The 'Shroom:Issue 232/Fun Stuff
Director's Notes
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Quick question: can any of you help me pause time for a minute? I swear we were just here.
We're roaring through summer, and the Awards Ceremony is just on the horizon! Hope you all have been doing well with your presentation work! Between sending out results, organizing work groups for the ceremony, and watching the votes roll in for our All-Time Favorite Character Bracket... there's plenty of kinetic energy for the awards. It's such a sweet season to be a part of this community. Thank you all for taking part in making it special.
We're running a little slimmer than some months, with Hex Puzzle taking the month off. We're also missing a new edition of Homicide Activity, though that's due to low submission turnout for last month's scenario. Make sure to check out June's edition and send in your plan to Superchao (talk) so that he can return in August!
That's all from me this month. Take care out there, reader, and we'll see you in a month, or as the passage of time would have us believe, tomorrow.
Section of the Month
Congratulations to Ninja Squid (talk) for another well-earned first place! Of course, congratulations also extend to Waluigi Time (talk) and Sparks (talk) for their joint second place standings. Make sure to vote for your favorite sections this month, everyone!
| FUN STUFF SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Musical Quiz | 7 | 25.00% | Ninja Squid (talk) |
| 2nd | Hiding Koopa | 4 | 14.29% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
| 2nd | Pixel Personas | 4 | 14.29% | Sparks (talk) |
Anagrams
Written by: BBQ Turtle (talk)
Hello everyone! Welcome to the July edition of Anagrams! Now, I don't want to distract you from making your presentations for too long, so I'll try to keep this relatively brief- this month's theme is Wario: Master of Disguise, so as not to steal any more time from you. If you fancy suggesting the theme for next month or an anagram to be part of it, please let me know on my talk page or in a PM to me on the forums, I'd love to hear from you as I'm sure your ideas are better than my puns! Right, let's change things up and sneak into the anagrams!
How it works...
Basically, this puzzle consists of solving the anagrams. Each month has a specific theme, which will give you a clue about what sort of words or phrases the anagrams will be. I've also included the boxes that the anagrams will fit into, so you'll be able to tell how many words it will solve to be and how many letters will be in each word, which should give you a hand too. You'll also notice that within each set of boxes, one of the squares is a ? Block. As you solve each anagram, note down the letter which appear on the ? Blocks, and if you can solve all of the anagrams, you'll also get a bonus anagram to solve from completing all of the others. I've included the letter configuration for this one at the bottom too, just to give you an extra helping hand. Best of luck!
1. AWAIT ION CARP
2. FIFTHLY PHONE BUD
3. REWIND PULP
4. GYM STEAMER
5. VIA SCARS
6. NEW HOISTS
7. TRUE MORRIS
8. IRIS COW COMA
9. EARL AGE DARLINGS
10. DICE HEAVENS
11. EDGY STOOL
12. WOOING RADAR
Bonus anagram:
- Captain Wario
- Buffy the Dolphin
- Purple Wind
- Mastery Gem
- S. S. Caviar
- Wishstone
- Terrormisu
- Cosmic Wario
- Allergia Gardens
- DaVincheese
- Goodstyle
- Dragon Wario
Bonus anagram: Count Cannoli
Crossword
Written by: MarioMorty (talk)
Welcome back, all you wonderful readers, to another wonderful edition of Crosswords! In this edition, you'll be taking a trip around the world! That is, the Mario Kart World! That means you'll be looking for the names of all the nitro tracks that this game has to offer. A note on this puzzle, it features one instance of a special character (!, ?, &, ect.), so keep a eye out for that. Also, something I forgot to mention in the previous issue, I've been making puzzles for The 'Shroom for five years! I honestly can't believe it's been that long, so I thank all of you for solving them and allowing me to hopefully go for another five years! With that, MarioMorty out!
Welcome back to Picross! Usually, I theme these around various Mario games, but I've been in a big Rhythm Heaven mood recently. I guess you could say I'm in a Rhythm Heaven groove...
Anyway, these picrosses are Rhythm Heaven-themed. A bit different from my usual forte, but who knows - perhaps I'll do more outside of the usual Mario themes in the future. That's all I have to say, so enjoy the picrosses!
