Course 1 (Bob-omb Battlefield):

Last Updated: Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Long jump from the floating island, and land directly in the tall gray/white cannon.

And FUN!

With the wing cap on, shoot out of a cannon as high as you can go, then turn around and immediately fall back into the same cannon (by pressing Z).  Hint:  This trick is much easier if you hold down C-UP while flying.  This gives you a really cool overhead view of Mario, and it helps you aim for the cannon.  See "Olympic Flyer" for more details.

I did this trick with the "Bubble-field" black cannon, and with the floating island cannon, but I'm sure there are many places in the game where you can try this challenge, including: Outside the Castle, Course 7, Course 8, and Course 15.

And FUN!

Besides being a movie, "Star Wars" also means missile-to-missile defense systems.  You can use a bob-omb in this fashion to blow up an incoming bubble-bomb, but only if you have very good timing!  Start walking while carrying a bob-omb, then just throw it up into the air.  Hopefully, you will hit an incoming bubble, before it has even bounced once!

1. When you first start, go left into the corner where the brown wall meets the grassy wall.
2. Now, enable the "Fixed Cam" camera mode, and start holding R.
3. Walk around the corner, and try to walk toward the tunnel.  This may be a little tricky, since you can't see Mario with the camera fixed where it is.
4. Let go of R for about one second, then start holding it again.  The camera moves toward Mario until you start holding R again.
5. Now you should see Mario again.  Wall-kick up to the grassy area (or you can just walk through the tunnel if you have already opened the small gate).
6. The camera will now be fixed under Mario, and it will look like he is walking on air!

Absinthe

Absinthe says:

While I was playing in the first level I noticed that not only bombs send Chain Chomp flying into the air but also boxes. I decided to try and make the box stop between the Chain Chomp and the gate. Throw the box so it lands between the Chain Chomp and the gate (this may take a few tries), then hurry and pound down his pole. If you're lucky he will actually hit the box after being released from his chain and fly into the air. He will then land and possibly hit the box again, but if he doesn't, the cinematic will freeze.

My reply: I tried, but was not able to verify the Cinematic Freeze.  Chain Chomp does react to the box if you throw it at him.

Absinthe says:

Visitor says:

How many times can you circle the chain-chomp (with out getting hit). 3 times is too easy, 6 times is HARD!  If you circle him more, MAN you're good!  Remember: Make sure you're CLOSE!!!

My reply: This trick is very easy if you don't stay close to Chomp.  Try to keep your hat touching the back of Chomp and tail him as he goes in circles trying to find you.  Don't try to rush around him, 'cause then he'll find you and get you!  Just take your time, and you'll do fine!

Visitor says:

Visitor says:  You know those Goombas by the Koopa Troopa? Well, get rid all of the enemies there except for one Goomba. After there is only one Goomba, let the Goomba charge at you, then move slightly to the left and forward.  If you have done it correctly, the Goomba should still be running but it will be running around you and never stop. (It will stop after you move, of course.  Goombas aren't that stupid!  ...well maybe.)

My Reply:  I would say Easy/Medium if you use a little geometry:  Simply go to the center of the circle that the Goomba would be tracing if it had muddy feet.  Keep adjusting your position until you are in the perfect center, then you can walk away from the TV and come back an hour later, and that Goomba will still be running in circles around Mario!

Visitor says:

Visitor says:

First, get to the floating island.  Get the wing cap and jump into the cannon. Aim as high as it will go.  Shoot.  Dive almost as soon as you gain control.  If done right you should be diving toward the brown area near the beginning.  As soon as you see a bob-omb, aim towards it.  Hit the bob-omb.  You should be HOLDING the bob-omb once you get up. This trick might be easy if you are skilled.

Visitor says:

Jay 

Can you get hit and stay inside of chomp without getting hit again. My record is 30 minutes because I was getting tired for even more fun try doing a stunt like a back-flip out of him.

Hint: Do this trick near the limit of Chomp's range, then he won't go in circles looking for you.

Kevin Foster 

Jump off the marble ramp next to the infamous gate and try to land on the middle of one of the thin gate-doors (make sure the gate is open).

James Fitzgerald 

How do you get infinite flying cap music in Bob-omb Battlefield?  If you want to to find out for yourself then don't read below.

