  • Static-E!, a Lightning attack against the whole party
  • G'night, a single-target attack that can inflict Sleep
Aside from his Lightning attacks, Bowyer's speciality is locking up your commands. At the beginning of the fight Bowyer will summon three buttons, each linked to your controller. If he fires an arrow at a button you'll no longer be able to use the command linked to that button. Bowyer can stop you from using normal attacks, Special Moves, and items. Fortunately, he can only lock one of your commands at a time.

Despite Bowyer's weird gimmick this fight isn't difficult, thanks in large part to your new party member: Geno. A strong combination of speed and solid attacks, Geno can do quite a bit of damage with his Geno Beam, as well as his normal attacks. Have him and Mario batter Bowyer while Mallow heals away any damage. Bowyer doesn't have much health and can't hit terribly hard, so this fight won't take long.


You'll receive a Flower Box for defeating Bowyer. You'll also receive the second Star Piece, and Geno will explain their importance, as well as a decent chunk of the game's backstory. Geno will remain in your party for the rest of the game. You can exit Forest Maze to the northwest.

Head back to Rose Town. Everything is back to normal, and you can chat with the townsfolk for new dialogue. There are a few new things to note while you're in Rose Town, as well:
  • If you visit the Inn you can spend the night for free. When you wake up the next day you'll find someone... familiar... in the next bed over.
  • Speak to Gaz, the little boy, while you're at the Inn. You'll receive a little cut scene where Geno explains why he's not sticking around Rose Town, and Gaz will give you the Finger Shot, a weapon for Geno.
  • In the northeast of Rose Town, near the Item Shop, you'll see a dirt path leading to the edge of the map. There's nothing here yet, but later in the game this turns into an exit to another, hidden house. The house plays a role in getting Mario's best weapon, so keep this little spot in mind for later.
That's that. Leave Rose Town and you can trek west along the world map. You now have two options: The Pipe Vault, an optional area, and the path to Moleville, the next storyline segment. 

Main Walkthrough