13. Moleville
Outside
Head directly up-left from the entrance to the item shop for SHOPPING!
BUY:
Punch Glove
Finger Shot
Cymbals
Work Pants x 4
EQUIP Mario:
Punch Gloves
Work Pants
EQUIP Mallow:
Cymbals
Work Pants
EQUIP Geno:
Finger Shot
Work Pants
Head northeast towards the entrance to the mines to trigger the Bowser cutscene.
After the cutscene, keep heading northeast and enter the mine entrance.
Answer the first option to both prompts when talking to the moles, then hop on top of them to reach the entrance to the mines.
Coal Mines - First Half
First Screen
Run to the right, avoid the rock monsters, and get to the next screen. Nothing to see here.
Second Screen
Drop down to the bottom level and proceed to the door to the upper right, underneath where the toad is standing.
Bandit Chase
Jump on the spring on the third screen and hit your head. Croco and his bandits will show up and steal all your coins.
Chase after Croco and the bandits around this circle of screens in a counterclockwise direction as show below.
Don't head up to the dead end with the mole who's looking for the bomb yet! Instead, track down each of the bandits in their hiding spots shown below. This is slower than fighting Croco immediately, but they each drop a Flower Tab that can be sold later on for more money to buy bombs to help later in the run.
Use normal attacks to kill off the bandits. Some of them may run away before you get a chance to kill them, but this is fine. You'll still win the battle and get the Flower Tab.
Mallow reaches level 5 - MAG (Always MAG after this point)
After killing the three bandits, chase down Croco and fight him for the second time.
Croco Second Time
If you freebied the Energizer on Bowyer, have Mallow use it on Geno at the start of this fight!
Geno Attack every turn
Mario Jump every turn
Mallow Attack every turn.
When Mario runs out of FP for jumping, use Attack.
Use Pick Me Ups early in the battle when needed, before you lose access to your items in the second half. This battle requires good blocking in the second half. If you can’t block, keep Mallow alive to heal.
Bad RNG is similar to the first fight, if Croco throws a lot of bombs.
There is a 25% chance to get a Flower Box after winning. If you get this, you can buy extra bombs in Seaside Town later!
Geno reaches level 7 - HP
After Fight
Head back to the top left room in the circle above and take the path to the dead end with the mole looking for the bomb.
After blowing up the way forward and the short cutscene, proceed through the new hole to the second half of the mines.
Coal Mines - Second Half
First Screen
Take the bottom path with the mine cart tracks.
When you get to the end of the next room, a Shy Guy in a mine cart should push you back to the first room again and drop a frog coin.
Grab the frog coin and jump up to the top path this time.
Second, Third, and Fourth Screens
Grab the invincibility star from the chest and kill the Bob-ombs going forward in this room.
Run through the next room killing the two Bob-ombs here as well.
In the next room with the treasure chest, make sure to kill the Bob-omb near the chest, and try to kill the fireball enemy that appears as well!
Empty the chest of 150 coins when you're done.
Mario reaches level 5 - MAG
Fifth Screen
Jump over the four bob-ombs as they're coming towards you.
Run past the save point, then jump on top of the boxes above you to reach the chest with a flower in it.
Go back and hit the mushroom chest and save for safe strats, then proceed northeast to the final screen.
Sixth Screen
Run directly up-right towards Punchinello, but jump when you're in line with the bob-omb on your right to land on top of Punchinello to start the fight.
If you land directly in front of him or run up without jumping, he'll push you back to the previous screen!
Punchinello
If you freebied the Energizer again on Croco above, have Mallow use it on Geno at the start of this fight! Sometimes lucky!
Mario always uses Jump, Geno and Mallow always attack.
When your FP runs out, Mario switches to Attacks. Keep this up until Punchinello falls.
Bad RNG is if Punchinello uses Sandstorm anytime during the fight. If he does and it hits Geno, use an Able Juice on him. Geno is critical to keep healthy and dealing full damage.
Minecart
Do the minecart, and try to grab as many coins as you can. The coins in this area are important for bomb shopping later. Getting coins is more important than getting a fast time!
Follow the green arrows below for the optimal route through the 1st and 3rd screens.
Coins in the 2nd screen are top, bottom, top (miss a smaller row on bottom).
Coins in the last screen are 4 sets, easy to get if you don’t boost. You might need to boost jump for first set of coins.
Once you get the fourth set of coins on the last screen, just boost as much as you can to the end.
Screen 1
Screen 2
Screen 3
Screen 4
Outside
Running low on Pick Me Ups??? Well right now is the time to go buy some. Make sure to have at least 5 in your inventory, as you will need them for the Bundt fight.
If you're good on Pick Me Ups, leave Moleville after the cutscene with the sniffits and head to Booster Pass.