Super Mario 64 DS - mini-game guide Version 0.45 By J ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0. Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To search for a particular section, append references together, e.g. '4aiii.'. 0. Contents 1. Legal and contact 2. Introduction 3. Current content 4. The mini-games* a. Unlocking the mini-games b. Mini-game guides* i. Yoshi's mini-games ii. Mario's mini-games** iii. Luigi's mini-games** iv. Wario's mini-games** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Legal and contact ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is distributed under a Creative Commons license (Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ If you come across any significant section of this guide and its use does not comply with the above terms, please e-mail me. To contact me to either suggest information or ideas or point out corrections, use e-mail. The e-mail address to use is J49137@gmail.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My aim in writing this is to help any readers unlock all the mini-games in the game for the Nintendo DS, Super Mario 64 DS, and achieve the highest scores they can on them. The game contains 36 mini-games, 9 for each of the 4 playable characters (Yoshi, Mario, Luigi and Wario), and so the mini-games in the guide are organised into 4 groups: one for each character. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Current content ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the moment, this guide contains: - Summary of mini-games. - Locations of all rabbits. - Guides for all of Yoshi's mini-games. I hope that the list will grow in future updates; for the time being, this is all there is in this document. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. The Mini-games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mini-games are found in the Rec. (recreation) Room. This is accessed from the Title Screen by the button 'Rec Room'. All mini-games are played using only the touch screen. Once at the Recreation Room, the 4 characters' smiling pictures are shown on the left of the screen and are, from top to bottom, Yoshi, Mario, Luigi and Wario. By selecting one of these faces, the menu for the character's mini-games can be seen. High scores for each game are displayed above or below the mini-game they are for. During the playing of a mini-game, pressing Start, Select, A or B will pause the game and show a menu, where you can view a description of the mini-game, options, continue playing it or quit (WITHOUT A YES/NO PROMPT). When the game is begun, there are 8 mini-games available: 2 for each character, even those that have not been unlocked in the main game. The mini-games are, for each character, the first 2 in each section being those that do not need to be unlocked, named the following: Yoshi: WANTED! LOVES ME...? HIDE AND BOO SEEK PUZZLE PANEL BOOM BOX TOX BOX SHUFFLE WHICH WIGGLER? MIX-A-MUG PUZZLE PANIC Mario: MARIO'S SLIDES BOUNCE AND POUNCE SORT OR 'SPLODE TRAMPOLINE TIME SHUFFLE SHELL BOUNCE AND TROUNCE CONNECT THE CHARACTERS SHELL SMASH TRAMPOLINE TERROR Luigi: MEMORY MATCH PAIR-A-GONE PICTURE POKER MUSHROOM ROULETTE MARIO SLOT LUCKY STARS PAIR-A-GONE AND ON MEMORY MASTER SUPER MARIO SLOT Wario: BOB-OMB SQUAD SNOWBALL SLALOM BINGO BALL COINCENTRATION PSYCHE OUT! SLOTS SHOT LAKITU LAUNCH INTENSE COINCENTRATION GIANT SNOWBALL SLALOM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4a. Unlocking the mini-games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mini-games are unlocked during the main game ('Adventure'). They are hidden in the drawers of Princess Peach, past the Character Changing Chamber. To open the drawers, keys are needed. These come from each of the coloured rabbits that can be seen roaming the castle. There are 7 for each character, to add to the 2 mini-games already available, resulting in the total: 9. To get the key from each rabbit, you must catch it with A, whereupon, in fear, it will give its key to you. They are easier to catch with Yoshi because of his long tongue; with the others, and especially Wario, a lucky dive is what helps; try to aim where the rabbit is heading. Here are the locations of all of the rabbits in the castle (the colours in parenteses are those of the rabbits): Yoshi (yellow/green (sorry, not sure which due to colour-blindness)): 1. Castle grounds. It is found at the bridge over the moat, and covers the left (near the waterfall) area of the grounds. 2. Castle grounds. This is found at the bridge as well, but it wanders around the middle section of the grounds, nearer to the lake and cannon. 3. Castle grounds. Again, this is found at the bridge, and in the rest of the castle grounds. It goes to the right and across the wooden bridge and near the trees there. 