Paper Mario: The Origami King – Shy Guys Finish Last Walkthrough & Answers

During the main story of Paper Mario: The Origami King, Mario and Olivia will eventually stumble onto the set of a game show called Shy Guys Finish Last on the way to the final hot spring in Shangri Spa. In this mini-game, the player’s memory and puzzle-solving skills will be timed and tested. Players will need to complete puzzles from four categories of mini game at three different levels, earn 100 points total, and answer a sudden death question correctly to win. Completing the mini-game successfully earns Mario one of the 120 Collectible Treasures available in the game. Failing the mini-game means game over.

While the first time Mario plays Shy Guys Finish Last is not extremely high-stakes, players may want to return to the mini-game and try for a perfect game, completing every challenge at every level. Doing so will earn players the Quiz Master Trophy, likely one of the most difficult in the game. While this can be skipped, players who do not earn this Trophy will not be able to unlock the secret ending to Paper Mario: The Origami King. However, the challenges in Shy Guys Finish Last are difficult, and failing means game over. Some players have taken to using the screen capture function on their Switch or recording the challenge on their phones to better see what happens and find the correct answers. Players will also want to save their game just before starting the mini-game so they don’t have to restart far away from the Game Show. Here’s how to get through Shy Guys Finish Last, both the first time and when trying for a perfect game.

Complete Ring Scramble during Shy Guys Finish Last in Paper Mario: The Origami King

The first puzzle category for Shy Guys Finish Last is Ring Scramble. This is a puzzle in which an image will be shuffled, and the player has limited changes to rotate and slide the rings to return the picture to its original. The images exist on rings, which all rotate together, and wedges, which all slide together. The images will not always be scrambled the same way, but there are some constants the player can look for.

In the first level of Ring Scramble, worth 10 points, the image will not require sliding. The player has four moves and 40 seconds to rotate the rings of the image back to their original place. In the second and third levels, worth 30 and 50 points, Mario has one minute and seven and six moves respectively. These two rounds will require sliding.

Complete Race ‘n’ Place during Shy Guys Finish Last in Paper Mario: The Origami King

The second puzzle category, Race ‘n’ Place, asks players to watch a 100-meter dash between four kinds of in-game enemies. Players will need to watch the race and memorize the winners and the placement of the other runners at the end of the race. They will also need to align the runners using only a series of rings from the battle arena, meaning it will take time to get them into place.

In the first level, players only need to identify and place the winning runner within 40 seconds. In the second level, players need to identify and place either the second, third, or fourth place runner within 40 seconds. In the third level, players will need to arrange all 4 runners in a line in their finishing order within one minute.

Many players like taking a screen capture prior to the arranging to be certain of their answers.

Complete Ninji Skills during Shy Guys Finish Last in Paper Mario: The Origami King

In this classic game, several enemies will be shown and then placed under blue containers. The containers will be shuffled around. Players will need to concentrate specifically on the locations of the Ninjis in the group and move them into a highlighted area in the arena. To win, the highlighted area can only contain Ninjis.

The easiest way to complete this challenge on level two or level three is to focus only on the enemies that are not Ninji, as there will typically be fewer of them to keep track of. During level 1, there will be one Ninji and four other kinds of enemy. Mario will have 40 seconds to answer.

During level 2, there will be two Ninjis and three other kinds of enemy, and Mario will still have 40 seconds to answer. In level 3, there are 4 Ninjis and 2 other kinds of enemy, and the shuffling is longer and more complex. Mario has one minute to lock in his answer.

Players tend to record this challenge as well to have a moment to look back and figure out the right answer. However, they may miss some of the shuffling on level 3 thanks to the increased time spent moving the boxes around. Players can also use their fingers to follow either the other enemies or the Ninji, whichever enemy there are fewer of.

Complete Bath Math during Shy Guys Finish Last in Paper Mario: The Origami King

The last challenge, Bath Math, asks the player to exercise their memory and math skills. Mario will watch Goombas enter and leave the hot springs and must memorize the number of Goombas left in the hot spring at the end. They will then need to arrange numbers into an equation on the battle arena that equals the number left in the spring. All four slots need a number or symbol for a complete answer.

During level 1, the Goombas move slowly, and it should be fairly simple for the player to come up with the answer. Mario has 40 seconds to lock in his response. During level 2, the Goombas move fast, and there may be quite a few added at the end just before the camera cuts to black. Still, Mario only has 40 seconds to respond. Finally, in level 3, hot steam from the spring will cloud the pool, making it impossible for the player to see the inside. They will have to keep track of the number of Goombas based solely on watching them enter and leave the springs. Mario has one minute to answer.

This is another challenge where screen capture might be beneficial. Players can record the final number of Goombas for levels 1 and 2 and can recount for level 3 if needed.

Sudden Death Answers for Shy Guys Finish Last in Paper Mario: The Origami King

The final challenge of Shy Guys Finish last is reminiscent of music trivia. As the name implies, Mario must get this question right to win. If he does not, it is an immediate game over. To play, the Shy Guy host will play one of three songs from earlier in the game: Happy & Sappy from Ol’ Grandsappy in Whispering Woods, Go with the Flow from the Oarman at Eddy River, or My Heart’s a-Burnin’ from the Scorching Sandpaper Desert. Mario must complete the lyric to finish the game show.

• For Happy & Sappy, the missing lyric is Burly.
• For Go with the Flow, the missing lyric is Sculler.
• For My Heart’s a-Burnin’, the missing lyric is Aflame.

If this is the first time Mario has played Shy Guys Finish Last, he will receive Collectible Treasure No. 108: Sudden Death Cannon. If this is the second time, he will receive the Quiz Master Trophy and 3000 coins.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is available for the Nintendo Switch.

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