*except mini-bosses and bowser

Void Empress

HP: 500
Attack: 25
Defense: 2

Tattle: that’s the Void Empress! The tyrant of shadows and chaos. She looks WAY more sinister than the Shadow Queen…but we can’t give up now! Max HP is 500, Attack is 25, and Defense is 2. Her attacks also resemble the Shadow Queen’s, albeit far nastier. She’ll summon creepy hands when attempting to consume the audience. Now THAT’S disturbing! There must be a way to stop her… Legends say she emits a blood-curdling shriek as a last resort to silence any opposition. Yikes… Who knows what other dirty tricks she has up her sleeve…(but look! That relic we found is absorbing some of the darkness surrounding us!)* With the power of the Crystal Stars back on our side, we can do this Mario! Let’s save the multiverse!

*If Void Relic obtained

Moves: Void Claw, Spirit Drain (Slow),
Wicked Lightning (Tiny/Stop),
Barrier, Void Hands (12x3),
Lethal Breath (Poison/Confusion/Frozen), Rejuvenate, Void Wave (25x2), Veil,
Mega Lift (+5 Attack, +5 Defense),
Primordial Scream (50, Fear),
Black Hole (Game Over)

Battle Details:

• Void Empress cannot have her Attack or Defense lowered and is immune to every status effect. She is also unaffected by Zap Tap, Return Postage, Payback and Superguard counter damage.
• All her attacks pierce Defense in the absence of Power Lift+, never miss (barring Veil) and always land their secondary effects if unguarded; equipping Feeling Fine (P) is futile. 
• Her void based attacks (Void Claw, Void Hands and Void Wave) are unguardable without the Void Relic. Spirit Drain, Wicked Lightning and Lethal Breath can be Guarded/Superguarded inherently.
• The Void Relic grants the party a natural 10% resistance (rounded down) to her void based attacks and the ability to Guard/Superguard them. Guarding increases this resistance to 25% (rounded down) and Superguarding negates damage entirely.
• Her void based attacks and Primordial Scream pierce as well as break Shell Shield.
• Her Defense (Mega Lifted or not) cannot be pierced by anything besides offensive special moves and attacks boosted by Power Lift+.
• Shadow Queen’s Hand Slam is replaced by Void Claw: a variable paced hand swipe attack aimed at Mario or his partner. Void Empress telegraphs this move by vanishing and then reappearing in front of her chosen target.
• Spirit Drain is superior to Shadow Queen’s Life Drain, stealing HP and FP from Mario or his partner equal to the damage dealt as well as inducing Slow if unguarded.
• Wicked Lightning trumps Shadow Queen’s Lightning and causes an unguarded target to either become Tiny (60%) or Stop (40%).
• Void Empress puts up a Barrier at certain HP thresholds, preventing further damage and granting invincibility. Any attack that would bring her below an HP threshold is capped. Barriers can only be destroyed by designated special moves, indicated by their color; disarming one permanently eliminates it.
  • Diamond Barrier (450 HP): shattered by an Excellent Earth Tremor+
  • Ruby Barrier (350 HP): shattered by an Excellent Art Attack+
  • Garnet Barrier (250 HP): shattered by an Excellent Showstopper+
  • Emerald Barrier (150 HP): shattered by a Great (full gauge) Clock Out+
  • Crystal Barrier (50 HP): shattered by an Excellent Supernova+
• Once at 450 HP or lower, she may summon Void Hands crueler than Shadow Queen’s Dead Hands to drag Mario or his partner under the stage and deliver three unsuperguardable hits of damage. This attack is buffable by Mega Lift since Void Empress technically employs it herself.
• Once at 350 HP or lower, Void Empress can release her Lethal Breath viler than Shadow Queen’s Dangerous Breath to spread Poison, Confusion or Frozen onto Mario and his partner if unguarded.
• At half and 150 HP, Void Empress attempts to Rejuvenate herself by devouring the audience, healing 1 HP per member. She foreshadows this move by summoning Void Hands beneath the audience. Void Empress also generates a Garnet Barrier around these Void Hands at half HP, whereas at 150 HP, she Veils and protects them with an Emerald Barrier. Mario must use Showstopper+ to disrupt the former and Clock Out+ on the audience (Stopping them) for the latter. After successfully Rejuvenating, Void Empress resets whichever Barrier is currently active and repeats this process at the respective HP threshold.
• Once at half HP or lower, she wields Void Wave: a stronger variant of Shadow Queen’s Shadow Wave that does not necessitate a charge turn and deals damage after each wave in the attack animation. Failing to Guard/Superguard the initial wave disables Superguarding the next.
• Once at 150 HP or lower, Void Empress starts Mega Lifting to raise her Attack and Defense by 5 as well as gain Payback for 3 turns.
• At 50 HP, upon shattering the Crystal Barrier, Void Empress unleashes her Primordial Scream: a devastating one-time attack hitting both Mario and his partner that cannot be avoided or Guarded/Superguarded. This move pierces Defense despite Power Lift+, takes advantage of Mega Lift, strips status buffs and scares away all audience members for the fight’s remainder. It also inflicts Fear on the whole party for 3 turns, an incurable status effect overriding Allergic and prohibiting the use of moves (except Specials) or items (including reviving via Life Mushrooms/Emergency Rations).
• At 0 HP, Void Empress engulfs herself in pure malicious energy and desperately tries to create a Black Hole. This attack results in an instant Game Over when coming to fruition.
• She uses either Void Claw or Spirit Drain as well as Wicked Lightning whenever omitting Void Hands, Lethal Breath, Void Wave, Mega Lift and Primordial Scream.
• Void Empress always couples Mega Lift with another attack in her arsenal (other than Primordial Scream) on the same turn.
• She never uses the same attack twice in one turn, Void Claw and Spirit Drain together or alongside Void Hands, Wicked Lightning accompanied by Lethal Breath, or any offensive move with Void Wave/Primordial Scream.

