Mario's Old Flames Quiz | Mario Games

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. These dangerous devices control the flames that power the Airships.

Answer: Burner

Not surprisingly given their function, Burners are also sometimes called Rocket Engines. The ones that are mounted to the bottom of the Airships are too far away to pose a threat to Mario, but most Burners are strategically placed all over the ships, and thus serve to help guard the ships against intruders. Guess the Airships really do "fire on all cylinders" -- in more ways than one.

2. This foe is first encountered in the scorching desert. Oddly enough, its second and final appearance occurs in a land of perpetual darkness.

Answer: The Angry Sun

The Angry Sun is a strange enemy that first appears in World 2, Desert Land. It will swoop down from the sky and chase Mario as he tries to safely traverse the barren landscape. "The sun also rises" in World 8, Dark Land -- Bowser's dark-magic domain of eternal night. Leave it to Bowser to manage to create a pitch-black realm where it's somehow never daytime, even when the sun is out. Perhaps the evil king's motto is "the sun never sets on the Koopa Empire"?

3. Part of its name calls to mind something otherworldly, but it's not really from outer space. Like Mario, this enemy knows how to attack with a fireball.

Answer: Venus Fire Trap

It's obvious that this fire-spitting fiend takes its name from the Venus flytrap, the carnivorous plant named in reference to the Roman goddess of love. Venus Fire Traps are basically just Piranha Plants who've learned the art of fire-breathing. Their razor-sharp teeth make these plants unsafe to jump on, but a well-placed fireball will make them wither up. Still, Mario has to move cautiously, or he'll really be "in the line of fire."

4. In the desert regions, some enemies, like the Chomp, are kept chained to the ground. This particular creature, however, IS a chain -- of living fireballs!

Answer: Fire Snake

Fire Snakes are serpentine desert-dwellers that chase Mario and try to burn him, giving new meaning to the phrase "in hot pursuit." Unlike real snakes, these strange characters don't slither -- they bounce. They often try to leap onto Mario from above; their movement resembles a Slinky (the helical-spring toy) "walking" down a flight of stairs.

These hotheaded critters don't have fangs like real snakes do. Perhaps the biggest mystery is what keeps this chain of flames held together! How's that for "great balls of fire"?

5. Found in the water, this plant has a name that may call to mind beauty, goddesses, and the heavenly. But when it opens up, it will erupt with a terrible, red-hot attack.

Answer: Lava Lotus

Interestingly, the Lava Lotus, found in the undersea depths, is actually an artificial flower. When its petals blossom, the phony plant releases a barrage of balls of lava. In reality, the lotus flower is revered in many religions as spiritually symbolic of creation, purity and beauty, and much artwork (especially in Hinduism) depicts various goddesses as standing on or emerging from a lotus flower. Gives a new spin to the old phrase "carrying fire in one hand water in the other"!

6. These fiery entities, described as living bubbles of magma, lie in wait for the plumber to draw near, then leap out of the deadly lava. They'd like to hold Mario's feet to the fire -- literally.

Answer: Podoboo

These red-hot fiends guarded the castle stages of the first adventure. Now they're all over the place, especially in the Dark Land. In more recent years, Podoboos are simply called "Lava Bubbles." So what's with "Podoboo"? More or less, it's a botched attempt to translate the Japanese name, "Baburu," meaning "bubble" (hence the name-change in later games). Games go through a process called "localization" (translating and tweaking to be suitable for players in other countries). With enemies, game translators often try to devise names that make sense but have at least some resemblance to the original Japanese (either in meaning or pronunciation). One or more people got a bit mixed-up in inventing "Podoboo"! And talk about "fire and brimstone" -- Mario has to jump to avoid these hot orbs, but one wrong step and he'll land in the lethal lava below.

7. This monstrous menace has sharp fangs and a tail made of fireballs -- and it can blow fire, too. Mario has to tread carefully if he's to avoid getting bitten -- or burned!

Answer: Fire Chomp

Although they're related to the Chain Chomps that live in the desert, Fire Chomps don't have any chains to hold them back. In fact, they're airborne instead of grounded, so they can pose a serious threat as Mario navigates the unfriendly skies. And once these menaces run out of firepower, they'll explode, making them even more hazardous. Talk about a "last burst of fire"!

