5 Star Coins lets you go to another part of the poisonous swamp. There are neither creepy crawlies nor huge plesiosaurs, leaving only the poison water as your main worry. With so many gaps that can't be crossed in a single jump, you'll need to use the environment and a bunch of patience to avoid falling in.
Level walkthrough[edit | edit source]
You will quickly get to use the first of the two main features in this stage, the vine. There are several vines hanging from the ceiling, which you must use to swing between platforms. There are some standard enemies roaming around these first few platforms. At the end of this segment, you must jump over the gap across three consecutive vines before proceeding to the next challenge. Next, you have to cross some sections of the poison water using rotating platforms. Jump repeatedly and stay as high as possible, since you are closer than ever to the lethal swamp. A Paratroopa flying around at the second rotating platform complicates things further.
On the platform after the second rotating platform, you will activate the middle checkpoint. Watch out for the Koopas here as you proceed to the next rotating platform. This gap is not wide, but there are some Koopas in your way that can be a major nuisance. The gap after that contains the first Star Coin. It is just too high for you to grab. What you must do is to paddle out to the middle of the gap on the rotating platform, then time a jump on to a passing Paratroopa, using the bounce to nab the coin. A misstep can easily mean instant death, so be quick and decisive when going for this coin.
Up next are two wide stretches of poison swamp, one that must be crossed with a set of rotating platforms while the other requires swinging from vines, both filled with Paratroopas patrolling the air. Fortunately, you can skip these two stretches with the trick used to get the first Star Coin. There is a vine hanging way up, and you must once again jump off a Paratroopa to get enough height to grab on. Once on the vine, swing as far right as you can and jump to a ledge with a warp pipe. It will take you into a cave with tons of Koopas as well as a Star Coin trapped in a brick block cage. Get on top of the cage and press the P-Switch to turn the whole formation into coins, letting you get the Star Coin. You can also use a Koopa shell to knock out all of the other Koopas for a nice 1-Up.
Once you're done, head down the pipe at the right. It will place you on the platform just after the two long gaps, leaving only a short portion of the course remaining. Next, you must use the pipes as platforms to cross the last few parts of the swamp, but watch out for the Piranha Plants that reside within. After swinging from the vine, go into the lowest pipe of the three to get to another cave. The last Star Coin can be easily obtained, but don't let the Piranha Plants still in the pipes catch you off guard. Return to the surface and go through the horizontal pipe to get taken to the flagpole. Use the last vine here to swing up to a pair of blocks from which you can jump to the top of the flag.
Star Coins[edit | edit source]
- The Star Coin is easily visible in the air. Jump off of the Paratroopa nearby to obtain it, making sure to land on the rotating platform afterward.
- Jump off another Paratroopa after the first coin to get to a vine. Swing up to a warp pipe, which takes you to a cave. Get on the rectangle block formation and press the P-Switch to access the coin within.
- Near the exit pipe are three pipes next to each other. Go down the first to enter an underground area with the coin.