Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- This article is about the Nintendo GameCube game. For other uses, see Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (disambiguation).
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||
| Developer | Intelligent Systems | ||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||
| Platform | Nintendo GameCube | ||||||||||
| Release dates | Original release July 22, 2004[1] October 11, 2004[2] November 12, 2004[3] November 18, 2004[4]Player's Choice April 24, 2006[5] | ||||||||||
| Languages | English[A] Japanese French (Europe) German Italian Spanish (Europe) | ||||||||||
| Genre | RPG | ||||||||||
| Ratings |
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| Mode | Single player | ||||||||||
| Format |
 Optical disc | ||||||||||
| Input | |||||||||||
| Serial code | DOL-G8MJ-JPN | ||||||||||
- Everyone
- All ages
- Three years and older
- All ages
- Eight years and older
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the second installment in the Paper Mario series. Released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004, the game is an RPG like the first Paper Mario, featuring both turn-based battles and puzzle and platforming-focused challenges on the overworld as well as collaborating with a party of friendly characters that subsequently join on the quest, known as partners.
The story has Mario travel to the ramshackle town of Rogueport to meet Princess Peach after news she acquired a map leading to an ancient treasure. He soon finds that Peach has been kidnapped again, and comes in conflict with the X-Nauts, a malevolent secret society. Mario's quest has him collect the seven Crystal Stars, mysterious artifacts of great power that are linked to an ancient evil sealed deep below Rogueport.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door greatly expands on the battle system, with new features such as more fleshed-out partners who now have their own health pool, and the ability to negate all damage inflicted by enemy attacks through Superguarding. An audience now watches the battles — spectators may mess with the fights in ways that help or hinder the player. On the overworld, Mario now has the ability to fold into various paper forms, allowing him to explore deeper and solve puzzles. The game also has intermissions between each Chapter, in which the player assumes the role of Peach, as well as of Bowser, both of whom have their own stories that complement the main plot.
A follow-up titled Super Paper Mario was released for the Wii in 2007. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the only game in the series to share the same battle system as the original Paper Mario, as Super Paper Mario is a platformer with RPG elements and subsequent installments (starting with 2012's Paper Mario: Sticker Star) retooled many aspects of the series.
A remake of the same name was released on the Nintendo Switch on May 23, 2024.
Plot
The story of the game at first is framed as a narrator reading a story from a book. As the narration develops, the pages of the book turn to show illustrations of the events.
Ahem! Today...
I'm going to tell you the story of the Thousand-Year Door.
An awfully long time ago...
In a strange and far-off land, a big, bustling town thrived.
It was a town where all people lived very happy lives.
And it was said that the town was very prosperous.
But one day...tragedy befell this blessed place.
A great cataclysm struck the town and its people.
Darkness filled the skies, and the earth roared and shook.
It was as if the very world had come to a violent end.
And in but a single night...
The town sank into the depths of the earth...
Many moons rose and set...
Stories of the town passed into the pages of fairy tales...
And when the town's site no longer held relics of its past...
People gathered at that spot and built a new town.
But word soon spread among the people who moved in...
That an ancient city lay deep underground...
And that a magnificent treasure rested there.
Indeed...
This is the tale of the fabled treasure of Rogueport.
Yes, this is where it begins, in the sea town of Rogueport.
The tale of the quest for the legendary treasure...
And the Thousand-Year Door...starts here.
After the narration finishes, the last illustration fades into gameplay and focuses on Princess Peach in Rogueport. Peach has been traveling on holiday with Toadsworth and stops at the town alone. Here, she meets a hooded woman running a small shop. Peach notices a box, and the hooded woman explains that it contains a map that leads to where a legendary treasure sleeps. The box has a magic lock that only allows one with a pure and noble heart to open it. The hooded woman hands Peach the box, and Peach then opens it, allowing Peach to claim the map. Before the hooded woman has the chance to act, Toadsworth meets up with Peach, allowing Peach to step away for a moment. Peach then writes a letter to Mario about the map, asking for his help with finding the legendary treasure, while also including the map with the letter. Sometime after the letter and map is sent, Peach is kidnapped.
