Flip
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It has been suggested that Flip Meter be merged into this article. (discuss) |
- This article is about the move used in Super Paper Mario. For the Bonus Challenge in the Yoshi's Island games with the name usually shortened as "Flip", see Flip Cards.
| Flip | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Mario flipped into 3D on Lineland Road | |||
| Appears in | Super Paper Mario (2007) | ||
| Used by | Mario | ||
| Effect | Switches the perspective from 2D to 3D. | ||
| Input method | 
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- “I, Bestovius, have granted you the ability to flip between dimensions. Press to slip between the very fabric of space and flip between 2-D and 3-D!”
- —Bestovius, Super Paper Mario
Flip is a technique used by Mario in the Paper Mario series. At the push of a button, Mario goes from 2D to 3D, with the camera rotating to show depth. The Flip Meter imposes a limit upon the time Mario can stay in 3D.
History[edit]
Super Paper Mario[edit]
This section needs Paper Mario improvement. Specifically:
- Kicked shells, (whether kicked by the player or a Koopa Striker variant) exist in 3D and 2D at once and can damage the player in either dimension, whereas when idle, Shells usually only exist in the dimension they are actively placed in.
- It might be worth noting the functionality of Flip in the Outer Space sections of the game, where Mario is not able to navigate vertically on his own.
Bestovius grants Mario the ability to flip dimensions, for the initial price of all the money in Mario's possession, although the player can negotiate for a lower price or for free by refusing Bestovius's offer.
The technique is used by pressing while on the ground. If Mario is no longer standing on ground after Flipping, he has the chance to jump once in midair and land on any nearby terrain. One segment of the Flip Meter drains for every two seconds spent in 3D, and the meter gradually refills while in 2D. If the meter runs out, it deals Mario one damage and instantly refills without forcing him back into 2D. Taking damage or using a healing item also instantly refills the Flip Meter, and once Mario collects his own Catch Card, the meter will never drain.
Internally, levels in Super Paper Mario are segmented depthwise into panes. In 2D, everything in the same pane as the player character has its hitbox extruded, and the character may be snapped to a certain depth within the pane. The camera also uses a front view in parallel projection, and panes far in the distance are invisible. In 3D, the camera gains perspective and rotates 90° clockwise horizontally, and hitbox extrusion and snapping are disabled. Objects are loaded based on distance from the player character, instead of whether they share a pane, and some objects too near or far from the camera will lose their textures and become translucent.[1]
While Flipping into 3D solves many problems, it can also complicate tasks. For example, a straight line of ? Blocks in 2D can turn out to be placed at various depths in 3D. There are also flat objects, such as certain Blocks, that can only be interacted with in 2D or 3D, being perpendicular to the camera and intangible when the player character is flipped into the other dimension.
Flipping appears to affect a small area around Mario, as he is able to pull Red back into 2D, and bring grabbed enemies between dimensions.
Enemies which can flip between dimensions[edit]
Certain enemies in the game also have the ability to Flip, and will follow Mario into 3D to continue attacking him. Variants of pre-existing enemies, such as Goombas and Hammer Bros are usually depicted being surrounded by a dotted rectangular border. Other enemies, such as Choppas, have the ability innately and do not have any additional visual indicators. Some bosses, such as Mimi and Dimentio, can also flip.
- Goomba
- Koopa Troopa
- Paratroopa
- Spiny
- Lakitu
- Hammer Bros
- Boomerang Bro
- Fire Bro
- Cheep Cheep
- Blooper
- Dark Boo (Uses the attack patterns of normal Boos while in 3D and mostly abandon their "Scare attack".)
- Dark Dark Boo (Uses the attack patterns of normal Boos while in 3D and mostly abandon their "Scare attack".)
- Choppa
- Sammer Guy (Neon-colored variant only)
- Skellobit
- O' Chunks (During the second and third encounters, he has a spinning attack which allows him to attack in 3D and 2D at once. If the player remains in 3D, this is the only attack he will use.)
- Mimi (second fight only)
- Dimentio
- Amazee Dayzee (Despite being a variant of Crazee Dayzee, this enemy is not surrounded by a dotted border.)
- Dark Dayzee (Despite being a variant of Crazee Dayzee, this enemy is not surrounded by a dotted border.)
- Dark Mario
Characters which exist in 2D and 3D at once.[edit]
Certain characters, such as the Cursya, can be encountered in both dimensions at once, most of the chapter bosses fall under this classification, with the only exceptions being Count Bleck and Mr. L.
- Spiny Tromp
- Cursya
- Fracktail
- Frackle
- Gnip
- Mr. I
- Red I
- Mimi (Spider form only)
- Big Blooper
- Bittacuda
- Meowbomb
- PatrolMeow
- AirMeow
- SurpriseMeow
- Meowmaid
- Francis
- Eeligon
- Pigarithm
- Brobot
- Spania
- King Croacus IV
- Brobot L-type
- Underhand (Certain versions can only be encountered in one dimension.)
- Bonechill
- Dimention copies (This version is only encountered in the second Mirror room of Castle Bleck Interior. Once it has been cleared, these enemies no longer appear.)
- Super Dimentio
- Wracktail
- Wrackle
Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]
- “Let's try changing out perspective a little bit. This is going to use up a bit of paint, but it's totally worth it. So, go ahead and press
and see what happens...” - —Huey, Paper Mario: Color Splash
The Flip ability returns in Paper Mario: Color Splash, in an area based on Super Mario Bros. 3 found in a monitor at the Green Energy Plant. It is now used by pressing . It still has a 10-unit time limit, this time corresponding to 10 seconds instead of 20 seconds. The camera in 3D is also changed from a side view to an isometric view, with respect to the 2D point of view.
Flipping consumes a certain amount of each of the three colors of paint. When 3 seconds remain on the Flip Meter, the borders of the screen start flashing white; when the meter is empty, Mario is forced to return to 2D, but does not take damage. The Flip Meter instantly refills as soon as this occurs, so it is possible to reactivate Flip immediately thereafter, if Mario is carrying enough paint to do so.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 次元ワザ Jigen Waza | Dimensional Ability | [?] | |
| French (Canada) | Pivoter | Pivot | [2] | |
| French (Europe) | Système D | System D; also possibly short for système dimensionnel ("dimensional system") | [?] | |
| Italian | Svolta | Turning | [?] | |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Voltear Dimensión | Flip Dimension | [3] |
References[edit]
- ^ aldelaro5 (June 2, 2016). My glitch hunting: how the flipping mechanic in Super Paper Mario works. WordPress. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ 2007. Super Paper Mario instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (Canadian French). Page 15.
- ^ 2007. Super Paper Mario instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (Latin American Spanish). Page 25.
