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[[Image:fortress.png|right|thumb|Mario climbing the '''Fortress'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[flagpole|pole]].]]
{{distinguish|Castle|Tower}}
'''Fortresses''' or '''Forts''' are fortified buildings first found in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''. After reaching the Fortress, [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] can advance to the next level.
[[File:SMB Fortress Screenshot.png|frame|A goal fortress in ''Super Mario Bros.'']]
'''Fortresses''', also known as '''forts''', appear in the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] as fortified buildings appearing usually at the end of [[level]]s in the [[Super Mario (series)|namesake series]], behind [[Goal Pole]]s, and are entered by [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] after the level is cleared. Most games feature levels set inside fortresses.


==History==
==History==
===''Super Mario Bros.''===
===''Super Mario'' series===
In ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', Fortresses are found in the end of all levels (except the Castle levels), and are required in order to go to the next level.
====''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''====
In ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', fortresses are usually made from red bricks (except for the one at the very beginning of [[World 6-3 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 6-3]] in the former game and [[World 7-3 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 7-3]] in the latter game, which are colored gray like the rest of the level), and are usually located at the end of most levels, except for the third and fourth levels of each world, which end with a [[castle]] and take place inside that castle respectively. They also appear at the very beginning of underground and underwater levels, where Mario or Luigi enters the level via a Warp Pipe. Additionally, castles appear to be a fortress stacked upon a larger section. [[World 5-1 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 5-1]] in ''Super Mario Bros.'' begins with Mario or Luigi outside a fortress, despite the level before taking place inside a castle; [[World 1-1 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 1-1]] in ''The Lost Levels'' also begins in front of a fortress.


===''Super Mario Bros. 3''===
====''Super Mario Bros. 3''====
In ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' they are called '''Mini-Fortresses''', and are usually found in the middle of worlds. They are guarded by [[Boom Boom]]s and must be defeated to gain access to other parts of the world. The challenge of Fortresses generally depends more on traps or obstacles rather than enemies.
{{multiframe
|[[File:Fortress1-SMB3.png]] [[File:Fortress2-SMB3.png]]
|size=40
|align=left
}}
In ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', fortresses, also known as '''Mini-Fortresses''',<ref name=SMB3>{{cite|title=''Super Mario Bros. 3'' instruction booklet|page=22|language=en-us|date=1990|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref> are levels usually found in the middle of [[world]]s. They feature [[Boom Boom]] as their only boss, and he must be defeated to open Locked Doors<ref name=SMB3/> and gain access to other parts of the world.


===''Super Mario World''===
In the [[Family Computer]] and [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] version, fortresses (barring {{world link|2|fort|World 2-Fortress}} and {{world link|6|fort|World 6-Fortress 2}} 2) can have any of three different color schemes:
Later, Fortresses reappear in ''[[Super Mario World]]'', and are the same as in ''Super Mario Bros. 3. Now, Fortresses are guarded by [[Reznor]]s, and didn't appear in the middle of the levels. Most of them are optional.
*Gray wall and red pipes. (P-Switches in this palette are colored light gray.) Lava is often found in areas with this palette.
*Cyan wall and white pipes. (P-Switches in this palette are colored light blue.) Areas with this palette sometimes have a checkered floor.
*Blue wall and green pipes. This palette is exclusive to the World 3 fortresses and can have water.


Forts are in their respectful remade games in ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' and ''[[Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World]]''. In other  words, the return in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', and in ''[[Super Mario World]]''.
Some parts of some fortresses (all in Worlds 3, 5, 6, and 7) have light that usually has the same color as the pipes in whatever color scheme the appropriate part of the fortress uses. An exception is in the last interior room of {{world link|5|skytower|World 5-Tower (Super Mario Bros. 3)}}, where the light is gray rather than white.


