The 6-Door Challenge is a set of challenge courses that you need to complete before you can proceed further into Bowser’s Keep. The challenges 2 puzzle courses, 2 action courses and 2 battle courses. To start a challenge, go to any of the 6 doors in this room, tap the A button to open the door and head inside.
The objective of the challenge is to complete 4 of the 6- door challenge for you to proceed to the next area and fight Magikoopa which is the 1st Boss in Bowser’s Keep. After completing 4 courses, you won’t be able to do the remaining 2 courses to get their prizes unless you complete the game and head back to take the challenge again.
*Note that each numbered door generates a random challenge so there is no way of knowing what challenge you will face before entering each door. Failing the door challenge does not end with a game over but sends you back to the 6-Door Challenge room again.
Table of Contents
Action Courses
The action Course will test your speed and platform jumping skills that you need to complete before earning a prize. There are 2 action courses in the game each with a set of 3 separate rooms and puzzles. You have 10 tries to complete the course and if you fall off the platform or get hit by the monsters in the course, You will lose gold coins for each attempt. Using up all your 10 tries will send you back to the 6-door challenge room again.
1st Action Course
1st action course room 1
Room 1 map overview
The 1st challenge in Action Course 1 will let you help Mario navigate across the lava lake by jumping on the moving platforms to reach the exit at the end of the room.
Before you exit the area, You might want to grab the Kerokero Cola located at the top walkway. To do that, jump towards the walkway when the last platform moves to the top then make your way back until you see a treasure chest at the end of the walkway.
Grab the Kerokero Cola inside the chest then you can either head back and jump down the last platform and hop towards the exit or jump at the end of the walkway to your left to take you back to the start of the course and make your way back towards the exit.
1st action course room 2
Room 2 map overview
The 2nd room will have Mario navigating the area on top of a cannonball for him to reach the exit door which is located at the end of the course to your right. The controls for navigating with Mario on top of the cannonball are all reversed so you will need to keep that in mind while dodging the Bob-Ombs guarding the area.
1st Action Course room 3
Room 3 map overview
You will have to use the 2 rotating platforms to navigate your way towards the exit for the last room of Action Course 1. Hop on top of 1 platform to make the other rotate clockwise around you. Position the moving platforms so it’s moving where you want it to go then jump and land on it to make the previous platform move. Continue doing this until you reach the exit at the right side of the room.
1st Action Course Reward (Sonic Cymbal)
The next room is where you get your prize for completing the 1st Action Course Challenge. Inside the treasure chest in the middle of the room is Mallow’s Ultimate Weapon, the Sonic Cymbal. After grabbing the contents of the chest, head towards the exit to your right which will either transport you to the start of the 6-door challenge or to the next area save point if you have completed 4 out of the 6 puzzle challenges.
To learn more about the Sonic Cymbal and how to use it, Please read our guide on How to get the Sonic Cymbals in Super Mario RPG.
2nd Action Course
2nd Action Course Room 1
Room 1 map overview
The 3 sets of puzzles at the 2nd Action Course is a bit harder than the first ones. The 1st room let’s Mario navigate an invisible path that only gets visible when He or any of the Terra Cotta mons jump on the invisible platform to make it visible for a short while.
The image above shows an optimal path for you to follow if you want to navigate the path without jumping and it leads towards the exit located at the top right corner of the room.
2nd Action Course room 2
Room 2 map overview
The final Action Course Challenge is a Donkey Kong themed puzzle challenge where Mario has to climb up 4 platforms while dodging or jumping over the Gorilla’s Barrels which he tosses 7 times before stopping. Make your way to the top while avoiding these obstacles and touch the Gorilla for him to back off and jump down the platform. Afterwards, take the exit at the top to get your reward for completing the course.
