Following the party's visit to Tadpole Pond, Mario and company head off for Rose Town, where arrows seem to be raining down from the nearby Forest Maze. The doll, Geno, springs to life and wanders off into the forest, adding even more mystery to the situation. As the name implies, the Forest Maze in Super Mario RPG is a winding forest of misdirection in which players can find themselves lost.
Forest Maze Walkthrough
In Super Mario RPG, the first section of the forest is rather linear. Players progress into the deeper section of the Forest Maze by way of a stump that works just like a green pipe, leading to a cave system below. The chaos begins once the party reaches the other side: new enemies are plenty, and arrows rain from the sky that will freeze Mario in place.
Players will come to an open clearing in the forest littered with more tree stumps, all leading to separate caves. While each holds their own enemies and hidden treasure, to venture further into the forest, Mario will need to enter the stump at the far northwestern end of the clearing.
In the cave below rests a sleeping Wiggler. Players will need to jump on its head to wake it up and be launched out of the cave in the Wiggler's ensuing anger.
Back on the surface, players will find that a new path has been revealed, leading to yet another stump and cave system, as well as a new place for the Wiggler to nap.
How to Navigate the Forest Maze
Following the second cave section, Mario arrives at the "maze" section of the Forest Maze and sees Geno wandering deeper inside. In a layout reminiscent of the Lost Woods, each section of the forest ahead has four paths leading UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT, as labeled above.
Players will need to follow Geno's path through the forest, fighting or dodging the plethora of enemies along the way. The game gives players plenty of time to see which way Geno walks, but several battles in between may prove distracting. If players lose track of Geno for any reason, the path to the end of the maze is as follows: RIGHT, UP, UP, RIGHT, UP, LEFT.
Once through, players will find a save block and find the cause of the arrows terrorizing Rose Town, a commander of the Smithy Gang named Bowyer.
How to Beat Bowyer
In order to earn the second Star Piece and leave the Forest Maze, players will need to join Geno in defeating this bow-shaped boss.
Bowyer sports an impressive 720 HP and isn't vulnerable to any specific damage types. He relies on firing arrows at the party to do damage, as well as a handful of Lightning-based spells. Bowyer will also prevent the player from using Toad Assist during the battle to "keep things fair."
Bowyer's main mechanic is his ability to disable the player's buttons, preventing the party members from using the Y, X, or B buttons when they are hit by an arrow. This move isn't something that can be blocked, so players are forced to think creatively and possibly conserve FP for when Special Moves are their only option.
Once the party reduces his HP enough, Bowyer will resort to disabling all three buttons, leaving the party with seemingly no options.
It is at this point that the game introduces the powerful Triple Move mechanic, allowing a full party of three to perform a powerful joint attack when the gauge is full.
With their powers combined, Mario, Mallow, and Geno perform their Star Riders attack and finish the fight. Afterward, players acquire the second Star Piece and have Geno officially join the party. With the threat against Rose Town defeated, players are then able to exit the Forest Maze and continue their journey.
Super Mario RPG: How to Get Frog Coins and What They're Used For
Throughout their time in Super Mario RPG, players will come across peculiar Frog Coins that can be used to acquire special items in the game.
How to Find the Hidden Treasure Room in the Forest Maze
Within Rose Town, if players help the Toad struggling to get back into his house, he will tell Mario of a path to a hidden room of treasure within the Forest Maze. Players can follow the directions of the Toad to reach an underground cave with several treasure chests for the taking.
How to Reach the Toad's House in Rose Town
The Toad's house rests atop a small hill in the northwestern area of Rose Town. Though he asks Mario to use his excellent jumping to reach it and activate the stairs inside, the height proves just too much from ground level. As shown in the video above, players will need to first jump on top of the Toad's head to reach the house's elevation. Inside, players will find the Toad's son as well as the switch for the stairs.
Where to Find the Hidden Treasure in the Forest Maze
As thanks for his help, the Toad will give Mario the location of the hidden treasure room in the Forest Maze. Players should note the instructions given by the Toad are relative to the direction Mario enters each section.
Once they reach the area of the forest with four paths, players can once again use the above diagram to navigate to the hidden treasure using the following path: LEFT, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT. Alternatively, they can see the path demonstrated in the video below.
At the end of the path, players can enter the stump and collect the treasure hidden below.
Super Mario RPG
- Franchise
- Super Mario
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Released
- November 17, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Genre(s)
- RPG
