Penguin

PENGUIN

The fourth world of Super Mario 64 consists of an icy mountain, complete with snowmen, a slip-and-slide, and strong breezes. Just behind you, at the starting point, you will see a small little penguin wandering around, searching for its mama.

Three of these Penguins appear on the stage: the baby, its mama at the bottom of the mountain, and a big guy inside of the stage's cabin who challenges you to a race. These creatures would go on to be a staple of the Mario series, often appearing as obstacles of the kart races or friendly allies on his many adventures.

As fighters, they won't be very powerful, but will be fast and slippery, about to get out of a jam with ease. Their moveset will pull from their shown abilities throughout the games, and the little bit added to them in the new movie.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Character Sheet: Penguin

PENGUIN

Today, let's cover the penguins that inhabit the Mario world. Having been a constant presence since Super Mario 64, where they raced Mario on the ice and missed their babies (most of which were thrown from the mountain by pretty much every player ever), the penguins never had quite enough to claim playership, but now with the launch of The Super Mario Bros. movie, where an army of them attack with snowballs and catapults, we can welcome them in.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Snowball

The penguin will throw a barrage of snowballs forward. They will do minimal damage.

Side B: Slide

The penguin will leap forward onto its belly and slide across the stage, barreling into the nearest fighter.

Up B: Sliding Jump

The penguin will slide onto its belly again, but this time up a small ramp that will launch it high into the air, based on its Galaxy appearances.

Down B: Catapult

It will roll a catapult forward a few spaces before it launched a big lump of snow, burying anyone hit by it.

Final Smash: Slip Slidin' Away

The penguin will slide forward and strike an opponent, dropping them onto the slide from Mario 64 just as the penguin from that comes barreling down it.

Entrance: The penguin will be sitting in a pool and crying loudly.

Taunts: Up, the penguin will wave at the camera. Side, "That is but a taste of our fury! Do you yield?". Down, the penguin will walk around in a circle doing its little clucks.

Kirby Hat: The top of its head

Kart: A big one based on the sliding penguin from Mario 64.

Special Move: The road directly in front of them will become covered in ice, allowing them to slide much more quickly.

Spirit Battle: Two large and one small on Shivering Snow Land.

Victory Screen: It will stand proudly as the victory fanfare from Mario 64 plays.

Losing Screen: Their opponent will toss them off the side of a mountain.

Color Swaps: The standard version, a Mario 64 version, a version based on Tucks, Mario in the Penguin Suit, a red version, yellow version, the big one from Mario Galaxy, and King Penguin.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Blue Shell!!!

Ukiki

As Yoshi and Baby Mario continue their journey to rescue Baby Luigi, they come to a marshy jungle area where they will come across yet another thief of an enemy, this time in the form of mischievous little monkeys with a penchant for pranks.

These are the Grinders, later known as Ukikis. They would be the go-to common enemy of the marsh levels and would appear as well in Mario games such as Mario 64, where they would enjoy stealing Mario’s hat rather than his whole baby self.

As a fighter, Ukiki will be fast and slippery, a fact Mario would know all too well from his time on Tall Tall Mountain. Their moves will pull from their various abilities both in the Mario games and in the Yoshi series.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen

Mario Series All-Star Mode

 ALL-STAR MODE

For these, I suppose just have them battle in chronological order, similar to how my roster is laid out already, split up by game of origin. It would probably look something like this.

1.       Pauline and Jumpman on Donkey Kong

2.       Mario, Luigi, and Koopa Troopa on Mario Bros.

3.       Foreman Spike on Wrecking Crew

4.       Goomba, Piranha Plant, Bowser, Toad, Blooper, Cheep Cheep, Lakitu and Spinies, Hammer Bro, Buzzy Beetle, and Princess Peach on Mushroom Kingdom

