User:Salmancer/List of methods of flight

As the franchise that defined the platforming genre, many Super Mario franchise games allow the character to fly as a powerful ability in the game. Flying is powerful because normally the player's ability to move vertically is restricted by if there are platforms available to jump from. There are many different ways games implement flying. This list compares and contrasts all methods that the player can use to fly in different games. Note that this list concerns player characters flying in games where flying is not true of gameplay in general. Microgames, being as short and self-contained as they are, usually do not meet this criteria.

Flying abilities are sorted into one of eight categories:

• "High ascent and slowly descend": Initially using the power sends Mario high into the air, then he enters a controlled descending state that makes it easier to land.
• "Press/Hold jump button to rise": When the button is used in the specified manner, Mario rises. When the button is not being used, Mario falls.
• "Steadily rises": Once this power is activated, Mario steadily rises into the air even without input from the player. Some powers may allow for Mario's height to be controlled past this point, others do not.
• "Momentum based": Mario flies forward and can adjust his altitude freely to a point. If Mario slows down too much, flight is impaired or immediately ends. Mario's speed decreases whe he flies upward. Mario can increase his speed by flying downward. Switching to flying upward during such a speed boost allows Mario to change direction more sharply than otherwise allowed.
• "Free movement in all directions":Mario moves in any specified direction. This is usually also paired with an effect that has Mario fall very slowly or not fall at all.
• "Constant height": While the power is in use, Mario does not rise or fall. He can still move in any other direction. Some of these may have Mario rise and fall in a a set pattern.
• "Dash(es) in a upward direction": This power allows for Mario to dash in one or more upward directions. (Dashes that cannot be aimed upward are better described as weak versions of "Constant height")
• "Fixed path":This power gives the player no control over Mario. He moves over a path in the air as specified by the power.

As a general rule, abilities that are not in the "Press/Hold jump button to rise" and "Momentum based" categories" generally cannot be used more than once for each time the user enters the air. "Free movement in all directions" is another exception: most of them can fly infinitely far or high without having to land.

