The Crimson Tower

"Morton is holding the Big Paint Star hostage at the top of the Crimson Tower. Let's go get him!"

- Huey

The Crimson Tower is a location from Paper Mario: Color Splash. The path leading here is unlocked after getting the red Mini Paint Star in Cherry Lake, and when the red Big Paint Star in here is rescued, it will color the gate at Sunglow Ridge. Morton is the boss of this area. The Cat-o-Luck Thing can also be found here.

Layout
When Mario first visits the Crimson Tower, there is a gate blocking the way. He must repaint a nearby green Toad, who turns out to be a bridge builder and runs off to Port Prisma. Mario can paint the gate to discover three Toad-shaped keyholes. He must gather the three Chosen Toads, each located at Cherry Lake, Bloo Bay Beach, and Daffodil Peak, and hammer them into their keyholes.

When the gate opens, Huey is shocked to see that the tower has been drained of its color. He is about to give up when he notices Paint Guys pouring paint into a large bucket attached to an airship, which still has its anchor dropped. A Shy Guy shouts at Mario to raise it, and if Mario does, he gets on board the ship. Mario must pull two pieces of Bowser Tape on his way to the steering wheel, at which he is attacked by Shy Guys and a Spike Guy. Once defeated, the ship becomes unbalanced and Huey holds the wheel while Mario must find a button to release the paint; the only switch on the ship turns out to be a self-destruct button, exploding the ship and causing the paint to fall on the tower. Before the airship explodes, the screen briefly cuts to black as text reading, "OH SCRAP..." appears on-screen. A bridge to the tower then unfolds.

Shortly after entering the tower, Morton jumps out of the wall and goes to look for the Big Paint Star. Huey encourages Mario to explore the tower first. The Crimson Tower contains many enemies, such as Shy Guys, Shield Guys, and Goombas. Many conveyor belts can be found inside the tower. After passing three conveyor belts, Mario must walk up many flights of stairs while avoiding Goombas and Accordion Goombas. The next room contains Spike Guys and a conveyor belt that Mario must knock Shy Guys off of by hitting it from below.

When Mario passes the conveyor belt, Morton appears. Huey tells him about Mario, and Morton gets angry and stomps on two loose platforms, causing them to fall. Mario must use Cutout to get past the platforms.

In the next room, Mario confronts Morton, who is guarding the Big Paint Star. At the start of the battle, Morton brings in a pedestal and two Shy Guys. Mario must defeat the Shy Guys and knock away the pedestal to attack Morton. After taking enough damage, Morton lights his hammer on fire, and Mario must use the Fire Extinguisher Thing from Ruddy Road to put the fire out. Morton's hammer is reduced to a stick, which he still tries to hit Mario with. Once Morton is defeated, Mario can collect the Cat-O-Luck Thing and then collect the Big Paint Star, which colors in the large gate in Sunglow Ridge.

After collecting the Big Paint Star, Mario can revisit the Chosen Toads to talk to them through the holes in the gate. When Piper and his friends are reunited, they are seen playing outside at the start of the level.

Enemies

 * Shy Guys
 * Spike Guys
 * Shield Guys
 * Goombas
 * Accordion Goombas
 * Koopa Paratroopas
 * Morton Koopa Jr. (boss)

Required Thing(s)

 * Fire Extinguisher (to stop Morton's Fire Hammer)