You know that feeling when you're hitting every suspicious brick wall in Toad Town and coming up empty? It’s frustrating. Paper Mario on the N64—and its subsequent spiritual successors—really leans into that specific brand of "hidden in plain sight" game design. If you're hunting for Paper Mario Star Pieces, you aren't just looking for collectibles; you’re looking for the currency that actually makes the badge system viable. Without them, you’re stuck with basic jumps and hammers while Merlow sits on his high horse in Shooting Star Summit, clutching the best badges in the game.
Most people think finding these things is just about checking behind bushes. It isn’t.
There are 160 of these little yellow shards scattered across the Mushroom Kingdom. Some are handed to you for being a "good guy" and doing chores for NPCs. Others are buried under floorboards that require a very specific ground pound from a very specific sidekick. If you don't have Spin Jump yet, you’re basically walking over a gold mine without a shovel. Honestly, the game is kinda mean about it. It hides them in the parallax background, under the shadows of trees, and sometimes literally inside the geometry of the map where you’d never think to look unless you were a completionist or just really bored.
The Economy of Shooting Star Summit
Let's talk about Merlow. He’s the guy who lives in that weird, swirling house at the edge of the world. He’s the only reason Paper Mario Star Pieces matter. You trade your hard-earned shards for badges that fundamentally change how you play the game. Want to heal every time you take a turn? That’s the Happy Heart badge. Want more Power Smash? You gotta pay the star price.
The exchange rate is brutal.
Some of the top-tier badges, like Power Plus, cost a small fortune in pieces. If you’ve been skipping the side quests in Koopa Village or ignoring the letters you're supposed to deliver, you’re going to hit a wall in the later chapters. Bowser doesn't care if you're under-equipped. He’s got the Star Rod. You've got a wooden hammer and a dream. You need those badges to bridge the gap.
The Invisible Flooring Problem
The most annoying pieces are the ones hidden under "Chuckola" floor panels. To get these, you need the Spin Jump, which you don't even get until Chapter 2. This means you have to backtrack. A lot. If you aren't the type of person who enjoys revisiting old areas, you’re going to miss about 30% of the total count. You’ll be walking through a peaceful screen in Pleasant Path, and suddenly the controller vibrates—or it doesn't, if you aren't using a Rumble Pak (remember those?)—and you realize there's a piece right under your boots.
🔗 Read more: Stick War: Why This Flash Classic Still Dominates Strategy Gaming
Jump. Spin. Pop. There it is.
But wait. There's a catch. Not every panel looks the same. Some are slightly discolored, but many are identical to the surrounding floor. You basically have to become a human pogo stick, jumping on every square inch of the map like a maniac. It’s tedious. It’s rewarding. It’s classic Nintendo.
Koopa Koot: The Ultimate Test of Patience
If you want the full 160, you have to deal with Koopa Koot. He’s an old, cranky turtle in Koopa Village who has a never-ending list of errands. "Mario, fetch me a book." "Mario, bring me a tea." "Mario, go talk to this person across the map and come back."
He gives you Paper Mario Star Pieces as a reward for some of these tasks.
Is it worth it? Sorta. If you’re trying to max out your stats, you don't have a choice. But man, the backtracking is real. You’ll spend half your playtime traveling back and forth between the village and Toad Town. A pro tip: wait until you have the Blue Pipe shortcut in the sewers. It makes the "Koot Grind" significantly less soul-crushing. Without those pipes, you’re just a glorified delivery boy in red overalls.
Hidden in the Background
Some pieces aren't under the floor; they’re "behind" things. The perspective in Paper Mario is 2.5D, which the developers used to devious effect.
💡 You might also like: Solitaire Games Free Online Klondike: What Most People Get Wrong
- Check behind the pipes in the Toad Town sewers.
- Look behind the pillars in the Crystal Palace (this place is a nightmare for hidden items).
- Always, always walk behind the stairs in any mansion or castle.
- Hammer the trees. All of them. Even the ones that look like they're just part of the scenery.
There’s a piece in Chapter 3, inside Tubba Blubba’s Castle, that most people miss because it's tucked behind a generic-looking crate in a room full of distractions. You’re too busy worrying about the invincible heart-eating giant to notice the glimmer of gold in the corner. That’s how they get you.
Why Some Pieces Are Actually Useless
Here is a hot take: you don't actually need all 160.
Honestly, by the time you reach Chapter 7, if you’ve been diligent, you’ll have enough Paper Mario Star Pieces to buy the essential badges. The last 20 or 30 pieces are mostly for bragging rights or for buying "niche" badges that you'll probably never equip. Do you really need "First Attack" when you're level 25? Probably not. You’re already steamrolling the Goombas.
The game has a diminishing return on investment. The effort it takes to find the final hidden piece in the Shiver Mountain area often outweighs the benefit of whatever badge Merlow has left in his shop. Unless you’re a 100% runner, don't kill yourself over the one stuck in the rafters of a house you can't figure out how to enter.
The Letter Delivery Chain
One of the most complex ways to earn pieces is through the mail. You find letters scattered around the world—usually in high places like the top of a tree or a mountain ledge—and you have to deliver them to specific NPCs.
Parakarry is your best friend here. He’s the mailman partner who joins your team. Delivering these letters isn't just flavor text; it’s a massive source of pieces. The problem? The NPCs are scattered everywhere. You’ll find a letter in the desert and have to bring it to a guy in the frozen north. It’s a logistics puzzle.
📖 Related: Does Shedletsky Have Kids? What Most People Get Wrong
What’s interesting is that these letters often tell tiny sub-stories about the world. You learn about family feuds, secret crushes, and the general gossip of the Mushroom Kingdom. It makes the hunt for Paper Mario Star Pieces feel less like a chore and more like you’re actually part of the community. Even if that community is mostly just Toads who look identical.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Playthrough
Stop playing like it's a platformer. Start playing like it's a scavenger hunt.
If you want to be efficient, follow these steps. First, ignore the "completionist" urge until you get the Spin Jump and the Ultra Hammer. You'll save hours of time by not trying to solve puzzles you don't have the tools for yet. Second, talk to the NPCs twice. Sometimes the first dialogue is just world-building, and the second dialogue triggers the quest that leads to a piece.
Third, use the I Spy badge. It’s a literal game-changer. When you have it equipped, a little sound plays and an icon flashes whenever you’re near a hidden floor panel. It takes the guesswork out of the pogo-jumping. It costs a few Star Pieces to get, but it pays for itself within ten minutes.
Finally, keep a mental map of the "unreachable" items. You’ll see a star piece on a high ledge in Chapter 1 that you can't reach. Don't stress. You’ll get Lakilester later in the game, and he can just fly you right over to it. Patience is the name of the game.
The real trick is knowing when to stop. If you've got your Power Plus and your Mega Rush, you're basically a god. The rest of the shards are just glitter in your inventory. Go beat Bowser and call it a day.
Next Steps for Completionists:
- Equip the I Spy Badge immediately. This is the single most important tool for finding floor-hidden pieces. You can get it from Merlow early on.
- Visit Koopa Koot between every Chapter. His quests unlock in tiers. If you wait until the end of the game, you'll have to do 20 errands in a row, which is a recipe for burnout.
- Check the "hidden" rooms in the sewers. The Toad Town sewers act as a hub. Every time you get a new ability (Super Boots, Ultra Hammer), go back down there. There are pieces tucked behind blocks that you couldn't even scratch at the start of the game.
- Keep Parakarry in your active slot. When you're exploring new areas, his ability to grab out-of-reach items is essential. If you see something shiny on a distant ledge, he’s your only way to get it.