Molten Underpass is the 25th level in The Mushroom Kingdom and it is based on the underground lava levels found in the New Super Mario Bros. sub-series.
Layout[]
This level takes place in a large cave filled with lava inside a mountain with Bowser's face covered on it, as seen on the map, and where his castle is sitting on top.
The first area involves exploring around the cave and jumping over lava while avoiding various enemies and hazards, such as Lava Geysers, Blarggs, and Podoboos, that come out of it. The player will also be swinging on red vines and fighting against many different Mario enemies that are either undead or fire-based, such as Fire Chomps, Dry Bones, Pansers, Nokobons, and Fire Bros. Near the end of this area, the player can hop on some platforms being lifted up by the lava geyser to cross through the lava and then jump on the ? Block to get a Starman to take out the Banzai Bill while jumping between the gaps to get a pipe to the next area.
The second area has a number of pipes with many red Piranha Plants that come out to attack even if the player stands on the pipe. They also need to pick up the bombs to blow up the rocks blocking the pathways.
The last area is mostly covered in lava, so the player must use the skull-like platforms, ride on more platforms carried by the lava geyser, and use pipes to get through while dealing with more enemies. After getting past that, the player enters the pipe that takes them back to the surface and grabs the flagpole to clear the level, as now they have made it to Bowser Castle and are ready to confront the King of Koopa himself.
Enemies[]
- Spiny (SMB3 version; including the upside-down variant)
- Piranha Plant (Red version from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)
- Panser
- Bony Beetle
- Dry Bones (SMW version)
- Lava Geyser
- Podoboo
- Nokobon
- Banzai Bill
- Fire Bro
- Fire Chomp
- Fire Snake
- Blargg
Trivia[]
- The music used in the level is a mashup of the underground theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 and "A Clashing of Waves" from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. The now-cancelled Super Mario Fusion Revival also contains a mashup of the aforementioned songs, though it's different from the mashup present in Mushroom Kingdom Fusion.
- The Bowser-shaped mountain on the map looks similar to the one in Valley of Bowser from Super Mario World.
Gallery[]
Revamped Version[]
Original Version[]
Video[]
Lancer Plays MKF v0.82: Molten Underpass
MeR!X Plays MKF v0.8 Molten Underpass
MeR!X Plays MKF Part 172: Molten Underpass