Here's how: 

1. Select the star to race Koopa The Quick. 
2. Before you race, put on the flying cap.
3. Start the race, and beat Koopa. You can use the cannon ball warp if you like. 
4. When Koopa gives you the star, the music will continue infinitely provided you don't put on a winged cap or take a warp.  I once forgot I couldn't fly and killed myself.  LOL!

"Through the Bridge" 

(Also, a visitor submitted this trick before I had uploaded it.)

Did you know Mario has a special magic ability to pop straight through the first bridge in course 1?  Simply go under the bridge, jump and continue to hold 'A', move down to the lowest part of the bridge, then let go of 'A'.  Presto!

SweetTooth (Josh)

SweetTooth says: Play Mario Wings to the sky and get the star -- WITHOUT the Wing Cap. My friend and I discovered this a long time ago before I even had a 64. We were trying to get 100 coins because we didn't know where the Wing Cap level was. My friend was shooting for the coins in the sky and he saw a "1" appear. Now, about 2 years later I find your site and start thinking of tricks. So I tried it countless times and finally did it. To make it more impressive I got the star without even touching the ground! In other words I got the star immediately after I got the "5". Try to do it, I don't think you can! The only way possible is with the cannon.

My reply:  It wasn't really that hard!  Just time consuming, since you have to keep going back to that floating island (it helps if you can quickly shoot to the island cannon like in "Cannon Jumping I" below).  It also helps a lot if you can remember where you have shot before, and where you need to shoot.  Don't jump for the coins at the edge of the island, since you can use them as a guide for aiming the cannon.  I think it took me about 10 minutes to verify this trick, maybe a little more.  I was lucky enough to get the star without touching the ground, on my first try.  I think the key to that part of the trick is to get the really high and the lower coins first, but save the middle for last.  Then, aim for the top coin in the closest ring of coins, or where it used to be (for the highest coins, you should aim higher).  By saving that shot for last, you should hopefully fly straight into the star.

I say...


(You might
have to be
lucky to get
the star before
landing!)

What you have to do is use the 'A' button the absolute minimum number of times necessary to get each star!

A visitor heard of these tricks from a friend:

Star:	Number of 'A' button taps:	Difficulty:
Star 1 - King Bomb	No taps!  (No cannon needed.)	I say:
Star 2 - Koopa	No taps!  (No cannon needed.)	I say:
Star 3 - Island	1 tap (Alex's challenge)!  (Not possible if you include cannon shots.) I say ZERO taps (not including 2 cannon shots)!	I say:
Star 4 - Red coins	1 tap! I say ZERO taps (not including cannon shots)!	I say:
Star 5 - Coin Rings	1 tap! I say ZERO taps (not including cannon shots)!	I say:

Sounds tough, huh? :)

My comments:  Yes, it does sound tough!  You have to press 'A' to shoot out of a cannon!  Am I supposed to count that?  If you do count that, then #5 looks near impossible, but we'll see...

Ok, here goes: 

Star 1 - King Bomb: You can use the tilting bridge to get over the steps that come right after  it (or you could use the flower warp).  You can beat King Bomb without pressing A, and you can even get the star that is floating in the air without pressing A! (That last part is a little tricky, see if you can figure it out!)  Zero A presses total!  (No cannon needed.)

Star 2 - Koopa: Yes, you can beat Koopa, and actually get the star without ever pressing A!  (No cannon needed.)

Star 3 - Island: Hmmm...  I don't believe you can do it in one tap if you include firing the cannon!  If firing the cannon does not count as a press of the button A, then I can get this star with ZERO taps on the A button (except cannon shots).  I fired from a cannon twice, and I was able to open the star box, and get the star itself without any taps on the A button.

Star 4 & 5: I didn't bother to verify these, but they should also be possible with zero A taps, except for firing cannons.

-= Hints: =-

 Warning:  These hints spoil how to do the tricks above!  Don't read if you like a challenge!!

For the first two tricks, you can get the floating star by simply diving at the star.  Only problem is that Mario normally won't dive if you just press B (normally you have to jump and press B as you start to fall).  To make Mario dive without jumping, you need to run in a sharp curve, then press B to dive toward the floating star.

It is possible to get the wing cap near the beginning of the course, without ever pressing A!!  Run off the edge of the bridge at full speed, fall toward the item box, then press Z to do a butt stomp.  Then, to get Star 3, for example, you can go to the first cannon, fire (which I have been assuming does not count against you), fly over the island star box, butt stomp on it, go to the island cannon, fire, then fly into the star!  

