Hotfoot Crater is the penultimate level in our Paper Mario: The Origami King Walkthrough. Don’t worry about collectibles this time, there aren’t any.
ADVERTISEMENT
After all the shenanigans in Bowser’s Castle and the airship fight in the sky, you’ve unintentionally made it into Hotfoot Crater. Bowser waits up at the top and you’ll need to find a way up.
Start by jumping to the platform south of you to reach a Coin Bag. Go back to the airship remains and start hopping up the small crates so you can reach the larger wooden box on the right. Smash it for a Coin Bag!
Now go up the small crates and walk along the left path. Whack the pole a few times to have it co me crashing down, forming a bridge to the Save Block on the other side. Paper Macho enemies will rain from above and you’ll soon start to get chased by an angry mob of Paper Macho Goombas. If you run into a Paper Macho Bob-omb, hit it with your hammer and take a few steps back while it explodes.
As you’re running up, Paper Macho Lava Bubbles will jump onto the path and bounce around. Just keep moving forward only moving if one is about to land in your path. A bit farther up, Kamek will multiply and stop the impending herd of Goombas, giving you and Bowser Jr. time to reach the top.
A little higher up is a rock blocking the path. Let one of the Paper Macho Bob-ombs run towards you while you stand near the rock, then jump out of the way. Rock destroyed!
The next part of the path will crumble as you walk over it. If you get stuck, be quick to jump up the ledges to get back to the right level. One particular crumble will leave Bowser Jr behind to fight off the Paper Macho Goombas. Look at this, enemies and foes working together. It’s too much!
As the wave of Goombas gets larger, Bowser will send a fireball towards a rock stalagmite to stop them in their path. What is this game?? Reach Bowser (who will reassure you Kamek and Bowser Jr can fend for themselves) and he’ll suggest hopping into the airship’s cannon. Without further discussion, the three of you do just that and land at the footsteps of Peach’s Castle.
Save at the Save Block and rip off the tape to the golden pipe. As expected, this one leads to the museum in Toad Town. You’ll still have one more chance to return so you don’t have to return now. Try opening the doors to Peach’s Castle only to find it’s locked. You do need a key after all! Luigi will arrive at the very moment with sad news that he failed to find the key after all this searching. After he drops to his knees, walk over to the kart he arrived in and yank the Key to Peach’s Castle out of the exhaust pipe.
Use the key to open the doors to Peach’s Castle and head inside. Walk through the hallway and into the next set of doors. Not this again. In the main room, the one where you fell through the floor, Peach will arrive and greet you once again. Luigi will foolishly run over the carpet and get sent to the castle’s underground dungeon.
Before following folded Peach through the main doors, let’s check out the side areas. First off, don’t go into the center of the carpet! Doing so will give you an instant game over. Go through the door on the left to find a bench you can heal at. The door on the right is sadly locked so we’ll have to go up the stairs and head through the main doors.
Folded Peach will talk it up in the hallway before the entire castle begins to reconstruct itself. Before long, the entire Peach’s Castle will have transformed into the Origami Castle. Once back outside, you’ll have the option to save as well as go back to Toad Town via the pipe.
If there’s anything you need to get done or get picked up, now is the time. If you do go back to Toad Town, be sure to talk to the Monty Mole on the dock to buy the latest boss collectible treasure. You can also walk over to the building to the right of the sewer entrance to find a Green Toad. Give him the Manhole Hook and he’ll reward you with a Collectible Treasure.
Once you’re ready, return to the Origami Castle to begin the final level!
Use the links below to jump to different sections of our guide.
| Paper Mario: The Origami King (Guide Hub) |
|||
 |
Walkthrough | ||
 |
Toad Locations |  |
Not Bottomless Holes |
 |
Treasures & Trophies |  |
Question Blocks |
 |
Accessories List |  |
Heart Locations |
 |
Boss Guide |  |
Unlockables & Secrets |
