Super Mario RPG: Nimbus Castle Walkthrough

Welcome to our complete story walkthrough of Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch and SNES.

There’s trouble at Nimbus Castle! Valentina, who is very distinctly not a Nimbus, tells the town that King Nimbus is ill. She’s also found a stand-in for Prince Mallow, who seems to want to appoint her as queen. It’s time to take back the throne and return it to its rightful owner!

In this Super Mario RPG guide, we're covering Nimbus Castle, where to find the Surprise Boxes, and how to save Nimbus Land.

Nimbus Castle Enemies

Sling Shy

They have low health, but hence their name they attack with slingshots! They can also turn your party members into scarecrows, so take them out before that happens.

Orbison

Upgraded versions of the Orb User enemy. They have high defense, low health, and the ability to restore their health.

Shaman

The cloaked figures from earlier in the game are enemies now, too. They have higher magic defense than physical defense, so stick to physical moves.

Jawful

They start each battle asleep, so attack them while they’re defenseless! They take increased damage from most magic attacks.

Bluebird

Your typical ice-type enemies. They’re weak to fire but can cast powerful ice spells. They don’t have a ton of health otherwise and should go down easily.

Pinwheel

These will often try to blow you back, preventing you from moving forward. But in battle, they're a lot easier to deal with.

Nimbus Castle Walkthrough

After a cutscene where you're carried into the castle and into a side room, you regain control and head for the door in the northwest corner. Valentina orders Dodo to polish the statues, and you’re not even made of metal! You’ll need to jump with good timing to avoid getting pecked. If you manage to avoid Dodo’s attack each time, you’ll receive a Feather that increases your speed stat.

Head to the next room where you’ll hear two guards complaining to each other. They decide to let out their frustration by poking Mario, and in the process, they find out that he’s not really a statue! Take the northwest door and then head northeast on the upper level, but try not to fall down! There’s a treasure box with a Flower inside here. Take the southwest exit. In here is a full heal, but you might want to wait to use it until after the enemy in this room is defeated.

Head back to the room you just came from and then go through the northeast exit. Grab the Flower in the Treasure Box and then backtrack to the hallway once again. This time, take the top door and then go down the stairs. Defeat the enemies down here and then continue to the next room.

There’s a ton of Nimbus in this room! The blue one in the south corner gives you a Flower Jar and the one in the west corner gives you a Castle Key, which you need to progress.

Hidden Treasure 35 - Invisible path

Leave this room and hug the left wall and you’ll start walking off-screen. Head as far northwest as possible and jump to reveal a Hidden Treasure chest with a Frog Coin instead.

Hidden Treasure 36 - Near staircase

Another hidden box lies very close! It’s right by the entrance to the room containing all the Nimbus. Jump against the wall right by the staircase to reveal another Hidden Treasure with another Frog Coin.

Return to the room with the three doors and then fight the Heavy Troopa guarding the middle room. Use the Castle Key and you’ll find a room with a giant pink egg inside.

Boss - Birdo

To progress, tell the egg you’ll play with it and the next boss battle begins! And it's another familiar face. Birdo is pretty easy, but even so, we've got a guide on How To Defeat Birdo just in case.

And, as it turns out, Birdo had the second castle key! Pick it up and then exit through the door. The Pinwheel enemy directly in front of you can mess up your platforming here, so defeat it to save yourself some time.

Hidden Treasure 37 - On top of chest

Defeat the Jawful here and then hop onto the top of the treasure box. Jump again to uncover a chest with a Frog Coin inside. Head through the door afterwards.

Run straight through this room and into the next and defeat the Heavy Troopa here. Enter the door and watch the cutscene here. Indeed, you’ll have to fight her soon – but not just yet.

Continue to the next room, save, and then go through this door. You’ll see a treasure box floating in the air, so jump under it to reveal a hidden platform. Jump onto the platform and get yourself ready, because the Super Star inside the chest can save you lots of time.

As soon as you get the Super Star, make a mad dash northeast and run as fast as you can. If you make good time, you’ll see Dodo and knock him out to avoid having to fight him. If you can’t get there in time, either reload your save from a moment ago or pummel him with physical attacks.

Head through the door and you’ll fall several stories downward. You can’t use the Nimbus Land shop right now, so take a detour to Seaside Town for some healing items if you need them.

Before you return to Nimbus land, make sure Bowser is in the middle position in the party. Hop back on the trampoline to Nimbus Land and a cutscene will play out here.

Boss - Valentina & Dodo

There's no other boss quite like Valentina and Dodo in Super Mario RPG, because Dodo will take one of your trio away for a separate fight. That way you can still boost up with Geno and attack as Mario (who can’t be moved to the second slot either way).

If you're struggling to beat this duo, have a look at our strategy on How To Defeat Valentina & Dodo. Once you beat her, she drops a key you can use inside the castle!

Return to Nimbus Land

Mallow introduces Mario and company to his parents, who tell them that a Star Piece has fallen into a nearby volcano. Go past Mallow’s parents and hit the treasure box that once had the Super Star for a free Flower.

Next, go back to Nimbus Castle throne room and head southwest two rooms and then northwest one room. Inside is the Nimbus who gave you the first Castle Key — talking to him again will get you a Flower Jar.

Hidden Treasure 38 - Birdcage

Head back into the hallway with three doors, and in the northwest corner right next to a birdcage is a Surprise Box containing a Frog Coin.

Back outside, head into the house at the southeastern corner of the map to find Croco. He flees and bonks his head on the way out, dropping an Echo Signal Ring in the Switch remake, or a Signal Ring in the SNES version. This can be used to help find any Hidden Treasures you're missing.

Leave the house, and then follow an invisible path off the cloud towards the southeast. You'll find a Shy Away who gives you some Fertilizer. This means you can go and get Mario's best weapon in the game as well as a great piece of armor. If you want to grab these, here's our guide on How To Get The Lazy Shell.

When you're ready, drop through the northeastern hole next to the trampoline. Talk to the Nimbus here and they’ll let you in. This brings you to Barrel Volcano, the next major location!

For more help on getting through Super Mario RPG, check out our full Super Mario RPG guide for everything you need.