Weeping Thwomp
Weeping Thwomp is a quest in Mario Party Advance that is initiated by Thwomp. It begins when the player visits Thwomp, who lives in the Thwomp House, and he panickedly asks the player to help him after he was robbed. Although the player has the option of walking away, leaving Thwomp to mutter that he is completely alone in the world, the quest only starts when the player agrees to solve the crime for him. Once the quest starts, detective Shroomlock enters the house, having been called by Thwomp. Thwomp explains that he was robbed for forty coins (which Shroomlock says is "enough for 2 stars"); he was out of the house when it happened, though he securely locked the doors. Shroomlock conjectures that Thwomp's house contains the clues needed to solve the crime, and asks the player to find the clues for him. There are five different items in the house, each with an accompanying bit of text and emphasis placed on any relevant information:
- "It's a garbage can. Nothing special. There's some trash inside. Mostly paper."
- "This is the only door into the house. It's small... Smaller than Thwomp, even!"
- "It's a punching bag, for boxing practice. The ball moves when you hit it. It looks new!"
- "It's a sandbag, for karate practice. It's full of sand, and it looks heavy."
- "It's a small and messy stack of books. There's one called "How to Make Friends." Aw!"
After the player examines all of the objects, Shroomlock asks the player which of them contains a clue. The only relevant object is the door and the description that comes with it: the door is specifically mentioned to be larger than Thwomp, and as there is no other way to exit the house, it is impossible for Thwomp to leave the house and therefore it is impossible for a robber to have entered while Thwomp was "out". If the player chooses an incorrect object, Shroomlock immediately disagrees with them and is left confused and Thwomp kicks them out the house for being unable to solve the crime, forcing the player to restart the quest from the beginning. Once the player names the door, Shroomlock immediately agrees with them and accuses Thwomp of being the culprit. Shroomlock then explains the logic to him, causing Thwomp to break down in tears and admit that he lied about the robbery so that somebody could finally care about him. Shroomlock takes pity on Thwomp and agrees to be Thwomp's friend, then quickly runs off in search of another crime. Thwomp apologizes for the trouble he caused and gives the player the Eye Exam Gaddget as consolation. The quest ends once Thwomp thanks the player for their help.
