Super Mario Bros. 3/World 6



Mario's teeth are sure to chatter as he descends from the sunny landscape above the clouds to a frozen winter wonderland. Be glad you've got the warm and cozy Tanooki Suit—you'll need it to keep out the winter chill.

Hammers will do you no good beyond World 6, so use them up if you like. You can shortcut around three stages, but you may miss out on some great secrets and power-ups as a result.

World 6-1
Snow-capped trees and wispy clouds serve as the backdrop to an arctic expedition. This winter wonderland is slippery. All surfaces in this place are extremely slick and there's no way you can come to a complete stop quickly. Be careful you don't slide right into the enemy!


 * 1: Avoid the Ptooie while collecting the power-up. Become fiery if possible; most enemies in Ice World are vulnerable to firepower.
 * 2: When Ptooie spits the spiked ball in the air, jump over him. You can also easily defeat it with firepower or a tail attack.
 * 3: Take flight with the Raccoon Suit and soar to the secret door. Behind it, you'll find a room (shown right) full of blocks that can be transformed into coins by using a Switch Block, but you'll need to move quickly and slide underneath the barriers on the ice to reach the hoard of coins in time.  Slide through the gaps in the upper passage, activate the Switch Block and quickly get down to the coins.  It takes practice.
 * 4: Use a Starman when you begin this stage and you can whiz to this block, which will contain a Starman if you hit it while you're invincible.


 * 5: A while mess of Ptooies guard the slippery stretch at point 5, as does a Para-Goomba that could make jumping difficult. The Fire Flower at point 1 would come in handy here.

World 6-2
The thin mountain air would chill you to the bone if you weren't doing so much jumping! The path you climb to the goal in this world is made up of clouds and floating blocks of ice.


 * 1: High mountain winds cause clouds to race across the sky, so you'll need to think fast and move faster to hitch a ride.
 * 2: Don't let a pillar shove you off a cloud. As soon as you see on approaching, jump to a higher cloud.  You'll avoid the pillar easily.


 * 3:At this point, the screen will scroll upwards. Jump on the clouds in quick succession to rise above the massive pillar blocking your path, then prepare to descend soon afterward.
 * 4: To milk the 10-Coin Block for all it's worth, you'll have to act fast. Quickly chuck the Ice Blocks out of the way and bump the 10-Coin Block quickly to get the loot before the screen scrolls by.
 * 5: Snatching the 1-Up at point 5 can be tricky, but it's possible with a bit of planning. Move to the far right of the screen before the 1-Up approaches, then jump on a cloud and bump the ? Block.  You can hit the ? Block even if it's off the screen, so jump blind if necessary.  Be ready to grab the 1-Up as soon as it falls into view.

World 6-3
Insulate yourself with a furry Tanooki Suit—the thermometer just bottomed out. Take a vine to a secret room. The secret room in this world not only gives you a free Tanooki Suit, but 30 coins and a free ride to the goal.


 * 1: It's impossible to make it over the ice wall. Drop onto the platform and slide beneath the wall.  If you're Super Mario, you'll need to crouch.  If you're Tanooki Mario, try transforming into a statue instead!
 * 2: Koopa Troopas aren't all bad—sometimes they can even be useful. Stomp on the Koopa Troopa and grasp its shell.  Jump over the gap and kick the shell at the ? Block to reveal a power-up sealed inside.  Don't hesitate to collect it, or it'll be gone before you know it.
 * 3: It takes a stout heart, but you can sprint over the small gaps at point 3 without falling. Don't slow down, stop or jump, or you'll fall into the gaps.  Unfortunately, you can't gain enough speed to take off with the Raccoon Suit by running over the ice pillars.  Beware of the Koopa on the other side.
 * 4: Kick a Koopa shell at the solitary block to make a vine grow into the sky. Climb the vine to reach a pipe that will warp you to a chamber (shown right) containing the coveted Tanooki Suit.  While in the chamber, run to build up to flying speed, and slam through the blocks on the ceiling to collect a coin stash.  Before you leave, you can also build up your P-Meter and exit the pipe, allowing you to fly to the end.


 * 5: If you don't fly to the end of the stage using a P-Wing or a suit, you'll have to bounce off a Koopa Paratroopa to make it to the goal.

World 6 1st Fortress
A roller coast over bubbling lava and Roto-Discs put you on a collision course with BOOM-BOOM. This Fortress contains a door that will let you reset ? Blocks for repeated item collection.

Part 1

 * 1: Bump the ? Block to make it cough up a power-up; you'll have to grab it fast or you won't make it back to the lift.
 * 2: Hop off the lift at point 2. Stand on the edge of the platform until the Roto Disc goes down and right, then jump off.  While you're falling hold  to avoid plunging into the spikes.

Part 2

 * 3: Passing in and out of doors will reset the blocks in the fortress. Use this trick to beef yourself up with several power-ups, and then get the 1-Up.
 * 4: You can safely wait next to the Roto Disc column until the coast is clear, then get the running start you need to obtain the 1-Up.
 * 5: To snag the Starman power-up sealed in the ? Block, you must watch both fire traps carefully to avoid getting scorched. Sprint to BOOM-BOOM as soon as you've grabbed the Starman—although it's extremely difficult, you may make it in time to fight the boss while you're invincible.  He'll be no match for you then.

Boss room

 * B: BOOM-BOOM will behave in his usual bully fashion, but the icy floor can complicate the cold encounter.

World 6-4
Rotary Lifts, black ice and precipitous ledges make for an interesting afternoon. Find the Jump Block to a secret room. This world is only moderately tricky to get through compared to the preceding ones. But it does have some extra secrets you can reveal that will tax your skill.


 * 1: Keep your distance from Rotary Lifts. Whenever possible, jump to avoid them.
 * 2: Tread carefully—there's only one ice-encrusted block to balance on when attempting to collect the 1-Up. Try to hit the block so the 1-Up Mushroom goes left and make a small jump left to collect it.
 * 3: Hop on and off the platform to activate it. Stand on the big block of ice and wait for the platform to pass underneath the ice. then drop to it and jump to reveal a Red Jump Block.  Use the Jump Block to rise to Coin Heaven (shown below).


 * 4: Once you've hit the Switch Block, dash down the straightaway and duck underneath the Rotary Lifts to build your P-Meter. When it's full, lift off and fly to the 1-Up above.  Watch out for the Fire Chomp, or you'll be grounded.
 * 5: You never know which way you'll get bucked when you leap onto a Rotary Lift. More often than not, it'll smack you down a pit or into an enemy.

Coin Heaven
This coin heaven is very similar to the one that you might have visited in World 3-7 except that it does not end with a treasure. Instead, you will find a pipe that returns you to the regular stage. You will then have to complete the stage in the normal fashion.