The Trial Course
- “Of the 6 doors... 2 open onto action courses! You can handle a lot of action, right? 2 others will lead to battle courses. You can fight, right?! The last 2 open onto puzzle courses. No sweat for a great puzzle solver like you, right?! Once you choose a course, there's no turning back! The only way to know what's behind a door is to walk through it! You must pass 4 of the 6 courses to move ahead.”
- —Narration, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The Trial Course[1] is a series of corridors located deep within Bowser's Keep in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its Nintendo Switch remake. It begins with a room of six numbered doors known as the Six-Door Chamber. Two of the doors lead to "action courses" where Mario must use his jumping ability to navigate obstacles and enemies (which do not lead to battle encounters) and collect items, two lead to "battle courses" with a series of consecutive fights against enemies summoned by Wizakoopa, and two lead to "puzzle courses" where the player is challenged by Dr. Topper. Each door's destination is randomized each playthrough. When a course is completed, the player is sent back to the Six-Door Chamber, where that course's door is then marked with an X. Each course has a reward at the end, and four must be completed to progress; once the fourth is completed, the paths leading back to the room with the doors and the castle before become inaccessible until Bowser's Keep is exited upon Exor's defeat.
Action courses[edit]
Mario gets 10 tries to get through a series of obstacle-filled rooms. If he makes 10 faults before the course is complete, he is sent back to the Six-Door Chamber. Every fault also causes a loss in coins.
Action course 1[edit]
Room 1[edit]
A series of rising-and-falling gray blocks between a stone overhang and a lava pit must be jumped across. A treasure box on top of the overhang contains a Croaka Cola.
Room 2[edit]
Mario must balance on an iron ball to jump to high places as two Bob-ombs loosely pursue him, exploding if they touch him off the ball. Eight large coins are in the air. Treasure boxes contain a Pick Me Up, a Max Mushroom, a Rock Candy, and two Flowers.
Room 3[edit]
Two gray blocks rotate around each other when stood upon, shown previously in Bandit's Way. This time, however, they are over an enormous lava pit. Treasure boxes contain a Royal Syrup, a Fire Bomb, a Pick Me Up, a Croaka Cola, and two Flowers.
The reward is the Sonic Cymbals.
Action course 2[edit]
Room 1[edit]
An invisible maze is suspended over lava. It becomes visible for an instant when jumped upon, which is demonstrated by three Terrapins that briskly move from the beginning to the end ahead of Mario. Four large coins are in the air over the maze. Treasure boxes contain a Fright Bomb, an Ice Bomb, a Royal Syrup, and a Rock Candy.
Room 2[edit]
Several gray blocks move back and forth laterally across a lava pit, stopping while Mario jumps. Treasure boxes contain a Max Mushroom, a Red Essence, a Fire Bomb, and a Flower.
Room 3[edit]
A Guerrilla imitates Donkey Kong, throwing barrels down an isometric room similar to 25m from Donkey Kong, though without slopes or ladders. Once Mario reaches the Guerrilla at the top, it flees down the side.
The reward is the Super Slap.
Battle courses[edit]
Wizakoopa spawns an enemy at each pair of statues, leading to an encounter against a group of standard enemies.
Battle course 1[edit]
Room 1[edit]
- Pro Goomba: 5 Pro Goombas
- Malakoopa: 2 Malakoopas, 1 Grand Troopa
- High Boo: 2 Boos, 2 Orbisons
- Sling Shy: 5 Sling Shies
Room 2[edit]
- Chewy: 2 Chewies, 2 Beezos
- Mr. Kipper: 1 Mr. Kipper, 2 Muckles
- Amanita: 2 Amanitas, 1 Orbison
- Glum Reaper: 2 Greapers, 1 Glum Reaper
Room 3[edit]
- Lava Babble: 3 Lava Babbles
- Lakitu: 3 Lakitus
- Zeostar: 2 Zeostars, 2 Shamans
- Shaman: 6 Shamans
The reward is the Star Gun (Drill Claw in the remake).
