Summary
Mushroomsare virtually synonymous with the greaterMarioseries. In their 1985 debut,Super Mario Bros.‘sRed mushrooms, or Super Mushrooms, make Mario grow, and more importantly, allow him to take an extra hit. Green mushrooms, or 1-Ups, let the player gain an extra life, depending on the color.
However, with the variety the series has displayed since its initial popularity, mushrooms have come to diversify and serve many other potential purposes as well. Examples include them being used as a healing item in variousMarioRPGs, as well as a speed boost in theMario Kartgames. Here arethe most beneficial variants of mushrooms across the greaterMarioseries.
Paper Mario
Mario may be two-dimensional but this adventure is anything but thin! Paper Mario brilliantly blends the hero’s platform antics with a hilarious role-playing quest full of offbeat characters and wacky challenges.
Embark on an epic journey through the Mushroom Kingdom to release the Star Spirits imprisoned by a power-hungry Bowser.
Along the way you’ll fight enemies in entertaining turn-based battles, team up with a variety of uniquely skilled partners, discover secret minigames, and even bake a cake!
This shocking shroom was available in the first threeinstallments ofPaper Mario. However, its direct application varies from game to game. Each time it’s used, it electrifies a character. In the first two games, if a foe touches an electrified player, they take a bit of damage. InSuper Paper Mario, it instead allows the player to temporarily paralyze enemies when touched, without taking damage themselves.
Due to the game’s combo system for certain items, the efficacy of theVolt MushroominSuper Paper Mariocan vary. At its absolute best, the effect can linger for a full forty seconds.
Super Mario Galaxyis known for its variety of mushrooms unseen anywhere else in the series. This is due in part to the gameplay being more reminiscent ofSuper Mario 64than most games which use the series’ conventional power-ups. The result was a variety of new, aesthetically pleasing mushrooms with unique abilities. This ghostly mushroom has a lot of utility. As a boo, the player can float, phase through various barriers, and even become intangible for a bit. Unfortunately, it also has a fair share of downsides.
While Boos are repulsed at the sight of Mario and Luigi normally, the characters' Boo versions are quite attractive to them. This leads them to be drawn to the brothres, rather than turning away once faced, as they normally do. If either brother is hit by a Boo, it will revert him to his regular form. The Boo Brothers are also vulnerable to light, which will make them lose their power-ups. Sadly, like a lot ofSuperMario Galaxypower-ups, theBoo Mushroom’sutility is hampered further by limited availability.
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers a combination of cooperation and competition. Players can pick each other up to save them from danger or toss them into it.Mario, Luigi and two Toads are all playable characters, while many others from the Mushroom Kingdom make appearances throughout the game. Players can even ride different Yoshi characters and use their tongues to swallow enemies - or their fellow players.In some areas, players use the motion abilities of the Wii Remote controller. The first player to reach a seesaw might make it tilt to help his or her character reach a higher platform – and then tilt it incorrectly just to mess with other players.New items include the propeller suit, which will shoot players high into the sky with just a shake of the Wii Remote and Mario’s new ability to transform into Penguin Mario.At the end of each stage during the simultaneous multiplayer mode, players are ranked based on their score, the coins collected and the number of enemies defeated.
This mushroom fromNew Super Mario Bros.can give the player the power of temporary flight. While thePropeller Mushroomscan be slightly annoying to get in certain games, due to their propensity to fly a bit, they are ultimately quite fun to use.
TheSuper Mariogames can involve leaps of faith, but each one is a bit less dreadful when the ability to fly all obstacles and dangers is on hand.
Mario players are well acquainted with the concept of going underground, butSuper Mario Bros. Wonderadded a fun twist to of this concept.
This fun mushroom allows the player to burrow through both the ground and the ceiling. While there is obviously a certain level of situational specificity at play, theDrill Mushroomis still quite useful for evading and attacking unsuspecting enemies.
Not every mushroom is readily available. Some, such as theJelly Ultra, require a little extra preparation to be obtained. InPaper Mario, and its sequel,The Thousand-Year Door, each game’s most beneficial mushroom can only be made through cooking.
The player must obtain bothan Ultra Mushroomanda Jammin' Jelly, and then approach either Tayce T. or Zess T. (depending on the game) to cook the two items together. Once this is done, the player will have gained a mushroom which restores both 50 HP and 50 FP, which party members use to perform special moves.