Visitor says:  Every time I did this trick, it worked.  Get the winged cap on the floating isle, shoot yourself to the top of the mountain, beat the bob-omb king, then get the star, and you must not lose the wing cap. It's much easier than it sounds, so I consider it Very Easy. My dog could do this trick.

Throw a Bob-omb at Chomp to blow him sky high!  This should help you get his coins.  When he comes back down, he will be unconscious for a few seconds. This trick will work well for you if you are afraid of getting bitten. :)

Get all 6 of Chomp's coins, and set him free without getting hurt once.

Jason Valasek 

Get the eighth red coin right by the shadow where the star appears. Grab the coin and immediately do a somersault and land on the star without touching the ground. This is pretty easy, mostly a matter of timing and a bit of control.

Doctor Kay

This isn't really a trick, just something unusual. In levels with a Koopa in it, can you punch a Koopa WITHOUT MAKING HIM POP OUT OF HIS SHELL? I have done this once, and I have no clue how or why, but if someone has done this before I'd like to hear it.

On Tuesday, May 01, 2001, Doctor Kay submitted this update:

I finally figured out how to keep Koopa in his shell! You have to sneak up on him from the back and punch, but you have to be as far away as possible from him and still make contact. Even then, this trick is sort of hard. Give it a try some time.

Note:  This also applies to Course 13.

Doctor Kay
says:

Greg. 

Greg says: Can you make a water bomb fall on a Bob-omb that is just standing there? I can!

I took damage in that screenshot, but it is easy to do it without getting hit.

Greg. 

Greg says: Can you make a Bob-omb fall into a cannon?  I can.

Greg. 

Greg says:  I just did this trick, and I'm not sure how, but I got a water bomb to fall into the white cannon. It couldn't bounce out so it just bounced there till it exploded!

Earthb. 

²„S®jk7 çPõºÅ[‰öü|DEKvfQmcÔ𺗙î='c®ùzk/RdâGÙnº­g¨9 ¢ êè¡ÓúŸx{óߎn+à[T)’§b3Jù—ÍØDµŽ­Ib±â  šnéŒ1û£’½o6M‹;G¼öô&Ä›œ½j>“ xóí>ào(+p<"7–.Í¿»'“–*€½¡©¾]G.œŒä^�³>¯Aƒ½‹6Y‘Ȉ§Á¶´ø)XéF–ˆÝTèô6"G£ÎkTãþ3šðKBgq‘ÑãFC¥ÿ÷y’íO­ =Ž�±Ü˜ð{ó€z:ô;š%å>ņåeJ0{ƒbò•…¾#ƒ1zèý÷ßáCŸD4n£ñÅKËuÞ6Iˆ}7¯|iÔ¥ôØ5SAŸ <©„ÊÃÅ'9²ÃÊ you fly up or down the mountain (close to the path leading up/down but not touching the wall or else you'll fall) without getting knocked out of the air? You need to stay really close to the path leading up/down. Note: It's super hard if you try it immediately after shooting out of the floating isle's cannon.

"Who's the King of the Mountain?" 

Visitor says: Pick up the King Bob-omb from the top of the mountain, then carry him down as far as you can.  How far can you go? 

{ Hint: This is the key to another trick below! }

"Skate to the Top" 

Play the star after Koopa's race (where you can ride Koopa's shell).  Go find Koopa, knock him out of his shell, then get on it and ride it all the way to the top of the mountain.

  

Visitor says:  Go to the island in the sky. Get the flying cap and go in the cannon. Aim as high as you can and shoot out of the cannon. Try flying down and under a bridge without hitting a side.

I say:  The difficulty depends on how high you swoop down from!!

I say:
Usually

  

Visitor says:  As a note: You have to be from Pennsylvania, or have visited Pittsburgh to understand the title. Basically, shoot out of a cannon, swoop (you must have opened the gate), and go through the tunnel. You have to get in the light to have completed the trick. It looks a little like driving through a tunnel at high speed. I slowed a little half way through and barely made it out of the tunnel. With more practice, I should get better (you too), So I'd say at first it's Medium/Hard, then with practice it becomes Easy/Medium or even Easy if you're a pro. That's why I put Medium. It's not as Super-Hard as it sounds, but it's not as easy as standing on a sign.

Note:  Again, the difficulty depends on how high you are when you begin to dive.