5.       Ninji, Birdo, Beezo, Mouser, Pokey, Tryclyde, Bob-Omb, Flurry, and Wart on Subcon

6.       Fursuit Mario, Dry Bones, Boom Boom, the Koopalings, Thwomp, Boo, Chain Chomp, and Spike on Mushroom Kingdom 3

7.       Pionpi, Tatanga, and Daisy on Sarasa-Land

8.       Dr. Mario on Pill Bottle

9.       Rex, Chargin’ Chuck, Monty Mole, Wiggler, and Mechakoopa on Dinosaur Land

10.   Mario Kart on Donut Plains

11.   Wanda on Mario & Wario

12.   King Bob-Omb, Whomp, and Mr. Blizzard on Bob-Omb Battlefield

13.   Koopa Kid on Peach’s Birthday Cake

14.   Plum on Golf Course

15.   Kid on Golf Course (maybe together, it could go either way)

16.   Alex and Nina on Tennis Court

17.   Tumble on Toy Box

18.   Ghost, Professor E. Gadd, Vacuum Luigi, and King Boo on Luigi’s Mansion

19.   Toadsworth, Pianta, Shadow Mario, FLUDD Mario, Petey Piranha, and Bowser Jr. on Delfino Plaza

20.   Toadette on Rainbow Road

21.   Mini Marios on Mini-Land

22.   Brighton and Twila probably on Toy Box again

23.   Robo Mario on Mario Highway

24.   Perry on Vibe Island

25.   Super Team on The Underground

26.   Ace and Clay on Royal Academy

27.   Dry Bowser on Grass Land

28.   Mini Donkey Kong on Mini-Land again

29.   MC Ballyhoo and Big Top, maybe Fortune Street could give the feel of his game

30.   Rosalina and Luma, Honeybee, and Captain Toad on Comet Observatory

31.   Pom Pom on Airship Fleet

32.   Nabbit on Mushroom Kingdom U

33.   Sprixie Princess and Cat Mario on Super Bell Hill

34.   Dr. Luigi on Pill Bottle again

35.   Builder Mario on Mario Maker

36.   Rabbid Mario, Ziggy, and Rabbid Kong on Ancient Gardens

37.   Cappy and the Broodals on New Donk City

38.   Peachette on Mushroom Kingdom U again

Mario Series Classic Mode

CLASSIC MODE

So, for the Classic Modes, I had an idea. What if, instead of being built around each individual character, there was a classic mode recreating each major game. Now, maybe they'd be limited to six or eight battles, or they'd recreate each major world or story beat, but generally it would be a string of battles mirroring at least the most memorable parts. I don't want to do them all, but the general concept for a Super Mario 64-based one would go like so:

1.       Peach’s Castle: a first fight set on the Peach’s Castle stage. If it requires you to play as the main character, you will be Mario and you will fight a single Lakitu. If you can choose whoever you want, then the fight will be against Mario and Lakitu.

2.       Bob-Omb Battlefield: If forced to play as Mario, Lakitu will be a constant companion from here on out. This stage will recreate the feel of the first world. It will be set on Bob-Omb Battlefield and you will fight a horde of Bob-Ombs ending in King Bob-Omb himself.

3.       Whomp’s Fortress: It will probably be set on the New Donk City stage or something like it, and you will fight a large-sized Whomp.

4.       Jolly Roger Bay: While Cheep Cheep Lagoon would be strong, the murky feel of it leads me to think Donkey Kong’s Gloomy Gulch stage (you’ll see) would work better. Maybe you could fight Captain Syrup to match the strong pirate theme.

5.       Cool Cool Mountain: Probably set on the Shivering Snow Land stage. You’d probably be fighting a couple of Mr. Blizzards and maybe a Tucks in their Mario Penguin coloration.

6.       Big Boo’s Haunt: Set on the Luigi’s Mansion stage, probably fighting five Boos followed by a bigger Boo.

7.       Hazy Maze Cave: Maybe on Underground but with a fog effect. You’re most likely opponent would be Mario with a metal effect.

8.       Lethal Lava Land: Set on the Grumble Volcano stage. Maybe Bob-Ombs with a Bully-themed color scheme could work, with Bully assist trophies showing up.

9.       Shifting Sand Land: Set on Desert Hills. If bosses are going to be a thing, I would be willing to have Eyerok as a boss. If not, Tiki Tong could easily stand in for him.

