As you near the end of the very first Super Mario Bros. game, you will finally encounter one last enemy, similar in appearance to Koopa Troopas or Spinies, with bigger shells that nearly cover their entire bodies. To your surprise however, the fireball you have been so reliant on up to this point to handle any situation proves to be useless, as those big shells turn out to be completely fireproof.
This is a Buzzy Beetle, the quiet defense-based cousin of the Koopa Klan. They don’t make too much of a mark in the grand scheme of the Mario series, but you can be sure to always find them, typically in the deep dark underground levels, hiding in their big shells, safe in the knowledge your fire will never get through to them. You may even encounter their cousins, the Spike Tops, who like to cling to the ceiling and drop down on you with their single wicked spike.
In game, Buzzy Beetle’s strongest skill is in its defense. Though with few strong attacks to speak of and only moderately fast, you will find yourself struggling to rack up any amount of serious damage on it, even with your strongest of attacks. Its moves will be similar to its Koopa counterparts, using its shell as both defense and a projectile, pulling also from its Spike Top cousins and even lasers fired by a papier-macho replica seen in a Paper Mario game.
Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause
