Could Mario's Hammer weapon work well in a Super Mario game?

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In Donkey Kong, Mario's first weapon is the Hammer, which is powerful in that game since it can be used to defeat any enemy or deadly obstacle. In later Mario games, Mario has practically used the Hammer in the Mario RPG games where it's Mario's weapon of choice if you do not count the trusty jump. Other than that, Mario's Hammer isn't used often, and it's especially absent in a Super Mario game. Technically, it has an appearance in Super Mario Bros. Special, which works like a power-up similar to the Star. In fact, the Star is usually Mario's invincibility power-up, which made it unnecessary for the Hammer as it worked in Donkey Kong. However, the Hammer isn't necessarily used for invincibility anyway, since the Mario RPG didn't confer invincibility for Mario when he has a hammer.

To be clear, when I meant the Hammer as a weapon, I do not mean how the Hammer Bro used it. So in this case, the Hammer Bro capture or Hammer Suit is not what I meant when I mentioned Mario using a Hammer as a weapon, since they utilise the weapon differently by throwing them like projectiles. What I meant is, Mario would keep his Hammer and swing it as a basic action similar to the RPG games where Mario strikes objects with a Hammer as a basic action. Only this time, Mario has the jump action to help him like in every Super Mario platformer.

On one hand, this would probably be awkward because when Mario has an extra action, it would be to enhance his platforming options, like Super Mario Galaxy's spins, Super Mario Sunshine's FLUDD and Super Mario Odyssey's Cap Throw. The Hammer is a very tricky addition in this case because unlike the solutions presented, how could using the Hammer enhance Mario's platforming action? It would have to be structured differently from a typical Mario game since the heavier option calls for a different philosophy in the level design.

On the other hand, Mario's games has typically been defined by something extra that Mario could do, even if it can feel different from the conventional gameplay. Using Super Mario Sunshine's FLUDD for example, the FLUDD can not only be used to clean anything dirty, but it also helps Mario to either go fast, stay in the air longer or even shoot high up in the air, and so the levels are designed around its use. Super Mario Odyssey's Cap Throw is not only used for more athletic feats, but can also be used to capture certain objects or characters to make use of what they could do. I am confident that if Mario is going to be using a Hammer as that extra option for Mario, the developers would find out inspiring and surprising ways to use it, so it's not just about defeating enemies, but could be used to create indents for extra platforms, blocking certain attacks and so on. One thing for certain: it would feel different from any other Mario game that came before it.

Would you be open to see Mario wielding a Hammer in a Mario game?

Thank you for reading.
 
There are only two things that come to mind when thinking hammers and platformers. The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series (including the original Donkey Kong and Game Boy's Donkey Kong) and Super Paper Mario. The former is what you talked about (invincibility), but the later is a prime example of how hammers can be used in other platformers.
 
I feel like the way Super Paper Mario handled the hammer attack could work just as well in a Mario game, but I feel like some redesigning would have to be done if Mario was equipped with a permanent attack. For example, they did give Rosalina a Star Spin move in Super Mario 3D World and I felt like it was quite an overpowered enemy killer, especially in a game series designed so that jumps could kill enemies. However, I feel like other platformers had punching moves other than the usual jump, Rayman and Kirby come to mind (not sure about Donkey Kong Country), and they work out fine, so I think Mario can easily manage with a hammer weapon.
 
If there is any Mario game in the future that emphasizes on melee weapon combat, I think Mario's Hammer is a natural choice. Of course, I'd like to see him be way more skilled with it rather than barely managing to swing it as in the Mario & Luigi games, wielding the thing silly like it's a lightweight weapon. I'd like to see a Mario game that has that kind of combat, but maybe it's just a pipe dream since Mario is known for jumping and evading enemies, with the occasional punching and kicking. But again, we had Mario with an arm cannon.
 
I suppose it could act as a temporary power-up, like the Flowers in Super Mario Galaxy. Can be used on command, but disappear after a short time. The only real problem I can think of is pounding things with the Hammer can probably already be done by the Ground Pound, like breaking blocks below or pounding in things like nails.
 
Alex95 said:
I suppose it could act as a temporary power-up, like the Flowers in Super Mario Galaxy. Can be used on command, but disappear after a short time. The only real problem I can think of is pounding things with the Hammer can probably already be done by the Ground Pound, like breaking blocks below or pounding in things like nails.
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Maybe the Hammer can be used for pounding spiky objects or otherwise something that hurts you if you slam on it (blocks of fire, icicles) and otherwise wreck things. Or maybe like in Legend of Zelda, think how the Megaton Hammer is used. :P
 
I don't think this could work. While it's a good idea, it would feel out of place in a mainline platformer game, as Mario is more about the platformer part of the genre, rather than Kirby or Wario which both feel much more combat oriented. So until a combat focused main series Mario game comes out, I feel like the Hammer appearing as a power-up is out of the question.
 
The main reason why Cappy exists, the spin move was made, and F.L.U.D.D was a vital tool was because of two reasons.

  • Jump Delay
  • To give an attack move

These are both solutions to the problem that jumping in 3D space brought. Jumping on a Goomba is FAR more difficult in a 3D game than a 2D game, because the Goomba can move in many different directions. The attack move can be executed without jumping, and the jump delay can be used to land in just the right spot. This is also why there is always a hard shadow beneath Mario.

I could see a hammer being a solution next time around if they find a way to make it fun, but since it doesn't solve the problem of precision jumps, I can't see it working.
 
It's not just that. There's also camera angles to consider; in a 2D plane you pretty much have only one view in an orthographic perspective. 3D camera has even more camera angles to play the game in, some far more optimal than others, and in a game like Mario Odyssey, it's not fixed either.
 
Plus, I can't see the hammer speeding up the pace of a 3D Mario at all. It works for RPG's because they are extremely slow games. Other Mario games are much snappier in pace and encourage the player to go at a fast, steady pace.