Enemy Discoloring is an intentional quirk of the Personalization A.I., closely related to the concept of Dynamic Level Rearrangement. It's the name given to instances where regular enemies in the game have their colors, and sometimes behaviors, altered. These discolorations are usually consistent with their behaviors between copies and can either prove a lesser or greater challenge for the player.
Instances[]
Aesthetic[]
Aesthetic discolorations are usually the result of enemies ending up in levels that they don't usually belong, working in tandem with Dynamic Level Rearrangement. For instance, if a Goomba were to spawn in Hazy Maze Cave they would appear blue. This is believed to be in reference to how Goombas appear blue in underground levels in the original Super Mario Bros.
| Colour | Enemy | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Chuckya | Black Chuckyas use the same texture as the removed Motos enemy; perhaps a remnant of the Motos, embodied through the Chuckya. |
| Blue | Goomba | Blue Goombas seem to only appear in cavern-like levels. This includes Hazy Maze Cave, Cavern of the Metal Cap and the sub-area of Tiny-Huge Island. This is also potentially in reference to the Goomba's appearance underground in Super Mario Bros. |
| Blue | Piranha Plant | Much like Blue Goombas, they only seem to appear in cavernous areas. This is also potentially in reference to the Piranha Plant's appearance underground in Super Mario Bros. |
| Cyan | Bully | Cyan Bullies use the same texture as the Chill Bully boss, and seems to only appear in icy levels like Snowman's Land. They can even be found in the circulated ROM files as an unused enemy. |
| Green | Swooper | The green coloration of green Swoopers is likely in reference to the Swooper's appearance in Super Mario World. |
| Grey | Goomba | Grey Goombas are only set to appear in levels such as Bowser in the Fire Sea, being a potential reference to the grey Goombas which appear in castle levels in the original Super Mario Bros. |
| Purple | Bully | Purple Bullies use the same texture as Chuckyas, and are set to appear in Bowser in the Sky. |
| Blue | Spindel | Blue Spindels only appear in snow or ice levels. Due to the geography of Cool, Cool Mountain and Snowman's Land, blue Spindels are more commonly reported to appear in anomalous snow levels such as Cold, Cold Crevasse and Chroma Tundra. |
| Pink | Bob-omb | Pink Bob-ombs have been reported to appear in any level containing Bob-ombs, usually replacing the regular versions of the enemy. Pink Bob-ombs use the exact same textures as Bob-omb Buddies. |
| Red | Bub | Red Bubs have red scales and resemble Cheep Cheeps, a type of fish enemy similar to Bubs that appear throughout the Super Mario Bros. series that are noticeably absent from Super Mario 64 (although Bubs have been mistaken for them) |
| Grey | Fwoosh | Grey Fwooshes typically appear in stormy environments, and appear to represent storm clouds. Some have even claimed that lightning bolts come out from below them, though these reports are unconfirmed. |
| Grey | Skeeter | Grey Skeeters, also called Spider Skeeters, often resemble spiders much more than the original Skeeter design, obtaining 8 legs and entirely red eyes. They usually appear in darker environments such as Hazy Maze Cave alongside or in place of Scuttlebugs. |
Behavioral[]
Behavioral discolorations not only change the color of enemies but alter the way that they move or interact with the player. These changes are typically minor, although there are a few examples such as Red Koopas that change the enemy in a substantial way.
