Giant Gate
- Not to be confused with Goal Gate or Level Gate.
| Giant Gate | |
|---|---|
 A Goal Gate in Super Mario World | |
| First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) |
| Latest appearance | WarioWare: Get It Together! (2021) |
Giant Gates[1] (also referred to as Goalposts,[2][3] Exit Gates,[4][5] Gates,[6] Goals,[7][8] Exits,[7] or Goal Poles) are objects that appear at the ends of most levels in Super Mario World. They replace the Goal Poles and roulette goals from the Super Mario Bros. series and look similar to the smaller Midway Gates—however, the tape (also capitalized)[5] between the two blue-and-white striped posts moves up and down.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario World
In Super Mario World and its reissue, Goal Posts appear at the ends of all levels excluding castles, fortresses, Switch Palaces, and the Sunken Ghost Ship. When Mario or Luigi hits the tape, he not only finishes the level but also gets Bonus Stars. The higher the tape is when hit, the more Bonus Stars he gets (ranging from one to 30, then 40, and then 50 at the top) per gate. 100 of them give the player access to a bonus game. All enemies and items on the screen turn into coins when Mario or Luigi touches the gate; defeating five or more enemies this way gives extra lives.
If Mario or Luigi manages to collect all 50 of a single gate's Bonus Stars, he is additionally rewarded with three 1-Ups. If he carries an item (such as a key or Jumping Board) through the gate, he receives a power-up based on his current status and his Item Stock. If the last two digits of the timer are a multiple of eleven (including 00), and the same as the tens digit of the number of Bonus Stars that Mario or Luigi receives, he is given a 1-Up. If all these conditions are met and Mario or Luigi completes the bonus game perfectly, it is possible to receive a total of 13 1-Ups upon returning to the map.
If the player passes the gate without hitting the tape, the tape turns into a coin, and no Bonus Stars are rewarded.
Giant Gates are often protected by enemies, especially Chargin' Chucks. Though this may hinder the player from finishing a level, it also gives them the chance to get a high number of Bonus Stars by jumping on the enemy, allowing them to reach the tape when it is at the top of the gate.
Super Mario Maker subseries
Giant Gates return in the Super Mario World style of Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2. However, instead of Bonus Stars, the player gets either 500, 1,000, 2,500, or 4,000 points, or a 1-Up depending on where the tape is when it is hit, like with a flagpole, as levels are standalone in this game. The tape also must be hit to complete the level; going through the gate without hitting it does nothing. However, in Super Mario Maker 2, it is once again possible to complete the level by passing through the gate without needing to hit the tape, as in the original Super Mario World; in this case, no points are awarded. Moreover, in levels with clear conditions in Super Mario Maker 2, the Giant Gate appears as a dashed outline and is fully revealed only once the condition has been met.
WarioWare: Get It Together!
A Giant Gate is present in the Super Mario World microgame in WarioWare: Get It Together!, under the name "Goal Pole."
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ゴール[9] Gōru |
Goal | |
| ゴールゲート[10] Gōru Gēto |
Goal Gate | ||
| French | Portail géant[?] | Giant Gate | |
| Porte de Sortie[11] | Exit Door | ||
| German | Zieltor[?] | Finish Gate | |
| Italian | Cancello-meta[12] | Goal-gate | |
| Meta[13] | Goal | ||
| Portale gigante[14] | Giant portal | ||
| Portuguese | Portão Gigante[?] | Giant Gate | |
| Objetivo[?] | Goal | ||
| Spanish | Puerta gigante[?] | Giant door/portal |
References
- ^ Super Mario World English instruction booklet. Page 8.
- ^ August 1991. Nintendo Mario Mania Player's Guide. M. Arakawa, Nintendo of America (American English). Page 47–49.
- ^ Winter 2002. Nintendo Power Advance V.4. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 18.
- ^ August 1991. Nintendo Mario Mania Player's Guide. M. Arakawa, Nintendo of America (American English). Page 109 and 124.
- ^ a b September 1991. Nintendo Power Volume 28. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 23.
- ^ August 1991. Nintendo Mario Mania Player's Guide. M. Arakawa, Nintendo of America (American English). Page 106.
- ^ a b August 1991. Nintendo Mario Mania Player's Guide. M. Arakawa, Nintendo of America (American English). Page 125.
- ^ Super NES Nintendo Player's Guide. Page 12, 13, and 15.
- ^ Super Mario World Japanese instruction booklet (fold-out)
- ^ 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario World section. Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 60.
- ^ Super Mario Manga Adventures Volume 1. Page 164.
- ^ Super Mario World Wii Virtual Console manual. Tab 5: «Il gioco».
- ^ Super Mario World Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual. Tab 5: «Il gioco».
- ^ Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Page 60.
