Peach's Castle

"So this is Peach's Castle...it's more beautiful than I imagined!"

- Penguru

Princess Peach's Castle (also known as Mushroom Castle or simply Peach's Castle) is the castle situated within the Mushroom Kingdom and is its most prominent landmark. Princess Peach and many Toads including Toad and Toadsworth live here. The rooms inside the castle vary from game to game, as does the castle's location. It is recognized by a tall tower standing in the center of the castle and is supported by four towers along the outside walls in most games.

In main Mario titles, the castle is normally seen on grassy plains away from civilization while the Paper Mario series sometimes depicts it in a busy town. Super Mario Galaxy and its successor show it to be in town but in a less crowded area. Regardless of the game, the castle is always found in Toad Town.

Super Mario 64
Peach's Castle makes its official debut in Super Mario 64. At the beginning of the game, the princess invites Mario over for a cake; unfortunately, by the time the plumber arrives, Bowser has seized control of the castle. The Koopa King achieves this feat by stealing nearly all of the Power Stars that give the castle its energy. Once the Power Stars are in his possession, he uses their magic to seal the inhabitants of the castle--the Princess and a bevy of Toads--within the walls of the building, imprisoning them. After disposing of them, Bowser uses the Stars' power to warp the castle to his own design, creating massive worlds within paintings, walls, and other structures of the castle, populating those worlds with his minions, and concealing the Stars themselves within them. When Mario arrives, he begins a quest to recover the stolen Power Stars, exploring the castle's four floors (basement, first, second, and third floor), moat, and courtyard to recover them from Bowser's grasp. Along the way, Mario finds secret stars that Bowser had not discovered; the Toads within the walls help as well by offering advice, cheering Mario on, and even, on three occasions, giving Mario Power Stars that they kept safe from Bowser. When Mario has collected enough Stars, he is able to climb to the tallest tower in the castle and fight the King of the Koopas in his final hideout. After defeating him, Mario flies outside and discovers that Princess Toadstool herself had been magically locked into the large stained-glass window of her image that sits above the castle's main entrance. With the Power Stars saved, Peach's Castle is restored to its original form, the Princess and Toads are freed, and everyone celebrates with cake.

Super Mario 64 DS
Peach's Castle is introduced as the central hub for the entire adventure in Super Mario 64 DS as well. At the start of the game, Peach sends a letter to Mario, and Mario, Luigi, and Wario proceed to enter the castle. After the three are kidnapped by Bowser, Yoshi is seen sleeping on the roof (a possible reference to Super Mario 64), only to be awakened by one of the Lakitu Bros., and carried by him to the front of the castle. The Lakitu Bro tells Yoshi that Mario didn't return from the castle yet, and Yoshi heads to the castle, starting the adventure.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., the castle is seen in the game's opening, where it is attacked by a thundercloud (possibly Lakithunder) shortly before Bowser Jr. kidnaps the princess. Since this game, the New Super Mario Bros. series has had a running theme of having Peach's Castle in World 1-1, plainly visible at the start of the stages. The only exceptions to this running theme are New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U (see section for details).

Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, Princess Peach invites Mario to her castle during the Star Festival, in order to show him the Luma she has found. As he makes his way there, however, Bowser appears and lifts the entire castle into outer space; despite Mario's efforts to hang on, he is sent flying into the cosmos by Kamek, and a distressed Peach sends Luma to help him as her castle is brought to the center of the universe.

In order to reach the castle again, Mario must travel through numerous galaxies in order to reclaim the Power Stars responsible for sustaining the Comet Observatory, which Bowser had stolen and used to fashion an intergalactic empire; in return, Rosalina, the keeper of the observatory and mother of the Lumas, flies the plumber to the center of the universe once he has collected them all, where he uses a warp gate within the castle to reach Bowser's Galaxy Reactor and rescue Peach.

