Dry Dry Ruins (Paper Mario)

Dry Dry Ruins is a place of ancient ruins in Dry Dry Desert. It is the catacombs of Tutankoopa's crypt, and the native home of Chomps, including Stone Chomps. It is lined by many pillars adorned with Chomp Statues, and holds the sarcophagi of many Pokey Mummies. According to a Dryite in Dry Dry Outpost, Dry Dry Ruins is apparently the remnants of King Mousta's destroyed kingdom.

During the events of Paper Mario, the Star Spirit Mamar is imprisoned here by Tutankoopa. Mario and his partners must seek Moustafa's help to find the ruins in the desert, and defeat Tutankoopa in order to rescue Mamar. The archaeologist Kolorado also explores the ruins.

Dry Dry Ruins contains many puzzles Mario and his partners must solve in order to proceed further. The Super Hammer is found in the ruins, as well as several other collectible items.

History
Dry Dry Ruins is first mentioned when Princess Peach and Twink read Bowser's Diary at the end of Chapter 1. The diary states that it is where a Star Spirit is being held, and it can be found in Dry Dry Desert after solving a mystery. Upon reading this, Princess Peach asks Twink to find Mario and tell him the information, which Mario receives when he comes back to Toad Town after clearing Chapter 1.

Mario and his partners encounter Dry Dry Desert in Chapter 2. There, they find that Kolorado is also exploring the desert in order to find Dry Dry Ruins. His assistants explain that they have tried to gather information from the outpost to the east, but without success. After Mario goes there and solves the riddle, he is allowed to see the local leader, Moustafa, who explains that his ancestors have watched the ruins over generations to keep the evil folks out of it. Since he trusts Mario, he gives Mario the Pulse Stone, which will guide Mario to the ruins. After Mario places the Pulse Stone in a stone pedestal in Dry Dry Desert, Dry Dry Ruins rises out of the sand before him.

As Mario and his partners progress through Dry Dry Ruins, they will hear Tutankoopa's voice warning them to run away. They have to collect Ruins Keys on their way in order to unlock several doors. When they reach a room with rotatable stairways, Tutankoopa seems frightened, but continues frightening them. After they solve the puzzle with the stairways, they find the Super Hammer, which allows them to smash Stone Blocks to collect the Pyramid, Diamond, and Lunar Stone. There are pedestals in a corridor down the ruins. After Mario places the stones in the pedestals in the right order, stairs descend, opening the room to Tutankoopa's room. By defeating Tutankoopa, Mario and his partners save the second Star Spirit in the game, Mamar. This marks the end of Chapter 2 of the game.

If Mario visits Moustafa after Chapter 2, Moustafa will inquire Mario about Dry Dry Ruins. He is first shocked at the revelation that Bowser's minions have once been in the ruins, and then grateful for Mario for having gotten rid of them. Later in the game, he writes to Mario, saying that it comforts him to know that Bowser's creatures no longer loot in the ruins, though it is a shame that some relics are missing. He also mentions a suspicious Koopa, which probably refers to Kolorado. Kolorado also sends Mario a letter, saying that he has just finished his exhausting research of the ruins, but has not found any treasure as valuable as he has hoped. However, there is an Artifact in the ruins that meets his satisfaction. If Mario brings it to him, he will give Mario a Star Piece as thanks.

At the beginning of Chapter 3, Toad Town News reports that the ancient ruins have been discovered by Kolorado, and Mario may have played a key role. Later in the game, there is also a piece of advertisement for the "Exploration Tour of Dry Dry Ruins" offered by Toad Town Tours. In one of the Trading Events that can be heard from the radio in Koopa Village, the Toad sponsor will appear in front of Dry Dry Ruins, waiting for participants to bring him a Nutty Cake.

Areas
Dry Dry Ruins is located in the third area from left to right, or the fifth area from right to left, on the north side of Dry Dry Desert. After the Pulse Stone is placed on the stone pedestal at the center of the area, it rises out of the sands along with a Heart Block to the left of it. Dry Dry Ruins looks like a temple, with stairs in the front of it leading to the inside.

In the second room from the entrance, there are three sarcophagi of Pokey Mummies. The second contains a Spike Shield badge.