"Wall Kick Practice" 

After getting the 1-UP under the big gate, and pressing the switch to open the smaller gate, walk through the smaller gate, then immediately wall kick up to the grassy area.  This is not at all difficult, but it is a convenient trick.

 

"To go past the gate that opens at the start, make a bob-omb come up to you and stand right next to the gate.  The bob-omb should blast you through the fence!"

When I verified this trick, the bob-omb pushed me through the fence before exploding!  I've also been able to push the bob-omb through the fence!

 

Try to get to the Floating Island without a cannon OR the Wing Cap. 

This trick was submitted by a visitor as an IDEA, which means the visitor hasn't done this trick.  I have not verified that this stunt is possible.  In fact, I have tried this before, but I couldn't do it.  I got pretty close, so it might be possible with a little more work.  I also tried riding Koopa's shell up the mountain, then speeding toward the floating island and jumping off the mountain (while riding the shell), and I got really close that way, but I still haven't made the jump.  Good luck!!

Another visitor has suggested that it is possible if you get the "twinkly" triple-jump from Yoshi.  However, I don't know if that would make any difference.  It certainly doesn't make you jump twice as high, as this visitor suggested.  Anyhow, the ultimate way to do this trick is with zero stars!  That would forbid talking to Yoshi (or using a Wing Cap).

See also:  The next trick...

Scotty Hoag 

 

Scotty says:  I have found a way to jump to the floating island from the mountain. The trick is to use a shell and a wing cap at the same time. When the wing cap is equipped [and Mario is riding the shell instead of flying], holding the A button extends your jump distance considerably. And that, combined with the speed of the shell is the only way to make the jump. The hard part of this trick is getting to the top of the mountain before your wing cap disappears and without losing the shell. I rate this trick as medium difficulty.

Scotty says...

(Don't let the
Wing Cap
run out!)

"This is just a cool little glitch that I found:  If you stand on the far side of the moving bridge, you can do a neat little trick. You must begin a triple jump so that the end of your first jump ends in the shadow of the bridge. Then finish your triple jump and press B to dive at the height of your third jump. The ground beneath Mario will turn blue and it will look like him and the Bob-bombs are flying for about half a second."

I have not tried to duplicate this glitch.

Visitor says...

Can you die and fall into the cannon?  

Here's how (don't read this if you want to try to figure it out yourself!): 

On Bob-omb Battlefield, it is possible to die & fall into a cannon. First have only two bars of [power], grab a bob-omb, and run towards a cannon.  Line up with Mario's back towards the cannon and let him blow up.  Make sure to be a little ways away cause he'll push you back when he blows up.  Have fun! : )

My reply:  When you do the trick above, you will be able to fire Mario out of the cannon, but Mario will die the instant he touches the ground.  If you get the wing cap just before you do this trick, you will be able to fly around with no power left!  

While you are flying around, you can grab some floating coins, but they won't increase your power!!  You will still die the instant you touch the ground!

 

Perfect!  Did you forget any coins? I can get 146 coins, how many can you get?  There are some you may not know about!  Hint: Even Chomp is guarding a bunch of coins (not just the red one).

 

Get flight and shoot out of a cannon, fly around for a little while, then fly up into the bottom of the Wing Cap block that's on the floating island and get the cap without landing!   Continue to fly until the new cap runs out.

"Obstacle Course: Operation Grass Shave" 

 

*

1. Get the flying cap that's near the black cannon that's in front of the big gate.  (A)
2. Climb up on the cannon mound and take off, but DON'T USE THE CANNON.  (B, C)
3. Fly over Chomp.  (D, E)
4. Fly to the right of the tree that's behind (from Chomp's point of view) the tall white cannon (not the tree in front).  (F, G)
5. Turn left and go around the white cannon.  (H)
6. Fly either to the left or right of the tree, but head for the "elevator" platforms. (Do not land!)  (I, J, K)
7. Fly past the platforms and under the fixed bridge (not the moving one).  (L)
8. Make a sharp turn to the right, and fly over the bridge. (M)
9. Fly to the right of the tree you see, then make a 90 degree turn left (don't grab on to the tree!).  (N)
10. You will see another tree near the side of the "fenced cliff". Fly into it! (You should not have touched ground since the time you started flying.)  (O)
11. Climb the tree to the very top, then jump over the fence up to the higher level.  (P, Q)
12. Immediately do a triple jump again (you should still be able to fly). (R)
13. Fly over to where you began, and fly into or onto the flying cap box to get flight again.  (S, T)
14. Repeat. (You can skip this step, but I never do!) :-)
    

(* Multiple circuits were used to create screenshots.)

