? Switch

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This article is about the object that appears in various games. For the level with the same name in Super Mario 64 DS, see Tower of the Wing Cap.
? Switch
A ? Switch
A red ? Switch from Yoshi's Story
First appearance Yoshi's Story (1997)
Latest appearance Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)
Effect Causes a mysterious event

A ? Switch, also known as a Mystery Switch,[1][2] a Question Mark Switch,[3] a ? Switch Block,[4] or erroneously a ? Block,[5] is a Switch Block that has widely varying effects depending on the context.

History[edit]

Yoshi's Story[edit]

Sprite of a ? Switch in Yoshi's Story

In Yoshi's Story, when a Yoshi presses a ? Switch by simply jumping on it, the ? Switch disappears and a part of the level is changed briefly. As the effect expires, the switch's music speeds up. There are panels that also act as a ? Switch and extend the switch's time limit.

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

? Switch
Main article: Cap Switch

In Super Mario 64 DS, the red, green, and blue ! Switches from Super Mario 64 were reduced to a red ? Switch. It appears in a secret course named after it (also titled Tower of the Wing Cap), and it activates corresponding ? Blocks.

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

Sprite of a ? Switch in New Super Mario Bros.

? Switches later appear in New Super Mario Bros., this time with an orange color. Like the ones in Yoshi's Story, these switches change or add to an area of a level, like adding moving platforms or flipping the entire level upside down. The effects of a ? Switch can be either temporary or permanent, depending on the ? Switch. One appears in the fight against Mega Goomba, being the only time one is used against a boss. Most levels have only one ? Switch, but some have two of them.

? Switches appear in the following levels, with the following functions:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]

Qswitch.png

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, ? Switches reappear with their design from New Super Mario Bros., though they are less common than before. World 6-6 notably features multiple with separate functions.

? Switches appear in the following levels, with the following functions:

New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]

Question Switch

In New Super Mario Bros. 2, ? Switches have become more common. Several are used for spawning more coins. They additionally appear in some of the DLC courses.

? Switches appear in the following levels, with the following functions:

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

In New Super Mario Bros. U, ? Switches are again less common. Some act somewhat similar to ! Switches in New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. 2 by causing red blocks to appear. In New Super Luigi U, ? Switches are considerably uncommon, appearing in only three levels. In New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, ? Switches return in both capacities.

? Switches appear in the following New Super Mario Bros. U levels, with the following functions:

? Switches appear in the following New Super Luigi U levels, with the following functions:

Super Mario Maker[edit]

SMM-NSMBU-Switch.png

In versions of Super Mario Maker before version 1.30, P Switches in the New Super Mario Bros. U game style have the appearance of ? Switches.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, ? Switches are about as uncommon as in New Super Luigi U, as they only appear in two Break Time! levels and one main level.

? Switches and their purpose in the levels are as follows:

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Yoshi's Story[edit]

  • Instruction booklet description:
    • English:
      If you step on it, something secret will happen. Exactly what, is a secret.[5]
    • French:
      Si vous marchez dessus, quelque chose de nouveau apparaîtra. Quoi exactement, c’est un secret.[6] (If you step on it, something new will appear. Exactly what, is a secret.)
  • Message Block information for the ? Switch (set to French): Marchez dessus et quelque chose de nouveau apparaîtra![7] (Step on it and something new will appear!)


Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ?スイッチ[?]
? Suitchi
? Switch Yoshi's Story
ハテナスイッチ[8]
Hatena Suitchi
スイッチブロック[9]
Suitchi Burokku
Switch Block New Super Mario Bros., shared with P Switch and ! Switch
Chinese (simplified) ?开关[10]
? Kāiguān
? Switch
French Interrupteur ?[11] ? Switch
Interrupteur[6] Switch
Interrupteur "?"[7] "?" Switch
German ?-Schalter[12] ? Switch
Italian Interruttore[13] Switch Yoshi's Story
Blocco interruttore ?[14][15] ? Switch Block New Super Mario Bros. series
Interruttore ?[16] ? Switch Super Mario 64 DS
Interruttore "?"[17] "?" Switch Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia
Portuguese (NOE) Bloco de Mudança ?[?] ? Change Block New Super Mario Bros.

Trivia[edit]

  • Although New Super Mario Bros. does have ? Switches in-game, the red ? Switch model from Super Mario 64 DS was left unused in the files of the final version. However, it was used in early prototypes.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Leung, Jason et al (1998). Yoshi's Story Player's Guide. Nintendo Power (American English). Page 16.
  2. ^ Nintendo (1998). Yoshi's Story official website. Archived December 2, 1998, 10:41:37 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Prima Bath (April 7, 1999). Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 0-7615-2103-8. Page 104, 111.
  4. ^ 2006. New Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet. Nintendo of UK (British English). Page 18.
  5. ^ a b 1998. Yoshi's Story instruction booklet. Nintendo of Australia (Australian English). Page 15.
  6. ^ a b 1998. Yoshi Story instruction booklet, French segment. Nintendo (French). Page 59.
  7. ^ a b Yoshi's Story in-game name (French localization)
  8. ^ October 19, 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario Sunshine section. Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 119, 151, 200, 216.
  9. ^ 2006. Newニュー スーパーマリオブラザーズ (Nyū Sūpā Mario Burazāzu) manual. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 17.
  10. ^ New 超级马力欧兄弟. iQue (Simplified Chinese). Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  11. ^ 2005. Super Mario 64 DS instruction booklet. Nintendo of Europe (French). Page 68.
  12. ^ 2006. New Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet. Nintendo of Europe (German). Page 20.
  13. ^ 1998. Yoshi's Story European manual. Nintendo of Europe (British English). Page 123.
  14. ^ 2006. New Super Mario Bros. European manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 88.
  15. ^ 2009. New Super Mario Bros. Wii Italian manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 25.
  16. ^ 2005. Super Mario 64 DS manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 106.
  17. ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 119, 151, 200, 216.