Dark Blocks are an enemy in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
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Physical description
Dark Blocks impersonate the appearance of a ? Block, except they are colored black and have a blue outline. Dark Blocks have an alternate aggressive form that has a red outline and a jagged mouth with angry-looking eyes.
In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Dark Blocks are exclusively encountered in Dream's Deep, more specifically the area accessed from Dreamy Pi'illo Castle. In the field, they appear stationary until approached, at which point they grow a face and attack.
In combat, Dark Blocks cannot be hit with the solo Hammer, the 3D Shell Attacks, the Dropchopper's shockwave, or the Jet-Board Bash due to their ability to fly. One of the Dark Block's attacks has the monster float above the Bros., who have to jump into the Dark Block for a timer to count down. If the timer does not reach 0 within a time limit, this will trigger the Dark Block into stomping the Bros., possibly stunning them. Another attack involves floating above a Bro. with spikes and Brick Blocks. The Bro. has to jump into the Dark Block, lest the Dark Block smashes him; jumping into the spikes has the same effect, but the _target takes damage. Hitting a Brick Block produces coins.
If a Dark Block is jumped into enough times during the jump counter attack, or if it is jumped into at all during the spike block attack, it will take on a weakened state. In this state, the Dark Block has a sad-looking face, and its colour becomes light blue. Killing a Dark Block causes it to turn into an actual Mystery Block which can be bopped for an extra item.
A Dark Block is a Level 23 monster with a health maximum of 133 hit points, an attack power of 169, a defense of 414, a speed of 38, and a no hitter of 34. When slain, it gives 150 experience, 40 coins, an Ultra Candy in 1 out of 10 cases, and the Knockout Hammer in 3 out of 100 cases.
Nomenclature
The Japanese version of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team calls the Dark Block "Dāku Burokku" (transliteration of "Dark Block"; written ダークブロック). In Spanish, the enemy is called Obscubloque, with Obscu- coming from obscuro ("dark") and bloque meaning "block." The formation is reversed in Portuguese, where Dark Blocks have their name translated as Blocobscuro (bloco = "block," obscuro = "dark"), and Italian, where the Dark Blocks' name is Bloccoscuro (blocco = "block," oscuro = "dark"). In French, their name is Obscublok, from obscur ("dark") and bloc ("block"). In German, they are called Wrath Blocks (Zornblock; Zorn = "wrath" or "anger"). In Russian, Dark Blocks are called Mrakoblok (written Мракоблок; mrak (мрак) = "dark," blok (блок) = "block").
Trivia
- This is the first enemy throughout the Mario & Luigi franchise to use 3D models in normal-sized combat, the others being Shiny RoboBowser in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and Cackletta during her last two phases in her second fight in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga's 3DS remaster. Unlike the latter two, Dark Blocks are common enemies rather than bosses.
