#powerups

Moth Survivors - UI Elements

The final bit of assets made for Moth Surivors! Icons! A good chunk of the game would be management, so the iconography was going to be important. Besides showcasing the prototype characters, we also have icons for every powerup and pickup in the game, health, xp, money, etc.

Here I found another very small game. I got it on sale on Steam. It's about caves. And it's a roguelike. Only this time it's from a side view. Like on an 8-bit Dendy console. And it also has pixel graphics. But this is on PC. It's on Steam.

((Its true that we never saw Bowser using powerups...Well aside from Meowser and the tanuki one from 3D Mario land...

In my mind, if Bowser uses the ice flower, he would not breath fire he would breath ice !

You have no idea what you have just unleashed, anon. :D I am super into world-building and lore when it comes to Mario stuff, so here's a random list of ideas that may or may not bear fruit for anyone who reads this. (Also, part of this is me sketching out concepts for solus creatura, so I thank my followers in advance for their patience here).

The vegetable/fruit/foliage powerups are naturally occurring. The Mushroom Kingdom has the most fertile conditions for these plants to grow, although other kingdoms have done a decent enough job of genetically engineering their own powerup plants.

This makes the powerups an integral part of the Mushroom Kingdom economy, and one of the reasons they're able to survive so long without any real standing army or defense system outside of Mario and Luigi. It's also one of the reasons they get invaded so often.

The Darklands, centuries before Bowser's reign, used to also cultivate powerups. They were overfarmed by a corrupt agricultural council, however, and in combination with a once-in-a-lifetime drought, the vast majority of their land and crop was ruined.

Luckily for the Darklands, their native species is capable of fire and they still retain a strong tradition of magical culture through the Magikoopas (although this was briefly wiped out during Bowser's father's reign, as he thought the Magikoopas were planning a coup. They, in fact, were, but for good reasons).

Now, the Mushroom Kingdom is wary of magic, due their own history and complicated relationship with the Darklands (this may be in part linked to an old civil war that caused the split between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Darklands). Their species is also just not that magically adept (something having to do with Toad physiognomy?) The powerups are a decent compromise - they afford magic-like abilities without rendering their user permanently superpowered.

There was some contention in the royal court when Mario and Luigi first arrived in terms of allowing them access to the powerups. Ultimately, it was decided the safety of the kingdom would supersede any worries about abuse of power. (This being said, Peach had to argue long and hard for this).

Mario and Luigi receive a monthly allotment of powerups and if they find any "in the wild," they're supposed to record each instance. Neither brother bothers with this and every month they get a nasty letter from Porcina in accounting, which has led to a years-long feud between her and Mario. Luigi has learned the better way to circumvent the system is bribery by brownie. It usually, although not always, works.

The non-vegetative powerups are created in Mushroom Kingdom labs. Because the Mushroom Kingdom is like a Times Square Station for warp-pipe travel, the dimensional crossroads makes it easier to cross-pollinate powerups with characteristics of other species and lands (cats, penguins, etc.)

Back in the day, E. Gadd was involved with a lot of this research, but ultimately left to pursue his own interests in the paranormal. It's also rumored that he and the governing scientific committee at the time had a spat about the limits of experimental ethics.

When Mario and Luigi are first introduced to the powerups, they think this is the coolest thing in the world. They have powers, which was an impossibility back in New York.

It takes them a while to get the hang of using the powerups. Mario set fire to a Mushroom Kingdom stable one time. Luigi crash landed into someone's wedding as a kitsune. The citizens, by and large, were relatively forgiving of these incidents, although it did make for a wild few days in the press.

At first, Mario and Luigi both love the fireball ability. That is, until the events of Super Paper Mario, after which they go a solid few months without coming NEAR a fireflower. Mario can't help flashback to that terrible moment in Merlon's house while Luigi experiences the oddest phantom pains if he as much holds a fireflower, although he can't say why exactly. (Mario, of course, has no idea Luigi was boxed and bombed twice by Dimentio).

Luigi loves flying and may steal a few extra Tanooki leaves to go out and experiment with aeronautics/aviation concepts in the dead of the night. This, subconsciously, directly influences his Brobot designs in his time as Mr. L.

Mario's favorite powerup is the classic mushroom. Finally, he gets to be as tall or taller than his younger brother.

They both think the Invincibility Star is incredible until they're faced with a situation in which the invincibility wears off at a dangerous moment, which almost turned fatal for Mario. It's a sobering moment, and brothers learn the lesson that no one is invincible forever.

The Mushroom Kingdom allows Mario and Luigi to use the powerups under the assumption that the "magic," as it were, never lasts. What they don't know, however, is that Luigi has a strange penchant for magic, which is why on more than one occasion, the effects of the powerups take longer to wear off on him. (One day, Luigi shows up to meet his brother looking a little...furrier than usual. "You look hairy, bro," Mario says, furrowing his brow. "I'm Italian." Mario rolls his eyes at his brother's quip. "Not that Italian. What, did you forget to shave again?" Luigi just shrugs, not wanting to admit this isn't the first time he's woken up with more hair than he's used to).

Mai Fire Flower

I'm trying to come up with ideas for powerups or magic items. Mostly this is what I came up with. I haven't came up with a power for the Quantum amulet yet. I'm having trouble deciding which ones are better, and I'm only going with a few. Jewel of Eternal Love: Generates a field of good energy and good magic, it negates evil energy, dark magic and misery. A whole town keeps this in a spot to feel good mainly. Perfect against demons and beings powered by hate and misery. Mask of Infinity: Scares of evil spirits, it mainly floats around you like a satellite. It scares monsters stiff like (Medusa turning people to stone) so they can't attack or move. Miracle Crystal: Grants a miracle form. A super form that can exceed beyond given limits. Quantum Amulet: ??? Lamp of Eternity: Shines a massive light that light up entire areas, it also destroys shadow magic and dark entities and reveals stuff.

Wand of the Saint: Breaks curses, spells and bad luck. It negates evil magic and energy and can free people from possession. Jewel of Invisbility: Makes anyone invisible to evil beings. The only thing is that your still visible to friends and family. Arcane Hourglass: Stops time for a minute, stopping monsters and hazards like ghosts or fires. Ankh of Revival: It can revive and heal anyone injured or killed. It doesn't work for malevolent entities though. Hyper Crystal: Grants hyper abilities and hyper form. Making anyone faster than anyone granting bullet time like speed. Amulet of the Dragon: Allows the person to summon the power of the Dragon. Amulet of Raiju: Allows the person to summon the power of Raiju. Lightning Orb: Allows you to create, manipulate and shoot lightning for electrifying attacks. This lightning uses a special energy magic that hurts malevolent beings and breaks their magic.