Trial of Power

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“Hooray! I knew you were super strong, Mario!”

—Olivia, Paper Mario: The Origami King

The Trial of Power is a location in Paper Mario: The Origami King, one of three trials held on Diamond Island. It is held in a red temple, putting Mario through three levels of increasing difficulty testing his strength. Notably, this temple cannot be revisited after it is cleared and exited.

History

The Trial of Power is one of three trials held on Diamond Island, corresponding with the Trial of Wisdom and the Trial of Courage. Each must be cleared in order to receive an orb allowing Mario to access the Sea Tower. Unlike the two other temples, this one can be entered before clearing Ice Vellumental Mountain, as it does not require the Ice Vellumental to access. Mario simply needs to use the Magic Circle in front of the temple to turn Olivia into the Earth Vellumental, quickly eroding the large pile of dirt holding up the temple.

Mario is then able to enter and speak with the Toad statue in the room. It welcomes Mario into the temple, informing him of three challenges he must pass to receive a sacred orb. A small circle of light appears in the center of the room, which warps Mario to the following room when he stands in it.

After clearing all three challenges, Mario is rewarded a song and dance routine and access to the final area, where he receives the Power Orb. He is then able to return to the first area and exit the temple, at which point it cannot be re-entered.

If the player is having difficulty clearing the trial (failing at least two times), they are able to pay the Toad statue in the starting area 3,000 coins for easier setups.

Layout

First Challenge

For the first challenge, Mario is tasked with destroying every Brick Block that appears in the room in the allotted time by means of jumping. Mario has one minute to clear all three rounds. The first round features blocks lined up in the front and back of the room. The second round holds blocks in the center, with a big Brick Block on each end. Regular Brick Blocks require one strike to break, while these bigger Brick Blocks require three. In the third and final round, a massive Brick Block appears floating in the center of the room. Mario must jump into it six times to destroy it, clearing the first challenge.

Second Challenge

For the second challenge, Mario is again tasked with destroying every Brick Block that appears in the time limit, this time by using his hammer. However, rather than being able to simply swing it as he would in the overworld, Mario must time his swings to get a good hit, similar to using the hammer in battle. If he gets an excellent hit, a small blast radius appears, damaging any nearby blocks a bit. In the first round, twelve regular Brick Blocks appear. In the second round, one Brick Block appears between two larger, tougher Brick Blocks. In the third round, a massive Brick Block appears in the center, requiring several hits to destory.

Third Challenge

For the third challenge, there are no blocks. Mario is asked to get onto a giant nail in the center of the room for further instruction. He is then told to use a mix of jumps and hammer attacks to pound in the nail as quickly as possible - in under one minute. After this challenge is cleared, Mario is awarded a small celebration.