Bill Blaster: Difference between revisions

|variants=[[Air Cannon]]<br>[[B. Bill Blaster]]<br>[[Banzai Bill Cannon]]<br>[[Big Blaster]]<br>[[Bill Blaster Turret]]<br>[[Bull's-Eye Blaster]]<br>[[Gold Bill Blaster]]<br>[[Torpedo tube]]

|comparable=[[Burner]]<br>[[Cannon]]

'''Bill Blasters''', originally known as a '''Turtle Cannons'''<ref>Hiroo Tochikubo, ''[[How to win at Super Mario Bros.]]'', Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 4-19-720003-XC. Page 14.</ref><ref>''Nintendo Power'' Volume 13, page 9. "''Turtle Cannons relentlessly fire this living, deadly projectile at Mario.''"</ref> and also referred to as '''Bullet Bill Cannons''',<ref>M. Arakawa. ''NES Game Atlas'' Page 35. "''If you stay close to pipes with Piranha Flowers inside, they won’t come out. Likewise, Bullet Bill Cannons won't fire if you’re near.''"</ref> simply '''Cannons''',<ref>Nintendo ''Mario Mania'' Player's Guide. Page 167.</ref> or '''Bullet Bill Launchers''',<ref>''[[Prima Games|Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide]]'', ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'' Confidential Information Tab.</ref> are black cannons that fire [[Bullet Bill]]s from either side. Bill Blasters are usually used as defense emplacements in [[fortress]]es and [[castle]]s. While some Bill Blasters are pure black, others have a design (usually a skull icon) emblazoned on their sides.

[[File:Bullet Bill SM64.png|thumb|A Turtle Cannon as it appears in ''Super Mario 64'']]

A single Turtle Cannon appears in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''. This Turtle Cannon is found on the top of the tower in [[Whomp's Fortress]] after the player defeats the [[Whomp King]]. It looks drastically different from its previous appearances, more resembling a simple gray box with a hole for launching Bullet Bills rather than an actual cannon. This is the only game in which Mario can force a Turtle Cannon to fire; it will do so if he performs a [[Ground Pound|Pound the Ground]] attack on top of it.

In ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'', another Turtle Cannon appears in Whomp's Fortress in the new area surrounding the fortress, after a large gap, and more can be found in [[Dire, Dire Docks]] before the player completes [[Bowser in the Fire Sea]]. The ability to force out a Bullet Bill via a Pound the Ground attack has been removed, and Turtle Cannons can now be destroyed using a [[Super Mushroom|mushroom]].

In ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', Bill Blasters (localized as '''Bullet Bill cannons''')<ref>Fletcher Black. ''Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition)''. Roseville: [[Prima Games]], 2007. Page 55. ISBN: 978-0-76155-713-5.</ref> appear in many of the game's levels. They are often found on planets or other areas where various items are trapped in cages, where [[Mario]] must lure a [[Bullet Bill]] from the Bill Blaster to the cage or cages in order to access what is inside. Their appearance here is more typical of a cannon and noticeably lacks the familiar skull icon. The Bullet Bills they shoot out will home in on Mario upon becoming aware of his presence. Some Bill Blasters can be destroyed by luring the Bullet Bill back. Others are too far into their base for one to reach.

Bill Blasters, referred to simply as '''Blasters''', appear as enemies in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' and [[Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|its remake]]. They shoot Bullet Bills in and out of battle, which made them both typical enemies as well as part of the environment. When engaged in battle in the original game, they are shown to take aim by moving directly in front of their target, whereas in the remake, they simply pivot to face the target. They are especially weak against lightning magical attacks.  

Turtle Cannons make an appearance in ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'' where they look slightly different. Much like previous games, most shoot Bullet Bills forward, though some will shoot them upward.