Following Bowser's defeat and the rescue of the final Grand Star, the star it was being used to power implodes on itself, becoming a massive Black Hole, which begins to consume Peach's castle along with the observatory and the remnants of the surrounding galaxy; the Lumas perform a sacrifice by flinging themselves into the center of the black hole in order to stabilize it. The resulting explosion restores the cosmos to their former state and returns the castle, along with Mario, Peach, and Bowser, to its rightful place in the Mushroom Kingdom. The castle resembles its design from Super Mario 64.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the castle was featured during the game's opening in which Peach was holding her birthday party. After Peach got kidnapped by the Koopalings, Mario, Luigi, and two Toads immediately went in hot pursuit after those responsible for the crime. While the four heroes made haste, two other Toads back at the castle fired Penguin Suits and Propeller Mushrooms their way for them to use.

The castle is also the location to get Hint Movies. They can be obtained by giving star coins to Toad who resides in the castle during the game. Once again, it can be seen in the background at the start of World 1-1.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
The castle appears very briefly in the opening of Super Mario Galaxy 2. After traversing a 2-D level, Mario enters Toad Town, finding it in ruins. He then sees a giant Bowser in front of the castle, who gloats at Mario and flies away with Princess Peach. Mario then meets two Lumas on the bridge over the moat, one of which turns into a Launch Star and sends him to Sky Station Galaxy. The castle also appeared at the end of the credits where Mario and friends have a party for saving the galaxy.

Super Mario 3D Land
If the player waits for a while on the title screen without pressing, they can enter Peach's Castle. There are many Toads here, and Mario can practice his moves in the castle. In the castle, there are 5 toads. The place where the red toad stands is inaccessible, as it is sticking up, which can be seen while stepping behind the tower or by switching to 3D. It can also be seen in the opening and ending cutscenes of the game. Like the New Super Mario Bros. series, the castle also appears in the background of World 1-1, alongside the Tail Tree.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Like in New Super Mario Bros., Peach's Castle makes a cameo in the opening and in the background of World 1-1. It has the same appearance as in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It also appears in the hidden area of Course 3 of the Gold Classics Pack.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U


Peach's Castle in New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U seems to be a similar place as it were in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. However, this iteration has a large moat surrounding the castle, an extra floor, as well as a tower on the right of the castle. In both of the game's openings, Bowser and the Koopalings once again attempt to kidnap Princess Peach. They take hostage over her at her own castle, which is the final area of the main game. Bowser and Bowser Jr. await the player at The Final Battle, which takes place at the top floor of the castle.

Super Mario 3D World
In Super Mario 3D World, the castle is briefly seen in the opening cutscene as the protagonists take a walk on a starry night full of fireworks and meteors. The castle appears to have its design from Super Mario 3D Land this time around, but the main doors now have a rounded shape, and are blue with three spots, resembling a mushroom, and the grounds surrounding it are blocked by grassy hills.

Super Mario-Kun
Princess Peach's Castle has appeared a few times in Super Mario-Kun. It also takes in different appearances according to the game the volume is based on.

Mario Kart series
Peach's Castle also made some appearances in the Mario Kart series. The castle first appears in Mario Kart 64 in the track Royal Raceway. It has the exact same design as the one in Super Mario 64. Players have a choice to explore the grounds if they wish; however they may not enter the castle itself. The Award Ceremony also takes place where the top three drivers will drive there with confetti and a golden trophy for the winner of the cup. In the reappearance of the course as a retro course in Mario Kart 8, the physical appearance of Peach's Castle and the area around it are not the same as Super Mario 64 anymore. Furthermore, the entrance to it has been blocked. Thus, racers can no longer explore the area around Peach's Castle.

In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Peach's Castle can been seen in the background of Rainbow Road atop of Bowser's Castle, just like in Paper Mario. It also appears in Peach Circuit, Mario Circuit 1, Mario Circuit 4 and Battle Course 3 as an object in the background.