===''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island''===
In ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', the blue/green palette was taken out, with the affected fortresses using the blue/white palette instead. The cyan walls in the blue/white palette became darker blue. In addition, each fortress now has the same color scheme for all rooms, whereas in the NES original, rooms often alternated color schemes, most noticeable in {{world link|8|fort|World 8-Fortress}}.
Forts are also boss levels in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''. They act like the mini-boss levels of each world. All of these levels have the word Fort in their name.


===''New Super Mario Bros.''===
====''Super Mario World''====
The Fortresses later return in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', and reprise their roles from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' as allowing Mario or Luigi to continue to the next level. Fortresses also appear to as levels in the middle of the worlds, similar to in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', but these ones are called '''Towers''', and are more thinner, resembling towers, as their name say. Also, unlike Fortresses from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', in which the player may have to progress from left to right, these ones feature vertical direction. One appears in the middle of every world, but World 6 and World 8 have two Towers. At the end of every Tower, Bowser Jr. is faced.
[[File:SMW MapIcon Fortress.png|frame|right]]
In ''[[Super Mario World]]'', fortresses are guarded by [[Reznor]]s but are far less common, as there are only four in the game, and only [[Chocolate Fortress|one of them]] is mid-world. Fortresses are normally inaccessible after being completed, unless the player presses {{button|snes|A}} while holding {{button|snes|L}} and {{button|snes|R}} when at it on the map (does not apply to the Japanese version). The [[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2|GBA version]] lets players re-enter fortresses freely after defeating [[Bowser]]; [[Dragon Coin]]s have also been added to them. Like with castles, [[Yoshi]] cannot enter fortresses.


===''Yoshi's Island DS''===
====''New Super Mario Bros.'' series====
Forts return in [[Yoshi's Island DS]], with the same role as in ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
The end-of-level fortresses return in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'', ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', and ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'' and reprise their earlier role from the first ''Super Mario Bros.'' game, allowing the player to continue to the next level. Black fortresses appear as parts of secret exits, except in the original ''New Super Mario Bros.'' Their role from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' as mid-world levels is replaced by [[tower]]s, which in ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' are called fortresses;<ref>{{cite|title=''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' instruction booklet|page=9|date=2009|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref> however, one of the [[New Super Mario Bros.#Mario Vs. Luigi|Mario Vs. Luigi]] courses in the original ''New Super Mario Bros.'' is a fortress.<ref>{{cite|author=Loe, Casey|title=''New Super Mario Bros.'' Player's Guide|page=121|date=May 15, 2006|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|isbn=1-59812-009-3}}</ref>


===''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''===
====''Super Mario 3D Land''====
Fortresses return in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'', with the same role as in the prequel. Now they have different color schemes; the normal ones are brown like in the prequel, and the secret ones (the ones found when finding secret exits) are black. The Fortress levels from the prequel also appear, but they now don't resemble towers, instead they look the same as the Fortresses from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''Super Mario World'', but are still called '''Towers'''. Also, now, all the levels have ''one'' Tower, with the exception of World 9. Now, the [[Koopalings]] are faced in the Towers, instead of Bowser Jr. He is now faced in [[Airship]]s.
Fortresses return in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', but only in [[World 2-3 (Super Mario 3D Land)|World 2-3]] and [[Special 1-3]], where they look as they did in ''Super Mario Bros.'' As in that game, they appear behind the levels' Goal Poles and can be entered, this time for a [[1-Up Mushroom]].


==Appearances in Other Media==
====''Super Mario Run''====
In the [[Mario Ice Capades]], during the whole show, [[Bowser|King Koopa]] rode a fort that was surprisingly a moving one. A fort also appeared in the background of the show as a prop.
[[File:KingdomBuilderItem117.png|frame|right]]
{{Quote|A replica of the fortresses that Bowser builds. That flat roof is perfect for napping in the sun!|[[List of Kingdom Builder items in Super Mario Run|in-game description]]|''Super Mario Run''}}
In ''[[Super Mario Run]]'', courses do not end in Fortresses. In World Tour and Remix 10, castles that are not [[Bowser's Castle]] have fortress icons. Bowser's Fortress is a fortress replica that appears as a [[List of Kingdom Builder items in Super Mario Run|Kingdom Builder]] decoration.


