Editing Excess Express

The Excess Express may have taken inspiration from the Orient Express from the English detective novel ''{{wp|Murder on the Orient Express}}''. Similar to the story in the book, Chapter 6 of ''The Thousand-Year Door'' involves a crime being committed on a train and several of the passengers being suspects. Both casts of characters include a detective (Pennington, who resembles {{wp|Hercule Poirot}} from the novel) and a celebrity ([[Zip Toad]], who loosely references Linda Arden from the novel).

==History==

[[File:Pennington on Excess Express TTYD.png|thumb|left|250px|Pennington inside a passenger car]]

The Excess Express is featured in a [[Rogueport Direct Mail Service|RDM]] article, which says that the Excess Express staff tackled a [[Laki]], a train-obsessed [[Lakitu]], who was in a staff-only area. This incident made the train late for the first time in ten years, though the staff allowed him to leave with just a warning.

After returning to [[Rogueport]] from [[Keelhaul Key]], the [[Magical Map]] leads [[Mario]] and his [[partner]]s to the [[Poshley Sanctum]] in [[Poshley Heights]], where the [[Garnet Star]] is located. Like [[Glitzville]], Mario needs a ticket to get to the Excess Express, which [[Professor Frankly]] says is the only way to reach Poshley Sanctum. After doing [[Don Pianta]]'s cronies ([[Tony (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)|Tony]] and [[Vinny]]) a favor (finding Don's [[Francesca|daughter]] and her [[Frankie|boyfriend]]), the Don gives Mario an [[Train Ticket|Excess Express Ticket]]. While on the way to the station, [[Beldam]] spied on Mario and his party, revealing herself and thanking Mario's partner for saying that the next star is in Poshley Heights. Knowing they must reach the star before the [[Three Shadows]] do, Mario and his partners head for the station.

[[File:PMTTYD Excess Express Engineer.png|thumb|left|250px|Locomotive]]

During the three-day train ride, many unfortunate events happen, forging the premise of a [[wikipedia:whodunit|whodunit]] novel or film and hindering Mario and his partner by keeping them from getting the [[Garnet Star|sixth Crystal Star]]. First, [[Heff T.]] steals [[Chef Shimi]]'s [[Galley Pot|stew]], causing an upset. Next, [[Doopliss]], disguised as [[Zip Toad]], steals the [[businessman]]'s [[briefcase]] containing [[Nitro Honey Syrup]] and [[Vital Paper]], the [[Excess Express waitress|waitress]]'s [[Shell Earrings]], and [[Toodles]]' [[Gold Ring (item)|Gold Ring]]. At the behest of Beldam, he planned to mix the things he stole together to bomb the train, resulting in what he described as a "sticky, yummy explosion" in the threatening letter he left in Mario's cabin. Mario and his partners enlist the help of [[Pennington]] to foil his diabolical plans, and in doing so, returned the stolen items to their rightful owners.

A third mystery, a missing [[Blanket|blanket]], leads to Mario meeting [[Ghost T.]] after using [[Vivian]]'s [[Veil]] ability in Cabin 004. The mystery begins with the [[Excess Express conductor]] realizing a blanket has gone missing, leaving him to believe there is a passengers without a ticket on the train. Mario has to retrieve Ghost T.'s [[Ragged Diary|diary]] for the ghost to agree to return the blanket. If Mario opens the diary, he will be warned three times not to read it. If he ignores all three warnings, he will be only allowed to read the first three lines before Ghost T. appears, causing the screen to spin around in the original version or turn static in the [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|remake]]. In both cases, an instant [[Game Over]] occurs.

The final mystery occurs on Day 2. After the Three Shadows' sticky bomb plan was foiled, they ordered a horde of [[Smorg]]s at [[Riverside Station]] to guard the station's drawbridge switch to keep the bridge lifted and prevent the train from progressing any further. After Mario ventures inside the station, he fends off the horde and lowers the drawbridge, allowing the train to continue on its journey; however, during this time, the Smorgs secretly invade the train. The next morning, the horde attacks the train and kidnaps all the passengers and staff onboard, with the exception of Ghost T., the [[Excess Express engineer]], and the red [[Toad (species)|Toad]] who runs the [[Sales Stall]], though the Toad is knocked unconscious. Whereas the [[Excess Express waitress]] and [[Excess Express conductor]] are held captive in the baggage car, the others have been absorbed into the horde of Smorgs. Mario must use his [[Hammer#Paper_Mario:_The_Thousand-Year_Door|Hammer]] to navigate through the Smorgs and fight them atop the locomotive. This is the [[Unrevisitable area#Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door|only time]] the train's rooftops can be accessed. Eventually, Mario and his partners defeat the Smorgs, freeing the passengers and saving the Excess Express, which soon arrives in Poshley Heights.

==Inhabitants==

*Cabin 007: Orange female Toad, light blue child Toad (X2) or chartreuse child Toad

*Cabin 008: Red Toad or Koopa Troopa / red child Toad or green child Toad

==Enemies==

*[[Smorg]] (Chapter 6 Boss)

==Items found==

Additional items are on sale at the [[Sales Stall]] item shop in the dining car.

|-

|Given by the [[Excess Express engineer|engineer]] while doing [[Bub]]'s favor.

|-

|Given by [[Ghost T.]] after returning the [[Ragged Diary]] to him.

|-

|Given by [[Doopliss]] as [[Zip Toad]] after he is caught. [[Mario]] later returns it to the [[businessman]].

|-

|Left by someone inside a drawer in cabin 005.

|-

|Found in [[Heff T.]]'s drawer after following the trail of stew to cabin 003.

|-

|Given by [[Doopliss]] as [[Zip Toad]] after he is caught.

|-

|Given by the [[Excess Express conductor|conductor]] after returning the [[blanket]] to him.

|-

|Found behind some crates in the baggage room. Accessible using Paper Mode.

|-

|Given by [[Doopliss]] as [[Zip Toad]] after he is caught.

|-

|Found in cabin 005  

|-

|Given by [[Bub]] after giving the [[autograph]] from [[Excess Express engineer|the engineer]] to him.

|-

|Found under a panel in front of the gauge in the engineer's room.<ref name="Engine Star Piece" group=note>Only accessible while traveling to Poshley Heights.</ref>

|-

|Found in a drawer in cabin 008.

|-

|Found in cabin 001 after the [[businessman]]'s things are stolen.

|}

<references group=note />

==Names in other languages==

|JapR=Ricchi Ricchi Ekusupuresu

|JapM=Rich Rich Express

|Dut=Biljoenentrein

|DutM=Trillions Train

*On Day 3 of the Excess Express, the player will get an email in the dining car in the Japanese version. In the international versions, the player will get this email to the right of Mario's room.

*In the [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|Switch remake]], pictures of the [[K64]] train can be seen on the walls, suggesting that engine used to operate on the Excess Express's line before the current train was built.

{{PMTTYD}}