If you are stuck in the Hooktail Castle in the remake of Paper Mario: the Thousand-Year Door, it can be difficult to figure out how to get all the items you will need to progress. Making sure you don't miss any items is imperative to get through this challenging section.
Hooktail Castle Walkthrough - Paper Mario TTYD
There are some key things to remember when trying your hand at the Hooktail Castle for the first time. You will need to utilize Koop's power several times. You will also need to keep your eyes open for all sorts of items, including a very helpful badge.
Outside Hooktail Castle
After completing the Thwomp trivia challenge and grabbing Koops, you can finally head to Hooktail Castle in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. As you walk towards the front door of the castle, you'll see that the bridge has been taken out.
Hop down the edge of the broken bridge, and there will be platforms underneath it. If you take all those platforms all the way to the right, there will be a Badge that Koops can pick up for you. This is the HP Plus Badge, and it is an extremely helpful badge, especially if you have more than one.
Next up, walk back to the left, up the stairs, and go back into the outer wall of the castle. Inside is a bouncy pad, half hidden behind a pole. Bounce up the second floor, then step outside to find an airplane panel. Use it to turn into a paper airplane, then float over to the door across the broken bridge. Head inside using the massive purple door to the next section.
Hooktail Castle First Floor
In the first room, there are stairs to go back up to another panel to turn into an airplane and head back over the bridge, so you can ignore those stairs for now. A little further into the room, there is a box with Power Bounce inside. Head to the next room to the right.
There will be a green key in the second room, hidden behind the grates, but you can't get this yet. There is also a breakable tile which you also can't interact with yet near the green key. When you walk far enough into the room, Koops will start a cutscene. Tell him to read the note. It will give a clue on how to defeat hooktail easily—it's something that begins with an "f" and ends with "rog."
There will be pink-tinted dull bones at the end of the room, and you can't go through the door without getting by him. When you hit him, a whole bunch of bony enemies will spawn; you will need to smash your way out with the hammer and then take down the pink bones in battle.
In this third room, there are loads of things to do. You will have several elevators, several blocks, and three items to pick up. In order to make sure you get everything, here is a handy checklist for this location:
- Use the purple elevator button below the doorway out to bring the purple elevator down, then use Koops to ride the purple elevator up. Head to the right to get the Star Shard from the balcony there.
- Use the hammer to smash the yellow block above the yellow elevator.
- Make sure the purple elevator and the yellow elevator are in the down position for this next part.
- Use Koops' power to get ready to hit the yellow elevator button, then use the purple elevator to jump over to the yellow elevator, then release Koops' power to ride it up.
- Jump to the left and get the Star Shard.
- Next up, you'll want to grab the Red Key. To do this, you need to use Koops' power to press the red exclamation point button.
- When the Stairs switch sides, walk up the stairs, then use Koops again to pick up the red key.
- Put the stairs back, then walk out the door to the right to the next section.
After using the Red Key on the Red Key Door, you'll end up in the Hooktail Castle Grand Staircase. Inside this first room, there is a green elevator. You can ignore this for now and continue moving to the right. You'll return to the Grand Staircase soon, so don't worry about doing anything in here just yet.
Hooktail Castle First Floor part 2
There is a red exclamation point button that opens the jail cell to the far right of the screen. Use Koops' hold power to hit it while standing close to the jail door; you only have a couple of seconds to get inside once the bars have lifted out of the way. Once inside this jailcell, head out the hole in the wall to the right. This room contains a Black Chest, which will give you the power of turning sideways.
In order to open this chest, you'll need to keep heading to the right and walk into the spike trap room. The spike trap won't trigger until you open the chest, so don't worry about walking over the holes in the floor. If you check the far right of this room, there is a crack in the wall that you can't interact with yet. Open the chest to get the black key, then find your way out of the maze of spikes before the time runs out.
The spikes won't hurt you, so just walk quickly back to the door to the left of the chest. Then, open the back chest to get the sideways turning power. Use it to head back to the left and out of the jail cell.
Use it on the cell with the badge inside; this is the frog-sound badge. Equip it immediately, as it is Hooktail's weakness. Next up, go back to the room where the dull pink bones were located and get the green key out of the cells along the back wall. Now that we have the green key, we can ride the elevator in the Hooktail Castle Grand Staircase up to the second floor.
Hooktail Castle Floor 2
There will be a long balcony with breaks in it on the second floor. Use the exclamation button, either with Koops or Mario's hammer, to rip the paper in those spaces and reveal the floor to walk across. There will be a second gap; you can only reach the second button with Koops.
The third empty section doesn't have a button, so you will have to jump out of the window behind you. Head all the way to the right to get the Star Shard, then all the way left. Jump back in the window on the other side of the gap. Head out the door to the left. In this room, there is a green elevator to ride up. Ride it up to the top using Koops' power, then head to the left.
When you are standing close to the door without the lock on it, jump off the back side. This will land you on the little ledge with the collectible. Slip through the bars and get the mushroom; this is one of the Life mushrooms that revives a dead character.
Hooktail Castle Floor 3
Go back up to the unlocked door and go inside. This will trigger a cutscene with Ms. Mowz. She took a badge out of one of the many treasure chests, but she left all the others for you to open. In them, you'll get a mushroom, a honey syrup, and the gold key to the other door on Floor 3. Don't forget to pick up the Star Shine while you are here as well.
Head inside the Gold Door now that you have the Gold Key. Inside, you will find an elevator block that you can ride up. Take it up to the top, then walk to the left until you find an airplane panel. Walk across the panel to the ledge at the back of the room. Take it to the right until you find the Star Piece.
Use the airplane panel to fly over to the floating door and then interact with the door. You will find yourself in a new Grand Staircase. If you head down the stairs, you'll come across an elevator with a Blue Key on the other side. Use Koops to send the elevator down, then use Koops again to pick up the key.
Jump down onto the top of the now-lowered elevator, then grab the Badge there. Use the pipe on the right side of the screen to instantly go back up to the floor above. Now that you have the Blue Key, you can open the Blue Key Door. This will lead you outside on the wall of the castle. Head to the left, then climb up the Hooktail Castle Spiral Tower.
Hooktail Battle in Hooktail Castle
Now that we've made it to the top, make sure to save your game and use the hearts box to refill your health and other stuff. If you have the froggy Badge equipped, Hooktail will do a lot less damage to you. Her attack will be lowered from five to two. Hooktail will throw fire, but it will be incredibly easy with the frog badge on.
Once you have her down so she's almost dead, Hooktail will offer you money, treasure, and other things. Always turn her down. It's a trick every time. Once you have turned her down enough, she will heal, and you'll have to continue to fight her. In a couple of hits, she will go down for good.
For more Paper Mario, check out What is Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door HD? Release date, Platforms, Remake, and more! on Pro Game Guides.