Battle course 2[edit]
Room 1[edit]
- Terra Cotta: 4 Terra Cottas
- Urspike: 2 Urspikes, 1 Star Cruster
- Sackit: 1 Sackit, 2 Big Blasters
- Chow: 2 Chows, 1 Forkie
Room 2[edit]
- Alley Rat: 1 Alley Rat, 2 Armored Ants
- Blooper: 3 Bloopers, 1 Star Cruster
- Stinger: 5 Stingers
- Geckit: 2 Geckits, 1 Chained Kong
Room 3[edit]
- Bob-omb: 1 Rob-omb, 2 Big Blasters
- Vomer: 4 Vomers
- Magmus: 2 Magmuses, 2 Pulsars
- Huhwhat family "item" icon: 1 Comeon (can spawn Bahamutts)
The reward is the Drill Claw (Star Gun in the remake).
Puzzle courses[edit]
Dr. Topper challenges Mario to solve his brainteasers. Failure puts Mario back in the Six-Door Chamber.
Puzzle course 1[edit]
Room 1[edit]
Mario and Dr. Topper take turns hitting a coin-filled treasure box up to four times in a row, trying to avoid collecting the 21st coin.
Room 2[edit]
Dr. Topper introduces Mario to a game called Magic Buttons. Mario needs to depress a 4×4 group of 16 buttons, each of which inverts the state of all cardinally surrounding buttons.
Room 3[edit]
Dr. Topper has Mario play Ball Solitaire. Mario must kick iron balls into bouncing over each other, like in checkers, to reduce a 4×4 grid of 15 balls to one. It is an automatic failure if a ball is made to leapfrog over two at once or it bounces over nothing.
The reward is a Rock Candy.
Puzzle course 2[edit]
Room 1[edit]
Dr. Topper gives Mario a trivia quiz consisting of 12 questions about the game, chosen randomly from a pool of 40. Mario has five seconds to answer each, with correct answers raising the block he stands on by one step, wrong answers lowering it by two, and timing out lowering it by one. The goal is eight steps high. All the questions and the possible answers to each are listed below. The correct answers are highlighted in green.
SNES version[edit]
| Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much...does a female beetle cost? | 1 coin | 50 coins | A frog coin |
| What does Belome really like to turn people into? | Scarecrow | Ice cream cones | Mushrooms |
| What is Raini's husband's name? | Raz | Romeo | Gaz |
| Johnny loves WHICH beverage?... | Currant juice | Grape juice | Boysenberry smoothie |
| What's the name of the boss at the Sunken Ship? | Johnny | Jimmy | Jackson |
| Booster is what generation? | 7th | 8th | 78th |
| Where was the 3rd Star Piece found? | Moleville | Forest Maze | Star Hill |
| In the Moleville blues, it's said that the moles are covered in what? | Soil | Dirt | Slugs |
| What color are the curtains in Mario's house? | Blue | Green | Red |
| Yaridovich is what? | A boss | A new breed of cattle | A special attack |
| The boy at the inn in Mushroom Kingdom was playing with...What? | Game Boy | Super NES | Virtual Boy |
| What did Carroboscis turn into? | A carrot | A beet | A radish |
| Who is the famous sculptor in Nimbus Land? | Garro | Gaz | Goya |
| What is Hinopio in charge of at the middle counter? | The inn | Weapons | Items |
| Who is the ultimate enemy in this adventure? | Smithy | Bowser | Goomba |
| Who is the leader of The Axem Rangers? | Red | Black | Green |
| What's the name of Jagger's "sensei"? | Dinky | Jinx | Johnny |
| How many underlings does Croco have? | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| What was Toadstool doing when she was kidnapped by Bowser? | She was playing cards | She was looking at flowers | She was digging for worms |
| Who is the famous composer at Tadpole Pond? | Toadoskfy | Toadofsky | Frogfucius |
| Which monster does not appear in Booster Tower? | Jester | Terrapin | Bob-omb |
| The boy getting his picture taken at Marrymore can't wait 'til which season? | Hunting | Skiing | Baseball |
| What technique does Bowser learn at Level 15? | Bowser Crush | Crusher | Terrorize |
| What words does Shy Away use when he sings? | Dum dee dah~ | La dee dah~ | Dum lee lah~ |
| What does Birdo come out of? | A barrel | An eggshell | A basket |
| What's the first monster you see in the Pipe Vault? | Goomba | Sparky | Chompweed |
| What's the password in the Sunken Ship? | Corals | Pearls | Oyster |
| What was Mallow asked to get for Frogfucius? | Honey Syrup | Cricket Pie | Carbo Cookie |
| Mite is Dyna's...WHAT? | Big sister | Little brother | Second cousin |
| What does the Red Essence do? | Makes you sleepy | Gives you strength | Relieves back pain |
| How long have the couple inside the chapel been waiting for their wedding? | 1 hour | 30 minutes | 45 minutes |
| What do Culex, Jinx, and Goomba have in common? | They are immortal | They live in Monstro Town | They all like bratwurst |
