Forever Forest
Forever Forest is a dark and maligned wood east of Toad Town in Paper Mario. Only specific pathways can be used to traverse the forest, as any deviation will lead back to the entrance. Each path is closed off by tree stumps with long, linear branches acting as turnstiles. A distinguishing feature in the nearby foliage, from the behavior of flowers (which resemble creeping dogwood flowers) or bioluminescent fungi to glowing eyes in a tree hollow, indicates the correct pathway. At the end of the wood stands Boo's Mansion, inhabited by Lady Bow and her Boo servants. Oaklie and a Bub-ulb are the sole other residents of the forest. Beyond the mansion leads to Gusty Gulch, home of a small Boo village and Tubba Blubba's Castle.
If Mario and his partners attempt to explore Forever Forest prior to having completed Chapter 2, Oaklie will stop them at the start of the second area, explaining that he tries to keep unprepared people from wandering into the forest and getting lost and warning them that the path ahead is extremely dangerous. In Chapter 3, Mario and his partners must go through the forest to reach Boo's Mansion after receiving an invitation from Bootler. They explain to Oaklie that they are invited to Boo's Mansion, and Oaklie lets them proceed further. After finishing Chapter 3, Mario and his partners encounter Jr. Troopa who is lost in the forest on their way back to Toad Town. Jr. Troopa seems frightened at first, but becomes happy to fight Mario. After he is defeated, he will finally manage to find his way out of the forest.
A Magical Seed, an HP Plus badge, and an FP Plus badge can be found by exploring the forest. The Magical Seed is necessary for Mario to enter Flower Fields in Chapter 6.
Map
| Branch Entrance/exit indicated by flowers that appear when checked. FP Plus at the center, which can be accessed 135° clockwise from entrance/exit. |
||||
| │ | ||||
| Seventh area Next path indicated by a notice board. Fork indicated by laughing rock. |
─ | Boo's Mansion | ||
| │ | ||||
| Sixth area Next path indicated by flowers that do not shrink. |
─ | Fifth area Next path indicated by most mushrooms. Fork opposite. |
─ | Branch Entrance/exit indicated by honeycomb. HP Plus at the center, which can be accessed 135° clockwise from the entrance/exit. |
| │ | ||||
| Fourth area Next path indicated by face on the tree. A Bub-ulb holding a Magical Seed is at the center, which can be accessed 135° clockwise from the entrance or 135° counterclockwise from the exit. |
─ | Third area Next path indicated by different flowers. Oaklie resides in the center, which can be accessed 45° clockwise from the entrance or 45° counterclockwise from the exit. | ||
| │ | ||||
| Toad Town | ─ | First area Next path indicated by different flower sound. |
─ | Second area Next path indicated by eyes in tree stump. |
Enemies found
- For enemy formations in Forever Forest, see here.
Jr. Troopa (Boss; encountered after the player collects Super Boots)
Items found
| Item | Icon | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Magical Seed | 
|
In the middle of a clearing in the fourth area. |
| HP Plus | 
|
In the middle of a clearing found on a detour from the fifth area, inside a badge box. |
| FP Plus | 
|
In the middle of a clearing found on a detour from the seventh area, inside a badge box. |
Area Tattles
- "Boy... The forest is really dark and spooky. People say that if you don't choose exactly the right path, you'll get totally lost. I can believe it. This looks like the type of place where you get lost and then monsters come out of the grass and... Hey! Did you notice that grass over there rustling? I swear I saw it move!"
- "Mario... Don't look now, but I think I saw an eye shining deep inside the hole in that tree."
- "The flowers in this forest are unusual, huh? They're strangely colored, and they look creepy when they move. I think I saw some that were a slightly different color over there. Did you see 'em?"
- "The trees in this forest are weird, aren't they? I've heard sometimes they smile wickedly... I'll tell you, if I see a tree smiling, I'm gonna run in the opposite direction!"
- "Is it just my imagination or is it getting darker? Are we going the right way? I'm getting a little worried. There seem to be a lot of strange glowing mushrooms around these tree trunks. Boy! They're everywhere! Must be an infestation... It kind of looks like one mushroom patch is slightly different from the others. My mind may just be playing tricks on me, though."
- "Look, I'm sick of this forest, all right? Let's get out of here. I don't care how many important things are hidden in this forest. I can't stand another instant in the freaky place! Look, I know I saw a beehive. Let's make the beehive a landmark, OK?"
- "What kind of evil flowers would grow in a place like this? When we approach, some seem to shrink, while others just grin... But...but I'm not scared. I mean it, Mario! I told you that they don't scare me! All right?"
- "Where are we? After making so many turns on different paths, I'm getting confused as to which way is up. Aren't there any signs?"
- "This all looks the same to me. Gloomy trees that seem to go on forever. Seems like they found the perfect name for this place. By the way, did you hear something in that bush?"
In-Game Map Description
- Sunshine barely reaches the floor of this dense forest. They say that Boo's Mansion is somewhere deep inside.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | まよいの森[?] Mayoi no Mori |
Lost Forest | |
| Chinese | 迷失森林 (iQue)[?] Míshī sēnlín |
Lost Forest | |
| German | Nimmernimmer-Wald[?] | Never-Never Forest | |
| Spanish | Bosque Eterno[?] | Eternal Forest |
Trivia
- Forever Forest is similar to the Forest Maze of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and the Bafflewood from Paper Mario: Sticker Star, as all three are wooded areas that function as endless mazes outside of a set path. The Bafflewood also shares Forever Forest's spooky theme.
- The Japanese name for Forever Forest is written very similarly to the Forest of Illusion from Super Mario World, which is a direct reference to the recurring Lost Woods in The Legend of Zelda series; it even more closely parallels the iteration of the Lost Woods from Ocarina of Time, which is also a series of four-way paths with wrong turns leading to the entrance.
- The trees with eyes here resemble Treevils, from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
- Whenever Mario enters Forever Forest, a wolf howl is heard throughout, similar to the day-to-night change in The Legend of Zelda installments.
