Mario

Mario
Character Type	Playable Character
Affiliation	Mushroom Kingdom Coalition
Original Appearance	Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.

"It's-a Mario Time!"

Mario is a playable character in Mushroom Kingdom Fusion and member of the Mushroom Kingdom Coalition. His home world is The Mushroom Kingdom. An icon of games, he is the most well-rounded and recognizable of the Coalition.

History

Mario first appeared in Donkey Kong, back then portrayed as a carpenter named Jumpman. Mario had to climb a large building that was under construction to defeat Donkey Kong and take back Pauline. In the next game, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario plays his only antagonistic role in his career so far, locking Donkey Kong in a cage and trying — and failing — to stop his son from rescuing him. The next game he starred in was Mario Bros., where he and his brother Luigi travel in a sewer, defeating all sorts of creatures infesting the pipes.

It wasn't until Super Mario Bros. when the foundations of Mario's world and further adventures were laid. Mario and Luigi live in the Mushroom Kingdom, actively rescuing Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser and his forces. Early media suggested that Mario and Luigi came from Brooklyn, New York, and found their way into the Mushroom Kingdom through a pipe, but later games, starting with Yoshi's Island, suggest that Mario and Luigi spent their entire lives in the Mushroom Kingdom. The game Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time even went as far as to show a short prologue where Baby Bowser attempted to kidnap Baby Peach, only to be stopped by Baby Mario, just like their present counterparts.

Gameplay

Mario is the only character who can spin jump, allowing him to destroy/jump on enemies other characters cannot, as well as automatically attacking to both sides with some power-ups. Mario is the most flexible character. His fireballs and hammers are useful projectiles, the raccoon and tanooki suit give him flight, the Sci-Fi suit is short-ranged but effective, and the Soldier or Mega Man suit is similar to a fire flower. His speed and jumping ability are average. Mario is a character that can be used in all situations.

Mario has the advantage of having more power-ups available to him than the other characters save Luigi, giving him a wider range of flexibility in play style.

Level Controls

See Basic Controls which goes over Map and standard Level Controls.

Below are non-standard controls specific to Mario in his Initial form (except when otherwise noted). Parenthesis indicate optional.

Action	Key[s]	Description
Running	Hold LEFT or RIGHT + RUN	Mario moves in the Left or Right direction at a faster speed. Mario can jump farther and higher while Running.
Higher/Further Jump	[Running] + Press JUMP	Mario jumps in the air at a higher height (and a further distance if Running).
Stomp	[Movement] + Press JUMP	Jumping on top of enemies ("stomping") as Mario hurts them, except for some enemies that can't be stomped on. Generally watch out for spiky headed enemies.
Spin Jump	Hold Up + [Movement] + Press JUMP	Mario's signature Jump Attack. Jumping ("stomping") on enemies hurts them (and even defeats enemies in 1 hit that would normally take several). For spiky headed enemies, Mario won't damage them, but will launch higher in the air.

Power-Up System

Power-Up	Form	Shop Cost	Description
Initial	Small Mario	N/A	This is Mario's regular form. This form cannot crouch or break bricks above him. Getting hit by his small form will lose an life.
Super Mushroom	Super Mario	Not for sale	A primary power-up, Mario can take a hit without losing a life.
Fire Flower	Fire Mario	$250	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Press RUN to throw a Fireball as a projectile, which bounces along the ground for a decent distance. 2 Fireballs can be on the screen at a time. Holding and releasing RUN for a few milliseconds throws a Super Fireball, which is bigger and does more damage than a normal Fireball. Fireballs melt Ice Blocks. As of v0.875, Hold UP + Press SHOOT to throw the Fireball or Super Fireball at a higher angle.
Super Leaf	Raccoon Mario	$300	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Press RUN to do a Spin Attack with the tail (attacking enemies on both sides). Holding RUN (for about 5 seconds, until the ►►►►►►P meter fills up) + Pressing JUMP allows Mario to fly higher into the air. After 9 Jumps, or the RUN button is released, Mario will descend; continuously pressing JUMP while slowing down the descent.
Blue Shell	Blue Shell Mario	$500	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Crouching gives Mario a Hammer Bros "strength duck". Running + hold RUN will cause Mario to slide along the ground in a Koopa shell at the Crouching height at a high speed (and bounces in the opposite direction when an enemy/surface is hit, just like a Koopa shell).
Marco Suit	Marco Mario	$500	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Pressing RUN fires a bullet projectile (rather small and weak) in the direction you're facing. Holding the Directional Keys + Press RUN to fire in all 8 directions. Press SHOOT to perform a melee knife attack (does more damage, but is slower).
Tanooki Suit	Tanooki Mario	$600	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Same as Raccoon Mario, but, when holding DOWN + RUN, Mario turns into Statue Mario, where he'll be invincible to most projectiles. Releasing DOWN or RUN turns Mario back from Statue Mario. Turning into a Statue while in the Air has Mario descend vertically and can destroy most enemies below.
Hammer Bro Suit	Hammer Mario	$750	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Press RUN to throw a Hammer Bros Hammer as a projectile, which travels in an arc. Two can be on the screen at any time. When Crouching, Mario is resistant to most fire-based projectiles. As of v0.875, Hold UP + Press SHOOT to throw the Hammer Bros Hammer at a higher angle.
Mega Man Suit	Mega Mario	$750	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Press RUN to shoot a Buster Shot, which travels at a decent speed and distance horizontally. Can fire up to Three Buster Shots. Hold RUN for about 1 second and release to fire a Charged Shot which inflicts high damage. Hold DOWN + Press JUMP to perform a Mega Man Slide.
Spartan Armor	Spartan Mario	$1000	Mario can take a hit without losing a life. Press RUN to swing an Energy Sword (does a lot of damage). Includes a Rechargeable Energy Shield: when hit, and if you aren't hit for up to 6 seconds, the damage is ignored and Mario keeps the Power-Up.

Trivia

• When the player clears a level as Mario, the "course clear" music from the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros plays.
• When Mario grabs the Starman, the "Powerful Mario" theme (such as when Mario has the Wing powerup) from Super Mario 64 plays.
• If Mario loses a life, the "Lose a Life" music from from the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros plays.
• The 1up sound from Super Mario World plays whenever Mario collects a 1up.
• When playing as Mario, the "PLAYER START!" screen before a level starts comes from Super Mario World. In earlier versions of MKF, every playable character had a "PLAYER START!" screen similar to the one in SMW before it was decided that each character would have a unique "PLAYER START!" screen. As a result, Mario shares the SMW "PLAYER START!" screen with Luigi.