For anyone who isn’t already familiar with picross, here’s a tutorial on how to play:
Let’s use this 5x5 picross as an example, and I’ll show my process of solving it step by step, explaining my rationale for every step as I go along.
The obvious first move here is to fill the middle row, denoted with the number “5”. Since this is a 5x5 grid, filling five squares of any row or column would fill every square in the row. (As a general tip, the first move you’ll want to do when solving any picross is to look for rows and columns with the number of columns or rows of the grid, or any rows / columns with a “0” (as that means no squares are filled in).
There are several moves that we can do next, but the one I chose to do next is as pictured above. The second-to-left column has the numbers “1 3”. Each number denoted the number of consecutive squares filled, with there being at least 1 blank square between them. So, using quick math, we can deduce that 1 filled square + 1 blank square + 3 filled squares = 5 squares. Thus, we can confidently fill in the full column.
We can repeat the same for the second-to-right column.
We can apply the same logic to the middle column, i.e. 1 filled square + 1 blank square + 1 filled square + 1 blank square + 1 filled square = 5 squares.
Alternatively, since the bottom row has two filled squares with a blank square between them, and is denoted with the number “3”, then that means that there must be three consecutive squares. Thus, the square in between must be filled. The same logic can be applied to the top row.
Next, let’s take a look at the rows. Both the top and bottom rows are now complete, so the rest of the squares in each row can be marked as blank. The same goes for the second-to-bottom row.
We’re almost done now! Let’s take a look at the second-to-top row, which has two unmarked squares. Since the row is denoted as “1 1”, that means there are two single squares with one or more blank squares between them. There are only two unmarked squares here, so these must be filled.
And voilà! We’ve solved the picross and have been rewarded with a mushroom!
Hopefully, this tutorial was helpful. If you’re still a bit confused, the best practice is to actually solve picrosses on your own! A lot of the tips and tricks I showed here come down to intuition and practice. There are more advanced ones, but I’ll leave you to discover those on your own. Here’s just a few strategies you’ll want to keep in mind when solving picrosses:
- Start by filling in numbers corresponding to the amount of rows or columns (or zeroes). For example, for a 10x10 picross, this would not only count rows / columns marked with “10”, but also ones marked with, say, “4 5” or “2 3 3”. This is because you have to account for the blank space of at least one square, and with quick math (4 filled squares + 1 blank + 5 filled = 10; 2 filled + 1 blank + 3 filled + 1 blank + 3 filled = 10), you can deduce the specific square that you should and shouldn’t fill in.
- Always stick to steps that you are 100% certain of. Every strategy I’ve shown in my example is based on elimination and finding squares which I could fill in for certain. Although it may be tempting to take a chance, it could end up being a mistake, and without a mistake-checker of some sort, it can be difficult to figure out where it is, and you might even have to restart.
- Use process of elimination to determine squares which can 100% be filled in. If there’s a certain row whose numbers don’t quite add up to the number of rows or columns, but are pretty close; or you have a lot of crossed out spaces in that row or column, identify every possible solution to that row or column, and determine if there are any filled / unfilled squares in common between all of them. If so, you can 100% fill those in.
- Lastly, while there can be multiple ways to solve a picross, each picross has only one solution. Each of the ways you can solve a picross leads to the same solution. You can try the example picross on your own and experiment with different steps, but you’ll find that the end result is the same.
I hope those tips proved helpful! As I mentioned before, though, the best way to improve is to play some picrosses on your own. Mario's Picross and Mario's Super Picross are a great place to start, and there are numerous other picross games and websites that you can find with a quick Google search.
Lastly, if you want to solve the picrosses from this section, all you need to do is download the images. You can either open them in your image editing program of choice, or you can print them out and solve them with pen and paper. Happy solving!
Level A
Level B
Level C
Thank you for playing this month's Picross! I hope you enjoyed them.
