Clear Pipe

Clear Pipes are pipes that make their debut in Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U and reappear in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury for the Nintendo Switch. Like Warp Pipes, they are used for traveling distances too far for a normal jump to reach. Unlike Warp Pipes, however, Clear Pipes are transparent, and a player can change direction while in one. Additionally, players automatically enter vertical Clear Pipes without having to press a button.

While traveling through Clear Pipes, the player cannot attack and is therefore vulnerable to any enemies inside them. Some enemies and projectiles such as fireballs can travel through Clear Pipes. These projectiles can be destroyed by (other) fireballs or nearby red POW Blocks from outside the pipes. Coins, Green Stars, mines, and other objects can also be found either moving or stationary inside these pipes.

A cannon variety of Clear Pipes also appears. These ones are similar to Launch Stars and Sling Stars from the Super Mario Galaxy games, as they launch the player to another part of the level. Some of these pipes require the player to manually press to launch themselves out of the cannon.

All of the worlds, with the exception of the special worlds, are connected through Clear Pipes. Once a Sprixie Princess is saved from the castle at the end of a world, she will construct a Clear Pipe leading to the next world.

Clear Pipes reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and its 3DS and Switch ports, acting the same as in Super Mario 3D World. Their cannon variety also reappears.

In Super Mario Maker 2, Clear Pipes appear as course elements for the Super Mario 3D World style. Like in the original game, Mario can shoot fireballs into them, and enemies such as Goombas and Koopa Troopas can travel through them as well. However, entering vertical ones requires using, unlike in the original game; also, colliding with enemies within Clear Pipes is harmless. If both ends of a Clear Pipe are blocked while the player is inside, the player will be trapped and lose a life.

In Bowser's Fury, Clear Pipes are the main gimmick of Pipe Path Tower. In this area, Mario has to travel through different Clear Pipe paths to reach the top to collect a Cat Shine. Blue Coins and Cat Shine Shards can also be found inside Clear Pipes.

The idea of Clear Pipes was thought of by the director of Super Mario 3D World, Koichi Hayashida, who wondered what Mario did in Warp Pipes.

Super Mario 3D World

 * North American website bio: "Travel through these to find secret areas and move quickly through a course."

Super Mario Maker 2

 * North American website bio: "These Clear Pipes can be placed in any shape you like. Be careful, though! Enemies will make use of them as well."