Nintendo Adventure Books - Choose Your Own Path! (Now Playing: Leaping Lizards)

Time Turner

Time Turner

You are filled with determination. (R/GD/TT)
The Nintendo Adventure Books are a series of choose-your-own-adventure books released from 1991 to 1992. There are twelve books in the series, ten of which are Mario-themed, and they attempt to capture the feel of the games by allowing the reader (or "Game Player" as the books put it) to make choices every once in a while. In theory, this would be difficult to pull off, but not impossible. In practice... Well, why don't you see for yourself? I will be posting the entirety of the books that I own, chapter by chapter, while modifying none of the text. Just about everything that you'll read has been pulled from the book verbatim; I will leave let you all riff on it. Along the way, I'll stop the text whenever the book presents either a choice or a puzzle, and it's up to you, intrepid readers, to choose wisely. The text will be typed out, while the puzzles will be scanned and posted as images. I will follow the most popular choice no matter if it's right or wrong, and when I mean wrong, I mean Mario has a good chance of dying throughout this adventure. Choose wisely, think critically, and just maybe, you'll survive.

For our first adventure, I will be covering the second book in the series, Leaping Lizards. Oh, I'm sure it'll be fun!
[quote author=Blurb on the back cover]When His Royal Highness is turned into a rabbit by the devious Morton Koopa, only one plumber can save him. Luigi leaps into action to save the King from a life of hopeless hopping - and almost becomes a Koopa casualty himself!

As in all Nintendo® Adventure Books, you control the action. Only you can make the choices that allow Luigi to beat Morton and the rest of the Koopa Kids. Help him crack codes, solve puzzles, conquer mazes, and subdue enemies. You and Luigi must outwit the Koopas at their own game - or go down in final defeat![/quote]

"Look out below!" Luigi yells. He dives head first into the Central Pipe that sticks up from the floor of the Mario Bros. plumbing workshop. Tumbling through steamy darkness, he passes dripping faucets, hissing valves and the glowing red eyes of wayward alligators. In minutes, he plunges from the Brooklyn plumbing shop to the Mushroom Kingdom, deep below the surface of the Earth.

Thump! Luigi drops out of the lower end of the great metal pipe and lands in a mound of spongy pink mushrooms.

"Two minutes fifty-eight seconds," he says, inspecting the dial on his plumber's stopwatch. "Not a bad time at all."

"Unlike most of his journeys to the Mushroom Kingdom, this time there's no hurry. Usually Luigi and and[sic] his older brother, Mario, race down to the mysterious world to rescue Princess Toadstool, or to save the palace, or to perform some other heroic task. But today's visit is strictly for fun.

"Spread the blankets and start roasting those weenies," the tall, skinny plumber sings. "It's almost time for lunch."

Luigi slicks back his black mustache, straightens the straps of his bright green overalls, and hops onto the brick sidewalk that zig-zags through the Mushroom Kingdom. He bounces along the road, past small stone pyramids and wooden staircases that lead nowhere. Above his head, brick ledges and metal cubes hang in the air, suspended by some mysterious force.

"Ah," Luigi chirps. "It's a beautiful day for a picnic." He removes his green cap and lets the sun warm the top of his head.

Just then, two Goomba fungus monsters dart out from a clump of shrubs and charge towards Luigi's feet.

"Pests!" says Luigi. He jumps lightly, landing on the small brown creatures' flat heads. They scurry back to the bushes.

The plumber pauses by a heap of old, rusty pipes. "I stashed some equipment in these pipes last time I was here," he says. "You never know when you might need supplies. Now where did I leave those wings the princess gave me? Was it down that pipe to the left? Or was it just ahead, on the right?"

Solve this puzzle to find out which piece of emergency equipment Luigi finds in the Mushroom Kingdom:​
  • Follow the trail through the pipes. Along the way, you'll pass several junctions. Choose any branch you want and record the number of wrenches on that branch. Follow the pipes until you reach the exit. Then add up the total number of wrenches you collected on your trip and read the instructions at the bottom of the page. They'll tell you which item Luigi picks up.

