World 4-2: Piranha Creeper Creek

Throughout this level, you’ll encounter Piranha Creepers. Their vines can obstruct large portions of the terrain, but you can easily navigate around or over them, and even push them back by jumping on their heads. Having a Fire Flower can help cull the weeds from afar, but like any jump attack, including the ground pound, you must hit the Piranha Creepers enough to force them to withdraw all the way before they are truly defeated.

Green Star #1

After slipping through the first area and entering the pipe, you’ll enter a cave. Find a Mystery Box that will take you to a bonus room. In here, you have to use a quartet of Piranha Creepers to reach the Green Star.

Green Star #2

Not far from the first Green Star is the second. At a pool of water guarded by two Piranha Creepers, dive in and swim to the bottom to find a second Green Star.

Stamp

And the collectibles don’t stop coming! Just past the pool with the second Green Star, another body of water is guarded by a Piranha Creeper growing from the far wall. You can bounce off this enemy to reach a hidden passage just above it. Collect all the Coins on the way to finding the Stamp!

The path below the Stamp route is through water that another pair of Piranha Creepers protect. Proceed with caution, and take advantage of the safe spots marked by Coins if necessary. Again, the Fire Flower can be very useful if you have it!

Exiting the cave takes you to a Poison Bog filled with small moving platforms. If you can snag a Tanooki Power-Up from the Roulette Block at the start of this gauntlet, you make this crossing a lot easier on yourself. Of course, Peach naturally has an advantage over the other three heroes with her ability to float.

Green Star #3

A Green Star Ring appears on one of two rotating wooden platforms protected by Piranha Creepers. Don’t mess with the plants, just collect the eight Green Coins as quick as you can to make the Green Star appear.

One last gauntlet of small platforms floating on Poison Bog mixed with Piranha Creepers awaits you before you can see the Goal Pole. A ground pound can shove a Piranha Creeper most of the way off a platform, giving you some space to work with. The Goal Pole itself requires the use of a Piranha Creeper (or the Cat Power-Up) to reach the top. Good luck!

Beating this level unlocks the route to a Toad House and 4-A, where an enemy encounter awaits!