First Strike
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- Not to be confused withFirst Attack.
- “You struck first!”
- —Battle text,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
AFirst Strike (orfirst strike), also known as apre-emptive attack, is a technique that appears in thePaper Mario and theMario & Luigi titles ofrole-playingSuper Mario games.
History[edit]
Paper Mario series[edit]
- “...Huh?He hasn't noticed us yet. This is our chance to get the jump on him. If you jump on an enemy or whack it with your hammer before battle starts, you'll do some early damage!”
- —Huey,Paper Mario: Color Splash
In thePaper Mario series, First Strikes can be used by Mario to damage or possibly defeat enemies before he takes his first turn in battle. Bosses and mid-bosses (with a few exceptions), and some enemies likeM. Bushes andHurt Plants cannot be harmed by usage of a First Strike. First Strikes can also be used against Mario; for example, if aKoopa Troopa successfully attacks Mario with its shell, Mario will get hit by the First Strike.
To perform a First Strike,Mario can simplyJump on the enemy, hit them with hisHammer, or hit them with an attack from apartner. If Mario's First Strike is a Jump, it will fail against Spiny or Fire enemies and result in recoil damage on Mario, just as though he had used a Jump attack during the battle. Conversely, Hammers can make a First Strike against airborne enemies, as long as Mario was able to land the First Strike in the overworld - usually, a Hammer attack cannot be made against flying foes. Hammer First Strikes will fail just like jumps when used against enemies that are spiny from the front, such as aBristle.
InPaper Mario,Goompa first mentions this to Mario as they walk through the lower area ofGoomba Village. First Strikes in this game can be performed by Mario, or by his partnersKooper, using hisShell Toss, andBombette, using herBomb. The text that displays when Mario makes the First Strike is "You made the First Strike!", and the text that displays when Mario is hit by a First Strike says "You're hit by the First Strike!". First Strikes from enemies can be avoided by dodging the attack or by equipping theChill OutBadge. While theDizzy Attack Badge is equipped, Mario can inflictDizzy on the first enemy in a formation (without dealing damage) by using hisSpin Dash move to run into an enemy before a battle, though this is not considered a "proper" First Strike, as it does not cause the First Strike message to display or trigger theFirst Attack Badge. Mario can instantly defeat any enemy that would not reward one or moreStar Points (which is considered to be "weak"), entirely skipping the battle without rewarding Star Points, with a First Strike by equipping the First Attack Badge. This property can be extended to Mario's spin dash by equipping theSpin Attack Badge, and even further extended to walking by equipping theBump Attack Badge (which overwrites both First Attack and Spin Attack due to just requiring contact with the enemy in question). Mario can equip theSpike Shield Badge to be able to jump on spiky enemies such asClefts, or can equip either theFire Shield orIce Power Badges to jump on fire enemies likeLava Bubbles.
InPaper Mario, theAction Command cannot be performed when Mario or his partner makes the First Strike, although it can be performed toGuard against an enemy's First Strike. However, Bombette's Bomb First Strike deals damage as though the Action Command was performed, and if Mario makes the First Strike with hisSpin Jump orTornado Jump, the base damage of his Jump is doubled. Bombette’s Bomb First Strike does not consume anyFlower Points, unlike selecting the move in battle.
InPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,Professor Frankly first mentions First Strikes to Mario after he andGoombella defeat theGoomba,Paragoomba, andSpiky Goomba trio inRogueport Underground. Mario can now perform Action Commands when he makes the First Strike, potentially dealing additional damage. He can also use his Spin Jump,Super Hammer, orUltra Hammer moves to make the First Strike using the respective move without consuming any FP. First Strikes can also be made usingKoops' Shell Toss orBobbery's Bomb, in which case the Action Command is automatically performed, but Stylish Moves cannot be performed.Flurrie can be used to stun enemies before a battle, freezing them in place making them easier First Strike targets for a few moments, however she herself cannot give enemies a First Strike. The Chill Out, First Attack, and Bump Attack Badges are still available and function the same as inPaper Mario, however First Attack and Bump Attack do not work inside of thePit of 100 Trials. With the removal of the Spin Dash, the Dizzy Attack and Spin Attack Badges were removed. The Fire Shield Badge was also removed, being merged fully into Ice Power. During the first fight in theGlitz Pit, a scripted, unavoidable enemy First Strike occurs when a member ofThe Goomba Bros.headbonks Mario beforeGrubba has the chance to officially start the fight.
Due to the absence of the RPG-styled battling system throughout the majority of the game, First Strikes are absent fromSuper Paper Mario.