10.   Dire Dire Docks: Probably set on Cheep Cheep Lagoon. For some reason, I always imagined the Koopalings were manning that submarine and we just didn’t see them, so maybe them, but a fight with Bowser would make sense here since Bowser’s second battle shares an entry point with this world.

11.   Snowman’s Land: Probably Shivering Snowland again, but we could possibly use another snow stage from some other game series too. The fight would be against a gigantic Mr. Blizzard.

12.   Wet-Dry World: New Donk City with a water effect might work here, or we might borrow a stage from some other series. I think Mechakoopas in red and purple color swaps are probably the best stand-ins for the common enemies here.

13.   Tall Tall Mountain: Bullet Bill Mountain or Mushroom Gorge probably fit well, and Ukiki would be a solid opponent for it.

14.   Tiny-Huge Island: Set on Tiny-Huge Island obviously, with Wiggler as the main fight. (Maybe with some giant Goombas or something)

15.   Tick Tock Clock: Set on the Tick Tock Clock stage. The only enemy I can think of to make sense here would be a Thwomp in its blue color scheme.

16.   Rainbow Ride: Set on Sky Garden, I assume, or maybe Airship Fleet. The only enemy I can think to include is a couple of Lakitus.

17.   Bowser’s Road: The final battle. You’d fight Bowser in a three-stock battle, probably just on the game’s Final Destination, but with a couple of bombs set to hover just off the edges of the stage.

Mario Series Stage Roster

And that's the stages! Obviously, these are only my picks. One could probably make their own roster, using exactly the same logic I did, and still come up with something completely different. In the end, I tried to represent every major game, spinoff series, and recurring stage theme, with a few oddball games represented and thrown into the mix.

My question for you is: I guess maining stages doesn't seem to be much of a thing, but if this roster were real, and you were booting this game up with friends, and you got first pick on stages, which one you picking first?

Tiny-Huge Island

Another concept most famous for its appearance in Super Mario 64, but has had plenty of life outside of that in games such as Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Super Mario Galaxy series. The biggest gist is that everything is either way bigger than normal, or way smaller, often with a switching mechanic.

This stage will have two forms, probably with some basis in how you clicked on the icon or giving you the option on the select screen. One form will be a giant-sized stage where everything is huge compared to the fighters, while the other will be a tiny stage, with the characters looking like giants fighting for space.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHfXjpNZnyI

Tick Tock Clock

Although not seen often, this one is also a personal pick for me. I like the idea of a large stage made of clockwork elements and lots and lots of moving parts. Tick Tock Clock first appeared in Super Mario 64, recreated in Mario Kart DS, and the general idea cropped up from time to time throughout the series.

The stage will be large, with tons of moving parts that leave you with very few reliable places to stand, probably meaning it won’t see much tournament play. If you could figure it out, it might be fun to have the same gimmick Mario 64 had, where if you select the stage at just the right spot on the icon, the stage will be stationary.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnr8baUmOUY

Sky Garden

High in the skies above the Mushroom Kingdom, the clouds seem to be solid enough for a character to stand on for extended periods of time, leading to several stages set high in the sky, typically toward the end of the game. These levels typically see solid cloud platforms, perhaps with Jack-style beanstalks growing here and there.

This will be a pretty basic stage theme. The stage will be set high in the clouds with a number of clouds acting as the stage’s platforms. A tall beanstalk will grow in one section of the stage, its leaves acting as slightly weaker platforms of their own.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmd85je8ehc

Shivering Snow Land

Another common level theme seen throughout the Mario series is the ice-and-snow theme often seen around the middle of the game. This type of level presents the primary challenge of icy terrain that makes the heroes slip around unable to time their jumps as effectively as they did before.

Like many of our level-theme stages, this will be a medium sized stage with a sloping section in the center. The floor will be icy, making the characters slip around, and a tree will stand to one side, covered in snow that will fall off and bury a fighter if caught under it at the wrong time.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzxHzfvA1sI

(The name was just a placeholder title until I came across a better one, but then it grew on me, so I left it)

Peach's Castle

First truly appearing in the games as the hub world of Super Mario 64, Princess Peach’s Castle has always been a permanent fixture of the series, sometimes varying a bit from the 64 design, but always have a core design to it that one can recognize from miles away.