If you pass a total of seven wrenches, Luigi has the anchor.

If you pass a total of five or six wrenches, Luigi has the frog suit.

If you pass a total of four wrenches, Luigi has the wings.

Turn to page 5.​


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[Again, it's by popularity, so whichever item is mentioned the most will be chosen.]
 
Two for frog suit and one for wings. Looks like Luigi's feeling green(er)!

Luigi spots his friends at the top of a hill. "Hi guys!" he calls, and bounces off the sidewalk. "Did I miss any of the eats?"

As he marches up the hill, he notices several shiny coins scattered in the blue-green moss. "Hey, he says, this must be my lucky day." He pockets the coins and continues up the hill.

Mario, Luigi's older and slightly more famous brother, is sitting on a plaid picnic blanket with Her Royal Highness, Princess Toadstool. Most of the food is gone. Luigi gazes longingly at the remains of an extra-large pizza with everything. All that's left is some crusts and a pile of anchovies that the princess picked off her slices.

"Little brother," Mario says, "if you didn't sleep till noon every day, you wouldn't have this problem." He smacks his lips and swallows the final bite of his toasted cheese sandwich.

"Good afternoon, Luigi," says the princess. She sips delicately from a cone-shaped teacup. "Mario was just telling me about the time he saved the entire city of Topeka, Kansas from a flood."

Luigi is about to explain that it was he, not his older brother, who unclogged the giant overflowing bathtub at the last moment, siphoning away the terrible wall of water. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched squeal fills the air. A two-foot-tall mushroom wearing a red polka dot turban runs up the hill.

"It's Toad," Mario says, jumping up from the blanket. "And I don't think he's here for the picnic!"


*** Luigi collects 5 coins. ***
Turn to page 64.​


"It's terrible! It's horrible! It's . . . it's not good!" yelps Toad, the royal mushroom retainer, as he dashes up. "Morton Koopa's in the palace, and he's making a terrible mess."

"Ugh, Mario grunts. "Another Koopa attack. It seems like every time we stop one of those crummy turtles, another shows up."

"Thanks for coming to warn us, Toad," says the princess. She addresses the plumbers in her best mushroom royalty voice. "Let's hurry back to the palace. The king needs our help."

"I'll run ahead," Mario offers. "The king will want my protection right away."

"No!" Luigi shouts. "I can get there faster." When the princess looks the other way, he sticks his tongue out at his brother.

Mario grabs one of the cold, uneaten anchovies and plops it onto Luigi's tongue. Luigi spits it out indignantly.

"Let's all go together," Toad suggests.

"Hmmm," says Princess Toadstool thoughtfully. "I just don't know what to do!"

Here's a clue to help you decide:​

  • Shade in all the spaces with an odd number of sides, and a secret message will be revealed.
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If you think the four heroes should head to the palace together, turn to page 45.
If you think Luigi should run ahead and get there first, turn to page 27.​


Inventory: Frog Suit, 5 Coins

[Alternatively, if you're not up for the puzzle and the full Nintendo® Adventure Books FEATURING THE SUPER MARIO BROS.® experience, you can simply vote for which option you'd like to take]
 
This is great. I'm imagining the brothers with Vinny's impression of them as their voices.

The secret message says
SEND LUIGI
 
Magikrazy correctly solved the puzzle, and with two votes, Luigi's being sent off first.

"I'll meet you there!" calls Luigi. He dashes off to the palace. "Mario might be more famous, and maybe even a bit smarter," he pants. "But nobody's faster than me!"

He races along, hopping over snapping turtles and Goombas that get in his way. There's no time to bonk them properly.

Soon he reaches the white marble walls of the palace. He bounces past the royal doormen, asleep at their posts, and charges down the hall into the throne room.

"Uh-oh," Luigi says as he crashes through the massive wooden double doors.

The palace is usually spotless, thanks to the attention of Wooster, the chief mushroom assistant. If Wooster had his way, no one would enter the throne room until he passed a special no-smudge test.

