Gravity

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Gravity pulls Mario towards the dark matter.

Gravity is a force that appears in all games which draws characters towards the ground and sticks them there, allowing them to jump only. Though gravity is a universal element, some games use gravity changing mechanics and revolve around such.

Appearances where gravity is altered

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The Spirit Who Loves Surprises teaching Yoshi how to use Gravity.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

In Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, gravity makes its first notable appearance in which it affects gameplay. If the player tilts the Game Boy Advance left or right, the world tilts accordingly. This element of gameplay doesn't appear in any other Mario or Yoshi game. Tilting the console causes items such as Boulders and enemies to roll in the according direction, and causes items such as apples to tilt in that direction as well.

Super Mario Galaxy

Gravity appears in all games but it makes its biggest appearance in the game Super Mario Galaxy where, in multiple levels, there are many different forms of gravity. Black Holes use gravity to draw Mario or Luigi, if they fall into them, into the singularity and defeat them. Some of the other Planets have a stronger pull and can pull Mario back to them no matter how far away he goes from them unless he uses a Pull, Sling or Launch star. Gravity also appears as a force to be manipulated in several levels where gravity pulls Mario towards special walls called Gravity Walls. There are also two other manipulations of gravity in that game. First, there are Gravity Arrows, which change the gravity's flow in certain areas and Gravity Spotlights, which either increase or decrease gravity, drawing Mario towards another place or allowing him to stick to other surfaces.

There are three different types of gravity in Super Mario Galaxy:

• Normal gravity, which draws Mario in on all sides of the planet. This allows Mario to traverse the underside of a planet. An example of this is the mini-planets in Gusty Garden Galaxy. Note that this gravity is typically towards the flatness of the ground, not necessarily the center of the object as truly normal gravity would be.
• Downward gravity, which pulls Mario down, regardless of the planet. This causes slopes that Mario cannot climb, and also bottomless pits. An example of this is the Honeyhive Galaxy main planet.
• Outward gravity, which pulls Mario to the sides of a planet when he is inside one. This can happen in circular or cylindrical planets. An example of this is the Tower Planet in Bowser's Galaxy Reactor or the warp pipe area in the inside of the Asteroid Planet in Good Egg Galaxy.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Gravity appears again in Super Mario Galaxy 2, having the same purpose as it did in Super Mario Galaxy. In addition to the three types of gravity listed above, toroidal gravity, also referred to as "orbital" or "fall forever" gravity, also appears in this game. This type of gravity occurs only on cylindrical planets. Instead of falling toward the planet, Mario will actually fall around the planet. Examples of this are in the Log Planet and Abandoned Rocketship Planet on Tall Trunk Galaxy and Space Storm Galaxy, respectively.

Mario Kart 8

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Mario driving a kart with anti-gravity.

Anti-gravity will be a new feature in the Mario Kart series, with the upcoming game Mario Kart 8 , introducing it. The new mechanic allows vehicles to drive upside-down and vertically on courses. To activate these gravity directions, the karts must pass a special Boost Pad with circles on them.