Spikes have been a notorious hazard in video games dating back to the most classic 2D platformers. It has become an instinct for gamers to associate spikes with an quick, if not instant, death. In Paper Mario: The Origami King spikes may not have the touch of death like they would in a 2D Mario title, but they do still hurt and block your progress. Also unlike 2D games, the spikes you come across in this version of the Mushroom Kingdom require more than jumping skills to bypass. If you want to know how to make it across these spiky hazards safe and sound, follow along with this handy guide.
The first time you can find one of these spiked areas is in the Whispering Woods. If you’re anything like us, you’ll immediately think that they’re standing between you and something good, and you’d be right. But, how can Mario make it across such a dangerous trap? The answer is not as obvious as you might think.
You might assume you need some special type of boots equipped to protect your feet from the spikes, similar to how you use specific boots to jump on spiked enemies in battle, but that’s not the case. Getting over spiky areas is more of a puzzle than equipment issue. Also, be warned that you only get one shot at collecting the treasure on the other side, so make sure you read carefully!
Find And Win The Memory Mini-Game
If you continue into the Whispering Woods after you first spot the spiky patches, you should notice a bunch of trees with vines coming off of them. Starting from the right of the screen, if you pull on the second vine from the left it will cause a bunch of leaves to fall to the ground.
These leaves create the memory game you’ll need to win. If you’ve ever played a memory game before, this one will be basically identical. Each leaf has a symbol on the underside you can look at by hitting it to flip it over, but you can only flip two over at a time. If you flip over two leaves that both have the same symbol, they are removed from the field. Repeat this process until you’ve matched all the symbols and there are no leaves left to win.
There’s no need to stress over this mini-game, either. You have an unlimited amount of attempts to learn where each symbol is, no penalty for uncovering non-matching symbols, and no timer to rush you. Once you’ve finished, a Starman will appear as a reward.
Collect The Starman And Cross The Spikes
This is where you need to make sure you’re careful. Once you pick up the Starman Mario will gain invincibility, but only for a short duration of time. You have plenty of time to run back and cross the spikes, but once that timer runs out that’s it. The memory game does not reset, so don’t waste your one opportunity to get over the spikes. Immediately go back to the spiky ground and cross over to the left to find the chest.
As a reward for your efforts, you’ll get the first Collectible Treasure, Peach’s Castle. This is the first of 120 in the game, so make sure you don’t miss it if you’re going for 100%!
