Let's Play: Paper Mario! part fifteen
Darnit, why didn't anyone tell me I'd left an italics tag unclosed in my
last entry? Usually I catch those things before I post, but that one
slipped by me.
Now that he can move freely about the mansion, Mario talks to the Boos,
though none of them have anything very interesting to say. One of them,
however, has a letter coming to him...
... Oh, great, it's finally in! This is from a guy I know who deals in
useful items from all over the world.
He has a great eye for items. He just got something in that I've wanted
for a long time. Oh, it's the coolest thing!
Oh, wow, I almost forgot! Could you deliver this for me?
Sorry if it's a bother...
There's a Toad child in Toad Town named Dane T. Please deliver it to him.
He always seems to be playing by the station with his pals. He must like
trains.
Thanks a Boo!
Though he's never heard of a long-distance haunting, Mario agrees to do
it.
After stopping at the shop downstairs to stock up, Mario leaves the
mansion and takes the path to Gusty Gulch. He soon finds an old, wrought-
iron gate in his way.
Scared? Mario laughs at fear and tinkles on terror, though that only
happened once, when he was really drunk.
As usual, a new locale brings new challenges to be stomped and smashed:
They sometimes charge their power before attacking.
That charged attack will take away 8 HP, so watch out when they start to
glow.
It'll miss if you can become transparent.
Except for that, they're no different from normal Paragoombas, so use a
Jump attack to defeat 'em.
Knowing that windmills are nothing but trouble, Mario steers clear of it
and soon finds himself in Gusty Gulch proper, which is, predictably, a
ghost town.
You know, Your Ladyship, you really shouldn't come here. It's
dangerous.
Tubba Blubba could come here at any time!
Bow: I know! I came here to teach that Tubba Blubba a lesson!
Bring him on!
When was the last time he came through here?
Boo: Why, just yesterday, Lady. It was horrible...
He...ugh...
This time, he...ate Herbert. Oh, it was gruesome!
Poor Herbert!
He was so dark and depressing! What a terrific Boo!
Bow: Oh, no! Not Herbert!
Ooh, Tubba Blubba... He must be stopped...
Listen, everyone! Don't fear! We're on our way to defeat this Tubba Blubba
once and for all!
That monster has eaten his last Boo-meal!
Boo: Oh! Lady!
Your bravery is inspiring!
But you know he's called the Invincible Tubba Blubba... Please be careful,
OK?
Wandering through the town, Mario learns some tidbits about the terrible
beast lurking within the castle ahead.
"The key to solving the secret is inside the innermost room. Pay
attention to both the heart and body, and don't..."
Then, just as he was finishing, Tubba Blubba ate him.
I wonder what the rest of the message was..."
He claims that Tubba Blubba hides something incredibly important right
next to his bed.
I wonder what it could be.
Tubba Blubba sometimes travels down to the foot of the hill.
I'm sure he's doing something secretive down there, but...
...what could it be?
Yeah! Get revenge! He'll never eat another ghost! Never!
But before the Boo can say anything further, the ground starts to shake, and the other Boos flee into their houses...
Oh... Oh no!
Tubba Blubba's coming!
Everybody, hide!!
Lady Bow!
You have to hide Mario!
Bow: Mario! We have to hide!
Use my power! Immediately!
And no sooner does Mario vanish than the big guy himself arrives.
Ugly bastard, isn't he? He stomps down the hill to Mario and the lone Boo...
The boo turns around and notices Tubba behind him.
Er...
Gulp!
Tubba: Urp...
A little tangy, but good.
He stomps off again, and the ghosts return once the coast is clear.
Oh, the horror of it all...
After witnessing the terror, Mario resolves to take down Tubba before he
devours another Boo.
They sometimes charge their power before attacking.
That charged attack will take away 8 HP, so watch out when they start to
glow.
It's a good idea to use Bow or an item to become transparent. The attack
will miss for sure.
Their defense power will fall to 1 if you use an explosion to flip 'em
over.
And in case you hadn't noticed, they have spikes up top! It'll hurt if you
jump on 'em.
