Toad's Adventure -- Storyline Overview
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WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! WARNING!

This document contains a high-level overview of the entirety of the plot for 
Toad's Adventure: The Return of Wart. If you want there to be ANY suprises in
the entire game, I suggest you not read this.

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--- Phase 0 -- Game Start ----------------------------------------------------

The set-up battle sequence with members of the Bullet Bill family of enemies
takes Toad to the Chancellor's house. His discussion there provides the 
impetus that launches the game. Toad is sent by the Chancellor to head for the
Koopahari Desert to find the Mushroom Temple which was discovered earlier by
Malek. The Chancellor hopes that once there, the Temple will choose Toad and
show him how to prevent Bowser from entering into it.

Primary Goals:
* Survive siege of Mushroom Capitol.
* Defeat Banzai Bill and reach the Chancellor's house.


--- Phase 1 -- In the Mushroom Kingdom ---------------------------------------

Phase 1 begins the next morning after Toad's meeting with the Chancellor.

The window in Toad's house, which was broken by a Bullet Bill, has been
unexplainedly patched over with boards at this point.

Reachable locations during Phase 1 include:
* Mushroom Capitol (the city from Mario RPG; where this game starts)
* Toad Town (the city from Paper Mario; Peach's personal castle is there)
* Star Summit (the mystic portal to Star Way and Star Haven from Paper Mario;
  nothing can be accomplished here until MUCH later)
* Goombario's House (one of Mario's friends in Paper Mario, his family offers
  you some assistance whenever you drop by)
  
King Goomba is once again up to no good, and has lead some of his loyal 
Goombas into the area around Goombario's house and is holding the family 
hostage. Toad must defeat King Goomba and his minions in order to free them.
Red and Blue Goomba, who were once King Goomba's thugs, make an appearance 
and help to defeat him.

Once Goombario's family has been liberated and the bad Goombas have left, both
Goombario and Goombaria join to form the initial party of three. Goombario and
Goombaria are not that powerful on their own, but when they are used together,
they will be able to perform special sibling team attacks with decent power.

Primary Goals:
* Acquire two party members, Goombario and Goombaria.
* Defeat King Goomba to move on to Phase 2.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

Special notes:
* Returning to speak to the Chancellor will reveal new plot elements or give
  hints on some occasions. (The Chancellor moves to Toad Town during Phase
  3, however).
* The library at the Mushroom Capitol has some interesting literature that
  tells a bit about the legend of the Mushroom Temple.
* A jukebox in a local business in the Mushroom Capitol is broken. A Toad in
  that business will ask you not to turn it on because it only plays the same
  song over and over. If you turn it on anyways, it will start playing the
  normal level music from Mario 3 endlessly, and the Toad will then only say
  "..." to you for a while.

--- Phase 2 -- The Wilderness ------------------------------------------------

In this phase, Toad moves into the rugged wilderness areas just outside of the
civilized Mushroom Kingdom. This area is somewhat to the north, and just west
of the line being held by Bowser's forces, and extends west all the way to the
coastline (but not including Jewelry Land, which is on the coast itself --
what will stop you from getting there now is TBA).

Once Toad reaches the foot of the Subcon Range's mountains and gets ready to
make for the pass, he encounters Mouser, who instantly recognizes Toad as one
of his master's archenemies. Toad is, of course, very surprised to find Mouser
in the "real" world. Wasn't he just a nightmare in the Dream World? Never the
less, his bombs taste pretty real when he starts chucking them at you.

Mouser (1st battle) is the main boss of Phase 2. Once he is defeated, he moves
to escape, but not before telling you the story of his master Wart's escape
from the Realm of Nightmares, complete with cinematic interlude. Toad learns
that the Subcon pass is now blocked by Wart's newly arrived army. Mouser warns
Toad that Wart is on the look out for "the four that made him eat vegetables,"
and that the next time they meet will be their last.

