Super Mario Bros. FAQ by Joshua Harring (harring@student.umass.edu) This is one of those games that everybody knows. If you haven't played it, you've probably seen it, and if you haven't seen it, you've at least heard of it. And if you haven't heard of it, I'd like to know which rock you've been living under for the past 15 years. Anyway, surprisingly enough, someone requested a FAQ for this game on GameFAQs. So I thought I would oblige... Since getting through the game's levels is pretty straightforward, I won't give you a step-by-step walkthrough. Instead, I will focus on each level's noteworthy points. World 1-1 ------------ If you go down the fourth pipe in this level, you'll find a secret Coin Room. This is also a quick shortcut to the end of the level. If you elect not to go down the pipe, you can find a hidden 1-up right before the first pit. It's 5 blocks away from the edge of the pit. Jump straight up to make it appear. Note: It's possible to get both the 1-up and be able to go down the pipe too. You have to be very careful not to scroll the pipe off the left side of the screen. If you decided not to take the shortcut, you can find a 10-coin block. Right after the second pit, underneath the question block, is a lone normal block that you can hit repeatedly for 10 or more coins. Right after that, there's a set of two normal blocks. If you hit the right one, you can get a Starman. To get 5000 points on the flagpole, stand so that you're on the left edge of the top of the steps. Then run to the right and jump at the right edge. If you do it right, you'll land on or above the flag and get 5000 points. To get the fireworks display, time your jump to the flagpole so that the ones digit of the timer is one, three, or six when you touch the flagpole. If it's any of those three numbers, you'll get that many fireworks. Each firework explosion is worth 500 points. World 1-2 --------- This is an underground level. The first normal block you find (above a Goomba) is a 10-coin block. After that, you'll find a W-shaped structure of blocks. Bash the left column of blocks with your head to be able to get up to the coins. The top-right block of this structure contains a Starman. A little ways later, you'll find a single coin surrounded on several sides by normal blocks. The block just to the right of it contains a Power-up. The next structure of blocks is a 2x5 one. The block that's just above the bottom-right block is a 10-coin one. At the floating block mass that has 6 coins on it, there's a 1-up in a normal block in the ceiling, directly above the right side of the mass. You may want to break the block just to the right of the 1-up to make it fall down. If you can't do so because you're small, the only way to get the 1-up is to hit it and follow it to the right until you reach the point where it can fall down. The first pipe you encounter leads to a coin room. In this coin room (and all others like this one), there's a 10 coin block in the rightmost normal block in the long thin row (the one the top row of coins are sitting on). In between the ascending and descending platforms, you'll find a row of normal blocks. The rightmost block has a power-up. If you ride the ascending platforms up to the top of the screen, you can jump on top of the ceiling. You can walk all the way past the exit pipe to find a secret Warp Zone. You can advance to Worlds 2, 3, or 4. World 1-3 --------- There isn't any hidden stuff to find in this level; it's basically just a bunch of jumping from platform to platform. World 1-4 --------- This is the first Castle level. The main obstacles are the fire chains that rotate around. These are easily avoided by carefully watching them and walking/jumping through at the right time. When you reach a large open space, there are six hidden coins to find. About the time you reach that open space, fire breaths start coming towards you from the boss, Bowser. The breaths are at three different height levels - the highest can be avoided by not doing anything, the middle can be ducked, and the lowest can be jumped over. When you reach Bowser, you can run under or jump over him to get to the Axe (jumping over is easier if you are Super Mario). Or, if you're Fiery Mario, you can shoot him with five fireballs to defeat him. Once you get past him, you'll find Toad, who will inform you that the Princess is in another castle. World 2-1 --------- Hit the middle normal block in the very first set to find a power-up. Then, at the next set of normal blocks (the ones with the Koopas walking back and forth underneath), there's a hidden coin block just below the space immediately left of the visible normal blocks. Make it appear, then jump on top of it and jump up to make a hidden block appear which contains a 1-up. After you pass the set of 10 question blocks, there's a Starman in the leftmost block of the high row of normal blocks. The next set of blocks is a row of normal blocks, with a set of 4 and 3 question blocks underneath it. When you hit the normal block in the middle, a vine is created which leads up into the clouds. There are no enemies up there, just lots of coins. It also serves as a shortcut to almost the end of the level. If you choose not to take the vine, there's a coin room in the first pipe right after it. If you don't take the vine or the coin room, you'll come to a row of normal blocks above a set of three closely spaced pipes. The leftmost normal block contains a power-up. In the single normal block near the end (the one just left of you when you fall down from the clouds) are 10 coins. There's also a hidden coin above the last two normal blocks in the level, allowing you to eschew the use of the springboard. World 2-2 --------- This is an underwater level. The only way you can defeat your enemies is with fireballs. If you don't have them, you just have to avoid them all. There are no blocks underwater, just coins. But be careful, some of the coins are situated