Merlee's Mansion

Merlee's Mansion is the home of Merlee in Super Paper Mario. It is the setting of Chapters 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4. Merlee's Mansion is a large manor that lies in the perpetually twilit Gloam Valley. During Chapter 2, Merlee's Mansion was taken over by Mimi, one of Count Bleck's minions. The main part of the mansion has no enemies, though the traps and basement are full of them.

Chapter 2-2: Tricks, Treats, Traps
Storyline text On the far-side of a beast-ridden swamp, Mario and Co. found an imposing residence.

''"This must be Merlee's Mansion!" squealed Princess Peach with glee.''

If our friends could only find the Pure Heart quickly, their quest here would end.

But when has fate ever set Mario on such a simple path?

Brimming with anticipation, our plucky heroes plunged into Merlee's Mansion...

In the twilit Gloam Valley, Mario and Peach discover Merlee's Mansion. Outside, Mario can find a Coin Block behind the bushes by Flipping, as well as a sign in front of the mansion reading: "Believers, open the door! Non-Believers open it NOW! --Mysterious Magical Merlee" On the right of the mansion is a hard block on the ground. Above it is an Invisible Block that reveals a ladder up to a platform. Using Peach's parasol, the player can float to the mansion's roof to find a chest containing a Stop Watch. From there, they can jump to the balcony to get a Cursya Card.

The mansion's entryway is protected by two Gnips, who will throw Mario and Peach out of the house if they catch them. Beyond them is Merlee's crystal ball and some curtains. Mario's flip reveals a door behind the curtains. In the next room, there is a Save Block and Mimi, as well as two groups of doors, three on the bottom floor and three on the top floor. The door on the far right bottom is locked. Gnaw, a giant Gnip, is chained to this door. Mimi tells Mario that Merlee is on the top far right door and warns him not to go into any other rooms. The other rooms are filled with traps that get Mario nowhere. The far right room is empty except for a button on the far right of it. The button activates bars on the windows and causes the spiky ceiling to descend. Using Mario's flip, the player must ride the ceiling up like an elevator.

The area the elevator leads to has a ? Block on the right and a platform leading up to another level on the left. The top level has alternating walls of Brick Blocks and hard blocks. Boomer can destroy the bricks, but Mario's flip must be used to get past the hard blocks. At the far right is a chest with the key to the locked door in the main room. Unlocking the door also frees Gnaw, who goes after Mimi, much to the surprise and confusion of Mario and Co. They enter the door and continue into the mansion.

Enemies

 * Boo
 * Gnaw (Growl in PAL versions) (not actually fought; will throw the player out of the mansion)
 * Gnip (Howl in PAL versions) (not actually fought; will throw the player out of the mansion)
 * Shlurp
 * Swooper
 * Megabite (front yard)

Menu description

 * "A mysterious fog hangs about Merlee's sprawling mansion. But where's Merlee? The only one here is Mimi. Oh, and some guard dogs that throw you out of the mansion."

Chapter 2-3: Breaking the Bank
Storyline text Mario and friends kept up their search, delving ever deeper into the mansion.

Wherever they looked, though, they found no sign of Merlee.

Where was this mysterious woman?

''"Ah, maybe...this way..." So said Tippi, trying to sense the Pure Heart's location...''

With dread dangling like a broken chandelier, our heroes hurried through corridors...

As Mario and Peach delve deeper into Merlee's Mansion, they come upon a ? Block with a vase on it. They hit the block, but the vase falls off and breaks. Mimi rushes in and forces Mario and Peach to pay her 1,000,000 Rubees as a consequence for breaking the vase. Unable to pay they are forced to work off their debt. They also discover some other men who fell for the same trick and are now Mimi's prisoners. There is a normal generator room where workers should hit blocks repeatedly to earn Rubees, and another VIP room where workers can run in wheels to make volts to earn Rubees faster. The password to the VIP room is 5963. This password can be traded from a worker for 100 Rubees. Mario and Peach soon learn of a secret Rubee vault hidden away in the attic. With the help of a newly-acquired Pixl, Slim, Mario and Peach reach the vault which has 1,000,000 Rubees. These Rubees are held in a safe with the password 41262816. This password is heard from Mimi sleeptalking by a worker and can be traded for 10,000 Rubees. Eventually Mario/Peach pays off their debt to a shocked Mimi, who explodes out of anger. Mario and Peach now advance further into the mansion by entering Merlee's Basement, hoping to find Merlee.

Much later on in the game Mario and Luigi chase Dimentio through this area to where the safe is located.

Menu description

 * "What's going on in this mansion? Are these captives?" (before meeting Slim)
 * "Mimi ran a sweatshop in the back of the mansion. Looking back, the hard labor wasn't all that bad. Maybe that's because this is where you met Slim." (after meeting Slim)

Names in other languages

 * Tricks, Treats, Traps


 * Breaking the Bank

Trivia

 * Merlee's Mansion is in appearance quite similar to the many incarnations of Boo's Mansion, not to mention Luigi's Mansion.
 * The music of Merlee's Mansion has several interludes full of altered versions of Mimi's theme, however the theme of Merlee herself is never heard throughout the entirety of Chapter 2.
 * In 2-3, it is possible to pay off all 1,000,000 Rubees without the vault, but the player still cannot advance to 2-4 without Slim.
 * The password 5963 can be read as 「ご苦労 さま」 in Japanese, which means "You've been working very hard". Similarly, 41262816 can be read as「良 い風呂 に入 る」, which means "Take a good bath".
 * The vase Mario and Peach break is themed mostly around Shy Guys, as around the base, three Shy Guys hold up the upper part which is adorned with a Shy Guy's mask.

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