New Super Mario Bros./World 6-A

The climate in World 6's mountain range can vary greatly. On this level, dry conditions have created a high altitude desert, complete with a huge sea of quicksand. Swirling sandy whirlwinds launch you high up if you get caught in their air currents. Move fast, as not one, but two Lakitus will chase you around the stage!

Level walkthrough
As stated in the level introduction, you have to contend with multiple Lakitus while going through the level. This means you also have to deal with more Spinies, and there's barely any vantage point high enough to let you attack Lakitu directly. Try to stay on the platforms as you begin to cross the huge stretch of quicksand. It's not immediately deadly if you fall in, but having your movement impeded makes it harder to dodge the Spinies thrown from above.

Eventually, you should come to a large swirling cyclone of sand. These are Tweesters, harmless phenomena that spin you and propel you high into the air like a Spin Block. You can use the extra height to take down Lakitus, but it's tricky to do so due to your slow movement. Jump into this first Tweester and stay put to collect the pillar of coins as you're sent up. Hold right to drift to the first Star Coin high up in the air. Below, there are some coins you can collect by ground pounding the blocks surrounding them, although doing so makes you more vulnerable to Spinies.

To the right of the coins, there is an elevated section of quicksand surrounded by two sand pillars. Go against your intuition and remain stationary on this strip of quicksand to sink inside, letting you warp to an underground area. Cling to the wall on your left until you can see an opening with the second Star Coin, then wall jump to it. Fall to the bottom and go right, then climb up the steps, being careful of a few Spinies in your way. Go through the yellow pipe to return to the main course, skipping a minor section of quicksand. A few steps to the right and you'll trigger the checkpoint.

Another Tweester is in your path in the following pool of quicksand. Jump into it and hover to the right. You should land somewhere near a long, thin platform. Go right and drop down to the area below the thin platform. Hit the block there to make a Star pop out. While invincible, you can run through any Spinies on the ground for points and 1-Ups, or even try to take out the Lakitus. Eventually, you will come to a series of pipes. Go into the first red pipe to reach an underground cave inhabited by a lone Super Piranha Plant. A Star Coin hovers above it, which you can collect by leaping over the plant or defeating it beforehand.

Exit through the way you came and enter the pipe immediately to the right of you. The pipe you entered is a cannon pipe that will shoot you over the pipes and to the final stretch of quicksand. Make running leaps to jump between the solid platforms over the quicksand, then duck into the horizontal warp pipe at the end to lose the two Lakitus. Jump up the staircase on the other side of the pipe and leap to the flagpole to clear the level.

Star Coins

 * 1) Jump into the first Tweester to get launched up high. Slowly float to the right to get the Star Coin high above the ground.
 * 2) In the middle of the first half of the course, you can see a cascade of quicksand higher than the level of quicksand around it. Sink down the bottom to enter a secret underground area. Cling to the wall and wall jump once you see the coin.
 * 3) Go into the first red pipe you see to enter a cave with a Super Piranha Plant. Leap over it to get the Star Coin.