Snake Block
- Not to be confused withPlatform.
| Snake Block | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Icon fromSuper Mario Maker 2 | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2025) | ||
| Effect | Moves in straight lines, helping the player traverse otherwise impossible-to-reach areas | ||
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- “We're working on new and novel ways to use Snake Blocks at our new Snake Block testing facility! Just jump onto a Snake Block and it'll start moving.”
- —Snake Block Enthusiast,Super Mario Maker 2
Snake Blocks, originally namedsnake platforms[1] and also namedCaterpillar Blocks[2] or simplyPlatforms,[3] areblocks usually found in castle-type levels. They first appear inSuper Mario World, and reappear inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3,New Super Mario Bros. and its sequels, andSuper Mario Galaxy 2. They consist of a set of blocks that start out as a normal platform and begin to move like a snake when stepped on byMario orLuigi. Snake Blocks can turn left, right, up, or down as they follow a predetermined course over obstacles such as a wide pool oflava, a bed ofspikes, or a bottomlesspit. Mario must continue to move and follow it when on these blocks, otherwise they keep moving under Mario's feet, and he may possibly fall off.
Snake Blocks most likely get their name from the classic arcade gameSnake, in which the player controls a sequence of dots that resemble a serpent.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario World /Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
InSuper Mario World andSuper Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, snake platforms consist of normalEmpty Blocks. They first appear in#5 Roy's Castle, and reappear in#7 Larry's Castle. Originally, they emitted the same SFX as theGrinders,Chainsaws, andRopes, but with a faster repeating process; but in the Game Boy Advance remake, they emit their own unique SFX similar to a bubbling sound.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Snake platforms return inSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, where they only appear in theWorld-e levelsA Towering Tour andVexing Doors, and now consist ofRotating Blocks fromSuper Mario World rather than Empty Blocks.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
InNew Super Mario Bros., snake platforms once again resemble Empty Blocks fromSuper Mario World but are now bright green rather than brown, and only appear inWorld 7-
Castle andWorld 8-
Tower2.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
A similar snake platform called theIce Snake Block appears inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii. It is found inWorld 3-
Castle, but unlike regular snake platforms, its icy surface is slippery, though thePenguin Suit can remedy this fact. Normal snake platforms areunused inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Snake platforms (localized aspink bricks orpink blocks)[4] appear inSuper Mario Galaxy 2 inBowser's Lava Lair,Boo Moon Galaxy, andBowser's Galaxy Generator. In this game, they make their only 3D appearance, though they are used in the same way, and are colored pink. It is first shown here that they can be of varying widths, instead of only one block wide, as in its previous 2D side-scrolling appearances.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Under their new name, Snake Blocks reappear in various levels inNew Super Mario Bros. 2, where they have the same appearance they have inNew Super Mario Bros. This is the first time they are seen moving on their own. Also, this is the first time that they are not only used as platforms to cross gaps, but also as obstacles, especially inWorld 1-
Tower. They are much more common in this game compared to the previousNew Super Mario Bros. games.
New Super Mario Bros. U /New Super Luigi U /New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
Green-colored Snake Blocks reappear inNew Super Mario Bros. U andNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, but are now less commonly used than in previous games. Giant Snake Blocks also appear, being found only inSnake Block Tower. InNew Super Luigi U, they appear inStone-Snake Tower. In addition to the aforementioned levels, normal-sized Snake Blocks appear in theNew Super Mario Bros. U levelSnaking above Mist Valley and theNew Super Luigi U levelThree-Headed Snake Block.
Super Mario Maker /Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
InSuper Mario Maker andSuper Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, Snake Blocks can be reproduced by placing a long row of blocks onto atrack. They also make an appearance inWorld 15-4 of the Super Mario Challenge of the latter version.