4. Castle grounds. This is found on the wooden bridge to the right of the main stone one. It wanders the area with the trees as the rabbit above (number 3). 5. Castle grounds. This fifth rabbit of Yoshi's in the grounds is to the left of the starting position, hopping around the low-trimmed hedges. 6. Castle grounds. Found in the moat (once drained), it wanders its length, and up the ramp on the left as well. 7. Basement. Yoshi's last and only rabbit to not be in the castle grounds hops around all of the basement and starts in front of the pool before the picture that leads to Lethal Lava Land. Mario (red-pink): 1. Castle grounds. The first of Mario's rabbits is located at the edge of the grass that overlooks the waterfall, and wanders that area, around the few trees there. 2. As Yoshi, rabbit 6. It also comes out of the moat though. 3. As Yoshi, rabbit 7. 4. As above (rabbit number 3). 5. Ground floor. In the room with the Jolly Roger Bay picture, starting just to the left as you enter, this rabbit moves around the whole room. 6. First floor. At the top of the stairs to the second floor, this rabbit runs all around the donut-shaped gallery-like room here. 7. First floor. It is found in the Snowman's Land picture room (take the door that has an embedded area of wall around it), and begins on the left. Luigi (green): 1. Castle grounds. In the maze to the left, in a corner of two hedges, going around the entire maze. 2. Ground floor. In the room with the Bob-omb Battlefield picture, to the left. 3. Ground floor. In the small room with Mario's picture, 2 doors past the character changing room. 4. Castle courtyard. This is where the entrance to Big Bo's Haunt is found. The rabbit is in a niche above the door by which you enter; backflip up there to find it. 5. Basement. This can be accessed either from the door in the moat once it has been drained, or from a door in the basement. Near to the stone pillars, a shallow area of water has the rabbit in its centre, where ramps lead down to it from either side. 6. First floor. As you come up the stairs, it is just to the right through the door, and circles that section of the floor. 7. Castle roof. Found behind the fenced area, it hops around the whole roof. Wario (brown): 1. Castle grounds. Near the trees on the right side, over the small bridge, and staying only there. 2. Ground floor. This rabbit starts in the far left corner of the room containing the Whomp's Fortress picture. It moves about the entire room. 3. Castle courtyard. Beginning on the opposite side of the fountain from the entrance, it goes around and around the fountain. 4. Basement. This one can be found to the left of the entrance from the upper castle, near Toad. It hops around that side of the basement. 5. First floor. This can be caught near in the room of the Tiny-huge Island paintings, below the one that cannot be entered. It goes all around this room. 6. Second floor. Right outside the doors to enter this floor, the rabbit runs about the whole lower area here. 7. Second floor. This is next to the hole for Rainbow Ride, in front of it at first, and then always only on that ledge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4b. Mini-game guides ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the guides for each mini-game in the order that they are shown in the game. For each mini-game, I will write its name, the in-game description, my description and, finally, what strategies to employ in order to gain a high-as-possible score. They are presented as below: NAME In-game Description. My Description. Strategies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4bi. Yoshi's mini-games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WANTED! Description: It's easy to get lost in a crowd! Find the one who disappeared and touch him. There he is! My Description: On the top screen, a picture of the character you must touch is shown, and is chosen from Yoshi, Mario, Luigi and Wario. On the touch screen, lots of heads, only one of which is the character above, are shown. The number, placement and motion of the heads changes as you progress. You begin with 10 seconds and lose when the time expires. Choosing the correct head pauses the timer, adds 5 seconds to the timer and a star to your total, and then begins the next level. Choosing a wrong head results in the timer losing 10 seconds: you can press as many incorrect heads as to cause the timer to read 0 in a level, before you are correct. Strategies: Play starts off simply: there are only 4 heads, one of each type, and are lined up in the centre of the touch screen; simply touch the right one. Next, 16 are shown, in 4 rows of 4, followed by 48 (6 rows of 8). After that, although it is not the last time that the heads will be neatly aligned, they are placed randomly and overlapping each other for a while, but