Super Mario 64 #14 - Whomp’s Fortress

1. Chip off Whomp’s Block, Whomp’s Fortress

Layout

At the start of the mission, the Lakitu Bros. explain (purportedly as a news report) that walking slowly lets the player sneak past enemies. This comes into play during the mission, as there are several sleeping Piranha Plants that wake up if the player is moving too quickly. While climbing to the top, the player has to avoid Moving Bars extending in and out of the wall on the main path, as well as Thwomps and Whomps blocking the path. Alternatively, near the start of the level, the player can backward-somersault up to the higher level and run up a ramp to avoid a Thwomp and the Moving Bars.

Once the player reaches the top and confronts the Whomp King, the king complains to them about how the Whomps act as construction workers, building houses and paving roads, without ever being thanked, much to his frustration. He decides that he cannot let anyone else walk over them and attacks the player. The Whomp King attacks by slamming his body onto the ground in an attempt to crush the player. To defeat the Whomp King, the player has to wait for him to attack, which leaves his back exposed, and ground-pound him. The Whomp King then gets back up, and the process repeats. This must be done three times to defeat him. After the third hit, the Whomp King expresses his frustration once more, but he gives the player his Power Star without any more complaints and promptly explodes.

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Footrace_with_Koopa_the_Quick

Walkthrough

To earn this star, take down Whomp, the large enemy that is waiting at the top of the fortress. Walk forward and jump onto the ledge that is at the base of the dirt path. The dirt path leads up and around the fortress, but you can take a shortcut instead. Stand at the base of the path and perform a back jump (jump while crouched) to reach the top of the stone wall (it has a row of coins on top).

Run up the length of the wall — following the yellow arrows on the ground. Turn left at the top of the path and crawl past the sleeping Piranha Plant. On your left is a light-grey bridge of blocks that will start falling shortly after you step on them, so be quick. There is a rotating plank that will act as a bridge to the other side. Run to the center of the plank and wait for it to rotate and stop. Cross it when it is pointing in the other direction.

Run past the walking stones that slowly stumble toward you, and make your way to the elevating platforms on the wall behind them. Hop on a platform and let it take you to the very top of the fortress, and meet up with Whomp.

Battling Whomp

You need to defeat Whomp to get the Power Star. Whomp slowly waddles towards you and, when he gets close enough, slams his entire body down in a belly-flop attack. Run next to Whomp, moving quickly to avoid the belly-flop attack. While Whomp is stuck on his belly, jump on top of him and perform a ground pound (jump and hit the crouch button in mid-air) to counter-attack. You need to hit Whomp three times to defeat him and get your Star!

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2. To the Top of the Fortress, Whomp’s Fortress

Layout

The Power Star is located on top of a tall tower, which was not there during the previous mission. After the player climbs up to the platform where the Whomp King was fought, they then have to use the platform that circles the tower to reach the peak while avoiding homing Bullet Bills. Some of the ledges extend and retract out of the tower. The final platform raises the player to a small balcony that holds the Power Star.

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Footrace_with_Koopa_the_Quick

Getting to the Top of the Fortress

Reach the top of the fortress like you did when Defeating Whomp. A tower has been added to the top of the fortress. Take the shortcut up the fortress by standing at the base of the dirt path and performing a back jump (jump while crouched) to reach the top of the stone wall (it has a row of coins on top). Run up the length of the wall following the yellow arrows on the ground. Turn left at the top of the path and crawl past the sleeping Piranha Plant.

On your left is a light-grey bridge of blocks that will start falling shortly after you step on them, so be quick. There is a rotating plank is as a bridge to the other side. Run to the center of the plank and wait for it to rotate and stop. Cross it when it is pointing in the other direction. Run past the walking stones that slowly stumble toward you and make your way to the elevating platforms on the wall behind them. Hop on a platform and let it take you to the very top of the fortress, where you will meet up with Whomp.

At the Top of the Fortress

At the top of the fortress sits the new tower. Every other platform that leads to the top of the tower moves in and out. Wait on a still platform and time your jump so that you land on a moving one just as it starts to come outward of the wall. There is enough time to position yourself for the next jump before the platform disappears under your feet. The final platform will carry you to the top of the tower to the second Power Star.