Behind one of the scrubby bushes, Mario finds another letter.
Soon, Mario reaches a strange, huge building.
The land here is totally barren. Was it always like this?
Who knows and who really cares? Let's do this!
And the first thing Mario sees as he enters is... Metroids? The heck?
Mario is so busy pondering this strange phenomenon that he doesn't notice
when one latches onto his head.
But instead of devouring his delicious bodily fluids, the metroid merely
picks him up...
And unceremoniously drops him outside.
Oh, really?
Don't you think you can hide from them by using one of our party
member's abilities?
Getting the point, Mario utilizes Bow's ability and makes it through the
foyer and into the corridor beyond.
The guards are sleeping on the job, but Mario confronts them anyway to
avoid any unpleasant surprises later.
They often sleep on the job. If you walk very slowly, they won't wake
up.
They may look big, but if you use the action command perfectly, they're
not so tough.
Behind the door, Mario finds a strange room.
A spring that only makes him crash into the ceiling, and tables to high to
jump onto unaided? Hmmm...
And another table with something on it. Poor Mario, he's so short he
almost has no reason to live...
Mario heads downstairs and finds a floor to buttstomp through, landing him
in the basement.
Aha, a chest. And within it...
Hooray, a key to a door we didn't even know was locked!
And also...
As a matter of fact, I came to this castle with my friends to try to
find Tubba Blubba's weak point.
We managed to find out that there's something important hidden in Tubba
Blubba's room on the highest floor.
But once I got separated from my friends, I just had to hide.
...But you could go.
First, you need to get to the uppermost floor, then keep going until you
find his room.
If you happen to run into Tubba Blubba, don't, I repeat, DON'T fight with
him.
He's invincible! Really!
Until you find out his secret weakness you'd better just run away. You got
that?
Mario finds another Super Block, and decides this time to upgrade Bow.
Returning to the ground floor, Mario unlocks the locked door in the foyer
and heads upstairs, soon discovering the room immediately above the
spring room.
Breaking the floor not only allows him to reach the badge on the table, it
gives him a convenient shortcut between floors should he need it.
The next room is filled with retracting spikes, and Mario soon figures out
the timing to get across and grab the key in the chest.
Reaching the top floor, Mario figures it's going to be no problem from
here on... until he hears the door at the end of the corridor open.
I smell something very fishy...
The dashing plumber, however, takes refuge in Bow's shadow, and the nasty
Tubba just walks past them, giving Mario and opportunity to sneak his
way through a whole throng of Clubbas and take the key to Tubba's room.
Tubba's room has no guards, and Mario rushes to the bed.
But before he can open the chest, Blubba comes in.
That Star Spirit ran away... And now I think someone suspicious is in
the castle...
I sure don't want to make King Bowser mad. He's scary.
He did make me invincible, but if I screw up, he might change me back to
normal.
The crisis averted for now, Mario opens the chest.
Where are Wakkey and Dotkey?
...a faithful and chatty follower of Master Tubba Blubba!
My very important job is to guard his valuables!
But...?
You don't look like Master Tubba Blubba at all!
...That means
you've come here to steal me, the magical key that unlocks the door to
Windy Mill at the foot of Gusty Gulch?
And furthermore, youre goal is to find out if there's a secret inside that
Windy Mill?
Mario figures he's been found out, so he confesses.
Yakkey: ... You're a very honest person, aren't you?
Kooper: Uh-oh. We're in trouble! Tubba Blubba woke up! Let's go!
With the key in tow, Mario beats cheeks just ahead of the now-awake and
enraged Tubba Blubba.
The huge oaf jumps up and down, causing the balconies to collapse, but
our plucky plumber avoids being hurt by the reenactment of the Donkey
Kong opening and continues to haul ass out.
With less than a second to spare, Mario escapes from the castle!
Simultaneously, on the outside...
Be brave! We must do all we can to help the Lady Bow!
Boo B: But...what can we do?
Boo Leader: This is no time to lose our nerve, fellow Boos!
