Ice Ball
Ice Ball | |||
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Artwork of an Ice Ball from New Super Mario Bros. U | |||
First appearance | Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005) | ||
Latest appearance | Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024) | ||
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An Ice Ball (also written as iceball or ice ball) is a projectile that freezes its targets. Some enemies, like Ice Bros. and Frost Piranhas, can throw or spit Ice Balls. Characters gain the ability to throw Ice Balls in Ice form and Penguin form. Ice Balls are similar to Fireballs, in that a thrown Ice Ball usually bounces across the ground while a Ice Ball that is spit out generally ignores gravity.
History
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Iceballs first appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, where Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi can shoot them at enemies when they use an Ice Flower. The attack's mechanics are identical to Bro Flower but with iceballs: while both involved characters hold ice balls, only one should throw them at a time. This is indicated by a large iceball passing between both characters. Throwing iceballs without possession of the large iceball causes them to vanish when they touch the ground without hitting the enemies. While Bro Flower can inflict the Burn status effect, Ice Flower gives a random stat-down, either lowering the enemies' POW, DEF or Speed. The characters can also use a Mix Flower, an attack based primarily on combining fireballs into a giant floating fireball to drop on opponents. Only one character can throw fireballs at a time, represented by a large fireball moving to that character. The other three characters have iceballs, and throwing those is a missed input as the iceballs shrink the large fireball and reduce the damage at the end. The iceballs appear to be blue fireballs in this game.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
While Mario and Luigi cannot use the Ice Ball as a weapon in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, there is an enemy called Icead that can spit Ice Balls as an attack. The target has to jump over the projectile to avoid it. In this game, Ice Balls have a more misty appearance.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Ice Balls make an appearance in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Luigi can undergo his ice transformation with the Fire & Ice Bros. Move. During the first phase of the final battle versus Reclusa, the fiend can charge up with fire, which Luigi needs to counter with his Ice Balls. If Reclusa charges with ice, Mario has to use his fireballs to counter the attack instead. This also occurs in the second phase when Luigi uses his Luigi Logic skill, but this time to block Weeping Reclusa's fireballs as the duo head up the arboreal abomination's trunk. Luigi also has the Bros. Attack Max-Mix Vortex, in which he can place ice balls in the slots of a ring, while Mario places fireballs in the slots that Luigi doesn't cover.
Certain enemies also use Ice Balls, like Ice Bros. and a new spiky version of the Icead enemy from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. The former throw Ice Balls in several moves, while the latter can bounce it between itself and another spiky Icead (if there is more than one) as the two shift slowly toward their target, who has to repel it with a hammer strike. When it powers up into an icy form, a boss known as the Pipegunk can shoot Ice Balls at Mario and Luigi from the pipes on top of its body. Mario and Luigi must counter this move with their hammers.
Super Mario series
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Ice Balls can be thown by Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad while in either their Ice or Penguin form. Unlike fireballs, and unlike the iceballs in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Ice Balls in this game only bounce off the ground once, shattering should they touch the ground a second time. However, the single allowed bounce goes in a high arc. Ice Balls that hit enemies freeze them into a rectangular block of solid ice, proportional to the length and width of the enemy at the time it was frozen, which they will stay trapped within for a reasonably long period of time but eventually shake before breaking free. Certain enemies, particularly larger ones such as Big Piranha Plants and Thwomps, are impervious to being frozen; if they are hit by an Ice Ball, they will either freeze up and thaw out immediately, or will simply cause any Ice Balls that hit them to shatter upon contact. If an Ice Ball hits an airborne enemy, such as a Koopa Paratroopa, the frozen enemy will remain in mid-air for several seconds, before falling. If an Ice Ball hits an aquatic enemy that does not resist it, it will float up towards the surface of the water and never thaw out. Frozen airborne enemies that fall into the water float like aquatic ones. In some cases, the frozen enemy will be defeated and instantly vanish if the floating block of ice collides with a solid surface such as ground.
