Swoops, originally called Swoopers, are bats that first appeared in the Super Mario series title, Super Mario World. Since then, Swoops have become recurring enemies, appearing in several other games, including mainline and spin-off ones. They typically hang idly on the ceiling, waiting for the player's character to come near, at which point they fall and fly towards the character, hurting them on contact.
Swoops almost always have squinting eyes and round noses, and they have appeared with numerous color schemes across Super Mario media, the most common of which consists of a blue body, purple wings, and yellow feet. Their debut game depicts them as green with red wings and feet, a color scheme later used in promotionalHalloweenartwork, where Swoops are specifically designated Green Swoopers.[1]
In Super Mario World, Swoopers hang from the ceilings of caves upside down, waiting for Mario or Luigi to approach. When they come near, the Swoopers fly down and try to damage Mario or Luigi. They can easily be defeated with a stomp. They first appear in Donut Plains 2, though they are mainly found in Vanilla Dome.
This is one of two games in which Swoopers are green, the other being Mario Party 3. An unused variant exists that is the later blue color; it acts like the Boo Crew. However, the blue Swoopers have a glitchy animation, with one frame showing half of a square outline and half of a blue Spike Top.
A Swoop as it appears in Super Mario 64 (left) and Super Mario 64 DS (right).
Swoops (called as such for the first time) also appear in Super Mario 64 and its DS remake. Found only in the Hazy Maze Cave, these Swoops are recolored from green with reddish-brown wings to entirely blue with a darker shade of blue on the top half of the wings. Like in Super Mario World, they hang still on the ceiling, waiting for Mario (or Yoshi, Luigi, or Wario in the remake) to come, then fall off the ceiling and attack. However, they now fly in horizontal loops above the ground. In the original, they had pointed mouse-like faces with large rhombus-shaped ears and a visible tooth, as well as no feet; the remake featured the modern design, based on the artwork for Super Mario World and the sprites for Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
In New Super Mario Bros., Swoops hang on the ceiling waiting to attack, like in previous games. One appears in World 2-3, whereas the other twelve appear in World 5-2. They are blue and have purple wings. Like many other elements between the two games, they use their Super Mario 64 DS appearance.
Swoops attacking Fire Mario in New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Swoops appear in caves in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They look just like their New Super Mario Bros. counterparts and behave exactly the same. They appear in World 5-2, World 6-2 and World 6-6. In dark levels with lights, their eyes can be seen glowing when the Swoops are not in the light.
A trio of Swoopers appear in Dinosaur Dilemma, living in the upper floor of an abandoned mansion. Upon spotting Mario, they attack him by dropping Koopa Shells. Depending on which page the reader chooses to turn to, Mario either avoids the Swoops and hides until they grow bored and leave, or one of their shells connects and knocks him out for several hours, allowing Bowser to conquer Dinosaur Island.
This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.
Swoopers made their first appearance in the Paper Mario series in Paper Mario. They are found inside the Dry Dry Ruins, where they are either constantly flying or hanging on the ceiling. When they are hanging from the ceiling, Mario cannot reach them using a regular jump attack, and must instead use the Quake Hammer, Skolar's attack, an item, or one of his partners (such as Parakarry) to knock them off from the ceiling. They attack by simply swooping down and physically ramming their opponent. A stronger version of Swoopers exists, called Swoopulas.
Later on, in Chapter 4, Swoopers can be found in outside areas of Creepy Steeple. They attack as they did in Paper Mario. Additionally, Swoopulas return, and the Swampires also debut, which are even stronger than a Swoopula.
Swoopers also re-appeared in Super Paper Mario. They are only found in Chapter 2 (Gloam Valley and Merlee's Mansion). Swoopers can be found in Gloam Valley in a secret area via using the Flip and falling into a 3D-accessible hole near the Star Block. Their Catch Card can be found here, along with the Shlurps' Catch Card. Swoopers are also found in the line-of-coins trap in Merlee's Mansion as well as a room in Merlee's basement. They always appear in groups of two, making up a total of six that appear in the game.
Swoops reappear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, for the Nintendo 3DS. They appear in the first section of Drybake Desert, inside the Yoshi Sphinx, and during Sandshifter Ruins. Despite how many enemies were redesigned in this game to look like their mainstream appearances, Swoops were kept purple for unknown reasons. In battle, they are always in mid-air and never hang from the ceiling. They are uncommon, with only four of them appearing on the overworld. They attack by swooping down at Mario. Swoops can also make an appearance in the final battle, where they are among the enemies that can be summoned by Bowser in the first phase. Swoops also assist Paragoombas, Paratroopas, and Spikes.
Swoops return in Paper Mario: Color Splash, keeping their appearance and attack from the previous game, though their sprites lack the color gradients and the shading, the latter now being rather applied to the 3D models. In Indigo Underground, a member of the green Rescue Squad is being attacked by Swoops, and Mario saves him. Swoops are also in the caves of Vortex Island. They can also assist the Big Spiny in Kiwano Temple in battle.
Swoops appear first in Mario Kart DS, in the track Banshee Boardwalk, a retro course that first appeared in Mario Kart 64. Swoops, appearing in place of the original course's bats, fly in large flocks in the opposite direction of the racers. Though they are not a real hazard, Swoops can get in the way of any incoming karts, slowing them down. Unlike the bats in the original, Swoops appear in the course's time trial mode.
Swoops also appear in Mario Kart Wii and act in the same way as in Mario Kart DS. They only appear in the courses Wario's Gold Mine and Dry Dry Ruins. Additionally, players can wipe out these bats by using certain items such as Shells, or under the power of a Star.
The Swoops in Mario Kart Wii use calls and agitated screeching from a cockatiel for their sound effects.