Our dear lady is fighting against Tubba Blubba himself! We mustn't
hesitate!
From within comes the voice of Blubba.
Come back here!!
The door opens, and...
Not wasting a moment, the Boos fling themselves against the door, forcing
it shut.
Tubba Blubba's chasing you?! And he's right on the other side of the
door?! Gulp!
What!?
You might be able to find out Tubba Blubba's weak point?
Oh, of course! The windmill at the foot of the hill...
You must hurry! Run as fast as you can to the Windy Mill!
We'll hold Tubba Blubba here!
Kooper: Are you nuts!
That Tubba Blubba will make a meal out of you guys!
Tubba's voice from inside: Grruuuurg!!
Why won't this door open?!
Boo Leader: I...don't know how long...we can...keep holding this.
Don't worry about us! Go, for all our sakes!
Don't look back!
Tubba's voice from inside: I smell delicious ghosts! Open the
doooooooor!!
Mario runs downhill as fast as he can and makes it to the windmill.
Whew, no evil mirrors filled with tiny duplicate Marios. Just a creepy
well...
And at the bottom...
Burma Shave.
Mario opens the last door, and sees a strange thing hovering over some
kind of receptacle.
What!?
Mario!?
Did someone...
...tell you that I'm the secret strength of Tubba Blubba!?
Someoen spilled the beans that the Tubba Blubba in the castle is just a
shell and...
...I'm controlling it from here!?
You can't trust anybody!
I can't let you out of here knowing the secret of my "invincible body!
Sorry, but here we go!
He has a terrible attack, so hide when he tells you he's about to unleash
it.
This attack will take away 12 HP! Whoa!
Try to beat him before he can do his huge attack again.
Trust me, it's dangerous. This is Bow's turn to shine!
Mario calls Bow out, and the heart takes notice.
Stick around after the battle. Fighting makes me hungry.
Mario!
Now I'm really mad! Let's beat this thing up!
Gwaah ha ha ha!
With careful use of Bow's powers, Mario thrashes the heart to within an
inch of its life.
I have to get out of here!
It bounds out of its... whatever that is and bounces out the door.
His Hip Attack causes 6 points worth of damage.
Be careful, because I'm not exactly sure what his other attacks can do.
...But...
I think he's definitely weaker than before...
Indeed; it only takes a few hits to knock his sorry ass out.
With my heart and body united, I'm not invincible anymore...
Now I'm back to "not invincible" Tubba Blubba... That's so lame.
I give uuuup!
Look, I'll give back all the ghosts I ate! Forgive me!
I'm actually a really sensitive guy trapped in a huge body.
I don't wanna be invincible anymore if it means I have to fight guys like
you!
And with that, he runs off, crying.
Serves you right!
And everyone who got eaten has returned safely! Hooray!
...But I guess I'd better tell everyone not to scare Tubba Blubba anymore.
We used to love scaring Tubba Blubba night and day because he was such a
coward.
Oh well. We're not sorry for it! Scaring folks like him is what ghosts do,
so Boo on him... Ha!
Besides, that was a pretty invigorating experience. I've never felt so
full of excitement before!<3
And... Ahem... It was also a good learning experience.
I think I'd better experience some more of the outside world.
So...
I think I'll accompany you a little longer.
Is that OK, Mario?
Of course it's OK, right?
You don't have to be polite.
You won't have to worry about anything anymore as long as I'm with you.
Gweaah heh ha!
Here you go, Mario. I'm giving you back the Star Spirit, as I promised.
Bootler! Snap to it! Come over here!
Here, Mario. He's free now.
After solving the secret of "Invincible" Tubba Blubba, Mario and party set
free Star Spirit Skolar.
Now, with Tubba Blubba just a bad dream, the Boos are free to haunt to
their hearts' content.
Even the lonely wind echoing through Gusty Gulch seems to be celebrating
the victory...
at least for now.
With newest party member, Bow, in tow, Mario and friends are ready to take
on their next challenge.
