Goal Pole: Difference between revisions

|latest_appearance=''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' ([[Piranha Plant Tour]]) ([[List of games by date#2022|2022]])

A '''Goal Pole''' (also known as a '''flagpole''',<ref>''Super Mario Bros.'' English instruction booklet, pages 6 and 18.</ref> '''Flag Pole''',<ref>''Nintendo Power'' Volume 52, page 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 number of [[point]]s the player earns from grabbing the flagpole depends on how high they landed on it.

The flagpole first appeared in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', and the flags on a flagpole come in many colors, though [[Goal Pole (secret)|secret Goal Pole]]s usually indicate an alternate exit in the ''[[New Super Mario Bros. (disambiguation)|New Super Mario Bros.]]'' games. Since then, if the player manages to grab the top of the flagpole, they will usually earn an [[extra life]]. Flagpoles were replaced by 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&mdash;taking down [[Bowser]]'s flag and/or replacing it with their own.

|caption1=Flagpoles from the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] version of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]] (left) and ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' (right)

In ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', flagpoles feature a green pole (which can sometimes be orange or gray in certain levels due to palette limitations) and a white flag with a green skull on them, which is reversed in ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''. [[Mario]] can jump over the flagpole in certain levels (such as [[World 3-3 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 3-3]] of ''Super Mario Bros.''). However, this will only result in Mario/Luigi being trapped in an empty, endlessly looping void once the flagpole disappears offscreen until they run out of time. In ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'', Luigi can do so more easily due to his better jumping abilities. In order to still finish the level, the brother has to jump at it from the other side. It is unknown whether this is a glitch, as it does not cause any errors, and it was not fixed in ''Super Mario All-Stars'' (however, the player this time cannot venture beyond the fortress/castle and is simply just stopped by an invisible barrier on the right side of the screen), though ''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]'' makes it impossible; ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' actually hides a few [[Warp Zone]]s behind them. If the player gets a 1, 3, or 6 on the timer in ''Super Mario Bros.'', they can get one, three, or six [[fireworks]], each worth 500 points, depending on which number the last digit is. Grabbing the top of the flagpole in these games only rewards the player with 5000 [[point]]s, rather than with an extra life as is the case in later games of the series. However, in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'', the player can receive an extra life from a flagpole, but only if both digits of the coin counter and the last digit of the timer match when the player's character touches the flagpole.

Starting with ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', the pole 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 pole, awarding 8000 points for the destroyed pole 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 time limit are the same (except 00) when the level is cleared, the "Course Clear" theme from ''Super Mario Bros.'' plays instead 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.

[[File:Flagpole-SM3DL.png|thumb|right|120px|Mario grabbing onto a Goal Pole in ''Super Mario 3D Land''.]]

The poles, now called Goal Poles, appear in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''; this is their first appearance in a 3D ''Mario'' game. Unlike in 2D ''Mario'' games, Goal Poles appear in every level, even in castles and airships. After defeating the boss of an airship or castle, Mario has to keep walking to the Goal Pole instead of ending the level immediately after defeating the boss, as in previous games. '''Big Goal Poles'''<ref>von Esmarch, Nick. ''Super Mario 3D Land'' PRIMA Official Game Guide, page 219.</ref> appear in castles, airships, and {{world-link|s8|crown|Special 8-Crown}}, which use a larger, rectangular flag with a red Bowser emblem and yellow borders on the top and bottom, rather than the usual triangular flag. When Mario grabs any part of a Goal Pole, he earns [[coin]]s rather than points (as the game lacks a scoring system), and a red flag with Mario's emblem (or a green flag with Luigi's emblem if playing as Luigi) replaces the one with Bowser's emblem. However, if Mario grabs the top of a Goal Pole, he performs a trick, earns an extra life, and the flag turns golden instead. These golden flags are required for 100% completion for the entire game.<ref>http://3dsforums.com/super-mario-3d-land-41/i-bought-im-playing-listen-ask-questions-27190/</ref>  

[[File:SM3DL Big Goal Pole.png|thumb|120px|left|A Big Goal Pole]]

In ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', getting double digits the same as the world number (e.g. the timer has to be x11 when in World 1) at the end of the timer means that a [[Rainbow Course]] will appear on the map. The Goal Pole can still be destroyed by Mega Mario or Luigi, but the player only gains three extra lives for doing so. If Mario is in his [[Gold Mario|Gold form]], he gains coins upon grabbing the Goal Pole instead of points, like in ''Super Mario 3D Land''; in turn, this adds even more points to the score. Additionally, hitting the top of the Goal Pole in [[Coin Rush]] mode doubles the round's accumulated coin total. If the game is played in Co-op, either Mario or Luigi's flag will appear depending on whoever is higher on the Goal Pole.

[[File:NSMBU Yoshi Flagpole.jpg|thumb|right|Mario and Yoshi grabbing onto a Goal Pole in ''New Super Mario. Bros. U'']]

Fake Goal Poles can be found in [[Ghost House]]s; touching these reveals that they are actually swarms of Boos, which promptly disappear. [[Goal Pole (flying)|Flying Goal Poles]] appear in [[The Great Goal Pole]] and [[Back to Hands-On Hall]].

[[File:Goalpolesmbss.jpg|thumb|Goal Poles seen in the opening of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'']]

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In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' and its remake, ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]'', there is a flagpole in front of the [[Little Fungitown]] that can be slid down on in the [[Beanbean Kingdom]]. A flagpole is also seen in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' picture behind the [[Border Bro]]s.

[[File:Flagpole Leap.png|right|thumb|Flagpole Leap in ''Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix'']]

Mario could jump on flagpoles in ''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]'', in the [[Flagpole Leap]] minigame.

In ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'', a Goal Pole is featured as part of Peach's obstacle course used to train Mario. It resembles its modern appearance but with a red flag with a [[Mushroom]] emblem on it.

In the Japanese version of ''[[wikibound:EarthBound|EarthBound]]'', one of the default names for Ness' favorite thing is Goal. This coincides with several other default names in the game that make Ness' party members named after ''Mario'' characters.

*'''European Website Bio:''' "''Goal Poles mark the end of every course. The aim of the game is to guide Mario through various obstacles so that he can get to that pole!''"

===Sprites===

CranktoRank 8.png|''Mario Party 8''

Top100CranktoRank.png|''Mario Party: The Top 100''

Flagpole SSBB.png|''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''

SSBU Mushroomy Kingdom Flagpole.png|''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''

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