Palace of Shadow

Palace of Shadow
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)
Greater location	Rogueport Underground
Ruler	Shadow Queen
Inhabitants	Swoopulas, Phantom Embers, Chain-Chomps, Dry Bones, Dark Wizzerds

The Palace of Shadow is the final area Mario and his friends visit in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It is where the Shadow Queen resides and can be accessed by going through the Thousand-Year Door. The Palace represents one-quarter of an old city ruined 1000 years ago. During the reign of the Shadow Queen, the Palace became rich with stolen treasure, which became legendary over the centuries since her defeat.

In this palace, the Shadow Queen possesses Princess Peach, whom Sir Grodus had delivered. Mario and company trudged through the palace and its inhabitants, including the middle sibling in the "tail" family, Gloomtail. Mario and his allies later fought with the Three Shadows, who now consisted of Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss. Soon after, Mario's party finally reached the Shadow Queen's inner sanctum, where Sir Grodus was. Mario and his party defeated him, and Bowser and Kammy Koopa literally "dropped in" on them unexpectedly. Sir Grodus retreats to the final room to use Princess Peach as an offering to the Shadow Queen.

The first room is adorned with intricate rose patterns and details. Beyond this room is a bridge spanning over a body of water, with the cave's "ceiling" visible. The next room features a large staircase leading even deeper underground. Following that, there is a garden area with streams and the Palace of Shadow Tower. Once all the riddles of the tower are solved, ancient machinery will activate, causing the long hallway leading to Gloomtail to collapse. This reveals a lower area filled with enemies. One of the final rooms is a vast chamber with peculiar pillars, followed by the throne room where Grodus holds Princess Peach captive. A secret door leads to a considerable staircase to the crypt containing the Shadow Queen.

The overall architecture's structural foundations were implied to have decayed with age due to Bowser accidentally falling through the floor on Sir Grodus in the remake (in the original, Bowser attributed the floor breaking underneath him as being due to his putting on weight).

Enemies and bosses

• Bombshell Bill Blaster
• Bombshell Bill
• Bowser (fought after defeating Grodus)
• Chain-Chomp
• Dark Bones
• Dark Wizzerd
• Dry Bones
• Dull Bones
• Gloomtail
• Kammy Koopa (fought with Bowser)
• Sir Grodus (Chapter 8 Boss)
• Grodus X (backs up Grodus in battle)
• Phantom Ember
• Red Bones
• Shadow Queen (Final Boss)
• Swoopula
• Three Shadows (Beldam, Marilyn and Doopliss)

Formations

For enemy formations in the Palace of Shadow, see here.

