Ladder

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This article is about the platforming objects found in many games. For the item in Mario's Time Machine, see Ladder (item).
Ladder
Wario climbing a Ladder
Wario climbing a ladder in Wario Land 4
First appearance Donkey Kong (1981)
Latest appearance Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024)
Related

Ladders in the Super Mario franchise commonly appear as inanimate objects that the player can climb to progress in a level, an area, or a stage.

History

Donkey Kong

This is a picture of a ladder.
Mario next to a ladder in Donkey Kong

Ladders in Donkey Kong serve as a connection between two platforms throughout the stages. In 25 m, Mario has to use them in order to get to the top and to avoid barrels and Fireballs, however, barrels can occasionally roll down the ladders and the Fireballs can climb up them as well. Some of the ladders are broken; Mario cannot climb these. He also cannot climb any ladders if he is carrying a hammer. Some of the ladders in the 50 m stage extend and retract. Mario can only climb those up completely if they are fully open.

In the Game Boy version, Ladders appear in several varieties. The static and extending ladders return in several of the later levels. Mario can only climb a ladder if he stands on solid ground, which is an important element in some levels, where he first has to place a road or jump on an icicle to have a platform to stand on from which he can climb the ladder. Another important element in the game's puzzles are ladders than can be placed by Mario himself, also known as Arrow Blocks.[1] If Mario jumps against one such vertical-facing block in the game, the game freezes and the player has to place the ladder in any free point of the level. The ladder will then extend itself upwards and downwards as far as it can. The ladder is timed, and disappears after the time has passed. This timer indicated with a music that starts playing as soon as the ladder is placed and gets faster gradually. The timer can be reset if Mario places another ladder within the first ladder's time limit, or any other placeable objects such as roads, Jump Stands, and blocks. After disappearing, the ladder can then be placed with the same block again.

VS. Wrecking Crew / Wrecking Crew

Ladder tile from Wrecking Crew

Ladders reappear in VS. Wrecking Crew and Wrecking Crew, where they serve the same purpose they did in Donkey Kong. The enemies, Eggplant Men, Gotchawrenches, and Foreman Spike, can climb ladders. Ladder walls also appears in this game, and must be destroyed.

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. 2

Ladders in Super Mario Bros. 2 function similarly to beanstalks and chains.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Mario and Luigi in Battle Mode, with coins hidden beneath kickable blue ? Blocks
Mario on a ladder in the bonus round

Ladders in Super Mario Bros. 3 are used by Mario and Luigi in a bonus round of the 2-Player battle mode to find coins hidden in blue ? Blocks.

Super Mario Land

A ladder in Super Mario Land appears in the bonus game, where it and Mario will move between the different platforms until the player presses A Button. Mario will then move along the platform, but if he comes across a ladder, Mario will move up or down it onto another platform, collecting a different reward.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Sprite of a ladder from New Super Mario Bros. Wii
A rope ladder

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, ladders appear in World 2-4, and they are also occasionally encountered on the world maps. The ladders in World 2-4 are made of rope, and are anchored to bridges above them by pairs of metallic attachment points. They are periodically blown to the side by the wind, which makes them unusable until the wind stops. Another rope ladder, hanging down the side of a pillar of ground, is seen on the World 2 map; finding the secret exit of World 2-6 allows this ladder to be climbed to reach the world's Warp Cannon. Four more ladders appear across World 4 and World 5; these ladders have a plain yellow design, and make metallic sounds when climbed. The first of these is at the end of World 4, leading up to World 4-Airship, and the remaining three are in World 5, leading up to and down from the outcropping where the entrance to World 5-5 is located.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

In both New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, ladders are first seen in Layer-Cake Desert, where a pair of them emerge from a pair of tunnels in the ground. One of these ladders is climbed on the way up from the second or third level of the world to its tower. A third ladder is found at the end of the world, which must be climbed to reach Frosted Glacier. Rope ladders, with the same design as in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, also appear in both games. They are found in The Mighty Cannonship in New Super Mario Bros. U, and Slippery Rope Ladders in New Super Luigi U. With neither of these level featuring strong wind, the ladders are available at all times.

