Spiny Shell (blue)

The Spiny Shell is an item from the Mario Kart series. It first appeared in Mario Kart 64, where it was known as the Blue Spiny Shell. While Spiny Shells are blue with spikes and wings, ordinary Blue Shells do not have spikes or wings. The Spiny Shell also shares similarities to the Black Shell seen in Mario Kart GP. The general purpose of the Spiny Shell is to attack the first place racer when the item is used, regardless of the position of the player that used the item.

This blue item should not be confused with the ordinary Blue Shells from a variety of other Mario games. The spiked appearance of the Spiny Shell in the Mario Kart series is based off the Spiny Shell seen in numerous Mario games, although the functions and later appearance of the Spiny Shell in the Mario Kart series are very different. The item has gained some notoriety and criticism for its unavoidable and frustrating nature within the games.

Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit
When the item was first introduced in Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64, the shell had no wings and traveled along the ground. It was essentially a blue version of the common Spiny Shell and named Blue Spiny Shell. In the game, any player outside of first place could receive this item, although there were certain Item Boxes along the way that automatically gave players a Blue Spiny Shell, regardless of their position. One such question block is the one located on top of a big rock in the Koopa Troopa Beach course, which can only be reached by ascending up a narrow and difficult ramp. If that box is collected, even the first place player could receive a Blue Spiny Shell. When a player used a Blue Spiny Shell in Mario Kart 64, it traveled along the ground and struck any player ahead of the player that used the item. The only way to avoid an oncoming Spiny Shell was to veer out of its way at the last second, where it could miss and keep on going. The first place person cannot avoid the Blue Spiny Shell unless he/she happened to have a Star (which is extremely rare for a first place person to have) or if he/she simply plummeted off the course to avoid the shell. When the Blue Spiny Shell hit the first place person, it would disappear. If the first place person did manage to avoid the attack by plummeting off the course, the Blue Spiny Shell could actually circle all the way around the course again to attack the first place person. The best way to avoid the Blue Spiny Shell in first place is to have a Boo item, where the racer would disappear and allow the shell to travel right through him/her. However, in this case, the shell could circle back around if there is still time left in the race. Using the Boo item could also allow a player to steal a Blue Spiny Shell from another player, even if he/she is still in first place.

When receiving a Blue Spiny Shell, a player could hold the item button down and carry the shell on the back of his/her kart. The shell would absorb any attacks from behind, and any other player that ran into the back of the person’s kart would get blown up by the shell, while the player could continue to hold onto the shell. However, if that player was attacked by a Star or fell off the course, he/she would lose their shell. The shell was not entirely reliable either; if the player tried to shoot the shell while going over a jump or around a tight corner, the shell could simply run into a wall or disappear off the course. If a player in first place happened to have a Blue Spiny Shell and shot the item, the shell could circle all the way back around the course and attack that very same person if the race is not over. Or, sometimes, the shell would simply turn right back around and attack the first place player. Therefore, having a Blue Spiny Shell in first place is not a desirable item in this game.

The item served the same function in Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance, although the shell had a darker blue color. When the item was shot in both games, it made a distinct siren sound to alert those ahead that a shell was coming. The Spiny Blue Shell was the rarest of items found in both of those games. The siren sound was changed after these games to an ominous “whoosh” sound to alert unfortunate victims of its presence.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for the Nintendo GameCube and in Mario Kart DS for the Nintendo DS, the item’s use was changed significantly. It became a more common item, often seen several times in the same race. The Blue Spiny Shell was given a pair of wings (identical to those seen on Koopa Paratroopas), and the name of the item was shortened to just Spiny Shell. The item is typically only given to racers in the lower positions, similar to the newly introduced Special Items. When the shell was shot, it traveled very fast through the air instead of on the ground. Therefore, it was impossible for the shell to bounce off a wall or fall off the course. It went directly to the first place person, while bypassing any of the other positions. Other positions could see the Spiny Shell “whooshing” through the air above them. Once it locked in on the first place person, it would appear right behind him/her on his/her rear-view radar and then on the player’s screen for about a second before attacking the back of his/her kart. The first place person is powerless to avoid the attack, unless he/she has a Star, which is an extremely rare item for a first place person to have. The shell would cause a massive blue explosion and throw the first place person up into the air. If other players are close enough to the first place person, the shell could throw them into the air as well. Those that were blasted into the air would also lose any item they had in their possession from an Item Box. If other players were not close enough to the first place person but were still close enough to the blast, they could spin out on the ground but still hold their items. The explosion would also cause other items on the ground, such as Banana Peels, to disappear.

There are other practical ways to avoid the Spiny Shell though. In the course DK Mountain in Double Dash!!, a player can avoid a Spiny Shell if he/she happens to be traveling through the air after being shot out of the Barrel Cannon. If this happened, the shell would attack the first place person in mid-flight, but nothing would happen. In another method, as the Spiny Shell was hovering over the back of the first place person, that racer could avoid the attack if he/she chanced upon a sudden burst of speed, such as from a Super Mushroom or Boost Pad. There is a very small chance of avoiding the Spiny Shell in this manner, but if the racer was successful, the shell would hit the ground, miss him/her, and explode behind him/her. A player could not avoid a Spiny Shell by a burst of speed from power sliding. Unlike in Mario Kart 64, a player could not hold the Spiny Shell behind him/her. Once the button is pressed, it would fly through the air. A player would also lose the item if he/she were struck by Lightning or fell off the course. It is possible, with the dual-player karts for both characters to get Spiny Shells (though not at the same time), giving the same player two shells to use at different times. As in Mario Kart 64, Spiny Shells were not available for use in the Battle Mode in either Double Dash!! or Mario Kart DS.

