The game’s inclusions get sillier and sillier.
Advisory: The game featured in this article relies on microtransactions that can exceed $10.
In the dead of night the newest Dr. Mario World udpate has dropped including new stages to cool off for the summer and new aquatic doctors joining the staff: Dr. Koopa (as in Troopa) and Dr. Dolphin.
Yes, really.
Dolphin.
Dr. Dolphin is the latest in a recent string of head-scratching additions to the roster that previously crowned a tower of Goombas, appropriately named Dr. Goomba Tower, but that included playable Lakitu, Nabbit, and Luma as out there additions.
No game in the series has allowed you to play as anyone other than Dr. Mario (except for Dr. Luigi on the ill-fated Wii U) so the initial addition of Drs Bowser and Peach already made this mobile game something of a novelty. In the last year the game’s roster of trained clinical staff has ballooned to more than 30 playable doctors.
Given the game’s gacha-like mechanics for obstaining doctors–where duplicates serve to upgrade their levels–it’s likely Nintendo sees the appeal in expanding the roster for as long as possible. This means, however, that characters that serve as assistants (think extra perks via support characters) are now being promoted to the main playable roster, including the aforementioned Lakitu, Koopa, and, now, Dolphin.
This opens the door for any number of ridiculous possibilities. Imagine, if you will, Dr. Chain Chomp. Or Dr. Bullet Bill. Or, my favourite inevitably, Dr. Bob Omb.
Meanwhile, actual named characters are stuck in the assistant role, including Honey Queen (once a Mario Kart racer!), Pom Pom, and Boom Boom.
Then again, this is the reality where Piranha Plant is in Smash and Monty Mole is in Mario Kart so why not?
The update including the new doctors and stages is now live.