Although the castle does appear in Smash currently, I’m not totally satisfied with it. If it were me, I would move the focus of the stage down a little, allowing the fighters to fight in front of the tower and showing a bit more of the castle’s face, with a much brighter white to the castle walls instead of the aged brownish color we currently have.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VPjofSJ8XY

Mushroom Gorge

Another frequent feature and level type seen throughout the Mario series are stages set high in the sky atop a field of giant mushrooms: some bouncy, some expanding and shrinking, and some stationary.

This stage will be set on an assortment of mushrooms, each one acting as a platform. It will be a medium-sized stage, with at least one bouncy shroom and one that moves up and down.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKU40Ahiofg

Grumble Volcano

One of the most challenging stage themes in most Mario stages is the lava theme. Lava covers the ground, giving you a near insta-death or at least heavy-damage hazard to be on constant watch for. On top of that, volcanoes often appear as features or in the background, spewing ash and pumice into the air and making the ground shake. Often, malicious lava creatures lurk, waiting to strike as well.

As a stage, it will certainly not see any tournaments. That’s for sure. It will be medium-sized, with lava hazards that send the fighters launching into the air when touched. A volcano will appear in the background, frequently erupting and causing hazards to fall from the sky and the stage itself to shake.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzaGnGSx8I

Bob-Omb Battlefield

Super Mario 64 was a landmark game in the Mario series, acting as a launch title for the Nintendo 64 and inaugurating Mario into the world of 3D gaming, a jump many other franchises didn’t survive. Although the hub world of Peach’s Castle is a strong representation of the game, it appears throughout the series and should be considered more a general stage, meaning 64 still needs its own representation.

Bob-Omb Battlefield is the first world of Super Mario 64 and the original home of King Bob-Omb. As a stage, it will be set largely on the floating island to one side and the mountain beside it on the other side, with a higher and lower platform on the mountain. The tree on the island will be climbable for many fighters, and the cannon hiding in the pit will fire those who stumble into it in random directions.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmP3UHXYi28&t=71s

Mr. Blizzard

As Mario, you keep making your way through the paintings inside of Peach’s castle, finishing up Whomp’s Fortress, exploring the water level of Jolly Roger Bay, and finally unlocking an ice world called Cool Cool Mountain. As you traverse the snowy landscape, you find yourself menaced by snowmen that like to pop up out of the snow beneath you, patrol icy bridges, and lob snowballs at you.

These are Mr. Blizzards, who would become the key staples of any good ice world moving forward. Though they don’t move around a lot, they pick up a good assortment of tricks here and there, the final clincher coming from the giant version that acted as the final boss of Mario Golf: Super Rush.

In game, Mr. Blizzards will be a bit on the slow side, but not too badly, with good defense and decent aerials. All around, pretty average. Their moves will come both from their own demonstrated abilities, as well as from the icy Mario worlds they tend to frequent.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Whomp

The king of kabooms thrown from his mount, he rewards you with a castle star. This allows you access to the next world, a towering city level called Whomp’s Fortress. This world is filled with giant walking slabs of concrete, formerly the paving stones of the Mushroom Kingdom, fed up with being walked all over and joining forces with Bowser to get their revenge.

These are the Whomps, distant cousins of the Thwomps with similar abilities, best known for slamming themselves facedown if anyone stands in front of them. Though they don’t end up being as pervasive in the Mario series as their cousins, Whomps still see regular occurrence here and there, especially within the Mario Party series.

