Magic ball
- Not to be confused withMagical ball,Magic Orb, or? Balloon.
| Magic ball | |
|---|---|
 Sprite fromSuper Mario World | |
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) |
| Latest appearance | Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024) |
| Effect | Ends a level whenMario orLuigi touches it |
Magic balls[1][2] (also capitalized),[3][4] also known asCrystals,[5]"?" Balls,[6] orOrbs,[7] areitems introduced inSuper Mario Bros. 3. They have the appearance of round power-up objects with a question mark on each, and certainlevels can be cleared only by touching a magic ball.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Magic balls are dropped byBoom Boom after he is defeated in afortress or vehicle inSuper Mario Bros. 3.[8] When touched, the magic ball destroys the fortress or vehicle, letting the player complete the level, and opens a correspondingLocked Door or spawns a correspondingbridge on theworld map; ifMario gets aGame Over, any Locked Doors magic balls open stay open and any bridges they spawn stay present, thus acting as both a shortcut and a sort ofcheckpoint. Completing a fortress without collecting a magic ball (possible by collecting theMagic Whistle inWorld 1-
Fortress) causes the Locked Door to remain after the fortress is completed. IfInvincible Mario defeats Boom Boom by touching him, the magic ball spawns upside down in the center of the arena.[9] InSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, magic balls bounce when hit by attacks.
Super Mario World[edit]
A magic ball is at the end of theSunken Ghost Ship inSuper Mario World, and touching it finishes the level instantly.[10]
There is alsoa glitch to receive a magic ball and use it in any level to instantly complete it. Using the ball in any horizontal level reveals that when Mario collects it, he goes through the same end-of-level motions that he would if he had used theGiant Gate, albeit with the "boss defeated" fanfare and no chance ofBonus Stars. By contrast, getting the ball in a vertical level causes the screen to freeze.
Game & Watch Gallery 2[edit]
Magic balls also appear in the Modern version ofParachute inGame & Watch Gallery 2. If the player has any misses at 200,[11] 500,[12] or 700points,[13] three magic balls come out of theflying ship, then all of them disappear to reveal a1 UP Heart for removing a miss in one of them.[11][12][13]
Super Mario-kun[edit]
InVolume 4 ofSuper Mario-kun, whose arc is based onSuper Mario World, Mario grabs the magic ball to exit the level, and he and his friends are later found on the top of the entrance to theValley of Bowser.
Gallery[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 (fortress)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (desert fortress)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (ice fortress)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (airship/artillery)
The upside down magic ball inSuper Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 3)
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | マジックボール[14] Majikku Bōru | Magic Ball | Super Mario Bros. 3 |
| 水晶玉[15] Suishōdama | Crystal Ball | Super Mario World | |
| Italian | Palla magica[16][17] | Magic ball | |
| Sfera[18] | Sphere | Playing with Super Power: Super NES Classics | |
| Sfera ?[19] | ? Sphere | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia |
References[edit]
- ^1990.Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 22.
- ^2010.Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 16.
- ^1993.Super Mario All-Stars instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 32.
- ^2003.Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 23.
- ^August 1991. NintendoMario Mania Player's Guide.Nintendo of America (English). Page 134, 136-137.
- ^Hodgson, David S J. (2003).Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Prima's Official Strategy Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN0-7615-4425-9. Page 11.
- ^Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide,Super Mario World Confidential Information Tab.
- ^Nintendo Base (October 4, 2017).NES Classics - Super Mario Bros 3: World 1 Walkthrough (IN HD) (06:26).YouTube (English). Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^YuRi Sunga (June 2, 2023).Super Mario Bros. 3 - killing Boom Boom with a star (World 8-Fortress) (0:39).YouTube (English). Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^VideoGamePhenom (September 26, 2019).Super Mario World - Sunken Ghost Ship (03:03).YouTube (English). Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^abTreecks van Veluwe (July 1, 2023).Game & Watch Gallery 2 - Part 1 - Parachute (18:57).YouTube (English). Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^abGame & Watch Gallery 2 - Part 1 - Parachute (23:04).YouTube.
- ^abGame & Watch Gallery 2 - Part 1 - Parachute (25:20).YouTube.
- ^1988. スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 (Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī) instruction booklet.Nintendo (Japanese). Page 20.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit) et al. (October 19, 2015).Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook,Super Mario World section.Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 60.
- ^Super Mario Bros. 3; Italian booklet. Page 22.
- ^«Sconfiggi il boss e ottieni la palla magica.» – Scontro brutale.Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.Nintendo (Italian).
- ^Sebastian Haley, Meagan Marie (October 2017).Playing With Super Power: Super NES Classics (Multiplayer.it Edizioni). Translated by Christian Colli. Italy:Multiplayer Ed. (Italian). ISBN9788866312833. Tab 47.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018).Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan:Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN889367436X. Page 60.
