Koopa - Concept and Creation

Concept and Creation

A tortoise-like enemy first appeared in the 1983 arcade game, Mario Bros., called Shellcreepers (simply called "turtles" in Japan). Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto had a fellow designer draw the enemy, but the result was far too realistic to fit in with the tone of the game, so Miyamoto designed the enemy himself. While the design had quite a large head, Miyamoto validated it by suggesting it looked like a tortoise. In Mario Bros., Shellcreepers could only be defeated by hitting the platform on which they were stood from underneath, thus flipping them on their backs allowing Mario or Luigi to kick them off the screen. This is likely to have inspired gameplay in Mario platformers from this point on, in which enemies can be defeated (or stunned) by hitting blocks on which they are stood from underneath.

In Mario Bros., the color of a Shellcreeper's shell indicated how fast it was - green being the slowest, red being faster, and purple being the fastest. This trait would be inherited by Koopa Troopas, named as such in 1985's Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System, in which they were the troops of Bowser's army - known as "King Koopa" in Japan, hence "Koopa Troopas": they are Koopa's troopers. In Super Mario Bros., green-shelled Koopas wander aimlessly along platforms and even fall into pits, whereas those with red shells patrol their platforms, turning around when they reach the edge of it. Super Mario Bros. also introduced the Koopa Paratroopa; a Koopa Troopa with wings which jumps up and down or flies, thus making it harder to dodge and defeat. The design of the Paratroopa came from Mario developer Takashi Tezuka in an attempt to add a flying character to Super Mario Bros., but there was not enough space to include such a character. Tezuka suggested that they put wings on the Koopa Troopa and call it "Koopa Paratroopa", which Miyamoto did not think would work. However, once it was finished, Miyamoto felt that it looked cute. Jumping on a Paratroopa causes it to lose its wings and become a normal Koopa Troopa, whereas jumping on a Koopa Troopa would cause it to retreat into its shell. The shell can then be kicked, causing it to slide quickly along a platform, defeating any enemy in its path (or Mario, should he stand in its way). These attributes have endured throughout the entire series.