Toad decides to return to the Mushroom Capitol immediately to bring word of
Wart's presence and to see if the Chancellor has any alternate plans for a
trip to Koopahari.

Primary Goals:
* Acquire one new party member (TBA).
* Defeat Mouser to move on to Phase 3.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 3 -- A Princess in Need --------------------------------------------

Toad reaches the Mushroom Capitol to find everyone in a panic. The Chancellor
is gone, and no one seems to know exactly where, because they're too busy
worrying about what will happen to Princess Toadstool. Toad finds out that a
phalanx of Bob-omb soldiers broke off from the Koopa frontlines, lead by the
Bob-omb King himself (Note that the coming of the Bob-omb King was 
foreshadowed by the Chancellor's words at the beginning of the game when he 
said no one could break into the Princess's castle with anything short of the
Bob-omb King ;)

Toad must go to Toad Town as soon as possible to see what is afoot. When he
arrives there, he finds the town occupied solidly by the Bob-ombs. Everyone
is locked up in their shops and houses, afraid to come out. The Princess's
castle has fallen into the Bob-omb King's hands, and his plan is to keep her
safe until Bowser himself can come (he hopes to get a fine reward for his
efforts, but Toad will see to it that all he gets is a good stomp to the
fuse). Toad will find the Chancellor amongst those hiding out in this town.

Toad must infiltrate the Princess's castle and try to defeat the Bob-omb King,
who is the main boss of this phase.

The plot may briefly split into two different forks at this point, depending
upon choices made by the player.

The player will see a cut scene where the Princess is considering what she
should do (not unlike that in Paper Mario, but with a vastly different
outcome...). If the player chooses to stay put because "battle isn't fit for
a dainty princess," then it is solely up to Toad to finish this entire
phase by himself. However, if the player has the Princess choose to fight
it out the best she can, they will play a short sequence where the Princess
sneaks out of her room, obtains a Frying Pan (was her best weapon in Mario
RPG, but is just a basic one here...), and some other equipment from around
the castle, and gets into a few battles.

Whether or not the Princess is used to fight those optional battles, Toad
must fight his way in to the Bob-omb King and defeat him. However, if the
player chose to fight with the Princess, then she meets up with you just
before the Bob-omb King battle and joins your party, permanently.

If you did not select to use her to fight, you will not get another chance to
obtain the Princess in your party until MUCH later in the game (and her
valuable healing spells make this a mistake to regret).

Primary Goals:
* Get to Toad Town from Mushroom Capitol (may be a minor battle required).
* Find the Chancellor in Toad Town and learn what exactly has happened.
* Infiltrate the Princess's castle and defeat the Bob-omb King.

Secondary Goals:
* Use the Princess to help out Toad and earn her as a party member early in
  the game.
  
--- Phase 4 -- Double Your Trouble -------------------------------------------

Part 1: Alternate Party Sequence #1

The game shifts into the first of three alternate party sequences where the
player gets a chance to control Mario and Luigi, and is updated on action on
the front lines of the war.

Mario and Luigi quickly learn, after encountering various members of Wart's
army in battle, that Wart has come to the real world to seek his revenge on
them, and that he has joined his own large army with Bowser's. The fledgling
Mushroom Alliance, which already lost Toad Town and is struggling fiercely to
hold its ground, cannot stand against this now massive force.

The "Toadish Leader" who appeared in the introductory sequence appears again
to talk with Mario and Luigi about the ongoing battle strategy. Just in the
nick of time, Prince Mallow of Nimbus Land pledges his support for the 
Mushroom Alliance, and sends a huge regiment of cloud warriors to reinforce
the front lines. He sends personal greetings to Mario and Luigi, of course.

Mario and Luigi form a 3-member party with one of these cloud warriors (name
is TBA), and this trio will remain a group throughout all the alternate party
sequences.

After defeating the main boss of the alternate sequence, a high-level Dark
Subcon, Mario will send a messenger to take the ill news of Wart and Bowser's
alliance to the Princess.

