World 3

Welcome to the World in the Sky. Clouds replace the ground, and there’s not much below you except a long, hard drop to the earth. Time your jumps well, and be patient to avoid dropping to your doom.

World 3-1

To Climb or Not to Climb?

As soon as you pass through the door in the first area, you come to a massive waterfall. For a direct route through the level, immediately start climbing the cloud platforms.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, drop down the waterfall and aim for the center of the map to find a secret room with a Magic Potion and a potential warp to World 5.

Taking Flight Again

Defeat the rascally Pidgit near the top of the waterfall and fly up on its carpet. Fly straight up and grab the vine to reach the next area.

Shortcut for the Princess

If you’re playing the game with the Princess, you can take a shortcut to the end of World 3-1. Clear out the Shy Guy wandering near the top of the vine, then make a running leap from the left edge of the cloud and glide to find a secret door. It’s a long jump, even for the Princess. Remember to hold the B Button as you dash toward the gap—you’ll need the extra speed!

Birdo Again!

Birdo has gotten really sneaky. She spits eggs in quick, tricky motions—and don’t be surprised by the occasional fireball! Mario moves fast and dodges with skillful squats and jumps to avoid disaster.

World 3-2

Welcome to World 3-2. Here, the only way to progress is by going up and down the ladders that bridge the individual areas. Watch out for sneak attacks, and make plenty of headway by blasting off your Bombs where necessary.

Don’t Take This POW

You run into many enemies in this first area, and you’re probably tempted to use the POW Blocks at the latter half of the level. Hold it! If you drop to the underground, you’ll never make it to Sub-Space on the right.

Look out for Snifit

Use Bombs to get to the underground, instead of picking up the POW Blocks. There are some cracked bricks you can blow up with Bombs, but take care of Snifit first. He shoots at you as you approach.

Make Headway with a Bomb

Once you reach the underground, climb down the first ladder to the second area of the level. Use the Bombs above you to destroy the first and second walls. Use the ones below to destroy the third and fourth walls. Watch out when the Bombs explode. After all, you don’t want your trick to backfire.

Don’t Get Hurt

This wall crumbles if you know how to use your Bombs. It isn’t easy, though, because this is one tough wall. Someone in the World of Dreams used a lot of cement to build it. Time your throw carefully.

Defeat Birdo

It’s a cinch to defeat Birdo here. You already know how. Throw the eggs she spits back at her, or use the Mushroom Block on your left. Goodbye, Birdo!

World 3-3

Here you find a whole bunch of rectangular rooms. Go up and then travel down to get inside, but stay sharp. You meet up with a whole lot of Sparks. Watch your step at the very end, because Mouser is waiting for you.

Grab that Key!

Before you can start climbing the tower, you’ll need to unlock that door. Climb up the ladder and jump across the platforms to the right—when you reach the door, head inside.

Dodge the emerging Shy Guys as you make your way to the top of the room. The Key is waiting for you behind another door. The trip up is fairly easy, but the trip down can be very difficult. It’s much more challenging to dodge Shy Guys when an angry Phanto is on your trail.

A Challenging Climb

This is one tough tower! The jumps are tricky enough on their own, but enemies like Sparks and Pansers can make your climb much more challenging. Take your time! Observe troublesome enemies from a safe spot to determine when and how you can slip past them.

Defeat Mouser

Mouser’s back for a rematch. He’s a bit tougher this time—it takes five bomb-blasts to beat him—but the tactics you used last time around will work just as well here. Each time you manage to catch one of Mouser’s bombs, place it on the right half of his platform. So long, Mouser!