Mushrooms inMario Kartare known for increasing the player’s speed, and few are faster than this one. Unlike the regular mushroom, or pack of mushrooms, which can only be used once, theGolden Dash Mushroomcan be used multiple times to continually speed past the competition.
While commonly available in most games, it has, at times, been locked to certain racers, namely Toad, who has had it as a signature sort of Power-Up inMario Kartinstallments where various characters have exclusive Power-Ups. Others who have had it in such circumstances include Toadette, King Boo, and Petey Pirahna. All four of them can utilize it inMario Kart: Double Dash.
Mario & Luigi
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
An adventure so big, You’ll need both Bros.!Prepare for an epic journey beyond the borders of the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario and Luigi team up for a hilarious, action-filled role-playing game! The deep storyline and gripping puzzles of a role-playing game combine with awesome action elements to make this adventure a Mario experience like no other.* Cross the border! A huge cast of wacky characters and strange new enemies await in the vast lands of the Beanbean Kingdom.* Bros. power! A unique simultaneous control setup lets you control each brother separately or team them up for supermoves!* Buddy up! You’ll need to team up to take on jumping challenges and an action-packed, reflex-testing battle system.* Get linked! Link up with any Super Mario Advance games for multiplayer Mario Bros. madness!
Many mushrooms inMarioRPGs restore HP. TheMex Mushroommight be the best in that category. Despite its indistinct appearance, in a majority of the games it appears in, this mushroom can restore the entirety of the player’s HP.
While later installments curb its power, making it heal only 160 or 240 HP, these respectably high numbers still allow it to be a useful item for this purpose.
Mario Vs Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong has swiped all the Mini Mario toys from the Mario Toy Company and it’s up to Mario to track him down and get back the goods. In Mario vs. Donkey Kong you’ll leap, climb, and battle your way through increasingly challenging levels using switches, conveyor belts, hammers and other tools to save the day. Shy guys, piranha plants, bob-ombs, and other classic mushroom kingdom bad guys, stand between Mario and his goal. Master new moves and scale the mind-boggling heights of 6 action-packed worlds.
Everyone loves 1-UPs, butMario vs Donkey Konghad something five times better. The 5-UP can be found in minigames triggered by collecting all the presents.
\As the name implies, they give five extra lives. These items were done away with inthe recent remake, but in their place, the player can collect multiple 1-Ups.
Nostalgic and new in equal doses, New Super Mario Bros. brings classic gameplay bang up to date with sumptuous visuals, toe-tapping tunes, and tons of secrets and surprises.In Super Mario’s first 2D platformer since Super Mario World, you’ll run, jump and stomp your way through the Mushroom Kingdom in pursuit of Bowser Jr. and a kidnapped Princess Peach. Eight worlds are yours to explore and you’ll need all your Super Mario skills, plus power-ups like the Mega Mushroom, Blue Koopa Shell and Mini Mushroom, to discover all 240 Star Coins.Plus – if you fancy a break from Goomba-stomping, there is a wide selection of touch screen minigames to enjoy!
There’s rarely ever a bad time for aMega Mushroom, especially the variants on the Wii and DS. InNew Super Mario Bros., this mushroom makes Mario a giant, allowing him to break nearly anything that touches him. TheMario Kart Wiiversion works similarly, growing the character and damaging most of what they come into contact with. Like most mushrooms in theMario Kartgames, it also provides a bit of a speed boost. Unfortunately, this limited invincibility is hampered by other, better power-ups, such as the Bullet Bill and the Star, which can still damage it.
While the iconic design for this mushroom debuted inNew Super Mario Bros.,it has existed sinceMario Party 4. In this game, the player could use it to smash multiple dice and steal other players' coins. Although the exact effects of it change, the general unifying factor of the Mega Mushroom across games is its ability to make the player grow. That ability is so good, even the super mushroom utilizes it in games where the player does not have a smaller form, such asSuper Mario 64 DSand theSuper Smash Bros.series.
The best mushroom in theMarioseries is not even from aMariogame, instead existing in the spin-off,Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Using certain power-ups in theMarioseries can feel like cheating, because it basically is. More recent games tend to include items that make the player permanently invincible as an option, provided they continually have trouble with a level. TheInvincibility Mushroomis one such item.
This rainbow mushroom destroys any foe the player collides with on contact for the duration of an entire level. While in the context of the game it may seem “cheap” to use such a difficulty-defying power-up, it is still technically the most beneficial mushroom in the greaterMarioseries.