| What is the 4th selection on the Menu screen? | Important Items | Special Items | Equip |
| The man getting his picture taken at Marrymore hates what? | Getting married | Mowing the lawn on Sundays | Getting his picture taken |
| Where was the 1st Star Piece found? | Bowser's Keep | Mario's Pad | Mushroom Kingdom |
| How many legs does Wiggler have? | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| What's the full name of the boss at the Sunken Ship? | Johnny Jones | Jesse James Jones | Jonathan Jones |
| Who helped you up the cliff at Land's End? | Sky Troops | Flying Troopa | Sky Troopas |
| What color is the end of Dodo's beak? | Yellow | Orange | Red |
| What's the chef's name at Marrymore? | Blintz | Gateau | Torte |
Nintendo Switch version[edit]
| Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much...does a female beetle sell for? | One coin | Fifty coins | A Frog Coin |
| What does Belome really like to turn people into? | Scarecrows | Ice-cream cones | Mushrooms |
| What is Raini's husband's name? | Raz | Romeo | Gaz |
| Johnny loves which beverage? | Currant juice | Grape juice | Boysenberry smoothie |
| What's the name of the boss at the Sunken Ship? | Johnny | Jimmy | Jackson |
| Booster is what generation? | 7th | 8th | 48th |
| Where was the third Star Piece found? | Moleville | Forest Maze | Star Hill |
| In the Moleville Blues, it's said that the moles are covered in what? | Soil | Dirt | Slugs |
| Speardovich is what? | A boss | A new breed of cattle | A special move |
| What did Carroboscis used to be? | A carrot | A beet | A radish |
| Who is the famous sculptor in Nimbus Land? | Garro | Gaz | Goya |
| What is Cinder Toad in charge of at the middle counter? | The inn | Armor | Items |
| Who is the ultimate enemy in this adventure? | Smithy | Bowser | Goomba |
| Who is the leader of the Axem Rangers? | Red | Black | Green |
| Which enemy is only found in the Sunken Ship? | Reacher | Crusty | Mr. Kipper |
| Mario, Mallow, and Peach's triple move is called what? | Healing Rainbow | Healthy Rainbow | Stache, Princess, and Rainboy, GO! |
| What's the name of Jagger's "sensei"? | Dinky | Jinx | Johnny |
| How many underlings does Croco have? | Two | Three | Four |
| What was Peach doing when she was kidnapped by Bowser? | She was playing cards | She was looking at flowers | She was digging for worms |
| Who is the famous composer at Tadpole Pond? | Toadoskfy | Toadofsky | The Frog Sage |
| Which monster does not appear in Booster Tower? | Jester | Terrapin | Bob-omb |
| The boy getting his picture taken at Marrymore can't wait till which season? | Hunting | Skiing | Baseball |
| What technique does Bowser learn at level 15? | Mechakoopa Stomp | Crusher | Terrorize |
| What words do Beezos use when they sing? | ♪Dum dee dah♪ | ♪La dee dah♪ | ♪Dum lee lah♪ |
| What does Birdo come out of? | A barrel | An eggshell | A basket |
| What's the first monster you see in the Pipe Vault? | Goomba | Lava Bubble | Chompweed |
| What's the password in the Sunken Ship? | Corals | Pearls | Oyster |
| What was Mallow asked to get for the Frog Sage? | Honey Syrup | Cricket Pie | Carbo Cookie |
| Mite is Dyna's...what? | Big sister | Little brother | First cousin |
| What does the Red Essence do? | Makes you sleepy | Gives you strength | Relieves back pain |
| How long have the couple inside the chapel been waiting for their wedding? | An hour | Thirty minutes | Forty-five minutes |
| What do Culex, Jinx, and Goomhilde have in common? | They are immortal | They live in Monstro Town | They all like bratwurst |
| What is the fourth option on the Menu screen? | Journal | Special | Items |
| The man getting his picture taken at Marrymore hates what? | Getting married | Mowing the lawn on Sundays | Getting his picture taken |
| Where was the first Star Piece found? | Bowser's Keep | Mario's Pad | The Mushroom Kingdom |
| How many legs does Wiggler have? | Ten | Eight | Six |
| What's the full name of the boss at the Sunken Ship? | Johnny Jones | Jesse James Jones | Jonathan Jones |
| Who helped you up the cliff at Land's End? | Sky Troopas | Flying Troopas | Paratroopas |
| What color is the end of Dodo's beak? | Yellow | Orange | Red |
| What's the chef's name at Marrymore? | Blintz | Gateau | Torte |
Room 2[edit]
Dr. Topper shows a small pile of barrels for 10 seconds and has Mario count them, including the ones hidden by the camera angle, before Dr. Topper hides them again and has him give an answer. If Mario is correct, he moves on to a much larger pile, which Dr. Topper gives him 20 seconds to count. Both numbers of barrels vary each play.