Luigi's Mansion

Ladders in Luigi's Mansion and its Nintendo 3DS version are interactive objects that can be climbed by Luigi, except for one in Professor E. Gadd's Lab, which is only part of the background. The first interactive ladder appears in Courtyard, where it takes Luigi down to the Bottom of the Well. The second is attached to the bunk bed in The Twins' Room. The third and fourth ladders are both on the Roof.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Ladders in Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its remake are objects functionally similar to those in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong. Ladders appear in various levels in the game, some featuring colored ladders that require pressing a Color Switch of their color to be used, otherwise they appear with a dotted outline and cannot be climbed on. Ladders cannot be climbed by Mini-Marios at all, and may require using other objects in the level to catch up with the player should they use a ladder.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

Ladders in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis are interactive objects on the Roof and in DK's Hideout, and there are two retractable ladders on the Roof similar to those in 50m of the original Donkey Kong arcade game.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

Ladders in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! appear in the form of Blue Ladders, which cause Mini Marios to immediately climb or descend it.

Paper Mario series

Super Paper Mario

Various ladders in Super Paper Mario.
Various ladders in Super Paper Mario.

Ladders in Super Paper Mario take on a zigzagging design and are colored either black, yellow, or white. They are found in various areas, typically appearing out of specific blocks when hit. Ladders with more standard designs are found in Yold Ruins and the Floro Caverns, while a blockier variant is used in The Bitlands. Bowser is unable to climb up ladders, most likely due to his size. If he tries, he struggles and mutters, "Can't climb this!"

Paper Mario: The Origami King

In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Mario can climb up and down ladders in the Graffiti Underground.

Mario must wait for a metal ladder to descend to the ground at the Overlook Tower's cafe while dodging Colored Pencils' missiles. As he climbs up the ladder, more missiles are fired at him.

In the Spring of Jungle Mist, Mario must climb various wooden ladders to navigate the forest and find secrets.

Super Smash Bros. series

SmashWiki article: Ladder (stage element)

Ladders in the Super Smash Bros. series are interactive objects in a few Super Mario-themed stages. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Ladders appear in two Super Mario stages: 75 m and Rumble Falls. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, ladders reappear on 75 m and a Wrecking Crew stage of the same name, though as ladder walls, which can be destroyed if they are attacked. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Ladders appear in the same two stages representing the Super Mario franchise as in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Mario Party series

Ladders in the Mario Party series are interactive objects in a few minigames, including Mad Ladders in Mario Party: Island Tour and Mega Goomba's Ladder Leap in Mario Party 10.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Ladders in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS ports are objects that Captain Toad and Toadette can climb, and the returning levels from Super Mario 3D World add ladders since Captain Toad and Toadette cannot jump.

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ハシゴ[2] / はしご[3]
Hashigo
Ladder
普通ふつうのはしご[4]
Futsū no hashigo
Usual ladder
Chinese (simplified) 梯子[5]
Tīzi
Ladder
Chinese (traditional) 鎚子[6]
Chuízi
Ladder
Dutch Ladder[9] Ladder
French Échelle[7][8] Ladder
German Leiter[10] Ladder
Italian Scala[11] Ladder
Korean 사다리[12]
Sadari
Ladder
Portuguese (NOA) Escada[13] Ladder
Spanish Escalera[14][15] Ladder

References

  1. ^ June 1994. Nintendo Power Volume 61. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 81-82.
  2. ^ レッキングクルー (Rekkingu Kurū) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 5.
  3. ^ 1994. ゲームボーイ ドンキーコング (Gēmu Bōi Donkī Kongu) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 12 and 18.
  4. ^ 1998. Wrecking Crew '98 manual. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 14.
  5. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Simplified Chinese localization).
  6. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Traditional Chinese localization).
  7. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (European French localization).
  8. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Canadian French localization).
  9. ^ Game Boy Donkey Kong Dutch Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console digital manual, tab 13: "Voorwerpen".
  10. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (German localization).
  11. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Italian localization).
  12. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Korean localization).
  13. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Brazilian Portuguese localization).
  14. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (European Spanish localization).
  15. ^ "Classified Information" section for "Kong Crusher" (Donkey Kong) in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Latin American Spanish localization).