Item/Form/Move	Image	Debut year	Games	Type								Notes
				High ascent and slowly descend	Press/Hold jump button to rise	Steadily rises	Momentum based	Free movement in all directions	Constant height	Dash(es) in an upward direction	Fixed path
Wing		2007	Super Mario Bros. Special		✔							Uses the swimming controls in the air
Propeller Mario/Propeller Block		2007	New Super Mario Bros. Wii New Super Mario Bros. U New Super Luigi U Super Mario Maker Super Mario Maker 2 New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	✔								Activate with Spin Jump or Midair Spin
Propeller Box		2007	Super Mario 3D Land Super Mario 3D World Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Super Mario Maker 2	✔								Slowly descend by holding the jump button. Can ascend three times in Super Mario Maker 2
Raccoon Mario/White Raccoon Mario/Tanooki Mario		2015	Super Mario Bros. 3 New Super Mario Bros. 2 Super Mario Maker Super Mario Maker 2		✔							Requires a full P-Meter. The P-Meter fills as Mario dashes. Flying drains the P-Meter. Once the P-Meter is empty Mario can no longer fly. White Raccoon Mario fills the P-Meter faster. The P-Meter stays full permanently with a P-Wing Tanooki Mario can only fly in Super Mario Bros. 3
Cape Mario		2015	Super Mario World Super Mario Maker Super Mario Maker 2				✔					Requires a running start. Taking damage cancels the flying state without Mario being hurt. Landing on the ground damages enemies. Landing on the ground with a fast dive defeats all enemies on screen.
Power Squirrel Mario		2015	New Super Mario Bros. U New Super Luigi U	✔								Can Flying Squirrel Jump an infinite number of times in place of Midair Spin, can glide before, inbetween, or after Flying Squirrel Jumps as per Flying Squirrel Mario.
Wing Mario/Winged Yoshi		2015	Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS				✔					Requires a cannon or a Triple Jump.
Lakitu's Cloud		2007	Super Mario World New Super Mario Bros. New Super Mario Bros. 2 New Super Mario Bros. Wii New Super Mario Bros. U New Super Luigi U Super Mario Maker Super Mario Maker 2 New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Super Mario Bros. Wonder Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Yoshi's Woolly World Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World					✔				Only lasts a limited time
Koopa Clown Car/Junior Clown Car/Fire Koopa Clown Car/Fire Junior Clown Car		2007	Super Mario Maker Super Mario Maker 2					✔
Bullet Bill Mask		2007	Super Mario Maker 2						✔			Is temporary. Lost upon crashing into walls.
Bullet Bill/Banzai Bill (via Capture)		2007	Super Mario Odyssey						✔			Is temporary. Explodes on contact with walls or enemies, returning Mario to normal.
Paragoomba/Parabones (via Capture)		2007	Super Mario Odyssey		✔							Maximum height is a little above highest platform landed on.
Winged Yoshi		2007	Super Mario World		✔							Temporary when accessed with Koopa Shells, permanent when accessed with Yoshi's Wings
Winged Yoshi		2007	Yoshi's New Island Yoshi's Woolly World Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World Yoshi's Crafted World						✔			Moves in a sine wave, like a repeating Flutter Jump pattern
Umbrella Yoshi		2007	Yoshi's Woolly World Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World		✔							Heavily affected by wind
Sky Pop Yoshi		2007	Yoshi's Woolly World Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World					✔
Launch Star		2007	Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2								✔
Piranhacopter		2007	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	✔
Pidgit’s carpets		2007	Super Mario Bros. 2					✔				Is temporary
Propellerpack		2007	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	✔
Super Dragon		2007	Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U					✔				Is temporary
Wario-Man		2007	Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U		✔							Rises when using aerial attacks
Spinning Kong		2007	Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate			✔						Only rises when used in the air. Does not rise very high
Whirling Fortress		2007	Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate			✔						Only rises when used in the air.
Rocketbarrel Boost		2007	Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate							✔		Can be aimed mid-dash, defaults to upward
Rocketbarrel Barrage		2007	Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U					✔				Moves upward, but can be turned such that that upward to Diddy is any direction. Is temporary
Hyper Rocketbarrel		2007	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate								✔	Attacks from various directions all around the screen with no control granted to the player. Returns to where the attack started when it concludes
Jetpack		2007	WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! (Wario's Adventure) WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! (Wario's Adventure)			✔						Left and right movement is fixed in one segment but free in the next segment. Collecting fuel makes it go faster, and it can break a ceiling at max speed.
Flying Mario		2007	Super Mario Galaxy					✔				Starts flying with a Spin. Has to be pointed in a specific direction, then can move forward.
Balloon Mario		2007	Super Mario 64 DS		✔
Rocket Barrel		2007	Donkey Kong Country Returns Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze		✔							Automatically moves to the right. Must counteract falling momentum to rise.
Rocket Barrel		2007	Donkey Kong Country Returns Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Donkey Kong Country Returns HD		✔							Automatically flies with upward scrolling screen. Can boost higher upward
Green Balloon		2007	Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze			✔						Recovers player from pits. Can pass through some solid objects. Ends with button press or after too long.
Helicopter Spin		2007	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze							✔		Upward
Blimp Fruit		2010	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Temporarily transforms Yoshi into Blimp Yoshi, causing him to puff up and float, similarly to the Power Balloon.			✔
Blue Shell		2006	New Super Mario Bros. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story	Transforms Mario into Shell Mario, allowing him to shell dash, crouch in the shell to block most attacks, and swim faster with more control.	✔
Yoshi's Wings		1990	Super Mario World	Transforms Yoshi into a Winged Yoshi, granting him infinite flight for one level and access to Coin Heaven. Clearing the level removes the wings and, in the SNES version only, makes Yoshi become a Blue Yoshi.			✔