Playing With Power

I absolutely adore the Super Mario Galaxy games, but it’s fair to say that power-ups were not their strong suit. Spring Mario was unwieldy, the Ice Flower was always on a timer, and Rock Mario was outright annoying. The Cloud Flower is easily the best power-up from the Galaxy series, and it deserves more love from the fans. Cloud Mario jumps further and falls at a slower pace, and he can literally walk on clouds. He has the ability to create his own clouds, too. With each spin jump he performs, Mario will conjure a cloud beneath his feet. Whether Mario’s moving laterally or ascending to greater heights, the Cloud Flower provides Mario with a way to reach new areas. The prospect of making your own platforms sounds like cheating, but the game reigns in Cloud Mario in a few ways. The clouds that Mario makes will only last for ten seconds before they disappear entirely. Moreover, Mario can only create three clouds in total before needing to find a new Cloud Flower. Mario will also lose all of his cloud powers if he gets wet. The power-up is still useful, but it doesn’t break the game outright. I always looked forward to Cloud Mario sections, and his fluffy hat and scarf were just plain wonderful.

The majority of the power-ups on this list could be described as magic suits, but the Elephant Fruit seemingly affects every part of Mario’s body. He grows a trunk, his ears become massive, and he sprouts a tail. Even his hands and feet are transformed. Elephant Mario would be completely unrecognizable if he didn’t retain his distinctive moustache and attire. (The fruit affects Mario’s friends in a similar way, and they’re all able to retain some of their trademark features too.) The elephant form is beneficial for a number of reasons. Mario can use his trunk to swat enemies away or to smash through obstacles, and it can even be used to water flowers! Although Mario’s size increases significantly when he turns into an elephant, the transformation doesn’t make him any less mobile. His increased size is actually beneficial, in fact, as it allows him to run across wider gaps without worrying about falling down below. At the risk of sounding superficial, my favorite thing about the elephant power-up is how it causes the background music to change. When the elephant form is activated, the instruments will be swapped out with brass horns that mimic the sound of an elephant trumpeting. Wowie zowie, indeed!

New Super Mario Bros. U received a lot of flack for being too similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This criticism wasn’t entirely misplaced, but the Flying Squirrel Suit was a welcome addition to the series that felt completely original. While most of Mario’s flight-based powers focus on verticality, the Squirrel Suit is all about horizontal movement. This stands in sharp contrast to the Propeller Suit, and this distinction helps differentiate NSMBU from its immediate predecessor. It should be noted that “Flying Squirrel Suit” is something of a misnomer, as it doesn’t really grant the power of flight. The suit can propel upward to gain extra altitude, but it’s primarily defined by its gliding capabilities. The power-up doesn’t offer nearly as much aerial freedom as the Tanooki Suit or the Magic Cape, but Flying Squirrel Mario can effortlessly glide above the ground or across long chasms without needing to build up any momentum. The suit also allows Mario to grab onto walls, and this can help him regain his bearings before making another dramatic leap. Super Acorns are not hard to come by, so there is ample opportunity for players to familiarize themselves with Flying Squirrel Mario. That said, the Challenge Mode does a better job of highlighting the suit than the main game does. You can potentially play through the entire campaign without ever using the suit, but some of the Challenge stages require complete mastery over it. The suit has a lot of potential, and I’d love to see it return in the future.

The Propeller Suit is one of Mario’s most underrated power-ups, and most people don’t fully appreciate how unique it is. When Mario is bestowed with the power of flight in 2D games, he typically needs to build momentum on the ground before he’ll be able to take flight. In this capacity, he could be likened to an airplane taking off. The Propeller Suit is more akin to a helicopter, however, as it allows Mario to fly straight up without the need for a veritable runway. This is important in New Super Mario Bros. Wii for a couple of reasons. The game was intended to be played by multiple people at once, so it would be hard to build up enough speed without running into your teammates. The Propeller Suit can be used on the most crowded of platforms, and it often makes it easier for players to avoid each other. The suit also encourages teamwork, and a single suit can potentially benefit multiple people. An individual with a Propeller Suit can grab on to one of their friends and take them for a ride. (I’m not entirely sure why they hold them above the propeller, but you can’t argue with results.) Many of the levels in New Super Mario Bros. Wii have a vertical orientation, and it’s obvious that most of them were designed with the Propeller Suit in mind.

