Goal Pole: Difference between revisions

A '''Goal Pole''' (also known as a '''flagpole'''<ref>''Super Mario Bros.'' English instruction booklet, pages 6 and 18.</ref>, '''Goal Post'''<ref>Tatsumi Yamashita, ''The Official Nintendo Player's Guide'', Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 999832369X. Page 33.</ref> or '''pole'''<ref>''New Super Mario Bros.'' instruction booklet, page 15.</ref><ref>''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' instruction booklet, page 10.</ref>) appears at the end of every normal level in most of the mainstream ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' games. [[Mario]], [[Luigi]], or any other playable character has to [[jump]] and grab the Goal Pole to finish the level.

The flags on a flagpole come in many colors, though [[Red Flagpole]]s usually indicate an alternate exit in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games. Since then, if the player manages to grab the top of the flagpole, they will earn an [[extra life]]. Flagpoles were replaced with boxed, roulette-like [[Goal (Super Mario Bros. 3)|goal]]s in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', and [[Giant Gate]]s in ''[[Super Mario World]]''. These flagpoles symbolize Mario and friends taking over or claiming that area — taking down Bowser's flag and/or replacing it with their own.

In ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3|Super Mario Advance 4]]'', flagpoles return, after a long absence, in the remakes of Worlds [[Classic World 1-1|1-1]], [[Classic World 1-2|1-2]], [[Classic World 1-3|1-3]], and [[Classic World 2-2|2-2]] from ''Super Mario Bros.'' These flagpoles do not mark the end of the level, as the true [[Goal (Super Mario Bros. 3)|goal]] comes after the flagpole; the player can still gain points (or an extra life from touching the very top). The area between the flagpole and the true Goal is usually empty, however. The sprite for these flagpoles is reused from ''Super Mario All-Stars''.

Starting with ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', the flagpole now has a black flag with a clearer skull symbol; it also now sits on a [[fortress]]-styled base, rather than a [[Hard Block]]. It works as it did in ''Super Mario Advance 4'', though it once again marks the levels' end. [[Mega Mario]] or Mega Luigi can destroy the flagpole, awarding 8000 points for the destroyed flagpole and filling up one-fifth of the meter above them, ensuring at least one extra life is gained. They shrink into [[Super Mario (form)|Super form]] and head into the fortress afterwards. Additionally, if the last two digits of the timer are same when the level is cleared, the "Level Clear" theme from ''Super Mario Bros.'' plays in place of the normal one, fireworks go off (1 for ending in 11, 2 for ending in 22, and so on, awarding 4,000 points per explosion, for a maximum of 36,000), and a one-time use bonus [[Toad House]] appears at the map's starting point. Time limits ending in 11, 22, or 33 yield a Power-Up Toad House; 44, 55, and 66 yield a [[Extra life|1-Up]] Toad House; and 77, 88, and 99 yield a [[Mega Mushroom]] Toad House. The number of points the player earns from grabbing the flagpole depends on how high they grabbed it. From lowest to highest, the points are as follows: 100 - 200 - 400 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 8000 - 1-Up.