But there's no sign of Wooster. Even more troubling, there's no sign of the king. Instead, Morton Koopa, a large, armored turtle, is lumbering around the chamber. As Luigi watches in alarm, Morton dips a paw into a jar he's carrying and smears a fistful of peanut butter on the royal walls.

"Rarrr!" Morton growls. "I haven't had so much fun in weeks!" In one hand, he holds a ruby-tipped wand. He scrapes it against the royal blackboard. Luigi claps his hands over his ears to block out the horrible sound.

"Yikes!" Morton blurts, as he notices Luigi. "Time to go!" He darts toward an open window. Luigi lunges at the evil turtle.

Solve this puzzle to see what happens:​
  • Follow the trail from Luigi to Morton. Whenever you reach a blob of peanut butter, choose which way to go. When you land on either Morton or a window, follow the directions below.

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If you land on Morton Koopa, turn to page 98.
If you land on a window, turn to page 78.
​
 
Spoiler alert, go left and left and you'll land on Morton.

Vote: Page 98
 
I got a window.

Page 78
 
Morton wins the majority; let's see what happens when we visit him!

Luigi makes a flying tackle. "Gotcha!" he shouts. He grabs the turtle just before Morton reaches the open window. Both of them tumble to the throne room floor. Luigi rolls in one direction, Morton tumbles in another, and the ruby-tipped wand clatters toward the door.

The plumber and the turtle both scramble to their feet. They eye each other, then the wand and then each other again. Luigi lunges for the wand first. He grabs it and rolls head over heels to one corner of the room. "Hah!" he shouts, and holds it up triumphantly.

Snarling, Morton turns and dives out the window. Luigi races over. But it's too late.

"Rats, Luigi mutters as he stares out the window. Morton is already far away, slithering through clumps of Piranha plants. the turtle prince crosses the log bridge into Water Land, hobbles over a wall, and vanishes.

"Well, at least I have this wand. I wonder what it's for? Luigi says. He shrugs and shoves it into one of the pockets of his green overalls.

He notices a few coins scattered across the floor. Morton must have dropped them as he scurried out the window. "I'll keep these for later," Luigi says. "They should cover the cost of a small cheese pizza."

Just then, he hears the clatter of footsteps coming down the hall. Mario, the princess, and Toad burst into the throne room. "What's going on? Did we miss anything?" asks Mario.

"Where's Morton?" gasps Toad.

Princess Toadstool marches into the room, stepping over a broken flower pot and an empty package of royal chocolates. Her tiny pink shoes click furiously against the marble floor. Reaching the royal red carpet, she stalks up to the throne. "Where's Wooster? she demands.

The chief mushroom assistant steps out from behind the huge wooden throne.

"He-here, your Highness," he stammers.

*** Luigi collects 3 coins. ***
*** Luigi now has the ruby wand. ***
Turn to page 37.​


"Can't I leave this palace for five minutes without everything falling apart? the princess grumbles. She straightens the chain of her gold and emerald necklace and looks angrily around the throne room for more signs of destruction.

"Um - your Majesty . . ." Wooster squeaks. He holds his hands behind his back, shifting his feet nervously.

"I'm not through complaining yet!" snaps the princess. She paces back and forth, getting angrier and angrier. "Where's my surfboard? My jewelry box is on the floor! The strings are missing from my tennis racquet! Hey - wait a minute!" She stops and looks at the empty throne. "Where's my father?"

"That's what I wanted to mention to you, your Highness," mumbles Wooster. The chief mushroom assistant takes one hand from behind his back. Sadly, he holds up a small, fluffy white rabbit.

The animal is kicking, but Wooster grips him tightly. Luigi notes that the rabbit has a thin black mustache and a tiny, onion-shaped crown. The rabbit looks confused.

"It's the king!" Luigi gasps.

"I was in the garage, trying to untangle the royal air hoses," moans Wooster. "While I was gone, that horrible turtle zapped the king with a magic wand."

"Achoo!" Mario sneezes. "I'm allergic to rabbit fur."

"That's just great, says the princess. "We need that wand, and fast!"

"Relax, princess," says Luigi. "There's no need to get nervous. I'm at your service."


