Super Mario RPG: A guide to finding all 39 Hidden Chests

Super Mario RPG is the Nintendo Switch remake of a lost old-school gem that captivated us with its 90s style and beautiful graphics. It may be a bit easy, but some secrets are hidden just like in the old days. Do you want to find all those floating chests? Read on in our guide to get your hands on them all and satisfy the completionist in you.

The Hidden Chests are a nod to the classic Super Mario Bros. hidden blocks, the kind that only appear when you jump in the right place. Here they are chests and always have a juicy prize, so it's worth finding as many as possible along the way.

• Tip for finding Hidden Chests during your quest: When you get the Signal Ring (see how to get it below), if it is equipped on any of your party members (even if they are reserves), it will alert you to the existence of Hidden Treasure in the current area by insistently saying, "There's a Hidden Treasure Nearby" You can jump all over the stage to try to find it, look for suspicious mechanisms or inaccessible places... or consult this guide if there is no way or you are missing a specific one.

Finally, before I tell you where all the hidden treasures are, you should know that there are a total of 39 in the entire Super Mario RPG game. If you want to find out how many you're missing, you can talk to the Pleaseno in the first house in Monstro Town, on the first floor . It'll tell you that "you still need to find XX more, just so you know".

Where are all the Hidden Chests in Super Mario RPG?

Follow the images and descriptions. The captions appear with this legend:

Area of the map | Specific location | Object to be handed over

1. Mushroom Kingdom Region | Mushroom Castle | Flower

In the item shop, Mrs. Toad in the basement will teach you some of the tricks in this guide. This should be your first secret chest in the game, and it's also hiding the Alert Ring! This makes it all easier but also logical, as you'll see.

2. Mushroom Kingdom Region | Mushroom Castle | Flower

But the second one is right next door. It turns out you can climb on the Toads' heads: try jumping in the corner.

3. Mushroom Kingdom Region | Mushroom Castle | Frog Coin

If you're not careful, it can cost you a lot of time because this castle will be infested with enemies later in the game. Use what you have learned from climbing on the Toads to reach the ledge above the door leading to the throne room. You can do this at the beginning and later in the game.

4. Mushroom Kingdom Region | Bandit's Way | Kerokero Cola

You have to jump between the pink spinning flower and the purple one, as if you wanted to jump from one to the other. The chest is at the top, to the right of the first one.

5. Tadpole Pond Region | Rose Town | Frog Coin

They don't call them object shops for nothing; in this pretty village they also hide a secret chest. If you sneak into the back room and climb to the top of the shelves, you'll easily find the treasure.

6. Tadpole Pond Region | Rose Town | Frog Coin

You are already an expert at climbing on heads. That's what you have to do to reach the last house in the village, where you activate the stairs. Before you go, enjoy jumping on the bed...

7. Tadpole Pond Region | Forest Maze | Frog Coin

As soon as you leave Rose Town you will hear a beep for the Signal Ring. The Hidden Chest is on the left hand side, in the small clearing.

8. Tadpole Pond Region | Forest Maze | Frog Coin

When you emerge from the first stump after jumping on a springboard in the first underground area, to the left of the trunk.

9. Tadpole Pond Region | Forest Maze | Kerokero Cola

Seven stumps from which Wigglers emerge with their own underground rooms, forming a large rhombus. In the stump at the left corner you will find the chest at the bottom.

10. Tadpole Pond Region | Forest Maze | Flower

On the stump of the right corner, between Buzzers and Amanitas, the secret chest awaits you in the southern area.

11. Tadpole Pond Region | Forest Maze | Nothing!

On the second stump on the left hand side, in the corner in front of the trampoline.

12. Tadpole Pond Region | Forest Maze | Red Essence

This hidden chest is one of the most difficult in the game for several reasons. Firstly, it is in a fairly large area, starting with the path from the "lost forest" junction, with a save point, and ending with an area of stumps that you can't get into. As an added problem, if you exit at the opposite end, you'll exit to the map and have to redo the maze if you haven't saved. On top of that, it's the only location in the whole remake that has changed from the original game, so it's not worth what you remember from back then or the classic guides you look at. Take a look at the picture because, much like the first chest in the maze, the hidden treasure awaits you on the left hand side as soon as you enter. The prize is worth it: the red essence grants a character invincibility for three turns, ideal for enemies like Culex or those that come later in the post-game.

13. Tadpole Pond Region | Pipe Vault | Frog Coin

You'll go unnoticed if you try to avoid the piranha plants at all costs, but in that row of six pipes, in another nod to SMB, you'll be able to sneak through the second one. If you go down, you'll see a raised walkway that you apparently can't reach. Jump just before the first tile and a yellow lift platform will appear. Once in the high corridor, if you jump from the second brick, the chest will appear. But wait, your ring is still ringing!

14. Tadpole Pond Region | Pipe Vault | Frog Coin

If you continue to the end of the raised walkway you will see a chest that is not hidden at all. Well, between that one and the previous one is the one you're missing with another green coin. Speaking of which...

• Trick: How do I get the Frog Coin under the bottom block? Or in other words, how do I crouch in Super Mario RPG? In the original SNES game, Legend of the Seven Stars, you could run around the world by pressing the Y button, but in Switch the buttons keep their combat assignments (A action, B jump, Y special techniques, X items). So? Actually, Mario runs by default and you can press L or R to walk (you can also reverse this in the options). So, try running down the lower corridor anyway, with the analogue stick, without pressing any buttons, and crouch (press down) just as you reach the gap. There you go, the old trick!

