Fortress

File:Fortress.png

Mario climbing the Fortress's pole.

Fortresses or Forts are fortified buildings found in Super Mario Bros.. After reaching the Fortress, Mario or Luigi can advance to the next level. At the end of a world, a False Bowser can be faced.

In Super Mario Bros. 3 they are called Mini-Fortresses, and are usually found in the middle of worlds. They are guarded by Boom Booms and must be defeated to gain access to other parts of the world. Later, in Super Mario World, Fortresses are guarded by Reznors and most of them are optional.

Forts are also boss levels in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. They act like the miniboss levels of each world. All of these levels have the word fort in their name.

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.

The Fortresses later return in New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii and reprise their roles from Super Mario Bros. as allowing Mario or Luigi to continue to the next level. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii there are also grey Fortresses along with the normal brown ones. At the end of every grey Fortress, there is a boss fight with the Koopaling of that world. After defeating them, they flee to the castle at the end of their respective world for a rematch (except for Kamek, who just returns to the airship that Mario was chasing throughout the game). The fights are as follows:

World 1: The fight is extremely simple, with small bottomless pits on each side of the room and a weak Larry Koopa.

World 2: Roy Koopa has a fight which is over a pit of quicksand.

World 3: The fight with Lemmy Koopa is on a floor of ice with two bottomless pits on each side.

World 4: Wendy O. Koopa has a fight in a small room, similar to both her original fight in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Bowser Jr. in New Super Mario Bros.

World 5: Iggy Koopa's battle has three shifting platforms.

World 6: Morton Koopa Jr. has his fight over a pit of lava, with thorn bars crashing down the side platforms.

World 7: Ludwig von Koopa's battle has bottomless pits on each side like Larry Koopa.

World 8: The Players fight Kamek himself with platforms coming in from the right of the room.

Appearances in Other Media

In the Mario Ice Capades, during the whole show, King Koopa rode a fort that was surprisingly a moving one. A fort also appeared in the background of the show as a prop.