Bowser Switch
| Bowser Switch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Screenshot from Super Mario 3D Land | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario 3D Land (2011) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) | ||
| Variant of | Switch | ||
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Bowser Switches[1] are buttons used in some of the castle boss battles within Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Landing on the switch is necessary to defeat the boss. Bowser Switches have flat tops and feature Bowser's emblem. They appear only in boss battles against Bowser himself or members of his species.
History
Super Mario 3D Land
A Bowser Switch occurs at the end of the bridges found in castle courses, and pressing it causes the bridge to collapse and defeat the boss that stands atop it, like the axes from the original Super Mario Bros. or the skull switch in New Super Mario Bros. In most courses, the boss is a Tail Bowser and pressing the switch exposes their real form. In World 8-
Bowser's Castle: Part 1 and World 8-Bowser's Castle: Part 2, Mario (or Luigi) faces the real Bowser, and the switch is necessary for his defeat instead. Dry Bowser appears in their place within the castle courses of the special worlds unlocked after World 8-Bowser's Castle is completed. The only castle course without a Bowser Switch is Special 7-
Castle, within which there is no boss fight.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a Bowser Switch is physically incorporated into Bowser's body, who has been fused with Prince Florian's Flower Castle to become Castle Bowser. In the final battle with Wonder Bowser, the form fought in The Final Battle! Bowser's Rage Stage, striking the large ! Switch under his chin five times causes his stone armor to fall away, exposing his cloud-based body underneath and a Bowser Switch on his head. The player character must ascend the lifts that appear during this phase of the battle and avoid his four floating hands to reach the switch. Pressing it finally defeats Wonder Bowser, and reveals the final Royal Seed of the game.
Like the large ! Switch and other components of Castle Bowser, this Bowser Switch glows magenta.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパスイッチ[2] Kuppa Suitchi |
Bowser Switch |
References
- ^ Esmarch, Nick van (2011). Super Mario 3D Land: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Premiere Edition). Roseville: Prima Games. ISBN 978-0-307-89386-4. Page 137.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 185.