==''New Super Mario Bros.'' Boss Fights==
====''Super Mario Maker'' series====
At the end of every tower, there is a boss fight with [[Bowser Jr.]], who becomes increasingly more difficult as [[Mario]] (or [[Luigi]]) reaches each Tower. When Jr. is defeated, he gets back up and jumps off-screen (and out of the Tower). Additionally, the first time Jr. is defeated in each tower, a brief cutscene ensues on the map, showing him running with [[Princess Peach]] to the [[Castle]] of that world.
In ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'', [[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS|its 3DS port]], and ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]'', the castle theme in the ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' style is based on the gray-wall color scheme of the fortresses from the original game. The fortresses of ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' return in their respective game styles.


'''World 1:''' The fight is simple, with no obstacles. Bowser Jr. runs at the player to attack.<br>
====''Super Mario Bros. Wonder''====
'''World 2:''' The fight is a bit harder, as Bowser Jr. now has the ability to jump, and there is quicksand on the arena.<br>
In ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]'', [[Castle Bowser]] turns some [[Poplin]] houses into fortresses with black domes and white horns in the game's intro, imprisoning the Poplins inside. They appear at the end of most levels and are turned back to normal when the player touches the Goal Pole.
'''World 3:''' Bowser Jr. can still jump, and the fight is now held on a platform above a pool of water. <br>
'''World 4:''' Bowser Jr. changes his tactic; this time, he throws [[Koopa Shell]]s, which need to be jumped on and tossed back. <br>
'''World 5:''' Bowser Jr. doesn't throw shells, but the fight is on a pillar of ice, which reduces the player's traction, and is held over a bottomless pit. <br>
'''World 6 (1st Tower)''': The fight is on a see-saw, above a floor of spikes.<br>
'''World 6 (2nd Tower):''' The fight is on a see-saw, this time above lava, with Bowser Jr. throwing shells. <br>
'''World 7:''' Bowser Jr. throws shells, and the fight is on moving platforms. <br>
'''World 8 (1st Tower):''' The fight is like a small obstacle course, with [[Rocket Engine]]s and moving platforms. Jr. throws shells.<br>
'''World 8 (2nd Tower):''' The final Tower's fight is on yet another pillar above lava (complete with [[Podoboo]]s this time), still with shell-throwing added.


===''Yoshi'' franchise===
{{Stub|section=y}}
Forts also appear in the [[Yoshi (franchise)|''Yoshi'' franchise]] as the mini-boss levels of each world.


===Gallery===
===''Super Smash Bros.'' series===
<center><gallery>
The [[Mushroom Kingdom (Super Smash Bros. Melee)|Mushroom Kingdom stage]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' features a classic ''Super Mario Bros.''-style fortress in the background. In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'', and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', one also appears in the [[Mushroomy Kingdom]] stage, in the same place as in [[World 1-1 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 1-1 of ''Super Mario Bros.'']]; however, it is in the background, so fighters cannot enter it. It also appears in the [[Final Destination]] versions of the stage, as well as ''Ultimate''{{'}}s [[Battlefield]] version. Like the rest of the stage, it has a more realistic and withered appearance.
Image:BowserJrDS1.jpg|<center>[[World 1 (NSMB)|World 1]]-Tower fight in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]
Image:BowserJrDS3.jpg|<center>[[World 3 (NSMB)|World 3]]-Tower fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS4.jpg|<center>[[World 4 (NSMB)|World 4]]-Tower fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS5.jpg|<center>[[World 5 (NSMB)|World 5]]-Tower fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS6.jpg|<center>[[World 6 (NSMB)|World 6]]-Tower fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS7.jpg|<center>World 6-Tower 2 fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS8.jpg|<center>[[World 7 (NSMB)|World 7]]-Tower fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS9.jpg|<center>[[World 8 (NSMB)|World 8]]-Tower fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
Image:BowserJrDS10.jpg|<center>World 8-Tower 2 fight in ''New Super Mario Bros.
</gallery></center>


