Lift

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It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: have information on their appearance in Super Princess Peach

"Elevator" redirects here. For information about the object in Donkey Kong's Crash Course in Nintendo Land, see Automated elevator. For the object in Super Mario Land also referred to as an Elevator, see Lift Block.
Lift
Yellowplatform.png
Artwork from Super Mario 3D Land
First appearance Donkey Kong (1981)
Latest appearance Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

Lifts[1][2] (also known as elevators)[3][4] are thin platforms that appear throughout the Super Mario franchise. They typically are suspended in the air and move, enabling the player character or to reach different heights and cross gaps. Some move by themselves, while others are controlled by the player.

Lifts that move along wire-like tracks in the Super Mario and Yoshi's Island series are sometimes referred to as Flatbed Ferries.[5]

History[edit]

Donkey Kong[edit]

In Donkey Kong, two sets of lifts appear in 75m: one set going up, the other set going down. Lifts appear to work via a chain-like mechanism. When an elevator reaches the end of its path, it disappears, and a new one appears at the beginning of the path, as opposed to a single elevator going up and down.

Lifts also appear in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong. Levers can be pulled in certain levels to make them change direction.

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

Mario riding a lift in Super Mario Bros.
SMBPlatform.png

Lifts are common in some levels of Super Mario Bros. Vertical Lifts[6] first appear in World 1-2, where they continuously move upwards or downwards with new ones being dispensed from the bottom or top. World 1-3 introduces a version of this lift that remains onscreen and simply moves up and down, as well as Horizontal Lifts[6] that move back and forth. World 3-3 introduces Flimsy Lifts, which are stationary lifts that move downwards if Mario or Luigi stands on them, as well as Balance Lifts. Balance Lifts consist of two platforms attached to a pulley, where if Mario/Luigi stands on one of them, that lift is weighed down, while the other is hoisted upwards. However, if Mario/Luigi stands on said lift too long, and the lift he is on moves too far down due to his weight, then both lifts will break off the pulley and fall into the void below, causing Mario/Luigi to score 1,000 points, oddly enough. The lifts are solid, meaning Mario and Luigi cannot land on top by jumping through them. Their original visual appearance in Super Mario Bros. is likely derived from the appearance of the platforms that make up 100m in Donkey Kong, while, in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, they are made of mushrooms. However, in the Super Mario All-Stars version, both games feature them in their normal form.

Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. 3, lifts are made of wood, much like Hard Blocks in the game. Two new varieties are introduced: Rail Lifts,[7] which travel along a track, first appearing in World 1-6, and moving Flimsy Lifts, which fall all the way to the bottom of the screen as soon as Mario or Luigi lands on one, first appearing in World 1-4. In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Bros.-styled metallic lifts of various types are found in the World-e levels Wild Ride in the Sky, Caped Escape, Koopaling Confusion, Classic World 1-2, Classic World 1-3 and Classic World 1-4, while several stationary lifts in their Super Mario World design can be seen in the level Rich with Ropes. In A Towering Tour, some fast-moving gray-colored lifts also appear. They behave similarly to the metal lifts, only being shaped like the normal lifts, and the aforementioned color difference. They also follow a shorter path compared to normal lifts, which adds to the difficulty of staying on top of them. These blocks also have a line-guided variant, which move even faster than their non-line-guided variants.

Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]

Lifts reappear in Super Mario World and its reissue, this time with a gray or cream color. The Rail Lift is back under the name Pulley Lift[8] (or Pully Lift).[9] A platform on a swing is known as a Single Swing Lift, coming with a brown version that activates and rotates around a central pivot point when a player steps on it and a gray version that swings in perpetual motion, as well as a set of three swinging gray platforms known as a Triple Swing Lift. A set of gray Rotating Blocks that cannot spin with wings is known as a Flying Platform. A raft of skulls on lava is known as a Skull Raft. An orange, diagonal-facing lift with a grassy top is known as a diagonal platform, and a thicker, upright grassy platform with a countdown timer in the middle is known as a Count-Lift. Additionally, a mushroom variant of the Balance Lift is known as a Piston Lift.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins[edit]

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduces a Bone Lift that rises upward when jumped on, which is a hazard as the sole section of the game that includes them features spikes above them. They basically act as the opposite of the Flimsy Lift, although the Bone Lift freezes in place when Mario is off of it, unlike the Flimsy Lifts in this game.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