Did that chapter seem short to anyone else? It felt pretty short to me,
probably because the dungeon was so straightforward and lacked any real
puzzles or backtracking.
last entry? Usually I catch those things before I post, but that one
slipped by me.
Now that he can move freely about the mansion, Mario talks to the Boos,
though none of them have anything very interesting to say. One of them,
however, has a letter coming to him...
... Oh, great, it's finally in! This is from a guy I know who deals in
useful items from all over the world.
He has a great eye for items. He just got something in that I've wanted
for a long time. Oh, it's the coolest thing!
Oh, wow, I almost forgot! Could you deliver this for me?
Sorry if it's a bother...
There's a Toad child in Toad Town named Dane T. Please deliver it to him.
He always seems to be playing by the station with his pals. He must like
trains.
Thanks a Boo!
Though he's never heard of a long-distance haunting, Mario agrees to do
it.
After stopping at the shop downstairs to stock up, Mario leaves the
mansion and takes the path to Gusty Gulch. He soon finds an old, wrought-
iron gate in his way.
Scared? Mario laughs at fear and tinkles on terror, though that only
happened once, when he was really drunk.
As usual, a new locale brings new challenges to be stomped and smashed:
They sometimes charge their power before attacking.
That charged attack will take away 8 HP, so watch out when they start to
glow.
It'll miss if you can become transparent.
Except for that, they're no different from normal Paragoombas, so use a
Jump attack to defeat 'em.
Knowing that windmills are nothing but trouble, Mario steers clear of it
and soon finds himself in Gusty Gulch proper, which is, predictably, a
ghost town.
You know, Your Ladyship, you really shouldn't come here. It's
dangerous.
Tubba Blubba could come here at any time!
Bow: I know! I came here to teach that Tubba Blubba a lesson!
Bring him on!
When was the last time he came through here?
Boo: Why, just yesterday, Lady. It was horrible...
He...ugh...
This time, he...ate Herbert. Oh, it was gruesome!
Poor Herbert!
He was so dark and depressing! What a terrific Boo!
Bow: Oh, no! Not Herbert!
Ooh, Tubba Blubba... He must be stopped...
Listen, everyone! Don't fear! We're on our way to defeat this Tubba Blubba
once and for all!
That monster has eaten his last Boo-meal!
Boo: Oh! Lady!
Your bravery is inspiring!
But you know he's called the Invincible Tubba Blubba... Please be careful,
OK?
Wandering through the town, Mario learns some tidbits about the terrible
beast lurking within the castle ahead.
"The key to solving the secret is inside the innermost room. Pay
attention to both the heart and body, and don't..."
Then, just as he was finishing, Tubba Blubba ate him.
I wonder what the rest of the message was..."
He claims that Tubba Blubba hides something incredibly important right
next to his bed.
I wonder what it could be.
Tubba Blubba sometimes travels down to the foot of the hill.
I'm sure he's doing something secretive down there, but...
...what could it be?
Yeah! Get revenge! He'll never eat another ghost! Never!
But before the Boo can say anything further, the ground starts to shake, and the other Boos flee into their houses...
Oh... Oh no!
Tubba Blubba's coming!
Everybody, hide!!
Lady Bow!
You have to hide Mario!
Bow: Mario! We have to hide!
Use my power! Immediately!
And no sooner does Mario vanish than the big guy himself arrives.
Ugly bastard, isn't he? He stomps down the hill to Mario and the lone Boo...
The boo turns around and notices Tubba behind him.
Er...
Gulp!
Tubba: Urp...
A little tangy, but good.
He stomps off again, and the ghosts return once the coast is clear.
Oh, the horror of it all...
After witnessing the terror, Mario resolves to take down Tubba before he
devours another Boo.
They sometimes charge their power before attacking.
That charged attack will take away 8 HP, so watch out when they start to
glow.
It's a good idea to use Bow or an item to become transparent. The attack
will miss for sure.
Their defense power will fall to 1 if you use an explosion to flip 'em
over.
And in case you hadn't noticed, they have spikes up top! It'll hurt if you
jump on 'em.
Behind one of the scrubby bushes, Mario finds another letter.