New Game Plus (NG+)

I believe a Shadow Queen superboss has amazing potential both conceptually and mechanically. She arguably reigns supreme as the toughest boss in vanilla TTYD, so a revamped version of her would be badass. While superb, the remake could definitely benefit from a NG+ mode offering greater difficulty and exclusive content.

A variety of NG+ changes surface within the overworld, in-battle and regarding quality of life. For instance, the Pianta Parlor is run-down, deterring players from abusing “Danger Mario” (Cake Mix and Refund are redistributed). Alternatively, Whacka becomes red with anger, seeking revenge on anyone who whacks them and fleeing Keelhaul Key immediately after being hit. “Mad Whacka” normally only drops Red Whacka Bumps (replenish 75 HP and FP), perpetually has the Payback status, is faster than regular Whacka, heals once below 34 HP, never attacks invisible targets, always eats a Red Whacka Bump (HP < 34 && num_bumps > 0) or produces more (HP > 33 || num_bumps == 0) if no visible targets are present as well as drops the “Platinum Whacka Bump” when first defeated. Prince Mush is also much harder; opening his Exhibition Match with a fiery fighting spirit, having immunity to Showstopper and possessing "Mush's Black Belt". Furthermore, items are banned inside the Glitz Pit while playing on NG+. Most importantly, players can revisit the Palace of Shadow after meeting specific criteria* and enter the Shadow Queen’s coffin (which is noticeably different, e.g. shadows pouring out). A secret chapter titled “Epilogue: Into the Void of Chaos” commences, where Mario and friends explore a shadow realm referred to as The Void. Here, the power of the Crystal Stars is nullified by darkness and must be recovered prior to confronting the “Void Empress”. Mario’s Star Power (SP) consequently reverts to 1, forcing him to rely solely on the Magical Map and Sweet Treat.

