After defeating Croco and solving some problems in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Mallow are sent to meet the Frog Sage. However, in order to reach the sage's home in Tadpole Pond, the party must travel through Kero Sewers. In Super Mario RPG, this path is treacherous and filled with rats, fish, and the undead. Players could easily find themselves wandering endlessly through the dark and flooded pipeways.
How to Drain the Water in Kero Sewers
In Super Mario RPG, the first step to progressing through Kero Sewers is to drain the water that has flooded the area. Players will notice the water is deep enough for Mario to swim in, but too deep for him to reach the bottom. There is a pipe in the southwestern-most section of the sewer that leads further into the sewer, but the water level prevents players from reaching it.
Players will need to locate the green switch that drains the sewers. Several green pipes litter the area, and some paths can send players around in circles. Luckily, the green pipe that leads to the area with the drain switch can be found in the same flooded room as the underwater pipe.
On the easternmost corner of the room, the pipe sits on a platform with a Rat Funk walking in circles. The platform is just barely too high for Mario to reach from the water, so players will need to jump across from the higher platform nearby. Though there are a few possible paths to reach these platforms, the video below demonstrates the most efficient route to the drain switch.
Once Kero Sewers has been drained, it will remain this way until players leave the area. If players leave and return, water will once again fill the sewers, and they will need to repeat the journey to the drain switch.
How to Get Out of Kero Sewers
Once the sewers have been drained, players can return to the previous room through the green pipe. The water in the entire area has receded, and Mario is now able to reach the green pipe in the southernmost corner of the room.
Through this pipe, players will reach the penultimate room of Kero Sewers. There they'll find a save block and a treasure chest, as well as the green pipe leading to the sewer's exit. Ignore the pipe and treasure chest on the higher platforms: players will be unable to access this area until later in the game. Players should save and take the accessible green pipe to the room below where they'll find the fearsome Belome.
How to Beat Belome
In order to leave Kero Sewers, Mario and Mallow will need to defeat the boss guarding the exit: Belome. Though not a terribly difficult fight, Belome can prove tricky if taken on unprepared.
Belome has a healthy 500 HP and two powerful status-inducing moves: Sleep Sauce and Scarecrow Funk. He is also able to gobble up a party member, effectively removing them from the battle. After Belome attacks with Sleep Sauce, the target falls asleep, unable to move. Luckily, the party member that dozed off will wake up as soon as they take a hit.
The other ability, Scarecrow Funk, is an unblockable spray that turns one of the party members into a scarecrow. In this form, players are unable to use physical and magical attacks; instead, they must rely solely on their special moves.
If the Scarecrow Funk proves difficult, players are able to find the Trueform Pin within Kero Sewers that prevents the wearer from being changed into a scarecrow. Players can find the pin by navigating to the room that had the underwater pipe and taking the green pipe in the westernmost corner. Following the path down and to the right, players will find a Huhwhat disguised as a treasure chest. Defeat it to acquire the Trueform Pin.
Using Thought Peek, players are also able to sus out Belome's weakness to Lightning damage, allowing Mallow to shine with his special move, Thunderbolt. Once he takes enough damage, Belome will be defeated and cause a torrent of water to gush from the door behind him. Super Mario RPG players will be pushed out of Kero Sewers and closer to their goal of reaching the Frog Sage.