Part 2: Main Plot

Mario's messenger arrives while Toad's party (with or without the Princess) is
contemplating how they can reach the Koopahari Desert with all the passes over
the Subcon Range effectively blocked.

The new urgency of the situation prompts the Chancellor to hatch a new plan
for reaching Koopahari by sea, so Toad's party departs for the capitol city
of Jewelry Land, where they believe the port is safe. Once reaching the city,
a minor battle ensues to free the port from the control of some revolting
Goombas. Once they succeed, they board a Mushroom Frigate and set sail for
Dry, Dry Desert, which is far enough east of the front lines that they
believe they will be safe to go ashore in that area.

However, shortly after sailing near Mario Land (which is off the west coast
and not too far from Jewelry Land), the Mushroom Frigate is attacked by a
Koopa Battleship and runs aground.

Primary Goals:
* Defeat Dark Subcon Leader with Mario/Luigi alternate party.
* Defeat leader of the Goomba insurgency at Jewelry Land and board the frigate.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 5 -- Hope's Sunk ---------------------------------------------------

With Mario Land blockaded by Koopa Battleships, some of the members of Toad's
party think they're trapped for good. But Toad doesn't give up so easily.

The ultimately short stay on Mario Land focuses almost entirely on the need
to acquire a form of aquatic transportation and run the Koopa blockade.
Ultimately, after a few minor skirmishes and a boss fight with Robirdo, they 
finally find a hovercraft, which can glide over shallow water areas and is 
fast enough and small enough to run the blockade.

So, Toad's party sets off again for Dry, Dry Desert.

Primary Goals:
* Defeat Robirdo 2.0 and leave Mario Land on the hovercraft.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 6 -- Into the Desert -----------------------------------------------

Once ashore, the party heads north toward Dry, Dry Outpost, the eastern-most
town still considered part of the Mushroom Kingdom, hoping to find that
Bowser didn't have enough troops to occupy towns east of his main line.
However, since Wart's army joined with his own, there's been plenty to go
around, and Dry, Dry Outpost is now full of Shy Guys and other members of
the 8-Bits run amok. And king of the trouble makers is none other than the
cunning, wily Tryclyde.

To make the pass in the mountains north of Dry, Dry Desert, the party needs
a mystical artifact hidden in the desert. The party consults Moustafa and he
promises to help them if they can get Tryclyde and his thugs out of Dry, Dry
Outpost. However, after defeating Tryclyde, the wily snake reveals that he 
has the artifact and then escapes with it, leaving the party stranded.  Since
the waters further east are storm-filled and unfit for the hovercraft, it 
seems they'll have to head back toward the Mushroom Kingdom yet again.

Primary Goals:
* Reach Dry, Dry Outpost and clean up town.
* Search for the mystical artifact (but come up short-handed).
* Defeat Tryclyde to move on to Phase 7.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 7 -- Dinosaur Islands - Beached Again! -----------------------------

On their way back to the Mushroom Kingdom, the hovercraft passes too close to
the Dinosaur Islands (which are rather far south of the continent). The
hovercraft is hit by Torpedo Ted, and Toad is knocked into the sea.

When Toad awakens, he finds himself beached on the Dinosaur Islands, the rest
of his party seemingly missing. After a bit of wandering around the lush,
tropical, dangerous islands alone, he happens upon a young Yoshi who is
enthusiastic about seeing the world. He joins the party and the two set out
looking for the missing party members.

Bowser has ignored the Dinosaur Islands, and only remnants of the Koopa
Kingdom still extend to this island (the archepelago has historically always
been a Koopa colony). Most of his fortifications which existed during Super
Mario World have been abandoned and have fallen into ruin. The few Koopas
still living on the islands have grown distant, and are disaffectionate for
their king.

