? Switch
- This article is about the object that appears in various games. For the level with the same name in Super Mario 64 DS, see Tower of the Wing Cap.
? Switch | |
---|---|
A red ? Switch from Yoshi's Story | |
First appearance | Yoshi's Story (1998) |
Latest appearance | Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) |
Effect | Causes a mysterious event |
A ? Switch, also known as a Mystery Switch,[1][2] a Question Mark Switch,[3] a ? Switch Block,[4] or erroneously a ? Block,[5] is a Switch Block that has widely varying effects depending on the context.
History
Yoshi's Story
In Yoshi's Story, when a Yoshi presses a ? Switch by simply jumping on it, the ? Switch disappears and a part of the level is changed briefly. As the effect expires, the switch's music speeds up. There are panels that also act as a ? Switch and extend the switch's time limit.
Super Mario series
Super Mario 64 DS
- Main article: Cap Switch
In Super Mario 64 DS, the red, green, and blue ! Switches from Super Mario 64 were reduced to a red ? Switch. It appears in a secret course named after it (also titled Tower of the Wing Cap), and it activates corresponding ? Blocks.
New Super Mario Bros.
? Switches later appear in New Super Mario Bros., this time with an orange color. Like the ones in Yoshi's Story, these switches change or add to an area of a level, like adding moving platforms or flipping the entire level upside down. The effects of a ? Switch can be either temporary or permanent, depending on the ? Switch. One appears in the fight against Mega Goomba, being the only time one is used against a boss. Most levels have only one ? Switch, but some have two of them.
? Switches appear in the following levels, with the following functions:
- World 2-3: Raises the water level
- World 2-4: Causes certain sand hills to form
- World 2-Castle: Causes certain sand trenches to form
- World 3-3: Disables currents
- World 3-Ghost House: Causes staircases to form over slopes, and causing certain Warp Doors to appear
- World 4-3: Disables currents
- World 4-Ghost House: Causes ? Blocks on strings to drop down
- World 4-Castle: Causes elevating platforms to appear to allow Mario to reach Mega Goomba
- World 5-C: Causes some Red Blocks to appear, one column after another
- World 7-Ghost House
- Causes certain Warp Doors to appear
- Causes certain lifts to appear
- World 8-2: Raises the water level
- World 8-Bowser's Castle
- Tilts certain parts of the level upside down
- Causes a certain lift to appear
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, ? Switches reappear with their design from New Super Mario Bros., though they are less common than before. World 6-6 notably features multiple with separate functions.
? Switches appear in the following levels, with the following functions:
- World 2-2: Causes certain lifts to appear
- World 5-Ghost House: Causes all of the Light Blocks to light up
- World 6-3: Raises the water level
- World 6-6
- Activates the tilt-controlled lights for the raft
- Causes certain lifts to appear
- World 7-Ghost House: Causes certain lifts to appear
- World 8-4: Destroys certain Hard Blocks
- World 9-5: Causes certain lifts to appear
New Super Mario Bros. 2
In New Super Mario Bros. 2, ? Switches have become more common. Several are used for spawning more coins. They additionally appear in some of the DLC courses.
? Switches appear in the following levels, with the following functions:
- World 3-1: Causes a nearby Warp Pipe to shower coins
- World 3-4: Causes a nearby Warp Pipe to shower coins
- World 3-A: Disables currents
- World 4-5: Disables currents
- World 5-Ghost House: Causes certain Warp Doors to appear
- World 6-1: Causes certain Hard Blocks to appear, one large area after another
- World 6-Ghost House: Causes certain walls to retract
- World 6-2: Destroys certain Hard Blocks
- World Mushroom-Ghost House: Causes certain blue blocks to appear and disappear
- World Mushroom-3: Causes two nearby Warp Pipes to shower coins
- World Mushroom-A: Destroys certain unbreakable blocks
- World Flower-B: Causes certain Roulette Coin Blocks to appear
- World Star-1: Changes the alignment of certain Brick Block structures
- First Course (Gold Mushroom Pack): Causes an area directly above the player to shower Gold Mushrooms
- First Course (Coin Challenge Pack B): Causes certain blue blocks to appear and disappear
- Second Course (Coin Challenge Pack C): Destroys certain Hard Blocks
- First Course (Platform Panic Pack): Causes an area directly above the player to shower coins
- Third Course (Mystery Adventures Pack): Changes the alignment of certain Brick Block structures
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
In New Super Mario Bros. U, ? Switches are again less common. Some act somewhat similar to ! Switches in New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. 2 by causing red blocks to appear. In New Super Luigi U, ? Switches are considerably uncommon, appearing in only three levels. In New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, ? Switches return in both capacities.