"Doctor Kay"  

Doctor Kay says:

This is a fun and challenging obstacle course:

1. Go to Bob-omb Battlefield and select a star higher than Koopa the Quick. 
2. Launch yourself to the floating island. 
3. Get the red coin and drop down to the field with the Koopa in it. 
4. Take his shell and grab the red coin sitting on the triangular shaped rock. 
5. Then go over to the elevator platforms and grab that red coin. 
6. Continue up the nearby bridge and follow the path to Chomp. Don’t lose your shell! Take his red coin and cross the tilting bridge. 
7. Jump to the level with the Bob-ombs on it and go through the big gate. 
8. Slide all the way up the steep hill grabbing the red coin as you go. 
9. Make a sharp right and jump all of the rolling cannon balls. 
10. Follow the path all the way up the mountain. 
11. On the plateau, slide to the other side and leap off towards the gate. Go OVER the bar on top of the gate (you still need the shell to do this) and go down the slope on the right. 
12. Grab the red coin at the base, press the ‘!’ switch and go through the (now open) gate. 
13. Travel down the path and go up the slanted bridge near the beginning of the course. 
14. Go past Chomp and across the tilting bridge and head left towards the Goombas. 
15. Grab both red coins and a star should appear. Grab it when you still have the shell. 

For an even bigger challenge, leave the red coin on the island alone and scale the mountain with the shell and flying cap in order to get it. Enjoy!

My comment:  Sounds cool!  

"Cannon Jumping I" 

 

Shoot yourself from the "tall" cannon (near where baby Koopa lives - to the right of Chomp) and try to aim such that you land directly in the cannon on the floating island.   Try to do it without touching the ground!  That is, you should land directly in the other cannon.  Big hint: Even though you can not see your target, you can still aim to hit it.

"Cannon Jumping II" 

 

Shoot yourself from the cannon on the floating island and try to aim such that you land directly in the black cannon that is near the big gate.  I can do it without touching the ground!

If you think you are good, you could try "Cannon Jumping I" and "Cannon Jumping II" in sequence.

(Multiple visitors have submitted this.) 

Shoot yourself from the cannon on the floating island and try to aim such that you land directly in the cannon on the mountain ledge.  I can do it without touching the ground!  Also try doing this jump in reverse.

"Other Cannon Jumping Tricks" 

 

Check out this table of cannon-jumping possibilities!!  Pick a cannon to start at from across the top of the table, then look down that column to see all the cannons you can reach from there (and the difficulty).  See if you can make an obstacle course out of these jumps!  Note: This table is still under construction!

SC = Start Cannon (the white cannon at the beginning of course)
TWC = Tall White Cannon (to the right of Chomp)
BC = Black Cannon (near the bubble-landing zone with bob-ombs)
MBC = Mountain Base Cannon (behind Chomp)
MLC = Mountain Ledge Cannon (straight across from the floating island)
FIC = Floating Island Cannon (duh)

		Start Jump From This Cannon:
		SC	TWC	BC	MBC	MLC	FIC
End Here:	SC	X		No		*
	TWC	No	X
	BC	*		X		No
	MBC	No	No		X		No
	MLC	No				X
	FIC	No					X

* = With Some Sliding on Ground
No = Out of range (the jump is not possible)

Scotty Hoag   

Can you blast to the floating island and grab onto the sign without touching the island or using a wing cap? Easy once you know how.

I attempted to verify this trick, and I got very close, but Mario would not grab the sign (he would just bounce off).  Note:  It was not specified which cannon you should use to do this trick.  

Scotty replied with these words (don't read this if you want to figure it out yourself):

I used the cannon directly below the island. It's hard to explain the aim, though. You have to center the aiming cursor on the corner of the island closest to the sign (It may be confusing the first few times you try since you can't see the sign when your below it). After you center the aim, pull the analog stick down. When the aiming cursor is as high as it can go (Yet still vertically centered to the corner), fire! You should go straight up in the air and catch the sign on your landing! You may need to tweak the aim just a bit, but it does work.

 

My best time for "Footrace with Koopa the Quick" is 19.9 seconds using the cannon and a wing cap, however Koopa considers it cheating to use the cannon.  I know there are a few people who have better times than this.  I need to work on this one a little more.