Thus, it should be no surprise that many an outcast Koopa would find a home
here, and chief among outcasts is the former Magikoopa Advisor to the Koopa
Throne, Kammy Koopa. Toad and his Yoshi friend run into her by accident, and
she attacks. After a battle, she flies off, just as bitter and self-absorbed
as ever.

Toad is then reunited with his party. His new Yoshi friend happens to know a
lot about airships and balloons, as he's been planning to travel the world on
one. So, Toad and party board the Dino Blimp, which gives them quick access
to any point west or south of the mountains (it cannot fly at altitudes
high enough to cross them). On this they can quickly return to the Mushroom
Kingdom and regroup for a final attempt to reach Koopahari.

Primary Goals:
* Acquire the young Yoshi (name is TBA) as a party member.
* Find and defeat Kammy Koopa.
* Reunite with the party and board the Dino Blimp.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 8 -- Ultimate Menace Revealed --------------------------------------

Part 1: Alternate Party Sequence #2

Mario, Luigi, and their cloud friend forge deep behind enemy lines in a
daring attempt to draw out Bowser and Wart. Not far into their task, however,
the party is separated, and each member is captured. In a series of cut
scenes, we learn that Wart indeed has the key to the Mushroom Temple, which he
found during his exile in Subcon. However, in another scene, we also find
out that Bowser is unaware of this fact. Is the alliance between these two
fiends false after all? At the end of this sequence, the cloud manages to
escape, leaving Mario and Luigi imprisoned in Bowser's new Keep, but promises
to return for them.

Part 2: Main Plot

Once Toad's party returns to Toad Town to regroup, they decide to make a 
direct attempt on the original pass for which Toad was headed, believing that
they are strong enough to break through whatever forces still guard it. If
the Princess was not obtained during Phase 3 of the game, she will decide to
join your party (much to the consternation of the Minister and old Toadsworth,
but the Chancellor approves, understanding her role in both Mario 2 and
Mario RPG much better).

Once the party arrives at the foot of the mountain, they face a grueling
uphill climb, beginning with some difficult battles right away. Once they
reach the high summit, they must battle the fearsome Fryguy, who commands
the regiment of Wart's army that has been guarding this pass all along.

Primary Goals:
* Watch the alternate party get captured and learn about the temple key.
* Head for the Subcon pass and battle up it.
* Defeat Fryguy at the summit to move on to Phase 9.

Secondary Goals:
* More than likely there will be several things to do before beginning the
  primary goals of Phase 8 with the main party, due to the fact that you
  now have the Dino Blimp and can access many different areas. Since this
  phase will be difficult, you can probably find many secret items now that
  will soften it up just a bit.
* The Gate to Subcon can be visited on the path to the summit. It is here
  that the portal to the Realm of Nightmares will be opened after defeating 
  Wart in the Mushroom Temple.
  
--- Phase 9 -- Descent into the Jungles --------------------------------------

Monkeys and Tribal Shy Guys abound when the party heads into the steamy
jungles that lie on the eastern side of the mountains, just north of the
Koopahari desert.

Here Toad meets his long-lost cousin (name is TBA), who joins the party with
her timely skills at handling deadly plant life.

After completing all the objectives here, the party must battle Clawgrip, the
most powerful of Wart's arch-henchmen, to be able to reach the desert. But,
once there, will they be able to do anything?

Primary Goals:
* Navigate the Jungle.
* Acquire Toad's long-lost cousin (name TBA) as a party member.
* Defeat Clawgrip to move on to Phase 10.

--- Phase 10 -- Get that Airship! --------------------------------------------

The Mushroom Temple is locked soundly, and it seems that nothing can be done
to enter it. Amongst the modest Koopa forces standing guard over it is a
Koopa Doom Ship. Toad decides that they should storm the airship and
commandeer it for use in their quest.

Once aboard and after fighting off mini-boss Boom-Boom, the party finds the
ship in general disarray. Turns out the Koopa Kids are aboard, and without
their father to keep them in line, are just up to mischief.

