Lava burst
| Lava burst | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Galaxy (2007) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) | ||
| Variant of | Lava | ||
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Lava bursts[1] are obstacles in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. They are balls of lava discharged from greater lava pools. There are multiple types. Contact with any type of lava burst causes burning damage to Mario (or Luigi) that costs him one bar of health and makes him briefly run around with his hands on his rear, like other fiery and molten hazards.
The small, flaming type slowly travels through the air, often over platforms, before falling back into lava. They usually travel in arcs, though depending on the shape of the lava's source, can be a near-straight line or even an almost-complete ring. They are discharged in set intervals that can be timed. They disappear when they go back into the lava and return to their original location rather than continue moving under the lava.
The longer, viscous type has a comet-like tail and is reminiscent of a solar flare. These ones always travel in perfect circles, continuing even under the lava, and can even be seen flying in rings through the air outside of the lava. Ones that appear alone are very long relative to the loop they make, almost making a half ring, while ones that appear in groups of three per ring are comparatively shorter and leave larger gaps, though the loops themselves can take multiple sizes with the individual lava bursts changing size to match. These types are sometimes used as background decorations rather than direct obstacles.
History[edit]
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
In the first Super Mario Galaxy, the small lava bursts first appear in the Freezeflame Galaxy on the molten, flaming planets. The starting ice-covered planet is partially covered in lava in the third mission of the galaxy. The lava bursts travel low to the ground, making them difficult to avoid. They are more also present on the main lava planet of the Freezeflame Galaxy, arcing over terrain. They are also common in the Melty Molten Galaxy, in which they travel over metal platforms on the starting planet and between small sun-like planets that Mario must navigate via Pull Stars; this galaxy is also home to the longer, looping type. Lava bursts appear also in the boss strongholds Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor and Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, on lava-covered planets proceeding their respective boss battles.
Appearances[edit]
marks missions where they are completely absent.
marks missions where they are loaded and may be visible, but cannot be encountered directly.
| Small, arcing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domes | Galaxies | Missions | |||||
| Bedroom | Freezeflame Galaxy | |
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| Engine Room | Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor | 
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| Garden | Melty Molten Galaxy | |
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| Comet Observatory | Bowser's Galaxy Reactor |
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| Long, single looping | |||||||
| Domes | Galaxies | Missions | |||||
| Garden | Melty Molten Galaxy | |
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| Comet Observatory | Bowser's Galaxy Reactor |
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| Long, triple looping | |||||||
| Domes | Galaxies | Missions | |||||
| Garden | Melty Molten Galaxy | |
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Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Lava bursts are less common in Super Mario Galaxy 2 due to having mostly been replaced by traditional Lava Bubbles. The short type only appears around the giant snow sculpture of Bowser in the Freezy Flake Galaxy. The long type only appears in its triple form, appearing in numerous sizes from small to massive in certain boss galaxies. Fireballs with a similar role also appear in Bowser's Galaxy Generator.
Appearances[edit]
- marks missions where they are completely absent.
- marks missions where they are loaded and may be visible, but cannot be encountered directly.
| Small, arcing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worlds | Galaxies | Missions | ||
| World 3 | Freezy Flake Galaxy |  |
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| Long, triple looping | ||||
| Worlds | Galaxies | Missions | ||
| World 1 | Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla |  |
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| World 2 | Bowser's Lava Lair | |
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Gallery[edit]
Super Mario Galaxy (short type)
Super Mario Galaxy (long type)
Super Mario Galaxy (short type with long type mostly offscreen)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (short type)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | マグマ[2] Maguma |
Magma | shared with Lava Geyser, which is considered the same object in the cited source |
| Italian | Spruzzo di lava[3] | Lava squirt | PRIMA guide |
| Magma[4] | - | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia |
References[edit]
- ^ Black, Fletcher (2007). Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 978-0-7615-5713-5. Page 280.
- ^ 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 137, 171.
- ^ November 16, 2007. La Guida Ufficiale - Super Mario Galaxy. Prima Games (Italian). ISBN 978-1-906064-03-7. Page 280.
- ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 137, 171.
