Giant Gate

A Giant Gate.

Giant Gates (also referred to as Goal Gates, Goal Posts or Exit Gates) appear at the end of each level in Super Mario World, excluding Castles, Fortresses, and the Sunken Ghost Ship. They replaced the Flagpoles from the Super Mario Bros. series and look similar to the smaller Midway Gates, however the bar between the two blue-white-striped posts moves up and down. When Mario or Luigi hit the bar, they not only finish the level but also get Bonus Stars. The higher the bar is when hit, the more Gold Stars they get (max 50) per gate. 100 of them will give the player access to a Bonus Game.

If Mario manages to collect all 50 of a single gate's Bonus Stars, he will be additionally rewarded with a 3-up. If he carries an item (such as a Key or Jumping Board) through the gates, he will receive a power-up based on his current status and his Reserve Item. If the last two digits of the timer are a multiple of eleven, and the same as the tens digit of the number of Bonus Stars Mario receives, he'll be given a 1-up. If all these conditions are met, and Mario completes the Bonus Game perfectly, it is possible to receive a total of 13 1-ups at the end of the level.

Giant Gates are often protected by enemies, especially Chargin' Chucks. Though this may hinder the player from finishing the level, it also gives him the chance to get a high amount of Bonus Stars by jumping on the enemy. This allows him to do a very high jump and thus to reach the bar when it's at the top of the gate.