When you reach Bowser’s Keep inSuper Mario RPG, some of the first challenges you’ll face on the way to the game’s finale are a series of challenges and puzzles. You find these by going through six identical doors, and each door has a difficult obstacle behind.
Once you enter a room, you either need to overcome the challenge provided or give up and start over. Study this guide to know what’s in store for you and the best ways to survive.
Obstacle Types
There are six doors, butthere are only three types of obstacles.There will always be two doors per obstacle type, butthe exact doors they’re assigned to will change for every playthrough.
Puzzle
Solve puzzles to outsmart Dr. Topper.
The best you can do isto study all six obstacle courses to be ready for all of them. And if you go through a door and find an obstacle you don’t want to deal with,you can press the minus button to give up and be sent back to the start.
While there are six doors, you’ll only need tocomplete four of them to reach the next part of Bowser’s Keep.
Action Door #1 - Room #1
This challenge requires youto jump from one platform to the next in a straight line.What makes this tricky is thateach platform moves up and down, and they are hovering over a pool of lava.
The first platform will drop and lead you to the rest of them, and from there, you need towatch their movementsandtime your jumpsso you can safely reach the door on the other side.
Action Door #1 - Room #2
After entering this room, ignore common sense andjump on the cannonball lying in front of youon the floor. Mario will balance on the ball and ride it, soyou’ll need to steer Mario toward the exiton the other side of the room.
The controls are reversedwhen you’re on the cannonball.
Something very difficult about this is that there are multiple Rob-ombs patrolling this room, andif you come into contact with one, it will automatically explode,so when that happens, you’ll need to restart this room and try again.
To win,first acclimate yourself to the controlsbefore trying to reach the exit.You move faster than the Rob-ombs do,so you’ll be safe as long as you don’t tryto cross right in front of them.
There are a number of pillars in the room with treasure chests on them.You canjump from the cannonballto the tops of the pillars to reach the chests and claim various items, such as Rocky Candies and Flowers.
Action Door #1 - Room #3
The third and final room involves more floating platforms, butthese platforms move back and forth or in circular patternsover the lava, instead of going up and down. Similar to the first room, simplytime your jumpsand wait for an openingto reach the exit.
You can find a number of treasure chests containing useful items, andyou should open all of them before going through the exit.Once you’re on the other side, you’ll find a room with a single chest, soopen it to grab the Sonic Cymbals, the most powerful attack Mallow can use.
Action Door #2 - Room #1
There’s a pool of lava between you and the exit, andthe only way to cross it is to use a floating path in front of you.The catch is that this path is invisible most of the time, soyou can only see it when itglows briefly every few seconds.
When it glows,try to memorize the pattern to safely move forward, as there are also a few enemies running across the same path. you’re able to’t interact with them, butyou can try to follow their footsteps to remain safewhen you can’t see the path.
Action Door #2 - Room #2
Similar to the rooms from the first action door, there is a pool of lava, and the only way to cross it is tojump from platform to platform. There are also a number of treasure chests with regular items placed throughout the room.
If you want to open all of the chests, you’ll need to deviatefrom the paththat carries you to the exit. Just be patient as youwait for the platforms to move close enough to each otherfor you to jump, and once you have everything you want, go through the exit on the other side.
Action Door #2 - Room #3
The last room is an homage to the original Donkey Kong arcade game. You need to ascend the wall in front of you, but as you climb,you’ll also need to jump over the barrels that are rolling toward you.
There is a Chained Kong at the top of the room, and it’s trying its best to imitate the original Donkey Kongby throwing barrels your way, using one of two patterns.It will either roll them down the path you’re taking, or it will throw them directly down at you.
You’ll know when the Chained Kong is throwing one at you because it willmake a grunting noise beforehand. That’s your cue to avoid the incoming barrel.
When you arrive at the top,run or jump into the Chained Kongto make it retreat. Go through the exit door that was behind itto find a chest that contains the Super Slap, the most powerful attack Peach can use.
Battle Door #1
The battle door’s challengesets you against multiple waves of enemies. You can use your items and abilities to heal, butyou can’t rest or save until you’vecleared all three rooms.
When you reach the exit, you’ll enter a room with a single chest. Open it to grab theDrill Claw, the most powerful attack Bowser can use.
You need to win 12 battles in total. The battles occurin three rooms with four battles per room.
Vomer x4
Stinger x4
Magmus x2, Pulsar x2
Comeon
Battle Door #2
As with the first battle door,you will need to fight a bunch of enemies to reach the exit. Fortunately, each room has the same number of battles, andthe only things that change are the type of enemies you fight.
When you reach the exit, you’ll enter a room with a single chest. Open it to grab the Star Gun, the most powerful attack Geno can use.
You need to win12 battles in total. The battles happen in three rooms withfour battles per room.
Boo x2, Orbison x2
Sling Shy x5
Puzzle Door #1 - Room #1
This first room is where you face Mr. Topper and his series of trivia puzzles. He’ll ask you twelve trivia questions about the Mushroom Kingdom and your adventure, andyou need to answer at least eight of them correctly to pass.
Keep in mind thateach question has a time limit before Mr. Topper automatically declares it a miss. Make sure to hit the Home buttonon your controller before stopping to look at any of the answers.
