Editing Unwinnable state

An '''unwinnable state''' (also called a ''' softlock''') is when a level or a whole game is still technically playable but is impossible to complete because either a technique or an object needed to progress has become inaccessible to the player, the player character is trapped with no means of escape, or a script fails to trigger. Unwinnable situations can be the result of a [[glitch]], the result of players going out of their way to trap themselves, or intentional on the part of the game designers, although due to the ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' franchise's accessible, player-friendly design, instances of intentionally unwinnable scenarios are non-existent.

 

Note that this does not include scripted boss battles the player has to lose in ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' RPGs, such as the first battles with [[Bowser]] in ''[[Paper Mario]] '' and the [[Shroob]]s in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]''. Even if they are literally "unwinnable", they are necessary in order to advance the plot or otherwise progress the game.

In some [[castle]] levels, there are some areas where Mario or Luigi can use a platform to jump above a hole in the ceiling and land on top of it. However, if they start running above the ceiling and reach the end of the level, they cannot return under the ceiling (as the screen doesn't scroll leftwards in this game) to touch the [[axe]] and finish the level, forcing the player to wait until the [[Time Limit]] runs out and Mario or Luigi loses a [[Extra life|life]] to retry the level.

To defeat [[Bowser]] in [[Bowser in the Dark World]], [[Bowser in the Fire Sea]], and [[Bowser in the Sky]], Mario must throw him into the bombs around the arena. If Mario [[Long Jump]]s into all the bombs to detonate them, he will be left with no way to defeat Bowser unless he leaves the level. To fix this in the [[Super Mario 64 DS|remake]], one bomb always reappears in the arena if the player tries to detonate all of them, making it still possible to beat Bowser nonetheless. Additionally, it is also possible to trick Bowser into lunging after Mario and jumping directly into the pit. Normally, Mario would need to throw Bowser in the pit for him to land there, but if Bowser does so as part of his own attack, the game will not respawn him to jump back onto the stage.

If one of the [[Bully|Bullies]] in [[Lethal Lava Land]] is pushed into the lava at a specific angle, it will be stuck there. Doing this will not count as defeating it, resulting in not spawning the [[Big Bully]] that must also be defeated to complete the mission.<ref>[https://www.suppermariobroth.com/post/633632317749985280/ddd-main-blog-twitter-patreon-small-findings Supper Mario Broth]</ref>

If the [[Pokey Head]]s in the [[Red Coin Field]] fall off the stage, the player will not be able to collect the [[Red Coin]] from defeating them and will have to restart the level. Additionally, since there is no source of water in the level, if [[F.L.U.D.D.]] runs out of water, the player will have to restart the level if any Red Coins that require water have not been collected.

If the [[Cataquack]] in the [[Wall Jumping up Waterfalls]] mission in the [[Beach Bowl Galaxy]] touches [[Ice Mario (Super Mario Galaxy)|Ice Mario]] on the same frame one of the ice pillars breaks the platform it is standing on, the Cataquack will start glowing and the game will become unresponsive. The player will then have to restart the mission to continue.<ref>[https://www.suppermariobroth.com/post/637958292481736704/in-super-mario-galaxy-during-the-wall-jumping-up Supper Mario Broth]</ref>

On the missions [[Purple Coins on the Battlerock]] and [[Battlestation's Purple Coins]], if the player leaves behind any of the [[Purple Coin]]s, they will be unable to obtain the [[Power Star]] as the platforms that the player rides throughout the level do not backtrack.

In the ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'' level [[Bramball Woods]], it is possible to get stuck underneath the third Bramball in the level. Normally, [[Brick Block]]s move into position when the player is nearby, allowing the Bramballs to move. However, returning to this Bramball after dying and respawning from the [[Checkpoint Flag]] without going too far left will not have the blocks appear. This allows the player to take a hit and stand on the [[Mega Block|Big Block]], trapping them. Jumping against the Bramball has no effect, and if the player is in [[Small Mario|small form]] or [[Mini Mario (form)|mini form]], they cannot escape without losing a life.

===''Yoshi'' series===

[[GO! GO! MARIO!!]] has a [[Super Star]] that [[Yoshi]] can reach by jumping off a [[Shy Guy|Shy-Guy]]. However, unless he has any [[Yoshi Egg]]s or [[Watermelon (Yoshi's Island series)|watermelon]]s, he will be unable to get out of the area and must quit out of the level. This is fixed in ''[[Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3]]''.

