Power-Ups!!

[EpicGyllynn]

Lets start by talking about the Mushrooms!

[shadowgoomba]

What about them?

[EpicGyllynn]

Heres my Theory on Super Mushrooms! In the 2D Games Bowser(Or Jr.) puts a Curse on Mario that makes him Shrink. When Mario eats a Super Mushroom, he becomes Normal, but when he come into Contact with one of Bowsers' Minions, he Shrinks again! When Mario is not Cursed, eating a Super Mushroom increases his Health, Strength and Stamina. But we don't know if it really makes him Increase in Size! What do you Think?

[shadowgoomba]

It's certainly a possibility.

[EpicGyllynn]

I think for the next 3D Mario Game, they should replace the Life-Shroom, with the Super Mushroom, but let them have the same effect!

[Artemendo]

How does that explain Mario (or other characters) growing when touching a Super Mushroom in other cases, like Mario Party? Also, in PM:TTYD, meat works the same for Bowser as mushrooms for Mario (well, except that it has the function of Starman, too) - does that mean he puts the same curse on himself?

[Koopalmier]

The Super Bowser Bros. segments of PM:TTYD were jokes and shouldn't be taken seriously. Or else why not wonder why Bowser didn't meet any Chomp fishes in the sea level, why Mario didn't went through the same things as Bowser in the overworld level, and why was there a lava-filled place underground as the castle level.

[Artemendo]

Yeah, OK. Still, the Super Mushroom has such a long history of making people grow, and that is referenced in so many places that I sincerely doubt Bowser has got anything to do with that. Also, it makes Mario and Co. grow - well, after being shrunk - in SMB2, as well, where Bowser is not a factor.

[EpicGyllynn]

SMB2 was a Dream, though! And at that Point, the only real Adventure that he had had was SMB1, so of course that would affect his Dreams. It might actually increase his Size, but I'm still going for the Life-Shroom and RPGs effect on him!

[Koopalmier]

Well, you have...
- Super Mushroom : Makes you three times taller, which makes you stronger and more resistant. The effects stop if you are hit hard enough though.
- Turbo Mushroom : Can't be ate, but is powerful enough to power-up machines.
- Life Mushroom : Brings back to life.
- Cosmic Life Shroom : Unlike the Super Mushroom, it doesn't make you taller and only make you more resistant (but much more resistant than with a Super Mushroom).
- 1-Up Mushroom : Brings back from coma.

[Artemendo]

Oh, that's a good idea - several different kinds of mushrooms that look the same, but have different effects! That's a very succinct theory that actually justifies the whole thing! Bravo!

[EpicGyllynn]

I don't think we should consider Mushrooms with Resurrection Powers Canon. I think we should just say "Mario hasn't Died yet" and leave it at that! Also, outside of a Game where Mario is made Small(i.e. 2D Games), when has a Super Mushroom caused Size-Change? I say it's similar to the effect it has in the RPGs, or the effect of the Life-Shrooms(Not the Resurrecting ones!).

As for Turbo Mushrooms(You mean the Super Mushrooms from MK right?), I'd say the are just like Normal Super Mushrooms, but Burning them in the Exhaust releases their Energy causing the Kart to Boost forward!

[Artemendo]

Mmm, I think Mario has died quite a few times, but got resurrected. I have a blog entry about my thoughts on Life Shrooms... www.waluigious.com/2008/05/in-which-how-do-life-shrooms-work.html
Also, I really like the way Martinet reacted when a kid asked Mario at a conference: "What is it like when you die?" He answered: "Well, there's that music *sings death music* and I go like that *makes Mario death pose from SMB1* and then I push start and go again! Woo hoo!"
However, this may be not in-universe but rather more meta; Mario being a character who cannot really die because he is bound to a quest and yada yada it's enough material for a book.

[EpicGyllynn]

But there is no reason to assume that Mario has ever been Killed. Although it's possible he Died at the Beginning of Paper Mario, but the Star Spirits Resurrected him. Though there is no Reason to assume because a Player Dies, Mario Dies, because I'm certain Mario's Skill far exceeds any Players!

[Koopalmier]

In the Paper Mario series, when your HP are to 0, it's Game Over. In the PM series, Game Over represents Death. So Mario dies, and Life Shrooms can bring back to life. Also the description of them is "This Mushroom will save your life.", and the Puni Elder wants Mario to bring one for her so that her lifespan goes longer.

Also SM64DS' Super Mushrooms make you giant-ish.

And, finally, Mario died. Twice. Once in SPM (it could have just been Dimention bringing him there, but the explosions that killed Mario didn't seem false, and what Dimentio says after Mr. L's death further prove the theory that Mario died, or at least semi-died. Also the Underwhere's goddess says "GameOverGameOverGameOver[...]CONTINUE!!!!" to revive Mario and Luigi), once in SMG (the black hole in the ending surely destroyed everything, but it collapsed and - well, recreated everything, so Mario died but came back to life before even being in the Underwhere).

And the canon version is the one where Mario doesn't lost a single life. But when you fail, the game gives you another chance or else the game wouldn't be fun.

[Artemendo]

Meh, I think Mario died many, many times. After all, every enemy he kills comes back, too, and it can be very neatly explained by all of them having piles and piles of extra lives. I guess Dimentio just waited for a good moment when none of them had any lives left - OR, since Jaydes says their time isn't up yet, maybe Dimentio doesn't KILL them as much as he teleports them into the Underwhere. It's the difference between a wizard killing you and you becoming a ghost and the wizard just turning you into a ghost.

[Koopalmier]

In SPM Mario never had a Game Over either. Don't tell me you never got a Game Over in SMB:TLL.
Also the enemies come back because it'd be stupid if you did a level, killed all enemies, took all coins, bricked all blocks (see wut i did thar ?) and everything was still like this even after you beat the game. Enemies are part of the level design.

[kingkoopa]

Mushrooms make you larger in Super Mario Strikers, and I think the block Mario in BIS used a mushroom to grow bigger (and the RPG mushrooms heal his health as well)

[EpicGyllynn]

Exactly, if it doesn't affect the Story, Mario didn't get a Game Over! Mario didn't Die in Galaxy either, if you watch the Cutscene, they where never pulled into the Black Hole, so there Atoms weren't ripped into Peices! Mario has only Died Once, at the Intro to Paper Mario!

[kingkoopa]

Unless 1-ups really do bring back the dead