| Colour | Enemy | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Koopa | Blue Koopas don't drop a shell when defeated. Blue Koopas also appear in Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros, but they don't act this way. |
| Blue | Bob-omb | When Blue Bob-ombs explode, bubbles splash out of it much like the bubble cannons from Bob-omb Battlefield. Possibly intended for water levels, although Bob-ombs do not appear in these levels in the Nintendo 64 version of Super Mario 64. |
| Blue | Bomp | Blue Bomps have the texture of Thwomps and are initially still until Mario steps in front of them, after which they enrage and rapidly lunge after Mario shortly afterwards. |
| Blue | Whomp | Blue Whomps create shockwaves upon faceplanting on the ground, akin to that of the ones from the Bowser fights though not as large. |
| Blue | Amp | Blue Amps move faster and deal more damage. |
| Brown | Mad Piano | The brown Mad Piano reuses a wooden texture from Big Boo's Haunt. Unlike the regular Mad Piano, this one can be defeated with a ground pound. |
| Green | Piranha Plant | The green Piranha Plant spits fire, just like the larger and smaller Piranha Plants from Tiny-Huge Island. The existence of this one is debatable, as only one person has sighted it unlike the other entries on these lists. It could be a reference to the original Super Mario Bros., as they look this way in Ground levels. |
| Orange | Skeeter | Orange Skeeters are programmed to surf across lava floors, which is programmed differently to water. These enemies have been sighted in Lethal Lava Land, although they likely can appear in other levels too. |
| Pink | Boo | Upon being defeated, pink Boos turns into a platform that Mario can stand on. However, after a while it will turn back into its normal ghastly form. This behavior would later return in Super Mario Sunshine with Boo Blocks. |
| Red | Goomba | Red Goombas chase the player with a faster speed and with tighter turning, meaning they can track the player much more efficiently than regular Goombas. |
| Red | Koopa | Red Koopa Troopas would drop a throwable/kickable shell as opposed to the rideable one. This is more similar to the shell's behaviour in other Mario games. The Beach Koopa kicked out of it will also chase Mario instead of fleeing. These behaviours can be found unused in Super Mario 64 DS,[1] and most games have Koopas act this way as well. |
| Grey | Thwomp | Grey Thwomps would act the same as the regular blue Thwomps, however, they can be defeated by any attack from Mario under the influence of the Metal Cap. Once attacked, they explode in many grey shards, dropping a blue coin. They look like a non-spiked version of Thwomps in later games. |
| Yellow | Goomba | Yellow Goombas will wander aimlessly, and will not attempt to chase Mario. They still do damage upon contact, however. |
| Purple | Goomba | Purple Goombas will flee from Mario instead of chasing after him, similarly to a Koopa, and will drop a blue coin upon defeat. |
| Red | Boo | Red Boos, also known as Hypno Boos, reverse the player's controls if they damage the player. Their eyes have also been reported to be replaced with red-pinkish spirals, inspiring the Hypno Boo nickname. |
| Yellow | Boo | Yellow Boos have electricity on them, similarly to Amps, though they lose this electricity when invisible. They are only defeated by using the Metal Cap or a similar invincibility power-up. |
| Black | Boo | Black Boos explode similarly to a Bob-omb upon being defeated, damaging the player as well as nearby enemies. They appear and function similarly to the Bomb Boos in Super Mario Galaxy and it's sequel. |
| Red | Bully | Red Bullies, also known as Blazing Bullies, gradually speed up when running towards the player, and can burn the player when charging unless they have the Metal Cap equipped. They also have black horns and feet. |
| Red | Bob-omb | Red Bob-ombs are covered in spikes and typically appear in lava levels. Upon exploding, they shoot spikes everywhere that can damage the player upon contact. |
| Orange | Goomba | Orange Goombas appear in Lethal Lava Land and other fire-related levels. These enemies replace normal Goombas and set Mario on fire when they come in contact with him. |
| Grey | Boo | Gray Boos reportedly don't necessarily function as enemies, instead hiding in small spaces and rewarding the player with a collectible, most commonly a Power Star, upon being found. |
| Orange | Bob-omb | Orange Bob-ombs appear in lava levels and burn the player upon exploding. They can only be defeated by being thrown into water if it is present, which usually requires the level to be anomalous or have undergone Dynamic Level Rearrangement, or the Bob-omb can just be thrown out of harm range. |
| Red | Whomp | Red Whomps typically appear in lava levels, and spawn in groups of 2-8. The groups of 8 may be referencing red coins, which also appear in groups of 8. |
| White | Bob-omb | White Bob-ombs don't damage the player upon exploding, instead emitting a cloud of smoke that block the player's vision until it fades away. This could be a reference to Smoke Bombs from the Super Smash Bros. series. |
| Purple | Mad Piano | The purple Mad Piano has the ability to lunge at the player, making it much difficult to shake off. It also usually appears in areas you are more likely to frequent in Big Boo's Haunt, making the entire level much harder in comparison to unpersonalized copies. |
| Teal | Goomba | Teal Goombas have multiple hit points. They will initially chase the player, having similar attributes to the Red Goomba, but when they only have one hit point left, they will run away similarly to the Purple Goomba. |
| Purple | Piranha Plant | Purple Piranha Plants are unique to the anomalous Poison Piranha Pikes level. Upon being damaged by this Piranha Plant, the player will slowly take place over time, usually stopping after 4 or 6 health has been left. They are similar to Poison Piranha Plants in Super Mario Odyssey. |
| Pink/White | Goomba | This Goomba has a white body and pink feet. They dig through terrain and jump out without warning. Sometimes they bounce in and out of the ground, in a pattern. Friendly ones appear in a variety of castle rooms. |
Bosses[]
Several bosses have been reported to experience Enemy Discoloring, usually mimicking similar instances of Enemy Discoloring for similar enemies to the boss fight when applicable, though entirely unique instances of Enemy Discoloring for bosses have been reported. Bosses have been reported to have both aesthetic and behavioral instances of Enemy Discoloring and are also the rarest version of Enemy Discoloring. In all instances of boss Enemy Discoloring, dialogue is changed when applicable.