Toad and party must put an end to their antics and kick them off the airship.

Primary Goals:
* Board the Airship and defeat mini-boss Boom-Boom.
* Corner the Koopa Kids and defeat them in a battle royale.
* Commandeer the Airship.

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 11 -- Almost There! ------------------------------------------------

Part 1: Main Plot I

Now able to travel anywhere quickly, Toad decides to return to Toad Town to
report the disappointing news. However, he receives a mysterious summons to
Star Summit upon arriving.

Here, Skolar, one of the seven great Star Spirits from Paper Mario, appears
to Toad and tells him everything about the Mushroom Temple, the Star Road,
and various other important details. He pledges to help out the party from
now on, and gives Toad the ultimate magic attack, the Star Beam.

Toad and party set out at once for Bowser's Keep to attempt to take the
Temple Key by force.

Part 2: Alternate Party Sequence #3

The cloud returns to break Mario and Luigi out of jail. They begin their own
fight toward the throne room, just with the right timing to meet up with the
other party once they get there.

Part 3: Main Plot II

Toad and party arrive at Bowser's Keep and fight through it bit by bit.

Because of their earlier assault on the Mushroom Temple, Bowser now believes
that Toad already has the temple key, and upon confronting him, he demands
for Toad to hand it over immediately. Obviously, they think he's crazy, so
battle ensues. However, Bowser throws Toad's party members out of the battle
one by one until only he and Toad are left to duel it out -- that is, until
Mario, Luigi, and the cloud show up. They join the party to fight the
second phase of the battle. Once this phase ends, Bowser escapes to collect
his full power (with the help of Malek).

Since Toad's party members were captured as Bowser disposed of them, Luigi
joins Toad to help find them while Mario and the cloud pursue Bowser. Luigi
joins as a permanent member of the main party at this point, keeping any stats
and special items earned during alternate party sequences. Once the party is
reunited and they catch up to Mario and the cloud, Mario tells them to go
ahead without them (because they can't chase after Bowser any further).

The main party now pursues Bowser and engages him in the final phase of the
battle. Part-way through, Kammy Koopa shows up with some of her cronies and
tries to hurt Bowser with her stupid block spell. Malek reflects her attack
back at her, however, mocking her utter lack of magical fortitude, and she
is knocked out of the battle.

This distraction serves to make the battle even more challenging, as Malek
now joins in the fray, healing and protecting Bowser on most of his turns.
Once the two are finally defeated, though, Bowser flees back to the Koopa
homeland, leaving Malek in charge of his forces on the Mushroom mainland.

Malek casts a teleport spell on Toad's party that puts them back outside the
keep, snearing that they dare not re-enter.

Wart, learning of Bowser's defeat, immediately flees toward the Mushroom 
Temple with the Temple Key in tow. Skolar appears to alert Toad of the
impending disaster, and thus begins the final phase.

Primary Goals:
* Meet Skolar at Star Summit and learn the whole story of the Temple.
* Battle toward Bowser with the alternate party.
* Battle toward Bowser with the main party.
* Fight Bowser (phase 1) with Toad until all party members are captured.
* Fight Bowser (phase 2) with Toad and the alternate party.
* Split up and take Luigi with you to find the party.
* Free the main party and pursue Bowser to the final phase.
* Fight Bowser and Malek (phase 3).

Secondary Goals:
* TBA

--- Phase 12 -- End Game -----------------------------------------------------

At this point, many new areas of the game are open for exploration:

* Mushroom Temple
  
  The final "dungeon" of the game. Enemies include Anti-Guy, Zeus Guy,
  Master Dark Subcon. Mini-bosses include Mouser, Robirdo 2.5, Tryclyde,
  Fryguy, and Clawgrip.
  
  Final Boss: Wart (multiple-stage battle)
  
* Battle Zone

  Though Bowser has fled, his army and Wart's still hold their positions
  under Malek's iron-fisted rule. Located on the front lines of battle,
  Toad can fight almost any enemy in the game here, and can win items that
  were missed earlier, as well as some important new ones.
  