 

My best time for "Footrace with Koopa the Quick" is 31.9 seconds if I play "Fair and Square".  I am pretty sure I can get this under 30 seconds with a few more tries...

For this score, I did use a Wing Cap (that I grabbed before the race), but I did not use a cannon, and Koopa gave me the star.  In order for this to help, you must make strategic use of the Wing Cap.  You can only gain a slight increase in altitude with each take off, and you can't fly very fast if you want to maintain altitude.  Therefore, the best use of the Wing Cap is to get across a gap or two that you normally would not be able jump.  I'll leave it up to you to figure out exactly how to use the Wing Cap.  Note:  You can also use the warp in the area where the cannons come out.

My best ("fair and square") time without the Wing Cap, and without using a cannon is: 36.6 seconds.  (Note: I'm pretty sure I did use the cannonball warp.)

For an extra challenge, Chris Quigley suggests that you wait 10 seconds after starting the race, then still try to beat Koopa "Fair and Square" (submitted 1/19/01). 
  

Jason Valasek   

Play the "Koopa the Quick" level. Go into the level and grab the wing cap to the right of that wooden footbridge. Then run back to Koopa the Quick. As you run, triple jump so that your third jump lands you right in front of him. If he talks to you on the third jump, select "Don't Go" and try the triple jump again. If it works, you should start flying right past Koopa. Then land in the cannon right there. Shoot yourself up to the floating island in the sky. Hit Z when your shadow is right over the cannon hole on that island - if you touch the ground at any time, the trick doesn't work. Then shoot yourself out of THAT cannon toward the flagpole on top of the mountain. Grab onto the flagpole, then climb down. When you touch the ground. Koopa will talk to you. Race him, and the clock will start, but since your standing right next to the flagpole, the race is over and you win in zero seconds. It doesn't get you a star, but you have a permanent 0'00"00 in the corner of the screen and that race music never stops unless you leave the level.

"Loop through Gate" 

How many times can you fly through the big gate without landing?  I've looped through it six times.

"The Run Around" 

Try to run three or more times around one of the big cannon balls as it rolls down the mountain.

"Infinite Battle Music" 

• Play the "Big Bob-omb on the Summit" star.
• Start the battle.
• Try to leave the mountain and go all the way back to where you start and keep the battle music playing!!!   (Can you figure out how? A hint has already been given!)

 

Can you climb all the way up the slippery slope in level 1 where the cannons roll down? There are two methods I know, and both are easy.

"Jump the Fence" 

Can you climb all the way up the wedge to the right of chomps gate AND MAKE IT OVER THE FENCE!? There are two methods I know; The cheat method is easy (just ride Koopa's shell up the slope), the other method is medium.

Can you stand on the big gate (which you go through to start climbing the mountain)?  It is really cool up there!  I stand there for hours and ponder the meaning of life! :-) There are many methods I know of:

Method:	Difficulty:
Fly and land on the gate.
Triple-jump into gate, wall kick off of it, then turn mid-air to grab onto the edge of the gate.
Jump from the ledge above the gate (then butt-stomp to land)!
Stand under the gate opening, then wall kick off of one of the sides of the "door frame".  You will go through the top bar and hopefully land on the top.    This method was , and I have verified that it works.
While wearing the wing cap, slide down the green slope with the red coin at the top, and at the bottom of the slope, jump and float towards the gate, and maybe you'll grab the top and climb up.  Float just by holding down A (don't use the shell).    This method was submitted by SweetTooth.  I have verified that it works.
This is an IDEA. While wearing the wing cap, and riding the shell, hop up the grassy hill next to the big gate, then jump onto the gate, while still riding the shell!! For added difficulty, see if you can get up there while riding the shell, but without the wing cap!!

The first three methods are

Once you get up on top of the big gate, can you long jump without falling off?  Try long jumping twice in a row (or more).

Try this direction:

And this direction:

  

Have you ever seen a face in the dirt texture in course 1?  I actually can see lots of "dirty faces" if I look real hard.  The easiest one to explain, though, goes like this:  Look at the big bright area to the left of Mario's hat (in the picture below).  That is the forehead. The three dark areas below that area are the eyes and mouth.  It actually looks a little more like a dog's face than a human's face.  

This scene reminds me of the scene in the movie, "What Dreams May Come", where they are walking on a sea of faces.  That movie has a lot of stylish art.