Super Mario RPG: Forest Maze Walkthrough

Welcome to our complete story walkthrough of Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch and SNES.

Rose Town is still under attack, and chatting with the townsfolk has led you to the Forest Maze. The puppet Geno, who recently appeared to come to life, is also said to have made his way here.

Probably one of the most famous locations in Super Mario RPG thanks to its fantastic music, the Forest Maze is also easy to get lost in. We're here to help navigate your way through this wooded wonderland.

Here is our guide on the Forest Maze, where to find all of the Hidden Treasures, and how to meet Geno and recruit him as your next party member.

Forest Maze Enemies

Wiggler

In the overworld, you can jump on its head to receive some coins! It’s not too tough to defeat, but it can summon a sandstorm that inflicts Fear onto your party members.

Guerrilla

This enemy looks familiar! It’s also not very difficult to beat, but its physical attacks do decent damage.

Amanita

It can turn party members into fungi, but if you still have the Trueform Pin equipped from earlier in the game, you should be safe.

Buzzer

These guys take increased damage from Mario’s fire attacks. They can also inflict a party member with poison, so watch out!

Octolot

This flying enemy can cast Flame Wall, though, at this point in the game, it shouldn’t be tough to tank the hit. It usually appears alongside a few Amanitas.

Forest Maze Walkthrough

In the very first room of the Forest Maze, you’ll notice a mushroom lying on the ground. These are scattered throughout the woods and you’re welcome to pick up as many as you can! If your inventory is full, they'll be sent to your Storage.

Hidden Treasure 7 - Forest Maze Entrance

While you’re in this room, jump into the west corner to uncover a treasure box containing Croaka Cola / Kerokero Cola. Proceed to the next room, stand on top of the tree stump, and press down to enter it.

Some of the mushrooms in this room are enemies in disguise, so watch out! That said, you should probably do a little bit of grinding here – there’s a tough boss fight ahead and you’ll need all the stat boosts you can get. Work your way through this area when you’re finished battling and hop on the spring at the end of the tunnel.

Hidden Treasure 8 - North of the tree stump

In this area, you’ll start seeing arrows hurtling towards the ground. A few steps northwest of the stump in some bushes, jump to find a Hidden Treasure chest with a Frog Coin inside.

Continue to the next area and enter the tree stump at the very far northwest end of the room. Inside, you’ll find a sleeping Wiggler. Step on it and you’ll be launched back above ground.

Hidden Treasure 9 - Wiggler

Go right back inside the stump and head northwest past where the Wiggler was sleeping. In this spot is another Surprise Box containing a Croaka Cola / Kerokero Cola.

There are two more surprise boxes in this area to get, so let's grab the next one.

Hidden Treasure 10 - East tree stump

Back above ground, enter the stump farthest east – it’s right above the entrance you used to access this room in the first place.

Southwest of the stump is a bright spot, and if you jump in the middle of it, you’ll uncover a Surprise Box with a Flower inside. Go back above ground – there’s one more hidden box to find in this area!

Hidden Treasure 11 - West tree stump

From that stump, travel directly west and enter the central stump you find. In the north corner of this room is another Surprise Box! But this one is empty. Still, another one ticked off... there's another Box in the Forest Maze, but we'll get to it in a bit.

Head to the next screen where you’ll see a Wiggler climb down a tree stump. Follow it, work your way through the winding path, and then hop on the springboard.

Hidden Treasure 12 (SNES Only) - After the second cavern

Note: This Hidden Treasure is in a different location in the Switch version, which is included below.

In the area far northwest is a little corner. Jump in the spot shown above to find another Surprise box and receive a Red Essence, which makes a party member invincible for three turns.

How to get through the maze

In the next area, you'll see a bunch of split-up paths. If you followed our advice back in Rose Town, you should remember the Toad's advice: left, left, straight, and then right.

That said, imagine you’re Mario when following the directions. This means the directions you have to take throughout the rooms are really northwest, southwest, southwest, and northwest. Follow these directions to get through the maze.

At the end, you'll find a tree stump you can enter. Inside are tons of treasure chests for you to open! They contain Flowers, a Frog Coin, and a full heal. Hop on the springboard and leave the tree stump. As you wander through the Forest Maze, you’ll eventually find Geno. Follow him as far as you can.

If you find that Geno hasn’t appeared in one of these rooms, enter the doorway closest to where arrows are falling from the sky. Eventually, you’ll reach a Save Point.

Hidden Treasure 12 (Switch Only) - After maze

Note: This is the new location of Hidden Treasure 12 in the Switch remake

There's a hidden treasure chest here, just southwest of the Save Block. Jump right in the corner to find it.

After this, save your game and then head into the next area, which is full of more tree stumps. Walk forward and you'll get a cutscene, which leads into a boss.

Boss - Bowyer

A minion will enter the room with a Star Piece, which prompts Geno to launch a sneak attack. Mario and Mallow join in, thus beginning the battle against Bowyer. Mallow starts to recognize Geno, but Bowyer cuts the conversation short.

Brace yourself, because the fight against Bowyer is a tough one! Check out our full guide on How to beat Bowyer if you're struggling.

After the fight, Geno will thank you for your help and join your party for good. He’ll tell you that you need to collect all seven Star Pieces. Fortunately, you just found the second one! Geno’s real name is apparently ♡♪!?, but that’s kind of difficult to pronounce. Grab the Star Piece and finish up your trip to the Forest Maze!

Next, you can either move straight on to Moleville, or you can take a detour and head to the Pipe Vault. We recommend doing the latter for some good items, but it's up to you.

For more help on getting through Super Mario RPG, check out our full Super Mario RPG guide for everything you need.