Hammers are among Mario’s most-used weapons, and he has armed himself with many different variations over the years. He used a hammer in the original Donkey Kong, for instance, and hammers are widely available in his various RPG outings. The Hammer Bros. Suit feels overpowered at times, and I’d consider it to be a game-breaking power-up if it wasn’t so hard to come by. The suit is effective against many enemies that are impervious to the Fire Flower. Hammer Mario can easily dispatch Bullet Bills and Buzzy Beetles, for example, and he can even take out Dry Bones permanently with a single throw. A well-placed hammer can also eliminate Chain Chomps, Boos, or the Angry Sun! The hammers even work against inanimate objects like cannon balls and lava bubbles. There is no limit to how many hammers can be thrown, and the arching trajectory makes it an ideal way to attack enemies from below. The power of the Hammer Bros. Suit cannot be denied, and it also bolsters Mario’s defensive abilities. By crouching down, Hammer Mario’s shell can absorb small fireballs without taking damage. The only reason why the suit isn’t ranked even higher on this list is because it actually hinders Mario’s mobility in some regards. The power of flight is way out of reach for Hammer Mario, and you can’t even slide down hills while wearing the suit!

During the development of Super Mario 3D world, a programming oversight caused a duplicate copy of Mario to appear on screen. The team soon realized that it was fun to control two Marios at the same time, and this became the basis of the Double Cherry. When Mario grabs the power-up, an exact clone of himself will appear. Up to five clones can be present at the same time, and they are all controlled by a single player. The clones can be used to activate certain switches, and this gives players more ways to approach enemies. If Mario has an existing power-up when he picks up a Double Cherry, his clone will be created with the same abilities! This means that you can potentially have a half-dozen Marios equipped with Fire Flowers or Boomerang Suits under your control at the same time. The Double Cherry also gives players a safety net, and it can be really useful to have a few backup Marios available when you’re trying to a negotiate a tricky platforming section. It’s difficult to focus on multiple characters at once, and it’s not always easy to get all of your clones into an ideal position. If you accidentally make one of your clones jump off a cliff, you’ll still be able to rely on your existing clones. In a sense, the Double Cherry feels like a more literal version of a 1-Up. There are countess games that let players obtain extra men, but it’s rare to be able to control these extra men simultaneously.

In Super Mario 3D World, Mario and his friends can obtain Cat Suits by finding Super Bells. Plenty of games allow Mario to grab ledges or perform wall kicks, but the Cat Suit lets him climb vertical surfaces. This might seem like a small detail at first, but it fundamentally changes the way you traverse through the levels. Cat Mario can find secret areas that would otherwise be out of reach, and there are countless shortcuts that can only be accessed as a cat. The power-up will change the way you look at walls, and this affects every facet of the level design. The Cat Suit offers a host of other benefits as well. Cat Mario can use his claws to swipe enemies, smash through bricks, and perform diving attacks. Mario is strictly bi-pedal in most situations, but the Cat Suit gives him the rare opportunity to run around on all fours. There’s an obvious benefit to this, as Cat Mario can break into a sprint much faster than he’s normally able to. I was drawn to the Cat Suit from the first time I saw it, and Nintendo obviously understood how special it was. Cat Mario made an appearance in the Mario movie, Cat Peach was a downloadable character in Mario Kart 8, and the Cat Suit is the only power-up on this list that was significant enough to warrant its own amiibo. On a side note, I appreciate how each character has a unique look when they don the Cat Suit. Mario’s suit is yellow and orange, for example, while Rosalina’s resembles a tuxedo cat. Multiplayer sessions would be much harder to follow if all of the characters looked identical to one another.