==''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' Boss Fights==
===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''===
At the end of each tower, the player faces one of the Koopalings (Kamek at the World 8 tower) in battle.  When a Koopaling is defeated, he/she flees to the castle of the same world that he/she is at.
In ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'', fortresses appear at the end of [[World 1 (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)|World 1]] and [[World 2 (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)|World 2]].


'''World 1''': [[Larry Koopa]] is fought at this tower.  He basically attacks by releasing light blue fireballs from his wand, and by jumping.<br>
===''Mario Kart'' series===
'''World 2''': [[Roy Koopa]] is fought at this tower.  He fights the same way as Larry Koopa, except for that his fireballs are purple, and he'll pound the ground in an attempt to immobilize the player temporarily.<br>
[[File:MK7 Piranha Plant Slide Starting Line.png|thumb|The fortress on the starting line of {{classic link|3DS|Piranha Plant Slide}}]]
'''World 3''': [[Lemmy Koopa]] is fought at this tower.  He fights by hurling one of his balls at the player, followed by moving to the other side of the arena.  At first, he only hurls one ball.  After one hit, he'll hurl two.  After two hits, he'll hurl three.<br>
A Fortress appears as the starting line of {{classic link|3DS|Piranha Plant Slide}}, based on its appearance in ''Super Mario Bros.''. Although it is replaced by a castle in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'', it returns in the course's appearance in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''. A [[Mii]] Racing Suit based on a fortress, known as the Castle Mii Racing Suit, was added to ''Mario Kart Tour'' during the [[Anniversary Tour (2022)|2022 Anniversary Tour]]. The suit returns in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as one of the Mii Racing Suits added in Wave 6 of the ''{{a|MK8DBCP|Booster Course Pass}}'' DLC.
'''World 4''': [[Wendy O. Koopa]] is fought at this tower.  Her attack pattern is similar to that of Larry Koopa, but she'll release energy rings from her wand, which will bounce around any walls that they touch.<br>
===''Mario Golf: World Tour''===
'''World 5''': [[Iggy Koopa]] is fought at this tower.  Like Larry Koopa, Iggy attacks by jumping, and by releasing fireballs from his wand.  However, his fireballs move at a faster speed, and are colored green.  Three platforms do move around vertically during the fight.<br>
A fortress makes a small cameo on the background of hole 5 of the [[Bowser's Castle (golf course)|Bowser's Castle]] golf course.
'''World 6''': [[Morton Koopa Jr.]] is fought at this tower. He fights in a similar manner as Roy Koopa, but he does make short hops during the process.  Strangely, his fireballs are colored purple, just like Roy's, but they move at a faster speed.  Two spiked pillars are present during the fight.<br>
'''World 7''': [[Ludwig von Koopa]] is fought at this tower.  Unlike the other Koopalings, Ludwig fights by releasing blue fireballs, which will home in on the player.  He'll also jump and perform a set of flutter jumps in an attempt to land on the player.<br>
'''World 8''': [[Kamek]] is fought at this tower.  He first uses his magic to make a bunch of blocks start moving.  He'll then teleport from place to place, and release an energy ball, which will turn the blocks into various enemies.  After taking two hits, Kamek will release two energy balls before teleporting again.  Kamek is not fought again at the World 8 castle; [[Bowser]] is that castle's boss.