Soon, Mario reaches a strange, huge building.
The land here is totally barren. Was it always like this?
Who knows and who really cares? Let's do this!
And the first thing Mario sees as he enters is... Metroids? The heck?
Mario is so busy pondering this strange phenomenon that he doesn't notice
when one latches onto his head.
But instead of devouring his delicious bodily fluids, the metroid merely
picks him up...
And unceremoniously drops him outside.
Oh, really?
Don't you think you can hide from them by using one of our party
member's abilities?
Getting the point, Mario utilizes Bow's ability and makes it through the
foyer and into the corridor beyond.
The guards are sleeping on the job, but Mario confronts them anyway to
avoid any unpleasant surprises later.
They often sleep on the job. If you walk very slowly, they won't wake
up.
They may look big, but if you use the action command perfectly, they're
not so tough.
Behind the door, Mario finds a strange room.
A spring that only makes him crash into the ceiling, and tables to high to
jump onto unaided? Hmmm...
And another table with something on it. Poor Mario, he's so short he
almost has no reason to live...
Mario heads downstairs and finds a floor to buttstomp through, landing him
in the basement.
Aha, a chest. And within it...
Hooray, a key to a door we didn't even know was locked!
And also...
As a matter of fact, I came to this castle with my friends to try to
find Tubba Blubba's weak point.
We managed to find out that there's something important hidden in Tubba
Blubba's room on the highest floor.
But once I got separated from my friends, I just had to hide.
...But you could go.
First, you need to get to the uppermost floor, then keep going until you
find his room.
If you happen to run into Tubba Blubba, don't, I repeat, DON'T fight with
him.
He's invincible! Really!
Until you find out his secret weakness you'd better just run away. You got
that?
Mario finds another Super Block, and decides this time to upgrade Bow.
Returning to the ground floor, Mario unlocks the locked door in the foyer
and heads upstairs, soon discovering the room immediately above the
spring room.
Breaking the floor not only allows him to reach the badge on the table, it
gives him a convenient shortcut between floors should he need it.
The next room is filled with retracting spikes, and Mario soon figures out
the timing to get across and grab the key in the chest.
Reaching the top floor, Mario figures it's going to be no problem from
here on... until he hears the door at the end of the corridor open.
I smell something very fishy...
The dashing plumber, however, takes refuge in Bow's shadow, and the nasty
Tubba just walks past them, giving Mario and opportunity to sneak his
way through a whole throng of Clubbas and take the key to Tubba's room.
Tubba's room has no guards, and Mario rushes to the bed.
But before he can open the chest, Blubba comes in.
That Star Spirit ran away... And now I think someone suspicious is in
the castle...
I sure don't want to make King Bowser mad. He's scary.
He did make me invincible, but if I screw up, he might change me back to
normal.
The crisis averted for now, Mario opens the chest.
Where are Wakkey and Dotkey?
...a faithful and chatty follower of Master Tubba Blubba!
My very important job is to guard his valuables!
But...?
You don't look like Master Tubba Blubba at all!
...That means
you've come here to steal me, the magical key that unlocks the door to
Windy Mill at the foot of Gusty Gulch?
And furthermore, youre goal is to find out if there's a secret inside that
Windy Mill?
Mario figures he's been found out, so he confesses.
Yakkey: ... You're a very honest person, aren't you?
Kooper: Uh-oh. We're in trouble! Tubba Blubba woke up! Let's go!
With the key in tow, Mario beats cheeks just ahead of the now-awake and
enraged Tubba Blubba.
The huge oaf jumps up and down, causing the balconies to collapse, but
our plucky plumber avoids being hurt by the reenactment of the Donkey
Kong opening and continues to haul ass out.
With less than a second to spare, Mario escapes from the castle!
Simultaneously, on the outside...
Be brave! We must do all we can to help the Lady Bow!
Boo B: But...what can we do?
Boo Leader: This is no time to lose our nerve, fellow Boos!
Our dear lady is fighting against Tubba Blubba himself! We mustn't
hesitate!
