Hammer Suit: the power-up that takes down Bowser

ItemHammer SuitSuper Mario Bros. 3

The Hammer Bros' black outfit, turned against Bowser's army. Introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3 back in 1988, the Hammer Suit lets you hurl hammers in a high arc and turns the crouch into a fireproof shield. This guide explains why it can take Bowser down head-on, how extremely rare it is in the game, and where it has resurfaced since.

In the sprawling arsenal of Super Mario Bros. 3, one power-up outshines almost all the others: the Hammer Suit (Hammer Suit in English). Rare, spectacular and fearsomely effective, it dresses the plumber in the Hammer Bros' black outfit and turns him into a genuine war machine.

Able to take down almost every enemy with a single throw, Bowser included, this suit remains one of the most powerful abilities of the NES era. Here is everything you need to know.

Contents

• A suit born in Super Mario Bros. 3
• Hammer throw: a rain that sweeps everything away
• The crouching shell: a fireproof shield
• Beating Bowser head-on
• A rare treasure and its comebacks
• Quick reference
• FAQ

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A suit born in Super Mario Bros. 3

The Hammer Suit makes its grand debut in Super Mario Bros. 3, released in Japan on 23 October 1988 on the NES (then in early 1990 in North America and on 29 August 1991 in Europe). It joins the long list of power-ups that make this legendary entry so rich.

Once picked up, the item drapes Mario (or Luigi) in the Hammer Bros' black outfit: dark helmet and shell, black overalls and a white shirt. The plumber borrows the look of the helmeted foes he was fighting a few levels earlier, a delicious role reversal. The transformation even has a name of its own (Hammer Mario).

A note for the historians: the game's original manuals never explicitly name this item. The labels "Hammer Suit" and "Hammer Outfit" only established themselves as the reference names later on.

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Hammer throw: a rain that sweeps everything away

The suit's signature move is, of course, the hammer throw. At the press of a button, Mario hurls hammers that trace an upward arc, a lobbed trajectory you can stretch or shorten slightly with the D-pad.

Where the Fire Flower sends out fireballs that roll along the ground, hammers strike just as well high up as at ground level, which makes them fearsome against flying or perched enemies. Above all, they take down almost the game's entire bestiary with a single projectile, including foes that fire simply cannot reach.

In the remake Super Mario Advance 4 (2003, Game Boy Advance), the suit even gains a brand-new use: its hammers can smash stone blocks, opening up passages that would otherwise stay out of reach.

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The crouching shell: a fireproof shield

The Hammer Suit is not just an offensive weapon. Crouch down and Mario curls up inside his black shell, putting himself out of reach of enemy fireballs, exactly the way a Buzzy Beetle (the shelled beetle, Buzzy Beetle in English) does, itself just as immune to flames.

This protection does come with one notable trade-off: crouched inside his shell, Mario can no longer slide down slopes to mow down his enemies, otherwise a classic move in the game. A subtlety for sticklers: if you grab the suit while already mid-slide, you can still finish that move.

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Beating Bowser head-on

Here is what lifts the Hammer Suit to the rank of the game's strongest power: it lets you defeat Bowser outright. Normally, the king of the Koopas is only beaten by dodging him until he smashes through his own castle floor under his own weight.

With the hammers, no trickery needed: a few well-placed throws are enough to bring Bowser down face to face, something very few items allow in the game. That rare ability turns the suit into a kind of "instant win" button against the final boss, provided you managed to hang on to it that long.

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A rare treasure and its comebacks

If the Hammer Suit is so coveted, that is also because it is very rare. In Super Mario Bros. 3, it only turns up in worlds 6 and 7 (Ice Land and Pipe Land), right at the end of the adventure. Canny players sometimes carry it back to earlier worlds using the whistles that let you travel from one world to another. And like any power-up, a single hit taken is enough to lose it.

The suit then carries on through the re-releases: Super Mario All-Stars (1993, Super NES), the compilation All-Stars + Super Mario World (1994), Super Mario Advance 4 (2003), then Super Mario All-Stars – Limited Edition (2010, Wii).

In the Super Mario Maker series, on the other hand, it is neither a playable power-up nor a standard unlockable costume: it survives as a hidden nod. Knock on a warp door in the Super Mario Bros. 3 theme and you can summon a mischievous alter ego (Weird Mario) decked out in that hammer outfit.

🔨 A cult power-up that embodies the golden age of the NES, an era when every single item reinvented the way you played Mario.

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The Hammer Suit at a glance

French name	Costume Marteau (or Tenue Marteau)
English name	Hammer Suit
Japanese name	ハンマースーツ (Hanmā Sūtsu)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, Japan)	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, Japan)
Type	Power-up / transformation
Offensive effect	Arcing hammer throw
Defensive bonus	Fireproof shell when crouching
Other games	All-Stars, Advance 4, Mario Maker (nod)

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FAQ

• Which game does the Hammer Suit appear in?
  The Hammer Suit debuts in Super Mario Bros. 3, released in Japan in 1988 (1991 in Europe). It then returns in the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4 re-releases, and as a nod in Super Mario Maker.
• What does the Hammer Suit let you do?
  It turns Mario or Luigi into Hammer Mario and lets him throw hammers in an arc, just like the Hammer Bros. Those hammers take down almost every enemy with a single throw, including the ones fire cannot reach.
• Does the Hammer Suit protect against fire?
  Yes. When crouching, Mario shelters inside his shell and is safe from enemy fireballs, much like a Buzzy Beetle. The trade-off is that he can no longer slide down slopes.
• Can you really defeat Bowser with the Hammer Suit?
  Yes, and that is its great strength. Where you normally beat Bowser by letting him smash through his own castle floor, a few well-placed hammers are enough to bring him down head-on, something very few items allow.
• Is the Hammer Suit playable in Super Mario Maker?
  No, it is neither a playable power-up nor an unlockable costume. It only shows up as an easter egg: knocking on a warp door in the Super Mario Bros. 3 theme can make Weird Mario pop out wearing that outfit.

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