Giant Gate

Giant Gates (also referred to as Goalposts, Exit Gates, Gates, Goals, Exits, or Gole Poles) appear at the end of each level in Super Mario World, excluding Castles, Fortresses, and the Sunken Ghost Ship. They replaced the Goal Poles and roulette goals from the Super Mario Bros. series and look similar to the smaller Midway Gates—however, the Tape between the two blue-and-white-striped posts moves up and down. When Mario or Luigi hits the bar, he not only finishes the level but also gets Goal Stars. The higher the Tape is when hit, the more Goal Stars he gets (ranged from one to 30, then 40, and then 50 at the top) per gate. 100 of them will give the player access to a Bonus Game.

All enemies and items on the screen will turn into coins when Mario touches the gate; defeating five or more enemies this way will give extra lives.

If Mario manages to collect all 50 of a single gate's Goal Stars, he will be additionally rewarded with three 1-Ups. If he carries an item (such as a key or Jumping Board) through the gate, he will receive a power-up based on his current status and his Reserve Item. 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 Goal Stars Mario receives, he will be given a 1-Up. If all these conditions are met, and Mario 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 Goal Stars are rewarded.

Giant Gates are often protected by enemies, especially Chargin' Chucks. Though this may hinder the player from finishing the level, it also gives them the chance to get a high number of Goal Stars by jumping on the enemy, which allows them to to reach the Tape when it is at the top of the gate.

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 Goal 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, similar to 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 rewarded. 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.

A Giant Gate is present in the Super Mario World microgame in WarioWare: Get It Together!, under the name "Goal Pole."