Splotchy goop

Splotchy goop
Mario viewing a lighthouse covered in splotchy goop
Appears in	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021)
Variant of	Goop
Comparable Quicksand

“That splotchy goop will vanish under the light of a Cat Shine.”

—Lighthouse text, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Splotchy goop is a type of black goop that pollutes the waters of Lake Lapcat in the Bowser's Fury mode of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. It is present due to Fury Bowser, which Bowser Jr. accidentally created by covering Bowser with this goop. Splotchy goop forms large spikes, making it look similar to ferrofluid. This is reflected in Fury Bowser's design, which has longer and more plentiful spikes than his base form. Initially, Lake Lapcat is almost entirely covered in splotchy goop, trapping its islands and Giga Bells beneath the ocean and preventing Mario from exploring all of Lake Lapcat. As Mario collects Cat Shines and battles Fury Bowser, the goop gradually vanishes, revealing more areas to explore. However, Lake Lapcat cannot be completely cleansed of splotchy goop, in part because a large amount of it serves as the boundary for the game's playable area.

Mechanics

While splotchy goop is ostensibly a liquid, Mario moves through it like it is quicksand. He gradually sinks into it while walking, Mario's walking speed is heavily reduced, and until Mario is on the surface his jumps are only able to boost him higher up through the goop. Mario does not sink low enough fully submerged into splotchy goop except as Small Mario, and even then it does not result in Mario being defeated. However, contact with splotchy goop makes Mario take damage; this is unavoidable, as it negates the effects of the Super Star and Invincibility Bell. It does not negate the effect of Lucky Cat Mario, though given the form's immobile nature, Mario must return to being Cat Mario before being able to leave the goop and thus will still take damage. Small areas of goop can be traversed by utilizing the short invincibility granted after Mario takes damage. If Mario attempts to leave the borders of the in-game map, an invisible border prevents him from progressing. This border is also present around Fur Step Island before completing the main story at least once to prevent the player from re-accessing the area. The spikes of splotchy goop function as walls that have the same damaging properties as the non-spike portion. Mario is unable to slide down the spikes and therefore unable to Wall Jump off of them, but Cat Mario can climb the spikes and therefore can Wall Jump off of them.

Plessie is unable to swim into splotchy goop in any form for two reasons. The first is that while riding Plessie, splotchy goop serves as an invisible wall. The second is that Plessie stops instantly if dismounted while in the water, so he cannot be dismounted while moving torward goop to make him slide into the goop. If Plessie collides with the side of any splotchy goop while being ridden and while moving at a reasonable speed, he bounces off with purple shockwave and goop splatter effects. Attempting to dive underneath the goop still results in a collision with the wall, which forces Plessie to surface as with all underwater collisions. It is possible to have Plessie jump into splotchy goop, but if Plessie lands in goop in any way he dives below the water to despawn. If Mario was riding Plessie, this forces Mario to jump off, leaving Mario to very likely take damage unless he is near the border of the goop.

Giga Cat Mario is immune to taking damage from slpotchy goop, and does not sink into it, but is still noticeably slowed down by it. The same is true for the giant Super Mario and Small Mario forms that Giga Cat Mario becomes if he takes damage. If Giga Cat Mario, giant Super Mario, or giant Small Mario is crouch walking, the goop does not affect him, but it does impair the speed of Giga Cat Mario's pounce and the other form's rolls. When Mario is transformed into one of these states, and thus can walk to the edge of the playable area freely, invisible walkways surround Lake Lapcat to prevent Mario from leaving. Fury Bowser's rolling shell attack leaves splotchy goop behind Bowser as he travels. This additional goop has a different texture from normal splotchy goop, and given time it does disappear. The spikes of splotchy goop harmlessly explode on contact with Giga Cat Mario, Fury Bowser, and Fury Bowser's shockwaves.

At the start of the game, the only visible island of Lake Lapcat is Fur Step Island, which is surrounded by splotchy goop with some skull signs sticking out of it to indicate the goop's dangerous properties. After collecting Fur Step Island's "Make the Lighthouse Shine" Cat Shine, the goop covering the rest of the Lakeside region is cleared, revealing its islands and Giga Bell. Defeating Fury Bowser once clears the goop over the Ruins region, revealing its islands and Giga Bell, and defeating Fury Bowser for the third time does the same for the Wasteland region. Not all of the goop around the Wasteland region is clearable in this way, creating a routing obstacle for Mario and Plessie when navigating the waters of the Wasteland region. Sometimes, when the player obtains Cat Shines, some splotchy goop in areas near the site of the Cat Shine disappears, usually revealing a new Cat Shine.

When a region or specific area is covered is covered in goop, the game's map shows that area in black with wavy lines. Once the area or region is cleared, any remaining splotchy goop that cannot be cleared is rendered in dark blue. The only exception is the goop around the Fury Sun, which is always black on the map.

Lighthouses and Giga Bells are also affected by the splotchy goop. The top of each lighthouse of each island in Lake Lapcat is initially covered in goop that has a purple glow, which prevents them from shining. The glow also envelops the rest of the lighthouse. When Mario collects a Cat Shine for a mission on an island, the Cat Shine is slotted into the lighthouse and causes it to activate, lighting it up and removing the goop. However, if the island is unloaded and reloaded, the goop returns. If Mario collects the Cat Shine for every mission of an island, the lighthouse for that island will be permanently clear of goop. Each Giga Bell is covered in splotchy goop at first, which prevents Mario from using them. When enough Cat Shines are collected, the Giga Bells are cleared of most of their goop, with only some on the top remaining. In this state, when Fury Bowser is rampaging Mario is able to collect a Giga Bell. After defeating Fury Bowser, the number of Cat Shines needed to clear the Giga Bells of splotchy goop goes up, and if Mario is below that value the Giga Bells go back to being covered in goop. After the main story is completed for the first time, the Giga Bells are completely cleared of goop and cannot regain it.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	フューリー絵の具 Fyūrī enogu	Fury paint
Italian	Vernice furiosa[?]	Fury paint