The castle appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! twice. Once on Mario Circuit and in the background on Mushroom Bridge in Grand Prix mode, just before the first tunnel. In Mario Circuit, the castle is completely cut off from the road and separated from the track by walls. This castle is very 'cheerful' and cartoon-like, compared to its other appearances. In Mario Circuit, several Goombas on a rocky road, Piranha Plants in pipes along the track, a Chain Chomp on a large turn and tricky bends await a racer on both GameCube and Wii. (Mario Kart: Double Dash!! ' s Mario Circuit reappears in Mario Kart Wii as a retro course in the Leaf Cup). Also, in Mushroom Bridge the castle can be spotted vaguely obscured by fog in the background.

In Mario Kart DS. the castle reappears once more in its iteration of Mario Circuit, where the castle is situated on a large lake in the middle of the track, and Peach Gardens.

Peach's Castle appears yet again in Mario Kart Wii, once again on Mario Circuit. It, like in Super Mario Galaxy, is located in a small village called Toad Town. Shy Guys and Hammer Bros. watch the race as they sit on the fences surrounding the castle and houses. A total of five Goombas patrol the roads and a large Chain Chomp is situated on a sharp turn in or around the middle of the course. The typical Mushroom Kingdom hills can be seen in the background along with a rainbow. Yellow sunflowers are neatly placed along the grasses of the track and a hot-air balloon labeled "MARIO" floats and travels over the grounds.

Peach's Castle appears in Mario Circuit from the game, Mario Kart 7, and it is the first time the player is allowed to drive through the castle. The castle reappears as a course in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX known as Peach Castle.

In Mario Kart 8, yet another Mario Circuit is built around Peach's Castle.

Paper Mario
The castle was once again taken over by the Koopa Troop during the events of Paper Mario. In the beginning of the game, Princess Peach invites Mario and Luigi to a party at the castle. However, while the Mario Bros. (and numerous other guests) are having fun, Bowser hatches an elaborate plan that causes his castle to rise into the stratosphere under Princess Peach's Castle, taking the Princess' castle with it. Many of the party guests are imprisoned and Bowser throws Mario out of a window, sending him spiraling back toward Mushroom Kingdom. Peach is once again forced to be a prisoner in her own castle.

In the end, Mario, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Lady Bow, Watt, Sushie and Lakilester (with the help of the Star Spirits) fly to Bowser's Castle and make their way up to Princess Peach's Castle. The team finally confronts Bowser and Kammy Koopa on the roof of the castle, and defeat both of the villains, sending them flying off the castle and returning it to its rightful place in Toad Town.

Mario Party 2
Princess Peach's Castle makes a cameo in Mystery Land.

Mario Party 3
Peach's Castle appears in the intro and "hub" of Mario Party 3. Entering it lets one play any unlocked minigames and music. The player can also change the options of the game there.

Mario Party 4
Peach's Castle is seen at the opening sequence of Mario Party 4. Briefly, the bag that covers the Party Cube casts a shadow on Peach's castle. At the main menu, Peach's Castle is seen at the background.

Mario Party 5
In Mario Party 5, Peach's Castle is the background of the minigame Coin Cache. The players walk out the front door of the castle in the intro of the minigame.

Mario Party 7
At the end of a Party Cruise game in Mario Party 7, there is an end-of-game ceremony that takes place at Peach's Castle in the MSS Sea Star. Here, Toadsworth announces the game's current scores and gives out the three Bonus Stars to the players based on their performance during the match. When it's time to reveal the Superstar of the match, all four (or eight) contestants will enter the castle to determine the champion. Once they get to the top of the castle, the doors will open and the winner is revealed. That player (or team) is the superstar.

Mario Party 8
Peach's Castle appears in Mario Party 8 in the background of the minigame Crank to Rank.

Mario Party 9
In Mario Party 9, the intro and ending for Solo Mode take place outside Peach's Castle. Both parts of the story feature the characters looking through a telescope outside the castle to view the Mini Stars. Additionally, the castle can be seen in the background on the main menu.

Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour during the intro, Peach's Castle can be seen in the background several times.