Lethal Lava Land Star 6
Mario on a lift in Super Mario 64
An Elevator in Super Mario 64
Mario on an elevator in Super Mario 64

Most lifts in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS have a tan-and-green checkerboard pattern on them. In some courses, such as Whomp's Fortress and Vanish Cap Under the Moat, pairs of lifts move along and rotate around both sides of a vertical beam, flipping when they reach the top. In the Hazy Maze Cave and Lethal Lava Land, lifts move along chains of black spheres when stepped upon. Additionally in the Hazy Maze Cave, large orange lifts with yellow and black trim appear to take the player between floors, and a unique controllable lift called the Work Elevator appears in one part of the course. Special lifts called Arrow Lifts appear in Wet-Dry World, moving back and forth when stepped upon. Also in Wet-Dry World, an Express Elevator appears embedded into some metal mesh. Stepping on the portion outside the mesh causes it to lower, at which point the player has a limited time to reach the portion inside the mesh and ride it to a Power Star. In Tick Tock Clock, yellow rectangular lifts move up and down; the speed and direction vary depending on the time Mario enters the course. Also, a brown cube that moves up and down serves as an obstacle during The Pit and the Pendulums, and Mario can step on it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

A Lift in Super Mario Galaxy 2
Mario on a lift in Super Mario Galaxy 2

In Super Mario Galaxy 2, lifts appear as yellow platforms that raise Mario up, then flash blue and disappear. They cannot be controlled by the player. They appear in Sky Station Galaxy, while giant versions of them are found in Supermassive Galaxy.

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

Lifts appear in Super Mario 3D Land, having the same design and function as that of Super Mario Galaxy 2. However, they never disappear, unlike in the previous game.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

Lifts return in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, having the same appearance and effects as they did in Super Mario 3D Land.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]

SMM-SMB-MovingPlatform.png

Lifts reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS as tools. The direction in which they initially move can be pre-set, and they can move in a set path when placed on a track. When shaken, they turn into Flimsy Lifts, which are colored blue this time and will start moving on a track once stepped on. In the Super Mario World style, when placed on a track, the lift uses the same tile as the Chainsaw from that game, albeit with minor differences.

Super Mario Run[edit]

Lifts appear in Super Mario Run, where they run on tracks in several levels. When Mario stands on a Lift, he stops moving until he jumps. After Mario gets off of a Lift, it disappears. The lifts' designs are similar to the falling platforms in the final Bowser battle in New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Super Mario Odyssey[edit]

A lift leading to Moe-Eye Habitat
Moving platform Super Mario Odyssey
A lift in the Ice Cave

Lifts (referred to as moving platforms in the Prima guide)[10] appear in varying designs and sizes in Super Mario Odyssey.

In the Tostarena Ruins in the Sand Kingdom, large stone ones depicting the Inverted Pyramid appear above a canyon after Mario collects the Power Moon for the mission Atop the Highest Tower and move along a track after he steps on them. These lifts transport Mario to Moe-Eye Habitat, which features smaller stone lifts that Mario must use to collect Moon Shards. Larger versions of these stone lifts appear in the sub-area with the Power Moon for the sidequest Jaxi Driver. The Inverted Pyramid lifts also appear in the Ice Cave sub-area, except they are darker-colored and topped with ice. Unlike other lifts, these ones rotate while moving.

Lifts that use their Super Mario Bros. sprites also appear in 2D segments. They appear prominently in the Cascade Kingdom sub-area with the Power Moon for the sidequest Past the Chasm Lifts, where they behave similarly to the lifts in World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros. while similarly shaped stone lifts appear outside the 2D segments and move continuously on tracks.

Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

A Lift as it appears in the Super Mario 3D World style of Super Mario Maker 2.
A Cloud Lift in Super Mario Maker 2

Lifts also appear in Super Mario Maker 2, where this time, their length can be changed. In the Super Mario 3D World style, they take the form of Cloud Lifts.

Donkey Kong Country series[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country, many elevators are in the latter half of Elevator Antics. They either move up or down from a steel pole. The elevator lifts appear to be filled with coal.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![edit]

In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, lifts consist of wooden planks. Some are activated when Dixie Kong or Kiddy Kong ride them, and some are activated automatically. They are found primarily in mills, but also appear in Fire-Ball Frenzy and Rocket Rush. Additionally, a single horizontally moving lift appears during the first boss fight with Baron K. Roolenstein. In the Game Boy Advance version, lifts also appear in Dingy Drain-Pipe.

