Goal (Super Mario Bros. 3)

Goal
CardRouletteSMB3.gif
First appearance Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Latest appearance Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024)

A goal[1] is an object introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3. It is a box found at the end of almost every level, quickly switching between three cards: a Mushroom, a Flower, and a Star.

HistoryEdit

Super Mario seriesEdit

Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3Edit

Goals are objects in Super Mario Bros. 3. The player is required to hit a goal to finish the level they are in. When hit, the goal gives them the card on the box at the time it is hit, displaying the message "COURSE CLEAR! YOU GOT A CARD" ("LEVEL CLEARED! YOU GOT A PANEL" in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3). Receiving three cards of any type results in Mario or Luigi receiving a 1-Up. However, if three cards of the same type are collected, Mario or Luigi gets a number of 1-Ups that correspond to the type of item. Getting three Mushroom cards results in two extra lives, getting three Flower cards results in three extra lives, and getting three Star cards results in five extra lives. In most stages, a Star card can easily be obtained by running at maximum speed and hitting the box at a 45° angle. However, that objective is not achievable in some stages such as World 1-4 and World 7-1, because the distance is too short to achieve running speed. However, in stages such as those, it is possible to run past the box, turn back, and hit it at a 45° angle.

In the Mario Bros. competitive game, players can steal or exchange cards by stomping on each other, bumping each other from below, or using the POW Block when the rival is on the floor, making the afflicted player lose a card.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2Edit

The Super Mario Bros. 3 style of Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2 uses the goals for non-Castle levels, including Airships (which always ended with a boss fight rather than a goal in Super Mario Bros. 3 itself). However, as each level is self-contained, they no longer give cards that can be redeemed toward lives—instead, collecting a Mushroom, Flower, or Star simply gives a number of points, while 1-Up Mushrooms are added as a fourth card and give an extra life immediately. In levels with clear conditions, the goal appears as a dashed outline and is fully revealed only after the condition has been met; it will become dashed again if the clear condition is lost.

Paper Mario: Color SplashEdit

In Paper Mario: Color Splash, the roulette-styled goals are absent from the Super Mario Bros. 3-themed level in the Green Energy Plant, as they were replaced by Goal Poles, although the frame of the goal containing the level's green Mini Paint Star can be found in front of the secret exit.

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ゴール[2]
Gōru
Goal
Italian Quadretto - rete[3] Square - net
Cartoncino[4] Little card
Quadratino[5] Little square
Meta[6][7] Goal
Pannello[8] Panel
Pannello di fine schema[9] End level panel

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ 1990. Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (English). Page 19.
  2. ^ 1988. スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 (Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 18.
  3. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet. Nintendo (Italian). Page 19.
  4. ^ 1991. Club Nintendo (Italy) Volume 3 - Issue 6. Page 17.
  5. ^ 2003. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 European manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 111.
  6. ^ 2010. Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition instruction manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 18.
  7. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 (3DS - Virtual Console) Italian e-manual. Page 9.
  8. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 e-manual. Nintendo (Italian). Page 3.
  9. ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 41.