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3. Shoot into the Wild Blue, Whomp’s Fortress

Layout

The Power Star is found across a water basin near a cannon, which can be activated by a Bob-omb Buddy standing next to it. The Star can be reached through numerous methods, such as using the cannon to launch the player or performing a Side Somersault followed by a Wall Kick on the nearby brick wall. Yoshi can flutter-kick from above to reach the platform above the Star. The platform has a couple of poles that can be easily latched on to by using the cannon. Once the player is on the platform, they can easily collect the Star, located below the platform with a circle of coins.

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Footrace_with_Koopa_the_Quick

Getting to the Cannon

Stand at the base of the path and perform a back jump (jump while crouched) to reach the top of the stone wall (it has a row of coins on top). Instead of running up the length of the wall, run through the water puddle toward the left to meet up with a Bob-omb Buddy. Talk to the buddy and he will ready a cannon for you.

Aim and Fire

Hop into the cannon. Move the cursor to find a couple rows of platforms with a flagpole on the very top one. Aim the cannon so that it is pointing at the very base of the flagpole and fire away and land on the platform below that has a number of coins on it. Grab the coins and slide down the short pole in the center of the platform to reach another platform below and find the Star.

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4. Red Coins on the Floating Isle, Whomp’s Fortress

Layout

A Bob-omb Buddy at the start of the mission tells the player the location of each Red Coin. In Super Mario 64, several of the coins are found on the main path to the top of the fortress: One of the coins is found above the middle Moving Bar, one is located above the second Thwomp, one is behind the second sleeping Piranha Plant, one is along a narrow ledge next to the collapsing bridge, one is along the rotating bridge between the regular coins, and one is on the slope directly below the rotating bridge.

The remaining two coins are located on a series of floating platforms at the top of the fortress. They can be reached by knocking over a nearby wooden plank. Hoot can also be used to get to the floating platforms. Once every Red Coin has been collected, the Power Star appears at the fortress's base. In Super Mario 64 DS, one of the Red Coins' locations is changed: The Red Coin located on the slope is replaced by a Red Coin found along a new path that goes around the fortress's rear.

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Footrace_with_Koopa_the_Quick

Walkthrough

A map of 4. Red Coins on the Floating Isle, with all the red coin locations marked out.

On your way up The Climb, there are three pieces of wall that poke out at intervals. A red coin is on top of the middle one.

The second coin is above the second blue Thwomp. Get on the step above him and jump on his head.

The next coin is in The Pool, that can be reached by going completely over the top of the incline. Long jump up the black incline to reach the coin.

This Red Coin is behind the first Piranha Plant just after the stairs with the falling Thwomps. Crawl behind the sleeping plant to get the coin.

This Red Coin is on the thin ledge between the two Piranha Plants that are midway up the tower. Hug the wall and scoot onto the ledge to get the coin.

This Red Coin is near the previous one, just past the second Piranha Plant. Step on the rotating plank of wood, and stand near the edge as it rotates outward, letting you grab the coins within the arc.

For the final two coins, get to the top of the fortress where you first fought Whomp. At the ledge of the area there is a tall vertical plank of wood. You want to knock this plank over so that it creates a bridge to the platforms floating next to this area. Stand on the shadow of the plank and hit it to cause it to start tilting. When it tilts away from you, jump and hit it again to knock it over. Walk across the plank to get the final two coins that are on the floating platforms.

After you have gotten the final Red Coin, the Power Star appears at the bottom of the fortress. Be careful not to blindly jump into a potential void. You can return using the path you came to, or jump off the floating island to the slope that is next to the water below and let Mario slide down safely.

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5. Fall onto the Caged Island, Whomp’s Fortress

Layout

The Power Star is located on one of the floating isles near the tower, which has a large cage on it. In Super Mario 64, the whole island has a large steel fence surrounding the perimeter, and in Super Mario 64 DS, the island has a small wooden fence surrounding it while the Power Star is contained inside a steel cage with only a small doorway for an opening. As the mission's name implies, the player is intended to enter the island from above, which can be accomplished by using Hoot. Hoot is located in the tree next to where the player enters the level.

Once he leaves the tree, Hoot starts complaining about how he should be sleeping during the day, but then he offers to give the player a flight. After the player grabs on to Hoot, they must time their descent properly so that they land on the island and then grab the Power Star. This can also be done by using the cannon, activated by the Bob-omb Buddy, or by long-jumping from on top of the fortress.

