P for Balance and Speed

This level is similar to Shields Up, in the sense that you have a series of obstacles ahead of you, and the solution for getting past them are found in front of you as the level starts, with the level name once again giving a small hint. As the level begins, the player is faced with four items: two shells (one’s a helmet) and two P-switches and all of them are needed to pass the level.

The first obstacle is seemingly the most straight-forward one. A row of coins that will become blocks as Mario walks on the first P-switch.

Running across the lava pit, the player will come across an audio/visual clue in the form of samba dancers. At this point, this clue will not make much sense and next, Mario will find himself at a dead end and it’s clear that another P-switch is needed to be brought across. After each challenge, there’s a door that takes the player back to the beginning of the level, so the player will never get stuck or be forced to commit suicide to restart.

Bringing a second P-switch is rather easy but after making the next series of jumps, the player will need the shell to proceed further. The question then becomes how to get both and shell and the P-switch across at the same time.

Here, the solution lies with a somewhat obscure mechanic, where a P-switch will gently bounce off of a shell Mario’s holding. By keeping a steady, somewhat fast pace, the player can transport the P-switch to the other end of the lava pit while holding the shell. This is a bit of a balancing act and here’s where the samba dancer’s clue makes sense, letting the player know he or she is on the right track.

With the shell carried across the series of jumps and used to drop another P-switch onto a treadmill, it’s time for the final challenge of this level.

At this stage, the P-switch is on a treadmill above Mario. A caged Thwomp and an arrow lets the player know there are Thwomps ahead and they can be used to activate the switch. However, as the Thwomps hit the switch, Mario will need to be in mid-air, as the ground will turn to coins and vice versa.

After that, a series of challenging jumps await as the player quickly needs to make it to the end before the blocks turn back to coins. Keeping up momentum is also important, as the final series of obstacles are a row of Thwomps. The helmet will protect Mario from the harm but only if he’s fast enough, preventing the Thwomps from landing in front of him. Retaining top speed and short-jumping to the axe without touching a Thwomp is also possible, so if you lose your helmet, it’s still possible, albeit more difficult, to win.

Hitting the axe will complete the level which takes about a minute to complete on a good run. You can try this level with the code 045F-0000-00D2-A4BF