Rock Block

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Rock Block
RockBlock CTTT.png
Artwork from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
First appearance Mario & Wario (1993)
Latest appearance Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)
Variant of Brick Block

Rock Blocks[1][2][3][4][5] (or rock blocks)[6] are a variety of blocks appearing throughout the Super Mario franchise. They are made of stone and typically harder to break than other blocks. They usually require the player to perform a particularly strong move or be under the effect of a specific power-up to break. In most appearances, Rock Blocks function similarly to the Black Bricks in Super Mario 64 DS.

There are similar objects in the Super Mario series called Hard Blocks, a throwable Stone in Super Mario Maker 2, and an obstruction called the Stone Block in Paper Mario, but they have different properties from the Rock Block. In Super Mario Odyssey, the Brick Blocks in the Wooded Kingdom are larger than normal and made of stone but otherwise function normally.

History[edit]

Mario & Wario[edit]

A large Rock Block from Mario & Wario.

Rock Blocks are nearly identical to later appearances in Mario & Wario, being hit once to be cracked open.

Yoshi's Island series[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]

A Kaboomba and some Rock Blocks.
Rock Blocks near a Kaboomba in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Cracked blocks[7] are found in many levels of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. They are large blocks made of a durable type of rock, and can only be destroyed with Yoshi Eggs.

Yoshi's Island DS[edit]

Rock Blocks return in Yoshi's Island DS, and only Baby DK can destroy them with eggs or a ground pound.

Yoshi's Story[edit]

Rock blocks appear in Yoshi's Story. They are roughly the same as in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, as they can only be destroyed by Yoshi Eggs. Golden rock blocks also appear in the game; they cannot be destroyed by any means.

Wario World[edit]

Wario between two Rock Blocks.

A different variety of Rock Blocks appeared as obstacles that Wario encountered during the events of Wario World. They can be small or very large, but each has a weak point indicated by a cracked side with a bandage on it. Wario can break these blocks by punching or Ground Pounding the weak side. The blocks can also be destroyed by using a Piledriver, Wild Swing-Ding, or Mega Toss. In some areas, Rock Blocks can move upward and slam down like a Thwomp to squash Wario.

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

A Rock Block from World-e of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

Gray-colored Brick Blocks working like Rock Blocks appear in World-e of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. These blocks specifically appear in the levels A Sky-High Adventure and Puzzling Pipe Maze, in which they appear to obstruct certain pathways. These solid blocks cannot be destroyed easily, breaking only by using the Hammer Suit or the Tanooki Suit's statue mode. Unlike Brick Blocks and White Blocks, these gray blocks do not glisten.

On the Japanese e-Reader card for Puzzling Pipe Maze, Roy Koopa claims to have invented these blocks by himself.

Super Mario Galaxy[edit]

In Rolling Gizmo Galaxy, stone blocks[8] cover holes needed to progress. They are destroyed when Mario collides with them on the Rolling Ball.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

Rock Blocks
Mega Mario breaking Rock Blocks in Super Mario 3D World

Rock Blocks reappear in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury as a gray variation of Big Blocks, thus resembling larger variants of the gray-colored Brick Blocks from Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. They cannot be destroyed by the player on their own (except when under the effects of a Mega Mushroom); therefore, the player must make use of other means to break them, such as Bob-ombs, cannonballs, having them be hit by a Conkdor, among others.

In the Bowser's Fury campaign of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, throwing a Green Shell at a Rock Block destroys it.

Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

In Super Mario Maker 2, Hard Blocks take the form of Rock Blocks in the Super Mario 3D World level style.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

Rock Blocks reappear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder in Jewel-Block Cave's Wonder Effect, where it can only be destroyed by either the Wonder Gottsun or Giant Spiked Balls.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]

Rock Blocks reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS ports, where they are identical to the Super Mario 3D World version.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]

Rock Blocks return in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, as obstacles that can be broken by the Trio Hammer move. They appear primarily in Doop Doop Dunes.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ひびブロック[9]
Hibi Burokku
Cracked Block
岩ブロック[?]
Iwa Burokku
Stone Block
ロックブロック[10]
Rokku Burokku
Rock Block
French Gros rocher[14] Big rock
Bloc bleu[15] Blue block Yoshi's Story
German Fels-Block[?] Rock Block
Italian Blocco di Roccia[11] Block [made out] of Rock
Blocco pietra[?] Stone block Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Blocco roccia[12] Rock block
Blocco Roccia[13] Rock Block

References[edit]

  1. ^ November 1993. Nintendo Magazine System (UK) Issue #14. Page 48.
  2. ^ April 1994. Nintendo Magazine System (AU) Issue #13. Page 16.
  3. ^ 2003. Wario World instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 24.
  4. ^ 2003. Wario World instruction booklet. Nintendo of Europe (British English). Page 24.
  5. ^ Musa, Alexander; Hatchett, Geson (2013). Super Mario 3D World PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-804-16249-4. Page 19.
  6. ^ "Rock block, so blue and hard. Break it with eggs, leave it in shards." – Message Block. Yoshi's Story.
  7. ^ Miller, Kent and Terry Munson (1995). Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 28.
  8. ^ 2007. Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-76155-713-5. Page 313.
  9. ^ 1993. Mario & Wario instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 8.
  10. ^ October 19, 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario 3D World section. Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 234.
  11. ^ 2003. Wario World Italian manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 22.
  12. ^ Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Italian e-manual, section 9
  13. ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 234.
  14. ^ Yoshi's Story in-game name (French localization)
  15. ^ 1998. Nintendo Magazine : Le seul magazine officiel Nintendo 64. Issue 5. Nintendo and EMAP France (French). Page 62.