Hammer
Hammers are items commonly used as weapons throughout the Marioverse. They first appeared in Donkey Kong, in which they were used to smash Barrels and enemies. Hammers are usually thrown by the Hammer Bros. and other enemies. However, Mario and Luigi, the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, have been known to effectively wield Hammers in combat. In the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi sub-series, Hammer attacks are used as a counterpart to Jump attacks. Some enemies can not be damaged by Jump attacks, requiring the Mario Bros. to use their Hammers instead.
Donkey Kong
In Donkey Kong Mario could destroy both the barrels thrown by Donkey Kong, Fireballs created from the flaming oil barrels and other obstacles from the level 2. Mario is not invincible when using it, however. If attacked from the back, he will still lose a life. Mario also cannot climb or jump while wielding the Hammer. Hammers in this game could be found usually in the corners and some can only be reached by jumping.
Super Mario Bros. Series
Super Mario Bros. showed the Hammer being used by Hammer Bros. These Hammers were extremely hard to dodge, especially when the Hammer Bros. appeared in pairs. They seem to have an unlimited supply of Hammers, just like Lakitus and their Spiny Eggs. Mario and Luigi could wield an unlimited supply of Hammers by donning the Hammer Bros.' Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3. When wearing the suit, they gain all the characteristics and abilities of the Hammer Bros., also giving them fire immunity. These suits can only be found by playing a mini-game and start appearing after World 5.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Mario's first and ironically weakest weapon was called the Hammer. Mario received the Hammer after he beat the Hammer Bros. blocking the exit of Mushroom Way (In fact, the weapon has their insignia on it). The mighty plumber used this weapon to pound enemies, at least until he found the Noknok Shell. When equipped, the weapon adds ten attack points to Mario's attack rating. When Mario uses it with the Timed Hit, he swings it up and down twice, similar to the old style. Later on in the game, he found an advanced hammer called a Masher.
Paper Mario Series
In Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario receives not only the Hammer, but the Super Hammer and Ultra Hammer as he progresses through the adventure. Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door gave the Hammer much more focus and was the only way to defeat certain enemies. In battle, Jump attacks couldn't work on every single enemy, so the Hammer was introduced as an alternative. It worked on all enemies and was always stacked damage, proving useful against fire, spiked, and high defense enemies. There was one flaw to it though; it didn't work against air-bound and ceiling attached enemies. With a special badge, namely Hammer Throw, it could be used on all enemies.
Outside of battle, the Hammer can be used to break certain big blocks. The type of block Mario could break depended on what type of Hammer he had. The move, Spin Hammer was also introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as a way to destroy even bigger blocks. However, the Red Block was removed from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In Paper Mario it was given by Goompa after finding him and his Hammer lost in the bushes. Jr. Troopa was the first one lucky enough to be tested on. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door it is a default weapon and it is degraded again into a normal Hammer. The first Hammers in this series are wooden.
Mario & Luigi Series
The Hammer was used by the Mario Bros. in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. However, this move wasn't used as much compared to the Paper Mario series. Unlike the Paper Mario series battle system, each Hammer upgrade didn't affect in-battle damage and attack power.
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Hammers were crafted by the Hammerhead Bros. out of Hoohoo Blocks. They are used to smash rocks (instead of blocks) in Mario and Luigi's path, defeat enemies in battle, and hit buttons and switches. If used on an enemy in the overworld, it's party will be stunned at beginning of the battle. They can later be upgraded to Super Hammers and, ultimately, Ultra Hammers. After the Cork and Cask teach them the advanced method of using the Hammer they can use various overworld and battle abilities.
- When Mario uses it behind Luigi, he does the Luigi Dunk which buries Luigi underground.
- When Luigi uses it behind Mario, he does the Mini-Mario which shrinks Mario to a midget.
- Use Chopper Bros. and Knockback Bros. in battle.
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, two Hammers are given to Baby Mario and Baby Luigi by the L33t Hamm3r Broz. These weapons can be used to tunnel underground (a useful technique when searching for Beans) and hit switches. In battle, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi can use their hammers to attack enemies (and potentially stun them, rendering a monster inactive for a few turns). Unlike the other Mario RPGs, these Hammers serve their purpose for the entire game and are never upgraded.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Hammers make an appearance in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. If a Mini-Mario touched one, they would start slamming the Hammer up and down, defeating any enemy nearby. The Hammer music from the original Donkey Kong would play also.
Super Smash Bros. Series
Hammers are a powerful item in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. The player will swing the hammer back and forth repeatedly, and will strike things upward in its path. Although it is a powerfull weapon, the character cannot double jump with it. Very rarely, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the head of the Hammer will fall off, and the character will swing the stick back and forth, leaving him/her completely vulnerable. However, the head will act as an item, and will have the same power as the regular thrown item.
Mario Superstar Baseball
In this game, Hammer Bro. uses a Hammer as his baseball bat.
Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee
If you grab the Hammer, you'll run across the screen swinging it back and forth nonstop. In Donkey Kong, Mario used the Hammer in exactly the same fashion. It's an extremely powerful item, but you have no recovery move when carrying it. Every now and then, the mallet head will fall off, and you'll end up completely vulnerable, swinging just the handle.