If Luigi has the wand, turn to page 69.
If Luigi doesn't have the wand, turn to page 110.​


[We don't get the choice not to use the wand: since we grabbed it previously, we must go to 69.]

Luigi clicks the heels of his plumber boots together and waits until he has the attention of everyone in the room.

"Remain calm, everyone," he announces. "The younger, better-looking plumber is here. Everything is under control."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demands Mario. He's still sniffling because of the rabbit fur.

LUigi twirls the ends of his glossy black mustache. "I've just had a little chat with Morton Koopa," he explains. "I convinced him to, uh, 'lend' me his magic wand. Whenever you're ready, I'll change the king back to his normal short-eared self."

"Take your time," Toad says, as he strokes the king's soft white fur. "I think he's kind of cute this way."

The furry monarch bites Toad's thumb.

"Ouch!" Toad shouts.

"Maybe you'd better get this over with," advises the princess.

"Have no fear my dear, your plumber is here with the magical gear!" Luigi sings as he bounces up to the throne.

The princes leans over to Mario. "Does he always act this way?" she whispers.

"Nah." Mario shakes his head. "He's usually a lot goofier."

Luigi pulls the ruby wand from a pocket in his overalls. "You know, I've never used one of these before," he says. "But it can't be much tricker than using a pipe wrench."

Wooster holds the royal rabbit at arms' length.

"I hope this isn't going to be messy," he grumbles.

Luigi waves the wand in a circle. The rabbit king blinks. But nothing happens.

"Say a magic word," suggests the princess.

"Yeah, like Alakazook!" adds Toad.

"I think that's supposed to be Alakazam," Princess Toadstool says.

"I think it's supposed to be 'hurry up!'" says Mario impatiently.

"All right folks, here we go!" cries Luigi. He waves the ruby wand once more. This time, he shouts out a magic word.

Solve this puzzle for a clue:​

Find a path from the fearless plumber to the rabbit king. The letters you cross along the way will spell out the correct magic word.

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If you think Luigi should wave the wand and shout "Alakazam!" turn to page 18.
If you think Luigi should wave the wand and shout "Alakazook!" turn to page 104.



Inventory: Frog Suit, Ruby Wand, 8 Coins​
 
Ok, it took me a while to figure this one out, but there's actually a loophole that allows you to go through the Piranha Plant area harmlessly. Since this is not ever mentioned in the rules, keep that in mind. With that said,

Vote: Page 18
 
Vote: Page 104
 
Gene Rayburn said:
Ok, it took me a while to figure this one out, but there's actually a loophole that allows you to go through the Piranha Plant area harmlessly. Since this is not ever mentioned in the rules, keep that in mind. With that said,

Vote: Page 18
Click to expand...

Ok so I just redid this, and I found an actually legit route, so changing my vote to 104.
 
Gene Rayburn said:
Gene Rayburn said:
Ok, it took me a while to figure this one out, but there's actually a loophole that allows you to go through the Piranha Plant area harmlessly. Since this is not ever mentioned in the rules, keep that in mind. With that said,

Vote: Page 18
Click to expand...

Ok so I just redid this, and I found an actually legit route, so changing my vote to 104.
Click to expand...
Please tell me the exploit route, breaking an Adventure Book might be epic (even though the result is that we die in a few steps). So far I only managed to reach Alakazam before ending up in a point in which I have to cross the Piranha Plant room to reach the king.
 
Mister Wu said:
Gene Rayburn said:
Gene Rayburn said:
Ok, it took me a while to figure this one out, but there's actually a loophole that allows you to go through the Piranha Plant area harmlessly. Since this is not ever mentioned in the rules, keep that in mind. With that said,

Vote: Page 18
Click to expand...

Ok so I just redid this, and I found an actually legit route, so changing my vote to 104.
Click to expand...
Please tell me the exploit route, breaking an Adventure Book might be epic (even though the result is that we die in a few steps). So far I only managed to reach Alakazam before ending up in a point in which I have to cross the Piranha Plant room to reach the king.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my phone's image editing service is being screwy lately, so I'll try to tell you. Just go all the way to the right top corner, then follow it to the Piranha Plant. Go back in through the middle entrance next to it and you should be able to finish it from there.
 
