Trial of Wisdom

Trial of Wisdom
Mario interacting with the Toad statues for the third challenge of the Trial of Wisdom
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020)
Greater location	Diamond Island

“Hooray! You're the wisest of the wise, Mario!”

—Olivia, Paper Mario: The Origami King

The Trial of Wisdom is one of three trials held on Diamond Island in Paper Mario: The Origami King. It is held in a blue temple, where Mario is challenged with three questions asked by a Shangri-Spa Toad statue.

Mario must clear the Ice Vellumental Mountain first in order to gain access to the temple as it is surrounded by a moat filled with water. Mario must use a Magic Circle in front of the temple to transform Olivia into an Ice Vellumental to freeze the water. If Olivia transforms into the Earth Vellumental, it will summon a large pile of dirt; if she transforms into the Water Vellumental, the water will overflow; and if she transforms into the Fire Vellumental, she needs to transform into the Water Vellumental before using the Ice Vellumental transformation.

Mario is then able to enter and speak with the Toad statue in the room. It welcomes Mario into the temple and puts him through three challenges that he must overcome to be rewarded with 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 on it.

The challenges consist of questions that Mario must answer as true or false (indicated by a check and "X" mark respectively). If Mario chooses a wrong answer, he is sent back to the main room and must restart the trial. After failing at least two or three times, the Shangri-Spa Toad statue will offer to make the challenges easier for 3,000 coins.

After Mario correctly answers all three questions, he is rewarded a song and dance routine and access to the final area, where he receives a Wisdom Orb, one of three orbs required to unlock the Sea Tower. He can then return to the first area and exit the temple, at which point it cannot be reentered.

Questions

First challenge

These questions are based on remembering Mario's previous experiences in the game.

• "The name of Captain T. Ode's submarine is the Princess Peach."
  • False: "CORRECT. Captain T. Ode's submarine is named...the Marino."
• "The final stop on the downriver tour is Autumn Mountain."
  • False: "CORRECT. The final stop on the downriver tour is Sweetpaper Valley."
• "The pictures drawn on the first floor of Overlook Tower were of mushrooms and an apple."
  • False: "CORRECT. The pictures were of mushrooms and a banana."
• "The number of Shell Stones that Mario inserted into the Earth Vellumental Temple was four."
  • True: "CORRECT. There were five total...but Mario only inserted four of them himself."
• "The number of streamers that you have cleared so far is three."
  • True: "CORRECT. Thus far, you have cleared the red, blue, and yellow streamers for a total of three."

Easy questions

• "The letter that is written on Mario's hat is L."
  • False
• "Mario has a brother."
  • True
• "Mario has a mustache."
  • True
• "CORRECT. Hmm. That seemed far too easy."

Second challenge

These questions are logic riddles.

• "Shogun Studios has a photo studio, a tower, and a theater. Of all these locations, the theater is the largest."
  • False: "CORRECT. Shogun Studios itself was mentioned, which is larger than Big Sho' Theater on its own!"
• "One ton of iron is heavier than one ton of cotton."
  • False: "CORRECT. One ton equals one ton. The density of the individual materials does not matter."
• "If you pass the sixth-, fifth-, and fourth-place runners in a marathon, you'll finish in third place."
  • False: "CORRECT. Once you pass the fourth-place runner, you are not in third—-you simply claim fourth place."
• "Twelve passengers are riding a bus. If five of them get off at their stops, seven people will remain on the bus."
  • False: "CORRECT. There must be a driver on the bus as well, so eight people will remain...not seven."
• "Every hill in Overlook Mountain has an equal number of uphill and downhill slopes."
  • True: "CORRECT. An individual slope can take you both up and down, so the number will be even throughout."

Easy questions

• "The name of the origami companion traveling with Mario is Kersti."
  • False
• "The one responsible for turning Princess Peach into origami is King Olly."
  • True
• "You are currently undergoing the Trial of Wisdom."
  • True
• "That is...correct. Come on, these are WAY too easy."

Third challenge

• "Speak with all three figures, then choose the one who is lying."
• "Speak with all three figures, then choose the one who is telling the truth."

Mario is presented with three Toad statues, which each speak a phrase akin to "I'm telling the truth", "I am lying", "A is the liar", and "The liar is C". By deducing which statements contradict each other, Mario must select the letter corresponding to the single statue that is either telling the truth or lying. Unlike the previous two questions, this one has no time limit.

For the easy version, the same questions are asked, with the statues' statements being significantly more obvious.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Dutch	Wijsheidsproef[?]	Test of wisdom
French	Épreuve de sagesse[?]	Trial of wisdom
German	Prüfung der Weisheit[?]	Test of Wisdom
Italian	Prova di saggezza[?]	Test of wisdom
Spanish	Prueba de la Sabiduría[?]	Test of Wisdom