Power-ups Explained: Mushroom, Fire Flower, Starman and 1-Up
What every power-up in Mario.Game Adventure does, how damage works, where to find them and how they differ from the original Super Mario Bros.
5 min read
Power-ups are the heart of any Mario-style game. In Mario.Game Adventure they work much like in the 1985 classic, with one friendly difference in how damage works.
Super Mushroom
The red-and-white mushroom comes out of certain ? blocks when you are small. It slides to the right and falls off ledges, so chase it. Touch it to become big: you are twice as tall, can break bricks from below and survive one hit. Collecting it is worth 1,000 points.
Fire Flower
If you are already big, the same power-up block produces a Fire Flower instead of a mushroom. It does not move. With it, press the run button to throw fireballs that bounce along the ground. At most two fireballs can be on screen at once, so aim each shot. Fireballs defeat every regular enemy, including Spinies and Piranha Plants, for 200 points each, and they damage the castle boss.
Starman
The bouncing star hides in specific bricks. It makes you invincible for roughly ten seconds, with its own music. Enemies you touch are knocked away, and each enemy in the chain is worth more: 100, 200, 400, 500, 800, 1,000, 2,000 and so on, until the chain starts awarding extra lives.
1-Up Mushroom
The green mushroom gives an extra life. Some sit in bricks; others are in invisible blocks you must find by jumping in empty air. Collecting 100 coins also gives a 1-Up.
How damage works
| Your state | Hit by an enemy |
|---|---|
| Small | Lose a life |
| Big | Shrink to small |
| Fire | Drop to big |
This is a little kinder than the NES original, where fire Mario shrank straight to small. After being hit you blink and are safe from damage for about two seconds. Falling into a pit or lava always costs a life, whatever your power.
Power-ups carry over
Whatever state you finish a level in, you start the next one the same way. Losing a life resets you to small. That makes it worth playing carefully near the end of a level when you have the flower.
Where to find them
Every level has at least one power-up block near the start. See the walkthrough for exact locations and the secrets guide for all stars and hidden 1-Ups.
