Ice Land

File:SMB36.PNG

Ice Land.

Ice Land a.k.a. Iced Land is the sixth world in Super Mario Bros. 3. It is the largest world in the game, bested only by Dark Land, with ten levels, three Hammer Bros., three Fortresses and two Toad Houses. As the name implies, it is a frozen wasteland filled with slippery floors and even some frozen lakes. Lemmy Koopa rules the frozen tundra that is Ice Land.

Brief Level Info

• 6-1: Snow-capped trees and wispy clouds serve as the backdrop to an arctic expedition.
• 6-2: The thin mountain air would chill Mario to the bone if he weren't doing so much jumping!
• 6-3: Seek insulation with a furry Tanooki Suit, because the thermometer just bottomed out.
• Fortress: A roller coaster over bubbling lava and Roto-Discs put Mario on a collision course with Boom Boom.
• 6-4: Rotating platforms, slippery ice, and mind-numbingly high ledges make for a dangerous stage.
• 6-5: Clear a runway blocked by Buster Beetles, Koopa Troopas, and Ice Blocks to break a path to the exit.
• 6-6: Brew some hot chocolate — after a frigid swim through an ice cave, Mario will need it!
• 6-7: Frozen treats and terrors await a plumber who carries defrosting equipment.
• Fortress: Sneak inside a Fortress of solid ice and avoid the sideways-moving Thwomps and sneaky Boos.
• 6-8: Green pastures and aggressive undergrowth offer a change of scenery from the frozen tundra.
• 6-9: Watch out for Munchers while completing a swim through a Piranha Plant pipe-infested underground lake.
• 6-10: A cold snap has frozen the coins and Munchers. Use a Fire Flower to grab a powerful Hammer Suit.
• Fortress: Forget the gym — Mario's bound to break a sweat as he fights along the conveyor belts in this foreboding Fortress.
• Airship: The villainous circus performer Lemmy Koopa schemes atop his airship. Give him an unforgettable performance.

In-Depth

6-1

This world, since frozen, will give Mario a bit of a problem with traction, but it's not very tough to get used to. Raccoon Mario can access the only secret in the very first part, during the encounter with the first walking Ptooie. He must race back and forth on the stretch of land, eventually being able to go up, up, and away to a platform of wooden blocks with a door on them. Inside, Mario must duck and slide under the large ice blocks to get to a P-Switch. When stomped, Mario must quickly duck and slide out to grab the huge set of blocks-turned-coins below.

6-2

In the first part of the level, Mario must leap on moving clouds to keep his balance. When an Ice Block next to a ? Block is seen, don't hesitate, smack the block for a powerup. Mario must then, with the help of some clouds, jump over some block towers. But soon, a huge tower of wooden blocks will be in sight. Mario must leap on the clouds quickly to avoid death by squishing. Afterwards, two Ice Blocks lie stacked under a 10-Coin block, and later, the block in that sheltered little alcove contains a 1-Up for only the quickest and nimblest of plumber heroes. Two screens later, a pipe will take Mario to the exit.

6-3

Brrrr...Mario's stranded in the sky again, but this one has some cool rewards. Mario can hit the ? Block with a Koopa Shell in the first part, and run right over those little pits by racing across the pillars of ice. The third Koopa in this level has the key to the best secret. Mario must stomp it, take his shell, and throw it at the nearest block. If done right, the block will expose a Magic Vine, which leads to a secret pipe. Inside, in that huge ? Block is a Tanooki Suit Mario can use to fly up the left side of the room and break all the blocks, leading to a cache of coinage. The block all by itself holds ten coins, and the next block holds a 1-Up, which is hard to get, as Mario must bop it from on the moving platform underneath.

Fortress

On the moving platform, Mario will go up, up a room filled with hovering Podoboos (the ? Block contains a power-up) and later, down a corridor of Roto-Discs and a Hot Foot. He must go from the left block to the right block to avoid the Discs, and the Hot Foot that will fall down as soon as Mario turns his back on it. The second room has a lot of the Discs, along with two ? Blocks with powerups, and when two rows of ? Blocks are spotted, guarded by two Roto-Discs, the one to the farthest left has a Starman. With this, it should be no problem to get to the door to Boom Boom's room.

6-4

In this sky level, the first block seen conceals a 1-Up Mushroom, although it's hard to get in and out alive. Ride a platform past a ? Block containing a power-up. Then ride it back and jump just to the right of the ice to reveal a red ♪ Block leading to Coin Heaven. If Mario does not take the Coin Heaven route, he must leap about on tightly winding wooden planks until a P-Switch is stomped, which signals the end of the risky part. The P-Switch will allow Mario to maneuver about the twirling platforms a bit easier, and collect a few more coins.

