Spike Ball

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Not to be confused with Spike ball.

Template:Species-infobox Spike Balls are black metal balls with silver or white spikes that first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3. They were originally spat out and thrown by Spikes, but they can later be found independently. They mainly appear in castle levels, where they roll around and destroy other obstacles. Spinners are a variant of Spike Balls, which hang from chains and swing in various motions. Stone Spike Balls are spat out by Stone Spikes instead of the metal balls, which have the same effect. Another form of the Spike Ball is the Giant Spiked Ball, which is a larger version of the Spike Ball. It has similar features but causes the destruction on a larger scale. Spike Balls can usually be defeated with Invincible Mario; however, in some games, the use of the Super Star only prevents damage to Mario.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. 3

Spike Balls first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, where they are spat out and thrown by Spikes. In this game, the player can jump on Spikes even if they are holing a Spike Ball. The Spike Balls can be thrown either left or right by the Spikes. Ptooies blow Spike Balls into the air to attack the player.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Spike Balls (referred to as Spiked Balls[1]) roll along the floor, typically from off-screen, though they may also roll in a half-pipe motion between two hills. The game also features the larger Giant Spiked Balls. They, like their smaller counterparts, are almost indestructible, except to Mega Mario or Mega Luigi. They are usually found in castles and can also destroy anything it rolls over, including the smaller Spiked Balls.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Spiked ball

New Super Mario Bros. Wii features Spikes throwing Spike Balls, as well as introducing the Stone Spike to throw stone Spike Balls. In this game, Spike Balls thrown by Spikes cannot break Brick Blocks. Giant Spiked balls are found only in the World 8 where they appear in World 8-2, and World 8-Airship where Bowser Jr. uses them as exploding weapons against Mario. However, Mario can use them against him by Ground Pounding the ground to throw them into the Koopa Clown Car three times.

Super Mario 3D Land

Both Spike Balls and Giant Spiked Balls (under the name Spikey Balls[citation needed]) return in Super Mario 3D Land. They function very similarly to the preceding games. They can be destroyed by Statue Mario and invincibility.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

In New Super Mario Bros. 2, both Spike Balls and Giant Spiked Balls reappear. A pair of very large Spike Balls appear in the World Mushroom Castle. Icy Spike Balls appear in World 4-1. Spike Balls can be found in World Mushroom-A, and a Giant Spiked Ball helps Mario obtain a Star Coin. Spike Balls also feature in the battle against Morton Koopa Jr., where Morton fires them from his wand to attack Mario/Luigi.

New Super Mario Bros. U

New Super Mario Bros. U sees the return of both Spikes and Stone Spikes with Spike Balls. They can now throw the Spike Balls straight down rather than just left or right as they did in previous games. Regular Spike Balls alone are replaced by Grrrols.

Super Mario Run

In Super Mario Run, Spikes throw Spike Balls, and Bowser's Koopa Clown Car can spit out Giant Spiked Balls during the final battle. The Giant Spiked Balls can destroy certain platforms.

Super Mario Odyssey

A Spike Ball in Bowser's Kingdom
A Spike Ball in Bowser's Kingdom

Spike Balls return in Super Mario Odyssey, where they only appear being released by a Yoofoe during its fight. Also, Spiked Shells that act similar to Spike Balls appear in the Seaside Kingdom.

Super Mario Maker 2

In version 2.0 of Super Mario Maker 2, Spike Balls are thrown by Spikes in all level themes except the snow theme, where they are replaced by snowballs, and can also be placed as a separate object. They fly forward in the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 styles similar to the latter style's original game, though if they fly towards the ground, they will start to roll. In the Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Super Mario 3D World styles, they roll along the ground. They can be spin-jumped on, activate ? Blocks and POW Blocks, can be eaten and spit out with Yoshi, and act as weight on Seesaws in the latter two styles. Giant Spiked Balls thrown by Mega Spikes can break through blocks. Since they did not appear in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, and Super Mario 3D World, new sprites are made for them.

Wario Land series

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

Sprite of a spiked ball
Spiked ball
Artwork of a Spike Ball for Wario Land

Spike Balls appear again in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, where they are preponderant in the Parsley Woods. This game marks the first time Spike Balls are seen rolling towards the player. They plummet from the trees' thicket when Wario approaches before rolling along the ground, though one Spike Ball falls straight down and disappears off-screen. In this game, Spike Balls stop immediately when they hit a wall, and fall off the screen.

Wario World

Spike Balls also appear as obstacles in Wario World. They appear in the various obstacle courses found inside Wooden and Steel Trapdoors, and are also used as weapons by several enemies and bosses in the game. Cractyls drop them instead of Bombs in later stages, and the Sandworm also spits Spike Balls at Wario as one of its attacks. In this game, they are colored dark blue and have long spikes of the same color.

Wario Land: Shake It!

Spike Balls in Wario Land: Shake It! only appear in the form of enemy attacks, shot by Shortfuse, Crackpot, and Boomdinero. Though two of these enemies represent the cannons seen in various Mario titles, the Spike Balls are used in place of cannonballs as their spikes are meant to be clear visual indicators that they cannot be touched or jumped on.

Mario Party series

Mario Party 4

Spike Balls also appear in Mario Party 4 in the minigame Hop or Pop.

Mario Party 6

Spike Balls play an important role in the Mario Party 6 minigame Pit Boss, where large ones must be avoided from within a small area.

