Midas River

Mario at the falls

Mario rolling on the river

The Midas River is a large river seen in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. When Mario and Mallow are flushed out of the Kero Sewers, they end up being flung down the falls, also known as Midas Waterfall. The name "Midas" comes from a figure in Greek mythology, Midas, who is a king that turned everything he touched into gold, which is fitting since many gold coins can be collected in the waterbody.

The falls are segmented and feature the first nonstandard gameplay section. After Toad appears and the player accepts or rejects his explanation, Mario is carried by the downward current. It is possible to swim slightly upstream for a moment so as to slow down Mario's fall. Mario can try to grab coins and Frog Coins scattered all around the surface of the water. Holes are visible behind the waterfall as Mario descends; entering one results in a brief scene playing that can result in the player recovering FP or gaining or losing coins, among other effects. Up to 36 coins can be collected.

The river in the Switch remake

At the bottom of the falls, Mario lands on a barrel floating in the river. This begins the second nonstandard gameplay section introduced by Toad, which is the barrel-jumping event. It is a barrel-ride to the end, collecting more coins along the way. There are two "lanes," which can be switched between by bumping into barrels. Certain lanes have more coins than others. Bumping into one of the river's irritable jumping fish results in Mario losing coins. In the original version of the game, fish can come only from the front; in the remake, they can also come from behind. Up to 64 coins can be collected.

A Mushroom person waits at the course's end, and will hold on to any coins earned on the course. Collecting 50 coins earns the player one Frog Coin. When clearing the Midas River for the first time, he will also give Mario a Koopa Shell. The exit in this small area leads to Tadpole Pond.

The bucket in Moleville serves as a warp to the Midas River. If it is accessed this way, the Mushroom person at the bottom of the river will be absent, leaving a note saying that the course is closed for the day; reading the note will give the player any coins they earned on the course to keep.

This river briefly reappears in the short book Mario and the Incredible Rescue, where Mario, Luigi, and Toad pass through here to reach Tadpole Pond. They get there after falling off the waterfall, an event that later inspires Mario to compose a song on the flute called "Falling Down a Waterfall," which he plays for Toadofski.

Names in other languages

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Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Chinese (simplified)	红酒河漂流[?] Hóngjiǔ hé piāoliú	Wine River Drift (waterfall)
	红酒河[?] Hóngjiǔ hé	Wine River (course)
	红酒河边[?] Hóngjiǔ Hé Biān	Red Wine Riverside (map)
Chinese (traditional)	紅酒河順流[?] Hóngjiǔ hé shùnliú	Wine River Descent (waterfall)
	紅酒河[?] Hóngjiǔ hé	Wine River (course)
	紅酒河邊[?] Hóngjiǔ Hé Biān	Red Wine Riverside (map)
Dutch	Midas-Kanaal[?]	Midas Canal
French	rivière Midas[?]	Midas river
German	Fluss Krösus[?]	Croesus River
Italian	Fiume Mida	Midas River
Korean	와인강 내려오기[?] Wain Gang Naeryeo-ogi	Wine River Descent (waterfall)
	와인강[?] Wain Gang	Wine River (course)
	와인강 둔치[?] Wain Gang Dunchi	Wine River Bank (map)
Spanish	Río Midas[?]	Midas River

Trivia

• In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the background music for the Midas River is unusual in that it uses microtonality; it is written in A-flat major internally but pitch-shifted upward by 50 cents, so that the song as heard uses a nonexistent key between A-flat major and A major. The updated version from the Nintendo Switch remake is played in A-flat major throughout, with no microtonality. This can be observed by switching from the music version from Modern to Classic through the System menu.