Switch Palace

- “The power of the switch you have pushed will turn
into
.”
- —Yellow Switch Palace message,Super Mario World
ASwitch Palace[1] is a smalllevel that features a! Switch (or? Switch, inSuper Mario 64 DS). When hit, the switch turnsDotted-Line Blocks of the same color into solid! Blocks (or? Blocks) throughout the game's other levels. In addition to becomingplatforms, the ! Blocks may contain certainpower-ups or be empty, depending on the color and game.
The music to theSuper Mario World Switch Palace receives a rendition inDance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, under the name "Step by Step." The composition combines elements of thebonus game from said game as well.
History
Super Mario World /Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
There are four Switch Palaces inSuper Mario World and itsreissue,Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. Each one contains a bonus room where at least oneextra life can be earned and a hall with the big switch. Hitting it clears the level, and the Switch Palacecannot be played again, indicated by itsworld map icon also becoming pressed. Switch Palaces are usually unlocked from thesecret exit of an adjacent level; the exception is theYellow Switch Palace, whoseprevious level has only one exit.
Big switch | Switch Palace | World | Means of access | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNES | GBA | |||
Yellow Switch Palace | Yoshi's Island | BeatYoshi's Island 1. | ||
Green Switch Palace | Donut Plains | FindDonut Plains 2's secret exit viakeyhole. | ||
Red Switch Palace | Vanilla Dome | FindVanilla Dome 2's secret exit via keyhole. | ||
Blue Switch Palace | Forest of Illusion | FindForest of Illusion 2's secret exit via keyhole. |
Super Mario 64 /Super Mario 64 DS
InSuper Mario 64, the three locations containing theCap Switches are called Switch Palaces in the German localization and certain English coverage.[2][3] TheTower of the Wing Cap, theCavern of the Metal Cap, andVanish Cap Under the Moat are respectively called the Red, Green, and Blue Switch Palaces. Whereas yellow and green ! Blocks inSuper Mario World contain extra power-ups that appear elsewhere, each color of ! Block inSuper Mario 64 is the sole means of accessing a correspondingcap power-up. Accordingly, the Cap Switch courses are themed around their respective power-ups.Mario starts a Cap Switch course with the power of its cap and can get aPower Star by collectingRed Coins with the use of the power-up.
Super Mario 64 DS removes all but one of the switches: The caps' abilities are allocated to the four playable characters through thePower Flower andWings, both of which the ? Switch unlocks. The two courses whose Cap Switches were removed are renamed, and an extra Power Star is added to them.
Image | Course | Power-up | Means of access |
---|---|---|---|
Tower of the Wing Cap (Super Mario 64)? Switch (Super Mario 64 DS) | Wing Cap (Super Mario 64)Power Flower orWings (Super Mario 64 DS) | Collect tenPower Stars (14 inSuper Mario 64 DS), stand on the rug in the center of theMushroom Castle's foyer, and use the first-person camera mode to look up at the source of the beam of light. | |
Cavern of the Metal Cap (Super Mario 64)Behind the Waterfall (Super Mario 64 DS) | Metal Cap (Super Mario 64)None (Super Mario 64 DS) | In the Underground Lake in theHazy Maze Cave, steerDorrie to reach the double doors, and fall into the pool of rippling metal in the next room. | |
Vanish Cap Under the Moat (Super Mario 64)The Secret Under the Moat (Super Mario 64 DS) | Vanish Cap (Super Mario 64)None (Super Mario 64 DS) | Ground-pound twobrick pillars in the Mushroom Castle's basement, then fall down a hole in the drained moat. |
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | スイッチの Suitchi no Kyūden | Switch Palace | |
French | Palais Bloc[?] | Block Palace | |
German | Schalterpalast[?] | Switch Palace | |
Italian | Palazzo dell'interruttore[?] | Palace of the Switch | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia |
Portuguese | Palácio de Transformação[?] | Transformation Palace | |
Spanish | Palacio del Interruptor[?] | Switch Palace |
References
- ^1991.Super Mario World instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 21.
- ^May 1997.Official UK Nintendo Magazine Issue #56.EMAP (British English). Page 45.
- ^Prima Bath (April 21, 1999).Ultimate Nintendo 64 Pocket Power Guide, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide.Prima Games. ISBN0-7615-2083-X. Page 59.
- ^Super Mario World Japanese instruction booklet (fold-out)