Swoops reappear in Mario Kart 7 in the course Rock Rock Mountain. They behave the same way as in previous titles slowing down racers. There is also a glider that looks like a Swoop.
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Swoops only appear in the boss fight against Donkey Kong in Boss Game 7. Two of them hang inactively from the girder dividing the screens, and periodically fly left and right in a flight pattern similar to Dorakyū from the Game Boy Donkey Kong. When a Mini Mario is underneath them while flying, they will wrap themselves in their wings and drill downwards to try to attack it. The Swoops' artwork can be seen during the credits.
Swoopers make their first appearance in the Mario Party series as a cameo in Mario Party 3. They are seen hanging in the background of Creepy Cavern. They appear in different colors including green, blue, purple and plum.
Swoopers make a cameo in Mario Party 8: they appear on the wrapper of the Vampire Candy. The Swoopers appearing on the wrapper are blue, making them look like the Super Mario 64 and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 versions of Swoops.
Swoopers also have a minor appearance in Mario Party 9, flying around Boo's Horror Castle board. In the minigameChain Event, several Swoops can be seen in the background as the player slides down the chain. It also appears as a constellation in the Museum.
Swoops appear again in Mario Party 10 in Haunted Trail, where if someone lands on an Unlucky Space, Swoops come in and take five Mini Stars. They also appear in multiple minigames. They appear in the minigame Pipe Sniper and grant five points if hit.
Swoops appear once more in Super Mario Party in the minigame Fireplace Race. They must be avoided while players are lighting candles, and will take them back to the fireplace if they catch them. One also makes an appearance in Absent Minded.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[edit]
Although they are absent from the original game, Swoops appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode as enemies and allies, thus marking the first appearance of regular Swoops in the Mario & Luigi series. They are flying troopers, and attack by charging into enemies. They are strong against Shroobs and Fawfulcopters. Their special skill is Discord which can lower enemy DEF.
Swoops debut in the Dr. Mario series as assistants in Dr. Mario World. Their stage mode skill is increasing the player's score by a percentage of the base score for up to 10% at the maximum level (rounded down), which is only increased after the stages are cleared. In versus mode, they have a chance of eliminating all capsules if an object reaches the third from bottom line.
Mario Mania:If Mario treads in its territory, this cranky cave-dweller dive-bombs from above, hoping to silence the noisy intruder. Thump it on the head.[2]
Swoop Tribe: Fly clan Disposition: Very territorial Game appearances: World A monstrous bird flying from the ceiling? A bat hanging from the ceiling of the cave. When Mario approaches, they suddenly attack. The cave is too narrow for big jumps. Dodge them at the right moment or you will be in danger.
This is a Swooper, a ghost bat. Swoopers got their name because they swoop down out of the shadows. Max HP: 4, Attack Power: 2, Defense Power: 0 Even Jump attacks can't reach 'em when they're hanging on the ceiling, but earth tremors will knock 'em loose. Parakarry can also knock 'em loose with one of his moves. You can attack 'em however you choose once they're hovering in the air.
A roosting creature that will hang from the ceiling until damaged.
Tattle
That's a Swooper. I bet they call it that 'cause of the way it swoops around. Wow! That's some AWESOME naming work. Seriously! It's pure naming genius!!! So, anyway… Max HP is 6, Attack is 3, and Defense is 0. Says here it hangs from the ceiling. If you can just damage it, it oughta drop off the ceiling. And then you can whack it!
Card Shop; Catch Card/SP; Chapter 2-1: Found in an underground area under the Star Block via a 3D-accessible hole.
Card description
Swoopers aren't so bad, they're just lonely. Strangely, they greet visitors by snacking on their heads. ...This could explain why they have no friends.
That beast is a Swooper. It likes to dangle from the ceiling in dark, dank places... Max HP is 3 and Attack is 1. Watch your head; it will swoop down on you... It will swoop back up after it swoops down, so jump on it when you can...
While flying low:"Swoop?" ~ "Swoop!" ~ "Swoooop..." ~ "Woops!"While flying high:"Try the hammer—I dare ya!" ~ "Nyah, nyah, you can't fly!" ~ "The higher I fly, the safer I am..." ~ "Fly hiiiiigh..."
They love dark ceilings and swooping in on their foes. Low attacks won't cut it, so don't even bother with a hammer.
Shogakukan guide:普段は天井にぶら下がっていて、近づくと襲ってくる。飛行しているのでハンマー攻撃などが効かない。[4](They usually hang from the ceiling and attack when approached. Since they are flying, hammer attacks and other such attacks are ineffective.)
Notebook bio:This foe will swoop down from above. Stomping it can send you flying waaay up high!
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[edit]
Bowser Jr.'s Journey profile:They charge straight at enemies, even in the dark. The sound of their wings can weaken mechanical enemies, as well as certain other types.
Stage mode (Prior to version 2.3.0):Increases score by 1%/2%/3%/4%/5%.
Versus mode:If an object has reached the 3rd row from the bottom line, grants 60%/70%/80%/90%/100% chance all capsules will be eliminated. (Once only.)
^Mario vants some Halloween help!Play Nintendo. Retrieved November 2, 2022. (ScreenshotMedia:PN Mario Halloween 2022 web page.png.) (Archived October 25, 2022, 04:01:03 UTC via Wayback Machine.) "Mario vants some Halloween help! He’s all dressed up for Halloween in a vampire cape with a jack-o’-lantern on his head, but Mario still needs someone to add color to his costume. Plus, there are a couple of Green Swoopers acting batty—they need color too!"
- Indicates exclusivity to Mario Kart 8 * - Indicates downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 - Indicates exclusivity to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe † - Indicates content available in version 1.6.0 and later of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ‡ - Indicates content available in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass
and in the third level of the Coin Challenge Pack B, behaving exactly as they did in previous games.
