Flying key
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| Flying key | |
|---|---|
 
| |
| First appearance | Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
| Effect | Unlocks a chest of 1-Up Mushrooms in the bonus levels (gold) Removes silver locks from doors and toy boxes in multiplayer (silver) |
Flying keys are variants of regular keys that appear in the Nintendo Switch remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong. They appear as small, round floating keys with a pair of wings. Flying keys are similar to the keys in Super Mario Maker and its sequel, where they will follow a player after coming into contact with one. There are two colors of flying keys - gold and silver, which differ both in behavior (when not following the player) and function.
A gold flying key appears only in the various bonus levels in the game, where it will start flying away from the player as soon as they try to approach it. As time passes, the flying key will eventually slow down, allowing the player to catch it much more easily. When brought to the chest in the bonus level, the player is rewarded with five 1-Up Mushrooms while also successfully completing the bonus level.
Silver flying keys appear only in multiplayer, and appear in both regular levels and Mini-Mario (mm) levels. One floats in a singular spot in the level, and can be picked up in a similar fashion. The locked door or toy box will be chained with a silver lock, which requires a silver flying key in order for the players to progress. If a player is defeated while a flying key is in possession, they will lose the key, and it will float towards a spot near where the player has been defeated. The remaining player will have a few seconds to grab the key before it disappears and respawns back in its original location.
Gallery
A gold flying key in the bonus level of Mario Toy Company
A silver flying key at the top-left of the level during a multiplayer session
Toad bringing the silver flying key along
Toad using the silver flying key on a chained locked door
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) | Model/KeyFlying_Shared.bfres.zs | KeyFlying | Flying Key |
Notes
- 34 years prior to the release of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake, unused content in Super Mario World features a semi-functional flying variant of the Key with wings, which can turn into a regular Key if eaten and spat out by Yoshi.