Cannon (Super Mario Sunshine)
| Cannon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork of the Monty Mole using a cannon from Super Mario Sunshine | |||
| Appearances | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Sunshine (2002) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) | ||
| Similar entities | |||
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Cannons[1][2] are large red cannons which first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine. They have three turrets which are used to either shoot out people for fast transportation, or to shoot various projectiles. The cannons are usually manned by Monty Moles, as a mean to attack any encroachers such as plumbers (suggesting that they were made by the Koopa Troop).[3] Although, some cannons have another purpose to be used as a means of transportation instead.
History
Super Mario Sunshine
Cannons make their debut in Super Mario Sunshine, with most of them being operated by Monty Moles. The Monty Mole can fire Bullet Bills, Purple Bullet Bills, and Gold Bullet Bills from these cannons. They effectively take the place of Bill Blasters in this regard. When Mario approaches the cannons, the Monty Moles cease firing Bullet Bills at him, and instead begin pelting Mario with multiple Bob-ombs, which Mario must diffuse (by spraying them) and then throw back at the Monty Mole to defeat them.
The first cannon that is encountered in this game is found on the upper west side of Delfino Plaza. When Mario first comes across it, a Pianta mechanic working inside it tells Mario that it is unfortunately out of order, and therefore unable to be used at the moment. However, after Shadow Mario has kidnapped Princess Peach and taken her to Pinna Island, the cannon becomes accessible, and Mario is able to use it to shoot himself to Pinna Island to pursue Shadow Mario. From this point on, the cannon continues to act as Mario's only means of transport to Pinna Park, which he must return to every time he wishes to travel there. When Mario enters this cannon, he is automatically shot to the island, without needing to aim first.
The second cannon in the game can be found near the entrance to Pinna Park, and is manned by a Monty Mole. In the episode "The Beach Cannon's Secret", the Monty Mole manning the cannon begins to terrorize the beach. Mario must dodge incoming Bullet Bills and make his way to the cannon, where he must throw Bob-ombs at the Monty Mole to defeat them. Once the Monty Mole is defeated, Mario must enter the cannon's opening to complete a Secret Level and return to Delfino Plaza. Mario can also use the Bullet Bills fired from the cannon as an opportunity to collect many Blue Coins, which are hidden under baskets that can only be broken open by Bullet Bills. Every mission onwards, the Pianta Mechanic will take the place of the Monty Mole.
The third and final cannon in the game is found in Episode 1 of Noki Bay. In this episode, the Monty Mole returns with another cannon, which is positioned atop an extremely large cork to where the waterfall was, and continuously shooting out Glorpedoes (which were created by the Monty Mole to be used for the cannon)[4] which gradually fall down cliffs and cause widespread pollution in the area. Mario must make his way to the top area of Noki Bay until he reaches the area with the cannon. Again, he must defuse Bob-ombs and then throw them back at the Monty Mole to defeat them just like in Pina Park. Once the Monty Mole is defeated, the cork blocking the waterfall is dislodged, causing both the Monty Mole and cannon to fly into the distance, releasing the Shine Sprite for that episode.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
The cannons reappear again in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, appearing as obstacles in Bowser Badlands. The cannons shoot out multiple Bullet Bills, which can lead to the player's shot being blocked by them. Two cannons also make a brief cameo in the opening cutscene as well. Unlike in Super Mario Sunshine, the cannons are not manned by a Monty Mole, with them seemingly being fired independently.
Super Mario-kun
Cannons appear exclusively in volume 31 of Super Mario-kun, in which the three cannons shown in Super Mario Sunshine appear and act similarly to how they did in their debut. There are some differences to how the cannons act unlike their source material, such as Yoshi blowing up the Pina Park cannon (alongside the Monty Mole manning it and a Swipin' Stu), with it being presumably destroyed after this. The Noki Bay cannon is also destroyed in a different way than how it gets destroyed in Super Mario Sunshine, as Mario explodes the cannon and the Monty Mole by performing a kamikaze towards the Monty Mole by gluing the Bob-ombs thrown by the Monty Mole onto himself.
Mario Power Tennis
In Mario Power Tennis, cannons return once again, appearing exclusively in the Chain-Chomp Challenge minigame. Like their debut, the cannons once again are manned by Monty Moles (though it is now multiple Monty Moles rather than a singular one unlike in Super Mario Sunshine). The cannons shoot tennis balls and Bob-ombs at the players, which are used to hit back at the Chain Chomps.
Gallery
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Super Mario Sunshine
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Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
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Mario Power Tennis (French version)
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Trivia
- In the files of Super Mario Sunshine, there are unused animations for the cannon in Pina Park of Mario being shot out of it, similar to the cannon in Delfino Plaza. This suggests that the cannon in Pina Park was at one point originally going to be used to travel back to Delfino Plaza (likely after defeating the Monty Mole).[5]
References
- ^ Hodgson, David S J, Bryan Stratton, and Stephen Stratton. Super Mario Sunshine Prima Official Strategy Guide. Page 13.
- ^ "The Beach Cannon's Secret" - Pinna Park episode 2
- ^ "Monty Mole is back, and he's brought a giant red cannon to ward off any encroaches. And yes, that includes plumbers!" - Hodgson, David S J, Bryan Stratton, and Stephen Stratton. Super Mario Sunshine Prima Official Strategy Guide. Page 21.
- ^ "Bouncing down the green cliffs of Noki Bay are Monty Mole's cannon creations, which knock you down and hit for a damage point. In groups of three, these bounce down the cliff and dissolve in the water below. Ignore or avoid them." - Hodgson, David S J, Bryan Stratton, and Stephen Stratton. Super Mario Sunshine Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Page 18.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDkQr86M-K0