Room 3[edit]
Dr. Topper introduces Boo, Goo, Bones, and Kipp, who took part in a triathlon of swimming, cycling, and a marathon. He has Mario interview each to determine what order they finished in. Once Mario has an answer, Dr. Topper has him speak to them again in the order they came in. The one in first place says they outrode another during cycling and were never passed by them, the one in second says they fell into fourth during cycling but had a shared higher position in the other events, the one in third says they got the same position in swimming and cycling but were beaten by two in the marathon, and the one in fourth says they placed third in swimming.
The reward is a Rock Candy.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパ Kuppa Meikyū |
Bowser's Maze; rendered "The Trial Course" in the Shogakukan guide.[1] |
- Six-Door Chamber
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパ Kuppa-jō muttsu no tobira no ma ６つの muttsu no tobira no ma |
Bowser's Keep — 6-Door Room 6-Door Room |
| Chinese (simplified) | 酷霸城堡 6道门的房间 Kùbà chéngbǎo 6 dàomén de fángjiān 6道门的房间 6 dàomén de fángjiān |
Bowser's Keep — 6-Door Room 6-Door Room |
| Chinese (traditional) | 庫巴城堡 6道門的房間 Kùbā chéngbǎo 6 dàomén de fángjiān 6道門的房間 6 dàomén de fángjiān |
Bowser's Keep — 6-Door Room 6-Door Room |
| Dutch | Zaal der Zes Deuren |
Hall of the Six Doors |
| French (NOA) | Salle aux six portes |
6-Door Room |
| French (NOE) | Salle aux six portes |
6-Door Room |
| German | Sechstürensaal |
Six-door hall |
| Italian | Sala delle sei porte |
Room of the six doors |
| Korean | 쿠파 성 6개의 문이 있는 방 Kupa Seong 6gaeui mun-i issneun bang 6개의 문이 6gaeui mun-i |
Bowser's Keep — 6-Door Room 6 doors |
| Spanish (NOA) | sala de las 6 puertas |
6-Door room |
| Spanish (NOE) | Sala de las 6 puertas |
6-Door Room |
Trivia[edit]
- In Dr. Topper's trivia quiz, two direct references to the Final Fantasy series are made in the Japanese version. When Dr. Topper asks which monster appears first in the Pipe Vault, one of the possible answers is "Exdeath," the villain of Final Fantasy V, and when he asks who the ultimate enemy of the adventure is, a possible answer is "Kefka," the villain of Final Fantasy VI. In the English translation, these choices were replaced with "Chompweed" and "Goomba," respectively. In the remake, every new translation is closer to the English version here to seemingly avoid these Final Fantasy references, with the exception of the Korean version retaining the reference to Exdeath (the other answer is instead the Frog Sage).
- The same ultimate enemy question also has Luigi as a possible answer in the Japanese version, which is instead Bowser in the English version. The remake's Eastern-language translations (Chinese and Korean) use Luigi, whereas the Western-language translations (Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch) use Bowser.