New Super Mario Bros. introduced a new variation of the Ice Flower that allowed Mario to freeze his enemies and use them as makeshift platforms. Unfortunately for all you Ice Flower stans out there, the Penguin Suit was introduced in the same game and instantly made the Ice Flower redundant. Not only does the Penguin Suit has all of the powers of the Ice Flower, but it also improves Mario’s mobility in a variety of ways. Penguin Mario has improved swimming capabilities and a better foothold icy surfaces. Slippery platforms are the bane of my existence, and I wish more games had ways to improve traction. The Penguin Suit is beneficial under water and above the surface, and this makes it one of the Mushroom Kingdom’s most versatile power-ups. (The power of flight eludes Penguin Mario, of course, but that’s par for the course when you’re dealing with penguins.) The suit is as adorable as it is practical, and I love the way Penguin Mario waddles around when he walks. The belly slide is a lot of fun too, and it somehow allows Mario to be graceful and destructive at the same time.

If this list was taking historical significance into account, the Raccoon Leaf would be second only to the Power Mushroom. It was the first power-up to grant Mario the power of flight, after all, and the cover art for Super Mario Bros. 3 is arguably the most iconic image of Mario that has ever been created. The Tanooki Suit is being recognized on this countdown instead of the Raccoon Leaf because it’s essentially an upgraded version. Tanooki Mario has all of the abilities that Racoon Mario has, and more. He can still take out enemies or obstacles with his tail-whip, and he can still fly through the air by building up enough momentum. The Tanooki Suit also allows Mario to turn into a statue for a brief period. Mario is virtually invincible in statue form, and enemies can walk right through him without causing damage. The statue can be used as a weapon too, and it’s one of the most powerful tools in Mario’s arsenal. If Mario turns into a statue in mid-air, he can crush anyone (or anything below him). The statue can eliminate unstompable foes like Thwomps or Piranha Plants, and it can even take out fireballs! Mario can also put a halt to his mid-air momentum by turning into a statue, and the statue transformation feels like a precursor to the butt drop in this regard. There were three flight-based power-ups in Super Mario Bros. 3, but the Tanooki Suit was the clear choice. The Raccoon Leaf is more iconic and the P-Wing is more advantageous, but the Tanooki Suit is the most fun to use. It’s also the most adorable power-up in the game.

The Magic Cape from Super Mario World has all of the benefits of the Raccoon Leaf, but it’s even more useful. The cape-spin maneuver could be likened to the tail whip, and it allows Mario to damage enemies or break through bricks. It’s even useful underwater, and it’s an effective way to deal with aquatic baddies. If Mario builds enough momentum, he’ll be able to take to the skies. The power of flight is temporary with the Raccoon Leaf, but the Magic Cape will allow Mario to fly indefinitely providing he has the right technique. The Cape makes it easy to modulate your speed or adjust your altitude, and you’ll be able to fly over most of the game’s levels with enough practice. The Cape also comes in handy when you want to descend from the heavens, and you’ll be able to float down in a slow and controlled manner. It allows Mario to perform aerial assaults, too, and it’s a lot of fun to perform sliding attacks from above. The dive bomb attack is even more devastating, and you can potentially wipe out multiple enemies at once by creating small earthquakes. Yoshi’s abilities are also enhanced when Mario is wearing the Cape, and it allows our favorite dinosaur pal to jump much further and higher. Although the Cape isn’t the only power-up in Super Mario World, it’s easily the most useful. It’s beneficial in almost every scenario, and it feels like a cheat code at times. No power-up on this list is more readily available than the Cape. Magic Feathers can be found in nearly every stage, and you can also keep one in your backup storage. You’ll never have trouble finding a Cape, and it feels like it’s woven into the fabric of Super Mario World.