????

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Split-arrows.svg It has been suggested that this page be split into the following: Sand Cheep, Sharkbone, ????. (discuss)

It has been requested that this article be rewritten. Reason: Organization of naming section now that firsthand source exists

This article is about the enemy in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. For other uses of name, see ???.

???? is a type of enemy found in Gwarhar Lagoon in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. They can be a Sharkbone, which is a skeletal shark-like creature, or a Sand Cheep, which appears to be a Blurp with a shark fin attached to its back. These enemies always appear in groups that include both Sharkbones and Sand Cheeps, so it is impossible to tell which kind would attack until the very last moment of the creature's attack. These creatures are often fought with Beanerang Bros.

The name "Sharkbone" is actually based on unused enemy name text and appears as the undead shark's name in the Nintendo Power guide[1]. This guide also refers to the Blurp-like fish as Puffer-Cheep[2] or Puffer Cheep[3], which is actually a different Cheep Cheep form encountered underneath Oho Ocean in the Oho Ocean Seabed (which is, itself, erroneously referred to as Puffy Cheep[4]). Additionally, the European version of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga contains "Sand-Cheep" replacing the equally-unused "Sharkbone" name in the German text.[5] The easy mode hints in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions refer to the skeletons as Sharkbones and the Blurp-like fish as Sand Cheeps, without the hyphen.

Sand Cheeps also make a brief appearance in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - they are used as projectiles of Shrooba Divers and bounce over the players.

Attacks

The ???? has two attacks, depending on which type it is: Sharkbones burrow under and attack Mario or Luigi for large damage and possible Poison; Sand Cheeps will jump right over Mario or Luigi, but if they jump, they will get hurt. ???? shuffle places each time one of them attacks, making it quite difficult to tell whether an attacker will be above or below Mario or Luigi. Therefore, the Mario Bros. could get hurt by a Sand Cheep, expecting it to be a Sharkbone, and vice-versa.

The Sharkbones stick their head out of the sand before attacking, while the Sand Cheeps provide no warning. However, when the brothers perform a regular Thunder Bros. attack on ????'s, and if at least one of them turns out to be a Sharkbone, the affected Sharkbones will immediately attack Mario and/or Luigi, one at a time. In the remake, the tops of any Sand Cheeps are visible for a few seconds at the start of a battle, thus providing more hint as to what to expect.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga statistics

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga enemy
???? (Sand Cheep)
The Blurp-like Sand Cheep from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. HP 50 POW 72 Defense 40
Speed 80 Experience 80 (50) Coins 10
Location Gwarhar Lagoon Jump Normal Hammer Normal
Hand Normal Fire Normal Thunder Normal
Stat down? 100% Stun? 30% Burn? 60%
Level 28 (26) Role Common Item drop Supersyrup Jar – 12.9% (Super Mushroom - 19.35%)
None – 0% (Green Pepper - 38.71%)
Notice
  • Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats).
  • Stats in gray are only found in the game's coding and are not available during "normal" gameplay.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga enemy
???? (Sharkbone)
A Sharkbone from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. HP 25 POW 72 Defense 40
Speed 80 Experience 120 (80) Coins 14 (10)
Location Gwarhar Lagoon Jump Normal Hammer Normal
Hand Normal Fire Normal Thunder Normal
Stat down? 100% Stun? 30% Burn? 0%
Level 29 (27) Role Common Item drop Ultrasyrup Jar (Supersyrup Jar) – 16.13%
None – 0% (Red Pepper - 35.48%)
Notice
  • Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats).
  • Stats in gray are only found in the game's coding and are not available during "normal" gameplay.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions enemy
???? (Sand Cheep)
Sprite of a Sand Cheep from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. HP 89 POW 88 DEF 82 SPEED 70 Experience 70
Fire Normal Thunder Normal Jump Normal Hammer Normal Coins 12
Stat down 100% Dizzy 60% Burn 0% Speed down 60% Item drop Super Syrup (20%)
Ultra Mushroom (12%)
Ultra Mushroom (40%)
Level           24 Location(s) Gwarhar Lagoon
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions enemy
???? (Sharkbone)
Sprite of a Sharkbone from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. HP 60 POW 121 DEF 88 SPEED 72 Experience 80
Fire Normal Thunder Normal Jump Normal Hammer Normal Coins 15
Stat down 0% Dizzy 100% Burn 60% Speed down 0% Item drop Red Pepper (20%)
Beast Badge (11%)
Beast Badge (20%)
Level           25 Location(s) Gwarhar Lagoon

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ????
スナプク (Blurp variant, guide)
Sunapuku
スナジロー (Shark variant)
Sunajirō


Sand Cheep

From Suna, sand, and 「ホオジロザメ」 Hōjirozame, great white shark

German ????
????
Italian ????
????
Spanish ¿¿¿¿????
????

Trivia

  • Despite some ???? being the "Sharkbone" variety, sharks do not have bones in reality - their skeletons are made of cartilage.
  • In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, the Sharkbones are level 25, but Sand Cheeps are level 24, which visibly distinguishes the two of them.
  • Sand Cheeps and Sharkbones are two of the few enemies to not appear in Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser.

References

  1. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Pages 88 & 127
  2. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 88
  3. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 127
  4. ^ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 86
  5. ^ The Mushroom Kingdom: Lost Bytes