Mario Kart Wii
The Spiny Shell made its latest appearance in Mario Kart Wii for the Wii. Its function is identical to Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The item is far more common in this game, especially if the options are changed prior to playing the Versus Mode. If the option is changed to “Aggressive,” then Spiny Shells are far more common and given to a variety of different race positions. In that setting, racers can get the items if they are as close as fifth place. The item is less common if the settings are changed to “Strategic” or “Balanced” but are still commonly given to players in the bottom positions. In the Grand Prix mode, items are usually given strategically based on positions. If a player is targeted for attack by a Spiny Shell or is in the vicinity to be hit by the blast, the player can avoid the attack by use of a Star, Mega Mushroom, or Bullet Bill, although those items are extremely rare for someone in a higher position to have.

Like in previous editions, it is possible (but very rare) to have a Spiny Shell in first place, while having received the item in a distant place and then jumped up to first. The Spiny Shell is never given to a racer in first place. If a player manages to jump to first place while still holding a Spiny Shell in his/her item box, he/she is forced to not use it, because if he/she did, it would hover directly above him/her and come back to attack him/her in an instant. Having a Spiny Shell in first place is the worst item to have, because it prevents the first place racer from collecting a different item. The only options are to not use the item at all, wait to get attacked in a manner in which the player would lose his/her item in the box, or drop out of first place to be able to shoot the item. As in Double Dash!!, the best strategy for avoiding a Spiny Shell is to simply drop out of first place as soon as one hears the shell coming. In that case, the shell would attack the racer that passed the player for first place. However, this could prove disastrous if the player didn’t drop out of first in time (or if that player were the one who jumped into first place in time to get attacked). If unsuccessful in dropping out of first in time, the Spiny Shell could already be locked in on the player and attack him/her, even if he/she is clearly in second place. If players are going to get hit by a Spiny Shell, the best way to make use of the attack is to slow down or swerve near other players behind them to get them caught up in the blast to avoid them from jumping out into the lead. As in Double Dash!!, the Spiny Shell always attacks the leading person in the race. Therefore, if the first place person already crossed the finish line, any Spiny Shells shot after that point will go to the active leader of the race ( in this case the second place racer). So, after the first place person finishes, the second place person and so on can be victims of Spiny Shell attacks if they are the unfinished leader in the race.

In the “team mode” of the Versus Mode, Spiny Shells (as with other items) cannot attack members of the same team. The Spiny Shell would go to the leader of the opposing team, even if that team leader is not in first place. Therefore, it is possible to get attacked by a Spiny Shell in as far back as fourth place if opposing team members are in front of the player. If a player on the red team had a Spiny Shell, the ensuing explosion would be red instead of blue. The Spiny Shell also makes its debut in the Battle Mode in Mario Kart Wii. Because of the controversially restructured nature of the Battle Mode, players who lose all their balloons simply re-spawn and may continue in the battle until the time expires. For that reason, Spiny Shells are available for use in the Battle Mode. Its function is similar to the regular races. When a player gets the item in the Battle Mode, he/she can shoot it into the air, where it will directly go to attack a random racer on the other team, sometimes attacking several of the other team players in one blast to garnish several points. Players on the same team cannot be attacked by an item from a teammate, and those also shooting the shell cannot be damaged from the blast of their own shell. So, teammates caught in the explosion simply drive right through it unaffected. Spiny Shells are the rarest of items received in the Battle Mode, and they are unavoidable unless the person targeted for the attack has a Star or Mega Mushroom.

Criticism
The Spiny Shell was one of the main criticisms in Mario Kart Wii because of its commonplace usage and unavoidable nature. If a player is in first place during the duration of a race, it is common for the player to be attacked upwards of four times or more with a Spiny Shell over the course of a race. However, if a computer player is in first place, they will be attacked with Spiny Shells far less. It is quite possible for the player to be in first place for the entire race but lose his/her position at the last possible second, due to a Spiny Shell attack from a last place racer. The excessive use of the item give an unfair advantage to the computer racers and undesirably increases the difficulty of the game for more experienced human players. Since the Spiny Shell is almost entirely unavoidable, it can be seen as a very frustrating method for the game to increase the difficulty of the race to make it harder to finish in first place. Because of the fast-paced nature of the races, being hit by a Spiny Shell while in first place can cause a player to fall from first to last place within inches of the finish line. This item is highly frustrating to racers who are always its victims in first place. In the Wi-Fi online mode in Mario Kart Wii, where all the players are humans, Spiny Shells will fly through the air many times and relentlessly attack the first place racer.

In addition to that, players in lower positions, such as seventh place or lower, do not benefit at all by using a Spiny Shell, despite commonly receiving the item. The item only attacks the far off first place person, which does not help at all in advancing places against those directly around the racer. Despite that, the item is commonly given to players in lower positions. If players receive a Spiny Shell in a lower position, the best strategy is to wait until he/she has climbed to a higher position and then use the shell. However, if players wait too long to use the shell, he/she could easily lose it from a variety of attacks. Because of the Spiny Shell's infamous nature, various forums and even Facebook groups have been set up for fans to discuss the possibility of changing the Spiny Shell in future games of the series, while others call for its complete removal from any future games.