Snowball

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Snowball
A Snowball in Super Mario Maker 2
A Snowball in the New Super Mario Bros. U style of Super Mario Maker 2
First appearance Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995)
Latest appearance The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Snowballs are objects that appear in the games of the Super Mario franchise as both items and obstacles. In many games, rolling a snowball on snow-covered ground makes it increase in size as it gains more snow. Also, smaller snowballs are thrown by Mr. Blizzards as projectiles.

History[edit]

Yoshi's Island series[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]

A Snowball from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Sprite of a snowball in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Snowballs can be found in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its remake, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, in two levels. Yoshi can push a snowball down a path in the same manner as pushing a Chomp Rock; as it is rolled on the snow, it grows larger in size until it eventually stops growing. The snowball destroys all items and enemies in its path. Yoshi is able to hop and sit on a snowball as on a platform, which is advantageous for reaching high grounds.

Yoshi's New Island[edit]

Snowball in Yoshi's New Island

Snowballs in Yoshi's New Island have the same functionality as in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. One appears in Ski Lift Leap where a Yoshi can roll it downhill to defeat enemies as well as accessing a higher Warp Pipe. Data indicates that they are retextured Chomp Rocks.[1]

Donkey Kong Country series[edit]

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! / Donkey Kong Land III[edit]

Bleak, a boss in both Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and Donkey Kong Land III, can shoot snowballs out of his hat cannon. They can damage the Kongs and can only be avoided.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

The Kongs, weaving between several snowballs tossed in the air
The Kongs, weaving between several snowballs tossed in the air
Snowball cannons shoot the Kongs with projectiles. Notice a frozen Big Squeekly in the background.
The Kongs are sieged by two snowballs shot from cannons.

Snowballs appear as hazards in the level Blurry Flurry of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port.[2] Most of the time, they are fired from orange bombards fixed on the walls or on the ground; other times, they are tossed in the air as a result of larger snowballs plummeting on the platforms they lie on. If a snowball hits the Kongs, they lose one heart from their health meter.

Shortly before the end of the stage, the Kongs are propelled into a giant snowball which then starts rolling through rows of enemies and Snowmad structures, destroying them. The player can make the snowball jump to avoid falling into pits.

Diddy Kong Racing / Diddy Kong Racing DS[edit]

In Diddy Kong Racing and its remake, snowballs that have a pair of large eyes appear on a hill in Snowball Valley and in the challenge race course against Bluey the Walrus. They smash the player if driven into.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]

At one point in the Donkey Kong Jungle Beat level Silver Snow Peak, Donkey Kong and Hoofer follow an enormous rolling snowball up a hill, which slows down as it goes. Donkey Kong has to clap and create shockwaves to shrink and eventually destroy the large snowball in order to get past it. Upon destruction, the snowball releases a number of beats.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Snowballs act as obstacles in DK Pass, a racetrack in Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour. They fall and roll on the mountainous road, knocking away any racer standing in their path. They appear in the area around the second set of Item Boxes where they go against the racers, and on the snowy incline afterwards, where they roll in their direction. Snowballs also appeared in a Steer Clear of Obstacles bonus challenge on N64 Frappe Snowland.

Mario Party series[edit]

Snowballs appear in some minigames in the Mario Party series. In Snowball Summit in Mario Party 3, Mario Party: The Top 100, and Mario Party Superstars, players have to create snowballs and try to knock each other off a frozen summit by using snowballs. In Snow Brawl in Mario Party 6, the solo player (joined by four Ukikis or Shy Guys) and the team players have to create snowballs and try to hit all players on the other side of the field. In Snow Way Out in Mario Party 8, the solo player shoots snowballs from a snow vehicle to make the rivals fall off.

Super Mario series[edit]

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

A Snow Spike preparing to toss a snowball

In New Super Mario Bros., snowballs are regurgitated and thrown by Snow Spikes. Once on the ground, snowballs start rolling in a set direction, growing rapidly larger in the process. They damage Mario or Luigi if they touch them.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

Snowballs appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2. They usually appear when Fire Mario destroys a snow sculpture. They will build in size when rolled along snow, and they can create temporary snow paths over lava before melting. If a Li'l Cinder touches a snowball, it gets defeated.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

Snowballs appear as obstacles in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Unlike in New Super Mario Bros., they do not increase in size and can be jumped on safely. They are used as projectiles by Flipruses, and in New Super Mario Bros. U, they also appear as standalone obstacles in Fliprus Lake.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

Snowballs appear in the Snowball Park level of Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Some of them can be found on the ground, while others are created from the segments of defeated Snow Pokeys. Snowballs can be grabbed and thrown at enemies to defeat them, and can also be passed from one player to another when playing in multiplayer.

Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

A Snowball in Super Mario Maker 2

In version 2.0 of Super Mario Maker 2, snowballs are thrown by Spikes in the snow theme in a similar manner to Snow Spikes. Unlike Spike Balls, snowballs cannot hurt the player, instead only knocking them back if hit from the side or below. After being thrown, the player can jump on them to stop them, then pick them up and throw them at objects or enemies (except in the Super Mario Bros. style, where they can only be kicked). Large snowballs can only be kicked and rolled along the ground. Additionally, a snowball can be produced after defeating a Snow Pokey. Snowballs can also be placed as a separate object.

When used against Bowser (or Meowser), a normal-sized Snowball deals 2 HP damage (with 10 Snowball hits defeating him). The damage dealt gets doubled to 4 HP if the Snowball is giant-sized.

In version 3.0, the Super Mario Bros. style-exclusive SMB2 form lets players pluck snowballs from ground tiles in snow-themed levels.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

Snowball Sticker

With Snow Spikes returning in Paper Mario: Sticker Star and retaining their previous behavior, snowballs can also be encountered in the game. They are usually rolled on slanted footpaths. If a snowball clashes with Mario, it catches him into a loop, forcing him to go back a distance until the snowball breaks into a ledge. Additionally, a Snow Spike may drop a Snowball sticker upon defeat, which can be used in battles to summon a large snowball that rolls over and damages ground-dwelling enemies.

The Snowball can also be placed into the Sticker Museum as #88, alongside other enemy-based stickers.

Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]

In Yoshi's Woolly World, snowballs appear in the World 5 level, Fluffy Snow, Here We Go!. They appear to be made of cotton wool, in step with the game's textile aesthetic. They can be used as in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, meaning they are able to crush enemies and solid blocks while increasing in size as they roll.

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

  • Item description: Sometimes dropped by Snow Spikes. Launches a giant snowball that snares all ground-bound foes. Doesn't reach high-flying foes.
  • Sticker Museum description: An icy snowball yacked up by a Snow Spike that hits all grounded foes with a cold-blooded attack.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese 雪玉
ゆきだま[3]
Yukidama
Snowball

Chinese 雪球
Xuěqiú
SnowBall

Dutch Sneeuwbal
Snowball
French Boule de neige
Snow ball
German Schneeball
Snowball
Italian Palla di neve
Snow ball
Korean 눈덩이
Nundeong-i
Snowball

Portuguese Bola de neve
Snowball
Spanish Bola de nieve
Snowball

References[edit]

  1. ^ Image showcasing the retextured Chomp RockMedia:YNI Snowball Retextured Chomp Rock.png
  2. ^ "Once you’re safely past the nearby snowballs, adjust your position to fly through the O on your way to the next area." — von Esmarch, Nick, and Cory van Grier. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Prima Official Game Guide. Page 225.
  3. ^ Mario Kart Tour in-game name