A guide to completing World 5-3 in Super Mario Bros 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Before you Choose a Character

Before you choose the character that you play in World 5-3, be aware that there is an opportunity to warp to World 7-1 in this level, and it's much easier to do so as Luigi. You can still warp if you play as a different character, but it is more difficult and time-consuming to do so.

Explore the Plains

Go to the right and go up the ladder.

If you want to skip ahead to a later world, and if you're playing as Luigi, you can do a Power Squat Jump (crouch until flashing, then jump straight up) to reach the ledge above the ladder. Otherwise, to get to the ledge, you need to keep going to the right for a long while, until you reach a log just after a hill. From that log, you can do a Power Squat Jump to land on top of an Albatoss, and if the bird isn't flying to the left, jump on another Albatoss going the other way, and let it take you to the ledge above the ladder from the beginning of the level. Then pick the rightmost grass and drop it near the vase, then go through the door and go down the vase to instantly go to World 7-1.

If you don't want to warp to a later world, then don't use the Potion from the ledge above the ladder. If you got up on that ledge, you might want to pick the two leftmost grasses on the upper ledge, because they are both large veggies, and for every fifth large veggie you pick, you get a Stopwatch, which temporarily freezes all enemies.

When you're ready to move on from the ladder at the start of the level, be prepared to dodge a lot of Bob-ombs that are dropped by the many Albatosses that fly past. The Bob-ombs will walk around, then start to flash, and will explode soon after. Make sure not to be in the range of the explosions.

Go to the right and get the Cherries, but don't pick the leftmost grass. It has a Potion, but you can get more coins if you ignore this Potion and use the ones later in the level instead. But you can pick the two grasses on the right to get two large veggies.

Go to the right, avoiding Albatosses and the Bob-ombs that fall from them, and try to get the Cherries on the way.

When you reach some tufts of grass after some columns of broken blocks, pick the leftmost grass to get a Potion, then drop it where you found it. Go through the door to get four coins and a Mushroom.

After you exit Subspace, go to the right. There will be some grass on logs. You can pick both to get large veggies.

Farther to the right, there are some Bob-ombs walking along. Try to lure them to the right and make them explode up against the broken blocks on the right. If you pick one up and it starts flashing, throw it immediately, because it explodes almost instantly after it starts flashing. Then go through the opening. Don't pull any grass yet, but be aware that there is a Potion nearby, but in order to get more coins, you should skip this Potion for now, then come back and use it later, because you only get coins from your first two visits to Subspace. You should now pull the grass beyond the hole that you opened in the broken blocks, then throw the bomb at the broken blocks on the right. Then go down the ladder.

Go to the right and remove the Mushroom Block from the vase. Bob-ombs will come out of the vase. Then put the Mushroom Block on the leftmost of the two broken blocks in the ground. Lure Bob-ombs to the Mushroom Block to try to get them to explode on the broken blocks in the ground. Then go down below. Pick the rightmost grass and drop it near the middle grass to the left of where you got the Potion. Then go through the door and get the five coins.

After you exit Subspace, pick the leftmost grass to get a bomb, and put it against the broken blocks on the left. Then go up the ledges, but before you proceed through the rest of the level, you can optionally get a Mushroom from the Subspace area you skipped earlier. To do so, get on the ledge on the right and go back to the right to go up the ladder. Then go to the right, dodge the two Bob-ombs, then go to the right until you're no longer beneath the log, and use a Power Squat Jump (crouch until flashing, then jump straight up) to reach the log above. (You can't jump through the log.)

Then go to the left where there are Bob-ombs to the left of the broken blocks, and break through the wall with one of those Bob-ombs again. Then go up to the ledge above, pick the middle grass to get a Potion, and drop it to the left of the grass. Go through into Subspace and get the Mushroom, then go back through the door or just wait to get kicked out.

After that, go down and use the grass to the right of the first set of broken blocks, and throw the bomb at the second broken blocks. Go down the ladder.

If you followed the instructions above, you can ignore the area beyond the broken blocks below. Go to the left, pull the grass to get a large veggie, avoid the Bob-ombs, and try to throw a large veggie at the Panser. Then go to the left and go through the door.

Go through the Tree

Go downward and pick up the Mushroom Block to proceed. Then, when you find a vase, drop your Mushroom Block directly to the right of it. Then try to run left on the Mushroom Block and vase, then crouch shortly before you hit the wall. If you time it just right, you can slide through the gap, giving you a shortcut. If you make it through the gap, skip ahead to Going Up.

If you don't make it through the gap, then go to the right of the vase and pick up the Mushroom Block to go farther down. Continue picking up Mushroom Blocks to keep going downward. There is no need to try to squeeze past the second vase. Just pick up the Mushroom Block to go down below. You can try throwing the Mushroom Block at the Spark on the platform below. Then go to the left side and jump on top of the Mushroom Blocks. From there, you can jump up to the next ledge.

Going Up

From here, you can go up the left side of the room. Be careful to dodge the Spark and the Shyguys from the vase. Farther up, there are some Bob-ombs that will walk down the platforms, so try to get past them before they explode.

Stack the two Mushroom Blocks on each other, then jump on top to reach the next ledge. Beware of the pink walking Panser that comes down the platforms. The room wraps around, so you can go through the gap on the left to reach the platform on the right, but the Panser can't go through the gaps (but its fireballs will wrap around if they go past the side), so try to use this to your advantage to safely go up the platforms.

There is a second pink Panser on the platforms above. When you get past it, there arent't any more enemies between you and the door, so just keep going up, then go through the door at the top.

Float in the Treetops

Go to the right and pick all the grass to get four large veggies, one of which might be a Stopwatch depending on how many you picked. Keep going to the right and you find a pink Snifit and a Pidgit on a flying carpet. Jump onto the Pidgit and pick it up and throw it. Then use the flying carpet to go to the right, but stay in the upper half of the screen. You'll find another Pidgit on a flying carpet up ahead. Jump onto that Pidgit, pick it up and throw it, and use its flying carpet to keep going to the right. Land on the log on the right and pull the grass to get more large veggies for a chance to get a Stopwatch.

Go to the right to find several pink Shyguys on the clouds. There will also be a red Beezo that swoops down from the sky. To the right of that, you find some logs, and a Red Birdo.

Red Birdo

Red Birdo spits several eggs in a row, and sometimes spits a fireball instead, so pick up an egg, but before you throw it, wait for Birdo to stop spitting eggs for a moment. Throw eggs at Birdo until the Crystal Ball comes out. Take it and go to the right, and go through the mask gate.

Clawgrip

Now you have to battle Clawgrip. Go to the right and you find Clawgrip throwing rocks at you. It's not safe to let the rocks land on your head like you could with bombs from Mouser. Instead you have to change where you are standing to make Clawgrip change where it throws the rocks, then try to jump on top of the rocks and pick them up. When you go to throw the rocks at Clawgrip, be careful not to get hit by the next rock that Clawgrip throws.

After you hit Clawgrip with enough rocks, the door appears. Go through, play Bonus Chance if you got coins, and you will continue to World 6-1.