Wind appears in the Super Mario franchise most commonly as an obstacle, and while wind itself cannot hurt the player, it can blow them into an enemy or a pit.
History
Mario Golf series
- “(Don't forget to watch the wind speed!)”
- —Yoshi, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Mario measures the wind direction and speed with grass clippings, similar to what golfers do in real-life.
Wind is a factor to consider when planning shots in Mario Golf games, similarly to real-world golf. Its speed and direction influence where the ball will land. For instance, if a wind is going against the ball, the ball does not travel as far, and it may even go backward depending on the ball's trajectory and the wind's speed. The opposite is also true; balls traveling with the wind go further. Additionally, the longer the ball is midair, the more the wind influences it; therefore, balls with higher trajectories, influenced by the type of club and the character being used, are more affected by the wind.
Wind is indicated by a Boo in Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64 and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, while Mario Golf: World Tour instead uses a Fwoosh. In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, there are also wind particle effects in the sky. In some installments, such as in the Nintendo 64 Mario Golf, the flag in the HUD also responds to the wind, waving more if the winds are stronger.
Some games in the series warn high winds. In the Nintendo 64 Mario Golf, for instance, before players start the hole, if the hole is affected by high wind speeds, a Fly Guy, part of the UI, is seen blown across the screen.
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Luigi avoiding wind in the
Super Mario All-Stars version of
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Wind[1] in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is represented by floating leaves, and while dangerous at times, is needed to clear a few gaps in some levels. Some of these gaps are so big that crossing them requires the player to use a combination of trampolines, wind, and bouncing off of one or more enemies. Wind is not present in the All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe versions of the levels, requiring changes to some of them. Wind occurs in Worlds 5-1, 6-1, 7-1, 7-3, 8-1, A-3, C-3, D-1, and D-4.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Wind in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS appears in courses such as Cool, Cool Mountain; Tall, Tall Mountain; and Tiny-Huge Island. The DS-exclusive Chief Chilly Challenge has upward gusts of wind that can carry the player over a gap. Horizontal wind also appears in a few of these areas and a few more, such as Snowman's Land and Rainbow Ride, and can push the player into a gap or other obstacle instead. In addition, a cloud enemy called Fwoosh guards the entrance to the slide on Tall, Tall Mountain; Fwoosh attempts to blow the player away as they cross. These gusts of wind, as well as those of the Snowman's Land snowman, can also blow the character's cap away. A wind gust in Chief Chilly Challenge can be passed only by Metal Wario due to its strength.
Super Mario Galaxy
Wind in
Super Mario GalaxyWind[2] in Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port is featured in the Gusty Garden Galaxy. Here, the player must ride Floaty Fluffs to cross large, windy gaps.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wind[3] in New Super Mario Bros. Wii appears only in World 2-4, where it can blow coins around the level, and can be noticed by the sand that it carries along the way. Enemies in the level will turn against the wind when it comes and will not move until it goes away. It can also push the player right, though Mario can crouch to stand still. Like in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, it is needed to reach certain parts of the level, mainly one of the Star Coins and the hidden goal.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Wind in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and its Nintendo Switch port is blown by windmills in Honeybloom Galaxy, Cloudy Court Galaxy, and Grandmaster Galaxy. The clouds created by Cloud Mario can be carried by the gust, thus reaching far away locations.
Super Mario 3D World
Wind in Super Mario 3D World is blown by the Ty-foo enemies in the levels Ty-Foo Flurries and Gigantic Seasick Wreck, with a small gust of wind appearing in the former level, being blown under an abyss that contains a Green Star.
Super Mario Odyssey
In Super Mario Odyssey, wind is a cylindrical cyclone of air that appears from specific points. It first appears in the Snow Kingdom, but sometimes occurs in other kingdoms. Most commonly, wind rises from small openings in the ground, but sometimes the opening is blocked by a post. Pulling out the post causes wind to start rising from the opening. If either Mario is within the wind, it blows them off the up to the top of the cyclone. It is more powerful at the base of the cyclone and proportionally weaker as Mario gets further away, a property the player can use to launch themselves high from a cyclone by starting at the bottom. Wind overpowers the Ground Pound and Dive, canceling out these moves after dropping a short distance into the wind. The Quick Drop is not canceled, but is equally unable to descend past a short distance into the wind.
Cappy can also be blown around by wind, as long as he is either flying because of a Cap Throw or if has taken flight from Mario in two player mode. If Cappy was thrown by a Spin Throw or took flight from Mario, he is reset to a Cap Throw state. (This means the second player loses direct control over Cappy until that state resets, which it does upon returning to Mario.) Wind also similarly resists Cappy's Ground Pound. The wind is strong enough to prevent Cappy from returning to Mario after a Cap Throw as well.
