Torkdrift
- Not to be confused with Torkscrew.
| Torkdrift | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species | Mechanical Spindrift |
| First appearance | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) |
- “FLOWERS FLOWERS FLOWERS. MUST HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS. DO NOT MESS WITH ME, BIPED.”
- —Torkdrift, Super Mario Odyssey
Torkdrift is a robotic UFO resembling a flower, and the second boss of the Wooded Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey. Its name is a combination of the words "torque" (corrupted spelling) and "drift," respectively referencing the instant access to maximum torque that machines powered by electricity can use and either its method of movement or the fact that it is a mechanical Spindrift. Its top half is a harmless white open flower with a glass container, while the bottom is black and spiky. Its eyes extend from stalks attached to a base, but this base floats above the robot instead of being directly attached.
During the "Path to the Secret Flower Field" cutscene, Torkdrift can be seen flying into the field. It starts to vacuum up most of the flowers in the Secret Flower Field. The Steam Gardeners think it is one of Bowser's Minions, and worry for the flowers. One Steam Gardener claims to have seen a strange object during Road to Sky Garden, and considers the possibility of that being Torkdrift. As part of Defend the Secret Flower Field!, Mario enters the area to stop Torkdrift. When Mario reaches Torkdrift, the machine ignores him and continues to pull in flowers while upside down. Mario captures an Uproot in the area and stretches into the robot's glass core repeatedly. The damage from this finally alerts Torkdrift. It demands to have all of the flowers, and begins to fight Mario. The battle is meant to be completed entirely through use of the Uproot. No other attacks are capable of harming Torkdrift. There is a Senobi Generate Point in the Secret Flower Field during the objective for one Uproot to appear from. Some Brick Blocks attached to the walls provide Hearts.
In battle, Torkdrift floats right side up and stays in the center of the area. It sends out three white flower drones that circle the the machine. These drones power a damaging force field protecting Torkdrift's body (but not the eyes), and themselves have a fleet of Brick Blocks surrounding them. To attack Torkdrift, all three drones have to be destroyed by stretching into them with the Uproot. Once a drone is destroyed, any remaining Brick Blocks around it break as well. Torkdrift tracks Mario's movement, and attacks by aiming and firing laser beams that leave behind puddles of fire for a short time. Torkdrift locks onto a specific position before firing, this area glows red. Breaking a drone briefly prevents Torkdrift from shooting. When all three drones are destroyed, the force field breaks, Torkdrift flips over and is stuck facing away from Mario. This creates an opening to attack the core again. If left alone, Torkdrift will correct its orientation and repeat the process. After being hit, it also rights itself. It will then continuously fire a laser beam straight down that creates energy shockwaves that flow outward. While the first shockwave stays on the ground, later blasts can create multiple stacked shockwaves. An Uproot can stretch and jump over all sets. Mario must then repeat the process two more times. Each time, Torkdrift's drones have more blocks, and occasionally Torkdrift will rotate the drones around. Damaging a drone while they are moving stops all of them from moving. When Torkdrift is defeated, it will explode, releasing all of the stolen flowers and a Multi Moon.
After completing Defend the Secret Flower Field!, one of Torkdrift's eyes and a petal can be found at the Forest Charging Station. The petal it serves as a ramp and shade, though a nearby Steam Gardener considers these fit for protecting small flowers. The eye flashes blue if Mario jumps on it.
In the Peach's Castle rematch, the arena is surrounded by four stacks of three Pulse Beams, which release shockwaves when hit by Torkdrift's laser beams. Torkdrift sometimes chooses to shoot a laser beam at a Pulse Beam instead of Mario. The shockwave attack also triggers the Pulse Beams, potentially all twelve at once depending on the number of shockwaves. The Pulse Beams are not close enough to trigger each other. When Torkdrift is defeated again, it will explode, releasing the Multi Moon. Small flying saucers that resemble Torkdrift can be found at both the Moon Kingdom and the Mushroom Kingdom, where they function similarly to small birds, where they will fly away if Mario gets too close.
Gallery[edit]
Torkdrift manipulating blocks
Torkdrift firing laser rings
The painting from the Mushroom Kingdom to Torkdrift's rematch
The miniature UFO resembling Torkdrift
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | メカフワフワさん[?] Meka Fuwafuwa-san |
Mecha Spindrift | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 机械飘飘花[?] Jīxiè piāo piāo huā |
Mecha Spindrift | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 機械飄飄花[?] Jīxiè piāo piāo huā |
Mecha Spindrift | |
| Dutch | Torkdrift[?] | - | |
| French | Aspirafleur[?] | From aspirateur ("vacuum") and fleur ("flower") | |
| German | Mechaflori[?] | Mechaflower | |
| Italian | Turbofiore[?] | Turboflower | |
| Korean | 메카둥둥이씨[?] Meka Dungdung-i-ssi |
Mecha Spindrift | |
| Russian | Летоверт[?] Letovert |
From лететь (letet, "to fly") and вертеть (vertet, "to spin"), also likely an anagram of вертолет (vertolet, "helicopter") | |
| Spanish | Roboflor[?] | Roboflower |
Trivia[edit]
- Before the fight with Torkdrift begins, if Mario captures the nearby Uproot, he can stretch to pop himself onto Torkdrift's upper half. Once on top of a metallic petal, Mario can jump up to the spire at the very center of Torkdrift's being and throw and hold Cappy on it to produce a Heart accompanied by a train whistle sound effect. This is only possible to attempt while Torkdrift is occupied stealing flowers and not during the battle.