2nd Action Course Reward (Super Slap)
Jump and loot the contents in this room which contains Toadstool’s weapon, Super Slap. This is a nice alternative to use of you haven’t obtained Toadstool’s Frying Pan which is her Ultimate Weapon. Afterwards, head towards the exit to either take you back to the 6-Door Challenge room or the save area to the Magikoopa Boss fight if you haven’t completed 4 out of the 6 Challenges.
Battle Courses
Enemy List
| Name | Hitpoints | Attack | Gold coins | Experience | Weak | First appearance |
| Alley rat | 105 | 70 | 3 | 9 | None | Sunken Ship |
| Amanita | 52 | 35 | 0 | 3 | Fire | Forest Maze |
| Armored ant | 230 | 130 | 5 | 30 | Ice | Barrel Volcano |
| Bahamutt | 500 | 170 | 0 | 0 | Ice | Bowser’s keep |
| Big Bertha | 350 | 170 | 7 | 35 | Thunder | Bowser’s Keep |
| Bloober | 130 | 80 | 0 | 12 | Fire, thunder | The Sea |
| Chained kong | 355 | 150 | 8 | 35 | Ice | Barrel Volcano |
| Chester | 1200 | 220 | 200 | 150 | Jump | Trial course |
| Chewy | 90 | 110 | 0 | 14 | None | Lands End |
| Chow | 80 | 82 | 3 | 15 | None | Lands end |
| Forkies | 360 | 170 | 7 | 42 | None | Bowser’s Keep |
| Geckit | 100 | 84 | 0 | 18 | Ice | Lands End |
| Glum reaper | 180 | 120 | 3 | 35 | None | Trial Course |
| Greaper | 148 | 72 | 0 | 13 | None | Sunken ship |
| Gu goomba | 132 | 115 | 1 | 15 | None | Bowser’s Keep |
| Lakitu | 124 | 45 | 3 | 10 | None | Booster pass |
| Magmus | 50 | 110 | 3 | 18 | Ice | Barrel Volcano |
| Malakoopa | 95 | 130 | 3 | 23 | Thunder | Bowser’s Keep |
| Mr. Kipper | 133 | 75 | 2 | 8 | Fire, thunder | The Sea |
| Muckle | 320 | 90 | 3 | 6 | Fire | Nimbus Castle |
| Oerlikon | 85 | 120 | 0 | 22 | Ice | Barrel Volcano |
| Orbison | 30 | 113 | 0 | 18 | Jump | Nimbus Castle |
| Pulsar | 69 | 75 | 12 | 15 | Fire | Star Hill |
| Pyrosphere | 167 | 105 | 2 | 17 | Ice | Barrel Volcano |
| Rob-Omb | 42 | 54 | 1 | 6 | Jump, fire | Booster Tower |
| Sackit | 167 | 105 | 2 | 17 | Ice | Star Hill |
| Shaman | 150 | 92 | 4 | 17 | None | Nimbus Castle |
| Shy away | 140 | 90 | 30 | 1 | Ice | Land’s End |
| Sling shy | 120 | 108 | 20 | 3 | None | Nimbus Castle |
| Star Cruster | 72 | 135 | 30 | 36 | Ice | Bowser’s Keep |
| Stinger | 65 | 78 | 1 | 13 | None | Lands End |
| Terra Cotta | 180 | 120 | 0 | 25 | None | Bowser’s Keep |
| The Big Boo | 43 | 60 | 2 | 2 | None | Kero Sewers |
| Tub-O-Troopa | 500 | 200 | 11 | 40 | Thunder | Bowser’s Keep |
| Vomer | 110 | 9 | 0 | 19 | None | Barrel Volcano |
| Zeostar | 90 | 75 | 3 | 10 | Fire, thunder | The Sea |
The Battle Courses are straight up gauntlet style mob fights where a party of monsters are summoned into the room and you will have to clear them to move further in.
Battle Courses are straight up gauntlet style mob fights where you will have to defeat a set of monsters to move further into the gauntlet. Like previous challenges, There are 2 Battle Courses and each course has 3 rooms that you need to clear for you to reach the exit at the end of each room.