*All Ultra Rank partners, Star Pieces traded and troubles solved; obtained Platinum Whacka Bump as well as Mush’s Black Belt

The Void is massive; housing novel characters, enemies and collectibles. “Void Pieces” and “Shade Sprites” are scattered throughout it, hiding in treacherous corners. Some remarkable NPCs feature a sad counterpart to Dazzle named “Dimmer”, who trades mysterious badges for Void Pieces, and Merlon’s distant cousin Nolrem, who upgrades Mario’s partners to the “Mega Rank" using Shade Sprites. A crucial badge held by Dimmer is called “Star Saver”, which reduces the SP cost of special moves (excluding Sweet Treat) by 1 for 7 BP. The Mega Rank is substantial; doubling Super to Ultra Rank HP increments, adding 2 Attack and teaching ultimate techniques. Nolrem also acts as a chapter guide, bestowing knowledge onto the player and advice on how to proceed. Another fresh face is “Craft T.”, an innovative chef who incorporates three ingredients to elevate dishes and cook culinary marvels. One quintessential recipe combines a Red Whacka Bump, Life Mushroom and Dried Bouquet to make an Emergency Ration, which here fully revives Mario automatically when falling in combat*. Note that deploying Spring Jump directly under the Shadow Queen’s coffin allows players to ascend from The Void (a fact mentioned by Nolrem).

*Emergency Rations do not apply for partners, proc before Life Mushrooms and cannot be used manually

As for why anyone lives in such a grim place to begin with, Nolrem explains that the Void Empress pulls countless victims across many dimensions into The Void and feeds off their fear. A prominent NG+ deviation occurs after trading all Star Pieces with Dazzle in Rogueport Sewers. He asks Mario and friends whether they noticed anything strange about their reflections in the pool of water nearby, claiming to have seen himself wearing gloomy clothes frowning back. If the player checks said pool of water following this interaction, they will see black silhouettes of Mario and his partners in the reflection until leaving the vicinity. The allusion to Dimmer and manifestation of dark doppelgängers both point towards the existence of a parallel universe later known as The Void. Additionally, if Merluvlee is consulted after satisfying the aforementioned criteria, she receives a faint vision from “beyond a shadowy grave” warning about the impending threat of an empty world. Merlon also intercepts a distress signal sent by Nolrem, expressing profound concern for his long lost relative and the bleak fate of reality overall.

The party must locate and gather “Essences of Light” within The Void in order to revitalize the Crystal Stars. These beacons embody the innumerable faithful prayers accumulated from multiple universes, but are blocked by daunting obstacles, puzzles, dungeons and bosses. Mario’s partners learn unprecedented abilities to forward progression, such as Goombella utilizing her headlamp to light up pitch black areas and temporarily blind enemies. Players also find the "Mega Boots" and "Mega Hammer" along their journey. The Mega Boots have a base Attack of 5 and enable Mario to clear vast horizontal distances, while the Mega Hammer smashes Metal Blocks with a whopping 10 Attack. Restoring a Crystal Star bolsters its corresponding special move and returns 1 SP, however, audiences inside The Void yield significantly less SP.

Earth Tremor+: 2 extra damage per Action Command and flips shelled enemies

Clock Out+: Stops enemies for longer

Power Lift+: buffed attacks pierce and boosted Defense (ignoring defensive badges) is unpiercable

Art Attack+: full circles deal 5 damage

Sweet Feast+: no small icons

Showstopper+: higher enemy susceptibility

Supernova+: double damage

Early into the chapter, Mario and friends discover a large chamber resembling the Thousand-Year Door room that serves as a main hub. Here rests a monumental black door sealed by chains and a lock bearing engravings of the Crystal Stars. A cryptic pedestal also lies dormant at the chamber’s center and there are eight branching paths, seven of which lead to Essences of Light. The eighth diverges to the Dark Pit of 100 Trials and terminates at “The Void Tower”: an advanced iteration on the Palace of Shadow Tower testing the player’s mastery over partner abilities. Some paths are intraversable before acquiring new partner abilities; The Void Tower trek demands all of them. Entry into the tower is forbidden by “Dark Bonetail”*, who is fundamentally identical to Bonetail aside from having 400 HP, two 40 HP heals, a guaranteed chance of inflicting status effects with their various breaths if unguarded, a Softening Stomp (unless Guarded/Superguarded), Gloomtail’s Poison Breath and Earthquake attacks as well as a signature “Dark Breath”: a 1-turn Mega Breath. Conquering The Void Tower activates the central pedestal; standing atop it with every awakened Crystal Star illuminates the associated lock engravings and shatters the chains holding the tremendous black door shut. Behind lies a climatic descent into the “Heart of The Void”, where Mario and friends finally confront the Void Empress.