15. Yo'ster Isle Region | Yo'ster Isle | Frog Coin

Stand still! We know you're looking forward to seeing the Yoshis and Boshi's chop, but before you go down, just outside the pipe, next to the save block is another hidden treasure.

16. Moleville Region | Booster Pass | Flower

It's not all about getting on Toad's big heads. Go to the far left of the map as soon as you enter, above the entrance to the cave, and hop on that cauliflower thing to jump up to the boot.

17. Moleville Region | Booster Pass | Rock Candy

This one is hard to find. Go to the left corner before leaving the first area of the map. Look at the screenshot.

18. Moleville Region | Booster Pass | Frog Coin

Welcome to the luxurious and extravagant building of a somewhat manic gentleman who looks like Wario and loves toys, especially little trains. If you're not thrown off by his ever-glittering chess tiles, the first chest is easy enough, as you start to climb up and an endless line of Snifits comes towards you.

19. Moleville Region | Booster Tower | Frog Coin

I haven't seen this one! Of course, it's a matter of perspective. Look closely at the photo and go to the end to find the treasure.

20. Moleville Region | Booster Tower | Goody Bag

One of the most challenging and rewarding chests. When you climb up the yellow platforms, did it ever occur to you that you can climb up to the chest that is already visible and make another jump?

21. Moleville Region | Booster Tower | Mushroom

This one is easy. In the same room as the previous chest, next to the first yellow bolted platform, in the corner of the room.

22. Moleville Region | Marrymore | Frog Coin

Well, it wasn't all going to be item shops. If you rest at the inn, you can climb on the furniture afterwards to pick up another green coin.

23. Star Hill Region | Sunken Ship | Flower

One of the best hidden chests in the entire game, it's a bit like the third one on our list: if you don't get it the first time, you'll have to wait until you finish the area before you can try again. You'll come to a room where Mario sees a clone of himself, like the famous Spider-Man meme. The temptation is to run up to A to "talk", or in other words, fight, but if you defeat him... you can no longer use him as a platform to reach the hidden chest as shown in the picture. Cool!

24. Land's End Region | Land's End | Flower

This is one of the hardest, if not the hardest hidden chest in the whole game. As soon as you enter you will see your first cannon and your first yellow platform. You'll see that it's slightly off to the right of the hole. If you shoot up to the high rock you will be able to climb up to the platform and from there you will have to jump. Note that you don't just jump vertically when the lift is at the top, but by pressing the stick upwards, as if you want to climb the rock from there.

25. Land's End Region | Land's End | Flower

This one is similar to the previous one, but the trick is that the platform is as hidden as the chest. You have to make it appear when you climb out of the hole you fall into, but you'll usually be attacked by up to three Nibblers. With the platform activated you can shoot yourself back up and climb the rock to reach the treasure.

26. Land's End Region | Land's End | Frog Coin

Once you have finished the climb you come to a flowery meadow that leads to the great suspension bridge to the Great Cliff and the desert before the Bean Valley, the Sky Bridge. Well, don't go up. To the right of the stairs, jump between the two lilacs to reveal one of the chests.

27. Land's End Region | Land's End | Frog Coin

The second chest is very, very hidden. Instead of climbing up to the Sky Bridge, notice that it has a dark cave-like hole underneath the rock pillar. If you jump next to it, a retro magic will suck you into a cave. If you reach its highest corner, you will find your chest.

28. Land's End Region | Land's End (Belome Temple) | Frog Coin

This sort of pyramid hides its first chest on top of another very visible one that you can reach from a ledge. Wait a minute, is the ring still ringing?

29. Land's End Region | Land's End (Belome Temple) | Frog Coin

Yes, it is. The second one is in the same room, in the little corner made by the golden brick wall.

30. Land's End Region | Monstro Town | Flower

One of the least hidden treasures in the game, it awaits you in the last room of the city, before leaving it, between the bush and the corner.

31. Land's End Region | Bean Valley | Rock Candy

This autumnal location that could well have inspired Mario Kart's Maple Path or Forza Motorsport's Maple Valley hides a single chest in the outdoors, if you take the first pipe on the right and then approach the bushes on the left hand side.

32. Land's End Region | Bean Valley | Kerokero Cola

Once inside one of the pipes of watered piranha plants you will find the treasure at the far end of the room.

33. Land's End Region | Bean Valley | Red Essence

In another underground room, between the trampoline and the yellow steps. Be careful, it's an invincibility potion, keep it safe.

34. Nimbus Land Region | Nimbus Land | Frog Coin

What did we say about the object shops? Well, you know. Climb up the boxes in the store and you'll get another green coin at the top.

35. Nimbus Land Region | Nimbus Land (Castle) | Frog Coin

When you come to the three doors on the same wall, next to the bird cage on the left.

36. Nimbus Land Region | Nimbus Land (Castle) | Frog Coin

By now you've figured it out when you saw the chest from below. Once you've taken care of the amorous Birdo, jump from the upper level to the treasure you saw from the lower one.

37. Nimbus Land Region | Nimbus Land (Castle) | Frog Coin

When you go down the stairs from the left door of the three doors we were talking about before. It is on the second to last tile.

38. Nimbus Land Region | Nimbus Land (Castle) | Frog Coin

The most retro hidden chest in the whole game is a bit easier in the remake because you can see a hole to get out of the stage. It's funny, but it's not the same. Dive into nothingness and jump to grab another green coin.

39. Bowser's Keep Region | Weapon World (Gate) | Mushroom

You can feel it, you can sense it, Smithy is in the air. When you get to this save point you'll easily find the last hidden chest in the game, with one measly mushroom - you've got them all! And no, you don't get anything special :(