| Colour | Boss | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Pink | Big Bob-omb | This version of Big Bob-omb shares a texture with Bob-omb Buddies, appearing to mirror the aesthetic pink Bob-omb Enemy Discoloring. This instance of Enemy Discoloring appears to be aesthetic, as no change in behavior has been reported. |
| Purple | Big Bob-omb | This version of Big Bob-omb shares a texture with Chuckyas, and appear to walk faster and have a greater throwing distance. This instance of Enemy Discoloring reportedly appears when the Personalization A.I. recognizes that the player requires a challenge. |
| Green | Eyerok | Green Eyeroks have a third hand, making the boss fight much more difficult. Notably, this instance of Enemy Discoloring appears to only manifest alongside major Dynamic Level Rearrangement affecting Shifting Sand Land, likely due to the affected boss appearing out of place in the original version of the level. |
| Green | Big Boo | Green Big Boos have been reported to be much more bigger than regular Big Boos and grow each time they are damaged. Otherwise, no behavioral changes appear to manifest. |
| Blue | King Whomp | Blue King Whomps create shockwaves similar to the Bowser boss fight in Bowser in the Sky when slamming on the ground, appearing to mirror the blue Whomp Enemy Discoloring. |
| Black | Chill Bully | Black Chill Bullies use the texture of regular Big Bullies, though maintain their singular horn, mimicking one of the earlier versions of the Big Bully design. They otherwise do not have any changes. |
| Cyan | Big Bully | Cyan Big Bullies use the texture of regular Chill Bullies, though maintain their two horns. This instance of Enemy Discoloring reportedly appears most often when Lethal Lava Land undergoes Dynamic Level Rearrangement to have blue lava. |
| White | Wiggler | White Wigglers, nicknamed Snowy Wigglers, reportedly appear in anomalous snowy levels such as Cold, Cold Crevasse, with no behavioral changes. |
| Red | Big Bully | Red Big Bullies, also known as Blazing Big Bullies, have the same discoloring traits as regular red Bullies, as well as taking less knockback than regular Big Bullies. |
| Cyan | Bowser | Cyan Bowser appears to take the appearance of the obscure Bowser's Brother character introduced in Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels, having cyan skin, a cyan shell, and a brown mouth and belly. The only reported behavioral difference reported with this discoloring is that they are harder to fight, dealing more damage and attacking faster. |
| Red | Bowser | Red Bowser has a red colored shell instead of green and yellow hair. He has also black mouth and belly with yellow nostrils so that they can be seen. The discoloring appears to be an aesthetic with nothing else noteworthy. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, this coloration of Bowser returns, potentially being inspired by this anomaly. |
| Gray | Eyerok | Gray Eyeroks, also called Steel Eyeroks, are much more resilient compared to their non-anomalous counterpart. For each hit, they lose a finger, making each hand require 5 hits to defeat. This boss usually appears for players who are especially skilled at the game. |
Anomalous Enemies[]
Several enemies of an anomalous nature have been reported to appear with Enemy Discoloring, causing some to initially mistake them for new versions of these enemies. These instances of Enemy Discoloring are notable as they all appear to be behavioral, with no aesthetic discolorations currently being reported.