The letter and map is delivered to Mario, who then boards a ship to Rogueport to help the Princess with finding the legendary treasure.
Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome
Shortly after Mario reaches Rogueport, he finds Lord Crump attempting to interrogate Goombella about the Crystal Stars. Mario intervenes and Lord Crump tries to defeat him. After defeating the X-Naut general and escaping from the X-Nauts, Goombella introduces herself, and Mario explains his quest to her. Mario and Goombella meet up with Toadsworth, who reveals that Princess Peach has vanished, and encourages Mario to find her. As Goombella is also searching for the map's treasure, she decides to join Mario. Then, Goombella suggests going to Professor Frankly's house, to consult him and show him the map, believing that Peach already set off on finding the legendary treasure and that they could catch up to her. At the professor's house, Frankly explains that the map is related to the legend of the treasure of the Thousand-Year Door, and that, to obtain the treasure, one must first open the door with the seven Crystal Stars. Said objects can be found by holding the Magical Map before the Thousand-Year Door, which is located in the town's sewers. So, Mario holds the map before the Thousand-Year Door, revealing the location of the first Crystal Star.
- Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | プロローグ ゴロツキタウンへようこそ！ Purorōgu: Gorotsuki Taun e Yōkoso! | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport! | [?] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 序幕 欢迎来到恶棍镇！ Xùmù: Huānyíng lái dào Ègùn Zhèn! (Mandarin) Jeuihmohk: Fūnyìhng lòih dou Okgwan Jan! (Cantonese) | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport! | [?] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 序幕 歡迎來到惡棍鎮！ Xùmù: Huānyíng lái dào Ègùn Zhèn! (Mandarin) Jeuihmohk: Fūnyìhng lòih dou Okgwan Jan! (Cantonese) | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport! | [?] | |
| French | Prologue: Bienvenue à Port-Lacanaïe! | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport | [?] | |
| German | Prolog: Willkomen in Rohlingen | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport | [?] | |
| Italian | Prologo: Benvenuti a Fannullopoli | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport | [?] | |
| Korean | 프롤로그: 부랑배 타운에 어서 오세요! Peurollogeu: Burangbae Taun-e Eoseo Oseyo! | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport! | [?] | |
| Spanish | Prólogo: Bienvenidos a Villa Viciosa | Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport | [?] |
Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon
Mario and Goombella show the updated map to Professor Frankly, who reveals that the first Crystal Star is in Petal Meadows. To reach this place, they must find a pipe in Rogueport Sewers. While looking for it, they come across a Blooper which they have to defeat. After defeating it, the path to the pipe is on the other side. After entering it, Mario and Goombella arrive in Petal Meadows, where they see Hooktail and her castle. The duo stops at a nearby village called Petalburg and discovers from the mayor that the dragon Hooktail has been terrorizing the village. The mayor tells them that Hooktail guards a Crystal Star in her castle, and that to access it, they must obtain the two stone keys in Shhwonk Fortress, an ancient stone fort past Petalburg. After finding them, Mario and Goombella march to Hooktail's castle, with Koops in tow (who wants to defeat Hooktail to avenge his dead father and become stronger). After navigating through the castle's traps with the help of Koops, they encounter the dragon and defeat her, allowing Koops's father to get out of the dragon's gut and present Mario with the Diamond Star.
Somewhere else, it is revealed that Princess Peach was abducted by the X-Nauts. When an X-Naut tells Grodus that "a mustached dude in a red hat and blue overalls" got the first Crystal Star, Peach accidentally blurts out Mario's name. Grodus hears this and orders the Shadow Sirens to steal the map in Mario's possession. Peach then meets TEC-XX, the X-Naut base's computer, who develops an interest in Peach's concept of love, and asks for her help in understanding it. Peach agrees; in exchange, TEC lets her send e-mails to Mario.