In the Gusty Bridges, an area of the Cascade Kingdom accessed through a Moon Pipe and therefore only available after beating the game, there is wind that blows from large holes in structures. These holes are pointed sideways, so the wind instead blows Mario and Cappy sideways. These holes alternate between blowing and non-blowing states, and are often paired such that when one hole stops blowing wind another one nearby will start. The wind can move large blocky platforms around, and its angle is used to blow Cappy around so that he can reach Lever Switches outside the range of the Cap Throw. Sideways wind is more powerful than Mario's Roll, but does not cancel it.
Ty-foos also reappear, primarily in the Snow Kingdom, and blow sideways wind. Ty-foos can be captured so that the player can use these properties. This also reveals that wind can blow away enemies, a mechanic not used outside of Ty-foos.
Super Mario Maker 2
Wind in Super Mario Maker 2 blows in the desert theme at night, functioning mostly how it does in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, except that it can change its direction and frequency depending on the game style.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park
Wind in Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park appears prominently in Ludwig's Showdown!, where it is cast by Ludwig. It behaves the same way as in Super Mario Maker 2. The player character is unaffected by wind when burrowed underground using the Drill form.
Donkey Kong franchise
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
Wind in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong appears in stages 6-6, 8-10, 8-16, and 9-8, where they blow Mario left or right slightly based on the direction the clouds in the background are moving.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Wind[4] in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a gameplay mechanic represented by blowing leaves and is in a few courses. In Gusty Glade, it is used to jump over long holes or hinder the player by blowing them into unwanted directions. In Windy Well, the wind blows upward and lifts the Kongs to high platforms. In Animal Antics, wind appears in the Squawks and Squitter portions.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat / New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Wind in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and its Wii port is blown out by Wind Mouths.
Mario Party series
Wind in the Mario Party series is an obstacle appearing in some minigames. In Tightrope Treachery in Mario Party and Rainbow Run in Mario Party 2, the player can lose balance from strong winds. Wind appears in the Mario Party Advance minigame Forest Jump. In Mario Party 8, wind acts as an obstacle in the minigame Treacherous Tightrope.
Super Smash Bros. series
- SmashWiki article: Wind
Whispy Woods blowing wind in
Super Smash Bros. MeleeWind is a generic stage hazard in at least one stage in every Super Smash Bros. game. In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, wind is blown by Whispy Woods on the games' respective Dream Land and Green Greens stages, and putting fighters at risk of being blown off of the stage. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, wind will sometimes blow wind upwards on Pokémon Stadium 2, causing it to take longer to get down, and PictoChat sometimes has drawn wind blown to the left, having the effect of wind. Wind also appears in the returning Green Greens stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, wind occurs in the Paper Mario stage when the Fan appears, blowing fighters to the right, and wind can also occur in PictoChat 2. Dream Land returned as a downloadable stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, so wind also appears in those games. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, wind appears in various returning stages, including Dream Land, Green Greens, and PictoChat.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, wind appears on some levels in The Subspace Emissary, such as The Wilds, The Swamp, The Battleship Halberd Exterior and The Glacial Peak. It blows like normal wind to the side, but it also blows upward in the swamp. The Borboras also blow wind. Ridley can produce wind from his wings during his boss fight.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, certain spirit battles (e.g. Fox Luigi) have wind blowing either periodically or constantly. Some spirits can make a fighter partly or completely immune to wind.
Yoshi franchise
Yoshi Touch & Go
Wind in Yoshi Touch & Go can blow randomly in some areas, and can be produced by blowing into the microphone. It can cause all the created platforms to disappear.
Yoshi's Island DS
Baby Peach using her parasol to catch wind
Wind in Yoshi's Island DS is featured as upward vertical columns, but Baby Peach can use her parasol to catch the currents that take her and Yoshi to higher platforms.
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
In Yoshi's Woolly World and its remake, wind appears in sections featuring Umbrella Yoshi. Wind pushes Umbrella Yoshi and certain enemies like Shy Guys and Fly Guys around. Umbrella Yoshi can fly faster by moving with the wind. While Umbrella Yoshi cannot move against wind while its umbrella is open, it can while its umbrella is closed. Thus, using both states of Umbrella Yoshi is key to maneuvering effectively. Umbrella Yoshi appears in Bounceabout Woods and Snag-Stitch Mountain, though the former only has wind that blows upward. The latter has winds that can blow in multiple directions. In some cases, this creates loops that are hard to escape from with an open umbrella. The final part of the Umbrella Yoshi section has wind blowing in a spiral that goes through the background and back. This spiral also blows around Umbrella Yoshi with a closed umbrella, so it cannot be left once entered. Yoshi has to fly up this spiral to reach the goal. As Yoshi goes up, the lower part of the screen becomes a pit.
Miss Cluck the Insincere, the boss of World 3's Miss Cluck the Insincere's Castle, has attacks where she spins to cause wind to blow across the arena. This can push Yoshi into the pits on both sides of the platform. It also blows Spike Balls that fall from the sky during the attack, which makes it more difficult to endure the wind by running on the ground.
Super Princess Peach
Wind in Super Princess Peach serves as a hindrance which stops the player from using the Joy vibe to fly up to various areas of a level, as the player may be able to skip parts of a level or access secret areas with the ability.