The [[Kamek]] curse battles may result in situations that make the battle impossible to win (for example, forcing the player to only use [[Hammer]] cards against a flying enemy). The only solution is to exit the game (as the Kamek curse battles disable the Flee command) or waste one’s entire supply of cards.<ref> Fatguy703 (October 11, 2016). [https://youtu.be/hOwKQ7mVc2g Paper Mario: Color Splash - Developer Oversight]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved March 11, 2019.</ref>

Before version 1.0.1., in [[Shangri-Spa]], after obtaining the [[Spring of Rainbows - VIP|VIP pass]] to access the [[Spring of Rainbows]], if the player left the path to it after entering, the VIP pass would be gone from the menu. If the player then spoke to the Toad at the reception, they would not have the stamp card and there would be no way to get another one. Saving after this point would have bricked the save file.<ref>Nintendo Unity (July 22, 2020). [https://youtu.be/4cLFZ9_S0GI Massive Game Breaking Glitch Destroys Your Save File in Paper Mario: The Origami King]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved July 24, 2020.</ref>

When battling [[Chauncey]], a glitch can occur that makes the ball needed to defeat him stuck in mid-air.<ref>[https://www.suppermariobroth.com/post/633722895691137024/rr Supper Mario Broth]</ref>

If the player quits in the [[King Boo]] battle after the first Tough Possessor is defeated, it's possible that the game will count the earlier mission as complete without opening up the final mission, and will not send the player to the final boss upon replaying the level, making the game incompletable.<ref>http://nintendo3dsdaily.com/nintendoarticles/should-nintendo-release-a-patch-for-luigis-mansion-dark-moon/#comment-17125</ref>

At a certain point in the game, the [[Warp Pipe]] that leads to the [[Peach's Castle Dungeon]] becomes accessible by going to a question marked spot in [[Peach's Castle]]. Later in the game, the player will have to go back to Peach's Castle via Peach's Castle Dungeon from the [[Time hole]]s in the [[Star Shrine]] or [[Toad Town]]. If the player did not activate the Warp Pipe at Peach's Castle beforehand, the player will be stuck at the dungeon as the pipe that connects to Peach's Castle and the dungeon doesn't appear. This only happens in the American version; The Japanese and European versions managed to fix this glitch.

There are a certain series of glitches in Mushrise Park that makes it possible to fall into the Mini Mario area as both Mario and Luigi, or get stuck in the collision for a nearby bridge. If this happens, the game is unwinnable and the file has to be started over.<ref>Gaming Reinvented (February 20, 2016). [https://youtu.be/VddWqjHclrg Why I Don't Play Mario & Luigi Dream Team Any More (glitch)]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved March 29, 2019.</ref>

===''[[Wario (franchise)|Wario]]'' franchise===

 

At the level 3 difficulty of the [[microgame]] [[Right in the Eye]], the eye of the needle may sometimes be positioned outside the playing area, making the game unbeatable. This issue was fixed in the microgame's ''[[WarioWare Gold]]'' remake.

Three microgames in [[Kat and Ana]]'s set are impossible to complete on early Japanese copies. The lines in [[Bright Idea (WarioWare: Touched!)|Bright Idea]] and [[The Proud, the Fuse]] cannot be drawn while the flashlight in [[Midnight Weirdo]] blinks on and off. This glitch was fixed in later Japanese copies.

 

In [[Super Mario World (WarioWare: Get It Together!)|Super Mario World]], 18-Volt can get stuck in Level 2, which makes it unbeatable for him since he can't move.

[[Penny Crygor|Penny]] is unsuitable for [[Balance the Scales]] and [[Pop Goes the Party]], as she may destroy too many blocks and all the pins in Level 3, making it unbeatable for her.

A less severe variation is when a game can still be finished, but denies the player [[Completion|100% completion]] of their save file in some way. Unlike true unwinnable scenarios, examples of intentional impossible 100% completion are more common in the ''Mario'' franchise.

 

Similar to ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'', if the player loses five lives when attempting a course from one of the first eight worlds, an [[Assist Block]] will appear on re-entry, permanently preventing the player from ever having shiny stars on their save file.  

In all subsequent ''Mario'' platformers, making the Super Guide Block or Assist Block appear will not void the player's chance to get shiny stars on their save file; any player who uses the Super Guide or Invincibility Leaf can get shiny stars by completing the same level without using it.

If the player defeats the [[Black Shy Guy]] with [[Professor Toad]], it was impossible to achieve 100% completion in the [[Musée Champignon]]. This was fixed in version 1.0.1 by having a Black Shy Guy appear in [[Scorching Sandpaper West]] which can be fought as many times as the player wants.