Super Mario Bros. 3/World 6 Part 3

World 6-9
Some stages have it all: ice climbing, ice diving, and ice gardening. Either the P-Wing or the Frog Suit will give you a bonus in this world.


 * 1: To reach the 1-Up and the shortcut to the end of the stage, use a P-Wing or Raccoon Suit to fly to the area atop the Ice Blocks. Bump the block and grab the 1-Up while you're on top, then run to the right to cut directly to the end of the stage.
 * On the NES version of the game, it is possible for extremely skilled players to make it up to the top of the ice using Small Mario. It takes very precise timing, but it's possible to scale the wall by jumping at just the right moment along the cracks in the ice.


 * 2: Don't land on the Munchers! Leap from the left wooden pillar to the right one. The jump requires perfect accuracy—if you land short or long, you're a goner.
 * 3: For Frogs only. If you have one hanging in your closet, slip on a Frog Suit to swim through the swift current and reach a hidden pipe. Go down the pipe to enter a large room (shown right) filled with coins and a block that yields three 1-Ups.


 * 4: Jump above the Munchers to hit an Invisible Block. Be careful not to fall into the toothy beasts as you come back down. Use the new block to get at the Switch Block above. Stomp the Switch Block and drop quickly to the floor. All of the Munchers will be transformed into coins. Stuff as many coins into your pocket as you can before the Switch Block times out.
 * 5: Bounce on the Jump Block—a power-up will drop to the water. It'll sink quickly, so dive in after it and collect it before it gets away. Beware of the fish lurking below—if you get tagged, all of your effort will be wasted.

World 6-10
A cold snap has frozen Bowser's coins and the Munchers that protect them. If you bring the right kind of fire power in this stage, you can trade it in for an upgrade if you know where to look.


 * 1: Hit the block that contains the power-up from the bottom right so that the treasure slides to the left. Then hop up and grab it.
 * 2: Before you climb the vine to the Switch Block, clear the path of enemies and drill your way to the other side. Hit the ? Block that holds a power-up. If you're Super Mario, you'll snag a Fire Flower that will soon come in handy. Fling some fireballs at the ice-encased Munchers to thaw them, then head back to climb the vine and stomp the Switch Block. (Note: If you hit the Switch Block before you hit the Munchers, they will still turn into coins as soon as you thaw them out as long as the Switch Block is still activated.)
 * 3: Stomp the Buster Beetle into submission before bumping the block that spawns a vine. Climb the vine and smash the block on the platform above. You'll find a Switch Block inside one of the blocks. When you're ready, stomp it and jump to the coins. Zig-zag slightly as you call to collect a wealth of coins.


 * 4: Hammer Suit: As soon as you've stomped the Switch Block, race to the pipe that's overgrown with Munchers. The Munchers that you defrosted earlier will be coins if you arrive in time. Collect the coins and drop down the pipe to reach a room (shown right) containing the powerful Hammer Suit!
 * 5: Fiery Mario can melt the ice around the coins, and the fireballs also defrost Munchers. Take care to melt only the coins—if you're careful, you can collect them all without any danger from the Munchers.
 * 6: Jumps don't get much harder than this: a Rotary Lift spanning the gap, an icy landing spot and a Koopa Troopa on guard. Don't run too fast, or you'll slide off the other side or run squarely into the Troopa.
 * 7: Respect the last Koopa Troopa, or it'll cause you a lot of grief (and may even send you back to the start of the stage.) Jump on it and hold to fly high into the sky, then try to land squarely on the platform to kick the shell safely out of the way.

World 6 3rd Fortress
Forget the gym—you're bound to break a sweat on the conveyor belts in this foreboding fortress. The Ice World is well fortified indeed! There are three Fortresses, and this one is the worst! All the enemies here, Roto Discs, Stretch and Thromp, are invincible.

Part 1

 * 1: If you've carried over the Hammer Suit from the previous level (or used one from your inventory) you're in luck: Mario's Hammers can eliminate enemies such as Boo Diddly and Thwomp Traps!
 * 2: Fast-moving conveyor belts make otherwise simple jumps into harrowing leaps. Move in the opposite direction of the conveyor belt to avoid being thrown off.
 * 3: Stand on top of the Roto-Disc's harmless axis and face away from Boo Diddly until he comes very close. Wait for an opening and jump the gap over Boo Diddly to reach the conveyor belt. Run away quickly, or he'll catch on to your trick and chase you down.
 * 4: It requires exceptional timing (or luck), but if you have a Raccoon Suit, you can use the straightaway at the beginning of the stage to fill your P-Meter and fly up to a 1-Up overhead. You'll have to avoid the Roto-Disc though, which can be a risky proposition.
 * 5: Stretch eagerly guards a power-up sealed in a ? Block. Wait for Stretch to move to the end opposite the block, then sneak down, bump the block and collect the power-up before Stretch can come back to get you.


 * 6: Jump up and down to trick the Thwomp Trap into crashing to the floor. As it rises back into position, sneak underneath it. The conveyor belt can make the maneuver tricky, so be careful to avoid the spikes at the end of the belt.
 * 7: In the extraordinarily difficult section at point 7, you'll have to negotiate two Stretches and two Roto-Discs that swing in opposite directions. Wait for the Roto-Disc to pass out of the way, then hop off the first Stretch and onto the second, avoiding the second Roto-Disc in the process.

Part 2

 * 8: After entering the door, you'll fall to the bottom of an enormous room, which you'll share with three Boo Diddlys. Move to the right of the room and face the Boo Diddlys to stop them from getting any closer. To exit, go into the doorway when the floor rises high enough to reach it.

Boss Room

 * B: Five blocks staggered through the chamber offer excellent cover from BOOM-BOOM's leaping attacks.

World 6 Airship
A villainous circus performer schemes in his airship. Give him an unforgettable performance. Lemmy's Ship has a couple of places where it appears that Bolt Lifts are the only way to go, but in both instances you can make it by hold down when you jump. It can be tricky.


 * 1: Don't risk using the Bolt Lift—wait until the other side of the gap scrolls into view, then run and leap across. You can easily make this jump without using the Bolt Lift.
 * 2: A daring button dash! Although it looks like you might not be able to make it without using the Bolt Lifts, this is actually an easy jump to make without using them.


 * 3: Be patient; it's safe to stand between the fire jets here. You need to take your time though, if you just run through, you'll get burned.
 * 4: If you took the higher path through the ship, this power-up is easy to collect. You'll have to act more quickly to get it from the lower route. Wait for the Rocket Engine to pause, then hop up and to the left to reach the ? Block that holds the power-up.
 * 5: Time the jump onto the back of the ship so that you leap when there's no exhaust coming from the Rocket Engine. Immediately after the flame fires, run and jump through here. It's tough to make it without getting singed.

B: Lemmy Koopa
The Clown Prince of Koopas would rather join the circus than rule Ice Land, but he has an obligation to protect his tyrannical Koopa family from Mario, our pasta-eating plumber protagonist.
 * Lemmy is a master performer—don't try to beat him at his game by balancing on the balls.
 * Instead, focus on attacking him. You can safely jump on the balls, but it's best simply to attack.
 * As Lemmy spins his shell in rage, move away until he regains his composure. Then let him have it again!

It's onward to warmer climates
The troublesome Ice Country behind him, Mario can look forward to the more temperate Pipe Maze (known as Pipe Land in the original NES version, alternatively known as Tube City in the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide) ahead. Unfortunately, Piranha Plants like warmer temperatures too and it looks like the Pipe Maze is overgrown with them!