Rock Block
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| Rock Block | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario 3D World | |
| First appearance | Mario & Wario (1993) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) |
Rock Blocks[1][2][3][4] (or rock blocks)[5] are a variety of blocks appearing throughout the Super Mario franchise. They are made of stone and typically harder to break than other blocks. They usually require the player to perform a particularly strong move or be under the effect of a specific power-up to break. In most appearances, Rock Blocks function similarly to the Black Bricks in Super Mario 64 DS.
There are similar objects in the Super Mario series called Hard Blocks, a throwable Stone in Super Mario Maker 2, and an obstruction called the stone block in Paper Mario, but they have different properties from the Rock Block. In Super Mario Odyssey, the Brick Blocks in the Wooded Kingdom are made of stone but otherwise function normally.
HistoryEdit
Mario & WarioEdit
Rock Blocks are nearly identical to later appearances in Mario & Wario, being hit once to be cracked open.
Yoshi's Island seriesEdit
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's IslandEdit
Cracked blocks[6] are found in many levels of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. In the Yoshi franchise, Cracked blocks are large blocks made of a durable type of rock, and can only be destroyed with Yoshi Eggs.
Yoshi's Island DSEdit
Rock Blocks return in Yoshi's Island DS, and only Baby Donkey Kong can destroy them with eggs or a ground pound.
Yoshi's StoryEdit
Rock blocks appear in Yoshi's Story. They are roughly the same as in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, as they can only be destroyed by Yoshi Eggs. Golden rock blocks also appear in the game; they cannot be destroyed by any means.
Wario WorldEdit
A different variety of Rock Blocks appeared as obstacles that Wario encountered during the events of Wario World. They can be small or very large, but each has a weak point indicated by a cracked side with a bandage on it. Wario can break these blocks by punching or Ground Pounding the weak side. The blocks can also be destroyed by using a Piledriver, Wild Swing-Ding, or Mega Toss. In some areas, Rock Blocks can move upward and slam down like a Thwomp to squash Wario.
Super Mario seriesEdit
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3Edit
Gray-colored Brick Blocks working like Rock Blocks appear in World-e of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, a reissue of Super Mario Bros. 3. These blocks specifically appear in the levels A Sky-High Adventure and Puzzling Pipe Maze, in which they appear to obstruct certain pathways. These solid blocks cannot be destroyed easily, breaking only by using the Hammer Suit or the Tanooki Suit's statue mode. Unlike Brick Blocks and White Blocks, these gray blocks do not glisten.
On the Japanese e-Reader card for Puzzling Pipe Maze, Roy Koopa claims to have invented these blocks by himself.
Super Mario GalaxyEdit
In Rolling Gizmo Galaxy, stone blocks[7] cover holes needed to progress. They are destroyed when Mario collides with them on the Rolling Ball.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryEdit
Rock Blocks reappear in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury as a gray variation of Big Blocks, thus resembling larger variants of the gray-colored Brick Blocks from Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. They cannot be destroyed by the player on their own (except when under the effects of a Mega Mushroom); therefore, the player must make use of other means to break them, such as Bob-ombs, cannonballs, having them be hit by a Conkdor, among others.
In the Bowser's Fury campaign of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, throwing a Green Shell at a Rock Block destroys it.
Super Mario Maker 2Edit
In Super Mario Maker 2, Hard Blocks take the form of Rock Blocks in the Super Mario 3D World level style.
Super Mario Bros. WonderEdit
Rock Blocks reappear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder in Jewel-Block Cave's Wonder Effect, where it can only be destroyed by either Big Konks or Giant Spiked Balls.
Captain Toad: Treasure TrackerEdit
Rock Blocks reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS ports, where they are identical to the Super Mario 3D World version.
Mario & Luigi: Paper JamEdit
Rock Blocks return in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, as obstacles that can be broken by the Trio Hammer move. They appear primarily in Doop Doop Dunes.
GalleryEdit
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Yoshi's Story
Super Mario Maker 2 (Hard Block in Super Mario 3D World style)
Names in other languagesEdit
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ひびブロック[8] Hibi Burokku 岩ブロック Iwa Burokku ロックブロック[9] Rokku Burokku |
Cracked Block Stone Block Rock Block |
| German | Fels-Block |
Rock Block |
| Italian | Blocco di Roccia[10] Blocco pietra (Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker) Blocco roccia[11] Blocco Roccia[12] |
Block [made out] of Rock Stone block Rock block Rock Block |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ (November 1993). Nintendo Magazine System (UK) Issue #14. Page 48.
- ^ (April 1994). Nintendo Magazine System (AU) Issue #13. Page 16.
- ^ Wario World instruction booklet, page 22 (British English) or page 24 (American English).
- ^ Musa, Alexander; Hatchett, Geson (2013). Super Mario 3D World PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0804162494. Page 19.
- ^ "Rock block, so blue and hard. Break it with eggs, leave it in shards." – Message Block. Yoshi's Story.
- ^ Miller, Kent; Munson, Terry (1995). Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 28.
- ^ (2007). Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-76155-713-5. Page 313.
- ^ Mario & Wario instruction booklet, page 8.
- ^ (2015). Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario 3D World section. Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 234.
- ^ Wario World Italian manual, pag. 22
- ^ Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Italian e-manual, section 9
- ^ Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia; pag. 234