6-5

In this stage, for which a P-wing is recommended, every pipe but the Venus Fire Trap occupied one leads to the same place, a small room with a powerup. If Mario repeats again and again, unlimited powerups are offered! This is necessary to clear the level, as only Raccoon Mario can pass the objectives (and snag a couple secrets into the bargain). The main level is a stretch of land with Buster Beetles and Koopas roaming about, with quite a few Ice Blocks and gaps in the ceiling, in which the exit and some bonuses are located. By flying up the second gap in the ceiling, Mario accesses a room that has coins blocked off with blocks, which he can break with his tail. The third leads to a small alcove with two rows of blocks. On the higher, the leftmost has a 1-Up. To exit, Raccoon Mario must grab a Koopa and fly up the second gap from the right, then, at the top, let go to let it kill the Nipper Plants and break away a path to the exit pipe.

6-6

As the underground part of this level begins, Mario can take the upper route to find a ? Block with a power-up...and a dead end. Backtrack to find the right way, take a Starman from the wooden block, and avoid the enemies until Mario comes across a large pool of water. Once again, he can take the upper route to find a pocket of air, and an invisible block with a 1-Up one block's width from the right wall. In the upper part, embedded in wooden blocks, two ? Blocks, one with a coin and another with a powerup, are stationed. Mario must then continue on, past Cheep-Cheeps, Piranha Plants, and Spike to the exit pipe.

6-7

If Mario collects all 78 coins in this level (a daunting task, and one only Fire Mario can fulfill) he'll be rewarded with an Anchor! The first ? Block has a powerup, and Mario must continue on, past a Fire Chomp and tons of Donut Lifts, hitting every ? Block, brick, and gathering all coins along the way, until he reaches the exit pipe, which he must fall on a Lift to reach. Afterwards there lies a huge formation of frozen coins only Fire Mario can thaw! First, though, he should drop down to the left side to hit an invisible coin block on the left side of the coins. Then, he can start to throw fireballs at the coins, unfreezing each one. If he gets all the coins before hitting the Goal Panel, he'll find a White Toad House on the map, containing an Anchor!

Fortress

Hammer Mario is very useful in this fortress of Thwomps and Boos. Mario must duck and slide on occasion, as the side-sliding Thwomps skid back and forth. This castle is very straightforward, as all the ? Blacks contain power-ups, and there are no secret rooms. The door at the end leads to Boom Boom, who's as easy as ever.

6-8

Finally, the spring thaw is here! There are, however, many Ice Blocks that come in handy to Mario, but they are also handy for the Buster Beetles who use them weapons! When Mario comes to a formation shaped like an H, he can stand on the right side of the formation and jump to hit a concealed block with, of course, a 1-Up. Immediately after a Nipper Plant encounter, a P-Switch can be discovered under a block that's currently blocked by ice, but Mario can pick up the frozen brick and fling it away, then duck and slide under to expose it. Then, Raccoon Mario can fly up to a large mass of coins that used to be blocks. To the right is the Goal Panel.

6-9

To quickly get this stage over with, Mario can use a P-Wing to fly right over the huge pile of ice blocks, and to sweeten the deal, there's a 1-Up on top. But adventurers who don't have the power must dive deep into the murky depths, where a Frog Suit is recommended. Taking the top route after the Blooper Nanny, Mario can find a ♪ Block with a powerup, and after the Big Bertha, taking the lower route leads to a pipe to a room with a block containing three 1-Ups! After coming out, Mario must take the top route to get to an area with a lot of Munchers. By a pipe is a block with a P-Switch in it, Mario must expose an invisible block on the wall beside it to reach it, though. When stomped, it will turn all the Munchers into coins, allowing for safe passage. The pipe above a Venue Fire Trap leads to the exit, and out of the freezing water.

6-10

As in 6-7, Fire Mario is quite useful here. At the huge tower of bricks, Mario must remove the two Ice Blocks under the two standalone bricks, then bop the right brick to grow a Magic Vine. Climb it, then, on the ice platform above, hit the block to the far left to get a P-Switch. Stomp it, and tons and tons of coinage are instantly produced. In addition, the Munchers will also become coins, so if Mario has fire, he can turn the frozen Munchers into coins and enter a pipe for a Hammer suit. Afterwards, there are some frozen Munchers and Coins Fire Mario can access. Grab the coins, but NOT the Munchers. There are lots and lots of frozen coins, so Mario can earn quite a few 1-Ups.

Fortress

This short but brutal castle has Boos and Stretches patrolling the icy corridors. Brrr! Remember, Mario, sometimes you should allow the Boos to get close, then jump over them. Also, the conveyor belts convey a strong message: DON'T DAWDLE. In the second part, Mario must ward off the Boos until the door comes low enough for him to enter. Good luck with Boom Boom. You'll need it, Mario.

Airship

The Airship is as tough to crack as the rest of the world. As Mario must maneuver on Bolt Lifts upon which he must perpetually jump, and Rocket Engines, this is no piece of cake. In his battle with Lemmy, the clown prince of the Koopas will throw circus balls that bounce around, much like Wendy O. Koopa did before, but they can be jumped on.