with the head required covered by no others. After you have five stars, the heads will move. This begins simply, usually with the correct head at the top or bottom of a vertically-moving column, though it is not always on-screen. This occurs for one star, then they are stationary once more. Next, the heads overlap, and the correct one may be underneath others, but will only be covered partially: some of these can be hard if you look in the wrong places. Note that if you press any space that occupies the correct head, even if it is covered, you win. After 9 stars is reached, only 8 chins, each on the top border of the screen, are shown. It is easy to get Yoshi (green chin), and Luigi is thin. Also, Wario's chin is the widest, and of more of a red colour. Then, the heads move again, but are not lined up; they still move in groups, but can overlap each other. However, the correct head is not in a group, but is separate from all others on the screen and has a different direction of motion. After this, more stationary and moving screens are shown, but few lined up. Some move in different patterns, sometimes most of the head is covered, and more heads are often crammed onto the screen. In order to achieve a high number of stars, watch the screen carefully and try to look around at all of it. Try to find the heads faster in the earlier, easier times so there is more time later on, when it gets harder to continue. Learn what each part of each of the heads looks like, as sometimes only a nose or cap can be seen (though it isn't hard to mistake Yoshi). Finally, if all else fails, and you just aren't quick enough to gain your desired score, play with someone else and multiple Styli: more eyes to search the screen are always helpful. A single game in 'Multiplayer' can last a long time, so if going for a high score, make sure you remain undisturbed for quite a while... _______________________________________________________________________________ Loves Me...? Description: Play this mini-game for advice on your love life! Pluck the petals to find out how your crush feels about you. My Description: The only high score-less mini-game. Yoshi is shown sitting on a wall on the top screen, and he picks petals from his flower as you do the one on the Touch Screen by touching them. The above description explains play well enough. Strategies: There are really no strategies for anything, but getting either 'loves me' or 'loves me not' a number of times in a row gives you such phrases as 'really loves me' or 'really...loves me not'. However, I _really_ don't want to waste time finding out the exact number of times in a row to get each of these 'new and exciting' phrases. There is not much point. Seeing as the petals can be moved about, you could throw them up and catch them repeatedly...but it's not that fun. _______________________________________________________________________________ Hide and Boo Seek Description: Rub the Touch Screen where the Boos are hiding! For the first 15 levels, you get 3 seconds to find them. After that, you only get 2 seconds. My Description: A Boo begins on the top screen, who then turns out the lights. The Touch Screen shows the entrance of Big Boo's Haunt with a number of Boos flying around, which differs as you play. Then, the screen goes black and, after the clock begins to count down, you have to rub the Boos (now unseen) to see them with Luigi's torch (you cannot do this before the timer begins), who is shown with his torch on the top screen, looking scared. Find all of the Boos to win a star and to continue. Strategies: As you progress, the Boos' directions and numbers differ, making it gradually harder. On top of that, as said in the in-game desciption, the amount of time given to find the Boos changes. The most important point to make is that the Boos travel only in STRAIGHT LINES, never changing direction apart from when bouncing off walls. They also bounce off of any torch lines of light that have been drawn with the stylus, so they can get trapped in small areas without getting caught or noticed. The only way to find a ghost is to touch its centre, which stops it and places a number on it (the position it was found, i.e. 1 was first, 2 second). Just a small black dot on the centre of the ghost, even when it is stationary, prevents it from being seen. Because the ghosts' speed change neither, their locations can be predicted once the screen has turned black. It is best to aim for where the Boos should be rather than guess. Above all, it does not help to scribble on the Touch Screen randomly because it can create small black areas where Boos remain hidden (as well as being less kind to your Touch Screen). Although following a Boos with the Stylus can help, there are almost always more than one Boo, so it is better to follow them