Fortress BGM
- This article is about the musical theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. For the theme from New Super Mario Bros. also known as the "Fortress Theme", see Tower Theme.
- Not to be confused with Fortress Boss.
| "Fortress BGM" | |
|---|---|
| "Fortress BGM" in Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
Image from Nintendo Music | |
| Composed by: Koji Kondo | |
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) |
| Latest appearance | Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024) |
"Fortress BGM"[1] is a musical theme composed by Koji Kondo for Super Mario Bros. 3, where it plays in fortress levels.
History[edit]
This section is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information. Specifics: Information about the Paper Mario series and WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 marks the first appearance of "Fortress BGM". It is also included in the official albums Super Mario World, Game Sound Museum: Super Mario Bros. 3, and Famicom Sound History Series: Mario the Music.
Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World / Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition[edit]
In the SNES remake of Super Mario Bros. 3 in Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, and Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition, an arrangement of "Fortress BGM" plays for the same purpose as in the original game.
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Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
The Game Boy Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, features an arrangement of "Fortress BGM", adapted from the one from Super Mario All-Stars to fit the console's inferior sound hardware, that plays in most fortress levels, just like in the original game.
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New Super Mario Bros. series[edit]
- Main article: Tower Theme
In New Super Mario Bros., an arrangement of "Fortress BGM" plays in the tower courses. It is titled the "Tower Theme" on the Nintendo Music app.
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Super Mario Maker series[edit]
Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2 feature several apperances of "Fortress BGM".
"Fortress BGM" plays when playing in castle-themed courses in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style.
An ambient arrangement of the theme using six tracks that fade in and out randomly to create a dynamic mix plays while editing Super Mario Bros. 3-style castle-themed courses in the Course Maker.
Exclusively in Super Mario Maker 2, a music box arrangement of "Fortress BGM" plays during the nighttime version of castle-themed levels in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its Nintendo Switch remake, The Thousand-Year Door, themes associated with Bowser, including his battle theme in the Palace of Shadow, sample "Fortress BGM" in their openings.
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
| It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: The arrangement Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the first notes of "Fortress BGM" are arranged in the track "The Darklands". This arrangement plays when Luigi bounces off of a branch and accidentally destroys the Dry Bones that was chasing him.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]
| It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: The arrangement Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
In Mario & Luigi: Brothership, an arrangement of "Fortress BGM" is incorporated into the theme that plays in Wayaway Island, arranged by Hideki Sakamoto. It is titled "Bowser's Castle on Wayaway Island" on the Nintendo Music app.
Other appearances[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 ~ Akihabara Electric Circus[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. 3 ~ Akihabara Electric Circus album features a medley of "Fortress BGM" and "Fortress Boss" as its sixth track. It is titled "Boss", and was arranged by Koji Kondo.
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Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, Hop! Step! Jump![edit]
| It has been requested that at least one audio and/or video file related to this section be uploaded. Specifics: The arrangement Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for help getting started. |
The Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, Hop! Step! Jump! album features a medley of several themes from Super Mario Bros. 3, including "Fortress BGM", as its first track. It is titled "Super Mario Bros. 3 —Nonstop Special Dance Version—" and was arranged by Ikuro Fujiwara.
Gallery[edit]
Image for the "Hurry Up!" variant on Nintendo Music
Image for "In Bowser's Castle" from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music
Image for the "Tower Theme" from New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo Music
Image for "In Bowser's Castle" from the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music
Image for "Bowser's Castle on Wayaway Island" from Mario & Luigi: Brothership on Nintendo Music
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nintendo Entertainment System | 1988 | Original | "Fortress BGM"[1] | Koji Kondo |
| Super Mario All-Stars | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1993 | Arrangement | Soyo Oka | |
| Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World | 1994 | Past arrangement (Super Mario All-Stars) | |||
| Paper Mario | Nintendo 64 | 2000 | Arrangement | Yuka Tsujiyoko | |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | Game Boy Advance | 2003 | Arrangement | Taiju Suzuki | |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | Nintendo GameCube | 2004 | Arrangement | "In Bowser's Castle"[1] | |
| "Make Way for Bowser!"[1] | |||||
| New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo DS | 2006 | Arrangement | "Tower Theme"[1] | |
| WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase | Wii | 2009 | Arrangement | ||
| Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition | 2010 | Past arrangement (Super Mario All-Stars) | Soyo Oka | ||
| Super Mario Maker | Wii U | 2015 | Original | Koji Kondo | |
| Arrangement | |||||
| Paper Mario: Color Splash | 2016 | Original | Koji Kondo | ||
| Remix | |||||
| Super Mario Maker 2 | Nintendo Switch | 2019 | Original | Koji Kondo | |
| Past arrangement (Super Mario Maker) | |||||
| Arrangement | |||||
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | 2024 | Arrangement | "In Bowser's Castle"[1] | ||
| "Make Way for Bowser!"[1] | |||||
| "Bowser's Malaise"[1] | |||||
| Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door) | "In Bowser's Castle"[2] | ||||
| "Make Way for Bowser!"[2] | |||||
| Mario & Luigi: Brothership | Arrangement | "Bowser's Castle on Wayaway Island"[1] |
Film and television[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | 2023 | Arrangement | "The Darklands"[3] | Brian Tyler |
Albums[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. 3 ~ Akihabara Electric Circus | 1988 | Arrangement | "Boss" | Koji Kondo |
| Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, Hop! Step! Jump! | 1989 | "Super Mario Bros. 3 —Nonstop Special Dance Version—" | Ikuro Fujiwara | |
| Super Mario World | 1991 | Original | 「砦BGM」(Toride BGM) | Koji Kondo |
| Game Sound Museum: Super Mario Bros. 3 | 2004 | |||
| Famicom Sound History Series: Mario the Music | ||||
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | 2023 | Past arrangement (The Super Mario Bros. Movie) | "The Darklands" | Brian Tyler |
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Music | 2025[a] | Original | "Fortress BGM" | Koji Kondo |
| 2025[b] | Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door) | "In Bowser's Castle" | ||
| "Make Way for Bowser!" | ||||
| Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)) | "In Bowser's Castle" | |||
| "Make Way for Bowser!" | ||||
| "Bowser's Malaise" | ||||
| 2026[c] | Past arrangement (Mario & Luigi: Brothership) | "Bowser's Castle on Wayaway Island" |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 砦BGM[4][5][6][1] Toride BGM |
Fortress BGM |