Swinging vine
| Swinging vine | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Model from New Super Mario Bros. Wii | |||
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Party Superstars (2021) | ||
| Effect | Swing back and forth like a rope swing | ||
| Variant of | Vine | ||
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Swinging vines,[1][2] also known as hanging vines,[3] are climbable objects in the Donkey Kong and Super Mario franchises. With the exception of Donkey Kong Jr., swinging vines function like rope swings: Flicking the control stick back and forth causes the player character to swing. Letting go at the apex propels the character farther than they would have otherwise. In some games, the character can also ascend and slide down vines.
Swinging vines seem to be important to marketing iconography for the Donkey Kong Country series, even for games they do not appear in. In the files for several entries in the Super Mario series, swinging vines are named after Tarzan.[4]
History[edit]
Donkey Kong franchise[edit]
Donkey Kong Jr.[edit]
Hanging vines are the only climbable objects and namesake of the Vine Scene, the first level of Donkey Kong Jr. Donkey Kong Jr. seeds to ascend and hop between the vines in order to collect fruit and ultimately reach his father. Mario releases enemy Snapjaws that climb down the vines.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]
Hanging vines appear in place of ropes in the bramble-heavy levels Bramble Scramble and Screech's Sprint in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as means for climbing for Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Klingers.
Donkey Kong 64[edit]
In Donkey Kong 64, hanging vines suspend themselves in the air with propelling leaves. They are most numerous in Jungle Japes, where swinging from vine to vine is necessary to reach distant areas.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat / New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]
Hanging vines are the most recurring type of rope in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.[5] They appear through lush, forested stages and as early the first level, Dawn Savanna.
Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, pressing the Grab button causes Donkey Kong (or Diddy Kong) to cling onto a hanging vine. Tilting the 
back and forth causes DK to swing, and letting go at the arc of the swing lets him reach greater distances than he would otherwise. Hanging vines are of varying lengths, are positioned one after another in several levels, and are the only means of traversing across bottomless gaps. They are most common in the Forest of Donkey Kong Island, particularly in the course Vine Valley. Some hanging vines are attached to dangerous flora, namely Wigglevines and Ape-Eating Plants.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]
In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, vines can be encountered hanging motionless or swinging on their own volition. As in the previous game, swinging vines are needed to reach hidden areas, traverse over large gaps, and avoid obstacles. Only their tips are leaved. Nearly every level in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Treeze includes swinging vines, the first of which is Canopy Chaos. In addition to the healthy green vines, there are brownish decaying vines[6] the fall apart if the player character clings to them for too long.
Mario Party series[edit]
Hanging vines are a major focus of the duel minigame Vine with Me in Mario Party 3, where players swing over a forest floor inhabited by Piranha Plants. Whoever reaches the end of the course first wins the minigame. Vine with Me subsequently appears in Mario Party: The Top 100 and Mario Party Superstars.
Vines are also the focus of the DK minigame Vine Country in Mario Party 7, where the goal is to reach the top before Donkey Kong. Vine Country also appears in Mario Party: The Top 100.
Super Mario series[edit]
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
New Super Mario Bros. is the first mainline title to include hanging vines. In this title, they cooccur with the Piranha Plant-like vines that emerge from struck blocks and similarly resemble a leafy helix. Identically to the untied ropes found in the game's fortresses and castles, Mario (or Luigi) immediately grip to a vine when he makes contact with it. Flicking the 
back and forth causes the vine to swinging, and jumping at the full arc of the swing propels Mario farther than he would have otherwise. Hanging vines appear only in the forest-themed World 4-A, where they overhang a poisonous swamp. Swinging off of one is necessary to reach one of the level's hidden sub-areas, as well as the top of the its pole.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
A single vine appears in the Beach Bowl Galaxy of Super Mario Galaxy, where it is suspended from a palm tree. Mario (or Luigi) can use the vine to swing in 180° to collect the circle of Star Bits that surround the vine. It is not necessary to complete any mission, and Mario falls into harmless water when he lets go. The vine is mechanically and physically similar to the leafy trapezes in the game.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, hanging vines again function like rope swings, just like the hanging chains also found in the game. They appear only in the forest-themed World 5-1, a level similar to World 4-A from New Super Mario Bros. Several are positioned between Stalking Piranha Plants that periodically stretch their stalks upward, necessitating well-timed swings. A hanging vine is necessary to enter one of the level's large shells, as well as reach the top of the pole that completes the level.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Unlike all other appearances, hanging vines swing back and forth all on their own and have a small white flower at their ends in New Super Mario Bros. 2. Mario (or Luigi) can still cling to them and swing. They appear only in World 
Flower-2, hanging above a poisonous swamp alongside Scuttlebugs. The arc of some vines follows trails of floating coins.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
Hanging vines are rare in the original New Super Mario Bros. U campaign, appearing only in the swamp-themed course Spinning Platforms of Doom in Superstar Road. They function like the more common hanging chains in the game, like a rope swing. In New Super Luigi U, hanging vines appear in Giant Swing-Along, the first course of Soda Jungle. They overhang a Poison Bog. They appear in these courses unaltered in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.
Yoshi's Island DS[edit]
Hanging vines appear in levels and areas focused on utilizing Baby DK in Yoshi's Island DS, such as the introductory level Baby DK, the Jungle King! Baby DK is the only baby that can interact with vines. In addition to swinging from them, pressing up on the makes Baby DK ascend the vine.
Luigi's Mansion 3[edit]
Swinging vines appear in the Garden Suites of Luigi's Mansion 3, where Luigi must use them to reach opposing part so the room due to the destroyed staircase.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork[edit]
Donkey Kong Country (absent in-game)
Donkey Kong Country (absent in-game)
Mario Party (absent in-game)
Donkey Kong Jr. (Famicom 40th Anniversary)
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Sprites[edit]
Screenshots[edit]
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ぶらさがりツタ[7] Burasagari Tsuta |
Hanging Vine | New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. 2 |
| ぶらさがりつた[8] Burasagari Tsuta |
New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. U | ||
| スイングロープ[9] Suingu Rōpu |
Rope Swing | Super Mario Galaxy |
References[edit]
- ^ Esmarch, Nick von, and Cory Van Grier (2014). Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 978-0-804-16252-4. Page 46.
- ^ "Jump at the right moment between swinging vines to reach the goal!" – in-game description for Vine with Me from Mario Party: The Top 100 and Mario Party Superstars.
- ^ Knight, Michael (2010). Donkey Kong Country Returns: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Premiere Edition). Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 9780307471031. Page 98.
- ^ New Super Mario Bros. Wii internal filename (ObjectData/TarzanTsuta.arc)
- ^ Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Shogakukan book. Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 12-13.
- ^ Esmarch and Grier, Page 26.
- ^ 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 119, 201.
- ^ ---- (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). Page 151, 217.
- ^ ---- (2015). "Super Mario Galaxy" 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 136.
- Donkey Kong 64 objects
- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest objects
- Donkey Kong Country Returns objects
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze objects
- Donkey Kong Jr.
- Donkey Kong Jungle Beat objects
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- New Super Mario Bros. objects
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 objects
- New Super Mario Bros. U objects
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii objects
- Super Mario Galaxy objects