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
InSuper Mario Maker 2, Snake Blocks make an appearance as a full course element. The path that the Snake Block follows is set by the player. In theSuper Mario World style, Snake Blocks are green, rather than made of regular Empty Blocks as they are in the original game. There is also a blue variety known asFast Snake Block, which as the name suggests, is faster than the green one. In some styles, the Fast Snake Blocks have steeper-angled eyes, somewhat resembling those of the Empty Blocks inSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Snake Blocks can travel up to a maximum of 120 blocks before breaking down.
Mario Party 10[edit]
Snake Blocks reappear inMario Party 10 in the minigameSnake Block Party.
Profiles[edit]
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
- North American website bio: "Draw a path and the Snake Block will follow!"
Gallery[edit]
Sprites and models[edit]
Super Mario Maker 2 (Super Mario Bros. style)
Super Mario Maker 2 (Super Mario Bros. 3 style)
Super Mario Maker 2 (Super Mario World style)
Super Mario Maker 2 (New Super Mario Bros. U style)
Super Mario Maker 2 (Super Mario 3D World style)
Screenshots[edit]
Recreation of a Snake Block inSuper Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Names in other languages[edit]
Snake Block[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スネークブロック[?] Sunēku Burokku | Snake Block | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 蛇砖块[?] Shé Zhuānkuài | Snake Block | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 蛇磚塊[8] Shé Zhuānkuài | Snake Block | |
| Dutch | Slangenblok[5] | Snake Block | |
| French | Bloc Serpent[?] | Snake Block | |
| German | Schlangenblock[?] | Snake Block | |
| Italian | Blocco serpentino[6] | Serpentine Block | |
| Korean | 스네이크블록[?] Seuneikeu Beullok | Snake Block | |
| Portuguese(European) | Bloco serpente[7] | Snake block | |
| Russian | Блок-змейка[?] Blok-zmeyka | Block-snake | |
| Spanish | Bloque serpiente[?] | Snake block |
Fast Snake Block[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | こうそくスネークブロック[?] Kōsoku Sunēku Burokku | High-Speed Snake Block | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 高速蛇砖块[?] Gāosù Shé Zhuānkuài | High-Speed Snake Block | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 高速蛇磚塊[?] Gāosù Shé Zhuānkuài | High-Speed Snake Block | |
| Dutch | Snel slangenblok[?] | Fast Snake Block | |
| French | Bloc serpent rapide[?] | Fast Snake Block | |
| Italian | Blocco serpentino veloce[?] | Fast snake block | |
| Russian | Быстрый блок-змейка[?] Bystryy blok-zmeyka | Fast snake block | |
| Spanish(Latin American) | Bloque serpiente rápido[?] | Fast snake block |
References[edit]
- ^"To get the first Dragon Coin of the area, jump onto the “snake platform” to the right of the entrance." – Stratton, Bryan (February 26, 2002).Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2–Prima’s Official Strategy Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN0-7615-3913-1. Page 70.
- ^von Esmarch, Nick (2012).New Super Mario Bros. 2 PRIMA Official Game Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN978-0-307-89552-3. Page 84, 85, 120, 140, 166, 227.
- ^September 1991.Nintendo Power Volume 28.Nintendo of America (American English). Page 18 and 20.
- ^Browne, Catherine (May 23, 2010).Super Mario Galaxy 2: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville:Random House Inc (American English). ISBN978-0-30746-907-6. Page 194.
- ^Nintendo Nederland (May 15, 2019).Super Mario Maker 2 Direct - 16 mei 2019.YouTube (Dutch). Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^Canale New Super Mario Bros. U (February 20, 2013).New Super Mario Bros. U - Nuvole di meringa 6 - Di Paratroopa in Paratroopa (Wii U).YouTube (Italian).
- ^Nintendo Portugal (May 15, 2019).Super Mario Maker 2 Direct - 15/05/2019.YouTube. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^Nintendo HK (May 17, 2019).《Super Mario Maker 2 (超級瑪利歐創作家 2)》Direct 2019.5.16.YouTube (Traditional Chinese). Retrieved May 21, 2019.











