Steamer

Steamer
Steamer in the preview for Western Land in Mario Party 2
Species	Train
First appearance	Mario Party 2 (1999)
Latest appearance	Mario Party DS (2008)

“Hit the block and choose a direction, would ya? A Goomba will be a-sendin' ya backwards.”

—Steamer, Mario Party 2

Steamer is a steam locomotive found only in some of the Mario Party series games. It speaks with a U.S. Southern accent, particularly that of a precious metals prospector, and is usually seen lugging a small wooden train car behind it on which characters can stand as it moves about. It also has a lamp on the top of its "face," a red "nose" where a unit number would appear on a normal steam-powered train, and a thick gray mustache with matching eyebrows (while not having visible eyes), giving it the appearance of an elderly person. It is the main attraction in Western Land in Mario Party 2, where it makes its debut. The characters can ride Steamer by hitting a block. If the character hits the block and gets a Toad, Steamer goes forward, but if a Goomba appears, Steamer goes backward. Riding Steamer allows characters to move farther than they normally could with hitting the Dice Block. Characters who are on the track and get hit by Steamer will be sent back to the start of the map. Since Mario Party 2, Steamer has been associated with ramming into characters and sending them flying. When on the move, Steamer makes a sound resembling that of the high-pitched train whistle and steam shoots from its sides.

Steamer makes a cameo appearance in Mario Party 3 in the Duel minigame End of the Line. In this minigame, the players get knocked onto its trailing car and must guide it through three pairs of tunnels to safely make it to the station, where one tunnel leads them off a cliff and the other keeps them on the track.

Steamer makes another, minor cameo on the Mario Party 4 board Toad's Midway Madness, where it moves around the train tracks in the background.

In Mario Party 5's Super Duel Mode, the player can assemble a machine that heavily resembles Steamer by combining the Choo-Choo Body, Choo-Choo Tires, and Choo-Choo engine. These parts together provide high speed and very poor control, stats which are consistent with Steamer's behavior in the other Mario Party games.

In Mario Party DS, a toy Steamer makes an appearance in the 1-vs-3 minigame Track Star. One player stands on the toy train, and the rest stand on the rails and try to escape it. This is the last known appearance of Steamer, which is coincidentally the last Mario Party game on which Hudson Soft was a developer before their dissolution.

Western Land is set to return in Super Mario Party Jamboree, and a train can be seen parked at the station closest to the starting position. However, it is unknown if this is Steamer or a generic train.

Gallery

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  Steamer featured in the game, Mario Party 2

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  A Koopa Troopa rides Steamer in the opening preview of Western Land

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  Mario hitches a ride on Steamer on the lower segment of Western Land

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  Steamer in the End of the Line minigame

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  Steamer's cameo in Mario Party 4

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  The "Choo Choo" body in Mario Party 5's Super Duel Mode

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  The Toy Steamer in Track Star

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	シュッポー[?] Shuppō	From「シュポシュポ」(shupo-shupo, an onomatopoeia for the sound of a departing steam-engine train)
Italian	Ciuf Ciuf[?]	Choo Choo
Spanish	Vapor[?]	Steam