| Colour | Enemy | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Blargg | Blue Blarggs usually only appear when the Blue Lava anomaly is present, and they have the ability to jump outside of the lava for a limited amount of time. |
| White | Blargg | White Blarggs appear in Wing Mario over the Rainbow. They typically appear in groups, each one lunging in a straight line while emerging. Their white color makes them resemble clouds, appropriately. |
| Grey | Shy Guy | Gray Shy Guys have the ability to shoot bullets from their mouths, similarly to Snufits and Snifits. |
| Black | Dry Bones | Black Dry Bones have the ability of still acting as a hazard when broken apart, damaging the player upon contact. |
| Black | Big Boo's Creeps | Black Creeps have the ability to explode upon contact with the player. These appear to be very similar to the black Boos, and are also potentially connected to Super Mario Galaxy's Bomb Boos. |
| Red | Motos | Red Motos have the Scuttlebug texture for their main body, as well as the ability to survive lava when thrown in, though will slowly begin sinking and eventually be defeated upon fully sinking. This may be the supposed "Lava Motos" variant of Motos before it was scrapped. |
| Cyan | Motos | Cyan Motos have the same texture as the Chill Bully for their main body, can appear in Snowman's Land and Cool, Cool Mountain, and have the ability to charge at the player. Similarly to the Red Motos, this is potentially the "Ice Motos" variant of the Motos enemy. |
| Cyan | Hopper | Cyan Hoppers have a higher jump than regular Hoppers that are reported. |
| Yellow | Shy Guy | Yellow Shy Guys take 2 jumps or punches to defeat instead of one. |
| Black | Shy Guy | Black Shy Guys wear black masks that they shoot bullets from, using the same attack as the Snufits. They resemble normal Snifits. |
| Yellow | Blargg | Yellow Blarggs appear in the quicksand in Shifting Sand Land and anomalous desert levels, and hide underneath quicksand, only being indicated by a small part of their model sticking up from the quicksand. They then jump out of the quicksand to attack the player when they come close enough before eventually going back under the sand. This behavior is similar to the Sandmaarghs seen in Super Mario 3D Land, though Sandmaarghs dwell in regular sand and not quicksand. |
| Cyan | Blargg | Cyan Blarggs have been reported to appear in water levels, and have the ability to shoot the water bombs seen in Bob-omb Battlefield out of their mouths. Cyan Blarggs appear to be water creatures, contrasting the regular Blarggs which are lava creatures. |
| Red | Dry Bones | Red Dry Bones have the ability to shoot fireballs at the player, similarly to Keronpa Balls, and usually appear in lava levels such as Lethal Lava Land. It is worth noting that Red Dry Bones later appeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (named Red Bones), implying some connection. However, Red Bones doesn't shoot fire. |
| Purple | Bloober | Purple Bloobers typically have some "poison" effect that can be inflicted upon the player, usually when the Bloober attacks the player, though it reportedly can be inflicted on contact with the player. They are similar to Poison Bloopers in the Paper Mario series. |
| Yellow | Motos | Yellow Motos, more commonly called Gold Motos, simply drop more coins than normally reported upon being defeated, or even a Power Star. |
| Red | Slaargh | Red Slaarghs spit lava puddles, which in addition to hurting Mario also send him flying. |
| Blue | Slaargh | Blue Slaarghs spit water, which doesn't create a hazardous puddle when it hits the ground. |
| Red | Hammer Bros. | Red Hammer Bros, also known as Fire Bros. throw bouncing fireballs instead of hammers. Fire Bros. are common enemies in the Super Mario series, first appearing in Super Mario Bros. 3. |
| Blue | Hammer Bros. | Blue Hammer Bros, dubbed Elite Bros. by players are more precise in their aiming, occasionally jumping erratically around the player. Due to regular Hammer Bros. already being a difficult challenge in their own right, these normally only appear as mini-bosses. They resemble Boomerang Bros, which, as the name implies, throw boomerangs instead of hammers. |
NPCs[]
Characters like Koopa the Quick, Peach and Yoshi can also be affected by this anomaly, although these instances of Enemy Discoloration are way more rare than any other. Given that these entities are not supposed to attack Mario, their alterations may change elements beyond variables like damage and speed. All of the following examples only count with two or three reports to prove their existence, so it is advised to take them with a grain of salt.