Afterward, the scene focuses on Bowser's Castle, where Kammy Koopa tells Bowser about Mario's quest to find the Crystal Stars and Peach's abduction, things that motivate Bowser to hunt for the Crystal Stars and kidnap Peach back. Bowser, with his Koopa Clown Car, and Kammy then head for Rogueport.
Back in Petalburg, after Koops promises to return as a stronger Koopa like his dad, the group receives an e-mail from Peach, who informs them that she has been kidnapped. Mario and company head back to the Thousand-Year Door to reveal the location of the next Crystal Star.
- Storyline text
Mario and friends finally got a Crystal Star in the castle after defeating Hooktail. Koops even reunited with his long-lost father, whom he thought was dead. Yet they were unable to learn anything about the whereabouts of the princess. Where could Princess Peach be? Yes... Mario's adventure has only just begun.
Using the Magical Map they received from Princess Peach, Mario and his friends claimed their first Crystal Star. With the deadly dragon Hooktail defeated, the citizens of Petalburg would rest easy once again. Koops even reunited with his long-lost father, whom he thought was dead. And yet, despite victory in the castle, Princess Peach’s whereabouts were still unknown. Where could she be? Yes… It seems Mario’s adventure has only just begun.
- Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ステージ１ マリオとお城とドラゴンと Sutēji 1: Mario to Oshiro to Doragon to | Stage 1: Mario, the Castle and the Dragon | [?] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关卡１ 马力欧、城堡与龙 Guānkǎ 1: Mǎlì'ōu, Chéngbǎo yǔ Lóng (Mandarin) Gwāankā 1: Máhlihk'āu, Sìhngbóu yúh Lùhng (Cantonese) | Level 1: Mario, the Castle and the Dragon | [?] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關卡１ 瑪利歐、城堡與龍 Guānkǎ 1: Mǎlì'ōu, chéngbǎo yǔ lóng (Mandarin) Gwāankā 1: Máhlihk'āu, Sìhngbóu yúh Lùhng (Cantonese) | Level 1: Mario, the Castle and the Dragon | [?] | |
| French | Chapitre 1: Mario + château + dragon | Chapter 1: Mario + castle + dragon | [?] | |
| German | Kapitel 1: Lohgards Drachenburg | Chapter 1: Hooktail's Dragon Castle | [?] | |
| Italian | Scena I: Mario, il castello e la dragonessa | Scene 1: Mario, the castle and the dragon | Nintendo GameCube | [?] |
| Capitolo 1: Mario, il castello e la dragonessa | Chapter 1: Mario, the castle and the dragon | Nintendo Switch | [?] | |
| Korean | 스테이지 1: 마리오와 성, 그리고 드래곤 Seuteiji 1: Mario-wa Seong, Geurigo Deuraegon | Stage 1: Mario and Castle, and Dragon | [?] | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Acto 1: El castillo y el dragón | Act 1: The castle and the dragon | [?] | |
| Spanish (Europe) | Acto 1: El bueno, el feo y el malo | Act 1: The good, the ugly and the bad; a reference to the Italian film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" | [?] |
Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree
The second Crystal Star is revealed to be in the Great Tree, home of small creatures known as Punies, deep inside Boggly Woods. When searching for the pipe leading to Boggly Woods in Rogueport Sewers, Mario and his partners encounter Punio, who tells them that the X-Nauts have invaded the Great Tree, capturing most of the Punies and that the Jabbies, the Punies' enemies, have allied with the X-Nauts and are trying to kick the Punies out of the Great Tree. Mario and company decide to help out the Punies, and therefore Punio leads the group to the Boggly Woods. After getting there, Mario and company encounter the Shadow Sirens with a necklace that Vivian found, who do not recognize him due to having lost a sketch of him, which Beldam accuses Vivian of losing. The group continues and arrives at the Great Tree. However, they realize that the tree is locked. Punio suggests they find Madame Flurrie, who can help them find the Tree's secret entrance. Despite this, upon reaching her home, Flurrie reveals she has lost her necklace and does not want anyone to see her without it. Thus, Mario and his friends return to the Shadow Sirens and defeat them, this way retrieving the necklace. After returning it to Flurrie, she joins them in their quest. The group finds the secret entrance with her help and manages to enter the Tree; after freeing the locked Punies with the aid of a special orb and after solving the Great Tree's puzzles and defeating the Jabbies, they reveal the second Crystal Star at the bottom of the Tree. There, Lord Crump snatches it and activates a time bomb to blow up the Tree. Upon following him to the entrance, he stops the bomb and uses Magnus von Grapple to fight the heroes, but he is defeated by the group. As a result, the X-Nauts evacuate the Tree and Mario and company obtain the Emerald Star.
