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

How to Clear World 5-2

Go down the pipe, and you will fall downward. Try to land on a Note Block if you want to get more coins, some 1UPs, and a Fire Flower. If you landed on a Note Block, skip to the next paragraph. If you miss, you'll fall for a long time (you can get coins on the way down), and you'll land in some water, with three pipes at the bottom. Go down the middle one. The only things you find in this area are some water with a Green Cheep-Cheep, a bunch of Buster Beetles that throw Ice Blocks at you, a bunch of Piranha Plants and Venus Fire Traps, and three ? Blocks that each contain one coin. Make your way to the right, then go up the pipe at the end of the area. This takes you to the end of the level, where you can hit the Goal Block to complete the level. See After the Level for a list of places where you can go next.

If you did land on a Note Block, try not to fall below. (If you do, read the previous paragraph.) Carefully make your way to either another Note Block. The middle Note Block contains a Super Mushroom or Super Leaf, but it will be very difficult to get, so you might want to just ignore the item and let it fall. Continue to carefully make your way to the bricks on the right, collecting the coins if you dare, but watch out for the Green Koopa Troopa that falls from above. Go upward on the bricks, and you reach a larger platform of bricks. Again, watch out for the Green Koopa Troopas that fall from above. Then go up the pipe.

Go to the right and slide down the slope to get rid of the three Goombas, then slide down the right side of the next slope to get rid of the two Goombas there.

Then go down the pipe to reach a hidden room. Go to the bottom-left corner of the big square of bricks and hit the one that is sticking out, and you'll get a Super Mushroom or Fire Flower. Then break a hole in the bottom of the square of bricks and hit the Mega ? Block to get three 1UPs. Then go to the right side of the room and go down the pipe.

Try to stomp the Green Paratroopa and use its shell to hit the ? Block on the ground. It just contains a coin. The group of three ? Blocks also just contains one coin in each.

Then go to the right and go up the pipe. This takes you to the end of the level, where you can hit the Goal Block to complete the level.

After the Level

You can optionally visit the Toad House, where you will get a Tanooki Suit (all three chests contain it).

Then you can go into the Warp Pipe to reach the area across the river.

If there is a Hammer Bro in your way, you can fight them to get a Starman or P Wing.

Then you can either continue to World 5-3 or the first fortress of World 5.