individually as best you can in your head. Another thing to take note of and use to an advantage is that a characteristic sound is played each time a Boo is found: use this to be sure of when a Boo is caught and when it is not. Finally, the use of 2 Styli does not help in this mini-game due to the fact that it creates crazy lines that shoot from one Stylus to the other, and also the timescale is very short. _______________________________________________________________________________ Puzzle Panel Description: Match the Touch Screen picture to the top screen. Touch a panel to turn over the surrounding panels. Harder levels will take more turns to solve. My Description: All of the puzzles in this mini-game are made up of a 4-by-4 or 5-by-5 grid consisting of squares which are white (depicting mushrooms) and brown (depicting feathers). By touching a square, that square and the 3-by-3 block that surrounds it will change colour (brown to white or white to brown). The aim of the game is to match the bottom grid to the top screen's one by flipping the right tiles, which gives you a star and progresses you to the next puzzle. Strategies: For each puzzle, you are given a maximum number of turns to use, ranging from 1 to many. You lose one of 3 lives that you are allocated for each puzzle each time you fail to complete it in the number of turn given; losing all 3 ends the game. Firstly, this is a mini-game that takes a lot of time, because it is important to plan each move before taking it. After losing a life, the tiles on the lower puzzle that were flipped onto the wrong side flash, as well as their corresponding squares on the top screen. Use this to your advantage: it is important to remember the moves that you have taken, and then, working through them, figure which need(s) to be changed to include the tiles that flashed in the second attempt, thereby completing the puzzle. Tiles can be changed from one colour to another and back again, so it is good to be able to tell where the 3-by-3 turns need to overlap, keeping one or more tiles the same. Here are some examples taken from in the game (M and . are used because they are very different and make it easy to see the shapes - so, one is white and the other brown; 1 means change this tile once, 2 means change this tile twice (and so on), T means touch this tile and - means correct): Completed puzzle/given puzzle/wrong tiles & tiles to touch 1 turn M . . M . M . M 1 1 - - The wrong tiles make a 2-by-3 box whose sides M M . M . . . M T1 1 - - are shared with a side of the puzzle, so touch M . M M . M M M 1 1 - - the box's centre. M . . M M . . M - - - - 1 turn M . . M M . M . - - 1 1 As above puzzle. M M . M M M M . - - 1T1 M . M M M . . . - - 1 1 M . . M M . . M - - - - 1 turn . . . . M M M . 1T1 1 - It is easy to see that there is a . M M . M . . . 1 1 1 - colour-inverted area on the Touch Screen here, . M M . . M M . - - - - so do as the two puzzles above. . . . . . . . . - - - - 2 turns . . . . . . . . 2T1 2 - As there are only 3 (in a row) wrong tiles, . M M . . M M . 2T2 2 - others must be flipped twice. To make sure . M M . M . . . 1 1 1 - the wrong tiles are flipped once, the way that . . . . . . . . - - - - the side of the puzzle changes the flipped tiles area is used. 2 turns . . . . M M M . 1T1 1 - It can be seen that there are two boxes that . . . . . . M . 2 2 1 - overlap, and the overlap has two tiles that . . . . M M . . T1 1 - - are the right colour - so they are flipped . . . . M M . . 1 1 - - twice. 1 turn . M . M . . M . M . - - - - - This is as easy as the first three M . M . M M . M . M - - - - - puzzles, only the grid is 5-by-5 in . M . M . M . . M . 1 1 - - - size. M . M . M . M M . M T1 1 - - - . M . M . M . . M . 1 1 - - - 2 turns . . . . . . M . . M - 1T2T2 1 As before (fourth example), there are . M M M . . . M M . - 1 2 2 1 2 boxes that overlap - only more subtly: . M M M . . M M M . - - - - - it is harder to spot because they . M M M . . M M M . - - - - - overlap more. . . . . . . . . . . - - - - - 3 turns M . . M . M M M 1 1 1 - This is more difficult, so I will explain in M M . M M M M M 2T2 1 - more detail. Firstly, there are clearly two M . M M . M M M T3 3 2 - boxes that overlap, as it would be below (were M . . M M . M M 2T2 1 - it not for the other tile): 1T1 1 - BUT there are 3 other tiles to change, so this will not work. 2 2 1 - Also, there is the following overlap of two boxes: T1 1 - - 1 1 - - - - - - BUT this does not account for the 4 '1's on the top 2 1 1 - - lines of the solution, or the third '2' on the third T2 2 1 - row. SO, the 2 solutions are combined. 