*Please note that the table above is a list of monsters that you will be facing in the 2 battle course challenge. Although they spawn randomly, they are usually a mix of these types of monsters. To learn more about each monster type, we have provided a link to where the details can be viewed at the column to your right labelled “first appearance”.
Glum Reaper
Glum Reapers are 1 of 2 monsters that make their first appearance in the Trial Course. A more powerful version of Greapers, they can be quite troublesome since they spam their skill Deathsickle which deals 2x damage as well as inflict fear effect to the target.
Another skill that makes this monster deadly is the Sp attacks ‘Scythe” which is a mortal blow skill that instantly kills the target regardless of Hitpoints or defense. When facing them in battle, use timed hits to deal with them quickly.
Please read our guide on Mortal Blows in Super Mario RPG to learn how to counter Glum Reaper’s Scythe Sp attack in battle.
Chester
Chester is the most powerful version of the Pandorite. It’s shaped like a treasure chest and can summon a Bahamutt to fight by its side. Aside from offensive fire spells, Chester can use Mega Heal on itself to replenish lost Hitpoints that can make the fight drawn out and difficult.
The best solution to for Chester is to chain Mario’s Super Jumps to deal massive damage on the enemy. Have the rest of the party deal physical damage with Toadstool healing the party when needed.
Battle Course 1 prize (Star Gun)
After finishing the 1st Battle course you will be rewarded with Geno’s Star Gun which is his ultimate weapon in the game.
To learn more about the Star Gun, Please read our guide on How to get the Star Gun in Super Mario RPG.
Battle Course 2 prize (Drill Claw)
Bowser’s Ultimate weapon, Drill Claw is awarded to you after finishing Battle Course 2. To learn more about the weapon’s stats and how to use it effectively, please read our guide on How to get the Drill Claw in Super Mario RPG.
Puzzle Courses
The Puzzle course is perfect for those who love to play puzzle games. The Puzzle Challenge is hosted by Dr. Topper who is one of the Bowser Bros. in the game. Each Course has 3 puzzle rooms that you need to solve for you to receive your prize.
1st Puzzle Course
1st Puzzle Course Room 1
The first challenge is a coin collecting puzzle. Inside the treasure chest is 21 gold coins where Mario and Dr. Topper take turns taking the coins inside the chest. Both can take a maximum of 4 coins per turn and the objective of this course is to force the opponent to take the last coin inside. Whoever takes the last coin loses the challenge.
1st Puzzle Course room 2
In this challenge, stepping on the magic switch makes it and the surrounding switches turn on. The objective of the challenge is to switch on all of the magic switches. The gif image above is our solution for this puzzle.
1st puzzle course room 3
The final puzzle for the 1st course is called Ball solitaire. You will have to kick each cannonball over each other to remove a cannonball from the room. The objective of this course is to remove all but 1 cannonball for you to finish the course. The gif image above is our puzzle solution for this challenge.
1st puzzle course prize (Rock Candy)
After finishing the puzzle course, Exit to the next room and receive your prize which is a rock candy.
2nd Puzzle Course
2nd Puzzle Course room 1
The 2nd puzzle course starts with a quiz. Answer 8 of 12 questions correctly for the platform you are standing on to move up. If you get an answer wrong, Your platform will move down. Each question has a 5-second time limit and failing to answer a question or getting a wrong answer when you are at the bottom platform will end the challenge.
Quiz puzzle solutions
There are 40 questions in the quiz course and around 12 questions that you need to answer correctly. Here are the list of questions and answers for you to review to finish the puzzle course.
- Booster is what generation?
7th
- How long have the couple inside the chapel been waiting for their wedding?
30 minutes
- How many legs does Wriggler have?
6
- How many underlings Does Croco have?
3
- How much… Does a female beetle cost?