From within comes the voice of Blubba.
Come back here!!
The door opens, and...
Not wasting a moment, the Boos fling themselves against the door, forcing
it shut.
Tubba Blubba's chasing you?! And he's right on the other side of the
door?! Gulp!
What!?
You might be able to find out Tubba Blubba's weak point?
Oh, of course! The windmill at the foot of the hill...
You must hurry! Run as fast as you can to the Windy Mill!
We'll hold Tubba Blubba here!
Kooper: Are you nuts!
That Tubba Blubba will make a meal out of you guys!
Tubba's voice from inside: Grruuuurg!!
Why won't this door open?!
Boo Leader: I...don't know how long...we can...keep holding this.
Don't worry about us! Go, for all our sakes!
Don't look back!
Tubba's voice from inside: I smell delicious ghosts! Open the
doooooooor!!
Mario runs downhill as fast as he can and makes it to the windmill.
Whew, no evil mirrors filled with tiny duplicate Marios. Just a creepy
well...
And at the bottom...
Burma Shave.
Mario opens the last door, and sees a strange thing hovering over some
kind of receptacle.
What!?
Mario!?
Did someone...
...tell you that I'm the secret strength of Tubba Blubba!?
Someoen spilled the beans that the Tubba Blubba in the castle is just a
shell and...
...I'm controlling it from here!?
You can't trust anybody!
I can't let you out of here knowing the secret of my "invincible body!
Sorry, but here we go!
He has a terrible attack, so hide when he tells you he's about to unleash
it.
This attack will take away 12 HP! Whoa!
Try to beat him before he can do his huge attack again.
Trust me, it's dangerous. This is Bow's turn to shine!
Mario calls Bow out, and the heart takes notice.
Stick around after the battle. Fighting makes me hungry.
Mario!
Now I'm really mad! Let's beat this thing up!
Gwaah ha ha ha!
With careful use of Bow's powers, Mario thrashes the heart to within an
inch of its life.
I have to get out of here!
It bounds out of its... whatever that is and bounces out the door.
His Hip Attack causes 6 points worth of damage.
Be careful, because I'm not exactly sure what his other attacks can do.
...But...
I think he's definitely weaker than before...
Indeed; it only takes a few hits to knock his sorry ass out.
With my heart and body united, I'm not invincible anymore...
Now I'm back to "not invincible" Tubba Blubba... That's so lame.
I give uuuup!
Look, I'll give back all the ghosts I ate! Forgive me!
I'm actually a really sensitive guy trapped in a huge body.
I don't wanna be invincible anymore if it means I have to fight guys like
you!
And with that, he runs off, crying.
Serves you right!
And everyone who got eaten has returned safely! Hooray!
...But I guess I'd better tell everyone not to scare Tubba Blubba anymore.
We used to love scaring Tubba Blubba night and day because he was such a
coward.
Oh well. We're not sorry for it! Scaring folks like him is what ghosts do,
so Boo on him... Ha!
Besides, that was a pretty invigorating experience. I've never felt so
full of excitement before!<3
And... Ahem... It was also a good learning experience.
I think I'd better experience some more of the outside world.
So...
I think I'll accompany you a little longer.
Is that OK, Mario?
Of course it's OK, right?
You don't have to be polite.
You won't have to worry about anything anymore as long as I'm with you.
Gweaah heh ha!
Here you go, Mario. I'm giving you back the Star Spirit, as I promised.
Bootler! Snap to it! Come over here!
Here, Mario. He's free now.
After solving the secret of "Invincible" Tubba Blubba, Mario and party set
free Star Spirit Skolar.
Now, with Tubba Blubba just a bad dream, the Boos are free to haunt to
their hearts' content.
Even the lonely wind echoing through Gusty Gulch seems to be celebrating
the victory...
at least for now.
With newest party member, Bow, in tow, Mario and friends are ready to take
on their next challenge.
Did that chapter seem short to anyone else? It felt pretty short to me,
probably because the dungeon was so straightforward and lacked any real
puzzles or backtracking.