History Main / PowerupMount

* Gives the player an alternate means of travel. Faster running, flight, gliding, digging, climbing, riding on lava, and swimming are all typical examples.

* The ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' games produced by Naughty Dog had one such animal per game, with two levels in each game dedicated entirely to riding them through their respective obstacle courses (an unnamed wild boar in ''VideoGame/{{Crash Bandicoot|1996}}'', Polar the polar bear in ''CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'', and Pura the tiger, along with a baby T-Rex in ''CrashBandicoot3Warped'').

* Any ''{{Pokemon}}'' able to learn Surf or Fly falls into this.
** In ''PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'', you can capture Doduo for faster travel on land, Floatzel or Empoleon for travel in water (the latter provides the ability to smash through icebergs) or Staraptor to teleport between towns. Staraptor will leave the party as soon as you arrive at your destination, the Water types will leave once you leave the water and Doduo can be ridden until you need to enter a building, then it will leave the party (although this can be prevented by doing something that prompts the Ranger pose action, such as a Quest).

** Played straight and slightly subverted at the same time with Yoshi in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2''. The part played straight? Yoshi can eat enemies to turn them into star bits, and he has transform into Dash/Light/Balloon forms as power-ups. The slight subversion? This is one of the few (only?) game in which Yoshi does not provide an extra hit point at all, so taking a hit will result in '''both''' Mario/Luigi taking damage (and being defeated if he had only one hit point left), '''and''' Yoshi fleeing.

* Not a powerup, but Genji the turtle acts like this for Reimu Hakurei in early ''TouhouProject'' games.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', this is a common form of link attack for Sora's dream eater allies. It makes both him and the involved dream eater completely invincible, and allows them to ram into the opposition. Some of the dream eaters are also able to unleash one of their other attacks while being ridden.

* In ''KingdomHearts3D'', this is a common form of link attack for Sora's dream eater allies. It makes both him and the involved dream eater completely invincible, and allows them to ram into the opposition. Some of the dream eaters are also able to unleash one of their other attacks while being ridden.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Nintendo}} Saddle up, pard'ners!]] [[hottip:*:Clockwise, from top left: [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Yoshi]], [[TheLegendaryStarfy the seahorse]], [[{{Kirby}} Rick]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Moosh]], [[DonkeyKongCountry Enguarde the Swordfish]].]]

* Rush from the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series pre-dates Yoshi, and is possibly the UrExample of this trope. Throughout the games, Rush has been a spring board, a jet sled, a mini-submarine, three types of PoweredArmor, a digging tool, a motorcycle, and a space capsule. Most of his forms have provided their own weapon, or altered Mega Man's ArmCannon.

* The dinosaurs from the ''AdventureIsland'' series.
* The animal buddies in ''LittleNemo: The Dream Master''. Some of them had added a touch of NightmareFuel, since in many cases, Nemo would ride them by crawling into their mouth, giving the appearance of wearing their skin.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Nintendo}} Saddle up, pard'ners!]] [[hottip:*:Clockwise, from top left: [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Yoshi]], [[TheLegendaryStarfy the seahorse]], [[{{Kirby}} Rick]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Moosh]], [[DonkeyKongCountry Enguarde the Swordfish]].]]]]

** ''Saturn Bomberman'' exchanges the [[EverythingsBetterWithKangaroos Louies]] for [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs dinosaurs]]. Their name is "Tirra", if ''Bomberman Fantasy Race'' is to be believed, but ''Saturn Bomberman'' itself makes no such suggestion.

* The ''CrashBandicoot'' games produced by Naughty Dog had one such animal per game, with two levels in each game dedicated entirely to riding them through their respective obstacle courses (an unnamed wild boar in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'', Polar the polar bear in ''CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'', and Pura the tiger, along with a baby T-Rex in ''CrashBandicoot3Warped'').

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Nintendo}} Saddle up, pard'ners!]] [[hottip:*:Clockwise, from top left: [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Yoshi]], [[TheLegendaryStarfy the seahorse]], [[{{Kirby}} Rick]], [[LegendOfZelda Moosh]], [[DonkeyKongCountry Enguarde the Swordfish]].]]]]

* ''TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'' let Link choose among a boxing kangaroo named [[RuleOfThree Ricky]], a blue flying bear named Moosh and a friendly swimming Dodongo named Dimitri as steeds for him.
** Meanwhile, most of the 3D ''TheLegendOfZelda'' games have the fast-galloping and leaping horse Epona. Inverted in ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', where Link '''''is''''' the Powerup Mount, for the dark imp Midna. In this formation, the two can can leap to high ledges, teleport and use a homing attack to wipe out several enemies at once.

