Falling spike
- This article is about the small obstacle recurring in several games. For the large obstacle that appears in Bowser's Fury, see Falling spike (Bowser's Fury).
| Falling spike | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Artwork of a falling spike from Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins. Artwork from Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Land (1989) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024) | ||
| Variant of | Spike Trap | ||
| |||
Falling spikes[1] [2] are obstacles introduced in Super Mario Land . They are spikes that fall from ceilings.
History[edit ]
Super Mario series[edit ]
Super Mario Land[edit ]
A falling spike appears as an obstacle in World 3-2 in Super Mario Land . In Expert Level, there are six in the level. Like a falling block, it falls down when approached and Mario can stand on top of it, but it starts dropping at a further distance and moves rather slowly. It resembles a conjoined pair of stalactites; many such stalactites appear on the ceiling of this stage, harmless and still. Some of the stalactites are layered on top of background stalactites, leaving the original stalactites there even after falling, and some of them are not, leaving a gap on the ceiling after falling, as in Super Mario World . They are invulnerable to all forms of damage.
Super Mario World[edit ]
Falling spikes are obstacles in Super Mario World . They are more common than before and appear only in castles and fortresses. Falling spikes are typically grouped together with standard spikes. Compared to normal spikes, they are browner and have the sheen on the opposite side. Unlike Icicles, falling spikes remain on the ceiling until Mario or Luigi approaches one, which triggers it into falling, similar to a Thwomp. Once it falls, a falling spike continues to fall through the floor until it disappears. If the player goes out of range and back, the falling spike will return. Falling spikes are able to be defeated only by a Super Star, but this reveals a glitched sprite as falling spikes were never intended to be defeated.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit ]
Falling spikes are obstacles in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins , falling and leaving a gap in the ceiling as in Super Mario World . Falling spikes appear in the Pumpkin Zone's first level and second level. They can be defeated by running into them while the player is invincible.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit ]
Falling spikes are obstacles in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 . They act as they did in Super Mario World, but look the same as the normal spikes in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, so two fall at a time like in Super Mario Land . Falling spikes are encountered in Bowser's Last Stand only. They are invulnerable to all forms of damage except for the Super Star.
Yoshi's Story[edit ]
Falling spikes are obstacles in Yoshi's Story . They appear during the fight against Baby Bowser only, where they fall if hit by an egg or Bob-bomb, and can therefore damage Baby Bowser while he is riding one of the ghosts. Falling spikes grow back shortly after falling.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit ]
Falling spikes are obstacles in Mario vs. Donkey Kong . They fall when approached and then drill into the floor and regenerate on the ceiling a few seconds later. Mario and Mini-Mario can use it as a platform. In the original, they are silent, whereas in the Nintendo Switch remake, they produce a sound like the icicles.
Gallery[edit ]
Artwork from the Super Mario Kodansha manga
Sprite from Super Mario Land
Sprite from Super Mario World
Super Mario World (glitched death sprite)
Sprite from Yoshi's Story
Naming[edit ]
Internal names[edit ]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) | Model/SpikeFalling.bfres.zs | SpikeFalling | Falling Spike |
Names in other languages[edit ]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 落ちてくるトゲ Ochitekuru Toge |
Falling Spike | [3] [4] | |
| トゲ Toge |
Spike | [5] | ||
| トゲック Togekku |
From「棘」(toge, thorn) and possibly「チクチク」(chikuchiku, "bristling") | [6] | ||
| スパイク Supaiku |
Spike | [7] [page number needed] | ||
| French | Pique chutant | Falling Spike | [?] | |
| Aiguillon | Sting | [8] | ||
| Italian | Spuntoni cadenti | Falling spikes | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (first edition) | [9] :48 |
| Spuntone | Spike | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia | [9] :61 | |
| Spuntone cadente | Falling spike | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (second edition) | [10] :48 | |
| Spanish (European) | Pincho | Spike | [11] |
References[edit ]
- ^ "FALLING SPIKES When you see yellow spikes along the ceiling, take a close look at them; some of them fall as you swim underneath. Falling spikes are a darker yellow, and they quiver before they fall." – Stratton, Bryan (February 26, 2002). Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 Prima’s Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 0-7615-3913-1. Page 50.
- ^ English Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins entry on the official Mario Portal. nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved August 13, 2022. (Archived December 21, 2025, 19:32:03 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), et al. (October 19, 2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』 (Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), スーパーマリオランド (Sūpā Mario Rando) section. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 48.
- ^ December 10, 1992. 「任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオワールド」 (Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook – Super Mario World). Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-104117-5. Page 93.
- ^ 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』 (Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), スーパーマリオワールド (Sūpā Mario Wārudo) section. Page 61.
- ^ December 20, 1992. 「任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオランド2 6つの金貨」 (Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook – Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins). Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-102413-0. Page 14.
- ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong Shogakukan book
- ^ July 4, 2018. Super Mario Encyclopedia . Soleil Productions (French). ISBN 2302070046. Page 75.
- ^ a b Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia . Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X.
- ^ a b Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2025). Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia (2nd ed.). Translated by Alessandro Apreda. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 979-1259575760.
- ^ Official Mario vs. Donkey Kong website. Guías Nintendo (European Spanish). Retrieved July 31, 2024.
