Amp

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Template:Species-infobox Amps are small, electrified, and spherical metal balls that have appeared as enemies throughout the Mario franchise. Their name stems from "ampere" (often shortened to "amp"), the standard unit of measurement for the flow of electrical currents. It debuted in Super Mario 64.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

Amps circling around crystals while Mario is looking at them in Bowser in the Dark World.
Three Amps circling around crystals in Super Mario 64.

Amps make their first appearance in Super Mario 64 and are featured in several levels throughout Super Mario 64 and its remake, Super Mario 64 DS. Similar to Li'l Sparkies and Hotheads, they move around objects and platforms, and if Mario comes into contact with one, he will be shocked and lose one wedge of health. Amps cannot be defeated in this game. Amps can be found in Bowser in the Dark World, Shifting Sand Land, Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Snowman's Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, and Bowser in the Sky. While being electrocuted, Mario will flash and become immobile for about one second.

New Super Mario Bros.

Mario at World 4-Tower, with many fences
Amps in New Super Mario Bros..
A model of an Amp.

Amps reappear as an uncommon enemy in New Super Mario Bros., in World 3-Tower, World 4-Tower and World 7-Castle. In this game, they appear mostly in groups, and if Mario comes in contact with one, he will be shocked. They can only be defeated with a Mega Mushroom, Koopa Shell or Starman. They will lose their electricity for a moment if they shock Mario or Luigi, except for ones on fences, which will disappear after they shock the player.

Super Mario Galaxy

An Amp
Artwork of Amps from Super Mario Galaxy.

Amps can also be found in many areas of Super Mario Galaxy, including the Buoy Base Galaxy, the Battlerock Galaxy, the Space Junk Galaxy, the Toy Time Galaxy, and the Dreadnought Galaxy. They have faces, and their eyes and mouth are both bright red. There also other Amps that are large, face-less orbs, called Big Amps. Similar to Super Mario 64, Amps cannot be defeated. However, the second player can freeze them in place. They also appear in the Bubble Blast Galaxy where they move in groups of two.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

File:Ampsnsmbwii.PNG
Amps as they appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Amps also appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as rare enemies, behaving as they did in New Super Mario Bros. Only six of them appear in the first half of World 3-Tower. They can be defeated by freezing them with icy projectiles from the Ice Flower or Penguin Suit and then Ground Pounding them, touching them with a character using a Star, or by having a frozen enemy thrown at them. The player(s) must dodge the Amps to reach the Red Coins.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

File:SMG2 SS Amp.png
Two Amps from Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Amps reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, behaving and appearing the same way they did in the predecessor. However, they can now be defeated by using a Rainbow Star. They appear in Sky Station Galaxy, Space Storm Galaxy, and Spin-Dig Galaxy.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Amps
Amps in New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Amps reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo 3DS. They act just like they did in the predecessor and appear in the levels World 4-B and World Flower-Warp Cannon. Additionally, Amps can also be seen moving on lines, like Fuzzies.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Amps in New Super Mario Bros. U.

Amps and Big Amps reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, appearing only in Snake Block Tower and in Ludwig's Clockwork Castle. They behave like in the predecessor. There is also a new variation known as Bowser Stunners that conduct electricity with each other.

Mario Party series

Amp
An Amp in Mario Party 8.

They appear in various games in the Mario Party series.

Mario Party 3

In Mario Party 3, they appear in Motor Rooter, where they create shock waves.

Mario Party 4

In Mario Party 4, the Sparky Sticker (Waluigi's favorite item) is a sticker of an Amp.

Mario Party 5

Shock Absorbers from Mario Party 5
Amps in the Mario Party 5 minigame Shock Absorbers.

They also appear as orbs in Mario Party 5, but they were referred to by the traditional name of "Amps". They are also the main obstacle in Shock Absorbers.

Mario Party Advance

MPA Amp.png

A notable Amp appears in Mario Party Advance, gambling in Town Game Room B. Generic Amps also appear in the minigames Amplifried, Cloud Climb, and Broom Zoom as hazards, where they continuously emit electricity that harms the player.

Mario Party 6

Amps appear in Mario Party 6 as the Zap Orb. Once a player passed over a set Zap Orb, they would lose five coins for each space they moved beyond it for the rest of their turn. They're the only enemies in Circuit Maximus minigame.

Mario Party 7

Amps once again return in Mario Party 7, still in the form of the Zap Orb, which had the same effect as before. However, the player lost three coins for every space instead of five.

Mario Party 8

An Amp also appears in the Mario Party 8 minigame Specter Inspector. They were one of the nine enemies that needed to be found in the minigames. It is found under a cover on the table.

Mario Party: Island Tour

Amps appear in Mario Party: Island Tour in the minigame Amp My Style where they serve as obstacles for the players, as well as tiles in the minigames Match Faker and Tap Dash and as the constellation in the minigame Starring Artist.

Mario Party 10

In Bowser's Wicked Wheel, a minigame from Mario Party 10, two pairs of Amps form electrical bonds at the left and, respectively, right sides of the running wheel, restraining the inner bottom surface as ground for the playable characters. The characters, who would have to constantly run in the wheel while Bowser rotates it, are thusly barred by the Amps, and will lose a heart upon contacting their dangerous links. As the wheel goes round to the left and the characters run to the right to resist getting drafted into the left Amp barrier, Bowser might suddenly stop the wheel and send the tormented characters towards the other Amp barrier on the right, due to inertia.

Mario Party: Star Rush

Amps appear as obstacles in the minigame Corkscrew Climb in Mario Party: Star Rush. Players need to jump over them as they automatically ascend a tower. If a player touches the Amp, the player is knocked out and sent to the back of the line of players. Additionally, they are the main obstacles of a mode named Challenge Tower, where they are hidden and if a player touches them, the player receives a game over. The tower's spaces light up in accordance to the number of Amps adjacent to the space, and Amps are never found directly next to each other.

Mario Sports Superstars

Amps appear in Mario Sports Superstars as obstacles in boss battles with the Yellow Magikoopa in the Road to Superstar mode. Yellow Magikoopa can spawn them and toss them straight towards the cards.

Appearance and traits

Amps originally sported white "cross-popping" veins, joyful red eyes, and rounded metallic lips with a pure red mouth. Since Super Mario 64 DS and Mario Party 7, their appearance has been changed a bit. They now have more jagged yellow eyes and a larger, jagged mouth. Their lips are now white, with a pink tongue and black interior being visible inside the mouth. They are also now black rather than grayish and sport no angry veins.

Profiles and statistics

Mario Party: Star Rush

Image Name Bio
Amp as viewed in the Character Museum from Mario Party: Star Rush Amp
A black sphere buzzing with electricity.
"All that crackling energy can't be healthy... Perhaps you'd better avoid touching these things."

Name in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ビリキュー
Birikyū
From biribiri, mimetic word for statement being zapped and kyū, "sphere".

German Sparky
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Italian Amperino
From ampere and -ino, a diminutive suffix
Portuguese Faísca
Spark
Spanish (NOA) Chispayaso
Pun on chispa (spark) and payaso (clown)
Spanish (NOE) Amp
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Trivia

  • In the pyramid of Shifting Sand Land in Super Mario 64, there are two Amps that, instead of circling around objects, come out of walls in a circular pattern (thus circling nothing). However, these Amps do not appear in the DS remake.
  • In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, there is an unused model that controls Amps on lines, similar to Fuzzies. These line controlled Amps make an actual appearance in New Super Mario Bros. 2.

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