Part 4: DARK DOOM

Update 4 - DARK DOOM



So last time--



...oh, the save's not loading. Good thing I'm using save states as a backup option!



We cleared out Moleville, and now we're done despite the NPC dialogue not changing any! Honestly, I don't even know if Moleville is mandatory! Oh well!



Before I continue, I scour for hidden chests, which seem to be unchanged from the original.





The Super Jacket boosts all stats by a fair amount, and is probably the best option of the bunch. The Mega Glove is a decent alternative, being 15 points stronger than the Masher but with no other stat boost.

The Scrooge Ring is kind of a trap as we'll get better accessories later and "Half FP" is kinda pointless when your basic attack is much more reliable anyway.



SNIFIT 4: I'll wear the number proudly!

Turns out the Apprentice finally got promoted to Snifit 4 due to kicking our butt. I'm glad things worked out for them!



With some new armor and extra levels, let's tackle Jean again.





He's a total pushover this time. Our attack will rip through his HP, while he can barely dent our defense.





I also have enough bomb to one-shot the Snifits.



And from there, Jean goes down in little effort. We even get a Flower Box for our efforts!



JEAN: Move aside so I can open that door.



As we chase Jean out...

Music: Boss - Pizza Guy



PIZZA GUY: Did somebody order an Extra Large Pepperoni-Mushroom Pizza?



But...nobody ever ordered the pizza...



PIZZA GUY: Hey!







The Pizza Guy is a joke. He can use ice spells and swing a knife, but is otherwise no real threat.



On the bright side, hey, free pizza!



And Ultra Jump ain't too shabby to grab.





Also we can access the penultimate area, Silver's Lair.

Music: Silver's Lair



It's a purple version of Toadstool's Castle.



Dry Bones are annoying since they have to be finished off with fire or other non-Attack stuff, but otherwise I'm still overleveled for this point.





The Blue Guardian's supposed to be a miniboss, but it seems to be optional and really doesn't stand out any.



Once we enter the throne room...



...we suddenly end up here.



And now we're in Bowser's Castle, kind of.





We do finally fight Goombas, and they're tanky enough to take a hit and survive.



Piranha Plants are a bit annoying since they can inflict Sleep, but otherwise are also no threat.



You can also do the goomba thumping minigame here if you really want to.



After all that, we suddenly end up in the Kero Sewers.



Complete with tutorial on using pipes. Yeah, OK.



This one takes awhile to navigate but is otherwise not that interesting.



Cheeps sure do exist!



Boos also take a special attack like Fire to go down, while Shadows can inflict Terror to halve your attack.



Ratty is unremarkable, though the Scary Crows can turn you into a mushroom.



Eventually I find the switch to drain the water.





And encounter a bonus boss, Purplequin.





And it's actually a minor challenge! Its special attack, Hammer Time, will hit for 50 damage, so you want to keep topped up and go hard on offense.









The rewards are pretty nice, with a Flower Jar and an accessory that gives modest boosts to our defenses and minor to our offenses.



Eventually I finish exploring and find the way to progress. This is a very long stretch, but we're near the end...



And at last, we're going to finally meet...



...the biggest badass ever.



?????: Yes......you must be that...Mario fellow I hear so often about. Am I right?



?????: Goodbye forever!

Music: Boss - DARK DOOM



This is DARK DOOM, clearly the greatest badass the universe has ever seen. You better be prepared before you tangle with this guy!





This is his only attack that hits double-digit damage.



Otherwise he'll use a variety of other weaker elemental moves combined with stabbing us with what I must assume is the HAR-DOOM.



Eventually, knock him down to low enough health and he'll change to a darker, even edgier color. He'll also start using his signature attack, Dark Matter.



He's immune to special attacks, but physicals still put a hurt on him so he ends up not being too difficult.

And with that, Mario has overcome DARK DOOM. If only I could ever be so lucky...



~X_DARK_DOOM_666_X~: She was really good at it! And she beat me 3 times! It was spectacular! BUT! This isn't over! I'll be back.







Next time, we explore the final area of the game. Things still won't make any sense.