By Nintendogirl_21 of It's-a-Mario
Chapter 3-1: When Geeks Attack
He he he…obviously a title meant for you and me, fellow gamer. Whoa, this place sure is pixilly. Poor Tippi gets Pixl-napped by Francis, the ultimate geek. Notice the reference to TTYD (Grodus). Head up and shake the bush for three hints from a Pixl who will join you later, then head past the sand blocks over the gap. Climb the mountain, then over the next gap and flip around the pipe. Hit the dimensional block, then save. To continue, jump over the gaps up to a blue pillar. Flip to find what looks like a Lego man modeled after a stick figure. Jump to its right leg, then to the head. Flip back to 2D and jump right and up to a chest. Open it for a Piranha Plant card, then fall down and head through the pipe into the pixilated background. Head left and through the first pipe. Defeat the Blomeba enemy and open the chest for a Thunder Rage item. Take the pipe that appears, then head left to get an Ice Storm. Head back right and through the far right pipe. Head back left, save, then jump on the dimensional block to reach another pipe. Hit the sand block for a ladder to appear, then climb it and head through the door. Head left and use the moving platform to cross the gap. Bomb the Piranha Plant enemy, then use Peach to float to the left pipe and head down it. Head right to find a Catch Card SP, which you should hang onto for now. Head back and through the pipe, then right. Hit the item block for a Mega Star and smash the level away. I’ll wait….*elevator music*…done? Head through the door and watch the Koopa transform using a Mega Star of his own. Cool! You can trying using the Catch Card SP on him to maybe land its data card, then head left and nab another Mega Star and run a rampage right to a ! switch. Hit it to create a platform to a door, then read the sign (better yet, read it backwards). Head left and through the door. Head left all the way and through that door you originally came through. Drop down and save, then drop through the gap between the red pipes. Enjoy a bit of nostalgia in a mock-up of World 1-2 from SMB. Head right through the level and take the last pipe (like in SMB, you can walk along the ceiling and take one of three “warp” pipes at the end to skip ahead a bit in the next area). Save here, then head right to a castle and watch the cinema. Jump up the castle and over to the next castle, then in-between the Bullet Bills shooting out. Bomb the B. Bill Blaster, then bomb the red X on the wall of the third castle to start a boss fight with….Bowser?!?! And we thought he was doing so well in good guy rehab…Dodge his fiery breath and jump attacks. You can’t jump on him due to his spikey head, so use Boomer to time a bomb attack on him well when he lands during a jump. Now Bowser will join your party. What a dumb-dumb he is sometimes (okay, all the time). But he’s darn strong. Head right and hit the star block to finish up.
Chapter 3-2: Bloops Ahoy
Use Bowser throughout to (oddly enough) use his fire attack underwater. Swim right until you approach a whirlpool, then have Mario flip to take a path around it through the block structure. Head right to a pipe barricaded by blocks. Flip at that spot, save, then take the pipe. In this area, use Bowser to blast the tentacles and avoid the whirlpools. At the second tentacle, swim to a spot to jump out of the water, flip, and open the chest for a Gold Bar. Take the pipe, then head right and through the underwater door. Use Bowser to fire blast all the enemies, then open the chest for a new pixl, Thudley, who can pound down stakes and things. Cool. Swim left to the post beside the door and use Thudley to pound it and head through the door. Head left and back through the pipe. Swim left and enter the pipe above. Flip and save here, then head left to six stakes. Pound them with Thudley so that they appear in the pattern up, down, down, up, down up. Enter the new door and swim right to meet a mini-boss, Blooper. A recurring mini-boss from PM and TTYD, this requires the dynamic of treading water. Dodge the tentacle attacks and use Thudley to pound on the red tentacle when it appears. As Bowser, you can flame torch the other tentacles that spring up to drop them faster (but it doesn’t cause any damage). Continue this until he’s defeated, then head right, take the pipe, then hit the star block.
