Blue switch (Super Mario Galaxy)

A blue switch is a switch that appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2, usually during levels with unusually fast-moving obstacles. During gameplay, Mario or Luigi must ground-pound the blue switches. Once they are ground-pounded, the entire screen will turn black and white with a rippling effect, and the music will sound compressed. The main effect of hitting one of these switches, however, is that it will slow down all the obstacles around Mario or Luigi. The switches can allow him to pass under a Thwomp or jump on a fast-moving platform with ease. The switches last for only a few seconds though, so the player must move quickly to make it through the level in time. Blue switches appear in only four galaxies: the Space Storm Galaxy, the Clockwork Ruins Galaxy, the Upside Dizzy Galaxy, and the Stone Cyclone Galaxy. However, the blue switch is used to change the flow of gravity in the Upside Dizzy Galaxy.

Trivia

 * In a pre-release version of Super Mario Galaxy 2, an earlier version of the blue switch was shown as a sort of "side-flipping" switch, as opposed to looking more like a ! Switch.
 * Sentry Beams' lasers, Amps' electricity, electric rails, Water Shooters' bubbles, coins, and Mario or Luigi do not turn black and white when a blue switch is pressed.