Warp Zone
From the Super Mario Wiki
The Warp Zone is a hidden area that acts as a kind of freeway, connecting many worlds to one place.
In Super Mario Bros., the zone was a sectioned off area, containing pipes to different levels.
In Super Mario Bros. 3, the zone was actually an island and could only be accessed via Warp Whistle. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 referred to the Warp Zone as World 9 Warp Zone.
In New Super Mario Bros., secret exits in levels 1-Tower, 2-A, 3-GH, 4-GH, and 5-GH led to cannons which launch Mario or Luigi to a later world (the first two to World 5, then 6, 7, and 8, respectively).
In some cases, a Warp Zone may simply be a connection of some sort between two points, in place of a standard Warp Pipe, like the Vases in Yoshi's Story.
[edit] Appearances in Other Media
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, King Koopa would sometimes make his getaway at the end of an episode by throwing a Magic Potion and creating a Warp Zone (usually a door or a portal), which he would escape through.
Characters in Captain N: The Game Master frequently used Warp Zones for means of rapid transit, with the Warp Zones of Super Mario Bros. even being referenced to in the show's first episode.
[edit] Trivia
- The Warp Zone is mentioned by a defeated Warping Pipe in Super Paper Mario, who believes it to be a fabled place where great warriors (apparently people with incredible skill over Warp Pipes) tread. A model of a Super Mario Bros.-style Warp Zone could also be found in the underground section of Chapter 3-1 (itself a recreation of Super Mario Bros.'s World 1-2) in Super Paper Mario, though this Warp Zone took the player to other parts of the current level rather than different worlds.