8. Mario can often use his jumping ability to dodge attacks and defeat enemies, including this hot-tempered one. He can be tough to beat, but to some people's surprise, this flame-spitting nemesis isn't fireproof.

Answer: Bowser

Some explanation is in order. In "Super Mario Bros.", the plumber can defeat Bowser with five fireballs, or by grabbing the axe, which cuts the bridge and drops Bowser into the lava below. But to reach the axe, Mario has to carefully duck and jump to avoid the fiend and his fire breath.

But now the fight is different. Bowser blows fire and then leaps up high, trying to crash down on Mario. But the ground is unstable, so Mario's goal is to get Bowser to keep weakening the floor until he smashes right through it and falls to his demise. Though many people aren't aware of it, there's another way to topple the villain, though it's tough to do: The evil king will go down if Mario can hit him with 30 fireballs. Now THAT'S "going down in flames"!

9. This ghost-like enemy is a living flame, brought to life by mysterious candles. It's surprisingly difficult to extinguish, so escape quickly -- remember, fires can spread quickly!

Answer: Hot Foot

Usually when a fire spreads, it's because the initial flame caused other flammable things to catch fire as well. Mario won't have to escape any burning buildings, but this particular blaze doesn't need help turning up the heat -- it will jump right off its candle and chase after the plumber! Considering it's a walking flame, Hot Foot is a fitting name. We've all heard of "holding someone's feet to the fire," but this enemy is taking the saying a step too far!

10. Good thing this character keeps his appearances to a minimum, because he's quick, dangerous, and hard to defeat safely. Not surprisingly, he attacks by spitting tough-to-dodge fireballs, but there are plenty of ways to knock him out.

Answer: Fire Brother

The first time Mario went up against Bowser and his minions, it was the Hammer Brothers who gave him trouble, and it was near impossible to avoid their arcing weapons. The Hammer Bros. are very much still around in this game, but now they've brought their red-hot relatives. Fortunately, they're very rare, and only appear three times in the whole game.

They behave a lot like Bowser, as he too is hard to avoid, blows fireballs, and doesn't go down easily. Bowser's pretty resilient to most attacks, but most anything will douse a Fire Bro. Even so, it's safe to say that this character is definitely "playing with fire."

Source: Author MrNobody97

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor eburge before going online.
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Mario's Old Flames Trivia Quiz

"Super Mario Bros. 3" (NES) introduces Mario to both some familiar old flames and some new fire-loving fiends. Match these enemies to the best description. Many read similarly, but only one combination will correctly match all ten. Ready, aim, fire!

Questions		Choices
1. These dangerous devices control the flames that power the Airships.		The Angry Sun
2. This foe is first encountered in the scorching desert. Oddly enough, its second and final appearance occurs in a land of perpetual darkness.		Lava Lotus
3. Part of its name calls to mind something otherworldly, but it's not really from outer space. Like Mario, this enemy knows how to attack with a fireball.		Podoboo
4. In the desert regions, some enemies, like the Chomp, are kept chained to the ground. This particular creature, however, IS a chain -- of living fireballs!		Burner
5. Found in the water, this plant has a name that may call to mind beauty, goddesses, and the heavenly. But when it opens up, it will erupt with a terrible, red-hot attack.		Bowser
6. These fiery entities, described as living bubbles of magma, lie in wait for the plumber to draw near, then leap out of the deadly lava. They'd like to hold Mario's feet to the fire -- literally.		Fire Snake
7. This monstrous menace has sharp fangs and a tail made of fireballs -- and it can blow fire, too. Mario has to tread carefully if he's to avoid getting bitten -- or burned!		Venus Fire Trap
8. Mario can often use his jumping ability to dodge attacks and defeat enemies, including this hot-tempered one. He can be tough to beat, but to some people's surprise, this flame-spitting nemesis isn't fireproof.		Fire Brother
9. This ghost-like enemy is a living flame, brought to life by mysterious candles. It's surprisingly difficult to extinguish, so escape quickly -- remember, fires can spread quickly!		Hot Foot
10. Good thing this character keeps his appearances to a minimum, because he's quick, dangerous, and hard to defeat safely. Not surprisingly, he attacks by spitting tough-to-dodge fireballs, but there are plenty of ways to knock him out.		Fire Chomp