over drains which will try to suck you down. Swim rapidly to counteract the effect. World 2-3 --------- This level is a series of bridges. As you progress, Cheep-Cheeps will fly at you from below, soar into the air, and come down again. The best strategy is to just keep going. You don't have to run, but if you stop walking, chances are a Cheep-Cheep will slam into you from below, where you have little reaction time. Also, as you're going, make sure one doesn't fall on you. Jump or change pace to prevent it. World 2-4 --------- This is the second Castle level. There isn't much to say about it, really. The new enemy is the Podoboo which rises out of the lava and falls back down. Be careful when jumping over the lava pits. Defeat Bowser at the end and move on to the next world. World 3-1 --------- The second pipe in this level leads to a coin room. In this coin room, the third block from the left in the top row contains a power-up. When crossing the bridge over water, there's a hidden 1-up to find. It's about halfway between the midpoint and right edge of the bridge. Right after that, you'll see a short row of normal blocks. Jump up and hit the leftmost one to uncover a Starman. You'll then encounter the Hammer Bros. for the first time. You should be invincible so there won't be any problems. However, you'll meet them at other times when you're not invincible so I might as well tell you how to beat them. They will often be on two rows of normal blocks which are above each other. Stand on the lowest level (the ground). If a Bro jumps down to the ground, fireball him or crouch down next to him to avoid the hammers, which will pass over your head. If a Bro is on the middle, stand underneath him and jump up to break the block below him and defeat him. If a Bro is on the top, just wait until he jumps down. Be careful, as sometimes he will jump from the top all the way down to the ground. Then at the springboard, high jump on top of the blocks and over to the ground on the other side. Do not try to springboard yourself into the space between them. Instead, defeat the Goombas, then run and jump up into the small space between the block rows. Hit the right block in the top row to grow a vine. When you land from the clouds, you'll see a row of normal blocks. The second one from the left is a 10-coin block. Then you'll come to the pyramid steps which mark the end of the level. There will be a couple of Koopas coming down the steps. You can perform a neat trick here to build up tons of lives. The idea is to jump on the Koopa, then jump on the shell in such a way as to knock the shell against the step, but when it comes back, you jump on it again automatically. Therefore, it gets knocked against the step again, and you jump on it again, etc. This trick is very difficult to do, and I've only done it once myself (by accident, too). However, the payoff is large - your points will add up, then you'll start getting 1-ups. You can have about 100 lives, but if you get more, the game will reset itself. So be careful. Good luck. World 3-2 --------- There isn't much to this level except long flat stretches with lots of enemies on them. You can use this to your advantage, though, as the first enemy in a group is usually a Koopa. Jump on him, kick him to the right, then run after him and he will knock over the rest of the enemies for tons of points. You might even be able to get a 1-up out of it. When you come to two single normal blocks, the top one contains a Starman, and the bottom one is a 10-coin block. So get the bottom one first. World 3-3 --------- This level isn't anything more than jumping from platform to platform. There's a new type of platform: a type of scale-like platform. When you stand on one of them, your weight causes the one you're on to move down, while the pulley causes the other one to move up. Jump quickly across them to best navigate them. You can also be risky and let the platform sink all the way down as far as it can go. Both of them will then break off and you will receive 1000 points. Just make sure to jump off to a solid ledge! World 3-4 --------- Your basic Castle level. Nothing surprising. Beat Bowser and move on. World 4-1 --------- You meet Lakitu for the first time here. He will sit up on his cloud and toss Spinys down at you. He follows you throughout the level, but you can jump on him from a high block to get rid of him for a short time. The best way to progress is just go. If you stop, the Spinys can begin to pile up on you and make life difficult. However, there are some times when you will want to stop and get secrets. After jumping over a pit, you'll find a row of 4 question blocks. There's a hidden 1-up over the third block. Stop to get it, but be careful! The third pipe you come to leads to a coin room. In the coin room, the lone block on the right side contains a power-up, but you can only get it if you're small (I think). There's a normal block at the end of this level. It's a 10-coin one. Get it, then use it to jump back up to the pyramid steps so you can get 5000 points from the flagpole. World 4-2 --------- At the beginning where there is three coins, hit the rightmost normal block of the "overhang" to get a power-up. In the block mass which forms the low ceiling, there's a hidden 10-coin block. It's the 5th block from the right, second row up. After jumping across the pit, you'll see a row of three normal blocks hanging in the air. This is a very important secret. Follow these directions carefully if you're going to use it: 1: Stand underneath the right normal block and jump up to make a hidden coin appear. 2: Then stand underneath the middle normal block and jump up to make another hidden coin appear. 