===Gallery===
===''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''===
<center><gallery>
[[File:TheSuperMarioBrosMovieFortress.jpg|thumb|left|A screenshot from the film, with a fortress in the background]]
File:Larry_Koopa.jpg|Mario faces Larry Koopa at the World 1-Tower.
In ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'', a fortress can be seen in the background when [[Mario]] is transported to the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. A restaurant in [[Brooklyn]], named [[Castle Burger]], is shaped similarly to a fortress from ''Super Mario Bros.''
File:RoyBattle.jpg|Mario and Luigi face Roy Koopa at the World 2-Tower.
File:Lemmy_Koopa_NSMWii.PNG|Mario and Luigi face Lemmy Koopa at the World 3-Tower.
File:WendyBattleNSMBW.jpg|Mario faces Wendy O. Koopa at the World 4-Tower.
File:Mario_vs_Iggy_Koopa.PNG|Mario faces Iggy Koopa at the World 5-Tower.
File:Morton_NSMBWii_Tower.jpg|Mario faces Morton Koopa Jr. at the World 6-Tower.
File:Ludwigfortressnsmbw.jpg|Mario faces Ludwig von Koopa at the World 7-Tower.
File:Kamek_NSMBWii_Tower.jpg|Mario faces Kamek at the World 8-Tower.


[[Category:Places]]
===Appearances in other media===
[[Category:Castles and Fortresses]]
{{multiframe
[[Category:Yoshi Levels]]
|[[File:SMBSS Fortress Opening.png|125px]][[File:Icecapades.jpg|125px]]|Fortresses as they appear in the [[Mario Brothers Rap|opening]] of ''The Super Mario Bros Super Show!'' (left), and ''Mario Ice Capades'' (right)|size=250
[[Category:Buildings]]
|align=right
}}
In ''[[Mario Ice Capades]]'', during the whole show, [[Bowser|King Koopa]] rode a moving fortress. A fortress also appeared in the background of the show as a prop. In ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', a fortress appears only in the intro.
 
In the [[Super Mario Bros. Monopoly|''Super Mario Bros.'' Monopoly]], Fortresses serve as the game's stand-in for hotels.
 
In ''[[nookipedia:Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp|Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp]]'', the fortress as it appears in ''Super Mario Bros.'' could be obtained as special furniture in Fishing Tourney #12 (themed after the ''Super Mario'' franchise in celebration of [[Mario Day]] 2019), after passing the 4,900; 5,900; 7,100; 8,300; or 9,800 cm milestone.
{{br}}
 
==Gallery==
{{Main-gallery}}
<gallery>
SMB Fortress.png|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
SMW MapIcon Fortress.png|''[[Super Mario World]]''
DestroyedCastle-SMW.png|''Super Mario World'' (destroyed)
Fortress SMAS.png|''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' (''Super Mario Bros.'')
NSMBW Fortress Render.png|''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''
TTYDNS Bowser Goal.jpg|[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' (Nintendo Switch)]]
</gallery>
 
==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn={{hover|砦|とりで}}<ref>{{cite|title=スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 (''Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī'') instruction booklet|language=ja|publisher=Nintendo|page=20|date=1988}}</ref><ref>''Super Mario World'' Japanese instruction booklet (foldout)</ref>
|JpnR=Toride
|JpnM=Fort
|Spa=Fortaleza
|SpaM=Fortress
|Fre=Forteresse
|FreM=Fortress
|Dut=Toren
|DutM=Tower
|Ger=Bollwerke
|Ger2=Turm
|GerM=Stronghold
|Ger2M=Tower
|Ita=Fortezza
|ItaM=Fortress
|Por=Fortaleza
|PorM=Fortress
|Rus=Крепость
|RusR=Krepost'
|RusM=Fortress
}}
 
==References==
<references/>
 
{{SMB}}
{{SMB3}}
{{SMW}}
{{YI}}
{{NSMB}}
{{NSMBW}}
{{NSMB2}}
{{NSMBU}}
{{SMR}}
{{SMBW}}
[[Category:Fortresses|*]]
[[Category:Levels]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. 3]]
[[Category:Super Mario World]]
[[Category:Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]
[[Category:New Super Mario Bros.]]
[[Category:New Super Mario Bros. 2]]
[[Category:New Super Mario Bros. U]]
[[Category:New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]
 
[[it:Fortezza]]

Latest revision as of 13:53, January 23, 2025

Not to be confused with Castle or Tower.
Screenshot of a fortress from Super Mario Bros.
A goal fortress in Super Mario Bros.

