Perhaps nothing is more annoying to a plumber than something that always seems to clog the pipes. Be it a hair ball or a Piranha Plant, a plumber’s biggest pet peeve is a pipe clogger. That’s why this chapter is dedicated solely to pesky pests that cause nothing but trouble! These are Mario’s enemies.
Goombas
Goombas are a dime a dozen. These frumpy little creatures usually have a one-track mind and rarely stray from their linear path, which makes them extremely easy to defeat. Almost any form of attack will take Goombas out. Stomp on their heads, hit them with a projectile, or even slide through them to dispatch them.
If the Goomba has wings, a Paragoomba, it will require an extra hit to defeat it. Hit it once to knock off its wings, then hit it again to take it out. Mini Goombas are slightly more annoying than their regular-sized counterparts. Mini Goombas swarm around you and weigh you down. To defeat them, execute a Spin-Jump to shake them off, which will end them!
Koopas
Like Goombas, Koopas are among Mario’s most common opponents. These turtles walk upright, usually on a predetermined path, and always require more than one hit to defeat. After knocking on their heads once, they’ll shrink into their shells, which leaves them vulnerable to further attack. Once they are in their shells, either pick them up and toss them, or kick them at other enemies. If you leave the Koopas in their shells, they’ll eventually muster the courage to come back out and resume their walk.
Koopa Paratroopas, Koopas with wings, will take three hits to defeat: one to knock off their wings, a second to force them into their shells, and a third to dispatch them.
Piranha Plants
Few enemies are as sneaky as the Piranha Plant. Primarily a pipe-dweller, the Piranha Plant pops in and out of its pipe repeatedly. You can’t destroy it by jumping on it, so the only way to get rid of a Piranha Plant is to use fireballs, snowballs, or other projectiles. Some Piranha Plants, the Venus Fire Traps, even shoot fireballs at you! Either time your jumps so that you pass it while it’s hiding in its pipe, or use a projectile to get rid of the Piranha Plant.
Super Piranha Plants take a few more fireballs than smaller Piranha Plants to defeat. The rare Stalking Piranha Plants even walk around on their own!
Cheep Cheeps and Bloopers
Cheep Cheeps and Bloopers are the Goombas and Koopas of the sea. Cheep Cheeps usually swim along their merry way, hoping you’ll get in the way. If you can swim around them, do so. Otherwise, use fireballs and snowballs to get rid of them. Bloopers, on the other hand, are very aggressive creatures. They hide in pipes, seaweed, and other areas until you approach, then they dart out at you! If they miss, Bloopers bob up and down as they attempt to hit you. Since their swimming patterns can be very erratic, Bloopers are difficult to predict, so use fireballs and snowballs to take them out if you can.
Both the Cheep Cheep and the Blooper have variations. The Cheep-Chomp, for example, is a huge purple fish that will try to swallow you in one bite. Spiny Cheep Cheeps are smaller, purple Cheep Cheeps that follow you around until they get you or until you pass through a Bowser flag.
The Bros.
The Bros. are a special type of enemy. Though they resemble overgrown Koopas, they’re actually a lot more sophisticated than the smaller, less threatening Koopa critters. Bros. are usually armed with some type of projectile—the exception is Sumo Bros., who don’t have any weapons. Hammer Bros. will toss hammers at Mario, while Fire Bros. hurl fireballs. Boomerang Bros. throw boomerangs and Ice Bros. throw—you guessed it—snowballs! Sumo Bros. ... Well, they’re very heavy and like to shake the ground with vicious Ground-Pound attacks. And they throw hammers!
The best way to get past a Bro is to throw fireballs at them and remove them from afar. If you don’t have any power-ups, then you’re better off running underneath them as they leap into the air. Watch them carefully to know when to jump, then dash by without getting hit.
Chain Chomps and Amps
Chain Chomps and Amps can be deceptively difficult to defeat. At first they seem to be limited in range. But once you get close, they can sniff you out and attack without warning! Goad a Chain Chomp into attacking you, then leap out of its way. As it darts at you, either leap over it or away from it. Chain Chomps always need a few seconds to recover from a missed attack.
Flame Chomps, on the other hand, can be taken out like most other enemies: Either blast them with fireballs or stomp the Flame Chomp! When you see an Amp, simply elude it as best as you can. Amps can be frozen or hit by another frozen enemy (ike a Dry Bones).!
Cooligans
Cooligans are true pests! There’s nothing to indicate that they’re specifically after Mario. They’re just happy to slide on their bellies all day long. Unfortunately, they lead with their beaks and often spear the plump plumber. Either freeze them, scorch them, jump on them, or dodge them.
Urchins
Like the Cooligans, Urchins don’t seem to be naturally aggressive. In fact, they just bob up and down in place. If you’re careless and get too close to one, then you’re obviously going to get hurt by its spikes. To get past these spiky obstacles, either freeze them with snowballs—this will put them to sleep—or, for the Big Urchins, swim past them as they bob out of the way.