Paper Mario series
Super Paper Mario
Wind in Super Paper Mario exists near the end of Chapter 3-3, and the player can ride the red wind to the Warp Pipe at the end to finish the chapter.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
Wind in Paper Mario: Color Splash blows Mario and Huey into a giant hole that the Paint Star repainted when they go to Mustard Café after saving the purple Big Paint Star.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Wind in Paper Mario: The Origami King takes the form of strong gusts that blow in the Spring of Rainbows as Mario goes along the edge of a cliff. When the wind gets more intense, Mario must stop moving to grab onto a chain, or else it will blow him off the cliff and he will take damage.
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart 7
Wind in Mario Kart 7 is often blown out of pipes and can push the player around, in courses such as Mario Circuit and Rock Rock Mountain, and it can also be used for the elevation of a glider, such as that blown by Koopa Clown Cars in Wuhu Loop and Neo Bowser City. The Screaming Pillars in DK Jungle blow wind that pushes the player back. Currents in courses such as Wario Shipyard function similarly to wind.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Wind reappears in 3DS Neo Bowser City in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and in DS Shroom Ridge, Ninja Hideaway, 3DS Rock Rock Mountain, and Tour Singapore Speedway in the Booster Course Pass for the latter game. In DS Shroom Ridge, wind acts as a shortcut near the end of the track, and like in Mario Kart Tour, tricks can be performed by driving over wind.
Mario Kart Tour
Wind in Mario Kart Tour appears in the returning courses Rock Rock Mountain and Neo Bowser City, and is usually added to trick and reverse/trick variants of courses, such as DS DK Pass R/T. When driven over, it grants a Jump Boost. Wind also usually appears in Precision Gliding and Glider Challenges, and it is usually created by pipes and propellers. It is also created by the fans and bamboo in Ninja Hideaway. Propellers emitting wind can also appear up and down in this game, with downwards wind being used to cause the player to drop down.
In some courses or variants such as Vancouver Velocity 2R/T, wind is used in the Stanley Park section to allow the player to perform Jump Boosts.
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, both Mount Pajamaja and Somnom Woods have strong gusts of wind. Wind occasionally blows through areas near the top of Mount Pajamaja, and propeller devices in Somnom Woods create wind. Characters standing in the path of wind while preparing to use a Spin Jump are gradually pushed away. Using a Spin Jump while exposed to wind causes characters to lose direct control while being blown in the wind's direction. Spin Jumps affected by wind do not end until the characters hit an obstacle.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, strong gusts of wind appear during the Cannonball Chuck challenge in the Attackathon. They are able to push Luigi in the direction they flow, making it harder for him to hit the score balloons and avoid obstacles. They appear on their own on the third throw, and with Parabombs on the fourth and fifth throws.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
In Mario & Luigi: Brothership, wind gusts appear in the icy portion of Heatfreeze Island, and Slippenglide Island. On Heatfreeze Island, the Bros. can take cover from the wind by hiding behind ice structures. Later on Slippenglide Island, the Bros. attempt to go up a slope to reach the Lighhouse but are stopped short by powerful wind, forcing them to find an alternate route. While chasing Ten, they are barred from progressing once more by strong gusts. Luigi then comes up with Ball Blitz, a Bros. Move that lets them build up enough speed to dash past the wind.
Gallery
Sprite from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Screenshot of a
Borboras from
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Screenshot of two strong gusts of wind from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Screenshot of wind blowing sideways in Super Mario Odyssey
Screenshot of wind blowing in Paper Mario: The Origami King
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|
| Japanese | 追い風
Oikaze | Tailwind | Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | [5] |
強風
Kyōfū | Strong Wind | Super Mario 64 | [6] |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 風
Fēng (Mandarin)
Fūng (Cantonese) | Wind | | [?] |
| Spanish | Viento | Wind | | [7] |
| Swedish | Vind | Wind | | [8] |
References
- ^ 1993. Super Mario All-Stars Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 48.
- ^ Black, Fletcher (November 9, 2007). Super Mario Galaxy PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-7615-5643-5. Page 166.
- ^ Bueno, Fernando (November 15, 2009). New Super Mario Bros. Wii PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-307-46592-4. Page 46.
- ^ Shinoda, Paul, Kent Miller (1995). Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 92.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario Bros. 2" in 『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). Page 29.
- ^ ---- (2015). "Super Mario 64" in 『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). Page 91.
- ^ 2017. "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels" in Enciclopedia Super Mario Bros 30ª Aniversario. Madrid: Planeta Cómic (Spanish). ISBN 978-84-9146-223-1. Page 29.
- ^ Ollmark, Lena, Tobias Bjarneby, Ninna Jansson, and Mats Liljerehn, editors (1993). Nintendobiblioteket 2: Super Mario World. Stockholm: Atlantic Förlags AB (Swedish). ISBN 91-7524-302-4. Page 64.