Fortresses, also known as forts, appear in the Super Mario franchise as fortified buildings appearing usually at the end of levels in the namesake series, behind Goal Poles, and are entered by Mario or Luigi after the level is cleared. Most games feature levels set inside fortresses.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, fortresses are usually made from red bricks (except for the one at the very beginning of World 6-3 in the former game and World 7-3 in the latter game, which are colored gray like the rest of the level), and are usually located at the end of most levels, except for the third and fourth levels of each world, which end with a castle and take place inside that castle respectively. They also appear at the very beginning of underground and underwater levels, where Mario or Luigi enters the level via a Warp Pipe. Additionally, castles appear to be a fortress stacked upon a larger section. World 5-1 in Super Mario Bros. begins with Mario or Luigi outside a fortress, despite the level before taking place inside a castle; World 1-1 in The Lost Levels also begins in front of a fortress.

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

The Fortress map icon. The Fortress map icon for the sky portion of Sky Land.

In Super Mario Bros. 3, fortresses, also known as Mini-Fortresses,[1] are levels usually found in the middle of worlds. They feature Boom Boom as their only boss, and he must be defeated to open Locked Doors[1] and gain access to other parts of the world.

In the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version, fortresses (barring World 2-Fortress and World 6-Fortress 2) can have any of three different color schemes:

  • Gray wall and red pipes. (P-Switches in this palette are colored light gray.) Lava is often found in areas with this palette.
  • Cyan wall and white pipes. (P-Switches in this palette are colored light blue.) Areas with this palette sometimes have a checkered floor.
  • Blue wall and green pipes. This palette is exclusive to the World 3 fortresses and can have water.

Some parts of some fortresses (all in Worlds 3, 5, 6, and 7) have light that usually has the same color as the pipes in whatever color scheme the appropriate part of the fortress uses. An exception is in the last interior room of World 5-Tower, where the light is gray rather than white.

In Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, the blue/green palette was taken out, with the affected fortresses using the blue/white palette instead. The cyan walls in the blue/white palette became darker blue. In addition, each fortress now has the same color scheme for all rooms, whereas in the NES original, rooms often alternated color schemes, most noticeable in World 8-Fortress.

Super Mario World[edit]

The Fortress map icon, from Super Mario World.

In Super Mario World, fortresses are guarded by Reznors but are far less common, as there are only four in the game, and only one of them is mid-world. Fortresses are normally inaccessible after being completed, unless the player presses A Button while holding L Button and R Button when at it on the map (does not apply to the Japanese version). The GBA version lets players re-enter fortresses freely after defeating Bowser; Dragon Coins have also been added to them. Like with castles, Yoshi cannot enter fortresses.

New Super Mario Bros. series[edit]

The end-of-level fortresses return in New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and New Super Mario Bros. U and reprise their earlier role from the first Super Mario Bros. game, allowing the player to continue to the next level. Black fortresses appear as parts of secret exits, except in the original New Super Mario Bros. Their role from Super Mario Bros. 3 as mid-world levels is replaced by towers, which in New Super Mario Bros. Wii are called fortresses;[2] however, one of the Mario Vs. Luigi courses in the original New Super Mario Bros. is a fortress.[3]

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

Fortresses return in Super Mario 3D Land, but only in World 2-3 and Special 1-3, where they look as they did in Super Mario Bros. As in that game, they appear behind the levels' Goal Poles and can be entered, this time for a 1-Up Mushroom.