Hiding Koopa
Written by: Waluigi Time (talk)
Hello there, 'Shroom readers, and welcome to another edition of Hiding Koopa! The artwork for this month is from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, courtesy of a suggestion from my predecessor Ninja Squid! The Legend of Zelda franchise is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, so I ought to let it have its day in the sun here, right? As always, there are five Koopas hidden in this art from the game! Good luck and have fun!
Thanks for playing! Did you find them all?
Pixel Personas
Phew! It sure is hot outside. I'm glad you're here playing Pixel Personas and avoiding the might of the Sun. Let's see if you can figure out these three subjects!
New to Pixel Personas? Here's what it's about: Pixel Personas is a game played in three rounds. In each round, I'll show an image of a Super Mario character (this includes enemies), but they're all pixelated! You (the readers) must analyze and identify who these characters are. Each round is tougher than the last, with more lesser-known characters and larger pixels, making it more difficult to tell who it is. After you make your guess, click/tap onhover over the card the image is on to flip it over and reveal the character!
When we think of hot things, we think of red, right? These three characters all involve the color red somehow. Now... begin!
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Your deduction skills are red hot! Take some time to cool off, and be sure to return in August for another game of Pixel Personas. Adios!
Connections
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Welcome back to another edition of Connections! The heat's really getting to my head, and I can't seem to keep my terms straight! Help out a wilting flower, will you?
How it works:
Below is a table of sixteen different words, all of them with some sort of connection to the Mario series. These words correlate in sets of four, and it's up to you to figure out which words belong to a set! Work through the grid and decide which words are connected. Once you think you have the answer, check against the provided answers. If you get stuck along the way, feel free to utilize the clues. There's only one correct answer, so be on the lookout for words that feel like they might fit in more than one category. Good luck!
| Quacker | Can | Standard | Paint |
| Fun | Slurp | Offroader | Super |
| Spear | Fly | My | Pirate |
| Did | Play | Club | Kid |
Start with "Play"
Has anyone told you you're a stand-up Guy?
Need another club? You're driving me to madness!
- Play, Super, My, Club: ___ Nintendo
- Paint, Slurp, Fly, Pirate: ___ Guy
- Quacker, Standard, Offroader, Spear: vehicles in Mario Kart Wii
- Can, Fun, Did, Kid: first syllables of Kong names
How did you do? Did you figure out the connections? Thanks for playing!
Riddle Moves
Written by: Sentient freedom (talk)
Hello again everybody! I honestly don't really have that much to say, beyond that it is still summer, so let's just get to the riddle already.
How it works:
Below will be a riddle relating to a random Pokémon move; the chosen move will not be a Z-Move, a Max move, any of the moves that are exclusive to the Starmobiles, or any of the two Tera moves. What you have to do is use the information provided by the riddle to piece together what the move may be. I will tell you the move's type, so you can think about it a bit more. Anyway, enough talking! Here's the riddle, let's see how sharp your knowledge is!
Type: Electric
"I coat the battlefield in positive and negatively charged objects. Any standard move that touches me will be all powered up. What am I?"
This move has two words in its name, and the first word has something to do with protons and electrons.
It usually goes first, unless other factors prevent such from happening.
It is very similar to another Electric-type move - the very one that used to be the signature move of Helioptile and Heliolisk.
Ion Deluge
So, how did you do? Did you manage to get it right? Well, regardless, thanks for playing, and I will see you next month to test your move knowledge again.
Where in the Marioverse is Carmen Sandiego?
Each issue, you will be given a case to solve and clues to use to help you find the solution! Use your Mario knowledge to crack the case!
You will begin each case at the scene of the crime, and you will be given three clues from passerby as to where the next hot spot is and what game it’s from. Using your knowledge of Mario games and the Super Mario Wiki, figure out where the crook is and go track them down! There are four locations each round: the crime scene (1) at the start, two locations (2 and 3) with clues, and the hideout for the crook of the month (4). Answers for locations will be given with the corresponding round, for example, the clues from the crime scene will lead you to location 2, and once you open the spoiler bubbles for location 2, you will be given the correct answer. You can open the clues for each location in any order you’d like, but be careful! You may encounter an incorrect clue that could throw you off the case!
Clues offered will give you a hint either about the next location or the game it’s in. Unlike a regular Carmen Sandiego game, you do not have to collect information about the crook you are tracking down.
Challenge round (optional):
-Find all locations and games correctly in two minutes or less
-Find all locations and games correctly without using the rest of the Wiki for help
"Carmen has her serious hat on to pull off a gutsy move this time, gumshoe, and we need your help to stop her! Seemingly taking advantage of how popular our favorite plumbers are in the Mushroom Kingdom, she's dispatched a team to lift Mario and Luigi's house right out of the ground! The brothers' house has only been featured in a few games- understandable, as they don't live in a massive castle like Princess Peach or Bowser. Both brothers have promised a large reward for you for this job; as they are anxious to get their abode back! It's time to crack down hard on Carmen's crimes and land that house back onto its foundation! Time to get to work, gumshoe!"
|
Crime Scene |
The Crime
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
|
Location 2 |
CORRECT ANSWER
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
|
Location 3 |
CORRECT ANSWER
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
CASE CLOSED
HIDEOUT ANSWER:
Luigi's Engine Room from Mario Party 
"You're an old hand at this, gumshoe! An ACME team was hot on your heels the whole way, and as soon as you reported seeing the house, they moved in to apprehend our suspects. This team was mostly rookies, but to our surprise, was led by one of Carmen's top agents. Now, she might never speak to us, but every second she spends in ACME custody is a second she can't be out committing crimes for Carmen, and that's a victory in itself. We've taken her in for questioning for now, and another recovery team has been dispatched to help place Mario and Luigi's home back where it belongs. They're both ready to go to fix the plumbing as soon as it touches down! And they didn't forget your reward- a generous payment of coins with a bonus basket of Super Mushrooms, Cape Feathers, and Stars for you to use while you're out solving crimes. Good work on this one, gumshoe, splendid work! Take a load off and return to base- once you finish with your case files, you can have a nice long weekend."
Musical Quiz
Written by: Ninja Squid (talk)
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Welcome to a new round of Musical Quiz!
The sun is out there, and it's been pretty hot lately. You certainly won't hear me complaining, though! This month's edition of Musical Quiz is perfectly suited to the intense heat we've been experiencing. Yes, they are all themed around desert levels or areas! See if you can identify which game each of them belongs to. Good luck!
 Song No.1 | File info |
| Song No.2 | File info |
| Song No.3 | File info |
| Song No.4 | File info |
| Song No.5 | File info |
| Song No.6 | File info |
| Song No.7 | File info |
| Song No.8 | File info |
- Mario Party 7 (Park It)
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Slipsand Galaxy)
- Super Mario Maker 2 (Super Mario Bros. 3 Desert (Edit))
- Wario World (Pecan Sands)
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Dreamy Sandstorm)
- Paper Mario: The Origami King (Shroom City)
- Super Mario 3D Land (Desert Theme)
- Mario Kart 7 (Shy Guy Bazaar)
How did you do? Did you guess them all correctly? In any case, thanks a lot for playing Musical Quiz. Come again next month!
Trivia
Despite Rose's best efforts, Trivia has returned, so did you know?
- That Blooper was originally called Bloober?
- That Buzzy Beetle and Koopa Paratroopa are the only enemies from Super Mario Bros. to not make an appearance in a 3D platformer?
- That Professor E. Gadd was originally going to be playable in Mario Kart DS?
- That in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, if the player hits a ball into a field of flowers, Pikmin will pop out?
- That despite being primarily exclusive to the Paper Mario series, Whackas make a small cameo in the Mario Party 6 board Snowflake Lake?
- That Aljamain Sterling is the only UFC fighter to win a title via disqualification?
- That Super Mario Land was originally supposed to be the pack-in title for the Game Boy?
'Shroom Quiz
With the release of another 'Shroom issue brings another 'Shroom Quiz to go with it! How well can you remember Issue 231?
For those of you who haven't played before, let me explain how this all works! I'm going to ask you 12 questions about sections submitted for Issue 231. All of these questions have to deal with either "Fake News", "Fun Stuff", "Palette Swap", "Pipe Plaza", "Critic Corner" and "Strategy Wing". All features get 2 questions each.
