You're stuck. I know the feeling. You’ve blasted through the Sparkling Waters, you’ve dodged the prickly Urchins, and now you’re sliding around the ice world of Frosted Glacier. It’s arguably one of the most beautiful worlds in New Super Mario Bros. U (and the Deluxe version on Switch), but those Frosted Glacier 5 star coins are a nightmare to track down if you don't know where the developers hid the invisible pipes.
Honestly, the physics in this world are the real enemy. Friction doesn't exist. You’re trying to time a precision jump to grab a floating gold coin while a Cooligan is barreling toward your shins at Mach 1. It’s frustrating. But if you want to unlock those secret levels in Superstar Road, you need every single one of them. No shortcuts.
The Frustrating Logic of World 4
Frosted Glacier—or World 4—is where the game stops holding your hand. In the earlier worlds, Star Coins were usually just "there." You saw them; you grabbed them. Here? They’re tucked behind "fake" walls that look exactly like real walls. Or they require you to carry a literal baby penguin halfway across a map of shifting ice floes.
Let's look at Spinning Star Sky. This level is a visual masterpiece, but the coin placement is devious. The first coin isn't even on the main path. You have to look for a small gap between two spinning stars that looks like a death pit. It isn't. It's a leap of faith. Most players miss it because the camera moves so fast you’re more worried about staying alive than exploring the corners.
Then there’s the water level. Slippery Rope Ladders. Total chaos.
Tipping the Scales in Cooligan Fields
In the very first level, Cooligan Fields, the developers set the tone. You’ll see the second Star Coin floating under a bridge. Easy, right? Wrong. If you just jump for it, you’ll fall into the abyss. You have to wait for a Cooligan to slide under you and use its head as a platform. It’s a timing window of about half a second.
- The first coin is actually hidden behind a high ledge near the start. Use the Acorn Suit. It makes life 100% easier.
- The third one? It’s in a pipe. A green one. You have to jump off a sliding enemy to reach it.
I’ve seen people spend hours trying to do this with regular Mario. Just get the Penguin Suit or the Flying Squirrel power-up. Seriously. Don't be a hero for no reason.
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The Secret of the Shifting Glaciers
Prickly Goombas! That’s the level that breaks most completionist runs. The Star Coins here aren't just hidden; they’re guarded by those annoying round cacti that pop out of the snow. To get the final coin in this stage, you need to find a hidden pipe that's obscured by the foreground scenery.
A lot of people think they’ve glitched the game when they can't find it. You haven't. You just didn't walk far enough into what looks like a solid ice wall.
Why the Penguin Suit is Your Best Friend
You remember the Penguin Suit from Wii? It's back here, and it's basically a cheat code for Frosted Glacier 5 star coins. Not only does it give you traction on the ice—no more sliding into Piranha Plants—but it lets you shoot ice balls.
Why does that matter for coins?
In levels like Weighty Waterway, some coins are tucked behind Munchers (those invincible black plants). You can't jump on them. You can't fire-flower them. But you can freeze a nearby Cheep Cheep, pick up the ice block, and throw it at the coin to collect it. It’s a mechanic the game never explicitly explains to you, but it’s the only way to get 100% completion without losing fifty lives.
Swaying Ship and Hidden Rooms
All Aboard the Driftwood is where things get weird. The whole level is on a rocking boat. The physics change every few seconds as the ship tilts.
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The second coin in this level is the one that gets everyone. It’s under the floor. You have to wait for the ship to tilt far enough to the left to reveal a small opening in the hull. If you’re too fast, you miss the window. If you’re too slow, the ship tilts back and crushes you against the ceiling. It’s a classic Nintendo "risk vs. reward" setup.
The Tower and the Castle Challenges
The mid-boss tower, Freezing-Rain Tower, is a vertical climb. Most people find the first two coins easily because they’re right in your face. But the third one? It’s tucked behind a fake wall right before the boss door.
Wait. Look at the lanterns on the wall. If a lantern is flickering or looks slightly "off-center," there’s almost always a hidden passage there. This is a recurring theme in New Super Mario Bros. U. The environment gives you clues, but they’re subtle.
Wendy’s Shifting Castle
Wendy O. Koopa’s castle is a gauntlet of moving ice blocks. The Star Coins here require you to stay on the moving platforms even when it looks like they’re about to go off-screen.
- Coin one: Floating between two giant icicles. Use a wall jump.
- Coin two: Inside a hidden pipe located in the ceiling. You need to jump off a Thwomp.
- Coin three: This is the "big one." It’s located in a room filled with water and those giant mechanical boxing gloves. You have to bait the glove into punching a brick block that’s blocking your path to the coin.
If you accidentally kill the boxing glove mechanism, you have to restart the level. There's no other way to break those blocks. It’s punishing, but that’s the "5-star" difficulty for you.
Common Mistakes Everyone Makes
I've talked to plenty of people who get stuck at 98% completion in this world. Usually, it's because they missed a secret exit. Frosted Glacier has a secret exit in the "Swaying Ship" level that leads to a hidden level called Fliprus Lake.
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If you don't find the secret exit, you don't unlock the hidden level. If you don't unlock the hidden level, you can't get those last three Star Coins.
Pro Tip: If the level flag on the world map is red instead of green, there is a secret exit you haven't found yet. Go back and check the pipes. Usually, it’s a pipe that looks like it leads to a death pit.
Technical Mastery: The Triple Jump
To get some of the higher-placed Frosted Glacier 5 star coins, you need to master the triple jump. It’s not just for 3D Mario games. In the 2D versions, a well-timed triple jump gives you just enough height to reach a ledge that would otherwise require an Acorn Suit.
Run. Jump. Jump again the moment you hit the ground. On the third jump, Mario will do a flip and gain significantly more altitude. Practice this in an empty area before trying it over a pit of freezing water.
Actionable Steps for Your Completionist Run
If you’re serious about grabbing every coin in World 4, stop just "playing" the levels. You need a strategy.
- Bring a Toad: If you're playing on the Switch, use Nabbit or Toadette (Peachette) if you're struggling. Nabbit doesn't take damage from enemies, which makes those "suicide runs" for coins much easier.
- Watch the Background: Look for "anomalies." A patch of snow that looks different, a pipe that doesn't have steam coming out of it, or a platform that seems to lead nowhere.
- The Ground Pound Test: If you see a suspicious row of blocks, ground pound them. Sometimes a Star Coin is hidden in a "toss" block that only appears when hit from above.
- Save Your Power-ups: Keep a stock of Penguin Suits in your inventory. You can win them from the Toad Houses on the map. Don't waste them on easy levels. Save them specifically for the water levels and the final castle.
Go back to Cooligan Fields right now. Check that bridge again. I bet you missed the hidden area right above the first tunnel. Once you get the rhythm of how this world hides things, the rest of the game becomes much more intuitive. Good luck. You’re going to need it for World 5.