Mario Party 10
In Mario Party 10, Peach's Castle appears at the starting area of Mushroom Park. This is its second appearance on a board, after Mario Party 2.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the castle plays a very minor role. The castle grounds can be explored at the start of the game, and the castle can be viewed from Hoohoo Mountain. Mario's battle with Bowser takes place inside Princess Peach's throne room, but the castle interior cannot be explored.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In the sequel to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the castle is the main traveling point of the game, nearly identical to how it was used in Super Mario 64. The music is also a cover version to the aforementioned game. The castle held all of the Time Holes leading into the past in the entire game.

There are many items and coins and the castle is home to the only shop in the game (except for the Monty Mole store and the one in Toad Town). There are 2 bosses the player fights in there, one against Junior Shrooboid and the other the last boss in the game; Shrowser. Goombas can also be fought in the basement area.

In the past, the castle has been taken over by the Shroobs, who turned it into Shroob Castle, the final dungeon in the game.

This is the only game in the Mario & Luigi series where the player can listen to the Castle theme whenever they want.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
The princess' castle reappears in the sequel to Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

The game begins at the castle, with Mario and Luigi traveling through the main interior to the meeting room. The meeting is about the Blorbs that have infected much of the Mushroom Kindgom. The meeting is soon cancelled as Bowser comes into the meeting, angered by the fact that they don't believe he is there to solve the unknown disease. After Mario defeats him, Peach and Starlow send him out of the castle. Later on, Brainwashed Bowser enters the meeting room as everyone leaves, inhaling everyone in the room. Bowser then ends up knocking out, and Fawful appears, sending him out of the castle yet again.

It is seen later again, yet blocked off by Fawful using the Dark Star power. He has now taken over the castle, serving it as his chamber to reviving the Dark Star. Once Mario and Luigi combine the Star Cures into the Miracle Cure, they are able to bring down the barriers and enter the castle. They have to travel through Peach's Castle Garden and fight Junker before they find Bowser all sore. There is a pipe that leads to him in the gardens.

Once the Mario Bros heal Bowser, the great beast is now about to explore deep into the castle walls using his new ball roll. He finds that Fawful has made a trial for Bowser, leaving three keys to three of his hovering bots that hold the whereabouts of either treasures or the way out. After a long chase and crushing the bots, Bowser makes his way through the next area where Fawful has giant Piranha Plants growing. Once weeding the humongous plants, he moves on to the room that Fawful, Midbus, the Dark Star, and Princess Peach reside in. Fawful allows Midbus to fight against Bowser, giving him an icy powerup to make him Blizzard Midbus. Yet Bowser proves himself the stronger beast, defeating and freezing Midbus in place. But it is too late for the main goal of rescuing the princess as the Dark Star is fully revived. Fawful is able to take some of the energy from the Dark Star and becomes Dark Fawful but before he is fully done Bowser punches him out of the room. The Dark Star enters Bowser's Body, entering from the mouth while Bowser chuckled at the pleasure of punching Dark Fawful.Once the Mario Bros defeat the weakened Dark Star, it escapes out of Bowser's Body, in a phantasm form of Bowser (as a result of Bowser's DNA). Bowser chases the ghost out into the Castle Courtyard, where the entire castle comes to life. The massive fortress transformed into a battling machine by Dark Fawful. Bowser must become giant for the last time in order to defeat the castle. After a deadly battle, the Castle is defeated, and Bowser shrinks back to normal size.Heading back into the meeting room, Bowser finds Dark Fawful searching for the Dark Star, and attacks him. Once Bowser damages Dark Fawful beyond limits, Dark Fawful transforms into a bug-like stage, crawling out of the room. Outside the room, The Dark Star and Dark Fawful merge together to become the stable Dark Bowser duo. After Dark Bowser escapes through a hidden passage behind the throne, he and Bowser engage in a spike ball battle up the central tower with Bowser being the victor. Following Dark Bowser, Bowser ends up on the final battle arena. In the arena, Dark Bowser releases a hurricane of Dark smoke that covers the entire Mushroom Kingdom. He explains how he is going to rule over the pathetic land, and that there is nothing standing in his way. Bowser then laughs at his words, stating that this is HIS land, and that he can't win. They then begin the final Battle; Bowser versus Dark Bowser and Mario Bros versus Dark Star Core. After a long battle, the Mario Bros defeat the Dark Star Core, allowing Bowser to finally give the final blow to the now unstable Dark Bowser. The Mushroom Kingdom returns to normal, except the fact that Fawful is still alive. After a quick speech, Fawful explodes in order to kill the Mario Bros. Yet it backfires as it sends all that were trapped in Bowser's Body out into the Mushroom Kingdom. Everyone celebrates at making it out, except for the confused Bowser, just now finding out that Mario and Luigi were in his body the entire time. After learning who Chippy was, he reached his last straw, making a final battle with the Mario Bros leading into the cutscenes in the end credits.

