Life of a Lowly Goomba Quiz | Video Games

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "It's a dark time for the Mushroom Kingdom. King Koopa invaded the land and turned many of its citizens into blocks. Fearful for my life, I enlisted in the Koopa Troop but to my horror I have been sent to the front lines!" What game is it?

Answer: Super Mario Bros.

So this particular Goomba appears in the original Super Mario Bros., specifically the very first Goomba the player encounters in World 1-1.

The Goomba were the very last enemies created, due to play testers thinking the Koopers were too challenging for a first time player. In the original story of "Super Mario Bros." given in the manual, Goomba were residents of the Mushroom Kingdom and joined forces with Bowser after he invaded their home and kidnapped the Princess. Before the invasion they were on friendly terms with the Toads.

2. "I didn't know that King Koopa and Mario both had such fondness for acting. The Koopa Troop along with Mario's organization are mounting a full-scale theatrical production of Mario's adventures about rescuing Princess Peach from the clutches of King Koopa! We have a large cast of characters, including seven new members of the Koopa Troop called the Koopalings. I have a lot of screen time in the production, but my favorite part is riding in a new green shoe!" What game is it?

Answer: Super Mario Bros. 3

This Goomba gets to ride in Kuribo's Shoe, which sadly only appears one time (5-3) in "Super Mario Bros. 3". Miyamoto has confirmed that "Super Mario Bros. 3" is a stage play, which is why you see bolts wire-lines holding up various stage props throughout the game. The game opens on a stage once the curtains rise.

My personal fan-theory is that "Super Mario Bros. 3" is a theatrical retelling of the original "Super Mario Bros.".

3. "I am so angry! Bowser is stationing the Koopa Troop on Dinosaur Island. He's up to his usual hijinks of kidnapping Princess Peach again. (Mario, Bowser, and Peach are in such a vicious repeating cycle!). Anyway, the Goomba battalion doesn't get to go to the lush and tropical Dinosaur Island because Bowser just signed up a bunch of new recruits. They call themselves Galoombas!" What game is it?

Answer: Super Mario World

Life of a Goomba can be filled with disappointment. Instead of getting some much needed rest and relaxation on a tropical getaway, the Goomba get left behind in favor of a new enemy, Galoombas.

"Super Mario World" is one of the rare mainline Mario games in which Goomba do not appear. The primary different between the two enemies is that Galoombas are not smashed when Mario jumps in them but are instead just kicked around. Galoombas appeared only rarely in Mario games in comparison to their much more famous cousin until "Super Mario 3D World", afterwhich they have appeared with increasing frequency in the series.

Due to a translation error, before "Super Mario 3D World" they were known as "Goombas" in English. The original Japanese name Nintendo uses for "Super Mario World" makes a clear distinction between "Goombas" (Kuribō) and "Galoombas" (Kuribōn, with 'bon' being a term for 'boys'). When Nintendo localized the game for English speaking markets this distinction was not carried over in the naming convention. One of the tips from "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" confirms there are no Goombas in "Super Mario World".

4. "Sometimes my main gig slows down and I have to pick up a side hustle. This particular job doesn't sound that bad: I'm on Koholint Island where there are monsters everywhere and some big bad named the Wind Fish that is asleep in an egg on top of a mountain. Maybe I'll even get to go to the beach! I've heard there's a strange owl that lives there." What game is it?

Answer: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

At least this Goomba got something of an island getaway after being passed over in Super Mario World!

Goombas appear in the small side scrolling sections along with Thwomps in "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening". "Link's Awaking" has numerous Nintendo and Mario cameos, including Mamu/Wart from "Super Mario Bros. 2"!

5. "Oh no! I've really done it this time! I made King Koopa mad! He looks . . . oddly human for some reason. He's putting me in this de-evolving machine as my punishment. Oh help me! I have a small dinosaur head now! Wait, Goombas aren't dinosaurs? What is happening to me?" What movie or TV show is it?

Answer: Super Mario Bros. (1993)

For whatever reason, Hollywood made Goombas into actual dinosaurs with small craniums in the 1993 Mario flick. The less said about this disaster the better. I will only add that Bob Hoskins, who played Mario, said he absolutely abhorred this movie.

6. "So I've been watching that yellow walking cactus Pokey and got to thinking his height is a great way to defend ourselves against Mario. I've managed to convince a bunch of my fellow Goomba soldiers to make a Goomba Tower. Mario will never beat us now! Be quiet though and don't tell him . . . the Goomba Tower is a brand new strategy that he has never seen us use before!" What game is it?

