Supper Mario Broth: Special Zone, Issue 27 (Patreon)

Welcome, everyone, to the 27th issue of Supper Mario Broth: Special Zone.

Today, I will modify the code of Super Mario All-Stars to allow me to wear a Goomba's Shoe in every level of Super Mario Bros. 3 and showcase all the interactions of the shoe with other objects that would not occur during normal gameplay.

Goomba's Shoe World Tour

Few power-ups in the Mario series were as popular, and as underutilized, as the Goomba's Shoe, which appeared in only one level of Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1989, then one additional e-Reader level in Super Mario Advance 4 in 2003, before finally becoming freely available as a course element in Super Mario Maker in 2015. Despite being so limited in its appearances, it is widely regarded as a memorable part of Super Mario Bros. 3, and it was likely that this was the reason Nintendo included it in Super Mario Maker.

Although known as "Kuribo's Shoe" in the first revision of Super Mario Bros. 3 (cartridges printed later actually use the "Goomba's Shoe" name, see below) and in the Super Mario All-Stars version, the name of the item was officially made "Goomba's Shoe" in Super Mario Advance 4 and remained such since, which is why I will use it in this article.

The fundamental problem with this item is that it is coded to disappear whenever Mario finishes a level. This made it impossible to use outside of Level 5-3, the only level it was originally available in. However, with some manipulation of the code, it is possible to cause Mario to assume his Goomba's Shoe form in any level. 

I have used the Action Replay codes 23C0E1F6 and 23C26904 on the North American version of Super Mario All-Stars to obtain the footage in this article. The code has the following effect: Mario starts each level as Super Mario. Touching any power-up, or taking damage, causes him to become Super Mario in a Goomba's Shoe. Taking damage again reverts him to Super Mario. You can use the codes yourself if you wish to try out these interactions in person.

Before I start, here are the different objects the shoe can interact with during a normal playthrough, by virtue of existing in Level 5-3: Spinies, Piranha Plants, Fire Piranha Plants (known in that game as Venus Fire Traps), Bob-ombs, Munchers and other Shoe Goombas, as well as regular terrain. The interactions with everything else - all other enemies and hazards in the game - can only be seen using this, or a similar, code.

Starting off in Level 1-1, we can see that the shoe is displaying correctly, due to the tileset being shared with Level 5-3:

As we will see later, only a minority of levels have correct shoe graphics; most do not due to the shoe never being intended to appear there and the tile map being used for other entities.

Going through the level, we can see our first normally unseen Goomba's Shoe interaction:

The shoe defeats a Paragoomba in one hit instead of in two. This behavior was later also used in the Super Mario Maker games; however, note that this is not the rule. As we will see, many behaviors in this game are contrary to how the shoe operates in Super Mario Maker.

The same concept of defeating a winged enemy in one hit instead of two applies to Koopa Paratroopas, as well.

In Level 1-2, we can see how the shoe walks up slopes, since they are also absent from Level 5-3:

The movement is much smoother than in Super Mario Maker, with the shoe bouncing off the ground on every second frame.

Also in this level, we can see how Mario looks while under the effect of a Super Star inside the shoe:

This is also used in Super Mario Maker, where the shoe does not change colors either.

In Level 1-3 we see the first of a long line of interactions that could be expected to be in the favor of the shoe, but result in it being lost:

The boomerangs thrown by the Boomerang Bros. can not be jumped on.

Here, we can also witness a particularly interesting effect, that of Micro-Goombas: 

The Micro-Goombas, which cause regular Mario to walk slowly and be unable to jump high, cause the shoe to make very quick, very small jumps. It also appears that each pixel traveled while inside the shoe causes the Micro-Goombas to lose energy, as they fall off much faster than with regular Mario, who needs to either jump or mash different directions for them to disappear.

The shoe is also able to perform the white block trick and access the secret room:

Note the crossed-out tiles for the shoe inside Toad's house, this is due to that tileset being much smaller than the level tileset, causing the shoe to call invalid sprite addresses, which the game displays as crosses.

In Level 1-4, we see the first example of a regular level's tileset not supporting the shoe, making its graphics appear as garbled versions of other objects:

The front of the shoe is the back half of a green Cheep-Cheep, while the back alternated between a segment of a spinning platforms and a half of a squashed Goomba.

