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Super Mario RPG (2023)

Goomba-Thump Minigame Guide and Tips in Super Mario RPG

By
Matt Chard

As you explore the wondrous world in Super Mario RPG, you will come across a lot of minigames. These minigames often yield good rewards for Mario and his party. Some of them are fairly difficult, especially if you’re not too sure of what you’re supposed to be doing. Although you will be given a tutorial before each minigame, sometimes they can still be a challenge. Read here if you want to know where you can find the Goomba-Thump minigame in Pipe Vault and tips on how to complete it.

Goomba-Thump is a minigame that can be found in the Pipe Vault area.

Where to Find the Goomba-Thump Minigame

After you finish the Forest Maze area, you’ll have the choice to go to the optional Pipe Vault area before you head to Moleville. Enter the area, and you’ll find yourself in a lava-filled room. Jump across the gaps while avoiding the Lava Bubbles that periodically jump in and out of the lava, and continue following the path into the next area. In the next area, head past the Goombas and climb the stairs. At the top, there will be a Thwomp that will knock you back unless you jump when it lands. Once you’re past the Thwomp, take the last green pipe down into the next area.

This room is filled with pipes, one of which leads to two hidden treasures you can find out where these are by following our Pipe Vault Hidden Treasures Guide. Make your way to the second from last green pipe, and take it down into the next area. In this room, you’ll find four green pipes, a spring, and a mole. Speak to the mole to start the Goomba-Thump Minigame.

(1 of 3) Jump across the gaps in the lava-filled room and exit the other side.

Goomba Minigame Tips

The Goomba- Minigame is a test of reflexes. Similar to the well-known whack-a-mole game, Goomba will appear out of the green pipes, and you will have to jump on them. Aside from the Goombas, there will also be Gold Goombas and Spikys. The goal for this minigame is to get at least 20 points within the given time limit which is 40 seconds. Jumping on a Goomba will reward you with one point, while the Gold Goombas will yield three. However, if you accidentally land on a Spiky, you will lose a point. Now, there isn’t a special way to do this as the order in which the enemies appear is random. However, we can give you some tips to help you master the minigame. You don’t have long before a Goomba pops out of the pipe before it returns, and you’ll have even less time with the Gold Goombas who will retreat back into the pipe almost immediately. Finally, you can almost ignore the Spikys as you won’t hit them often, and if you do, it’s not the end of the world.

Target Points
Goomba 1 Pt
Gold Goomba 3 Pts
Spiky -1 Pt

(1 of 3) Try to hit more than one Goomba at a time. This will help dramatically at the end.

Before we carry on, let’s talk about the rewards. When you complete it for the first time (20 points), you’ll obtain a Flower Tab. Once you obtain it, you can play the game again where you’ll need to get 22 points, and this will reward you with a Flower Jar. Finally, you can get one more reward by reaching 26 points, and you’ll acquire a Frog Coin. Each turn at the minigame will cost you 10 Coins, so you can try it as much as you like as 10 Coins isn’t a lot at this stage of the game. After you’ve acquired all the rewards, you can replay the minigame multiple times after, and you’ll get a Frog Coin for your troubles, but the score will keep increasing by two points for subsequent wins. On to the tips:

  • When you jump on a Goomba, move over to another Goomba while in midair. If you’re quick enough, you can get two, even three points before they go back down.
  • Unless you have fast reflexes, ignore the Gold Goombas. These don’t spend a long time out, and you’ll end up missing the other Goombas which will lower your overall score. This is one of the reasons you may fail a lot as they take your mind off the goal, and the regular Goombas give more than enough to meet your target.
  • Be Always jumping. Don’t wait around for the next Goomba, jump when you see one pop, and hit it as it rises. This will help with the first tip to get more than one at a time.
  • Don’t be afraid of the Spikys, although you lose a point, you can easily make it back up the following turn.
  • To hit the Gold Goombas, you need to jump on it as soon as it appears otherwise it will disappear before you can hit it.
  • Although the game tells you this, always stay in the middle. It really is the best position to hit the enemies.
  • Once you’ve played the minigame, you can leave the area, and return any time you want. Simply, select Pipe Vault on the map, and you can teleport straight to the game.

That’s it really. There isn’t a lot of strategy involved with this minigame as it’s more about your reflexes and how quick you are. By using the tips above, you should have at least the three main rewards in no time.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Nintendo
  • Platforms,
    Switch
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    17 November 2023
  • Last Updated
    28 November 2023
  • Guide Author

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Super Mario RPG is a wonderful and whimsical remake of the 1996 classic Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. You’ll need to assemble a group of heroes (starting with Mario of course!) to embark on a quest to repair the wish-granting Star Road! Along the way you’ll encounter enemies from the Smithy Gang, and you’ll unlock access to a whole cast of nostalgic playable characters, from Princess Peach to Geno the puppet to the adorable Mallow.

This guide includes everything you need to make your way through the Super Mario RPG remake. Whilst this game is a faithful remake of the original, the game developers, ArtePiazza, have also included some fun post-game match-ups for those who are looking for an extra challenge and a departure from the OG game! We’ve got walkthroughs for the following:

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