? Switches appear in the following New Super Mario Bros. U levels, with the following functions:
- Stone-Eye Zone: Causes an area directly above the player to shower coins
- Tropical Refresher: Causes an area directly above the player to shower coins, including the second Star Coin at the end
- Light Blocks, Dark Tower: Causes all of the Light Blocks to light up
- Thrilling Spine Coaster: Causes some red blocks to appear
- Roy's Conveyor Castle: Destroys certain Hard Blocks
- Pendulum Castle: Causes some red blocks to appear
- World Coin-7: Causes certain red blocks to disappear
? Switches appear in the following New Super Luigi U levels, with the following functions:
- Dancing Blocks, Poison Swamp: Causes certain Brick Blocks to move into place
- Switch-Lift Express: Causes certain solid platforms to move from one position to another
- Roy's Ironclad Castle: Destroys certain Hard Blocks
Super Mario Maker
In versions of Super Mario Maker before version 1.30, P Switches in the New Super Mario Bros. U game style have the appearance of ? Switches.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, ? Switches are about as uncommon as in New Super Luigi U, as they only appear in two Break Time! levels and one main level.
? Switches and their purpose in the levels are as follows:
- Break Time! Zip-Go-Round: Turns certain ground blocks into Zip Tracks and spawning coins, flower coins, and Wonder Tokens
- Break Time! Tumble House: Causes the entire level to periodically rotate ninety degrees counterclockwise and spawning coins, flower coins, and Wonder Tokens
- Deep Magma Bog Flying Battleship: Turns certain yellow blocks into Dotted-Line Blocks
Profiles and statistics
Yoshi's Story
- Instruction booklet: If you step on it, something secret will happen. Exactly what, is a secret.[5]
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | ?スイッチ (Yoshi's Story)[?] ? Suicchi |
? Switch | |
ハテナスイッチ[6] Hatena Suicchi |
|||
スイッチブロック[7] (New Super Mario Bros., shared with P Switch and ! Switch) Suicchi Burokku |
Switch Block | ||
Chinese (simplified) | ?开关[8] ? Kāiguān |
? Switch | |
French | Interrupteur ?[9] | ? Switch | |
Interrupteur[10] | Switch | ||
German | ?-Schalter[11] | ? Switch | |
Italian | Interruttore[12] (Yoshi's Story) | Switch | |
Blocco interruttore ?[13][14] (New Super Mario Bros. series) | ? Switch Block | ||
Interruttore ?[15] (Super Mario 64 DS) | ? Switch | ||
Interruttore "?"[16] (Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia) | "?" Switch | ||
Portuguese (NOE) | Bloco de Mudança ? (New Super Mario Bros.)[?] | ? Change Block |
Trivia
- Although New Super Mario Bros. does have ? Switches in-game, the red ? Switch model from Super Mario 64 DS was left unused in the files of the final version. However, it was used in early prototypes.
References
- ^ Leung, Jason; Munson, Terry; Pelland, Scott (1998). Yoshi's Story Player's Guide. Nintendo Power. Page 16.
- ^ Nintendo (1998). Yoshi's Story official website. Retrieved April 14, 2020. (Archived December 2, 1998, 10:41:37 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition. Prima Games. Page 104, 111.
- ^ 2006. New Super Mario Bros. British English instruction booklet. Nintendo. Page 18.
- ^ a b 1998. Yoshi's Story Australian instruction booklet. Nintendo. Page 15.
- ^ 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook. Shogakukan. Page 119, 151, 200, 216.
- ^ 2006. New Super Mario Bros. Japanese manual. Page 17.
- ^ New 超级马力欧兄弟. iQue (Chinese). Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ 2005. Super Mario 64 DS French instruction booklet. Page 68.
- ^ 1998. Yoshi Story instruction booklet, French segment. Nintendo (French). Page 59.
- ^ 2006. New Super Mario Bros. German instruction booklet. Page 20.
- ^ Yoshi's Story European manual, pag. 123
- ^ New Super Mario Bros. European manual, pag. 88
- ^ New Super Mario Bros. Wii Italian manual, pag. 25
- ^ Super Mario 64 DS European manual, pag. 106
- ^ Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia, pagg. 119, 151, 200, 216