With 2 3 votes for Alakazook, let's say the magic word!

"Alakazook!" Luigi shouts, dramatically waving the ruby wand. A bolt of blazing red light flashes from the wand, and an explosion shakes the room. A cloud of dense black smoke rolls over the rabbit king, covering him completely.

"Achoo! Achoo! Ah-achoo!" Mario's sneezing is out of control.

Then, slowly, the smoke begins to clear. A giant, eight-foot-tall rabbit stands next to Wooster.

"Hmmm," Luigi says. He twists the wooden wand handle between his fingers, studying it.

"It must be a one-way wand."

The king lifts a giant, furry paw, and starts to scratch one of his enormous floppy white ears. His golden crown rolls clanking across the throne room floor. The scratching stirs up a strong breeze in the throne room.

"What do we do now?" asks the princess in a despairing voice. She holds on to her crown with one hand to keep it from blowing off her head.

"Maybe I should try the wand again," suggests Luigi.

"Don't be a dumb plumber," snaps Mario. "We've got to track down Morton Koopa and make him change the king back."

At that, the king stops scratching his ear. The breeze dies down.

Mario tries to grab the wand from his brother. But Luigi skips to one side. He likes being in control for a change.

"Come on, Luigi," Mario says, getting frustrated. "Either zap the king again, or let's get out of here." He rubs his itchy, watery eyes. "But hurry up - my allergies are killing me!"


If you think Luigi should head out to find Morton Koopa, turn to page 73.
If you think Luigi should use the ruby wand on the king again, turn to page 119.​


[Not every choice has a puzzle. Some of them rely solely on your hopes and dreams.]
 
Gonna go through some logic here.

If they go after Morton: All he's probably going to do is refuse, but there's still a slim chance that he'll give in with some threats about essentially anything. However, there's also the chance they won't find him. If they don't, then they might as well go back to the wand again. But if they do then great.

If they go for the wand: It's pure luck. As my dad says, better lucky than good. Therefore, Vote: 119 even though 73 is a cooler number.
 
Voting for Page 73. It's clearly smarter to go into the lion's den, being captured and then being saved by Mario. Plus there's a high chance of seeing more handsome turtles with padded feet, which is always good.

Finally, an eight-feet-tall rabbit is just so awesome that you cannot really immediately revert such a spell without feeling a bit that sense of missed opportunity for not having contemplated him enough.
 
Let's err on the side of caution and charge after the reptile with a magic wand that can turn people into rabbits. What could possibly go wrong?

"Leave everything to me," says Luigi. "I'll track down that Koopa fink, faster than six Shyguys can clog a sink."

"Spare us the poetry. Just find out how to change daddy back," says the princess.

"Wait for me," says Toad, scampering up to Luigi. He points through the window. The bridge to Water Land is off in the distance. "I can show you where Morton Koopa lives."

Luigi waves for Toad to come along.

"I'm coming along, too," Mario says. "You never know when you might run into trouble."

"Big brother," Luigi says, "can't you let someone else be a hero, just once?"

"Oh, all right," Mario agrees. "You go track down Morton Koopa. I'll just wait here and - Achoo! - and sneeze."

Wooster hands him a large, nose-shaped box of tissues. "Thanks," says Mario.

Luigi and Toad climb out the open window. Starting from a berry bush near the palace, muddy three-toed footprints lead along the road toward Water Land.

The trail is easy to navigate. Not only do our heroes have Morton's footprints to follow, but the turtle has left a trail of candy wrappers along the way. The garbage-strewn road winds around brick walls, through a patch of Piranha Plants, and on toward the distant zone known as Water Land.

Solve this puzzle out what else Luigi will find in Water Land:​

  • There's a secret message in the water, but the reflection from the sign is covering it up. Hold the page up to a mirror and cross out the 18 letters in the water that also appear on the sign. The leftover letters will tell you what's in store for Luigi.

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Turn to page 117.​

[There's no choice to be made here, but my Internet's being choppy and I want to get at least this part through before anything else blows up.]
 
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