A guide to completing World 5-1 in Super Mario Bros 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

How to Clear World 5-1

If you use a P Wing before you enter this level, you can more easily get the coins, 1UPs, and other hidden item in the level.

There is a pipe in the sky above the bricks at the start of the level. With a P Wing, you can just fly there directly. With a Tanooki Suit, you can use the Statue ability (hold Down and the Run button at the same time) to stomp the Chain Chomp near the beginning of the level, then use your tail to destroy the bricks to the left, then run back and forth to get enough momentum to fly to the pipe in the sky. Skip ahead to Sky Room if you went up the pipe.

If you want to reach the pipe in the sky without a P Wing or Tanooki suit, you still can, but it's more difficult. You have to go partway through the level first. Start by stomping on the Buster Beetle at the start of the level (or let it go past), then bump into the wooden block on top of the bricks to get a Super Mushroom or Super Leaf. To reach the pipe in the sky, you have to be Raccoon Mario, so make sure not to get hit. Wait for the Chain Chomp to go back toward the wooden block that it's chained to, and jump onto the platform above the Chain Chomp and go to the right.

There is another Chain Chomp. This one is guarding a ? Block that contains a Super Mushroom or Super Leaf. To reach the pipe in the sky, you have to be Raccoon Mario, so make sure not to get hit. After you get the item, you can jump on top of it and break the brick to escape the area instead of having to go back past the Chain Chomp.

Jump over the pit that has a Chain Chomp in it. Don't hit the ? Block. (If you don't want to go to the pipe in the sky, you can hit the ? Block.) Jump carefully over the Walking Piranhas, collect the six coins on the way if you wish, stomp or avoid the Buster Beetle after the third Walking Piranha, then jump over the Chain Chomp to reach some ? Blocks. If you don't want to go to the pipe in the sky, skip ahead to From the Top of the Enclosed Area. If you do want to go to the pipe in the sky, hit the third ? Block from the right to get a Starman, then quickly run to the left to return to the ? Block that you ignored earlier. If you're still invincible when you hit that ? Block, another Starman will come out. (If the Starman wears off before you hit it, you'll just get a coin, and won't be able to reach the pipe in the sky.) If you got the second Starman, quickly go to the left, jump over the pit with the Chain Chomp in it, and go to the left to kill the leftmost Chain Chomp before the Starman wears off.

If you did it successfully (i.e. you're Raccoon Mario and you got rid of the Chain Chomp at the start of the level) then use your tail to destroy the bricks to the left, then run back and forth to get enough momentum to fly straight up from where the bricks were to reach the pipe in the sky.

Sky Room

If you have the P Wing, you can optionally get a Music Box and end the level early, but you'll miss out on coins and 1UPs. If you want the Music Box now, go to the right, to where there is a narrow tunnel. Then just crouch, and tap the jump button to fly through the narrow tunnel. (This only works with the P Wing.) This leads you to a treasure chest that you can open to get a Music Box. The level will automatically be cleared and you can move on to World 5-2.

Otherwise, if you reached the pipe in the sky as Tanooki Mario or Raccoon Mario, you can't get the Music Box right now (or if it's somehow possible, it's very difficult), but you can get it later if you want.

So go to the right to reach the lower level, and go through the pipe.

Enclosed Area

You end up inside of the enclosed area, where there are bricks on the right that contain a total of four 1UP Mushrooms, but don't hit more than one of the bricks at a time, because only one 1UP Mushroom is allowed on screen at a time. In addition, if you fly straight up while standing just to the left of the wooden blocks next to the bricks, you can hit the leftmost brick in the ceiling to make a P Switch appear, break a brick next to the P Switch brick, then fly up through the hole and step on the P Switch to make some blue coins appear below. Go back down to get the blue coins. There is a number 3 made out of blue coins, and another 3 to the right of that. These coins can be difficult to get if you don't have the P Wing.

After you get the hidden coins, you can get the Music Box even if you don't have a P Wing. (If you do have a P Wing, just go back to Sky Room and follow the instructions, ignoring the part about missing out on coins and 1UPs since you got them just now.) If you want the Music Box and don't have a P Wing, just fly up through the hole in the bricks and let enemies hit you until you're small. Then fall back down the hole in the bricks and go back down the pipe. Go to the left, and when you can't go left anymore, jump straight up while standing next to the tall wall, and you'll reveal a hidden block. Jump on that brick, then run to the right to jump over the two gaps, and you'll reach the treasure chest with the Music Box, and the level will end, and you can move on to World 5-2.

Otherwise, fly up to exit the enclosed area, go to the right, and get past the Chain Chomp.

From the Top of the Enclosed Area

In the group of ? Blocks, hit the third ? Block from the right to get a Starman. Go to the right while invincible, fall off the right side of the enclosed area, and get the coins, then go to the right to complete the level. If you miss the Starman, try to stand on top of the bricks and make a running jump to the right to get past the Chain Chomp, then quickly hop off of the right side of the floating platform to avoid getting hit by the Chain Chomp. Down below, carefully jump over the Walking Piranhas to get the coins, and also be careful of the Goomba Paratroopa that drops Micro-Goombas. Then go to the right and hit the Goal Block to complete the level. Then you can move on to World 5-2.