Giant Gate

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

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

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

Giant Gates are often protected by enemies, especially Chargin' Chucks. Though this may hinder the player from finishing a level, it also gives them the chance to get a high number of Bonus Stars by jumping on the enemy, which allows them 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 Bonus 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, like with 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."