Goomba
- Goombas are not to be confused with Galoombas, which were named "Goomba" in Super Mario World.
| Goomba | |
|---|---|
| No image has been added yet! | |
| Game debut: | Super Mario Bros. (1985) |
Goombas are recurring enemies in the Mario franchise. They are small, brown enemies shaped like a mushroom or a chestnut. Goombas first appeared in the Nintendo Entertainment System title, Super Mario Bros., originally released in 1985. Since their debut, Goombas have become one of the most iconic Mario enemies. Goombas are among the weakest Mario enemies, meaning one can easily be defeated, most notably from a jump attack, which squishes it flat.
Contents
Mario game appearances
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.
In Super Mario Bros., Goombas (named Little Goombas in the instruction booklet) are one of the most common enemies. Goombas merely walk in a single direction, but if they walk into an object, such as a Warp Pipe, the Goomba starts walking the other direction. Besides a jump attack, Mario or Luigi (depending on whom the player controls) can also defeat a Goomba by either kicking a Koopa Shell at it, touching it while under the invincibility effects of Starman, or jumping under a Brick Block or ? Block right at the exact position the Goomba is located. Every time Mario or Luigi defeat a Goomba, the player earns 100 points. In Hard Mode, all Goombas are replaced with Buzzy Beetles.
Because the Nintendo Entertainment System and its Japanese equivalent, the Family Computer, have limited hardware capabilities, the color of a Goomba's sprite varies depending on where it is found, with Goombas in outdoor levels having their usual brown color, Goombas underground being dark blue in color, and Goombas in castles being light gray. Both the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe remakes retain this, even though the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy Color systems that they were respectively released for do not have these same palette limitations. All Goombas, regardless of color, alternate between only two sprites, one of which is a flipped form of the other. Both of a Goomba's sprites each show one foot larger than the other, so the effect of a Goomba walking is created from the sprites flipping back and forth.
In World 1-4, defeating the Fake Bowser using Fire Mario's fireballs reveals it to have been a Goomba in disguise. Because this takes place a castle level, the Goomba is depicted with a light gray body.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japan)
The Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 (titled Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in the West since its Super Mario All-Stars remake) features Goomba as enemies, retaining the same behavior and sprites from Super Mario Bros..
Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Goombas act the same as in Super Mario Bros. This game introduced a couple of variants for Goomba, including Paragoombas, Grand Goombas, and Micro-Goombas.
In the original version, the palette used for Goombas in dark areas gives them a dark blue outline instead of the default black like Goombas in the overworld.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Goombas return as enemies, and they can be defeated using the same means as before. The sprite of a Goomba upon being stomped shows it with comically widened eyes, unlike other games. Goombas have also received two unique variants, Ghost Goombas and Aqua Goombas, located in haunted and underwater settings respectively.
Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, Goombas are encountered in as early as the first course, Bob-omb Battlefield. Goombas freely roam around the 3D environment until they notice Mario, whom they begin to chase. If Mario touches a Goomba, he takes damage, but if he goes a distance from it, the Goomba stops chasing him. Mario can defeat a Goomba using any attack, and doing this releases a coin for Mario to collect.
Yoshi game appearances
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Goombas are enemies only encountered in the level 4-1: GO! GO! MARIO!!.
Other game appearances
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Goombas are one of the Mario enemies that appear in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening as well as both its enhanced port, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, and the Nintendo Switch remake of the same name. There is the possibility of defeating a Goomba by dropping onto it from above, which can usually be done if the Roc's Feather is equipped, as it gives Link the ability to jump, so in this effect, the Goomba is defeated the same way as how Mario would defeat it in the Super Mario games. Link can use his own method of attack, which is slashing his sword, to defeat the Goomba.
Unlike the Goombas in the Mario games, which tend to have an angry expression, these Goombas have a smiling face, but retain their black eyebrows, still giving them a sinister appearance. Early builds of the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening used the usual Mario design for the Goombas, but before the game's release, the developers changed the Goomba to have a sinister smile like in original versions of the game.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee features Goombas as enemies in Mushroom Kingdom, the first stage of Adventure mode. They slowly walk in a single direction, back and forth. A Goomba generally deals low damage to the fighter if they touch it, but in higher difficulty settings, a Goomba can deal a lot of damage. As usual, Goombas are weak enemies that can be defeated using any attack. There is also a collectible trophy of a Goomba, which can be obtained by clearing the event match Trophy Tussle 1, where the fight takes place on the trophy itself.
Super Mario Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Goombas are encountered as enemies in a few levels of Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, being one of the Mario enemies part of the Subspace Army. Goombas most closely resemble their design from New Super Mario Bros., one of the more recent Mario releases at the time of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's development and release, but are similar to their appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Even another trophy of a Goomba has been added.
Variants
Throughout the course of the Mario games, several variants of Goombas have been introduced.
Paragoombas are the most common type of Goomba. They are essentially Goombas with a pair of wings. If Mario or another character jumps on a Paragoomba, it loses its wings and turns into an ordinary Goomba. Paragoombas have the same relation to Goombas as Koopas do to Koopa Paratroopas.
Goombos are a variant of Goomba which appear in Super Mario Land. Because they are very similar to Goombas, Goombos have seldomly made any other appearances.
Galoombas are often confused with Goomba, especially because their name was Goomba in Super Mario World. Galoombas are shaped like a ball instead of a mushroom.
Gloombas are a dark blue variety in Paper Mario. They are based on the dark blue palette used for Goombas in Super Mario Bros.'s underground areas, which Gloombas themselves are only encountered within.
