Spikey (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)

Spikeys are common creatures that appear in the game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. They heavily resemble the Spinies from the original Super Mario Bros. and other Mario series titles, but unlike Spinies, Spikeys are bipedal and have their heads tucked into their shells. Also like Spinies, Spikeys can be dropped from above by Lakitus. They are first seen in Mushroom Way, and later appear in Bandit's Way and the Pipe Vault.

At Mushroom Way, Spikeys appear in the last section of the level, being dropped by a Lakitu that hovers overhead (and cannot be attacked). This Lakitu will drop Spikeys until there are about four on the ground, and will replenish their numbers as Mario defeats the creatures in combat. Once dropped to the ground, a Spikey will wander around the area until it bumps into Mario, prompting a battle to begin. A couple Spikeys even hide behind bushes to ambush Mario as he walks by. If they miss, they will return into hiding, waiting for their next opportunity to strike. The Spikeys of Bandit's Way are a bit more aggressive, as they will attack Mario on sight and actively pursue him if they miss.

In battle, a Spikey attacks by either rolling up into a spiked ball and striking its opponent, or by shooting a spike at its target. Mario cannot jump on a Spikey with any of his jump attacks, unless he is wearing a pair of Jump Shoes. Although he will not be hurt by its spikes, the Spikey will receive no damage. Indeed, a Spikey's Psychopath thought even dares Mario to try to jump on it, knowing full well the attack will be futile (without the Jump Shoes). Likewise, a Spikey cannot be eaten by Yoshi if Mario's party uses a Yoshi Cookie, presumably because of the Spikey's shell of sharp spikes.

Spikeys often attack in groups of two or three, and will sometimes be accompanied into battle by a Sky Troopa or a Frogog. In Bandit's Way, Spikeys will also appear alongside Goombas and K-9s. Spikeys appear in the Pipe Vault as well, although by this point in the game they are extremely weak compared to Mario's party. Besides attacking alongside Goombas like in Bandit's Way, Spikeys also appear in the Goomba Thumping mini-game inside the Pipe Vault, where they cause Mario to lose one point if he jumps on them, again because of their sharp spikes.

Spikeys have a green counterpart called Spikester that appears in Booster Pass, and a purple counterpart called Oerlikon that appears in Barrel Volcano.

Trivia

 * Spikeys have a unused sub-species named Super Spike.