Possible magic explanation for how enemies vanish

[cheat-master30]

After a boss' defeat, or once the villain is defeated? Because I think I've got one, albeit one that requires both magic and some sense of being willing to completely drop real world physics in the Marioverse...

Basically, the minions/enemies controlled by a villain are dependant on it's existance and simply cease to exist after it's destruction. Or in other words, there's no ontological inertia as TV Tropes calls it for magically created minions/armies of evil, and they're entirely dependant on the existance of their leader. So if Dark Star or Fawful or Dimentio or whoever is destroyed, their 'never seen before this point and never seen again afterwards' army doesn't die, it just stops existing.

Possible explanation? Scientifically, it's completely saying 'a wizard did it', but I don't see any logical other reason why beating the leader of a group of enemies should suddenly cause his flunkies, or even in the case of the final boss, his army to suddenly not become an issue. Maybe the Mushroom Kingdom is like the Fisher King trope on TV Tropes and the whole condition of it is dependant on who's in charge? Maybe Dark Land is only as such because of the evil of Bowser or something.

[SMBBQ]

I think you're looking too far into it. When, for example, Major Burrows turns into a puff of smoke after you defeat him, will it alter the story if you replace that with him passing out/running away? The point of this board is to explain things scientifically, and I try to limit magic in Mario games unless it's needed. (i.e. powerups)

[Artemendo]

Well, in case of Fawful, I think he just mind-controls all those enemies, and they simply run away when the mind-control breaks. Case in point: the Chain Chomps when you remove the Fawful worm from them.

In other cases, it's not so clear. The Koopa Troop obviously doesn't disappear, and as we have seen, it doesn't have to be Bowser who leads them, a strong enough Magikoopa can, too. But, I think it does make sense for enemies to run away after the boss is done for, because video games mandate that the boss is the strongest. Knowing the hero beat the boss would mean he can beat any single underling.

[Le Mario Bro]

You can even look at the Earthbound games for living proof of that.

When you defeat the Boss, all the enemies in the area run away from you rather than at you.

Edit: The above statement may or may not be true. My only reference to Earthbound games is ChuggaaConroy's first Let's Play.

[SMBBQ]

Ah, Chugga. He sure is popular, huh?

[Koopalmier]

I don't know him. He must be pretty popular, I guess.

Well, normally, Mario kills everything in his way and it only comes back for gameplay purposes (ennemies are part of level design, and are useful in RPGs). And even if you don't kill them all, explanations can be made. Palace of Shadow ? The monsters were created by the Shadow Queen, her destruction means their destruction. Fawful's minions ? Most of them were robots or mind-controlled. All Shroobs disappear at the end of M&L2, the enemies in M&L1 and SPM are mostly random enemies that aren't related to the villain, and... I think that's all. And even then in the end the villain's base gets destroyed, so all the remaining enemies are killed.

[shadowgoomba]

I don't think the enemies actually vanish. That's just a gameplay thing so you don't have to see corpses lying around everywhere.

[Koopalmier]

Aug 16, 2010 14:22:13 GMT -5 shadowgoomba said:

I don't think the enemies actually vanish. That's just a gameplay thing so you don't have to see corpses lying around everywhere.

Or Mario is so awesome that when he stomps them, he reducts them to billions of microparticles forming a gas that eventually vanishes.

Must have something to do with the 'stache.

[Artemendo]

I know you're not serious, but if you were, the death animation of the Goombas in SMB (squashed, then vanishing) would mean his powers are somehow delayed. Mario: "I'll stomp you so hard you split into particles!" *stomps* Goomba: "Ha ha! See, you just squished me and noth

[kingkoopa]

Or when the goomba vanishes that is when he runs away crying