Items

Item	Location
All or Nothing	In the fourth room from the start, in the red ? Block.
Boo's Sheet	In the fifth room from the start, it is in an invisible block on top of the center of the rotating fire bars.
Fire Flower	In the first ? Block in the Antechamber.
Gradual Syrup	To the right of Gloomtail's room, it is in the first ? Block. Requires Admiral Bobbery. Accessible before activating the orrery in the Palace of Shadow Tower.
Ice Storm (x2)	In the eighth room from the start, it is to the right of the ? Blocks in the north.
	In the third corridor to Gloomtail's lair, it is in a ? Block. Accessible before activating the orrery in the Palace of Shadow Tower.
Jammin' Jelly (×3)	In the eighth room from the start, it is to the right of the ? Blocks in the north.
	In the Courtyard, at the Palace of Shadow Tower's entryway, it is in an invisible block on the left side of the tower's base.
	To the right of Gloomtail's room, in the second ? Block. Requires Admiral Bobbery. Accessible before activating the orrery in the Palace of Shadow Tower.
	In the Antechamber, in the third ? Block.
	In the Depths, in a chest.
Life Mushroom (×3/2)	In Gear Room One, it is near the east entrance in the north part.
	In Gear Room Two, it is in the yellow ? Block above the spinning wheels.
	In Concealed Path Four, it can be found on a high pedestal. Accessible with the plane panel.
Mr. Softener	In the third room from the start, it is in the ? Block near the entrance.
	In the northeastern corner of Concealed Path Four, behind the platform.
Mystery	To the right of Gloomtail's room, in the third ? Block. Requires Admiral Bobbery. Accessible before activating the orrery in the Palace of Shadow Tower.
Palace Key	In the sixth room from the start, it is dropped by the Dark Bones.
Palace Key	In Gear Room Two, it is on a ledge to the lower-right of the spinning wheels.
Palace Key	In Gear Room Three, it is in a chest in the east part.
Point Swap	In Gear Room Three, it is in an invisible block above the yellow ? Block on the ground in the west part.
Power Punch	In Gear Room One, it is near the east entrance in the north part.
P-Up, D-Down P	In the eighth room from the start, it is in the red ? Block in the north.
Repel Cape	In Gear Room One, it is in a yellow ? Block. In the Nintendo Switch remake, this block is on the ground.
Shooting Star (×3/4)	In the second room from the start, it is on the other side of the bridge to the north.
	In the third room from the start, it is in the ? Block near the entrance.
	In Gear Room Two, it is in the chest in the southwest corner.
	To the right of Gloomtail's room, it is in the second ? Block. Requires Admiral Bobbery. Accessible before activating the orrery in the Palace of Shadow Tower.
	In Concealed Path Four, it is on a low pedestal. Accessible with the airplane panel.
Star Stone	In Gloomtail's room, it is in the chest box spit out from Gloomtail when defeated.
Stopwatch	In the second room from the start, it is to the north of the entrance.
Thunder Rage (×1/2)	In the first descended hallway, it is in the high ? Block.
	In the northwestern corner of Concealed Path Four, behind the platform.
Tower Key	In the first-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the southwest room. Accessible by hitting the ! Blocks in this order: left, left, left, right, right.
	In the first-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the northwest room. Accessible by hitting the ! Block after clearing the blocks.
	In the first-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the northeast room. Accessible by hitting the ! Block beyond the fake wall on the right.
	In the first-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the southeast room, covered by a piece of paper which can be blown away by Flurrie.
	In the second-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the southwest room. Accessible by hitting the ! Block after defeating the bones in the order from weak to strong.
	In the second-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the northwest room. Accessible by hitting the ! Block after clearing the blocks.
	In the second-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the northeast room, beyond the wall on the right which can be blown up by Bobbery.
	In the second-floor Palace of Shadow Tower, it is in a chest in the southeast room. Accessible by hitting the invisible ! Block.
Ultra Mushroom (×3/4)	In the seventh room from the start, it is in the ? Block near the entrance.
	In the Courtyard, at the Palace of Shadow Tower's entryway, it is in an invisible block on the left side of the tower's base.
	To the right of Gloomtail's room, it is in the first ? Block. Requires Admiral Bobbery. Accessible before activating the orrery in the Palace of Shadow Tower.
	In the Antechamber, it is in the second ? Block.
	In the Depths, it is in the chest near the doorway back to the Throne Room.

Hidden ? Blocks

Main article: List of hidden blocks in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Item	Description	Image	Image (block revealed)
Boo's Sheet	In the area with a bridge over water with fire bars, in a middle of the room is a couple of fire bars spinning around one spot. At that spot, Mario should jump from it to reveal the hidden ? Block.
Point Swap	In the mechanical side of the hallways leading to the palace's throne room, one of the rooms has a lone Coin Block. Jumping above this block will reveal the hidden ? Block.

Nintendo Switch version-exclusive

Item	Description	Image	Image (block revealed)
Jammin' Jelly	In the courtyard, at the Palace of Shadow Tower's entryway, on the left side of the tower's base.
Ultra Mushroom	In the courtyard, at the Palace of Shadow Tower's entryway, on the right side of the tower's base.

