The Mushroom Army

[Koopalmier]

In the platformers, the 1-Up Mushrooms give you another chance to do the level (and thus to avoid destroying the continuity) by sending Mario back to the start of the level (or to the checkpoint), although costing him a "life" (try). If anything, it's closer to the Time Clock than to a healing item.

Then in the RPGs a more canon use is made: it brings back from K.O. And it's divided into two versions: the 1-Up Mushroom brings back from K.O. and heals back 1/2 of the user's energy, while the 1-Up Deluxe (or Super 1-Up) brings back from K.O. and completely heals its user.
It should be noted that you can't eat a 1-Up Mushroom if you're not knocked out, leaving to the idea that they don't heal if the user is still conscious.

In Paper Mario, 1-Up Mushrooms don't appear, and instead Life Shrooms are there. They only have the same role as a normal Mushroom if you eat them when you're normal, but if you have no more energy (K.O. for the partners, death for Mario ?) it brings you back from K.O. / death with a bit of your energy.

It should also be noted that, while 1-Up Mushrooms aren't too hard to find, Life Mushrooms are extremely rare. Also, they apparently make your lifespan longer if you're old.

Oh, wait, all this is off-topic.

[Vent]

They never explicitly say that Mario and Luigi are merely KO'd in the M&L, but I like Artemendo's explanation for the two different types of Mushrooms.

For a while now I myself merely decided that they were just two different varieties of the same fungus, but I guess that explanation works just as well.

[ddshoeshowz]

Dec 17, 2010 13:21:18 GMT -5 PDoogan said:

It was in the backstory of PM2 as well. One of the four heroes was a strong toad. Also, Prince Mush was the champion of the Glitz Pit.

The problem is I never played that game. But, hmm, that just seems so odd to me. I'm not refuting what you guys have said; but I always figured that they'd be rather weak (I suppose its their cowardly nature). See, I also was an avid fan of Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo, and the toad was the lightweight there - and a good character for beginning players, but I guess that they didn't carry it on through the franchise.

[Koopalmier]

Dec 28, 2010 22:40:24 GMT -5 Vent said:

They never explicitly say that Mario and Luigi are merely KO'd in the M&L, but I like Artemendo's explanation for the two different types of Mushrooms.

Did you ever play Bowser's Inside Story ? Starlow states that if your HPs reach zero, you'l be KNOCKED OUT, and the description for the 1-Up Mushroom states "Revives a knocked-out brother".

For a while now I myself merely decided that they were just two different varieties of the same fungus

That actually makes sense, as there's the 1UP sound effect when a Life Shroom revives you in Paper Mario 64.

[Le Mario Bro]

Dec 31, 2010 8:16:17 GMT -5 ddshoeshowz said:

The problem is I never played that game.

NO.

[Vent]

Dec 31, 2010 8:21:42 GMT -5 Koopalmier said:

Did you ever play Bowser's Inside Story ? Starlow states that if your HPs reach zero, you'l be KNOCKED OUT, and the description for the 1-Up Mushroom states "Revives a knocked-out brother"

What makes you think that isn't just kid-friendly localization?

[Koopalmier]

Because it's also in the French version, and no French translation makes things kid-friendly. Actually, some vulgarity was added in Super Paper Mario even though it's translated from the American version. French translations rarely make things more kid-friendly than they're supposed to.

Except Super Mario Galaxy 2's translation. But it contains a vulgarity at a point, so it basically counters the childishness.

Or maybe we could find a Japanese video of Mario & Luigi 3 which happens to show the 1UP Shroom's description, and try to translate it ? It'd fix the matter;