At the bottom of the staircase is a shallow bed of water. The player can defeat the Piranha Plants with a single Koopa Shell. When the player heads upwards and walks to the right, they encounter a Koopa Troopa, a Goomba, and a downward staircase that has many Piranha Plants inside of Warp Pipes. By Wall Jumping over the pipe, the player can collect the first Star Coin. If the player stays on the lower ground level and continues rightward, they see a warp pipe inhabited by a Piranha Plant.

Past this point, the player encounters another small pit, followed by two Koopa Troopas and a Koopa Paratroopa. Past the first pit, the player finds two Goombas and two Koopa Troopas, surrounded by bricks and ? Blocks.

The player must Ground Pound the bricks if they wish to collect the coins. Near the Goomba are six coins caged in by bricks.

After a few steps, the player encounters a Goomba. By pressing a nearby ? Switch, the flat desert quickly raises into the form of a steep hill, allowing the player to access the aforementioned blocks.

Three ? Blocks and two bricks can be found high in the air. This level starts out with a seemingly flat desert surface.

New super mario bros 2 world 1-4