Spade Panel
| Spade Panel | |
|---|---|
  
| |
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition (2010) |
Spade Panels,[1][2] also known as Flip Games[3] or Spade Houses,[4] are small panels on overworld maps in Super Mario Bros. 3 that can be used to earn extra lives for Mario or Luigi. Once the player enters one, they can play a minigame hosted by a Toad. Its gameplay is similar to that of a slot machine, in which parts of pictures slide past on panels and the player must line up three of the same panel to make a picture and win extra lives. There are Mushroom, Flower, and Star icons, granting two, three, and five extra lives when lined up as the Mushroom Picture,[1][2] the Flower Picture,[1][2] and the Star Picture,[1][2] respectively, similar to the goal at the end of nearly every level. If any of the panels are mismatched, no extra lives are awarded. The player gets only one chance to play the minigame.
While inside the Spade Panel, a random number generator is used to add an arbitrary amount of delay in between the time when the player presses 
and the time that each of the slot reels starts slowing down. The possible delay time is 32 to 47 frames for the first reel, 32 to 63 frames for the second reel, and 64 to 127 frames for the third reel. This means that the variance for the time that each of the reels start slowing down is 16 frames, 32 frames, and 64 frames, respectively. Without this variance, the window during which a certain item can be obtained on each reel is 19 frames for the first and second reels, and 16 frames for the third reel; however, since the variance is greater than this window for the second and third reels, it is impossible for the player to guarantee that the second and third reels will stop on a desired item. Additionally, the 64-frame variance for the third reel is equivalent to one full revolution of the reel, essentially meaning that the item that the third reel stops on is completely random, and cannot be determined by the player whatsoever.[5]
In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, if a Spade Panel is matched up correctly, further Spade Panels change to Heart Panels. The Stars are replaced by Leaf icons that give seven extra lives. Clearing one of these turns further Heart Panels into Club Panels, and the Super Leaves change to "3" icons that reward 10 extra lives. Clearing a Club Panel turns further panels into Diamond Panels, where only one picture can be lined up, making it impossible to lose. Earning a minimal number of lives at previous panels results in a Mushroom Picture, while higher numbers yield a random picture, and each picture gives the corresponding number of extra lives. If the player clears a Diamond Panel, or fails at any of the other ones, then all panels revert to Spade Panels, restarting the process. Clearing all levels makes all Spade Panels reusable.
A special Spade Panel, the N-Mark Spade Panel, appears every 80,000 points. When it is activated, the player plays a card game for prizes, with a total of nine prizes per game. After the game, all prizes earned are included in the player's inventory. Unlike with the other Spade Panel games, a player can make two mistakes during an N-Mark Spade Panel game before being returned to the world map; when the next 80,000 points are achieved, the player can continue the game off where they left.
In Super Mario Maker 2, while the Spade Panel itself does not appear, its minigame reappears as part of the version 3.0.0 update in one of the Toad Houses the player can place on the world map in World Maker. They are distinguished by the Super Star on the Toad House's roof.
Gallery
Super Mario Bros. 3
Gameplay
Mushroom
Fire Flower
Starman
Super Mario All-Stars
Gameplay
Mushroom
Fire Flower
Starman
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Gameplay
Mushroom
Fire Flower
Starman
A three
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スペードパネル[6] Supēdo Paneru |
Spade Panel | |
| Italian | Quadro del segno di picche[7] Pannello picche[8] |
Spade symbol square Spade panel |
Trivia
- This minigame's theme music is arranged in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (for Grate Guy's Casino), Super Mario 64 DS, New Super Mario Bros. (both for the minigames Wanted!, Connect the Characters, and Mario's Slides), Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Paper Mario: Color Splash (both for Snifit or Whiffit), Mario Party: Island Tour (for the minigame theme "Slowly Bubble Up"), and Super Mario Odyssey (for the Slots minigame).
- This minigame's theme music in Super Mario Bros. 3 is a looped sample from the bassline (or pause music) from Super Mario Bros. 2's Ground Theme.
- Much like the case with Bowser's wristbands from the original Super Mario Bros., in the sprites for Mario and the Toad in the Spade Panel cutscene, due to the NES supporting just three colors for each sprite, Mario/Luigi's gloves and the white parts of the Toad's body, including the primary color for his mushroom "hat" and pants, are actually transparent and appear white due to the sprites appearing in front of a white background. This also results in the Toad gaining an orange pixel (formed from the brick outlines of the wall) on his sprite if one looks closely enough.
References
- ^ a b c d Super Mario All-Stars instruction booklet, pages 31–32
- ^ a b c d Super Mario Bros. 3 English instruction booklet, page 21
- ^ Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Player's Guide, page 18
- ^ Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Prima's Official Strategy Guide back cover
- ^ Retro Game Mechanics Explained (October 7, 2023). SMB3 Roulette & Card Matching Games Explained. YouTube. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese instruction booklet, page 19.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Italian manual, pag. 16
- ^ Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition Italian manual, pag. 17
