So, how well do you know your enemies?
Hmm?
Probably not as well as you think.
But don't worry.
I'm here to help by providing the origins, history, and even trivia of some of your favorite
enemies.
They can be from well-known titles or absolute bombs.
But they are memorable, and that's what matters.
And who better to begin with than the humble Goomba.
This little guy is well known since he is the first enemy encountered in the original
Super Mario Bros.
However, that wasn't always the case.
It used to be the Koopa Troopa.
But as the game was being developed, testers at the time felt that the iconic turtles were
far too tricky to take out.
Shigeru Miyamoto and his team knew they needed a much simpler enemy.
One that could teach players that Mario could jump on enemies without fear of being hurt.
The problem was they were nearly out of space on the cartridge.
So, the only way they could solve this was by making the new enemy design as simple as
possible.
Hence, the Goomba.
And after the design of Goombas was settled, they used a single image twice to convey the
Goombas walking animation.
The flipping of these two images provided the illusion that the Goombas were walking
along at a nice trot.
See?
One foot forward then the other.
Very clever.
The design of the Goomba was also very purposeful.
Players will note that they are almost the exact same size and shape as the Super Mushroom.
Since power-ups weren't yet common in the days of early gaming, the first Goomba served
as a teaching tool.
You see, even if players thought the Super Mushroom was an enemy, when they went to jump
on one, it would provide the power-up.
Incidentally, Goombas themselves were designed to resemble a shitake mushroom.
Though that is a little odd since its Japanese name, Kuribo, means Chestnut People.
But that's not the only odd thing about Goomba's name.
Coincidentally, the word Goomba also serves as an Italian slang word though this version
is spelled with an 'H' at the end.
It's a term that is often used by Italian-Americans to describe themselves and others though it
has emerged as a derogatory word over the years.
Goombahs also serve as a way to say a man is in the mafia which is oddly appropriate
considering that Goombas are in Bowser's Koopa Troop.
In the story of Super Mario Bros., at least the one found in the manual, it's revealed
that the Goombas used to live peacefully with the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom.
But at some unknown point they decided to turn traitorous and joined up with Bowser.
But even though most Goombas work for Bowser, that doesn't mean that they're all evil.
At least not in the Mario RPGs.
While they still serve as enemies in those games, Mario will also encounter nicer ones,
most notably the Goomba Village in Paper Mario and Goombella and Professor Frankly in Paper
Mario: The Thousand Year Door.
Over the years and across the many Mario games, Goombas have appeared in almost every one
of them in some capacity.
Their tactics rarely change, if they even have any tactics at all.
In the 2D games, Goombas would just kind of wander aimlessly hoping to bump into Mario.
Maybe it was because they always sidled along not looking ahead.
When the 3D games came along, they would actually rush after Mario whenever he came into sight.
They still weren't that effective, but at least they were trying at this point.
Goombas have changed little over the years.
They didn't even have a visible mouth until Super Mario Bros. 3.
However, they are about the most adaptable of the Koopa Troop.
They've appeared in almost every area save for underwater and even took on the form of
Bowser in the first castle of the original game.
And though the basic Goomba hasn't really changed after all this time, that doesn't
mean there aren't variants.
In Mario 3 they used a special shoe that could even stomp on spikes.
Known as Kuribo's shoe, it became an immensely popular item despite appearing in only one
level.
And it really should have been called Goomba's Shoe since Kuribo is its Japanese name.
But then there's the Goombas in Super Mario World.
Unlike every other game, these guys are rounded and simply cannot be stomped.
Instead they are flipped over and can be carried and thrown much like a Koopa shell.
The reason for this change was never really made known and never carried over into any
of the future games.
That is, until the revelation of Super Mario 3D World.
Before this game, they were never given a distinction from regular Goombas in the American
releases while in Japan they were referred to as Kuribon.
However, they were officially given the American name Galoombas for their appearance in 3D
World.
Of course this isn't even counting all the other variants of the Goombas that have popped
up over the years.
Paragoombas, Microgoombas, Goombos, Grand Goombas, Red Paragoombas, Octoombas, Goombeetles,
Jack O' Goombas, Prickly Goombas, Tail Goombas, Goomba Stacks, Bone Goombas, Mad Goombas,
Sad Goombas, Sad Paragoombas, Mad Red Paragoombas, and even the Goomboss.
And there's still more out there from the Mario RPGs.
Goombas are everywhere in the Mario universe.
Perhaps even the world of Zelda where a few made an appearance in Link's Awakening along
with other Mario enemies.
Heck, Goombas even appeared in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Well, not really.
I mean seriously guys.
Goomba.
Not Goomba.
Goomba.
Not Goomba.
These...things look more like shell-less Koopa Troopas.
Come on Hollywood.
For shame.
And they really should feel shame.
Because for many, the Goomba was the first enemy they ever fought.
He's not hard, not strong, not even that intelligent.
But he is everywhere, ready to get in Mario's way and maybe, just maybe, take him down.
And that, my friends, is why you should know your enemy.
It just may save your virtual life.