Mario Party 9

Spike Balls appear in several minigames in Mario Party 9. In the minigame Bumper Bubbles, players must try to collect balloons while avoiding Spike Balls that fall onto the screen from above; hitting a Spike Ball results in a player's bubble popping, which causes all their balloons to be released and for them to fall off-screen. They also appear in the minigame Tumble Temple, in which the players must avoid the Spike Balls and Giant Spiked Balls that roll through several pegs from above; hitting one results in that player being eliminated. Additionally, in Chain Event, players must slide down chains, flipping from one side to the other to avoid Spike Balls. The player must do the opposite of said objectives when playing Tumble Temple and Chain Event as a Reverse Minigame from a Bowser Space. The minigame Spike-n-Span also involves one player hitting the platform above to roll a Spike Ball in the direction of the other players. They are also in Spike Strike were the player must use a hammer to send the Spike Balls back at Spike.

Mario Party 10

Spike Balls appear in Mario Party 10 in the minigames Spiked Ball Scramble and Bowser's Painball.

Mario Party: The Top 100

Spike Balls reappear in Mario Party: The Top 100, where they are found in the minigame Bumper Bubbles reappearing from Mario Party 9.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Spike Balls appear as a projectile thrown by Spikes, and are called Spike Balls. They are also dropped by Spikes as a sticker when defeated. Their spikes are brown.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Once more, Spike Balls return in Paper Mario: Color Splash, where they are thrown by Spikes, but they have a different design from that of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, since the spikes are now white rather than brown. Ptooies also use Spike Balls in the game, and they can attack by shooting the Spike Ball at Mario.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the Elder Shrooboid, the boss of the Star Shrine, uses a Spike Ball in one of its attacks. One of the Bros. has to hit the Spike Ball with their hammer, or else it will slam into them and cost lots of HP. However, if one of the Bros. does hit the Spike Ball, it will fly off into the sky and the Elder Shrooboid will be vulnerable to jump attacks for a brief period of time. In the second phase, however, when the Spike Ball hits the UFO with the timer, the timer resets. The Shroid, an enemy from Toad Town, also uses a Spike Ball in one of its attacks. It consists of the Shroid calling a Shroob UFO into battle, which then gives the Shroid a Spike Ball. This ball will either have "M" or "L" printed in it, which indicates the brother at whom the ball will be thrown. However, if the Shroid is malfunctioning, its attacks are reversed (i.e. an "M"-printed ball will land on Luigi, and vice versa).

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Spike Balls are once again used by Spikes as projectiles, which can be avoided by jumping over them, while the Giant Spiked Balls must be hammered back at them.

Spike Balls are also utilized by Bowser and Paper Bowser in their boss fight. They will use then as projectiles against the trio.

Luigi's Mansion series

Luigi's Mansion

Spike Balls also appear in Luigi's Mansion, and its sequel, where they appear in both of King Boo's battles as explosives.

Luigi's Mansion 3

One of King Boo's Spiked Balls
One of King Boo's Spike Balls

In Luigi's Mansion 3, Spike Balls appear in the final boss battle with King Boo. In one of his attacks, King Boo throw Spike Balls into the air that fall back onto the Rooftop, breaking and revealing multiple bombs that are about to explode. If a Spike Ball hits the player, they lose 20 HP.

Super Princess Peach

Ptooies and Glad Ptooies use Spike Balls to attack in Super Princess Peach. A Glad Ptooie will toss its Spike Ball up a few times, and then it will toss it over to another location and run over to it.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Spike Balls reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker once again being tossed by Spikes.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World

In Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, Spike Balls are used by Big Montgomery, and Miss Cluck the Insincere.

Mario Sports Superstars

Beep-0 remarking a giant Spiked Ball in Spooky Trails
A Spike Ball in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

In Mario Sports Superstars, Spike Balls appear as obstacles in boss battles.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

In Spooky Trails, a level from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, many Spike Balls lie scattered across the Underwater Village, with one encountered earlier in Spooky Square. Although they are mainly used for decoration, Beep-0 remarks the one in Spooky Square, expressing that he hopes it stays put and does not cause more trouble than he and the other team members already have.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Spike Balls appear when Piranha Plant uses its neutral special Ptooie, based on the Spike Ball-blowing enemy of the same name. Piranha Plant blows a Spike Ball up and down and can launch it to the left or right.

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese シューリンガン[2] (Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Maker 2)
Shūringan
Template:Nowrap
Gorō
トゲ鉄球[3] (since New Super Mario Bros.)
Toge Tekkyū 		The name shūringan is taken from the Japanese rakugo folktale Jugemu, from which the Japanese names of Lakitu (Jugemu) and Spiny Eggs (Paipo) are also derived.

Onomatopoeia for rolling; same as Grrrol

Spiked iron ball
Chinese 刺刺球[4]
Cì Cì Qiú
殊力钢
Shūlìgāng 		Spike Ball

Transliteration of the Japanese name. “殊力钢” can also mean "specially powerful steel".
Dutch Spijkerbal[?] Nail Ball

References

  1. ^ Loe, Casey. New Super Mario Bros. Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 13.
  2. ^ Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario Bros. 3 section, pages 35 and 37.
  3. ^ Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, pages 119, 150, 185, 200, 209.
  4. ^ Official Chinese website for Mario Party 9. Retrieved February 12, 2020.

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