3: Jump up to that block you just uncovered and punch out the middle normal block. Hit the left normal block to create a vine. Climb up it. 4: Jump along these platforms, collecting coins. When you reach the end, you'll find a Warp Zone which allows you to warp to Worlds 6, 7, or 8. If you decide to continue on in this level, you'll come to a tall pipe with two normal blocks on either side of it. Hit the right normal block on the left side of the pipe to get 10 coins. And in the right normal block on the right side of the pipe, there's a Starman. The pipe right after the tall pipe leads to a coin room. In this room, there's a lone normal block on the right side. It has 10 coins. To get the 10 coins in the little alcove, edge off the left side of its ceiling and angle to the right to get inside. Don't spend too much time here. When you come to a long row of normal blocks with coins on top of them, there's a power-up in the leftmost normal block in that row. Right after that is a tall pipe. You can stand on it, punch out the ceiling, then jump up there and walk to the right to find a Warp Zone that leads to World 5. World 4-3 --------- Nothing new here, just platforms and some more scales. World 4-4 --------- This Castle level is kind of different than most. You have to choose the correct pathway to get through the level. If you choose the wrong one, the layout repeats itself until you get back to the point where you choose again. So through some trial and error, you can find out which way to go. Jump over the two lava pits at the beginning. Then jump up to the upper pathway and walk along there. To easily cross the single-block gaps, run across them without stopping. You'll then come to a place where you get to choose again. Fall all the way down to the bottom path and go that way. You'll then see fire breaths coming, meaning you've reached Bowser. Be careful when you get there, though - there's a fire chain and also a Podoboo. World 5-1 --------- The first row of normal blocks you come to has a Starman in the middle block. You'll then meet the Bullet Bills. The bullets are always fired at the same height so you can avoid them easily. If you stand right next to the cannon, the bullets will not fire. When you reach the next two normal blocks, there's a hidden 1-up in the space between them and the short wall (sometimes it's not there, though). You can also use those blocks to jump over to the mid-air pipe, down which is a coin room. World 5-2 --------- In the top row of normal blocks you come to, you can find a power-up in the rightmost block. Right after that is one Hammer Bro on the steps. If you have fireball power just stand back and shoot him. But if you don't he's a lot more difficult. You might need to take a hit here and just go. The very first pipe you come to leads to an underwater mini-level. There's some coins to be had down there, but remember you need fireball power to kill your enemies. If you decide not to go that way, you'll come to a Hammer Bro on top of five question blocks. Defeat him and then jump up two spaces to the right of the question blocks (in other words, where the seventh question block would be) to find a hidden coin. Stand on it and jump up and hit the left normal block in the row of three to grow a vine. You can find a Starman in the rightmost block of the top row of normal blocks, at the next set of Hammer Brothers (this is also where you emerge from the water mini-level). Next you'll see two low-to-the-ground normal blocks. If you're big, you'll have to walk towards them and then crouch so that your inertia takes you underneath them. The left block contains 10 coins, while the right one has a power-up. You'll then find a lone normal block which has a power-up inside of it. World 5-3 --------- This level is an exact duplicate of World 1-3, with the addition of Bullet Bills flying at you throughout it. Adjust accordingly. World 5-4 --------- This level is a duplicate of World 2-4, except now there are more fire chains and Podoboos. World 6-1 --------- Lakitu is back to bother you here, but you can jump on him pretty easily in this level. There's a power-up in the left normal block of the first set of two, and in the set of three right after that, the right normal block contains 10 coins. When you come to a high and low row of three normal blocks each, there's a hidden 1-up between them, against the wall. Sometimes this doesn't appear either as well. Afterwards, you'll come to three short rows of normal blocks that act kind of like steps. You'll notice that the middle row overhangs the bottom row in such as a way as to make the right block in that row hittable. That block contains 10 coins. World 6-2 --------- The first pipe that you come to leads to a coin room. But before you go down it, scroll the set of three normal blocks onto the screen. There's a hidden coin underneath the middle block. Jump onto it and then hit the middle block for 10 coins. The next set of two normal blocks (with Buzzy Beetle wandering beneath them) has a power-up in the right block. The pipe to the right of these blocks leads to another water mini-level. If you don't go that way, further on you'll find a set of five normal blocks. The rightmost one will grow a vine. Near the end of the level, you'll find four short rows of normal blocks. The upper-left row's left normal block contains a Starman, which you can get by standing on the right edge of the lower-left row. The pipe right after that leads to a coin room. World 6-3 --------- Not much to this level but platforms, scales, and springboards. About halfway through it, Bullet Bills start firing at you like in World 5-3. World 6-4 --------- This level is a replica of World 1-4, with more fire chains and Podoboos of course. And now Bowser throws lots of hammers, so you can't jump over him. You'll have to run under him if you don't have fireball power. World 7-1 --------- There's now Bullet Bill cannons which fire at ground level. Be careful, because they are often near head level cannons too. The left normal block of the first set of three you find has a power-up. A little further on, there will be a Bullet Bill cannon sitting on a ledge with two normal blocks