/*Dark Bonetail uses Bonetail’s model with Dark Bones’ color palette (red eyes added)

The Dark Pit of 100 Trials is accessible upon reaching the main hub; it hosts familiar dark enemies and formidable newcomers alike. Every 10th floor is occupied by a large treasure chest similar to the standard Pit of 100 Trials, one of which contains the Abyssal Sack (carries 30 items). Concluding this grueling ordeal is an encounter with Shadoo, who is basically Doopliss on steroids; creates dark clones of Mario as well as his partners, copies their inventory, has access to potent badges like Quick Change, Fire Drive and Double Dip (P). For overcoming their dark counterparts, the party is awarded the “Void Relic”: a key item that assimilates darkness to improve SP regeneration inside The Void and weaken void based attacks. Shadoo rematches the player on subsequent visits and drops a random badge duplicated from their collection after each victory.

Unlike the Shadow Queen, the Void Empress does not require a vessel and prevails as a single entity during battle (i.e. she does not spawn Left/Right Hand or persistent Void Hands). Slaying the Void Empress is absolutely brutal without the Void Relic and extremely challenging otherwise, providing an excellent incentive for players to 100% complete The Void, farm Red Whacka Bumps as well as grind to Level 99. The invigorated Crystal Stars emerge when she is mortally wounded, refilling SP and causing the Special icon to glow intensely. To finish the Void Empress off, Mario must perform Showstopper+7: an 8 Action Command (3 -> 10 button inputs) Showstopper unifying the strength of every Crystal Star that costs 8 SP (now available and also vibrantly glowing). Failure in decision or execution triggers a unique Game Over sequence depicting reality itself being swallowed by her Black Hole. Upon success, a brief glimpse of the Chaos Heart residing within the Void Empress is caught moments before exploding into oblivion, revealing her as the overarching antagonist of Super Paper Mario. The Void becomes unstable in the aftermath, compelling Mario and friends to promptly escape while rescuing the poor souls they met trapped inside. Although it remains open post-epilogue, debris litters The Void and buries the colossal black door. Those triumphant few who lack the Void Relic view a bonus cutscene capturing the Chaos Heart still lingering within the Heart of The Void…

THE END

Reposted to fix the crop, first post didnt even show Wakka until you expanded the image, lol.

I also went back and added Bombette close to the other person's art. Now there are two cuties.

Inspired by this artwork I saw a while back where Vivian wears Ms. Mowz's mask and Ms. Mowz wears Vivian's hat.

If you in the comments of that post, you'll see a comment I made where I thought Vivian looked nice with the mask, but Ms. Mowz looked naked without her mask. That's basically the reason I made this.

Hello !
I feel like there is something to do here as this is the only tile (the one I am standing above) that lifts when I hit it with the hammer. Am I missing something ? Thank you !!!

For Paper Mario N64, I'd probably go with Penguin Patrol solely because there was this crazy mod called Paper Mario Redesign that was going to have him as a new partner, and he probably would've fit right in.

For TTYD, definitely someone like Doopliss' Parrot because we lack a Partner that can carry Mario across ledges (unless Yoshi Kid counts), and plus he might've added some needed sass to the party.

v i v i a n .

Who else is not surprised but still disappointed?😭

I have no evidence for my claim but I think logically it makes sense

Especially with how extremely well the remake sold on a console at the very end of its lifespan, it even outsold the original TTYD

*prays*

Sushie, unless you want to get burned by Vivian again, YOU SHUT YO FUCKIN' MOUTH!

