Sandshifter Ruins

Level
Sandshifter Ruins
Mario, falling on a fall of sand.
Level code	W2-3
World	World 2
Game	Paper Mario: Sticker Star
<< Directory of levels >> **

Sandshifter Ruins is the third level of World 2 in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. It is an underground maze filled with Spikes and Dry Bones. This level also has a secret exit that leads to Damp Oasis.

Layout

The level starts with an above ground area with Pokeys, two Spikes and a Sombrero Guy. After this, Mario enters an underground maze. There are several routes for the player to take, but only one leads to the final area. If the player takes the wrong route, they will eventually be taken back to the original area by a Sand Spout. The correct route is right, right, left, left.

When the correct route is found the player is taken to a room with several coffins. One of them has a Bat and another two has Shiny POW Blocks. Mario will then come across a bed of spikes which cannot be crossed. To get to the other side Mario needs to go to the leftmost side of the room, go up a pile of sands and jump over the coffins to bypass the spikes and get to the last room. Here there is a 'river' of flowing sand with Dry Bones and Bone stickers falling down. Mario will need to get across by swimming in the sand, avoiding the Dry Bones and trying not to fall off the edge or sink. The Comet Piece is then in sight. This leads to Drybake Stadium.

Secret Door

To reach the secret door, the player must take the following route: Go to the right sandfall, then up the stairs. Go down again, then enter the door. The secret door is here. It contains the Lighter.

Secret Comet Piece

This Comet Piece cannot be reached on the first try at all because it requires Mario to switch the path of the last slide to the left (which is automatically done when sliding down the first time) along the route towards the first Comet Piece. When Mario reenters the level later on, following the original route will allow Mario to reach a door on an elevated platform. Through the door is a large room with a staircase leading to the Comet Piece. However it cannot be reached because the step just before the Comet Piece is too high, so Mario will need to lower the step by removing some of the sand. On both sides of the staircase there are several coffins with pathways inside them leading to another (like a maze). Mario will need to drop off the ledge on the left side of the room to a lone opened coffin. This path leads to the other side of the stairs. Mario will then need to jump into an open coffin which is actually a hole to the level below. There are three closed coffin. The middle one contains a POW Block sticker, the right contains a Dry Bones and the left leads back to the left side of the room one level up, which is just to the right of the first coffin entered. Then Mario will need to walk to the immediate right of the coffin behind the wall which takes him a level down into the coffin on the right. Opening the coffin on the left will then remove some sand below the step and pour some into the bed of spikes in front of Mario. Mario can then safely crossover to the staircase and reach the Comet Piece. This Comet Piece leads to Damp Oasis.

This Comet Piece is required because one of the Tablet Pieces in Drybake Stadium is found in Damp Oasis.

Sticker upgrade spot

In the room with the secret Comet Piece, on the spike floor to the right. Using this as a platform, Mario must hammer two invisible ? Blocks to reach the block above the spikes and jump over it to reveal another secret block containing the Flashy Clone Jump.

Area Tattle

Outside the Ruins

• There's a staircase leading underground. It must be the entrance to the ruins, don't you think?

Inside the Ruins

• This place is a total maze. Make sure you remember which way we came, okay?

Advice

• These are ruins, right? So there's got to be at least one treasure. Do you think it could be hidden in a coffin?

Enemies

• Koopa Paratroopa
• Dry Bones
• Pokey (yellow)
• Pokey (green)
• Paragoomba
• Hammer Bro
• Sombrero Guy
• Spike

Things

• Bat
• Jackhammer
• Magnifying Glass
• Lighter (Secret Door)

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スナコンベ跡[?] Sunakonbe Ato	From「砂」(suna, sand) + pun on「コンベア」(konbea, an English loanword meaning "conveyor") and「跡」(ato, ruins)
Chinese	沙漠墓穴遗迹 (Simplified) 沙漠墓穴遺跡 (Traditional)[?] Shāmò Mùxué Yíjì	Desert Grave Ruins
French (NOA)	Ruines mouvantes[?]	Shifting ruins
French (NOE)	Ruines ensablées[?]	Silted up ruins
German	Treibsandruinen[?]	Quicksand Ruins
Italian	Rovine Setaccio[?]	Sieve Ruins
Spanish	Ruinas Movedizas[?]	Pun on "arenas movedizas" (quicksand) and "ruinas" (ruins)