New Super Mario Bros./World 3-Castle

When it comes to an intimidating obstacle, Skewers are one of the best in its category. Long, thick and lined with painful spikes, they are a hazard that cannot be ignored. Bowser Jr. has also called upon some Whomps to try and crush the intrepid plumber. The choice to fill the castle with water instead of lava seems like a rare act of mercy from the Koopa family, but is actually necessary to sustain World 3's boss, the giant Cheepskipper.

Level walkthrough
The stage gives you ample time to get used to the Skewers you will be up against at the very start. There are barely any enemies in the first half of the stage, only a few Skewers pounding into the water. The key to avoiding damage from Skewers, like with many other situations, is to be patient. Look out for thin blue sections of the floor, as these areas are where the Skewers pierce through. Wait for each Skewer to retract back before moving on. At your fifth Skewer, you can see a Star Coin down in an alcove dangerously close to the Skewer. As it is going up, drop down into the space and collect it, then wait for the Skewer to pound and retract before continuing.

After that Skewer is a Dry Bones, merely an annoyance compared to all of these Skewers. The next two jumps are a bit tricky, since there are two Skewers facing opposite directions, with Donut Lifts in between them. Time your jumps so you can make both in one Skewer cycle, so that the Donut Lifts don't fall off into the water. After that gap is the checkpoint flag. Up ahead are some Whomps. The only attack these slabs of stone know is to fall on you when you run in front of them. Get out of the way when they fall, then ground pound their backs to destroy them.

There is one Whomp standing on a bed of spikes. Don't harm this Whomp, as you can use its lying body to safely stand above the spikes. Jump from the Whomp to the pole, then climb up. Go forward until you come to some Donut Lifts above the water. Use these platforms to jump to the rope hanging from the ceiling. Swing as far left as you can and jump on the line of blocks, then go left, making a wall jump along the way. Keep going left until you get to a Star Coin. The Whomp above the spikes are right below, and you can use its body as a platform once again.

Back to the rope, to the right of you is a huge Whomp. Once you swing to the right, duck into the narrow gap to avoid getting crushed by it. Up next are some more Skewers. The first is directly below two Donut Lifts. After that is three Skewers placed very close together, with only a narrow spot that is safe. You can run past two of the Skewers in one cycle, but there's no need to take the risk. Now, you have to face three Skewers right next to each other. In one single pound cycle, you must run under the first one, jump over the second and keep running to clear the third.

Before the double doors, there is one more Skewer. The height difference of the left and right edges beside the Skewer and the direction it is facing in makes dropping to the double doors a moderately difficult task. Don't go through the doors just yet, as you have one Star Coin left. Slip into the gap to the right of the double doors to fall into a pool. One last Skewer is here, its pounding stopped short by the blocks above. While it is rising, you must quickly, jump on to the blocks, then up to the space with the last Star Coin. Now you're good to go to enter the boss' chamber.

Boss: Cheepskipper
You have confronted many types of aquatic creatures during your adventures in World 3, including some very large fish. Compared to the Cheep Chomp or the Spike Bass, Cheepskipper is not that scary. It's only attack is to jump out toward you, leaping on to the bridge you're on and flopping about before dropping back in. While its out of the water, you can easily stomp its large body. You do have to be careful of the Cheep Cheeps it commands, which frequently hop out of the water. It takes three stomps to defeat Cheepskipper, but fireballs will do just as fine.

Bowser Jr.'s next destination is World 5, a perpetual winter wonderland. While saving the princess remains your main priority, its worth your time to check out World 4 if you haven't, as it contains its own share of interesting courses.

Star Coins

 * 1) In a small pocket right beside a Skewer. Watch out for that Skewer when grabbing it.
 * 2) After the donut lift, jump to the rope and swing left to the ceiling. Go left to get to a Star Coin that could be seen but not taken earlier.
 * 3) To the right of the double doors is a small gap. One last Skewer is beyond that gap, as well as the coin. Time your jumps right so you can leap to the ledge with the Star Coin.