Profiles

Tattles

• This is the entrance to the Palace of Shadow. It's seen no visitors for 1,000 years... It's so big... It kind of overwhelms you, doesn't it? And that treasure is here... Treasure or no, I don't like the vibe from this place... Maybe it's just my nerves...
• There's a long stairway connected to this underground lake. Those lights floating in the darkness are really pretty... but also pretty spooky.
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. There's a long corridor leading down. This palace sure is big and super-rich-looking, huh? I wonder what kind of people lived here before the place slept for 1,000 years?
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. This is a corridor, I think... Looks like spike traps... Forget the enemies... Just take it one step at a time! (GCN)
  • We're inside the Palace of Shadow. This is a corridor, I think...Don't let the enemies and traps distract you! (Switch)
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. There's a large bridge over the lake here. Those fire bars in the middle are kind of a problem, huh? We'd better avoid them. If you're all sketched out trying to jump them, just use Vivian's Veil ability!
• What a humongous room... I'd say it was pretty, but even this place feels weird... It's like the whole palace got cursed or something. Did you just say "duh" to me?
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. There's a long hall leading down from here. It kinda feels like the earth is slowly swallowing us as we progress down. Yuck.
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. There doesn't seem to be anything special here. Still, it has that same gross feeling... even though it's so nice and spacious...
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. Seems normal... but I bet there's a secret here... We should check EVERYTHING to make sure there's nothing amiss, don'tcha think? You know... Look for anything out of the ordinary...
• This is the palace garden (GCN) / courtyard (Switch) ... but it feels so cold and icky. It's like time stopped here... We gotta do something about those Chain-Chomps in the middle if we wanna move on. Yeah, that's right... I don't just mean the moving ones...
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. This seems to be a corridor. I'm observant, huh? Listen, Mario... I know I've said this before, but don't forget that you're not in this alone. You should rely on your partners' abilities if you ever get stuck or anything.
• This is another corridor. I wonder how long these things go on? I'm sure we'll need all of your special skills, AND those of your partners. Don't forget to use your strongest muscle, too... Your noggin! Hee hee!
• We're inside of the Palace of Shadow. This is another corridor. Big surprise. We'd better watch below our feet as well as above our heads, know what I mean? But, uh, don't forget the area above your head, too! Does that make any sense? (GCN)
  • We're inside the Palace of Shadow. This is another corridor. Big surprise. Take it from me...if you ever feel lost, the best thing to do is take a good hard look at everything around you. (Switch)
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. There don't seem to be any big puzzles here. We just need to go open that door on the right. That's all. Whee. Exciting. (GCN)
  • We're inside the Palace of Shadow. There doesn't seem to be any big puzzles here. The deeper into this place we go, the more I feel an icky, oppressive aura coming from its depths... (Switch)
• This is Gloomtail's room. I wonder if he was here for all 1,000 years? Dragons do live a long time, I heard, but dang... Without him in it, there doesn't seem to be anything special about the room.
• How could there be such a huge tower underground? And why was it built...? There seem to be a lot of rooms here... and every one contains a riddle... (GCN)
  • How could there be such a huge tower underground? And why was it built? And why are there so many rooms? I love a good mystery, but this might be...too many mysteries... (Switch)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... That word "beyond" probably refers to away from the door. So that means the left block. So then the word "before" must refer to the right block. Are you with me, Mario? Still, the way they repeat those words must have some meaning too, don'tcha think? (GCN only)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... Maybe if we break a block here, it'll do something to a block in another room? (GCN only)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... There's something fishy about the wall here? Uh, maybe? We oughta investigate... (GCN only)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... ...There's definitely something in the center of the room, don'tcha think? But what are we supposed to do with something we can't see? This is insanity! (GCN only)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... We're supposed to defeat these guys in order, from weakest to strongest? Uh... Well, I know the weakest is the Dull Bones in the green shoes there... That help? (GCN only)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... I guess we just have to go straight in from the entrance. And then when we get to the wall, we have to do something... Yeah... something. (GCN only)
    • There's something written on the wall. Based on that message, I'd say... That if we can be seen, then there won't be anything to see in this room? ...Huh? (GCN only)
      • There's something written on the wall. Something tells me it's related to the history of this tower... (Switch only)
• The gears in the back of this room started moving when we unlocked that planetarium... Listen, Mario... We're gonna have to rely on everything we've learned to get through this. Just think about what we've been through, and I'm sure you'll find a way, OK?
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. This place is all about kooky puzzles, huh? You see those ☆ marks in the middle of the corridor? They've GOTTA be important.
• We're inside the Palace of Shadow. We must be WAY underground by now. I'm totally running out of advice at this point, sorry. I have advisor's block. Hey, but don't worry! Have faith in yourself and your friends, and we'll win!
• What is this weird room? It's quiet... A little TOO... Well, let's just say it's quiet. There's a Save Block over there, and I'm thinking it would be smart to use it.
• This must be the main hall or something. It sure is a humongous space... This must've been where the most important person in the palace stayed... But standing here makes me totally uneasy... Why is that?
• There's a long, long staircase leading down. And I get a REALLY nasty feeling about what's waiting down there. But we've come this far, so we gotta soldier on. Let's go, Mario. (GCN)
  • There's a long, long staircase leading down. Whatever's waiting down there is projecting seriously nasty vibes... (Switch)
• We're in the deepest room in the Palace of Shadow. ...The Shadow Queen's crypt. I gotta be honest... I totally thought we were goners at the time. Seriously. I was secretly wigging out, but then I saw how you wouldn't give up... Awesome. Anyway, enough reminiscing. There's nothing here now, Mario. Let's go back. (GCN)
  • We're in the deepest room in the Palace of Shadow... The Shadow Queen's crypt. I gotta be honest... I totally thought we were goners at the time. Seriously. I was secretly wigging out, but then I saw how you wouldn't give up... Awesome. Anyway, enough reminiscing. There's nothing here now, Mario. Let's go back. (Switch)