Lakitus
Lakitus are some of the most evasive enemies in the game. They usually stay out of reach and only appear at certain points in a level, but once they’ve come out to play, they really make your life difficult. Since Lakitus hover high over the ground, they can be very difficult to reach! What’s worse is they throw Spiny after Spiny at you! The best offense is a good defense. So try to dash past the Lakitus when they pop up, or find a high spot and bounce off their heads to knock them off their clouds!
Bramballs
Bramballs are a strange species. They have only one vulnerable spot, their head sections, and rarely move far. In fact, they usually take one step left, then move back right again, staying mostly in position. As they step, you can sneak underneath their head section or bounce off the heads and knock them out!
Shell Critters
Buzzy Beetles and Spinies are tougher than they look. Buzzy Beetles, in fact, are resistant to fireballs, which makes them hard to take out from afar. Once you pounce on them, however, Buzzy Beetles clam up just like Koopas. But beware, they’ll pop back out and resume their course.
Spinies, however, are the opposite of Buzzy Beetles: they’re resistant to pounce attacks, but susceptible to fireballs!
Dry Bones
Don’t mistake Dry Bones for brittle, easy-to-crush targets. A single pounce may crumble them, but because they’re undead, Dry Bones will be out of commission for only a small period of time. After a short while, they gather themselves back up and reanimate! While Dry Bones are susceptible to a hit on the head, Big Dry Bones require a Ground-Pound to temporarily tumble them.
The only sure ways to get rid of Dry Bones are with the Star power-up, a projectile like shells or other thrown enemies, freeze them and throw them, or POW Blocks! Wet Bones, on the other hand, are dead fish that wait in the dark and only attack, like a torpedo, once Mario is near. Stay out of their way and dodge their attacks.
Boos
These sneaky specters are smart! Unlike other enemies, Boos will not stay on a predetermined path, but rather follow Mario until they can attack him. They’re not geniuses, however, and believe that as long as they stand still and cover their face, Mario can’t see them. As a result, the only thing you need to do to stop them is face them. As long as you’re facing them, they’ll stay put. But as soon as you turn your back, they’ll rush you and attack!
Both Boos and Big Boos are only vulnerable to the Star power-up. Avoid them at all costs!
Bullet Bills
Bullet Bills are speedy, dangerous, and, ironically, often useful! Unfortunately, Bullet Bills usually appear in large numbers since they’re shot from small towers with multiple cannons. While Bullet Bills can be frozen with snowballs, the freezing effect is only temporary. To eliminate a Bullet Bill, jump onto it and knock it down. Of course, this is usually easier said than done because they’re very fast.
If you’re surrounded by Bullet Bills and cannot jump on top of them, rush under them or try to speed past. If you reach one of the cannons, they’ll stop firing as long as you’re standing directly next to them. Some Bills are so big they’re King Bills! These hefty bullets can be stomped just like other, smaller Bullet Bills but might be harder to reach. The Mario-seeking Missile Bills won’t follow a straight path, but instead follow Mario wherever he goes!
Wigglers
Wigglers are harmless creatures, unless you anger them! Jump on them to make them red with rage! You can bounce on them all you want, but it will only keep them angry. To dispose of the Wigglers, use shells or other objects. Big Wigglers won’t even notice if you jump on them. In fact, they’ll continue to walk along their merry way as if you don’t exist. The Big Wigglers have bouncy skin, so use them to bounce off and reach high places, too!
Thwomps
Thwomps are stone creatures that will try and crush you if you get too close! There’s no way to defeat a Thwomp without a Star power-up, no matter what size it is, so your only course of action is to dash past them before they fall!
Bob-ombs
The most explosive of Mario’s foes, Bob-ombs are small walking bombs! Jump on them once to stop them in their tracks and spark their fuse. Then, once they are lit, grab the Bob-omb and use it against other enemies! But beware, if you take too long, the Bob-ombs will detonate on their own, so steer clear!
Windup Koopas
These mechanical menaces have only one mission: to continue walking until they hit Mario! Unfortunately, while you can stop them, you can’t destroy them easily. Pounce on them once to make them stop in their tracks. You can then pick the enemies up and toss them. If you wait too long, though, they’ll wind back up and get back to work. Instead, use Ground-Pound attacks to destroy them for good!
Monty Moles and Rocky Wrenches
Monty Moles and Rocky Wrenches are sneaky little creatures. Usually they’re satisfied to just hide in the earth. But once Mario gets near, Monty Moles will pop out and begin to give chase! Rocky Wrenches, on the other hand, only pop up and hurl wrenches at the plumber. Unfortunately, Mario’s plumber’s tool box has enough wrenches as it is. Luckily, both enemies can be easily dispatched with a well-timed stomp on their heads!
