The Hammer Brothers show up for the first time in World 3-1 to introduce a more complex enemy into the mix. Tossing hammers overhead in an arc, these foes can hop up and down on platforms to make things difficult. Hammer Brothers return in World 5-2 (and in many later stages) and similar elements are introduced elsewhere.
These enemies can be defeated if you jump on their head just like with Goombas and normal Koopa Troopas.
2. Princess Toadstool
Answer: World 8-4
It all comes down to Princess Toadstool in the end. You'll find Toad at the end of the first seven castles, but World 8-4, the final stage of the game, is where you'll locate the damsel in distress following one last battle, this time against the real King of Koopas, Bowser. According to the original book that came with the game, Princess Toadstool needed to be saved to return the people of Mushroom Kingdom to their normal selves after Bowser had them transformed into inanimate things.
It takes thirty-two levels to do that.
3. Fire Flower
Answer: World 1-1
The Fire Flower, one of Mario's stronger items, appears as early as the very first stage provided you can hold on to Mario's larger form (ie. a Mushroom Mario) until you locate the proper block containing the flower (it will contain a Mushroom if you are not at the stage). With the fire Flower you can throw fireballs to defeat certain enemies.
In this game, if you hit an enemy while in Fire Mario form, you will be dropped down to small Mario form.
4. Bullet Bill
Answer: World 5-1
Firing from cannons known as Turtle Cannons or, occasionally, showing up from offscreen, Bullet Bills are one of the later foes to be seen in the game, adding a new dimension to the enemy roster. Jumping on them is the easy way to deal, otherwise, avoiding them is the only way to get by. Turtle Cannons can fire Bullet Bills indefinitely but won't fire if Mario is on top of one.
After World 5-1, they continue to appear in every world thereafter.
5. Lakitu
Answer: World 4-1
Lakitus first appear in World 4-1 as the new element introduced into the mix, and they might prove to be the least predictable one to show up. These creatures, floating at the top a stage in a mobile cloud, have the ability to drop Spinies on Mario. Spinies can damage Mario by falling on him or by touching him in normal circumstances; their spiked carapaces make them stronger than a regular Koopa. Lakitu returns in World 6-1 and then becomes a recurring fixture in World 8.
6. Warp Zone
Answer: World 1-2
There are three spots in the game where Mario can access the Warp Zone and the first of these is in the first underground level of the game-- World 1-2. To get to it, you need to navigate up and over the ceiling near the end of the level (above the exit pipe) and there, there will be three pipes, each leading to the next few worlds as labeled.
The other two Warp Zones are in World 4-2, another underground level, one of which is reached the same way as the first and the second of which requires a climbable vine to reach.
7. Cheep-Cheeps, but out of the water
Answer: World 2-3
Though Cheep-Cheeps appear in the level preceding this one, said level is an underwater level. This is why World 2-3 is a bit of a surprise; Mario must navigate suspended bridges, all the while dodging Cheep-Cheeps as they leap from the water below. Cheep-Cheeps can only be defeated with fireballs underwater, but when they surface in World 2-3 (and again, later, in World 7-3), you can jump on them like most other surface foes.
8. A Fake Bowser throwing hammers
Answer: World 6-4
There are eight castles visited in this game, always the fourth level of any World encountered, and all of them save for the last Bowser is fake. This means that when you reach the Bowser at the end of World 6-4, he's not completely real, even if he may look that way. Each Bowser (real or fake) is found at the end of the castle in a room containing a bridge suspended atop a pit of lava. To beat him, you need to hit the axe on the far end of the bridge and drop him to his death. Each successive time you encounter this fight, a new obstacle is introduced; the tossed hammers show up from World 6 onwards.
9. An underwater level
Answer: World 2-2
There are only two underwater levels in the game; all of the rest are either overland or underground. The catch with underwater levels, however, is that you need to swim. There are no other levels of the game that require a unique movement to complete. World 2-2 is the first such level; the second is World 7-2. Both operate in the same way as all others; you proceed left to right across the stage, only you need to swim by repeatedly pressing to do so.
10. A castle in which Mario must take a correct path from a choice of several
Answer: World 4-4
Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of this section, but it is an interesting one to note. In both World 4-4 and World 7-4, you'll head through the castle and reach a point where the platforms allow for a choice between two or three paths. Only one path will result in you reaching your intended goal while any other combination will simply loop back to the start of the fork. If you're already low on your timer, this may prove to be a tough part to face off against. Once you're through, there's just a short series of obstacles leading to the boss.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor eburge before going online.
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