You’re jumping at nothing. Seriously. If you’ve played more than ten minutes of the remake on Switch or the original SNES classic, you’ve probably spent a good chunk of time leaping into random corners of a room because some intuition told you a box was there. Most of the time, you’re just hitting your head on the ceiling. But then, that distinctive ding happens. A chest appears out of thin air. That is the magic—and the absolute frustration—of Super Mario RPG hidden treasures.
There are 39 of these invisible Surprise Boxes scattered throughout the world. Finding them all isn't just about completionism; it’s about snagging those rare Croaka Cola (formerly Kerokero Cola) bottles and Frog Coins that make the late-game boss fights, like the 3D-rendered nightmare Culex, actually manageable.
Why Some Treasures Are Actually Missable
Let's get the big one out of the way. If you’re a perfectionist, the Mushroom Kingdom is your biggest hurdle. Right at the start of the game, there’s a hidden chest sitting on top of the door in the castle foyer. If you don't jump on the Toad’s head to boost yourself up there early on, you might think you're locked out.
Actually, the remake is a bit more forgiving than the 1996 original, but the anxiety remains the same. You have to wait for the Toad to walk near the door, hop on his cap, and then vault onto the ledge. It’s a clunky maneuver. It feels like you're breaking the game, but that's exactly what the developers intended. If you miss it during the initial invasion, don't panic—you can come back later, though the timing with the NPCs changes.
Most players breeze through the early game and realize fifty hours later they’re stuck at 38/39. It’s almost always a chest in a place you visited when you were still learning the controls.
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The Signal Ring Is Your Best Friend (And Your Worst Enemy)
In the SNES version, you were basically flying blind. You had to rely on Nintendo Power guides or just sheer luck. In the remake, Nintendo gave us the Signal Ring. It’s a literal lifesaver. When you enter a room with a hidden chest, a notification pops up saying "There's a hidden treasure nearby!"
It sounds helpful. It is. But it’s also maddening.
You’ll spend twenty minutes in a tiny room in Monstro Town jumping in a grid pattern like you're surveying land for a strip mall. The ring tells you it's there, but it doesn't tell you where. Some of these boxes are tucked behind pillars or require you to jump from a moving platform at the absolute apex of its flight path.
The Forest Maze Nightmare
The Forest Maze is famous for Geno, the music, and the fact that it’s a geographical headache. It also houses some of the most annoying Super Mario RPG hidden treasures in the game.
There’s one specifically tucked in a subterranean area filled with pipes. You have to jump in a spot that looks like empty space, but it’s actually a pixel-perfect trigger for a Red Essence. If you aren't hugging the wall, you'll miss it. The Forest Maze chests are a test of patience. You’ll see the Signal Ring go off, and you’ll think it’s in the clearing with the stumps. Nope. It’s usually in the transition zones or tucked behind a tree that obscures your vision.
The Weirdest Spots You’d Never Think to Look
Bean Valley is another hotspot for these things. The valley is a series of pipes guarded by Smilax (those hungry Piranha Plant clones). Once you defeat a Smilax, you can go down the pipe.
One of the chests here is only accessible if you wait for the Birdy to fly away, or in some cases, you have to jump at the very edge of the map where the camera doesn't even want to follow you. It feels like the developers were trolling. Honestly, they probably were.
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Then there’s Nimbus Land.
Most people find the one in the item shop by jumping on the boxes behind the shopkeeper. That’s a classic. But there’s one in the castle that requires you to walk off the edge of the visible floor into a dark void. If you didn’t have the Signal Ring, you would never, in a million years, think to walk into the "out of bounds" area to find a treasure box. It defies every rule of 90s RPG design.
Clearing Up the 39th Chest Mystery
For decades, there was a rumor about a "lost" chest. In the original version, some players claimed there was a hidden treasure in the end-game weapon factory.
Fact check: There isn't.
The total count is 39. If you are looking at a guide that says 40, they are likely counting the one in the ending credits or a glitch. Stick to the 39 count tracked by the NPC in Monstro Town. He’s the little monster in the downstairs room who tells you exactly how many are left. He is the ultimate source of truth. If he says there’s one left, and you’ve checked every town, go back to the Sunken Ship.
The Sunken Ship hidden treasure is notorious because it’s in a room with a mirror Mario. You have to jump in the middle of the room to hit a chest that you can only see the reflection of. It’s clever. It’s also the reason many of us had trust issues as kids.
Practical Steps for the Completionist
If you’re serious about finding every last one, don't just wander aimlessly.
First, equip the Signal Ring immediately. You get it in Mushroom Kingdom early on (or in the Forest Maze depending on which version/quest line you follow). Never take it off until the counter hits zero.
Second, use the Map feature in the remake. It actually tells you which areas still have "???" markers for treasures. This is a massive quality-of-life upgrade over the original. If a region on the map has a chest icon that isn't filled in, stop what you’re doing and scour that zone.
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Third, remember that height matters. A lot of these boxes are stacked. You might jump and hit nothing, but if you jump from a higher platform or an NPC’s head, you’ll trigger it. The Z-axis is a fickle beast in an isometric game.
Lastly, check the corners of every single room in Smithy’s Factory and the Gate area. While the bulk are in the early-to-mid game, the final stretch has a few sneaky ones that are easy to bypass when you’re rushing to finish the story.
Go talk to the monster in Monstro Town right now. If he says you're done, you're done. If not, start with the Mushroom Kingdom castle and work your way forward. Most likely, it's that one on top of the door or the invisible floor in Nimbus Land.
Once you get that 39/39, you don't get a massive "You Win" screen, but you do get the satisfaction of knowing you've mastered one of the most eccentric scavenger hunts in Nintendo history. Now go use those Frog Coins to buy some decent gear for the post-game rematches. You’re going to need it.