2T2 1 - The area with a problem when both cases are combined is shown below, denoted by Ws: - - - - So, the upper box (a turn) is lowered by one tile to encompass this - - - - area. W W W - - - - - I think that the games goes through a 25-puzzle rotational period, during which the puzzles are of a separate set each few stars. After 25 stars are yours, the puzzles come from the first (easiest) set once again - the game does not get harder after that point. Overall, look for inverted boxes or ones that overlap earlier on, then be sure that you can spot which tiles, and rows or columns of tiles, need to be flipped twice or three times later on in a game. The same ideas apply when solving the majority of puzzles. _______________________________________________________________________________ Boom Box Description: Each time you open a treasure chest, you'll hear a sound. Open 2 chests with the same sound. Win by matching all the pairs! My Description: A selection of chests is before you, either 6, 8 or 10 lined up neatly in 2 rows. A star is won by matching the sounds played when they are touched and opended, and all chests vanquished. When you do this, you receive a star, you continue to the next set of chests - and, unfortunately, Mario partakes in a goofy laugh. For each set of chests, you receive 3 lives - each incorrect pair loses you one of these; after you lose all 3, you lose the game. The only drawback to the laugh is that you have to hear it, because you need to hear the chests' sounds... Strategies: For one thing, it is vital that you have the volume on, preferably up high, and are not in a noisy place when attempting this mini-game. Secondly, you need to listen carefully (obviously). Finally, although it is not as important or difficult in this game, you need to be able to remember the sounds and their locations each time - this is not too hard, though. The only ways in which this game gets harder is an increase in the number of chests, and an increase in the sounds' similarity to each other. The first 2 levels have 6 chests, as do many others - these can always be won if your memory and hearing are good enough. Although there is always a factor of luck in this game, luck will never cheat you out of losing these levels. This is because if your first 3 choices are different, you can then never get another pair wrong: (The numbers refer to the sound - numbers match. The locations are irrelevant to the guide; it just makes it clearer and easier to explain if they are placed like so) Chests: 1 2 3 If you pick 1 and 2, then 3 and any chest from the bottom row, you 1 2 3 have, without any chance at all, lost 2 lives. However, then you should pick any chest on the bottom row, and, as you have heard all the sounds on the top row before, match it correctly, similarly with the other 2 on the bottom row, no matter which you choose first. Simply, ALWAYS choose a new chest, unless there are none that have not been opened, so that you can act depending upon its contents. With 8 chests, there is the possibility of losing the game even if you play perfectly, if luck is not on your side: Chests: The following logical choices could lose you the game: 1a 2a 3a 4a 1 - 1a 2a (life 1) 2 - 3a 1b (life 2) 3 - 1b 1a 1b 2b 3b 4b 4 - 4b 2b (life 3) OR 4 - 4b 3b (life 3) OR 4 - 4a 3b (life 3) There are many quite a few ways to lose with no say in it. To have the best chance of avoiding this, ALWAYS choose a new chest (except when matching known chests). Similarly, with 10 chests, there is a chance of involuntary loss, but the probability is even higher than with 8 chests. Simply, ALWAYS choose a new chest. The hardest sounds to match up are ones that depend upon the dual speakers, because they are the same sounds, only emitted from different speakers. For example, one set of 6 chests has the following pairs: 1 - a shaking sound traveling from the right to the left speaker, then an explosion. 2 - a shaking sound traveling from the left to the right speaker, then an explosion. 3 - a shaking sound from both speakers, then an explosion. In this case, it is best to face the DS and listen carefully, perhaps moving closer. In any case, DO NOT tilt your head so that one ear faces the DS. This disables your ears' ability to tell the sounds' sources, because of the way our ears do that. This is similar to the reason why we cannot tell whether sounds come from behind or in front of us, but can work out the angle to the side of our direction. As a final note, I'll say this: if you complete a level without losing a single life (i.e. you are so lucky that you never pair any 2 chests incorrectly), the screen says 'Perfect' instead of 'Clear'. _______________________________________________________________________________ Tox Box Shuffle Description: Oh, no! Yoshi's trapped in a Tox Box! Find which one he's in to save him! My Description: Yes Yoshi(s) is/are trapped in a box/2 boxes. There are 3 Tox Boxes on the bottom, inside one of which (at least to begin with) is Yoshi. The boxes close and then