** ''SuperMarioBros3'' has a borderline example in the Kuribo's Shoe power-up. Though its status as "creature" is debatable, it does indeed grant another hit point, you ride around in it by bouncing, and it allows you to travel safely on spikes and jump on enemies you would not otherwise be able to.

* Camels and alligators in ''CastleCrashers''.

* Louie the Rabbit, and then later the other [[{{Mons}} Charaboms]] (especially Pommy) from the ''{{Bomberman}}'' series.

* Rush from the ''Game/MegaMan'' series pre-dates Yoshi, and is possibly the UrExample of this trope. Throughout the games, Rush has been a spring board, a jet sled, a mini-submarine, three types of PoweredArmor, a digging tool, a motorcycle, and a space capsule. Most of his forms have provided their own weapon, or altered Megaman's ArmCannon.

* ''MetalSlug'' has these feature prominently enough to be named after one - granted, most of these are adorable 'military vehicles', but the series features ridable animals from time to time, ranging from camel to elephant to donkey. Unlike vehicles, riding an animal leaves the player exposed to enemy fire and may sometimes be a liability.

* The ''MetalSlug'' series features ridable animals from time to time, ranging from camel to elephant to donkey. Unlike vehicles, riding an animal leaves the player exposed to enemy fire and may sometimes be a liability.

* Rick, Coo and the rest of the Animal Friends from ''{{Kirby}}'', and even King Dedede himself in ''{{Kirby 64}}''.

* Yoshi in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2''.
** ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' is the inverse of this: you play as Yoshi himself and his friends, as they carry baby Mario on their backs.[[hottip:* :Except in a few levels where baby Mario flies around]] The creators also thoughtfully included a PowerupMount ''for'' Yoshi, in the form of a large dog named Poochy. The dog could carry you across spikes and lava and things, but had a fairly steep learning curve for controlling it.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' has a borderline example in the Kuribo's Shoe power-up. Though its status as "creature" is debatable, it does indeed grant another hit point, you ride around in it by bouncing, and it allows you to travel safely on spikes and jump on enemies you would not otherwise be able to.
** In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', your Yoshi partner is a [[CuteBruiser Cute]] BoisterousBruiser with the strength to carry a plumber three times his size!

* Louie the Rabbit, and then later the other [[Main/{{Mons}} Charaboms]] (especially Pommy) from the ''{{Bomberman}}'' series.

* Rick, Coo and the rest of the Animal Friends from ''{{Kirby}}'', and even King Dedede himself in ''[[{{Kirby64}} Kirby 64]]''.
** Also, the Helper Wheelie in ''[[KirbySuperStar Kirby Super Star]] (Ultra)'': If Kirby splits off the Wheel power, the Wheelie it creates has a cowling and handlebars (unlike every other Wheelie in the game), and Kirby will ride it if he jumps on top. If you're playing two-player mode, Player Two (the helper) will control the motion, and Player One (Kirby) can fire short-range stars at enemies; otherwise, the player will control the motion but be unable to shoot stars.

* In the arcade game Gunsmoke, one of the powerups is a donkey, which you ride. It definitely increased the number of hits you could take [[OneHitPointWonder above one,]] that's saying something.

* GuildWars: You have to ride in Junundu Worms to get across The Desolation in Nightfall. Your Health, Energy, and skillbar are all replaced with Junundu Worm stuff when you enter it. Also, you have to prove your worth by defeating the Junundu Queen before being able to ride one.

* SpyroTheDragon, in one of the games, gets to ride on a manta ray underwater to shoot some [[{{Mook}} Rhynocs]] in submarines.

* Not a powerup, but Genji the turtle acts like this for Reimu Hakurei in early TouhouProject games.

** Meanwhile, most of the 3D ''TheLegendOfZelda'' games have the fast-galloping and leaping horse Epona. Inverted in ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', where Link is the Powerup Mount for the dark imp Midna, who can leap to high ledges, teleport and use a homing attack to wipe out several enemies at once.
* ''{{Billy Hatcher And The Giant Egg}}'' has three: Rikol the kangaroo-lion who can jump quite high and spit fireballs, Datch the sheep-ostrich who can glide and has a green-charged attack... thing, and Kaboot the shark who averts your SuperDrowningSkills and has a body-slam attack. They can also sustain several hits of damage, instead of just one.