Sub-area
- This article is about the sub-areas commonly found in theSuper Mario series. For the sample level revolving around the mechanic inSuper Mario Maker, seeSub Areas. For the sub-areas in theDonkey Kong Country series, seeBonus room.
- Not to be confused withSub-Space orMagical Potion.
Asub-area[1] (alternativelysubarea[2] orsub area[3][4]), also known as abonus area,Coin Room,[5]bonus room, orsub-level,[6] is a feature in most games, especially platformers, in theSuper Mario franchise. Sub-areas are places that are optional to access and are not required to enter in order to finish thelevel. They are most commonly, but not exclusively, entered through heading intoWarp Pipes or climbingvines and usually containcoins, occasionally power-ups, and, in later games, collectibles such asStar Coins. Some also lead toWarp Zones orCoin Heavens. In the 2D games, the character usually also exits out to a different part of the main area.
History[edit]
Super Mario series /Super Princess Peach[edit]
Sub-areas were introduced inSuper Mario Bros., with the first one being inWorld 1-1. They are present throughout the game.
The sub-areas return inSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels with the same functionality.
Super Mario Bros. 2 contains many sub-areas, which can be accessed by enteringvases. However, in this game, entering some of these vases, usually to pick upkeys, is mandatory to finish levels.
Sub-areas inSuper Mario Bros. 3 andSuper Mario World function the same as inSuper Mario Bros. The ones inSuper Mario Land,Super Princess Peach, and theSuper Mario Maker series function very similarly but without the possibility of warping directly to later levels. InSuper Mario World,1-Up Chambers frequently appear as sub-areas.
Sub-areas return in theNew Super Mario Bros. series,Super Mario 3D Land,Super Mario 3D World, andSuper Mario Bros. Wonder, functioning very similarly to the ones inSuper Mario Bros., but now with the possibility of finding Star Coins or10-flower coins within them.
Many sub-areas inSuper Mario Galaxy seem to be set directly inside the planet from which they are accessed. They often feature invertedgravity, drawing Mario toward the surface of the planet from inside. They may involve collectingnotes, defeating enemies with theRainbow Star, or spawning large amounts ofStar Bits, each facilitated by a? Coin. The theme "Pipe Interior" plays while inside a sub-area. On a technical level, these sub-areas are simply placed far away in the main area of agalaxy, and can sometimes erroneously be seen in the sky.
InSuper Mario Galaxy 2, sub-areas may involve collecting coins under a time limit to getextra lives andStar Bits, spinning threeChance Cubes, or openingtreasure chests. They play "Pipe Room", a swung arrangement of the melody of "Overture" and "Sky Station Galaxy". ThePrankster Comet mission "Purple Coin Shadow Vault" is set in a sub-area and involves collectingPurple Coins instead. The game also includesTeleporters granting timed access to bonus planets.
InSuper Mario 3D Land andSuper Mario 3D World, some sub-areas are timed challenges accessed viaMystery Box.
Wario World[edit]
Sub-levels play a key role inWario World as areas housingred diamonds, objects needed to access the boss of each level. There are two types of sub-levels; sub-levels accessed through woodentrapdoors can be accessed simply by ground-pounding to enter them and are often small, contained puzzles. Sub-levels accessed through steel trapdoors can only be accessed by Wario using thePiledriver move. These sub-areas are considerably larger than the ones accessed through wooden doors and take place in a sky like setting. Should Wario fall off the area, he will be reset at the sub-level's beginning. Sub-levels always contain a red diamond and sometimes also contain aGold Statue piece, a capturedSpriteling or both. Once the red diamond is collected, it is replaced by a normalwooden chest.
Princess Peach: Showtime![edit]
Sub-areas show up in most stages inPrincess Peach: Showtime!. A vast majority of them offerSparkle Gems, though some merely offer coins.
They are entered by havingPeach (specifically her transformations exceptRadiant/Super Radiant) pose on certain spotlight spots in the stages with
/
. This will lead to a round elevator platform lifting Peach up a bit, the audience clapping, and the elevator heading down into a curtained backroom that Peach drops down to.
The sub-areas usually have small missions inside them for Peach to complete. The challenges can only rarely be failed, and a spotlight spot after the missions will summon an elevator that goes further down and then immediately back up to where Peach originally entered the sub-area from.
Should Peach run out ofHP while in a sub-area, for instance in the sub-area next to the boss fight entrance inCowgirl in the Wilderness, she will be returned to the previous overworldcheckpoint.
Gallery[edit]
Super Mario Galaxy
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Chambre secrète[7] | Secret room |
References[edit]
- ^Yamamura's Dojo inSuper Mario Maker 2
- ^"By touching Mario and dragging him into a pipe, you can create a subarea." –Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS American English digital manual (PDF).Nintendo of America. Page 23. Retrieved from nintendo.com.
- ^Sub Areas sample level inSuper Mario Maker
- ^"By touching Mario and dragging him into a pipe, you can create a sub area on the other side of the pipe." –Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS European English digital manual (PDF).Nintendo of Europe GmbH. Page 18. Retrieved from nintendo.com.
- ^Sase, Shinji,Howard Phillips, and Lynn Griffes, editors (1987).How to win at Super Mario Bros. (U.S. Edition). Redmond:Tokuma Shoten,Nintendo of America. ISBN4-19-720003-XC. Page 7.
- ^"Listen, eventually you're going to have to deal with the Stone Doohickey that sits on the Goal. To get rid of it, you've gotta collect a certain number of red diamonds. Below every ground hatch is a sub-level that holds one! Jump and then press the R Button to do a Ground Pound. You can crash through most hatches this way! For this area, you only need three diamonds!" — ChartreuseSpriteling.Greenhorn Forest.Wario World.
- ^Super Mario Galaxy 2, Le Guide Officiel. Prima Games, page 14