move about, switching positions with each other randomly. After they have stopped moving, touch the box Yoshi is in to progress: to receive a star, to save Yoshi again, and...to hear Mario's goofy laugh. Strategies: The things that change to increase the difficulty of this game are the number of Yoshis (one becomes 2), the speed that the boxes move, and the amount of time for which the boxes remain still before moving again after each switch. When there are 2 Yoshis, one is blue and the other green, and after the boxes' movement ends, you are told which one to find - which means that you are required to track 2 Tox Boxes and remember which is which. Simply put, you have to follow the box that Yoshi is in carefully, so that you choose the correct box at the end. After a certain point (50 stars, possibly) the movement of the boxes cannot get any faster; the only thing required to continue forever past that stage is an undiminishing level of concentration - something that few people can possess. You have 2 lives to lose at the start, a supply which is refreshed after every 5 stars earned. Obviously, after losing both lives you end the game. One thing to be especially wary of is the start of each level: sometimes, the boxes close very quickly, giving you little chance to see the starting locations of the Yoshis. So, always be ready at the beginning of a new level. _______________________________________________________________________________ Which Wiggler? Description: Touch the Wiggler on the Touch Screen that matches the one on the top screen. Choose carefully, though; he has a terrible temper. My Description: You are given 20 seconds at the start, and the time is much like that of Wanted! There is one Wiggler on the top screen, asleep, who matches just one of those (also all sleeping) on the Touch Screen; touch the correct one, matching the patterns, to win. Each correct answer receives a star and 5 more seconds, while each incorrect one loses 10 seconds. When the time runs out, the upper Wiggler awakes, they all get angry - and you lose. Strategies: Each Wiggler has 4 body sections (plus a head), each of which show one circle, or parts of 2, in a certain position. These are what must be matched. At the start, though, the upper Wiggler is stretched out and the others (first 3, then 4, then 5 for the first 3 stars) are curled, making it difficult. When the wrong one is touched, as well as going red and angry for a few seconds, every Wiggler on both screens moves more quickly. The fourth star has 4 moving Wigglers below, and the one above is awake and moving (though going nowhere) as well. The differences in the directions they face make matching them up more difficult. Later, on the sixth star, they move in curved paths, as opposed to the straight lines of before. The number of them, having risen, drops to 3 again, then slowly rises up to the ninth star. The fact that they overlap each other is tricky; make sure you touch the right one, seeing as always the one on top is touched. After, there are more than one per row, and they move in lines again. There are 3 on each row, all different. They are similar in how the parts are arranged as well. For example, 3 body sections of type A and one of type B are shown, and they all have those, but the type B one is in different positions. From the eleventh star, the Wigglers move in straight lines again, and are few, before they follow the patterns of the last 2 paragraphs. They are, however, always more similar to each other, perhaps only using 2 body types overall. Firstly, use the period at the start before the lower Wigglers appear to memorise the pattern of the upper one. Mostly, it is enough to remember the types and locations of just 2 or maybe 3 body sections, because it is unlikely that 2 below will be that similar. Then, look at the Wigglers on the Touch Screen and match them to what you have remembered. When the Wiggler to match has 3 or even 4 similar body sections in a row, it is easier, and harder when there are less; for this reason, when there are 2 similar ones, they are the parts that should be remembered. Use the earlier, easier stages to gain time, and try, rather than make a mistake, to observe carefully. Check all of the Wigglers, just in case, especially whenever there are few. Furthermore, some types of body sections look similar, but are not. Note the angle that the circles face: whether they are upright or angled to one side makes a difference, and even differently-angled ones are not deemed the same. _______________________________________________________________________________ Mix-a-Mug Description: Line up the slots on the touch screen to form a face. Win more coins by matching the center face in the slots to the one on the top screen. My Description: You begin with 12 coins and