Super Mario Run[edit]

KingdomBuilderItem117.png
“A replica of the fortresses that Bowser builds. That flat roof is perfect for napping in the sun!”
in-game description, Super Mario Run

In Super Mario Run, courses do not end in Fortresses. In World Tour and Remix 10, castles that are not Bowser's Castle have fortress icons. Bowser's Fortress is a fortress replica that appears as a Kingdom Builder decoration.

Super Mario Maker series[edit]

In Super Mario Maker, its 3DS port, and Super Mario Maker 2, the castle theme in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style is based on the gray-wall color scheme of the fortresses from the original game. The fortresses of Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. U return in their respective game styles.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Castle Bowser turns some Poplin houses into fortresses with black domes and white horns in the game's intro, imprisoning the Poplins inside. They appear at the end of most levels and are turned back to normal when the player touches the Goal Pole.

Yoshi franchise[edit]

This section is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information.

Forts also appear in the Yoshi franchise as the mini-boss levels of each world.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

The Mushroom Kingdom stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee features a classic Super Mario Bros.-style fortress in the background. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, one also appears in the Mushroomy Kingdom stage, in the same place as in World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros.; however, it is in the background, so fighters cannot enter it. It also appears in the Final Destination versions of the stage, as well as Ultimate's Battlefield version. Like the rest of the stage, it has a more realistic and withered appearance.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, fortresses appear at the end of World 1 and World 2.

Mario Kart series[edit]

The starting line of 3DS Piranha Plant Slide, featuring a series of Goal Poles, secret Goal Poles and a Fortress.
The fortress on the starting line of 3DS Piranha Plant Slide

A Fortress appears as the starting line of 3DS Piranha Plant Slide, based on its appearance in Super Mario Bros.. Although it is replaced by a castle in Mario Kart 8, it returns in the course's appearance in Mario Kart Tour. A Mii Racing Suit based on a fortress, known as the Castle Mii Racing Suit, was added to Mario Kart Tour during the 2022 Anniversary Tour. The suit returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as one of the Mii Racing Suits added in Wave 6 of the Booster Course Pass DLC.

Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]

A fortress makes a small cameo on the background of hole 5 of the Bowser's Castle golf course.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

A screenshot from the The Super Mario Bros. Movie teaser trailer
A screenshot from the film, with a fortress in the background

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a fortress can be seen in the background when Mario is transported to the Mushroom Kingdom. A restaurant in Brooklyn, named Castle Burger, is shaped similarly to a fortress from Super Mario Bros.

Appearances in other media[edit]

FortressIcecapades.jpg
Fortresses as they appear in the opening of The Super Mario Bros Super Show! (left), and Mario Ice Capades (right)

In Mario Ice Capades, during the whole show, King Koopa rode a moving fortress. A fortress also appeared in the background of the show as a prop. In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, a fortress appears only in the intro.

In the Super Mario Bros. Monopoly, Fortresses serve as the game's stand-in for hotels.

In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the fortress as it appears in Super Mario Bros. could be obtained as special furniture in Fishing Tourney #12 (themed after the Super Mario franchise in celebration of Mario Day 2019), after passing the 4,900; 5,900; 7,100; 8,300; or 9,800 cm milestone.

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Fortress.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese [4][5]
Toride
Fort
Dutch Toren[?] Tower
French Forteresse[?] Fortress
German Bollwerke[?] Stronghold
Turm[?] Tower
Italian Fortezza[?] Fortress
Portuguese Fortaleza[?] Fortress
Russian Крепость[?]
Krepost'
Fortress
Spanish Fortaleza[?] Fortress

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b 1990. Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 22.
  2. ^ 2009. New Super Mario Bros. Wii instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 9.
  3. ^ Loe, Casey (May 15, 2006). New Super Mario Bros. Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). ISBN 1-59812-009-3. Page 121.
  4. ^ 1988. スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 (Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 20.
  5. ^ Super Mario World Japanese instruction booklet (foldout)