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Footrace_with_Koopa_the_Quick

Walkthrough

There is a caged star floating at the top of the world with the top part open. You could try blasting up their with a precise cannon shot or you could simply use the owl. Climb up the tree in the starting area to reveal an owl. Grab onto it and hold to have it soar into the sky. While still grabbing, maneuver the owl above the caged star and let go once you are above it.

Climb the tree at the start of the level. When you reach the top, an owl named “Hoot” will come out to offer you a ride — jump up to grab on and quickly steer Hoot toward the right. Your goal is to reach a very small floating island with the Power Star in the center and a cage surrounding the whole thing. The island is high above the dirt path from the beginning of the level.

The camera can be a bit haphazard here, but once Hoot reaches the top of its flight, the camera should angle into a downward-facing view. Steer Hoot around the fortress until you see the same floating island. you will want to drop into the center and let Hoot fly slightly past before letting go. This should compensate for Mario’s slight backward lean when he lets go of Hoot. Land in the cage and get the star to complete the level. If you miss, and Mario falls, you can reunite with Hoot near the start of the level where you first met. If the drop did damage, grab some coins to heal before taking another ride with Hoot.

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6. Blast Away the Wall, Whomp’s Fortress

Layout

The Power Star is hidden inside the terrain, specifically the corner of the wall next to the rotating bridge and the sleeping Piranha Plant. The intended means to release the Star is to break this corner, which can be achieved only by firing the player character into it from the cannon. However, in Super Mario 64, it is possible, though difficult, to get this Star without the cannon, as it juts out from the corner just enough that Mario can reach it with precise timing. This trick is not possible in Super Mario 64 DS due to the short animation showing the Power Star emerging from the wall. After that, the player can follow the path up and easily collect the Power Star. The wall to the left of the one containing the Star is similarly destructible, though nothing is inside it.

The above text is from the Super Mario Wiki and is available under a Creative Commons license. Attribution must be provided through a list of authors or a link back to the original article. Source: https://www.mariowiki.com/Footrace_with_Koopa_the_Quick

Walkthrough

Reach the cannon you used in Shoot Into the Wild Blue. Head forward and jump up onto the first ledge on your left. Perform a backflip to get onto the top of the stone wall, and turn left to run through the water, toward the Bob-omb Buddy. Hop in the cannon.

Aim to the right to see the two very thin walls. Aim at the top-right corner of the thin wall farthest away from you. Shoot Mario to make him crash into the wall and remove a piece of it. This will reveal the Power Star within the thin wall. Jump into the cannon again and aim slightly above the star to compensate for the gravity.

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7. 100 Coins Star, Whomp’s Fortress

This is one of the easier 100-Coin Stars in the game as there are tons of available coins in this level. Piranha Plants will drop a Blue Coin upon dying. There are rings of coins around the flower patches at the base of the fortress, and in the shallow water area. There is a Blue Coin switch down the path from the Bob-Omb.

In the upper half of the fortress is a path of coins on the rotating arm platform. At the very top you can find many coins on the floating green platforms around the fortress.

Again, getting 100 coins is worth a star. Here is a rather simple route.

• When you enter the stage, go to the right, where there is a piranha plant. It holds a blue coin, worth 5 yellow coins.
• Move on a bit further in the field, where there is a crate. Break the crate for three more coins.
• You can find 8 coins around the flower bed.
• Backtrack a little bit and go up the lower slope, with 5 yellow coins.
• Carefully jump over the moving blocks, grabbing the red coin as you do so.
• Head up a bit further, and jump on the top of the higher up Thwomp. There is a red coin above it.
• Run downwards, where you can find 5 yellow coins on the upper slope.
• Turn right and get the 8 yellow coins in the pool.
• Run to the cannon, where you can find 5 more yellow coins.
• Head downwards. There is a crate containing 3 coins.
• In the same section, there is a blue coin switch, which makes 4 blue coins appear, for a total of 20 coins.
• Run back to the cannon and aim where you would go to get Shoot Into The Wild Blue. Eight coins are there.
• Climb back up the upper slope and go to the left. Punch the piranha plant for another blue coin.
• Behind the piranha plant is a red coin, and on the narrow ledge is another red coin.
• Get the blue coin out of the piranha plant.
• 5 coins are on the wooden bridge over the water.
• Stand on the very end of the rotating wooden board, and get four yellow coins and one red coin.
• Jump down and grab the red coin on the slope, and your 100 coin star. If you find it difficult to get, you can triple-jump up the slope.

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