Gnat Attack
Gnat Attack (also called Coffee Break) is a minigame found in Mario Paint, in which the player must use the SNES Mouse to swat different fly-like enemies. The player controls a gloved hand (similar to the one seen on the title screen) holding a flyswatter, which must swat flying insects on the screen, before the insect stings the player's hand in one way or another. There are three levels, each with 100 insects; after defeating them, the boss, Watinga, appears. Completing stages causes Mario characters to walk across the screen. When the player defeats the last boss, it takes them back to level one and adds a small icon in the top left corner of the screen; there is no final level or reward, as the game will loop endlessly, getting slightly harder each time.
Gnat Attack was modified into both a microgame and a bonus minigame in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, under the names Mario Paint: Fly Swatter and plain Fly Swatter, respectively. The microgame involved shooting the flies as they flew past a fixed target, while the minigame was more faithful to Gnat Attack's gameplay.
Gnat Attack makes a return in Super Mario Maker. The game is triggered when three flies randomly appear during the editing mode; though shaking a Muncher can make them spawn faster. Swatting all three will trigger the minigame. It is split into three stages, with Watinga appearing the third stage, like in Mario Paint, and a counter for enemies and a timer of 30 seconds are also present. The Builder Mario costume for Costume Mario is unlocked upon beating the third stage of this game for the first time. Upon losing any stage or winning the third, the player is given an option to restart at Level 1 or quit to the editor; the game can also be exited early by pausing and touching the can of insect repellent.
The 1.20 update for Super Mario Maker released on November 4, 2015 adds a more challenging version of Gnat Attack. It is accessible by shaking a Muncher until Watinga spawns, then swatting Watinga several times. Completing this mode will unlock the Fighter Fly costume for Costume Mario.
Enemies
| Enemy | Image | Battle style |
|---|---|---|
| Gnat | 
|
Flies across screen; cannot harm Mario. |
| Big Fly | File:Bigfly.PNG | Can fire projectiles. First enemy that can harm Mario. |
| Dragonfly | File:Dragonfly GA.PNG | Fires projectiles. Very aggressive; goes after Mario. In Super Mario Maker, they appear in the second stage and fire Mini-Gnats if they are not swatted quickly. |
| Bomb Fly | 
|
Explodes when hit or when left alone. Explosion can harm Mario. In Super Mario Maker, they appear during the third stage (and every stage in hard mode, and in horde) and one second is lost if they explode. |
| Watinga | 
|
The minigame's boss. Fires projectiles at Mario. Takes multiple hits to kill. In Super Mario Maker, he can fire Gnats and vanishes until all the Gnats are swatted. |