At the X-Naut headquarters, the X-Nauts notify Grodus that Mario has taken the Emerald Star, and has also defeated Lord Crump and the Shadow Sirens. He asks them about the other Crystal Stars, but they have no luck in finding them. Grodus believes that Mario must have the map. Meanwhile, TEC calls for the Princess, and, hearing her desire to dance at the Mushroom Ball, asks her to dance with him, using a hologram of Peach herself, and having to press the buttons on the screen. TEC then lets Peach e-mail Mario.
Meanwhile, Bowser heads for Petalburg, since Kammy tells him that Peach was seen there. After crossing Petal Meadows, he arrives in the town, scaring the main Koopa Troopa, and upon spotting what he thinks is Peach, he tries talking to her, but she is revealed to be merely a poster owned by a local Koopa Troopa.
As Mario and his team move on, they receive another e-mail from Peach, who tells them that the X-Nauts are also searching for the Crystal Stars. Mario and his team reveal the location of the next Crystal Star, and they visit Professor Frankly for details. Frankly reveals that his research has led to the legendary treasure being sealed away around the same time the ancient city was destroyed. The cause of the ancient town's destruction remains unknown, but it was written that "Darkness stole the sky and the cataclysm rained down."
- Storyline text
And so, after pummeling Lord Crump, Mario obtained the second Crystal Star... With the X-Nauts gone, peace once again prevailed throughout the Great Tree. The Boggly Woods echoed with the Puni songs of joy. But... this may not be the last our hero hears from the vile X-Nauts. They will surely continue to stand in Mario's way and try to put a stop to his efforts...
- Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ステージ２ ふしぎの森の大きな木 Sutēji 2: Fushigi no Mori no Ōkina Ki | Stage 2: The Big Tree of the Mysterious Forest | [?] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关卡２ 神秘森林里的大树 Guānkǎ 2: Shénmì Sēnlín Lǐ de Dàshù (Mandarin) Gwāankā 2: Sàhnbei Sāmlàhm Léuih dīk Daaihsyuh (Cantonese) | Level 2: The Big Tree in the Mysterious Forest | [?] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關卡２ 神秘森林裡的大樹 Guānkǎ 2: Shénmì Sēnlín Lǐ de Dàshù (Mandarin) Gwāankā 2: Sàhnbei Sāmlàhm Léuih dīk Daaihsyuh (Cantonese) | Level 2: The Big Tree in the Mysterious Forest | [?] | |
| French | Chapitre 2: Un grand arbre | Chapter 2: A great tree | [?] | |
| German | Kapitel 2: Der Baum der Bubus | Chapter 2: The Tree of the Punies | [?] | |
| Italian | Scena II: La Grande Quercia del Bosco Misterioso | Scene 2: The Great Oak of the Mysterious Forest | Nintendo GameCube | [?] |
| Capitolo 2: La Grande Quercia del Bosco Misterioso | Chapter 2: The Great Oak of the Mysterious Forest | Nintendo Switch | [?] | |
| Korean | 스테이지 2: 신비한 숲의 커다란 나무 Seuteiji 2: Sinbihan Sup-ui Keodaran Namu | Stage 2: The Big Tree of the Mysterious Forest | [?] | |
| Spanish | Acto 2: El bosque animado | Act 2: The Animated Forest; named after the Spanish novel of the same name | [?] |
Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory
The third Crystal Star appears in a large arena on a floating town. To reach Glitzville, Mario and the gang must visit Don Pianta. He offers them the ticket they need after doing him a favor. Once Mario and his team arrive in Glitzville, they enter the Glitz Pit, a popular place in which fighters brawl, and spot the Crystal Star on the Champ's Belt, held by Rawk Hawk, the current champion. They sign up in the Pit, battle through the ranks, and eventually gain a newborn Yoshi as a partner after obtaining his egg from Mr. Hoggle. Soon, a mysterious figure known only as "X" starts sending cryptic e-mails to Mario. The e-mails lead Mario and his partners to discover that the Star on the belt is a fake and that the real Crystal Star is being used by Grubba, the promoter of the Glitz Pit, who has been using it to drain fighters of their energy to keep himself young and powerful. Mario and company expose his wrongdoings and chase him into the arena, where he transforms into Macho Grubba in order to eliminate Mario and his friends. Nonetheless, the group manages to defeat him. After the battle, Jolene, Grubba's assistant, appears and reveals herself as the mysterious X, explains her story, reunites with her brother Prince Mush, and gives Mario the Gold Star.
At the X-Naut base, Grodus berates the Shadow Sirens for failing to defeat Mario. Beldam assures him that the sisters will take care of Mario with their new weapon. TEC asks Peach to go ask Grodus a question relating to his plans. The Princess, while annoyed, soon goes undercover in an X-Naut disguise (despite the X-Nauts being roughly half Peach's size, she somehow still fits in the outfit) and learns that Grodus is plotting to use the Crystal Stars to take over the world, but he refuses to say why he's keeping Peach locked up, and finding something strange about her voice while disguised. TEC allows her to send this message to Mario.
Meanwhile, Bowser and Kammy are searching for one of the Crystal Stars in the Great Tree, where they discover that Mario already obtained it. Kammy Koopa gets into an argument with the Puni Elder, which leads to Bowser thinking to himself "You're BOTH too old! Har!" or "It's Hag vs. Hag! Awesome!" Bowser is angered that Mario is one step ahead of him again.
After saying goodbye to everyone at Glitzville, with Rawk Hawk promising to not cheat anymore, King K. thanking Mario for saving him, and Jolene taking over as the new Glitz Pit manager, Mario and company receive Peach's message; they promptly reveal the fourth Crystal Star's location and consult Professer Frankly for details. Frankly is shocked that the X-Nauts' goal is to control the world, and how it relates to his research. One book Frankly found theorizes that the legendary treasure was actually the great cataclysm that destroyed the ancient town of 1,000 years ago. Frankly acknowledges that if the legendary treasure really was the great cataclysm, then the X-Nauts could use that power to destroy the world.
- Storyline text
Glitzville's seamy underside was a dark, dangerous place seething with conspiracy... With the help of the lovely Ms. Jolene, Mario revealed Grubba's true identity... And acquired the third Crystal Star by defeating the monstrous Macho Grubba. Grubba had used the power of the Crystal Star to run his power-draining machine... What other hidden powers might these strange and mystical items possess?
- Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ステージ３ もえよ！チャンピオン！ Sutēji 3: Moeyo! Chanpion! | Stage 3: Get Fired Up! Champion! | [?] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关卡３ 燃烧吧！冠军！ Guānkǎ 3: Ránshāo ba! Guànjūn! (Mandarin) Gwāankā 3: Yìhnsīu bah! Gun'gwān! (Cantonese) | Level 3: Burn! Champion! | [?] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關卡３ 燃燒吧！冠軍！ Guānkǎ 3: Ránshāo ba! Guànjūn! (Mandarin) Gwāankā 3: Yìhnsīu bah! Gun'gwān! (Cantonese) | Level 3: Burn! Champion! | [?] | |
| French | Chapitre 3: Vas-y champion! | Chapter 3: Go champion! | [?] | |
| German | Kapitel 3: Kampf der Champions | Chapter 3: Clash of the Champions | [?] | |
| Italian | Scena III: Forza, campione! | Scene 3: Come on, champion! | Nintendo GameCube | [?] |
| Capitolo 3: Forza, campione! | Chapter 3: Come on, champion! | Nintendo Switch | [?] | |
| Korean | 스테이지 3: 불타올라라! 챔피언! Seuteiji 3: Bultaollara! Chaempieon! | Stage 3: Get fired up! Champion! | [?] | |
| Spanish | Acto 3: El rey de los luchadores | Act 3: The King of Fighters; possibly references "The King of Fighters" videogame series | [?] |
Chapter 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls
Professor Frankly tells the group that the Crystal Star is located in Creepy Steeple, near Twilight Town. When Mario and company arrive in Twilight Town, they discover that the village is under a curse cast by a monster who lives in the steeple, where every time the bell at the top of the steeple rings, one of the villagers transform into pigs. Using a new power, the group reaches the steeple and battles the monster. During the battle, the monster uses an ability to steal Mario's name and body, while Mario is transformed into a shadowy version of himself. Mario's partners claim the Crystal Star and leave with whom they think is Mario. All the while, the Shadow Sirens are in Twilight Town, planning on defeating Mario and his partners with their new weapon: the Superbombomb. In spite of this, Beldam seems to have lost it, prompting her to blame Vivian and to force her to search for it. The real Mario returns to Twilight Town and helps Vivian with her problem. Out of gratitude, she joins Mario's party. They eventually discover from the monster's parrot that the monster's name is Doopliss. After telling Doopliss his name, he is weakened and flees to Creepy Steeple. Mario and Vivian chase him there and they fight once more. Mario and his new partner defeat Doopliss, allowing Mario to regain his name and body and obtain the Ruby Star.
At the X-Naut base, an X-Naut PhD tells Grodus that he's done a lot of research on the Thousand-Year Door, whose sealing power is weakening. This delights Grodus since this means his plan will succeed, and he will soon create a new, perfect world. TEC requests the Princess to participate in a sort of "quiz show" with him, which soon gets creepier with the answers that Peach must eventually guess by process of elimination and needing to restart the quiz if choosing incorrectly. By doing this, she discovers that the seven Crystal Stars are needed to open the Thousand-Year Door, Grodus' ambitions are to conquer the world, that the "legendary treasure" is actually a 1,000-year-old demon's soul, Grodus plans to bring the demon back to life, and that the Crystal Stars are needed to seal the demon again. The Princess, although concerned if it was a good idea for TEC to tell her these things, then relays this information to Mario.
In the meantime, Bowser continues his quest for the Crystal Stars by flying to Glitzville in his Koopa Clown Car, although Kammy Koopa was attempting to buy blimp tickets. It malfunctions halfway there, though, and he must travel underwater in order to return to Rogueport. After he gets there and meets up with Kammy, who has traveled to Glitzville, finding the fights amazing, and the hot dogs delicious. After burning her offerings, and angry enough from what he went through while swimming, Bowser orders her to continue her research on Peach and the Crystal Stars.
Back in Twilight Town, Mario and his friends receive another message from Peach, relaying Grodus' ambitions, what the "legendary treasure" really is, and that the Crystal Stars must not fall into the wrong hands. They reveal the whereabouts of the next Crystal Star and visit Professor Frankly for details. Frankly is horrified at the details of the e-mail, but reveals that the information about the "legendary treasure" is consistent with his research. Frankly discovered that the great cataclysm could be the demon, the demon created the Crystal Stars, that four heroes stole the Crystal Stars from the demon, and that the four heroes defeated the demon's physical form while sealing its spirit using the power of the Crystal Stars in "the depths of a vast maze". Frankly then notes that it seems that the Crystal Stars cannot distinguish good from evil, and that all of them could either seal away or resurrect the demon. Mario's party brings up that collecting the Crystal Stars may be a bad idea, and that they should be destroyed should they collect them all only to have them all stolen from them. Frankly also thought of this and dismisses the idea of destroying the Crystal Stars. He then explains that the seal on the Thousand-Year Door is possibly weakening and will eventually fail after 1,000 years, and that it is potentially the one-thousandth year since it was sealed. Mario's party then refocuses on collecting the rest of the Crystal Stars, even if the X-Nauts fail to get the "legendary treasure".