Map description

• The palace found behind the Thousand-Year Door in the ruins beneath Rogueport.

Gallery

• Palace of Shadow.jpg

  A corridor in the Palace

• 

  Mario defending himself from numerous Dry Bones

• 

  Mario fighting off Dry Bones in the Nintendo Switch remake

Names in other languages

Palace of Shadow

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	やみのきゅうでん[?] Yami no Kyūden	Palace of Darkness
Chinese (simplified)	黑暗宫殿[?] Hēi'àn Gōngdiàn	Palace of Darkness
Chinese (traditional)	黑暗宮殿[?] Hēi'àn Gōngdiàn	Palace of Darkness
Dutch	Shaduwpaleis[?]	Shadow Palace
French	Palais des ténèbres[?]	Palace of Darkness
German	Äonenpalast[?]	Aeon palace
Italian	Reggia delle Tenebre[?]	Palace of Darkness
Korean	어둠 궁전[?] Eodum Gungjeon	Darkness Palace
Spanish	Palacio de la Oscuridad[?]	Palace of Darkness

Sub-locations

The following names are present only in the Nintendo Switch remake.

Courtyard

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	なかにわ[?] Nakaniwa	Courtyard
Spanish (NOE)	Patio[?]	Courtyard

Concealed Path

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	かくしつうろ[?] Kakushi Tsūro	Hidden Passageway
Spanish (NOE)	Camino oculto[?]	Hidden path

Gear Room

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	はぐるまのへや[?] Haguruma no Heya	Gear Room
Spanish (NOE)	Sala de engranajes[?]	Gear room

Antechamber

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ひかえのま[?] Hikae no Ma	Antechamber
Spanish (NOE)	Antesala[?]	Antechamber

Throne Room

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ぎょくざ[?] Gyokuza	Throne
Spanish (NOE)	Salón del trono[?]	Throne room

Depths

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	さいかそう[?] Sai Kasō	Lowest level
Spanish (NOE)	Catacumbas[?]	Catacombs

Coffin Hall

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Spanish (NOE)	Mausoleo[?]	Mausoleum

Trivia

• The main track of the palace is an arrangement of the "Underground Theme" from Super Mario Bros. with some added dark, eerie sound effects. This music also briefly quotes the "Castle" theme from Super Mario World and its countermelody is reminiscent of the "Underground Theme" from the same game. The music for the second half of the palace is an even darker arrangement of these classic melodies.
• The Palace of Shadow is the only place in the entire game without a single Shine Sprite or Star Piece.
• If the player has Vivian at their side when they enter the palace's throne room, she notes that it seems vaguely familiar to her.
• In the Nintendo Switch remake, the standard battle theme does not play when fighting enemies throughout the palace. This is similar to Black Bowser's Castle and Origami Castle from Paper Mario: Color Splash and Paper Mario: The Origami King, respectively. Instead, when Mario enters a battle against enemies within the palace, a more intense variation of the location music will play. However, the "Battle - Extra" theme does play when fighting enemies in the courtyard and the Palace of Shadow Tower.
  • Similarly, the remake uses a spookier version of the event battle theme when fighting the Dark Bones enemy near the locked door.
  • The remake also places the lit candles in the looping area near different doors.