How to Kill Boos in 'Super Mario Run': Guide, tips and tricks for beating ghost enemies

If you've ever played a Mario game in the past, you know that the ghost enemies, called Boos, are some of the series' most frustrating foes. Unlike most enemies, they can't be defeated by jumping on their heads. Usually, the only solution is to flee in terror. If you're playing Super Mario Run, you've probably figured that part out by now.

However, certain levels in Super Mario Run enable you to defeat Boos so that you can recover the Pink Coins and other items they've squirreled away inside their ethereal bodies. Here's how to kill the Boos in those situations.

How to kill ghosts/Boos in Super Mario Run

The majority of Boos you encounter in Super Mario Run can't be defeated. The exception to that rule is when you're in a level with special blocks that enable you to jump backwards, like in level 5-3, "Boohind Lock and Key."

In order to kill the Boos you have to get them to trail behind you by running away from them, then use the backwards jumping blocks to flip over them. Once you land, the ghost should disappear, leaving its item behind.

In order to get the timing right, you might have to run from left to right across the screen several times, so as to get the Boo close enough for you to jump over it.

If you need to see this trick in action, check out the YouTube video below.

More Super Mario Run news, updates, tips and tricks

Can't get enough of Mario, Peach, Bowser and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom? Check out Mic's coverage of Super Mario Run, including how to unlock new characters like Toad, Peach and Yoshi, how to get different colored Toads to come back to the kingdom, how to find the game's secret levels, how to play the game on your Apple TV, our coverage for the Android release date and some knock-off versions to tide you over until it drops, as well as some cheats for the new game if our guides aren't enough — we won't tell anyone if you don't!