Chapter 3-3: Up, Up, and a Tree
This level requires a lot of patience. I’ll try to explain it as best as possible using colour coded directions, so bear with me. Head right to the big tree (a Zelda reference if I ever saw one). Take the green middle platform, then jump right to a brown one. Take the moving platform, then left to a green one and up two brown ones in the middle. Head left to a green one, then the same middle one. Head right, then left to brown platforms. Flip and hit the two dimensional blocks at left. Use Peach to float to the blocks at right. Take the next two green platforms above, then float to the left green one. Hop to the middle green platform, then right to a brown one. Use Thudley to pound the stake, then take the moving platform. Jump off to the green one at left, then left to a brown one. Flip here and take the sand block bridge across a gap to a brown platform, then jump to the middle green one, then the left one above. Hop left to a brown one, then to the middle green one. Use Peach to float to a pipe. Enter it if you want coins and, as usual, flip for more. Hop to the green platform above, then left to another green platform, and further left to a brown one, then to the center one with a door. Use Bowser’s fiery breath to restore the door (that’s a spicy meatball). Through the door, jump right to the moving platform, then off to the left. Take the pipe, save, then hit the ! switch. Take the pipe back and go up the pink platforms. Hit another ! switch, then take the blue stairs and jump to the moving platform. Jump to the next one and ride it right to a stake. Pound it with Thudley, then climb the ladder down and hit the ! switch. Climb back up and ride the moving platform to another platform, then left to a pink platform. Jump to another moving platform, then onto a brown one. Flip and take the pipe. Use Slim to pass the spikes by standing still as they come up, moving when they’re down. Hit another ! switch, then exit back through the pipe. Jump to a blue platform, then to a brown one. Use Boomer to bomb the switch, then place him beside the switch and hop on the platforms before he activates them. Jump to the blue platform, then onto the next two moving ones. Jump to the right pipe and take it, then defeat two Chomp enemies using Bowser to reveal a chest with a Peach (2) card. Exit back and jump onto a moving platform, then jump off left, and take the pipe. Jump to a moving platform and use Slim to bypass the spikes again. Jump down and use Boomer to activate the switch. Jump out before he explodes, then exit back through the pipe. Use Peach to float across the gap, then onto a pink platform. Flip here and jump to the platforms above. Flip back and hit the ! switch to make a door appear. Use Thudley to collect a Super Shroom, then drop down to the first pipe of the area and take it. Save and take the door to initiate a boss fight with Dimentio. Basically, just dodge his throwing attack, stay out of the squares he draws on the field, and when he clones himself, try jumping on any one to guess the real one. To attack him, jump on him when he gets close. Once he’s gone, take a path upwards to a big platform, then jump on the red wind when it appears to ride it to a pipe. Take it, flip for coins, then hit the star block.
Chapter 3-4: The Battle of Fort Francis
Head right and flip, then enter the pipe. Use Thoreau to throw the block at the ! switch, then take the key and open the front door. Save, flip, and take the pipe behind the following door. Hit a dimensional block, then flip and hop on it over the spikes. Use Thudley to pound the ! switch, then choose any options to the questions. Carrie, a new Pixl, joins you. Use her to pass over the spikes and head back through the up pipe (only seen in 3D). Save and take the right door. Head right to the next door, talk to the robots for fun nerdy details, and peek into the keyholes to see Tippi and Francis. Head right again, flip, take the stairs, and enter the door at the top. Head left and use Thudley to pound the floor in front of the first door you see dangling on the wall, then enter it. Use Carrie to pass the spikes, then enter that door. Talk to the feline robot and answer true 3x, then 2323. Enter the door to Francis’ lair. Read the diary entry and shopping list for funny PM, TTYD, and even SMB3 references. Tanooki rules! Also, check out the cute posters of the Boos and Petuni from TTYD. Get the Super Shroom, then jump on the cat robot to reach a platform and open the chest for a key. Exit back through two doors and across the spikes. Pound with Thudley under another hanging door at left and enter it. Flip and hop to the block near the door, then flip again and use Peach to float across to the another block. Flip again as Mario and climb the stairs, heading through the door. Use Thoreau to grab a cat robot, then toss it at the ! switch. Cross the bridge and enter the door. Answer more questions from the cat as true 3x, then 2828. Through the door, take the key and mushroom. Check out his collections and dolls (can you spot: Yoshis, Punios, Fire Flower, Pennington, Vivian, Yoshi eggs, and Bubulbs from TTYD?) Also check out the Peach and Bow & Bootler posters. Neat-o. Head all the way back to the first save block. Save, then take the right door. Head right and use Peach to unlock the door using the two keys you collected. Answer all questions as true, then take the door as Peach to meet Francis. In a very cute Dating Game send-off with format references to Final Fantasy, answer Francis’ questions by any way you like. There’s a lot of them…After a computer malfunction, you’ll fight him. Cool music, probably one of the best arrangements in the game. Avoid his camera flash that can stun you and his tongue attack. When he summons cat bombs (me-ow), try to avoid or destroy them and bop Francis with a jump whenever you can. You can fight as Bowser and use the powerful fire attack if you want. After the battle, you free Tippi and earn your third Pure Heart. Enjoy the Pixl dance and you’ll return to Flipside.
Epilogue
Now to get a hidden Pixl. Head back through the third door to Chapter 3-1 and find the Pixl hiding behind the bush you talked to earlier. Barry will join you. He is arguably the most useful Pixl as he creates an attack force-field around you in battle. Use the Return Pipe under Important Items on the pause menu to return to Flipside. Take the down elevator, save, then flip and head through the not-so-secret gate right and down the path. Go left and use Thudley to pound the stakes so they appear as down, up, down, up, down. To raise a pounded stake up, just pound it. Place the Pure Heart in the Heart Pillar, then backtrack to the tower and enter the fourth door. Unfortunately, you arrive in outer space (!) and can’t breathe, so you’ll come back to Flipside. Alrighty then…Head into Merlon’s house and talk to him, then head right and take the up elevator. Talk to a kid with a fishbowl at left, then take the elevator back down. Head left and use the down elevator there, then go right and take another down elevator. By the waterhole, release the fish. BTW, the arcade is to your left (flip while inside and take the pipe) if you want to play. Now, I hope you have 100 coins, otherwise you’ll have to do some adventuring in past chapters to rack up enough. Head back up to Flipside’s main district and up to the tower. Using the fishbowl as a space helmet (ingenious!), head through the fourth door to Outer Space.
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