Enemies

 * Bowser (boss)
 * Naplock
 * Dark Trashure
 * Dark Mechawful
 * Dark Mechawful.5 (a powered-up version of regular Dark Mechawfuls)
 * Dark Fawful Bomb
 * Dark Fawful Guy
 * Blizzard Midbus (boss)
 * Snawful (along with Blizzard Midbus)
 * Dark Fawful (boss)
 * Vacuum Helmet (along with Dark Fawful)
 * Dark Bowser (boss)
 * Dark Star Core (along with Dark Bowser)

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
The castle makes a brief cameo in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, as this is the place where Mario and friends receive the invitation to Pi'illo Island.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
The castle makes an appearance in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. It is where Luigi knocks down a book off a bookshelf in the cellar of the castle, containing the Paper Mario world. Peach's Castle also includes an Item Shop, a Gear Shop, and later usable in the game, a Battle Card Shop. Eventually, the castle gets wrecked by Neo Bowser Castle with cannonballs, leaving the castle in ruins.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Peach's Castle could be seen drawn in the background of the first floor, Mushroom Mayhem, of Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Also, Toadstool Castle appeared as the sixth floor of this game. This floor's levels were the first in the game to feature moving platforms, and balance beams similar to the ones from Super Mario Bros. The music played in the levels is 'Inside The Castle Walls' from Super Mario 64.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Peach's Castle can be seen in the extended background of Swirling Courtyard in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars.

Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge
Peach's Castle can be seen in the extended background of Mini Peach's levels in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge.

Yoshi's Island DS
Peach's Castle made a small cameo in the intro. When the Toadies are kidnapping babies, Baby Peach is taken from her castle, along with Baby Mario and Baby DK from their respective houses. It is later seen in the credits when the stork takes her back.

Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, the castle was affected by the Vibe Scepter and Bowser's minions captured Mario, Luigi and Toad while Princess Peach, Toadsworth and another Toad were enjoying a walk. Also, in this game the castle bears six or eight towers supporting the outside walls. If not, it can be explained that the rear of the castle is wider than the front and would require symmetrical placement of towers, therefore allowing only four towers to be visible in the opening scenes.

Itadaki Street DS
Peach's Castle is one of the Monopoly boards in Itadaki Street DS, featuring Peach's Castle and some grassy hills in the background. This is also the only non-Mario game which features the castle.

Fortune Street
Peach's Castle returns as one of the Mario series boards in the sequel to Itadaki Street, Fortune Street for the Wii. The board is slightly changed in terms of structure from its original appearance in the previous game.

Easy Rules
The board looks like a letter P with and extra line in the middle of the loop of the P with an extra line next to the stem which is connected by a space at the bottom and the top.

Standard Rules
The board looks like a short, wide rectangle with a tall square in the middle of the rectangle. This board layout is based off Hemisphere from Itadaki Street 2.

