Time Bob-omb

The Time Bob-omb is a type of Bob-omb that appears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. It is a small maroon Bob-omb that first shows up during the boss battles with Roy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, and Larry Koopa in Bowser's Castle. It cannot be targeted, and serves the role of adding a turn limit to the battles; if the digital timer on its face reaches zero before the boss is defeated, the Mario Bros. are instantly knocked out.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In the original Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the Time Bob-omb is set to eight at the start of each fight, with a text box explaining the win condition: defeat the Koopaling in question before its timer hits 0, with Mario and Luigi having eight turns each to do so. It steps forward and counts down before each of Mario and Luigi's subsequent turns; upon hitting '0', it will run at the Mario Bros. and set itself off. Under normal circumstances, this will always KO both Mario and Luigi, resulting in a Game Over. If Mario and Luigi successfully defeat the Koopalings within eight turns, the Time Bob-omb will flee.

However, the damage the Time Bob-omb actually does to the Mario Bros. can be affected by their HP and Defense stats. It is possible through legitimate means for Mario and/or Luigi to have high enough stats that they survive the damage from the Time Bob-omb's explosion; in this event, the boss battle will continue as normal without any time limit.

During the Bowletta boss fight, when Mario and Luigi have nearly defeated her, a cutscene occurs where a Time Bob-omb appears behind the Mario Bros. and self-destructs right next to them, KOing the pair. This allows Bowletta to suck them into her stomach, where they fight Cackletta's Soul. As with the Koopalings, it is possible for Mario and Luigi to survive the explosion; however, Bowletta will act as if the Bros. are unconscious, and sucks them in anyway.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
The Time Bob-omb reappears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, where it serves the same function as the original game with some notable differences. First, the Time Bob-omb will deal a set 999 damage regardless of Mario and Luigi's own stats, ensuring that the explosion always KOs them. In addition, Roy also explains how it works to the Mario Bros. during the start of his boss battle. Furthermore, each Time Bob-omb now has a different turn count for the Koopaling boss battles, and the turn limit lowers with each successive battle; it explodes after nine turns when fighting Roy, seven turns when fighting Wendy, and five turns when fighting Larry. If Mario and Luigi defeat the Koopaling within the given turn limit, the Time Bob-omb will detonate harmlessly.

Names in other languages
Cronobomba