Torch (Super Mario series)

Torches are recurring stone objects in the 3D Super Mario games. Lighting Torches with fireballs can open pathways or make collectible items appear. Their function is shared with the Torchlights in the series The Legend of Zelda, something that is lampshaded in World 5-2 of Super Mario 3D Land.

In nearly all appearances, the player character lights Torches in their Fire form. Levels that feature Torches almost always include Fire Flowers. Like with lava and other forms of fire, touching a Torch's flame burns the character, even if they were the one who lit it.

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2
Torches are introduced in Super Mario Galaxy. They typically bear red flames, but in some ghost-themed galaxies, their flames are blue. In missions featuring the Fire Flower, lighting all of the Torches in an area triggers a nearby event, such as in the opening of a stone gate in The Underground Ghost Ship. Torches otherwise can be encountered already lit. Spinning near their fire sometimes releases a coin. They have the same function in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Super Mario 3D Land
Torches return in Super Mario 3D Land. In this game, they cannot be put out, and lighting them usually reveals coins. In World 5-2, Torches are used to open a door that leads to a Star Medal. Lighting them all plays the "Puzzle Solved Jingle" from the series The Legend of Zelda.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
In Super Mario 3D World and its port, lighting Torches can brighten up dark areas (such as Switchblack Ruins) and reveal Green Stars (as seen in Piranha Creeper Creek after Dark, where every Torch in each room must be lit to get them).

Super Mario Odyssey
In Super Mario Odyssey, Torches appear in the Luncheon Kingdom, where they must be lit by captured Fire Bros or Fire Piranha Plants. Lighting all of the Torches in an area reveals a Power Moon.