| Colour | Entity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Purple | Koopa the Quick | Also called Koopa the Slowness, he runs slower than his normal counterpart. If the player wins the race by a lot, he will call Mario a cheater, play a crying animation and refuse to hand in the power star. The player has to win by a narrow margin for Koopa the Slowness to give them the power star. |
| Black | Mother Penguin | Black Mother Penguin is capable of harming Mario when she chases him. When she is given her little penguin, she thanks Mario in a unusual way, saying that he has earned her respect while an unidentified song plays. |
| Green | Little Penguins | Green Little Penguins will increase their sliding skills everytime Mario performs a dive in front of them. After a certain amount of dives, they will slide by themselves towards the Mother Penguin and also unlock a race against them. |
| White | Peach | After saving her, White Peach will play a cutscene where Mario is getting married at The Castle Grounds with her and the cake mentioned in Peach's letter is sitting on the background. After the cinematic, players can roam freely, talk to the guests (who are normally a bunch of toads and Yoshi) and eat a piece of the cake. |
| Brown | MIPS | Brown MIPS can be grabbed by the ears and thrown. He will appear in any level and ask Mario to throw him somewhere, after which, he will thank Mario and give him some tips exclusively related to anomalous elements present in the copy. |
| Red | Yoshi | Red Yoshi doesn't disappear after talking with Mario and instead asks him for a combat, he then will lock Mario and himself in a 2D plane and start a very difficult fight, where he jumps, throws eggs and uses his tongue to attack Mario. |
| Green | Dorrie | Also called The Dorrie Sister, she replaces Dorrie and asks the player to use the ground pound on her to relieve her back pain. She won't move unless the player does this and will eat Mario if he hits her in the wrong place, killing him instantly. |
| Orange | Lakitu Bros | Orange Lakitu Bros will not be able to be controlled with the c-stick as they will move automatically. This variant of Lakitu can be hit by Mario and this will cause them to die and drop the camera. Mario can grab the camera like a box, making it show what is in front of him and basically changing the game into a first person perspective. |
| Yellow | Big Penguin | The Yellow Big Penguin grabs coins like Mario and tries to push him out of the slide constantly while racing. If the player manages to take all the coins on the slide, he will give Mario a medal out of spite. |
| Pink | Big Penguin | The Pink Big Penguin will not notice if Mario uses the shortcut when racing against him. |
Theorizing[]
The existence of Enemy Discoloring is entirely based off the rhetoric of players, although many of these players regard the same attributes of these discolored enemies. Some of the enemies referred to, specifically the Cyan Bully and Red Koopa Troopa, appear as unused assets in both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS respectively. The appearance of the Red Koopa in Super Mario 64 DS, which is already speculated to be based on a very personalized version of Super Mario 64, might be based off of an instance of Enemy Discoloring.
Some people consider the White-eyed Chomp an example of Enemy Discoloring. This is due to how similar it is to the idea of changing the colors of enemies, with the eyes changing to lack pupils and make the eyes entirely white, and also because the White-eyed Chomp can sometimes exhibit differing behavior from its original counterpart, potentially meaning a behavioral Enemy Discoloring. This includes the Chain Chomp wandering aimlessly from its pole. The lack of pupils could be inferring that the Chain Chomp is blind, and therefore blindly running around.
Gallery[]
- These images could very well be faked, take them with a grain of salt.
A purple Bully in Bowser in the Sky.
Red Goombas in Tall, Tall Mountain.
An orange Skeeter in Lethal Lava Land.
A grey Thwomp in Whomp's Fortress.
A red Koopa Troopa in Bob-omb Battlefield.
A blue-lipped Amp in Wet-Dry World.
An image of a Big Blazing Bully. Note that it appears to use the Scuttlebug texture, as well as a unique firey eye texture.
An image of a blue King Whomp.