In the fortress of World 1, we can try to stomp the Roto-Disc:

Surprisingly, it works, in the exact same way it is stompable by Statue Mario. It is easy to assume that the shoe simply inherits properties from Statue Mario, but as we continue, it will become apparent that the set of objects Statue Mario destroys and the set the shoe destroys are quite different.

We can also see garbled sprites exclusive to the fortress levels, containing Boom Boom's face in the wrong colors.

In Level 1-5, we can test the shoe's behavior underwater:

The shoe acts as though it were on land while underwater. However, it is the transition from underwater to above water that seems peculiar. If Mario has no horizontal momentum when he hits the surface from below, he will not be able to go through. However, if he is moving sideways even slightly, or moving against a wall, he will pass. Clearly, this is not intended behavior as it is very counterintuitive; likely it emerges from the game's other rules and was not specifically programmed this way.

In the airship levels, the shoe becomes a colorful version of the Koopalings' inside-shell sprite, with the color scheme changing depending on the Koopaling, but not actually copying the Koopaling:

Unfortunately, after falling from the airship with the wand, Mario reverts to Super Mario; thus we are unable to see him having an audience with the kings while wearing the shoe. As the kings have special text for some of Mario's power-ups, it is likely that if the shoe were programmed to be a regular power-up, they would have text for it as well.

In World 2, we can see another interaction mimicking Statue Mario, defeating the Fire Snake:

Also note the shoe graphics, which use quicksand tiles in desert levels.

In the World 2 fortress, we can take out a Thwomp:

While this is different from the Super Mario Maker series, where the shoe allows Mario to stand on Thwomps rather than defeating them, this interaction actually did appear in an official capacity - in the only other pre-Mario Maker Goomba's Shoe course, "It's a Shoe-in" for Super Mario Advance 4. There, the shoe and Thwomps appeared together and the same interaction was present.

Unfortunately, the shoe does not take out Boos, as it would in Super Mario Maker. Later in the world, we encounter the Angry Sun, which also hurts Mario even with the shoe - although that is also the case in Super Mario Maker.

In Level 2-5, we can take out Chain Chomps:

This also is one of the shoe's abilities in Super Mario Maker.

After a long string of levels that did not use the correct graphics for the shoe, the inside of the World 2 Pyramid level does:

Ironically, there is no way to progress in this level without losing the shoe, as the way is blocked with Brick Blocks that require either carrying shells or using the Tail Swipe attack to pass, neither of which can be done while wearing the shoe.

In World 3, we first encounter underwater currents. These also cause the Goomba's Shoe to behave in an erratic manner:

While on the pipe, it is extremely hard to jump. It appears that only single-frame windows are given to jump, with the button doing nothing if pressed at any other time. It becomes easy to jump from the edge of a pipe; in addition, there is something that enables the shoe to jump a second time in mid-air (or rather, mid-water) above the pipe, although it also seems to be frame-specific. 

The Lava Lotus has a surprising interaction with the shoe. Here are two scenarios in one animation:

It seems that the shoe is hurt by the Lava Lotus if it touches the plant before a certain point in its animation. If, however, that point is passed, then the shoe destroys the Lava Lotus. The projectiles released from it hurt the shoe in all cases.

Level 3-3 contains Boss Bass, who is able to eat Mario while wearing the shoe as usual, but is somehow completely intangible when attacked from above with the shoe:

This is one of the few instances where Mario simply passes through an object while wearing the shoe, which he would not do in any of his other forms.

The green Spiny Eggs in Level 3-4 also interact with the shoe as expected, by being defeated.

The Jelectros in Level 3-5 can be stood on, as they appear internally to be simple retextures of spikes/Munchers.

Unfortunately, the spike balls thrown by Spikes in Level 3-7 hurt the Goomba's Shoe, in contrast to their behavior in the most recent Super Mario Maker 2 update, where the shoe bounces off of them.

Just like Boos, the Stretch Boos (known as Stretches in that game) in the second fortress of World 2 also deal damage to Mario wearing the shoe.

When throwable blocks are encountered, we can use a trick afforded by the Action Replay code to have Mario briefly carry an item while wearing the shoe:

Since Mario gains a shoe when taking damage using the code, we can take damage while carrying an item and have Mario carry the item inside the shoe.  This is, of course, impossible in the Super Mario Maker games.

Finally, to conclude World 3, Wendy's rings damage the shoe as well.