The English name for Chapter 4, as well as its Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and French translations, are referencing the Ernest Hemingway novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. The Japanese name is also possibly a reference to the Japan-exclusive game Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru co-developed by Intelligent Systems, which involves a bell capable of transforming frogs into people.
- Storyline text
(fake) Mario defeated the scourge of Creepy Steeple and found the fourth Crystal Star. The people of Twilight Town have surely recovered from their awful curse by now. At this rate, Mario's quest to collect all seven Crystal Stars will be done in no time! With his back to Creepy Steeple, Mario sets out toward his bright future...
(real) Mario defeated the rogue who had stolen his name and appearance. Now Mario has four Crystal Stars. That leaves a mere three more to find! And THAT means his quest to collect all of the Crystal Stars is more than half over! Now Mario heads off toward his next adventure with his new friend, Vivian... ...But what about Beldam and Marilyn? And what became of the doppelganger, Doopliss?
- Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ステージ４ ブタのためにカネはなる Sutēji 4: Buta no Tame ni Kane wa Naru | "Stage 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls"; parody of For Whom the Bell Tolls and Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru | [?] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关卡４ 钟声为猪而响 Guānkǎ 4: Zhōngshēng wèi Zhū ér Xiǎng (Mandarin) Gwāankā 4: Jūngsīng waih Jyū yìh Héung (Cantonese) | Level 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls | [?] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關卡４ 鐘聲為豬而響 Guānkǎ 4: Zhōngshēng wèi zhū ér xiǎng (Mandarin) Gwāankā 4: Jūngsīng waih Jyū yìh Héung (Cantonese) | Level 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls | [?] | |
| French | Chapitre 4: La cloche à cochons | Chapter 4: The pig bell | [?] | |
| German | Kapitel 4: Die Glocke der Spukabtei | Chapter 4: The bell of the Spook Abbey | [?] | |
| Italian | Scena IV: Per chi suona la campana | Scene 4: For whom the bell tolls | Nintendo GameCube | [?] |
| Capitolo 4: Per chi suina la campana | Chapter 4: For whom does the bell toll | Nintendo Switch | [?] | |
| Korean | 스테이지 4: 돼지를 위하여 종은 울린다 Seuteiji 4: Dwaeji-reul Wihayeo Jong-eun Ullinda | Stage 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls | [?] | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Acto 4: ¿Por quién gruñe la campana? | Act 4: For whom does the bell grunt? | [?] | |
| Spanish (Europe) | Acto 4: ¿Por quién dobla la campana? | Act 4: For whom does the bell toll? | Nintendo GameCube | [?] |
| Acto 4: ¿Por quién gruñe la campana? | Act 4: For whom does the bell growl? | Nintendo Switch | [?] |
Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates
The fifth Crystal Star is located deep within a pirate lair on the southern island of Keelhaul Key. To reach the island, Mario enlists the help of Flavio and Admiral Bobbery. They sail to the island with some Toads, Pa-Patch, and Lord Crump in disguise (known as "Four-Eyes"). On their way there, Mario and company are attacked by Cortez's Embers, which shipwreck them on Keelhaul Key. Later on, some of the crew members are attacked by more Embers, and Bobbery sacrifices himself to save them. Bobbery says he is close to death, and after giving him his last request, they find out that he just fell asleep. As soon as Mario wakes him, he joins Mario's party. With the aid of Bobbery, and Flavio's Skull Gem, Mario and company enter Pirate's Grotto. After solving some puzzles, and gaining another ability from a black chest, they finally enter Cortez's ship. Following a battle, Cortez gives Mario his Sapphire Star. Subsequently, Lord Crump abandons his disguise and tells Mario that he will attack him with his ship's cannons until he hands over the Crystal Star. With the help of Cortez's ship and Flavio's Skull Gem, they defeat the invading X-Nauts, along with their leader.
