A guide to completing World 6-5 in Super Mario Bros 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

How to Clear World 6-5

Go to the right and jump over the ice steps, then go into the pipe.

To the right, there are two Buster Beetles. The hole in the ceiling doesn't lead anywhere.

After that, there is a pipe that you can optionally go up. If you go up it, you can hit the ? Block to get a Super Mushroom or Super Leaf.

If you get hit and lose the ability to fly, you can always come back to this area to get another Super Leaf.

From there, if you want a shortcut to the end of the level and don't mind skipping a 1UP Mushroom, you can go through the left pipe. But if you want to go back and get the 1UP Mushroom instead, go back down the pipe on the right.

If you use the shortcut, there will be a Venus Fire Trap to the left. You can hit it with your tail, or just dodge its fireball and stand next to or on top of its pipe to temporarily stop it from coming back up. Then skip ahead to Fly with the Shell.

If you don't take the shortcut and instead choose to go back down the pipe, you can go to the right to find another Buster Beetle, and five Ice Blocks, followed by another Buster Beetle. The beetles will pick up the Ice Blocks and try to throw them at you.

Above the Ice Blocks, there is a ? Block with a Super Mushroom or Super Leaf.

If you are Raccoon Mario or Tanooki Mario, you can fly to the right of the ? Block and go straight up from there to find a hidden area up above with eight bricks. The left brick in the upper row contains a 1UP Mushroom.

If you go back down, then go left until you can see the pipe leading up, you can fly to the right of that pipe and go straight up from there to find a hidden area above where you got the 1UP Mushroom. You can use your tail to break the bricks and collect the 11 coins there.

Go back down below, then go to the right, and you will find two Buster Beetles and two Ice Blocks. Dodge the blocks that they throw at you, then go to the right.

You need to get this Green Koopa's shell and fly up above with it. Make sure not to defeat the Green Koopa, and don't let the Buster Beetle hit it. If you lose the Koopa's shell, you can go to the left until you see the Buster Beetle on top of the hill. Defeat it, then go back to the right to make the Green Koopa reappear.

Fly with the Shell

After you get rid of the Buster Beetle, get rid of the bricks in this area by using your tail on the bricks on the right, and picking up and throwing the Ice Blocks without hitting the Koopa (hold the Run button while touching an ice block to pick it up). Then stomp on the Koopa once so its shell doesn't start sliding back and forth, and land near it to avoid kicking it. Hold the run button to pick up the Koopa Shell, then run until you can fly. Make sure not to fly up the rightmost hole in the ceiling, because it leads to a dead end. Keep holding the run button while you tap the fly button, or you will kick the shell and lose it.

Fly up the hole on the left, and you will reach an upper area where there are two Walking Piranhas. Kick the shell so it falls into the area with the Walking Piranhas, and the shell will bounce back and forth, getting rid of the bricks and the Piranhas. Then you can break the brick on the right with your tail to reach the pipe on the right and go up it.

Keep going to the right from there to reach the end of the level. Hit the Goal Block to complete the level.

After the Level

If you can reach either of the Hammer Bros, you can fight them for a chance to get a Starman or a Lakitu's Cloud.

You can go into the Toad House to get a Hammer Suit.

You can optionally visit the Spade House for a chance to get 1UPs.

You can then optionally go to World 6-6, or go to World 6-7, or if you have a hammer, you can use it to break the rock to the left of World 6-7 to reach the second fortress of World 6.