In World 4's fortress, we find the Hot Foot enemy. Despite also being made of fire like the Fire Snake earlier, it can not be jumped on with the shoe:

Note the garbled shoe flying away on the top of the screen.

The battle screens against the Sledge Bros. in World 4 have unique graphics for the shoe:

These are scrambled versions of the tops of red Rocky Wrenches.

As a brief break from the unused content, here is a trick using the Goomba's Shoe that is relatively little-known and does not work in Super Mario Maker:

After walking off a ledge (not jumping; only the D-Pad must be used), the shoe is able to jump in mid-air. While this has no real use in Level 5-3, where the shoe natively appears, it is very useful when playing through the entire game in this manner.

In the World 4 airship level, we can try to stomp a Burner's flame:

Again, just like when hit with Statue Mario, the flame goes out and does not reappear again. This is, due to its counterintuitiveness, removed in Super Mario Maker.

Entering World 5, we encounter Nipper Plants.

Despite looking a lot like Munchers, who are present in the native level of the Goomba's Shoe and can be walked on, these hurt Mario when stepped on (note the shoe being discarded). This is another way in which the shoe's powers are different from Statue Mario's, as the latter does defeat the plants.

We can also defeat Lava Bubbles with the shoe:

This carried over into the Super Mario Maker games.

As there are relatively few new objects in World 5, we move on to World 6, where the first level contains Ptooies. This interaction is truly baffling - despite regular Piranha Plants and Fire Piranha Plants yielding to the shoe, not only Ptooies' Spike Balls, but also Ptooies themselves hurt the shoe when stepped on:

The same goes for the walking Ptooie variants.

In Level 6-5, Buster Beetles throw blocks at Mario. Interestingly, the shoe destroys the blocks in mid-air when stomped, while attempting the same would hurt regular Mario:

In World 6-9, we can stomp Big Bertha and the small Cheep-Cheep she releases:

This is intriguing due to Big Bertha using the exact same sprites as Boss Bass; however, Boss Bass can not be stomped by the shoe, as shown above. This means that the two are not variants of the same enemy in different environments, but coded entirely separately from scratch.

The shoe interacts with Lemmy's circus balls exactly the same as regular Mario does, by bouncing off them slightly.

In World 7, I have encountered what I would consider one of the most humorous findings I have made to date. Please take a look at this footage:

I attempted to cross the gap in Level 7-2, which normally cannot be cleared with a jump, by using the mid-air jump trick I outlined earlier in the article. Usually, the game intends the player to fall into the gap, then jump around, hitting invisible Note Blocks that build a bridge, and finally take a pipe underground, go back, and cross the bridge from above. The only way to skip this legitimately is by using a flying power-up.

However, there is one additional invisible block above the invisible bridge, containing a 1-Up Mushroom. It is positioned in exactly the right spot so that it is impossible to clear the gap using the mid-air jump trick without bumping into it. If I had jumped earlier, I would not have had enough distance to reach the other side. If I had jumped later, I would have bumped into the invisible note blocks from below. It almost appears to be deliberate with how precise the placement of this block is, although this is of course exceedingly unlikely.

In Level 7-4, the shoe can be used to defeat Spiny Cheep-Cheeps, which only appear in this level.

The Piranha Plant battle areas in World 7 contain special Munchers that emerge and retract from pipes. These have another surprising interaction with the shoe:

They do not hurt the shoe, like regular Munchers, but unlike those, these are also intangible, just like Boss Bass earlier. In essence, as long as Mario is wearing the Goomba's Shoe, these Munchers are treated as though they do not exist.

In World 8, we find the last example of a tileset that does not have garbled graphics for the shoe:

The forest tileset, exclusive to Level 8-1, has correct Goomba's Shoe graphics.

In Bowser's Castle, the shoe uses scrambled graphics belonging to Bowser himself:

Unfortunately, the shoe does not have any special effect on Bowser. It may seem interesting at first glance that the shoe can in fact jump on Bowser without being hurt, even having a special effect in the form of little dust clouds to the sides of Bowser:

...until we remember that this is how regular Mario behaves as well. It was always possible to jump on Bowser in this battle; unlike all other platformers in the Mario series, here Bowser does not hurt to jump on. Of course, due to being conditioned to avoid jumping on Bowser from other games, many players never tried doing it. In the end, jumping on him has no effect except causing the dust clouds to appear.

This concludes the illustrated showcase of Goomba's Shoe interactions. I hope it could be informative.

Thank you very much for reading.