Space Count
This board has the following amount of spaces within each ruleset:

Easy Rules

 * Bank: 1
 * Shops: 27 with 8 Sections
 * The Max Combo for this board is 6.
 * Suits: 4 (1 Spade, 1 Heart, 1 Diamond, 1 Club)
 * ? Space: 2
 * Arcade: 1
 * Boon: 1
 * Roll-on: 1
 * Total: 37

Standard Rules

 * Bank: 1
 * Shops: 36 in 9 Districts
 * Each district has 4 shops.
 * Suits: 4 (1 Spade, 1 Heart, 1 Diamond, 1 Club)
 * ? Space: 2
 * Arcade: 1
 * Boon: 1
 * Take-a-break: 2
 * Roll-on: 1
 * Total: 48

Starting Values, Salaries & Targets
The salaries in this board are as follows:

Easy Rules

 * Starting Value: 1,500 G
 * Base Salary: 400 G
 * Salary Increment: 150 G x Level
 * Target: 8,000 G

Standard Rules

 * Starting Value: 1,500 G
 * Base Salary: 300 G
 * Salary Increment: 150 G x Level
 * Target: 20,000 G

CPU Players
In Tour Mode, the player faces off against these characters in this board:

Target
The player must come 1st or 2nd on this board to clear.

Unlocks
Clearing this board with a 1st or 2nd place finish on either ruleset allows Peach to be selected as a CPU player in Free Play, or in the case of With Friends, be selected as a human player, in both rulesets.

Mario Sports Mix
In Mario Sports Mix, Princess Peach's Castle returns as a court and background element for Mushroom Cup tournaments.

The main gimmick of this court is sprinklers that turn on and off. In dodgeball, the water acts as the dividing line between the two sides of the court. When the water goes down, players can move anywhere on the court, even the other team's side. In basketball, it acts as an obstacle to stop players from getting to the hoop. In hockey, it blocks the puck from going into the goal immediately. In volleyball, it will cause the ball to bounce back.

Mario Golf: World Tour
Princess Peach's Castle is seen in the background of Peach Gardens, a course from Mario Golf: World Tour.

Castle grounds
The Castle Grounds is where the player begins the game. A sealed cannon is found near the lake to the right. After obtaining all 120 Power Stars (150 in the remake), the cannon will open and the player will be able to launch themselves to the top of the castle Roof, where the player will find Yoshi, who will give Mario 100 extra lives, and an enhanced Triple Jump. Also up there is a ! Box holding a Wing Cap. In the DS version, this was removed (as Yoshi is a playable character), but Luigi's final rabbit can be found on the castle roof, as well as a ? block holding a Power Flower (or a Wing Cap if the player uses Mario). The roof in Super Mario 64 DS features a small fence around the area where the three mushrooms are found. It is possible to get to the top of the castle by climbing down the tree when the moat is not drained, or by a special technique all of the characters have to get to the roof without even using the cannon. Stomping on the two columns in the basement will drain the moat, which allow the player to enter the Vanish Cap Under the Moat (or The Secret Under the Moat in the remake). There is also a waterfall which acts as the exit of Cavern of the Metal Cap (or Behind the Waterfall in the remake). A moat surrounds the castle, which is able to be drained during gameplay.

First floor
After entering the castle, the player will find Toad, who will say to go to the Bob-omb Battlefield portrait, the only course that has not been sealed by Bowser at the time. There is also a locked door which leads to the second floor, which requires a key to unlock it. There is also 2 wooden doors, which both lead to the Boo-infested hallway, Courtyard and the stairs to the Basement. A door to the right of the main room will lead to the princess' room which hides The Princess's Secret Slide. A door nearby leads to the castle's Rec Room (only on the DS version). The Star Door to the left of the main room is where Bowser resides in the level Bowser in the Dark World. A portrait of Princess Peach is found at the end of the corridor. However, the deceiving portrait will turn into an image of Bowser as the player walks down the corridor. In the middle of the main room, a sun in the form of a rug will send the player to the Tower of the Wing Cap (or ? Switch in the remake) when they look into the sun shining from the ceiling.