Yoshi franchise[edit]

Flatbed Ferries, a special kind of lift, appear in every game of the Yoshi's Island series, as well as Yoshi's Story. When jumped upon, they typically follow a preset path marked by a track. When a Flatbed Ferry reaches the end of the line, blocked by a little red sphere, it switches its direction of movement; if the line ends without a sphere, the Flatbed Ferry falls down, but it may be "caught" by another track if it falls on one, and it starts following it.

Flatbed Ferries appear in a variety of colors, such as green, yellow, and red, with each getting progressively faster; in the isometric sections found in certain fortresses, the colors are a pale pink, periwinkle, and cyan. Magenta ones appear as part of paddle wheels. The liquid lift and Blarggwich carry green Flatbed Ferries.

Yoshi's Story[edit]

In Yoshi's Story, the level Rail Lift features lifts in the form of smiling cloud platforms that move along tracks. If a Baby Yoshi hits a switch present along the tracks by throwing an egg, the cloud platform can move to different tracks.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy[edit]

Lifts can be used by Yoshi in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, along with a small version called Half Lifts (ハーフリフト).[11] They come in a green zig-zag pattern and a brown rocky pattern and are attached to chains, sometimes along rails. When the player tilts their Game Boy Advance system, the lifts will swing back and forth and move along the rails. The brown ones are old and worn-out, causing them to fall at the end of a rail.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

The smiling cloud platform that appears in the Yoshi's Story stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

A smiling cloud platform appears in the Yoshi's Story stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where it retains its appearance from Yoshi's Story, as well as its function as a lift. The cloud cycles across the stage along a dotted line, moving behind the center of the stage and emerging from the left and right sides of the stage. A fighter can use the cloud as a platform to recover from falling off of the stage.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

A Lift in the World 1-2 version of Mushroomy Kingdom
A lift in the World 1-2 version of Mushroomy Kingdom in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, lifts from Donkey Kong appear in the stage 75 m, which also reappears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They act same as they do in the original Donkey Kong due to the stage being an exact remake of the original level. Lifts also appear in the Mushroomy Kingdom stage, with the same placement and function as in World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros., though they are pass-through platforms and appear as rusted, due to the stage's aged appearance.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, lifts from Super Mario 3D Land appear as platforms in the auto-scrolling 3D Land stage. The match begins on three stationary lifts. During the second portion, players fight on four multi-colored lifts as they transition them to the third portion of the stage; on the way there, some platforms may collide into protruding rocks, altering their angle. In PictoChat 2, one of the drawings that may appear is a row of blocks between a pair of continuously moving lifts from World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the smiling cloud platform returns in the Yoshi's Story stage, functioning identically to its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its Nintendo 3DS version, a lift that connects to Little Fungitown can be found at the end of Teehee Valley, and a couple of Lifts can be found in Guffawha Ruins. Also, the Spin Blocks, which can be found in Gwarhar Lagoon, were introduced in this game as well.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series[edit]

Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]

Lifts similar to the ones from Donkey Kong appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong. They continuously appear at one end of a track and move in a direction before disappearing at the other end. Sometimes, the direction of all lifts in a level can be changed at once by pressing a Direction Switch.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis[edit]

Two types of lifts, elevators and Moving Platforms[12] (also known as Path Platforms),[13] appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.

Elevators are introduced in Room 1-5 of Mushroom Mayhem, and continue to appear in later levels in the game. They are platforms attached to a pole. A control panel[14] is attached to a wall next to each elevator, with two red buttons resembling arrows pointing up and down. Up to two Minis can walk on an elevator's platform. The player can tap the buttons on the elevator's control panel using the Stylus stylus to raise or lower the elevator's platform. Once a button is pressed, it turns green and the platform starts moving. The platform's direction cannot be changed again until it reaches the end of the elevator's pole or a height where it is adjacent to ground. Minis will remain on an elevator's platform until their direction is changed using the stylus.

A Moving Platform from Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.

Moving Platforms are introduced in Room 6-3 of Toadstool Castle. They move automatically along a predetermined path. Whenever they reach a ledge, they stop for a short time and their platform extends slightly. A single Mini can board a Moving Platform while its platform is extended. Unlike elevators, only one Mini at a time can board a Moving Platform.