Frozen enemies can be used as platforms, even if the enemy that was frozen is hazardous to touch. Frozen ground-based enemies that are not overly large can be picked up and thrown to slide on the ground in the manner of a Koopa Shell, taking out any enemies in the path, and even stood on. Frozen enemies can be destroyed by throwing them into walls or ceilings, being Ground Pounded, jumped at from bellow, tossing a Shell or another frozen enemy at it, jumping at a block while holding one, or touching it as Invincible Mario. A thrown frozen enemy that collides into a player character is also destroyed, and while the character will get knocked back a bit, they will not take damage. A defeated frozen enemy will drop a Coin. Frozen enemies that float in the water cannot have their blocks broken or picked up.
Ice Balls can also be used to destroy spells and Bowser's Flames. Additionally, Ice Balls destroy Lava Bubbles on contact.
It is possible for a Yoshi to grab an Ice Ball with its tongue and hold it in its mouth. If the Yoshi spits out the Ice Ball, it becomes a bluish "fireball" that will travel forward indefinitely, freezing any enemies in its path.
Ice Bros. attack using Ice Balls, which will not only damage Mario if they hit him, but will temporarily freeze him within a block of ice. These Ice Balls are also capable of freezing other enemies should they hit any.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
As it plays similarly to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Ice Balls in New Super Mario Bros. U function essentially the same way as they did previously. Frost Piranhas also attack by spitting Ice Balls. However, much like the ones that a Yoshi can spit out, these Ice Balls will travel forward indefinitely, and are capable of freezing not only playable characters, but fellow enemies as well.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Ice Flower Stickers appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, granting Mario the ability to shoot Ice Balls at enemies. Ice Bros. also attack by shooting Ice Balls.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
Ice Flower cards appear in Paper Mario: Color Splash and allow Mario to shoot Ice Balls as in the previous game. Ice Bros. also return and attack by shooting Ice Balls.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Ice Flowers and their Ice Balls also return in Paper Mario: The Origami King, working as in the prior games. Origami Ice Bros. also appear as enemies, throwing Ice Balls to attack.
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Ice Luigi's special item is the Ice Ball, which can be thrown forward or backward. When hit, in addition to damage, the tires freeze and becomes unstable for a certain period of time.
Mario Kart Tour
Ice Balls appear in Mario Kart Tour, where if a driver with an Ice Flower as its special item uses one, three Ice Balls orbit around their kart, which they can throw in a spread-shot fashion, causing any opponents hit to freeze and slide for a period of time. An ice ball also appear in one of Ice Bro's trick animations.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Ice Balls appear in Mario Golf: Super Rush, where it is used by Luigi when he uses Ice Flower Freeze, his Special Shot. When used, his golf ball turns to an Ice Ball, which will cause the surrounding area that the golf ball lands on to become frozen. Within the frozen area, the friction of the golf ball is reduced. Nearby water and lava within the area can be frozen, but the Ice Ball itself cannot land in them. Even in frozen portions of water or lava, characters who travel on foot will be penalized, and it still counts as a Penalty Area (thus incurring a stroke penalty) even if the golf ball can land on the ice. In Target Golf, the Ice Ball is one of the possible golf balls to obtain in this mode's multiplayer only, where it freezes the surrounding area that lasts until the user takes their next shot.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Iceball appears as the second of Luigi's custom variations of his Fireball move. While it does not travel as quickly as the standard Fireball, it has a longer range and can freeze opponents with higher damage percentages.
Gallery
An Ice Ball in New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ice Mario shooting an Ice Ball in New Super Mario Bros. U
An Ice Ball transforming a Torpedo Ted into an ice block
Iceball in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Ice Mario holding an Ice Ball in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Mario throws a large Ice Ball in Paper Mario: Color Splash
Ice Mario shooting an Ice Ball in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Ice Mario shooting three Ice Balls in Mario Kart Tour
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | アイスボール[?] Aisubōru |
Iceball | |
Chinese | 冰球[?] Bīng Qiú |
Ice Ball | |
Korean | 아이스볼[?] Aiseubol |
Iceball | |
Spanish | Bola de Hielo[?] | Ice Ball |
- Projectiles
- LEGO Super Mario objects
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time objects
- Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
- Mario Kart Tour objects
- Mario Kart World objects
- New Super Mario Bros. U objects
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii objects
- Paper Mario: Sticker Star objects
- Paper Mario: Color Splash objects
- Paper Mario: The Origami King objects
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U custom special moves