Second floor
After unlocking the door on the first floor, ascending a set of spiral stairs will lead the player to the second floor of the castle. It is a round shaped room with portraits adorning all areas of the wall. A set of stairs will lead to yet another Star Door, and ultimately the third floor. There are two doors found opposite each other on the outside wall. The first leads to a room which contains several portraits leading to Tiny-Huge Island. The other contains a mirror which runs through the center of the room. The player can become Vanish Luigi to pass through the mirror in the remade game.

Third floor
The third floor consists of a small, round room with a Clock seen directly opposite the door. There are two small niches in both sides of the wall, each leading to a different course; the one to the left will warp the player to Wing Mario Over the Rainbow (named Over the Rainbows in the remake), and the one on the right will warp the player to Rainbow Ride. Above the door of the third floor is yet another Star Door, where a staircase will lead to the final battle (Bowser in the Sky). However, 70 Power Stars (80 in the remake) are needed to break the spell of the endless stairs.

Basement
The basement is the lowest area of Princess Peach's Castle, as it is just below ground level. It can be entered through the set of stairs which descend down near the first floor. It consists of many areas all linked together by doors. One of the lower areas of the basement is made up of shallow water. An area found at the front-most of the castle basement is initially completely flooded with water from the castle moat. However, the moat is able to be drained by Ground Pounding two pillars. Having done so, the water will drain and a door which was previously inaccessible leads to the castle grounds.

Description and Location
In the majority of games, the castle is normally grey marble, but sometimes it was noted white and even a light cream (Super Princess Peach). Since 1996 it has kept its original highest tower emerging from a wider circular tower underneath - both always in the center of the castle. Normally the main feature of the castle is a rectangular or square shape, with nearly always four towers supporting this part. The roof is nearly always a shade of red, but in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga it was a shade of yellow.

A window is usually present at the front of the palace. There is an image of Princess Peach embedded, painted or carved onto the window. In Super Mario 64, this was the part of the castle Princess Peach was concealed and only the power of the star Bowser had captured for himself at the end could release her.

In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS, the castle is a huge palace with many rooms and secrets. Despite having a high amount of rooms, there were no regular "living" rooms, such as a bedroom or kitchen. Most of the rooms simply had a large painting in it. The castle also had a basement, the floor of which was oddly coated with water. However, this could likely be all due to Bowser's reign on the castle. The castle grounds were also quite spacious in this game. Plenty of trees can be viewed and climbed up, and the land itself is quite large. A body of water surrounds the castle, which eventually leads into a small pond. In this game, the castle is reached via Warp Pipe.

In Paper Mario, the castle differs radically from its 64 counterpart. The palace is still large and has a great number of rooms, but each room has some kind of purpose (there is a library, a bedroom, and many storage rooms), and the lobby is connected to the ballroom. The castle grounds are also much smaller, with a simple fountain and one or two trees outside the castle. Much of the castle's surrounding land was lifted into the air with Bowser's castle, which may explain the seemingly shrunken land; however, even when Mario finally reaches the castle to confront Bowser, no moat can be seen. The castle has no warp pipe leading to it, as it can easily be reached from Toad Town.

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the palace was again, like Paper Mario, big and had actual "living" rooms. This castle however was different from the Mario 64 and Paper Mario versions and the garden looked very different (there were no trees either).

In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the castle's conference room was seen in the intro. It is eventually taken over by Fawful and served as the final area in the game.

In Super Mario 64, there was a courtyard located behind the castle but it was not visible from the front or roof of the castle in the main gardens. However, the main part of the castle could be seen from the courtyard. The courtyard introduced the magic and mystery of Peach's Castle that the Power Stars seemed to have control over. The courtyard in both the original Super Mario 64 and in the Nintendo DS remake was infested with Boos. Big Boo's Haunt and another secret level were hidden in here.

