World 4-1: Ant Trooper Hill

Ant Troopers resolutely follow set paths on terrain. On the ground, they aren’t too much trouble. They do become a problem when you are trying to climb the narrow platforms on the way up Ant Trooper Hill, as they cling to just about anything and can disrupt jumps. Watch out for their Horned Ant Trooper cousins as well!

Stamp

Reaching the Stamp requires you to bounce off the Ant Troopers crawling around the platform underneath it. Ignore the Crystal Blocks at the cave exit for now! You’ll want to put the Super Star you find there to good use, but you have one more item to collect in this area first.

Green Star #1

The first Green Star isn’t far from the Stamp, but it can be easy to miss, and it requires the Cat Power-Up. Run straight out from the Stamp’s cave and climb up the wall (instead of challenging the bridge filled with Horned Ant Troopers), and you’ll find your prize.

The Crystal Blocks near the Stamp cave’s exit have a Super Star hidden between them. Use it to defeat as many of the Horned Ant Troopers on the bridge as you can (5). The Checkpoint Flag is close.

Green Star #2

Big Ant Troopers will walk slowly across the spikes here. You need to use them as moving trampolines to reach the pipe. Beyond the pipe is a bonus room where you can use the walking rows of Ant Troopers to reach the Green Star.

Green Star #3

The last Green Star once again requires you to use the Big Ant Troopers as moving trampolines, both to avoid the spikes they are walking across, and to eventually safely reach the Green Star. Afterward, make sure you use the helpful Big Ant Trooper to safely reach the pipe that takes you to the Goal Pole.

At first it may seem like you must have the Cat Power-Up to safely reach the top of the Goal Pole. However, you can easily use the Ant Troopers on the platform closest to the Goal Pole to make the jump.