As fighters, they are echo fighters of the Thwomps, slightly faster and less heavy than their cousins, with slightly more mobility thanks to their small legs. Their moves mimic the Thwomps’ moves, their slamming facedown having been lent to the Thwomps and will carry on in prominence to their moves as well.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen

King Bob-Omb

In 1996, things were changing for the video game industry. The secret to making fully 3D games had been uncovered, and every game company was jumping on the bandwagon. Nintendo released the Nintendo 64, a system that could handle the extra processing power, and with it came a full 3D Mario game called Super Mario 64. This time, Peach’s Castle itself had been taken over, its residents trapped inside paintings. In order to free them, Mario had to jump into the paintings himself, each one a portal to a brand-new world. The first of these was Bob-Omb Battlefield, a hectic warzone filled with Bob-Ombs, a mountain in the very center where the Bob-Omb’s ruler watched from on high.

This was King Bob-Omb, the magnanimous ruler of the Bob-Omb race and an ally of Bowser. Though he wouldn’t see much life outside of Super Mario 64 for some time, he often cropped up as small easter eggs or boss battles in the Mario Party games. He finally saw a resurgence in his popularity when he became playable in such games as Mario Kart Tour and Mario Golf: Super Rush.

As a playable fighter, he will play nearly identically to his Bob-Omb minions, acting as an echo fighter for them. Unlike them, however, he will be much heavier and slower, with much higher defense than his underlings. His moveset will mimic the Bob-Ombs, using cannons and explosions for most of his offensive capabilities.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Wiggler

You’ve fought long and hard around the island that is Dinosaur Land, defeated four of the seven Koopalings, and now you’ve come to a dense forest fraught with peril. One of the most dangerous obstacles you will face are the giant caterpillars walking around everywhere. The ones that look friendly, until you make the mistake of stepping on one.

These are the Wigglers, gigantic caterpillars known for their anger management issues. Depending on the game, they have gone on to be regular enemies you have to avoid stepping on, or they play the role of bosses. Sometimes, they’ll even be friendly allies you have to work with in RPG settings.

As a character, Wigglers will have two distinct versions. Below 100% damage, Wiggler will be slower and do only moderate damage with its attacks, but the second it reaches 100, it will gain a sudden burst in speed and higher power to all of its attacks. Its moves incorporate elements of various boss battles throughout the series, additions the Yoshi games made, and the wings of its flying counterpart Flutter.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Monty Mole

As you fight your way through Dinosaur Land, fighting off dinosaurs and Koopalings and football players of all sizes, you will soon come to rougher areas of the island, full of rocky hills and cliffsides that line your path. Be careful where you step though, as you might find a big, furry mole suddenly bursting from the earth to your left and slashing you with its big old claws.

This is a Monty Mole, a burrowing resident of Dinosaur Land and the Mushroom Kingdom. They have a more mechanically inclined cousin, the Rocky Wrench, that appeared before as the crew of Super Mario Bros. 3’s airships, but this is where Monty’s make their first proper appearance. They will soon become staples of most Mario games, popping up in the most inconvenient of locations and causing trouble from below, sometimes even commandeering tanks and using Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills to their advantage.

In game, Monty Moles will likely be driving around these tanks, giving them solid speed and a good line of defense at the cost of speed and weight. They will make use of the Bullet Bills that did not see a place on the roster, as well as their cousins’ throwing wrenches and their own propensity to tuck down and hide when times get rough.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Chain Chomp

As you continue your journey through Super Mario Bros. 3, you will continue to encounter strange new enemies that bring a brand-new challenge to your adventure. In this desert world, you might encounter what seems like a ball and chain, like in those old prison moves, except this one has a mouth full of sharp teeth and behaves more like a rabid dog on a chain, lunging at you as you come close and forcing you keep yourself at a safe distance.

This is a Chain Chomp, a fun little pun of an enemy that will find consistent life as guard dog enemies blocking your progress that you will have to think and strategize your way around without getting close enough for them to take a bite. Although pretty one note in many of their appearances, the Yoshi series was kind enough to add a few abilities like the ability to launch themselves into the air and cause earthquakes by hopping up and down.

In battle, the Chain Chomp will be on the heavy side, though with decent speed only held back by its dragging chain. Its moves will incorporate both its tendency to lunge at enemies and bite them, as well as those moves introduced by the Yoshi series, giving it a bit more freedom than one might expect.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause