Fireball (obstacle): Difference between revisions

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Though often used by [[Mario]], [[Bowser]], and other characters as means of attack, '''fireballs''' (alternatively '''fire balls'''<ref>''Mario Bros.'' NES instruction booklet, page 8.</ref> or '''Fire Balls'''<ref>Williams, Drew. ''Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3'' Player's Guide. Page 4.</ref>), also called '''Discs''',<ref>Instruction manual for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum ports.</ref> '''Fires''',<ref>''Mario Clash'' English instruction booklet, pages 18 and 22.</ref> or '''swirls''',<ref>''Nintendo Power Advance'' V.1, page 40.</ref> are sometimes encountered as standalone obstacles. Their first appearance in the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise, ''[[Mario Bros. (game)|Mario Bros.]]'', is also the first time they were depicted as independent enemies.

==History==

===''Mario Bros.'' series===

If the player takes too long to clear a phase, a fireball will appear to impede the player. Fireballs come in red and green varieties. The red fireballs are slower and bounce diagonally all around the stage. If they hit one side of the screen, they ricochet off the side and keep going until making a full circuit of the screen after which they will disappear and respawn as a faster opponent. The quicker '''green fireballs'''<ref>''Mario Bros.'' Atari 7800 game manual, Scoring page.</ref> move horizontally from one side of the screen to the other where it will disappear until respawning elsewhere. It has a pattern of two small wavy bounces and one long bounce. Typically, the green fireballs spawn on a row where a player is located. To destroy fireballs, the player has to bump them from below while they are touching the [[floor (Mario Bros.)|floor]], or use a [[POW Block]]. Fireballs respawn as faster enemies a few moments after being destroyed. There can be a maximum of four fireballs, two of each color, on screen at any one time.

[[File:SMB3BattleMode-BonusFountain.png|thumb|Fireball bonus stage in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'']]

In the Atari 2600 port, only the green type appears and it looks orange. It flies straight forward very quickly. In the Atari 5200 port, the orange fireball takes the place of the red one while the green one is replaced by the gold fireball. In the PC-8001 port, there is only one red fireball and it can travel through the wraparound screen. In the Commodore 64 port, there is a single red fireball but it behaves like the green fireball from the arcade version. In the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum ports, the single fireball will float to the bottom floor as if it was affected by gravity and just roll around continuously. In the Atari 7800 port, the red type is called the orange fireball but it looks purplish. In the Atari 8-bit port, the red and green types are replaced by orange and blue respectively.

{{multiframe|[[File:VSWC Fireball.png]] [[File:WC Fireball.png]]|bg=black|align=left}}

In ''[[VS. Wrecking Crew]]'' and ''[[Wrecking Crew]]'', a red fireball will appear if too much time is spent in one place. It behaves like the green fireballs of ''[[Mario Bros. (game)|Mario Bros.]]'' but with a simpler wavy pattern. Careful positioning can allow the fireball to fly harmlessly over Mario or Luigi's head. The in-game manual of the ''[[Arcade Archives]]'' release of ''VS. Wrecking Crew'' classifies fireballs as characters.<ref>''Arcade Archives VS. Wrecking Crew'' in-game manual, page 7.</ref>

===''Super Mario'' series===

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In ''[[Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'', fireballs appear as common lava obstacles starting with [[Grim Volcano]], usually leaping from magma similar to [[Lava Bubble]]s. They may travel straight or in arcs.

====''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' / ''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D''====

In ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'' and ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D]]'', fireballs appear as hazards during a short section of [[Hot Rocket]].<ref>"''As some '''fireballs''' come at you from behind, try to fly in the middle.''" Knight, Michael. ''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' Prima Official Game Guide. Page 140.</ref> They come out from behind and fly across the screen, destroying the [[Kong]]s' [[Rocket Barrel]] and causing them to lose a life if they come into contact. However, if avoided, fireballs simply fly past them. Fireballs cannot be stopped or destroyed. At one point, a fireball crashes into a chunk of rock falling from the ceiling, destroying it and revealing a [[Puzzle Piece (Donkey Kong Country series)|Puzzle Piece]].

====''Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze''====

Fireballs reappear in [[Scorch 'n' Torch]], a level from ''[[Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze]]''. They drop from baobab canopies at regular intervals and fall into pits below. They damage the Kongs upon contact and can only be destroyed using [[Water Sack]]s.

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<gallery>

SMW2 Fireball Roger.png|A fireball produced by [[Roger the Potted Ghost]] in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''

</gallery>

|Jap3R=Honō

|Jap3M=Flame

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|GerM=Fireball

|SpaE=Bola de fuego<ref name=SMAEman>[https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/game_boy_advance_8/Manual_GameBoyAdvance_SuperMarioAdvance_EN_DE_FR_ES_IT.pdf ''Super Mario Advance'' European instruction booklet,] pages 38, 58, 98, and 118. Retrieved April 6, 2019.</ref>

|SpaEM=Fire Ball

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[[Category:Fire creatures]]

[[Category:Hazardous objects]]

[[Category:Donkey Kong Country Returns objects]]

[[Category:Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze objects]]

[[Category:Mario Bros. enemies]]

[[Category:Mario Clash enemies]]