InPaper Mario: Sticker Star, a First Strike has an added mechanic. By collectingHP-Up Hearts, the Hammer and jump power will increase every time when the one's digit is at a zero from five. If the power is enough to directly defeat the enemy on the course, the enemy will be defeated and will drop acoin without starting the battle. Additionally, certain enemies' field attacks directly hurt Mario, rather than triggering a battle.
Similar mechanics return inPaper Mario: Color Splash, with attack power increasing with everyBig Paint Star collected and enemies dropping more than one coin when defeated directly on a course with a First Strike.
InPaper Mario: The Origami King, First Strikes retain theirSticker Star properties, though enemies' First Strikes are now unblockable. If Mario gets a First Strike on the enemy, an extra 10 coins are added to his Clear Bonus at the end of battle.
InPaper Mario,Color Splash, and theNintendo Switch version ofThe Thousand-Year Door, the start of the battle music changes depending on whether or not a First Strike was performed and who struck first.
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
First Strikes appear in theMario & Luigi series, and they are broadly similar toPaper Mario's First Strikes. Hitting enemies in the overworld with a jump or hammer attack transitions into battle with the character getting to attack the enemies with the respective move before anyone takes a turn.
One key difference is that a First Strike on one enemy in the field will damage all enemies in the battle. This hit ignores the spikes of the other enemies. For example, jumping on aLakitu for a First Strike inMario & Luigi: Dream Team inflicts damage on the Lakitu and all theSpinies in the battle, even though those enemies have spikes.
As in thePaper Mario series, enemies can also perform First Strikes against one of the characters. Their attacks do not inflict damage, and are not reflected in the battle that initiates when they connect. However, if the enemy or one of its projectiles hits a character in the back, they willtrip at the start of the battle.
InMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga andMario & Luigi: Partners in Time, a First Strike with a hammer works differently: when Mario orLuigi inSuperstar Saga, orBaby Mario orBaby Luigi inPartners in Time, hammer an enemy on the overworld, all enemies in the battle becomedizzy. In laterMario & Luigi games, a First Strike with a hammer instead damages all enemies.
Bowser can also use First Strikes bypunching orbreathing fire (the latter of which canburn foes) on the enemy inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story andMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
InMario & Luigi: Paper Jam,dashing into an enemy will also trigger a First Strike, although this only damages one enemy in the battle with all three characters, instead of all enemies once. ATrio Hammer will stun grounded enemies for a moment, but does not activate a battle or pass status ailments into battle, instead only allowing enough time to use a First Strike on them. Additionally,Sandmaarghs can sometimes eat some of the brothers in the overworld, resulting in a First Strike towards them and inflicting damage, similar to that of thePaper Mario series.
InMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, a First Strike with a hammer can also cause enemies to begin the battle with theSPD-Down status ailment, and Hand Powers can now be used to perform First Strikes; aside from damaging enemies,Firebrand can also burn enemies andThunderhand can also make enemies dizzy. These effects, bar the Hand Powers', return inBowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
InMario & Luigi: Brothership, Bros Moves can also trigger a first strike if they hit an enemy. Hitting an enemy withUFO Vacuum,Ball Blitz,Fire & Ice, orBro Bomb will cause a first strike based on that ability. Enemies can land a first strike on the Bros., with this first strike coming in the form of automatically going first, even if theirSpeed is lower.
Profiles[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story[edit]
- Instruction manual description: "If you touch an enemy in the field, battle begins. At that time, if you stomp or punch an enemy, you inflict damage in a preemptive attack."
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
- Instruction manual description: "Use preemptive attacks to gain an advantage."
Gallery[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Jump, Mario)
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Jump, Luigi)
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Enemy)
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (Jump)
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (Hammer)
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (Dash)
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (Enemy)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | せんせいこうげき[?] Sensei Kōgeki | Attack first | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 抢攻[1] Qiǎnggōng | Rush Attack | Paper Mario |
| 先制攻击[?] Xiānzhì Gōngjí | Preemptive Attack | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 先攻[?] Xiāngōng | First Strike | Paper Mario |
| 先制攻击[?] Xiānzhì Gōngjí | Preemptive Attack | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| French | Initiative[?] | Initiative | |
| German | Erstangriff erfolgreich![?] | First Strike succeed! | Paper Mario |
| Erstangriff[?] | First Strike | Mario & Luigi series | |
| Italian | Iniziativa[?] | Initiative | Paper Mario series |
| Attacco prioritario[?] | Priority attack | Mario & Luigi series | |
| Korean | 선제공격[?] Seonje Gonggyeok | Preemptive Attack | |
| Spanish | Primer Golpe[?] | First Strike | Paper Mario series |
| Primer golpe[?] | First strike | The Thousand-Year Door |
References[edit]
- ^FromiQue's localization ofPaper Mario:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj23Urolr1I (1:45:14)
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