Whomp's Fortress

Whomp's Fortress is the stronghold home of the Whomp race and their leader, the Whomp King. It is the second course in Super Mario 64, and can be accessed via a painting on the first floor of Princess Peach's Castle. Only one Power Star is needed to open the door to the painting. It contains 141 coins. It will reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Star 1: Chip Off Whomp's Block
This level is unchanged between Super Mario 64 and its remake, Super Mario 64 DS. For the first star, Mario has to defeat the Whomp King who is standing on a flat platform on top of the fortress. On his way to the top, Mario is hindered by several platforms which move away from his feet, as well as Whomps, Thwomps, Pushy Walls and sleeping Piranha Plants which awake when Mario runs fast past them. However, there is a Metal Cap available to Make Mario temporarily immune to those enemies after he has already found the switch. Upon facing the angry Whomp King, Mario has to trick the King into falling down in order to try hitting Mario. Mario can then jump on the Whomp King's back and Ground Pound on the adhesive tape on it. If Mario has done this three times, the Whomp King will release his Power Star.

Star 2: To the Top of the Fortress
This level is unchanged between Super Mario 64 and its remake. The second Power Star is located on top of a tall tower which has appeared after the Whomp King's defeat. When Mario has climbed up to the flat platform as before, he will find a Bill Blaster shooting Bullet Bills at him. Mario has to use ledges around the tower to get to the top and to get the Power Star.

Star 3: Shoot Into the Wild Blue
This level is unchanged between Super Mario 64 and its remake. For the third Power Star, Mario has to go to a different area of the fortress. After passing the Thwomps, he has to go down a ramp and cross a water basin to meet the level's Bob-omb Buddy. With the nearby cannon, he has to shoot himself onto a ledge on the wall of the fortress, where several coins and a Power Star are found. It is also possible to jump onto the ledge (by jumping on the wall and then on the ledge) to get the Star.

Star 4: Red Coins on the Floating Isle
This is the Red Coin mission of Whomp's Fortress. Despite the name of the mission, only two of the eight red coins are located on the floating islands in the level - unless, the "Floating Isle" in the title refers to Whomp's Fortress as a whole, which is indeed floating in the air. Several other Red Coins are found on top of a Thwomp and on a 'slide'. To get to the floating, spinning islands, Mario first has to kick down a log of wood to build himself a bridge. The Power Star itself is located at the very bottom of the area.

In Super Mario 64 DS, one of the red coins is on a new area of land that connects the whole course together rather than on the slide over the bridge.

Star 5: Fall Onto the Caged Island
Mario's next Power Star is located on one of the floating isles. One method to reach it was with Hoot the Owl's assistance, who had to fly him to the cage that contained the Power Star. Mario can find Hoot the Owl in the tree next to his starting point. Another way is to blast from the cannon and into the cage, although this method can be troublesome sometimes.

While the gameplay is the same in both Super Mario 64 and its remake, it should also be noted that in Super Mario 64 DS, the island is much larger, resembles an island more than in the original game and isn't barricaded by the cage.

Star 6: Blast Away the Wall
This level is unchanged between Super Mario 64 and its remake. For the sixth Power Star, Mario has to use the cannon on the left of the starting point from Star 3 again and blast himself against the wall edge on the far right. The wall will blast away and release the star.

Star 7: Switch Star of the Fortress (DS only)
Super Mario 64 DS added a seventh mission to Whomp's Fortress. It is a Switch Star mission, meaning Mario had to find the switch (which was obscured by an orange block) and run to the other side of the fortress to nab it before the timer runs out, the Star disappears and he has to do it all over again.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Whomp's Fortress is set to reappear in the upcoming game, Super Mario Galaxy 2, as the Throwback Galaxy. The graphics have been redesigned, and the level layout is basically the same with some mino differences, such as Bowser's flag hanging from a pole, Star Bits around the level, a box that looks like Mario Kart's Item Boxes, and an island that can be seen in the background.

Trivia

 * The level name, "Chip Off Whomp's Block" is a pun on the famous expression "A Chip Off the Old Block".