In the Mario series, the Health Meter is an on-screen indicator of how much health Mario (or another character) currently has left. It usually appears somewhere on the top of the screen, but can also appear in other locations onscreen as well.
History
Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, Mario’s Health Meter is normally not displayed on the screen until he takes considerable damage from falling or touching enemies, etc. When it does appear, it is displayed on the top middle of the screen. In this game, it is shaped like Mario’s head, with a circle in the middle which displays 8 health sections. When he takes damage, some of the sections will gradually disappear.
The color of the health sections corresponds to the number of health sections that remain after he has taken damage: 8-7 sections = Blue, 6-5 sections = Green, 4-3 sections = Yellow, and 1-2 sections = Red. Mario can refill his Health Meter by collecting various coins: Yellow Coins will replenish one section, Red Coins will replenish two sections, and Blue Coins will replenish five sections. He can also refill it by running through Spinning Hearts, which can be found in most if not all of the levels. The faster he runs through them, the more health he will regain.
When the Health Meter reaches two sections, Mario will begin to pant when standing still, though he can still perform moves. If the Health Meter runs out at any time, Mario will lose a life and forcibly exit whatever level he is currently in (excluding Peach’s Castle). It will automatically go to zero if he is crushed by a Whomp or Thwomp. When he no longer has any lives left, he will be given a Game Over.
In this game, Mario’s Health Meter also acts as his breath meter when he dives underwater. After diving underwater, the health sections will gradually deplete. When only two sections remain, an alarm will begin to go off; if Mario does not surface before the two chunks have completely run out, he will lose a life. On the flip side, if Mario remains in the water with his head above the water, the health meter will completely refill (except at Snowman's Land, where the water would deplete his health, regardless of if his head is above water). It will also automatically refill immediately after Mario exits a level if it’s not already filled.
Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario’s Health Meter is appropriately shaped like a sun. Again, it will not visibly appear onscreen until Mario takes enough damage. When it appears, it will be positioned in the top right corner of the screen. There are once again 8 sections of health, which comprise the rays of the sun. The inside of the “sun meter” is a spiral shape, though this cannot be filled up.
It is normally a golden-orange color when completely filled, and each individual section will “flash” when completely filled. When Mario takes damage, the rays of the sun will gradually become blacked out to signify the loss of energy. When they have been blacked out, they will no longer flash. He can regain energy by collecting Yellow Coins, which will refill one section, or Red Coins, which will refill two sections (Blue Coins will no longer work in this game as they are traded for Shine Sprites instead).
When the Health Meter has lost five sections of energy, an alarm will start to sound for the remaining three sections of health. As each section after this is gradually lost, the alarm will sound faster, and the energy sections will flash to match its warning. As it gets gradually lower, Mario will start to droop lower and lower, visibly getting weaker from the lack of energy. When it has been completely depleted, Mario will lose a life, or if he has no more to lose, will receive a Game Over.
Like Super Mario 64, this meter also doubles as Mario’s air meter when he is underwater, the only difference being that the entire meter turns blue when he swims underwater. The health sections will gradually begin to deplete when he swims underwater. When the meter depletes to three sections, an alarm will sound as it gets steadily lower, and will continue to do so until Mario collects a coin or returns to the surface.
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, the Health Meter will appear in the top righthand corner of the screen after Mario has taken considerable damage, or after Mario has remained inactive for a certain period of time. It is shaped like a circle (or arguably, a planet) and has a total of only 3 health sections as opposed to the 8 in the previous two games. Thus, Mario can lose a life in only three hits if he is not careful. If he has no lives left, he will get a Game Over.
One of the new features of this game involves the inclusion of a new item called the Life Mushroom, which will increase Mario’s Health Bar from 3 to 6 when it is collected. However, if at any time the health sections drop back below 4, the Health Bar will revert back to 3, until such time as another Life Mushroom is collected.
The coloration of the regular Health Meter in this game is as follows: 3 sections – Blue, 2 Sections – Yellow, and 1 section – Red. The additional 3 sections that are added as a result of the Life Mushroom are all colored green, and do not change color unless the Health Meter drops below 4.
As neither Red Coins nor Blue Coins appear in this game, they cannot be used to refill Mario’s Health Meter when it gets low. Instead, he must seek out regular Yellow Coins, which can be collected after defeating most enemies. Purple Coins make their first appearance in this game, but they do not affect the Health Meter in any way.
When the Health Meter drops below 2 (and there is only one section left), a warning alarm will begin to sound. This will continue until Mario is able to pick up at least one coin, which will fill it up again. Also, the Health Meter is different from Mario’s air meter when he swims underwater. The meter that does appear when he is underwater is similar to the meter that appears when Mario is flying as Bee Mario. Mario will only start taking damage underwater when his air gauge is fully depleted.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
The Health Meter in Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks and behaves in exactly the same way as it did in its predecessor. One minor difference includes the fact that if the player collects a Life Mushroom while one is still in effect, he/she will receive a 1-Up. This feature was not included in the previous game.
Gallery
- SMS Health Meter 8.JPG
Mario's Health Meter in Super Mario Sunshine as it is displayed when he is underwater. - SMG Health Meter 6.JPG
Mario's Health Meter in Super Mario Galaxy after he has collected a Life Mushroom.