Swaying platforms,[1] originally referred to as tilting platforms[2] or hanging platforms,[3] are objects in the Super Mario series and the Mario Party series. They are broad, metal discs suspended from their centers by a chain. They tilt underneath the player character's weight as they move. Because swaying platforms are typically suspended above lava, the way they tilt can make safe traversal difficult.
History
New Super Mario Bros.
Tilting platforms debuted in New Super Mario Bros., occurring within the tower courses of World 6 and in World 8-5. In World 6-
Tower, Bowser Jr. is fought on a tilting platform suspended above a bed of spikes. Both Mario (or Luigi) and Bowser Jr. shift the platform as they move, vaguely reminiscent of the island-like platform in #1 Iggy's Castle from Super Mario World. The tilting platform makes it difficult to strike Bowser Jr., who takes three hits to defeat. A tilting platform appears in the subsequent encounter with Bowser Jr. in World 6-
Tower, this time suspended above a pool of lava. Bowser Jr. tosses a green Koopa Shell during this battle that is difficult to avoid as the platform tilts.
In the underground-themed World 8-5, tilting platforms appear alongside crumbling ledges above a pool of lava. The course's second Star Coin can be collected by tossing a Koopa Shell along one of the platforms.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, tilting platforms occur in the lava-themed World 8-3, above a rippling swell of magma. The platforms shift downward slightly when the player character stands on them and they are among the only available footing in the course, especially in the first half before the midway point. Red Koopa Troopas walk along some of these platforms, and tilting them can make a tossed shell take out multiple enemies at once. Because of the waves of the magma, the way the tilting platforms shift makes traversal precarious. One of the Star Coins in World 8-3 floats beneath tilting platforms and it can only be collected by tilting them.
Mario Party series
A tilting platform is the only footing available in Magma Mayhem, a Free-for-All minigame introduced in Mario Party 9. It takes place in a magma-filled cavern similar to World 8-3 from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The player's goal is to knock their opponents off of the platform before time runs out, but they way it shifts under their weight makes it challenging. The last player standing wins. Magma Mayhem reappears in Mario Party: The Top 100 with the tilting platform - this time referred to as a swaying platform - serving the same function.
The Japanese name for Magma Mayhem is 「ぐらぐらファイト」 (Guragura Faito, Unstable Fight), which is potentially an allusion to the swaying platform's own Japanese name.
Gallery
Screen-cropped model from New Super Mario Bros.
Screenshot from New Super Mario Bros.
Screenshot of the staff roll from New Super Mario Bros.
Screenshot from New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Screenshot from Mario Party: The Top 100
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|
| Japanese | グラグラ床
Guragura Yuka | Unstable Floor | | [4] |
| Italian | Piattaforma | Platform | Mario Party 9 | [5] |
| Terreno traballante | Wobbly terrain | New Super Mario Bros. | [6] |
| Pavimento dondolante | Swinging floor | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | [7] |
References
- ^ "Punch and kick your rivals off of the swaying platform and into the magma!" – in-game description for Magma Mayhem from Mario Party: The Top 100.
- ^ "Keep your balance on the tilting platform while trying to knock any other players off. Be the last player on the platform to win!" – in-game description for Magma Mayhem from Mario Party 9.
- ^ Bueno, Fernando (2009). New Super Mario Bros. Wii: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 978-0-3074-6767-6. Page 156.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 118, 150.
- ^ «Resta sulla piattaforma mentre cerchi di far cadere chiunque altro! Vince chi resiste sulla piattaforma più a lungo!» – 2012. Mario Party 9. Nintendo of Europe (Italian).
- ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 118.
- ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 150.