* Bowser's Keep
  
  Malek now holds Bowser's Keep in his king's absence. You cannot challenge
  the Magikoopa to another battle, but if you go to the Keep's dungeon,
  you can see Kammy still imprisoned here. She will not talk to you at this
  point, however.
  
**** Ending ****

  Toad and party defeat Wart, and Skolar appears to send him back into exile
  in Subcon. Skolar gives Toad the Temple Key, and makes him the first
  Keeper of the Temple for thousands of years.  This gives Toad the
  privilege to access enormous magical powers, but only when the time is
  right and the cause is good. Otherwise, the Stars would have to fight
  to take the power back from him, which is how the Temple was buried in the
  first place -- the greed of evil people.
   
  Toad fully accepts the new responsibility placed on him, and begins by
  using some of his new powers to help turn the tide of the war. Malek is
  driven out of Bowser's Keep.
   
  Their leaders defeated, Bowser and Wart's armies crumble, and the Alliance
  pushes them off the mainland completely.
   
  Bowser, still unaware of his betrayal, vows to free Wart and attack yet
  again, but for now, he is once again contained within the Koopa homeland.
  Peace has returned, and with Toad in control of the sacred Mushroom Temple,
  the future does indeed look bright!
   
--- Post-Ending Changes ------------------------------------------------------

As an extra bonus, the game can be played past the ending, and changes are
observed throughout the game, mostly in dialogue. The war is over, but of
course enemies still linger about, so there's no shortage of fighting.

Some Major Changes:

* Koopa Homeland continent to the far south is now accessible. The Battle
  Zone is now located there. Bowser can be engaged in battle at will, but
  Kammy does not appear during this optional battle. Bowser halts the battle
  once he "becomes bored."
  
* The secret area, Realm of Nightmares, can now be accessed using Toad's new
  magical powers. Contains the same enemies as the Mushroom Temple, and
  Wart can be fought here again for a slightly different ending.
  
* Bowser's Keep on the mainland is abandoned, but Kammy was left behind and
  is still imprisoned here. See the Super Secrets section below for more on
  this.
  
* By using a special Time Warp item found in the Battle Zone, you can return
  to the Mushroom Temple and fight Wart again for the first ending as many
  times as you'd like.
  
--- Super Secrets ------------------------------------------------------------

Extra Party Members
-------------------

There are eight normal party members which can be found without any secrets
or tricks (although the Princess joins earlier if you make the right decision
in Phase 3).

The following characters can be obtained as extra party members:

Party Member 9: Mario
Party Member 10: The cloud warrior (name TBA)

   These two can be obtained just before the third phase of the Bowser battle,
   when they would normally stay behind, by collecting some hard-to-find 
   secret items during each of the three alternate party sequences. These
   items keep them from tiring out so that they can join you in the final
   fracas. Note however that Mario is more or less identical to Luigi, and
   that the cloud warrior will mostly be just another white magic user. These
   two are a just-for-fun addition to give you a larger party (they may as
   well be available, since they have to be fully programmed anyways!).
   
Party Member 11: Kammy Koopa

   Kammy Koopa can be obtained as a party member after defeating Wart for the
   normal ending. As mentioned above, she can be found still locked away in
   the dungeon of Bowser's abandoned keep. By performing some trick yet to be
   decided on, you'll be able to break her out. The now humbled Kammy will
   volunteer her services to your party. She will start out fairly poor, but
   will be capable of learning some cool and powerful Magikoopa spells. She
   is only meant as an after-ending secret bonus.
   
Party Member 12: ????
   
   There may be a twelfth party member obtained during one of the phases in
   which no party members are currently found. It is possible this member
   would be an easily findable, but optional, character, somewhat like Yuffie
   and Vincent in Final Fantasy VII. This is yet to be decided.

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