Spearhead (enemy)

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A Spearhead waddles along
“One little spear is all I need!”
Spearhead, Wario Land 3 instruction booklet

Spearheads[1] are spear-shaped enemies that appear in both Wario Land 3 and Dr. Mario 64. Spearheads look like blue blobs with feet (but no legs), two large, black eyes with white pupils, and spears for noses.

History[edit]

Wario Land 3[edit]

Spearhead.png

In Wario Land 3, Spearheads are common enemies. They walk back and forth on a platform, turning around at the edge of a platform or a wall. The only part that hurts Wario is their frontal spiky snouts. They are vulnerable to any attack, as long as Wario attacks from other sides besides the front, and they are also vulnerable when they turn. Unlike other enemies, Spearheads sleep at night, where they are known as Sleepsters[2]. When sleeping, they stay in a spot until Wario is within a range of one tile next to them or they get attacked, which wakes them up, where they consequently patrol across a platform like normal. Besides them, owls also sleep, but only during the day while being active at night. Spearheads function similarly to Pirate Gooms from Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Wario Land II where they hurt Wario from the front but are otherwise vulnerable. They are also described in the English manual as a "Goom"[1], although the Japanese version does not.

Spearheads appear in the most levels, where 23 out of the 25 regular levels have them. They appear in the following levels, in the following quantities:

North West South East
Out of the Woods (12) Desert Ruins (3) The Grasslands (8) The Stagnant Swamp (4)
The Peaceful Village (4) The Volcano's Base (17) The Big Bridge (3) The Frigid Sea (5)
The Vast Plain (3) The Pool of Rain (10) Tower of Revival (2) Castle of Illusions (1)
Bank of the Wild River (1) A Town in Chaos (8) The Steep Canyon (3) The Colossal Hole (1)
The Tidal Coast (1) Beneath the Waves (2) Cave of Flames (8) The Warped Void (2)
Sea Turtle Rocks (3) The West Crater (7) N/A Forest of Fear (4)

Like all Wario Land 3 enemies, Spearheads are originally humans in the music box world, but were cursed by the hidden figure and turned into strange creatures. Their reasons for attacking Wario involves their realization that Wario is helping the hidden figure escape The Temple that they had sealed him within, though they are unaware that Wario does not realize the hidden figure's malicious intentions while doing so. During Wario Land 3's ending sequence, a Spearhead is the first enemy shown to have its curse released, and its restored form is shown as an elderly woman.

Dr. Mario 64[edit]

In Dr. Mario 64, Spearhead has the lowest CPU difficulty, alongside Webber. In Story mode, it is the second opponent both Dr. Mario and Wario face in their respective stories, where it is encountered in an open forest. The circumstances in which Spearhead confronts Dr. Mario and Wario are different: If Dr. Mario is selected, Spearhead is instructed by Mad Scienstein to obstruct the pursuing Dr. Mario and Wario, who Wario rushes through with ease, but halts Dr. Mario as he approaches; If Wario is selected, Dr. Mario sidesteps a tree while Wario slam the tree by accident, knocking down a Spearhead, angering it into engaging Wario in battle. After both Spearhead and Webber are beaten by either Dr. Mario or Wario, both of them report to the hidden figure about the chase occurring between Dr. Mario, Wario, and Mad Scienstein, who is assured that Hammer-Bot can stop them.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ヤリマル[3] / やりまる[4]
Yarimaru
Portmanteau of「槍」(yari, spear) and「丸」(maru, a word for "circle" also used as an affectionate suffix)

Chinese 矛头[10]
Máotóu
Spearhead

Dutch Prikkop[7]
From "prikken" (to prick) and "kop" (an informal word for "head")
French Tête de pic[6]
Spikehead
German Spearhead[8]
-
Italian Testa di lancia[9]
 
Spanish Spearhead[5]
-

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Watch out for this stubborn Goom." - Wario Land 3 English instruction booklet, page 26.
  2. ^ Official American Wario Land 3 website (Internet Archive)
  3. ^ Wario Land 3: Fushigi na Orgel Japanese instruction booklet, page 26.
  4. ^ "Dr. Mario 64: From English to Japanese". The Mushroom Kingdom.
  5. ^ Wario Land 3 European instruction booklet, page 99
  6. ^ Wario Land 3 European instruction booklet, page 59
  7. ^ Wario Land 3 European instruction booklet, page 79
  8. ^ Wario Land 3 European instruction booklet, page 39
  9. ^ Wario Land 3 European instruction booklet, page 117
  10. ^ Chinese back cover of Dr. Mario 64.