Game & Watch Gallery 2[edit]

On the first and second stages of the Game & Watch Gallery 2 rendition of Donkey Kong, Flatbed Ferries appear as the last platforms Mario must use to reach the goal. In both instances, they are activated temporarily by flipping a switch. On the first stage, the Flatbed Ferry revolves around a point, similarly to a paddle wheel, and makes four 90-degree turns before completing one rotation. On the second stage, the platform swings from side to side on a chain in three positions. Flatbed Ferries are replaced in the Game & Watch Gallery 4 version by more thematically fitting platforms.

WarioWare series[edit]

Lifts on tracks from Super Mario Bros. 3 appear in the microgame Super Mario Bros. 3-Lift in WarioWare: Twisted! and WarioWare Gold (renamed to simply "Super Mario Bros. 3" in the latter). The player has to rotate the system to move the platforms and make Mario avoid the multiple enemies coming for him. In the third level, another lift appears along with Luigi on it, who also needs to be protected.

Super Paper Mario[edit]

A few lifts are found in The Bitlands in Super Paper Mario. This time, they are pixelated and resemble the orange ones found in Super Mario Bros.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo Switch)[edit]

Lifts reappear in the Nintendo Switch version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, replacing the Propeller Platforms due to the lack of the microphone.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

In Mario Kart Tour's Battle Mode, any opponents that are eliminated ride on lifts that move around the course and throw projectiles such as Green Shells, Bananas, and Bob-ombs onto the course.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

A pink Flatbed Ferry, with a Yoshi sitting on it, appears near the starting line of Yoshi's Island in the Booster Course Pass DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

Lifts make an appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where they resemble and behave the same way they do in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World.

Special types of lifts[edit]

Profiles[edit]

Rail Lift[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

  • 3DS Virtual Console manual bio: "Travel along rails."

Gallery[edit]

Sprites and models[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Lift[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese リフト[15]
Rifuto
エレベーター[16]
Erebētā
Lift

Elevator (Mario & Wario)

Chinese 升降梯
Shēngjiàngtī
升降台 (Super Mario Maker 2)
Shēngjiàng Tái

Lift

Lift Platform

Dutch Platform
Platform
French Plateforme
Ascenseur[19]
Platform
Elevator
German Lift[18]
-
Italian Ascensore
Piattaforma
Elevator
Platform
Russian Платформа
Platforma
Platform

Spanish Ascensor
Elevador[17]
Elevator

Flatbed Ferry[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese せんリフト
Sen Rifuto
線リフト[20]
Sen Rifuto
レールリフト[21]
Rēru Rifuto
Track Lift

Track Lift

Rail Lift (Super Mario Bros. 3)

Korean 줄리프트
Jul Ripeuteu
Line Lift

Spanish (NOE) Transbordador
Ferry

References[edit]

  1. ^ Scott Pelland and Dan Owsen. The Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Redmond: Nintendo of America, 1996. Page 58.
  2. ^ Super Mario Maker in-game name
  3. ^ Musa, Alexander, and Geson Hatchett. Super Mario 3D World PRIMA Official Game Guide. Page 167.
  4. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis in-game help (no. 08)
  5. ^ "Stand on the Flatbed Ferry platform above this first Star Coin, and wait for the Flatbed Ferry to slide to the right." – Stratton, Steve (2012). New Super Mario Bros. U: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Prima Games. Page 68.
  6. ^ a b Hiroo Tochikubo, How to win at Super Mario Bros., Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 4-19-720003-XC. Page 47.
  7. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 English instruction booklet. Page 19.
  8. ^ M. Arakawa. Nintendo Mario Mania Player's Guide. Pages 70 and 71.
  9. ^ Nintendo Power Advance Volume 4. Page 29.
  10. ^ Walsh, Doug, and Epstein, Joe. Super Mario Odyssey Prima Official Guide. Pages 54, 59, 68, 71, 73.
  11. ^ 「ヨッシーの万有引力任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi Banyū Inryoku Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook). Page 20.
  12. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis in-game help (no. 20)
  13. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis object graphics filename (data/anims/path_platform_anim.bin)
  14. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis North American instruction booklet. Page 21. nintendo.com. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  15. ^ 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). Page 21, 29, 41, 48, 61, 78, 92, 119, 137, 151, 171, 186, 201, 217, 234.
  16. ^ Mario & Wario instruction booklet. Page 9.
  17. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong European instruction booklet. Page 98.
  18. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong European instruction booklet. Page 38.
  19. ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong European instruction booklet. Page 58.
  20. ^ ---- (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). Page 60, 118, 150, 200, 216.
  21. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese instruction booklet. Page 17.