Differing from the castle in Super Mario 64, in Super Mario Galaxy, the castle now has a balcony and several windows. The castle still has the body of water connected to it, but is now right outside Toad Town. Also different from the older version, this castle's outside is more detailed.

Also in Super Mario Galaxy, the cut-scenes show a more detailed top tower than when playing as Mario in the Star Festival.

In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story the castle was controlled by Fawful and was planned to use it against Bowser when he would arrive, Bowser then defeated the castle in the devastating battle.

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the castle has less windows, no moat, has more detail than its DS predecessor, and looks more remote than Super Mario 64/DS and Super Mario Galaxy.

In Super Mario Galaxy 2, the castle looks like the castle from Super Mario Galaxy. The balcony from Galaxy seems to be missing, however and there are now several vases full of flowers on the grounds. During the invasion of Bowser, several meteors hit the grounds, blocking off the east half of the grounds.

More Castles
Peach appears to have more than one castle. A completely different one in seen in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. It stands on a gigantic and poorly structured rock out in the sea. This castle is also visible from Koopa Beach. The castles of Super Mario Bros. and its sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, are also said to be in the Mushroom Kingdom and invaded by Bowser. The Princess' home in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is known as the Mushroom Castle rather than Princess Peach's Castle, and has a radically different design.

Items found
In addition, the following special items are available only to Princess Peach.

Area Tattles

 * ''This is Peach's Castle. But we just came out of Bowser's Castle! I've got a funny feeling about this... I wonder where Princess Peach is being held captive. I think we should brace ourselves, Mario.
 * ''This is the first floor hall of Princess Peach's Castle. There are so many doors, though. Where on earth can Princess Peach be?
 * '' Boy, what happened here? This is even messier than my room back home! It looks like nobody ever puts anything away in here.
 * ''That's a pretty huge drawer over there. I bet a person could fit inside! If they wanted to, that is... Hey, there's a bed, too! This must be a guest room.
 * ''It's a kitchen. I'm just guessing, but I bet this is where they make the meals. The castle's head chef probably cooks all the meals, don't you think? I wonder what kinds of savory dishes he knows how to make. Hey, Mario, have you ever eaten here?
 * ''This is the second floor hall of Princess Peach's Castle. There are so many doors, though. Where on earth can Princess Peach be?
 * ''This is just an ordinary room. Do you smell something, though? What a strange odor...
 * ''Wow! So many books. If we weren't in the middle of such an adventure, I'd love to read some of these.
 * ''It's a dining room. It looks like somebody has eaten here recently. Probably not the Princess-- they're probably starving her! People always say that the meals served here are delectable. I'd love to eat here sometime.
 * ''This looks like a storeroom. ...! Hey! Check out that box! Let's see what's in it.
 * ''Wow! This is Princess Peach's room, isn't it? It smells great in here! It's such a cheerful room, just like Princess Peach. I can't believe she was locked up in here for so long, all by herself. She must've been so lonely... We've got to rescue her, right now!!
 * ''This balcony has a great view. I'm betting that this is one of the princess's favorite places.
 * ''It's a covered hallway in Peach's Castle, Mario. Let's find Bowser and save Princess Peach!
 * ''We have to help Princess Peach!! Mario! Hurry up! Let's move!
 * ''Bowser's gone upstairs. C'mon, we have to follow him! Mario, let's roll!
 * ''We have to save the princess! Hurry up! Mario! There's no time to waste!
 * ''It's a castle tower. These long spiral stairs go up and up and around and around. Oog...I feel dizzy.
 * ''Huh? Where in the world did Bowser just disappear to?

Items found in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

 * For items found in Peach's Castle in the past of the Mushroom Kingdom, see here.

Fortune Street

 * Flag of USA.png "''The home of Princess Peach. Bowser's troops make frequent assaults on the place, but the Toad guards keep them at bay.

Trivia

 * Princess Peach's castle is the only structure that is not damaged when it is sucked into the black hole at the conclusion of Super Mario Galaxy.

Pilz-Palast Castello della Principessa Peach