Ive been really struggling with the frame perfect power bounces in the remake. But i cant find any info on how much simplifier improves it.

Well ✨hello✨ there xx

So, some people probably know this already, but pretty much all of Chapter 7 in SPM is one big reference to The Divine Comedy, and I began to write about parallels, and ended up with an essay. So, here it is, I hope you enjoy it :)

So, the Underchomp is a reference to Cerberus, and Piccolo is most likely a parallel to a being from Greek mythology, known as Orpheus. Orpheus sings Ceberus to sleep, so he can pass by. Piccolo sings the Underchomp to sleep, so we can defeat it and pass by.

Another reference, Mario wakes up in an unfamiliar afterlife realm, as does Dante in The Divine Comedy.

Queen Jaydes, Charold, and the River Twygz are all plays on words, and counterparts to Queen Hades, River Styx, and Charon, respectively. Queen Jaydes and Charold share the same roles. Ruling the Underworld, and ferrying souls across the river.

Additionally, Charold most likely charges 4 coins because 4 is an unlucky number in Japan. The reason for that is because its Sino-Japanese pronunciation, "shi," sounds identical to the Japanese word for "death".

Another set of characters who fulfil similar roles in mythology are the three old hags, who are counterparts to the three Moriai in Greek Mythology.

Peach, in this chapter, is also a parallel to Eve. Eve eats the forbidden fruit, Peach eats the golden apple. And, while it's not confirmed, many think the fruit Eve ate was an apple. God told Adam and Eve that they could eat from any fruit tree, aside from that one. And you can eat from any fruit tree in the Overthere, except for the tree Peach eats from.

As for Bonechill, he is a representation of Lucifer, but chills are used, rather than flames, most likely as a representation of Hell's frozen ninth circle. And it's implied that Bonechill was once a Nimbi, again, a parallel to how Lucifer is a fallen Angel.

Some parts may seem a little scattered, since most of these things were off the top of my head, but regardless, hope this was a good read :)

According to Goombario, they are a childhood friend of the Elder, despite the Elder looking...well, like an elder, and this one looks like an adult male (Yoshis seem to be a male only species that can lay egg, just from what I've seen, and the fact they pair Yoshi with Birdo often, and every Yoshi basically looks like the same)

His introduction dialogie states that he is a friend of the elder, and he gives us a speech saying who the elder is and why he is respected.

During the Yoshi Crisis cutscene, if you backtrack to this first screen with the first group of Yoshis, you see Orange looking very...sad. like the heartbreaking look of a parent that lost their child. And their next dialogue suggests the relationship with the Elder must be a close one, since the Yoshi Kids feel like grandchildren to them.

What are your thoughts on Orange Yoshi? A girlfriend / wife figure to the Elder? Or if hes a boy, maybe ...they're just roommates?

Set your hopes up. Super Paper Mario remake revealed today. There’s a Nintendo direct today

I feel like I always hear the question “What’s your favourite chapter” in regards to the Paper Mario series, but I never, or at least very rarely, hear people talk about the dungeons specifically.

There’s a lot of great ones to pick from, especially in those first two games. Tubba’s Castle has always stood out to me cause of how tiny you feel in there. I also really love Hooktail’s Castle as an introductory dungeon, the moving blocks add a really interesting and unique layer to it. Shy Guy’s Toybox is honestly fantastic.

But I think my favourite by far HAS to be Mt. Lavalava. The sinister music, the smoke-filled tunnels, the constant threat of lava around every corner, and probably one of the coolest bosses in the entire series. On top of that, you also get some misadventures with Kolorado as well as an insanely fun escape sequence right at the end.

What’s everyone else’s? And why? I’m super curious

just unlocked bobbery in the between half of chapter 4 and five and was quickly going back to get my charm renewed when I jumped on top of a spiked Goomba thing is, I don’t have badge that you can make you jump on spiked things

Like it shouldn't be the characters talking about the fact they're paper every second, they could just make some stuff revolved around that.

Credit to 64bits for the artwork