If you're struggling, I have provided two hints below each question. The first hint is about the answer, and the second one explains where to find the answer! Nobody will judge you if you use 'em! Say it with me now:
IT'S!! 'SHROOM!! QUIZ!! TIME!!!
QUESTION #1: In the Nintendo DS version of Rhythm Heaven, which minigame has the player taking photos of race cars?
This minigame's name comes from a phrase meaning "to stop a moving picture to focus on specific shots".
Answer: Freeze Frame
QUESTION #2: What are the names of these fiery/electric creatures that move around surfaces?
These things aren't very common, but they do appear as items in Super Smash Bros.! Smaller versions are known as Li'l Sparkies.
Here's a bright idea - check out DryBonesBandit's (talk) analysis of the specimen in the Fake News section Dry Dry Data!
Answer: Hothead
QUESTION #3: What is the name of the small robot built by Jonathan Chaplin and his father Dave Chaplin?
This machine's name is associated with cemeteries. Spooky right?
Answer: Gravedigger
QUESTION #4: What is the most difficult level in Super Mario 3D Land?
This course is not part of the main story, but rather located in a secret world.
Answer: Special 8-
Crown (Special 8-Crown also works)
QUESTION #5: What is the name of the bird Mr. Morris encounters on his adventure?
This cool bird is named after a state, and he's relatively chill and laid back.
I've got the solution for you! You need to check out The Florida Man & the Business Man in Palette Swap! I'm sure Boo1268 and Hooded Pitohui (talk) will appreciate it.
Answer: Florida the Flamingo
QUESTION #6: What is the name of this eyeball enemy first seen in Super Mario 64?
To defeat it, you must run around it until it gets dizzy and disappears.
Answer: Mr. I
QUESTION #7: Which watery location did Bar D. Jokue review
The name of this isn't very creative. It contributed to the overall negative review.
See what's got Bar D. Jokue so disappointed by reading his review for yourself! Find your way to Fake News for The Bar D. Jokue Travel Guide!
Answer: Water Park
QUESTION #8: Which brand of pop declares itself as "the soda you can trust"?
The first word of it sounds identical to the sugary liquid plants create, but it isn't spelled the same.
Answer: Nekter Pop
QUESTION #9: How does one climb Weeping Reclusa to enter the third phase of his battle in Mario & Luigi: Brothership?
Leave it to him! This fellow has had bright ideas throughout the game.
My Brothership Boss Battle Guide section in Strategy Wing will give you the inspiration you need!
Answer: Luigi Logic
QUESTION #10: Which wiki recently provided temporary accounts for anonymous editors?
This wiki is based on a pink character who lives on Planet Popstar.
Browse Trig Jegman (talk)'s Pipe Plaza section, NIWA News and search for the answer!
Answer: WiKirby
QUESTION #11: What boss minigame in Mario Party DS had players going up against a Piranha Plant?
This minigame is infamous for its difficulty, and players had to throw bomb seeds into the plant's mouth.
The answer blooms in BBQ Turtle (talk)'s Fun Stuff section, Anagrams. It's one of the answers!
Answer: Feed and Seed
QUESTION #12: What activity did Waluigi Time and Chuck participate in to disrupt Cayde and Zerris' beach day?
The activity involved vehicles commonly found in Mario spin-offs.
Let's all go to the beach in Palette Swap to relax! Oh, and to see the answer in Waluigi Time (talk) and MightyMario (talk)'s section, Waluigi Time Comic.
Answer: Kart racing
Way to go! But how many questions did you get right? For each question you answer, I'll give you one point. Below are ranks based on how many questions you got right:
- 10-12 points - 'Shroom Expert
- 7-9 points - 'Shroom Pro
- 4-6 points - 'Shroom Veteran
- 1-3 points - 'Shroom Novice
If you managed to answer every question correctly without using any hints, then congratulations! You are a 'Shroom Master! Hooded Pitohui's created much better rank titles, but these ones still suffice. 'Shroom Quiz will return in August, so see you then!
| The 'Shroom: Issue 232 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