1 coin
- In Moleville Blues, it is said the moles are covered in what?
Soil
- Johnny loves what beverage?
Currant juice
- Mite is Dynas… What?
Little brother
- The boy at the inn in mushroom kingdom was playing with… What?
Game Boy
- The boy getting his picture taken in Marrymore can’t wait til which season?
Skiing
- The man betting his picture taken in Marrymore hates what?
Getting his picture taken
- What color are the curtains in Mario’s house?
Blue
- What color is the end of Dodo’s beak?
Red
- What did Varroboscis turn into?
Carrot
- What do Culex, Jinx and Goomba have in common?
They live in Monstro Town
- What does Belome really like to turn people into?
Scarecrows
- What does Birdo come out of?
An eggshell
- What does red essence do?
Give you strength
- What is Hinopio in charge of at the middle counter?
The inn
- What is Raini’s husband’s name?
Raz
- What is the 4th selection on the menu screen?
Equip
- What technique does Bowser learn at level 15?
Crusher
- What was Mallow asked to get for Frogfucius?
Cricket pie
- What was toadstool doing when she was kidnapped by Bowser?
She was looking at flowers.
- What words does Shy Away use when he sings?
Lah Dee Dah
- What’s the Chefs name at Marrymore?
Torte
- What’s the first monster you see at the Pipe Vault?
Sparky
- What’s the full name of the boss at the Sunken Ship?
Jonathan Jones
- What is the name of Jagger’s Sensei?
Jinx
- What’s the name of the boss at the Sunken Ship?
Johnny
- What’s the password in the Sunken Ship?
Pearls
- Where was the 1st Star Piece found?
Mushroom Kingdom
- Where was the 3rd Star Piece found?
Moleville
- Which monster does not appear in Booster Tower?
Terrapin
- Who helped you up the cliff in Lands End?
Sky Troopas
- Who is the famous composer in Tadpole pond?
Toadofsky
- Who is the famous sculptor in Nimbus Land?
Garro
- Who is the leader of the Axem Rangers?
Red
- Who is the ultimate enemy in this adventure?
Smithy
- Yaridovich is what?
Boss
2nd puzzle course room 2
The next challenge will focus on your memorization. Dr. Topper shows you a room with a number of barrels. You will have to memorize how many barrels are there and afterwards he adds more barrels and gives you 10 seconds to count all the barrels in the room.
Give the correct answer for you to proceed to the real challenge which is another room with more barrels for you to count under a 20 second time limit.
Answering correctly will let you proceed to the final puzzle challenge while getting it wrong will send you back to the 6-door challenge area so it’s best that you be very careful with your answer here since you will have to repeat the challenge from the beginning.
*Please note that the Barrels in this room will generate randomly. Be sure to count the barrels within the 20 second time limit and include any additional barrels that Dr. T adds during the brief black screen before giving your final answer.
2nd puzzle course room 3
The final puzzle challenges will have you guess the order on which all 4 participants of the Triathlon race event finished. The solution to the challenge is random but there are some tell tale signs for you to pick up of you’re having a hard time finding the solution.
Speak to the 4 contestants in the room and based on their answers, You will be able to piece what place each of them did on the Triathlon event.
1st place
The 1st placer is the one who tells you that they outrode one of their competitors on the bike.
2nd place
The 2nd placer is the one who tells you they came in 4th in the bike race.
3rd place
The 3rd placer will tell you that he places the same in both swimming and cycling events.
4th place
Finally, The last placer will always tell you that he came 3rd in swimming. After talking to them, speak with Dr. Topper and head back to speak with the contestants in order of first to last place then speak to Dr. Topper again.
2nd puzzle course prize (rock candy)
Completing the challenge will give you a Rock Candy inside the final room where the prizes are awarded.
*Please note that the monsters participating in the Triathlon are random. Talk to each of them and based on their answers, you can easily determine on what place they got on the race events.
