Yold Ruins

The Yold Ruins are the setting of Chapter 1-4 in Super Paper Mario. They are the ruins of a fortress found in Yold Desert.

Chapter 1-4: Monster of the Ruins
Storyline text Somehow, Mario had found the strength to cross the desert's sweltering dunes.

Ahead was a sprawling complex of ruins rising out of the sand.

Thankful for the shade, Mario and Tippi ventured deeper inside.

They were the very ruins Old Man Watchitt had warned them about.

What dangers lurked in the shady corridors ahead? Mario reaches the ruins after his trek through the Yold Desert. Tippi says that she senses the Pure Heart close ahead, but also senses something else and warns Mario to be careful.

The first room is a small staircase going down, with a door and a Squiglet at the bottom. The next room is a hallway, that has a Buzzy Beetle and a Quicksand pit as the first obstacles. Afterwards, a Buzzy Beetle on the ceiling and one on the ground come next. There is a platform with a Fire Bar and a ? Block containing a Mushroom. Above this platform are two Hard Blocks, which Mario can use to get to two hidden areas around the room. Two Buzzy Beetles (one 2D and one 3D) and a Squiglet appear on the left secret room. On the right one there is one Squig and a small pit room with a Ladder. Down here, the player can collect a Life Shroom from a treasure chest. The following room has three big Fire Bars and a locked door between two small Fire Bars. To the far left of the room is a door in midair. Flipping reveals a Squiglet and two Flip blocks underneath it. When Mario hits them, they flip to 2D, allowing him to enter the door. It leads to a small room with two Spiky Tromps and a ladder leading to platform and the key to the locked door. Beyond that door is a room with a large pit of quicksand. There is a Save Block in this room. Above the pit is a platform of blocks, traversed by a Squiglet. Above that platform is a group of blocks in a square shape. Continuing on past here, Mario will find two Spiky Tromps, a Squig and two doors, one on top of the other, and the bottom door is locked. The room behind the unlocked door has a switch on the ceiling and pipe dropping Squiglets. Mario must throw the Squiglets at the switch with Thoreau. Upon leaving the room, he will find that the blocks mentioned before have rearranged, opening up to reveal a key that can be collected with Thoreau.

The next room is small, with a door in midair. Tippi's ability reveals a platform underneath it. The next room has three Fire Bars and two Buzzy Beetles, as well as another locked door. A key can be found surrounded by blocks, but if Mario flips, he finds that the key is actually behind the cage of blocks up a tiny staircase. He can flip in this room to find a hidden path to a small room with two 3D Buzzy Beetles and a Buzzy Beetle Catch Card. In the next room, Mario starts at the bottom of a large pit. There is a floating door at the top of the pit. There is a trampoline to the left that Mario can use to spring to an alcove at the top of the pit. Flipping reveals a ladder to another area. Mario will find a small blue switch. When hit, the blue switch reveals a large red switch, while also causing many Spiky Tromps to pour out of the wall. Mario must press the big switch to open up the floor, dropping the Spiny Tromps into the pit and crushing them. Mario can then walk on the crushed Tromps and enter the door. The next room has four red switches. Flipping reveals numbers 1-4 on the sides of them. Hitting the blocks in order causes a staircase to appear. At the top is a pipe, a Save Block, and a ? Block containing a Super Shroom.

The pipe leads up to the desert. A large robot guardian called Fracktail rises up from the sand and scans Mario, identifying him as the hero of the prophecy. He is about to let Mario pass, but Dimentio appears and shoots Fracktail's antenna, causing him to go haywire. Mario is forced to fight Fracktail. By attacking his antenna, Mario destroys the robot. A door appears, leading into one last room. There, Mario finds Merlumina, the ghost of one of the Ancients. She tells Mario a story that starts out as the origin of the Pure Hearts, but soon turns into a rambling tale about Merlumina's life as a young adult, during which Mario falls asleep. After the story, Merlumina entrusts Mario with the second Pure Heart.

Storyline text Before disappearing, Merlumina had entrusted Mario to save every world.

She had waited 1,500 years to deliver the message to the legendary hero.

With the second Pure Heart in hand, Mario was in great spirits.

But six Pure Hearts still remained to be found, and the journey had just begun.

With a flutter, Tippi said, "I think we'd better return to Flipside..."

The weight of every world's fate once again rested on Mario's shoulders...

Menu description

 * "The Yold Ruins were trapped to protect the Pure Heart. A dragon named Fracktail defended the Pure Heart. Beyond him lay the resting place of Merlumina."

Names in other languages

 * Monster of the Ruins

Trivia

 * Its name comes from the archaic phrase "ye old".
 * The walls of Yold Ruins feature a faded, barely-perceptible painting of Fracktail, whose body follows the path that the player should take to reach Fracktail's abode.