Back at the X-Naut base, Grodus is ashamed of Lord Crump for failing him again and orders him to stand by until then. Summoning another X-Naut, he orders him to tell the Shadow Sirens (without Vivian) to attack Mario again, without failing. TEC wishes to gain access to a disk in Grodus's room, since he cannot access the data of computers that are not linked to his network and requests Peach to help him. When she gets into a lab, TEC gives her instructions to make a potion. After Peach turns invisible, she has no choice but to take off her clothes, so she can sneak in the base unnoticed. After entering Grodus's room, she secures the disk for TEC, and thus he promises to analyze the data. Peach then gets dressed and turns visible again with the green potion, then sends yet another e-mail to Mario, informing him of this development.
Meanwhile, in Twilight Town, Bowser, who is creeped out by the place, and Kammy Koopa run into Lord Crump, who is looking for the Superbombomb like Vivian was earlier. The three get into an argument, which escalates to an armed confrontation between the Koopa Troop and the X-Nauts. Bowser inadvertently ends up igniting the bomb after Lord Crump throws it at him, knocking out both armies.
Back at Keelhaul Key, Cortez ferries Mario and his teammates to Rogueport. Mario gets the e-mail from Peach, telling them about what TEC is analyzing. Mario and his team then reveal the next Crystal Star's location and visit Professor Frankly for information.
- Storyline text
Cortez, scourge of the seas... Mario soundly defeated this fearful spirit and claimed the Crystal Star. Perhaps the peaceful citizens of the world no longer need fear Cortez and his fell ship... The only problem remaining is how Mario will escape this isolated island... And could there be another problem still, hiding beneath our hero's nose?
- Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ステージ５ トロピコアイランドの大海賊 Sutēji 5: Toropiko Airando no Dai Kaizoku | Stage 5: The Great Pirate of Keelhaul Key | [?] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 关卡５ 热带小岛的大海盗 Guānkǎ 5: Rèdài Xiǎodǎo de Dà Hǎidào (Mandarin) Gwāankā 5: Yihtdaai Síudóu dīk Daaih Hóidouh (Cantonese) | Level 5: The Great Pirate of Keelhaul Key | [?] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 關卡５ 熱帶小島的大海盜 Guānkǎ 5: Rèdài Xiǎodǎo de Dà Hǎidào (Mandarin) Gwāankā 5: Yihtdaai Síudóu dīk Daaih Hóidouh (Cantonese) | Level 5: The Great Pirate of Keelhaul Key | [?] | |
| French | Chapitre 5: Pirate de Tropatroce | Chapter 5: Pirate of Keelhaul Key | [?] | |
| German | Kapitel 5: Der Schatz des Piraten | Chapter 5: The pirate's treasure | [?] | |
| Italian | Scena V: Il grande pirata dell'Isola Tropico | Scene 5: The Great Pirate of Keelhaul Key | Nintendo GameCube | [?] |
| Capitolo 5: Il grande pirata dell'Isola Tropico | Chapter 5: The Great Pirate of Keelhaul Key | Nintendo Switch | [?] | |
| Korean | 스테이지 5: 남국 아일랜드의 대해적 Seuteiji 5: Namguk Aillaendeu-ui Dae Haejeok | Stage 5: The Great Pirate of Keelhaul Key | [?] | |
| Spanish | Acto 5: La isla del tesoro | Act 5: Treasure Island; named after the Scottish novel, which follows similar events to the chapter. | [?] |
Chapter 6: 3 Days of Excess
The sixth Crystal Star is in Poshley Sanctum, located in the ritzy town