on either side of it. The left normal block of the set on the right side has 10 coins. The second pipe you come to leads to a coin room. At the end of the level, there will be a normal block directly above a springboard. It contains a power-up. World 7-2 --------- This is another underwater level. It's just like World 2-2 except for more enemies. World 7-3 --------- Another replica level, this one of World 2-3, with more enemies, of course. World 7-4 --------- This castle level is like World 4-4 in that you have to choose the correct path. This one's a little more confusing, so follow the directions carefully. After crossing the first lava pit, take the bottom path. Then, when you come to three different levels (a high ledge, a low ledge, and the ground), jump up to the low ledge and walk along there. Then when you reach the end of that ledge, jump up to the top path. You should arrive at a lava pit with a fire chain above it. Jump up to the high ledge (with the fire chain) and walk along there. Then when you reach the end, fall down to the ground. Walk along the ground, underneath the first high and low ledges. Then jump up to the second low ledge and walk along that. Then jump up to the third high ledge and walk there. Jump on to the long skinny high ledge and walk along it. If you did everything correctly, you'll find Bowser. Remember that he's tossing hammers now. World 8-1 --------- In this last World, time is of the essence. You have to cover a long distance. So don't dawdle. You don't need to run, but you do need to progress quickly. Remember to run over the single-block gaps in the ground to pass them quickly. There's a hidden 1-up between two pipes right after the first set of single- block gaps. The second pipe after those two (the one with the three Goombas next to it) leads to a coin room. Watch your time, though. Further on, you'll come to a long row of normal blocks with a Koopa Paratroopa underneath it. Underneath the 4th block from the right is a hidden coin. Jump onto it and hit the block above it for 10 coins. The next row of normal blocks after that has a Starman inside the third block from the left. World 8-2 --------- Lakitu is at the start of this level, but once you get rid of him he won't bother you anymore. The normal block directly above the springboard has a 1-up. If you're big, break the block to the right of it first so that it will fall down and you can get it. If you're small though, you'll have to hit it and then run to the right with it so that you can catch it when it finally falls down. You'll then arrive at a set of two normal blocks with a Bullet Bill cannon on either side and a Koopa Paratroopa bouncing on the ground. In the right normal block is a power-up. Then you'll see single normal blocks on either side of a short Bullet Bill cannon. The right normal block has 10 coins. There's a difficult jump right after that. The layout looks like: pipe, gap, ground, gap, ground, long gap. To make this, stand on the left edge of the first piece of ground. Then run to the right and running jump over. You should make it this way. The pipe on the other side leads to a coin room. World 8-3 --------- At the first two Hammer Bros., the 2nd block from the right in the top row of normal blocks has a power-up. At the second two, the 2nd block from the _left_ in the top row has a power- up. I hope you have fireball power now because if you don't, the next part will be extremely difficult. You'll find a bunch of Hammer Bros one at a time. If you have fireball power, they're a piece of cake. But if you don't, they're awful. You can't really jump over them because of the hammers. You have to try to run underneath them, but this is hard as well because there isn't much margin for error when they jump. Near the end, you'll notice that one of the blocks in the wall looks different. It's actually a 10-coin block. World 8-4 --------- This Castle level is very confusing. You have to know the correct pipes to take. If you take the wrong ones, you get thrown back in the level. Follow the directions very carefully. 1: Skip the first two pipes and take the third one (it's right after a lava pit). 2: Progress until you find a pipe in mid-air. There's a hidden coin to the left of it. Jump up to the pipe using it. 3: Take the first pipe on the other side of the lava pit. It leads to an underwater mini-level. Make your way through it, avoiding the fire chains (?) and defeating the Bloobers if you can. 4: Get past the Hammer Bro and fight Bowser for the last time. Congratulations! You've saved Princess Toadstool! Second Quest ------------ The Second Quest is the same as the First one, the only differences are tougher and faster enemies. For example, Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles, etc. There is no Third Quest - you simply repeat the Second Quest again. Also, at the title screen, you can press B to choose which world to start at. The Minus World Trick --------------------- I don't know how to perform this trick, actually. I believe it has something to do with the end pipe of World 1-2. Something about being able to jump through it and get to a secret warp zone? I don't really know. If you do know though, you can email me at harring@student.umass.edu. A Chocolate Factory? -------------------- I once heard this rumor. Any evidence? This FAQ can also be used in the Super Mario 1 game of Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES, since they are the same. However, I have read that the Minus World trick has been removed. This FAQ was written by me, Joshua Harring (harring@student.umass.edu). It is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes. It may be posted on a website or homepage as long as it is written in its entirety, including this disclaimer. If you have something noteworthy to contribute, please email me and I will be happy to update the FAQ with your contribution. Thanks to CJayC of www.gamefaqs.com for posting this.