Answer: Super Mario 3D Land

Here's a Goomba who is invested in the success of the Koopa Troop, coming up with innovative new ways to take down that evil Italian plumber Mario! Goomba Towers (or Goomba Stacks) make their debut in "Super Mario 3D Land". As the name suggests, a Goomba Tower is a tower of several Goombas that attacks Mario. Goomba Towers would appear in several more Mario games (including the three incorrect answers).

7. "I am the Mystery Goomba! Untouchable! Unreachable! Nearly impossible to perceive! Only Mario at his most Eagle-eyed will even catch a glimpse of me for a few seconds! I am so well hidden that I went unknown to the world at large for decades! Where do I dwell?" What course or level is it?

Answer: The "Bowser in the Sky" Course

Ah yes, the Mystery Goomba, the most elusive of Goombas in the known universe. This Goomba appears far removed from Mario and is completely inaccessible in normal game play.

The technical explanation is that in "Super Mario 64" when Mario gets into a specific radius the game spawns three Goombas. Due to level design of this particular course, two Goombas appear on the platform where Mario is at, but the third Goomba appears at the very bottom of the level. Every bottomless pit in "Super Mario 64" has an invisible floor, and that's where the Goomba appears for a single frame and then immediately disappears. If you take Mario and place him on that invisible floor, the Goomba will not spawn as Mario is not in the Goomba spawning radius on the appropriate platform. As of 2022 there is no known way to access this Goomba via normal gameplay.

8. "Sometimes I just don't get what's going on between Mario and Bowser. One day they are engaged in a life and death struggle of literally galactic proportions, and the next they are go-kart racing! Go-kart racing! And do I get race? No! I have to stand around as scenery in the crowd when the officials are handing out trophies to the winners!" What game event is it?

Answer: Victory Ceremony in "Mario Kart: Super Circuit"

Sadly, the Goombas have not appeared as a playable character in the Mario Kart series from 1992-2021. There's always hope for the future for this sad little Goomba who wants to go racing though, and the millions of fans wanting the chance to steer him to victory!

Goombas have appeared in the "Mario Kart" series. Generally they are obstacles on the race-track to be avoided, or they form a giant Goomba Tower wall. They have appeared in the following titles: "Mario Kart: Super Circuit", "Mario Kart: Double Dash", "Mario Kart DS", "Mario Kart Wii", "Mario Kart 7", "Mario Kart 8", and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe". There have even been online petitions asking Nintendo to give Goomba his big brake at the racing big time!

9. "It was so scary! A giant sword named Smithy fell from the sky, damaging Bowser's Keep! I went AWOL from the Koopa Troop, I was so afraid. I want to be good mother to my triplets, and I've even got a shop in a special quiet little town. Oh no! That's Bowser coming through the door of my shop! I'm going to have to explain myself to him! I can't even think of the town I live in, I'm so nervous!" What town is it?

Answer: Monstro Town

It's not often that you get to meet a female Goomba but "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars" affords you just that opportunity! After Smithy descends on Bowser's Keep, you meet Goomba (which is her name, confusingly enough) leading other Goombas along Rose Way.

When Mario finally teams up with Bowser the Koopa Troop has abandoned their king and went into hiding. Mario and Bowser meet Goomba in Monstro Town, where she runs the Weapons and Armor Shop. Goomba tells her triplets about 'Uncle Bowser", and Bowser forgives Goomba for abandoning the Koopa Troop after the invasion.

10. "I had quite the adventurous youth! I travelled the world over with Koopa Koot and Bootler, but we are all so old now. I live in Goomba Village and have taken up carpentry. I was fixing the veranda on the house, but when Mario came to visit me the veranda collapsed and now I need his help to retrieve my Hammer so I can finish my repairs. I think I'll even go along with Mario to get back my Hammer and help him out. Maybe even relive some of my adventures!" Which Mario character is it?

Answer: Goompa

Not every Goomba is against Mario. Goompa is an elderly grandfather in "Paper Mario" who Mario meets at the beginning of the game. His grandchildren are Goombario and Goombaria. With Goompa's assistance, Mario retrieves Goompa's hammer. Goompa teaches Mario the battle system. Koopa Koot is an elderly Koopa Troopa and Bootler is an elderly Boo. Goombella is a friendly second-year University student from "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door".

Source: Author berenlazarus

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Life of a Lowly Goomba Trivia Quiz

It's not easy being a lowly Goomba in the Mushroom Kingdom! I describe what's going on in a specific Goomba's life and you answer the question based on the description! This quiz includes questions about non-gaming content.

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