Going all the way right leads Mario to a hub room, with a Ruins Key to the upper-right and the Pyramid Stone to the lower-right, the latter of which requires the Super Hammer to get. To proceed further, Mario needs to use the Ruins Key on the lowest door on the left side.

The next room is a long one, containing the Artifact. Defeating all the enemies in the room opens the door to the left.

To the left is a new hub room, with the Super Hammer room to the upper-left. Mario needs to solve the stairway puzzle to get the Super Hammer. He can also fall on the ledge to find the Slow Go badge.

The two-floor hub room also has two doors on the first floor. They both lead to an even lower area, with the Diamond Stone room in the left and the Lunar Stone room in the right. There is also a Super Block and a trampoline to get back. After getting all the three stones (all of which involve breaking a Stone Block and battling two Stone Chomps), Mario needs to place them in a corridor with Chomp statues. This unlocks the stairs to Tutankoopa's room, with a Heart Block and a Save Block on the way.

Enemies found

 * For enemy formations in Dry Dry Ruins, see here.

Items found
In addition to the ones listed below, enemies found in this area can also drop items.

Area Tattles

 * ''It's Dry Dry Ruins. Weren't you totally blown away when it rose out of the sand? That was awesome! I wish we could make it happen again!
 * ''That's the entrance to Dry Dry Ruins. It's called the illusion ruin. Nobody could find this place for ages. But we did!
 * ''Legend has it that there are many traps and puzzles in these ruins. When this was a great palace, the keepers set all the traps up to keep looters from stealing their treasures.
 * ''Compared to the desert, it's cool in here.
 * ''There's a great view of the desert from the upstairs floor. The farther down we go, the cooler it'll get. It'll get darker, too, though. Should we go down there?
 * ''It's a bit sandy, huh? Well, when you're buried in the desert, you pick up some sand.
 * ''Now that I've helped you find Dry Dry Ruins, will I become famous, too? You don't care. You're already a household name. Hmmph. Hey, a picture of some Chomps. Maybe there are Chomps guarding these ruins.
 * ''It's amazing that these ruins still have moving parts. Haven't they been buried here for ages and ages? And yet, when we push switches, stuff moves... Amazing craftsmanship. You've gotta applaud the designers.
 * ''My mouth is so dry... I feel like I ate dust. I feel like my skin is cracking off and my eyes are turning into sandpaper. D'you have any moisturizer?
 * ''Look at these stairways! How do they make 'em revolve? Whoever built this place must have been brilliant.
 * ''Look at the Chomp statues! Even though I know they're just statues, they still scare me. This seems to be the very center of the ruins. In case I haven't mentioned it before, the architects of this place were geniuses. Moustafa's ancestors must have been amazing people.
 * ''I'm pretty beat. Phew... Well, heroes don't take rests, I guess.
 * ''It's pretty dark around here. We'd better be careful not to get lost or ambushed.
 * ''I'm sure that ruins like these are full of hidden rooms. We should keep our eyes open for anything suspicious.
 * ''I knew this place would have lots of hidden areas. Ancient palaces always do! It's like a law of ancient architecture, I think. And by the way, there's always supposed to be treasure, too. I wouldn't mind finding something nice...
 * ''I feel hungry for some reason. Did you hear that? My belly is making sounds like a Chomp! Boy, a cold drink and a hot sandwich would taste good.
 * ''We'd better get ready for a fight!
 * ''It's Tutankoopa's old lair. That guy wasn't so tough. You're much tougher, Mario. I can't believe Tutankoopa was the master here. This kingdom was originally built by Nomadimice, many generations ago. I'll tell you, Tutankoopa didn't look much like a Nomadimouse.

Trivia

 * Dry Dry Ruins is given a very brief reference in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where Lumpy writes in his journal that the area on which he digs for oil is somewhere between Dry Dry Ruins and Dry Dry Desert's oasis. It is unknown if the Ratooey has ever actually visited the ruins on his quest for oil.
 * The concept of Mario being constantly warned by a ghost wail while exploring Dry Dry Ruins is similar to that of Pirate's Grotto in the sequel Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
 * Because of its design and various puzzles and traps throughout, Dry Dry Ruins greatly resembles a Legend of Zelda temple.