lose 3 whenever you match the faces wrongly, and gain 3 whenever they are correctly matched. The amount gained rises to 6 when the face is in the centre of the 3 possible positions. Match the face to the one on the top screen. Losing all coins results in game over; try to earn as many stars as possible. Strategies: The face parts do not always move in the same directions as each other, and not at the same speeds. When a line is stopped, the correct part flashes with a box around it, to help. As the game progresses, row directions change more and their speeds increase, as does the number of characters, which starts with just Wario, Mario and Luigi. Firstly, the rows move in a different direction to the one next to them. It does not matter when the first row is stopped, as it cannot end up off the screen, though it is best to get it in the centre, and easiest from there as well. I find that it is easiest to stop the fastest row first, as that is more difficult to match when others are paused. Next, stop the one that is (if just one) adjacent to it first, then the other remaining row. It is harder to stop rows that need to be stopped at the place where they come onto the reel, as they need to be guessed, so avoid that occurring. I find that, when this is a problem, it is best to time when it gets in place by watching the part of the face that arrives before it, and stopping the row after that. Once you have one star, Yoshi's faces joins the others' as well, meaning that the correct face can be stopped while of the screen. Generally, it is always easiest to stop the face in the middle first, and stop one of the rows that is moving in a different direction from either of the other 2. Alternatively, it may just be better to stop the slowest row, because it is the easiest to stop in the centre, increasing the ease with which you can get 6 coins. Only a few stars later, Peach becomes a part of the pictures. If all rows but one are moving in the same direction, stopping that one first could be beneficial. Try to stop the right face on the edge where it first enters, so that it is easy to match the others, after following them across the whole screen. Be aware that when you touch a picture, it stops on the next position it reaches. This means that there is a timeframe within which it can be stopped and come to rest in the right place, giving you a good chance to get it right. Avoid touching the row when the face part is in line, but instead stop it slightly before that time, for best accuracy. Past a certain point, these do not get any harder (around 30 stars, I think) and so, if you can still earn rather than lose stars (which is not too hard), there is not much point in continuing in an endless loop, for a long time. _______________________________________________________________________________ Puzzle Panic Description: This mini-game takes the Puzzle Panel to a whole new level. Put on your thinking cap. You're going to need it. My Description: All of the puzzles in this mini-game are made up of a 4-by-4 or 5-by-5 grid consisting of squares which are white (depicting mushrooms) and brown (depicting feathers). By touching a square, that square and the 3-by-3 block that surrounds it will change colour (brown to white or white to brown). The aim of the game is to match the bottom grid to the top screen's one by flipping the right tiles, which gives you a star and progresses you to the next puzzle. (copied from Puzzle Panel description) Strategies: The only difference here is the difficulty. There are more moves to be taken at higher levels, and the puzzles begin larger and more complicated. They start 6-by-6 tiles, and do not get smaller. Although starting easy, the difficulty level raises much more quickly than with the other mini-game. Nevertheless, the same principles apply as with Puzzle Panel, so look there for help with this one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4bii. Mario's mini-games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mario's Slides Description: Guide Mario down the slides to the Star. Draw lines on the Touch Screen to create new routes for him. Collect 5 Stars to move up a stage. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Bounce and Pounce Description: Mario's in free fall, but he can bounce back if you touch him. Stomp the Fly Guys, but make sure he doesn't fall off the Touch Screen. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Sort or 'Splode Description: Guide Bob-ombs to the black carpet and Bob-omb Buddies to the red carpet. If you bring in a wrong-colored Bob-omb, it will blow up! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Trampoline Time Description: Draw a line on the Touch Screen to turn it into a trampoline. You can draw up to 3 lines at a time. Help Mario bounce to safety! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Shuffle Shell Description: Use the paddle to push the Koopa shells to the target. The closer the shells land to the center of the target, the more points you will earn. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Bounce and Trounce Description: Mario's surrounded by Fly Guys to trounce. Touch him on his left, right or center to make him bounce in that direction. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Connect the Characters Description: Draw lines to match the characters' heads to their bodies. Press "GO!" when you're finished to see how you fared! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Shell Smash Description: Hit Koopa shells together to score points. Hit many in a row for even more points. Score higher points by smashing green shells together. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Trampoline Terror Description: Only players with superb stylus skills will be able to make Mario bounce through the rings! My Description: Strategies: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4biii. Luigi's mini-games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memory Match Description: Pick two matching cards to make them disappear. Clear all the cards to win. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Pair-a-Gone Description: Touch 2 identical cards that are connected vertically, horizontally, or diagonally to make them disappear. Clear them all to win. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Picture Poker Description: Get a better hand than Luigi to win! If you're confident your hand is best, increase the number of coins you bet! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Mushroom Roulette Description: Guess where the ball will land on the roulette wheel. Guess correctly to win coins! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Mario Slot Description: Touch the spinning slots to stop them. Get 3 items in a row to earn coins! The Superstar is wild. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Lucky Stars Description: From a pair of cards, pick the one with more stars to win coins. Beat Luigi at his own game! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Pair-a-Gone And On Description: This game of Pair-a-Gone goes on forever! Test your skill and see how many cards you ncan clear. Go for the record! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Memory Master Description: If Memory Match was a piece of cake for you, try out this harder version. You now have more cards to play with. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Super Mario Slot Description: Touch the spinning slots to stop them. Get 3 items in a row to earn coins. The Superstar is wild. Are you feeling lucky? My Description: Strategies: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4biv. Wario's mini-games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob-omb Squad Description: The parachuting Bob-ombs are destroying your flowers! Use your slingshot to knock them out of the air. Hit Lakitu to blow them all up. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Snowball Slalom Description: Rub the Touch Screen to roll the snowman's head to the goal before time runs out! Rocks will slow you down, as will touching his head! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Bingo Ball Description: Launch a ball into a numbered slot on the Touch Screen. That number will light up in the top screen. Get 3 numbers in a row to score! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Coincentration Description: Pay attention to where the falling coins land. Touch the blocks to retrieve the coins. But if you choose the wrong block, your game will end. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Psyche Out! Description: Are you psychic? Can you guess what's on the card's other side? Maybe if you stare at it long enough, a vision will come to you. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Slots Shot Description: The bars swing open when a ball goes in a Piranha plant. Sink the ball into the pipe to trigger the slots Switch. Get 3 items in a row for a bonus! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Lakitu Launch Description: Shoot as many balls as you can into the tubs within the alloted time. My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Intense Coincentration Description: There aren't as many falling coins this time around, but that won't stop Wario. Watch the coins carefully! My Description: Strategies: _______________________________________________________________________________ Giant Snowball Slalom Description: Roll the snowball over a longer course! As before, avoid rocks because they'll slow you down. My Description: Strategies: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------