Switch Palace



Switch Palaces are small levels that feature a ! Switch (or ? Switch, in Super Mario 64 DS). When hit, the switch turns Dotted-Line Blocks of the same color into solid ! Blocks (or ? Blocks) throughout the game's other levels. In addition to becoming platforms, the ! Blocks may contain certain power-ups or be empty, depending on the color and game.

There are four Switch Palaces in Super Mario World and its remake, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. Each one contains a bonus room where at least one extra life can be earned, and a hall with the big switch. Hitting it clears the level, and the Switch Palace cannot be played again, indicated by its world map icon also becoming pressed. Switch Palaces are usually unlocked from the secret exit of an adjacent level; the exception is the Yellow Switch Palace, whose previous level only has one exit.

In Super Mario 64, the three locations containing the Cap Switches are called Switch Palaces in the German localization and the English Prima Games coverage. The Tower of the Wing Cap, Cavern of the Metal Cap, and Vanish Cap Under the Moat are respectively called the Red, Green, and Blue Switch Palace. Whereas yellow and green Exclamation Mark Blocks in Super Mario World contain extra power-ups that appear elsewhere, each color of ! Block in Super Mario 64 is the sole means of accessing a corresponding cap power-up. Accordingly, the Cap Switch courses are themed around their respective power-ups. Mario starts the course with the power of its cap, and can get a Power Star by collecting Red Coins with the use of the power-up.

Super Mario 64 DS removes all but one of the switches: the caps' abilities are allocated to the four playable characters through the Power Flower and Feather, both of which the ? Switch unlocks. The two courses whose Cap Switches were removed are renamed, and an extra Power Star is added to them.