World 8-Bowser's Castle is the eleventh and final level of Dark Land in Super Mario Bros. 3 as well as the final level overall. It can be accessed once the player clears World 8-
.
Layout[]
The player starts next to a trio of Bowser Statues, which will fire lasers when the player approaches. At the top of a set of stairs is an invisible lift that will start rising when the player steps onto it; if the player misses the lift, they can enter the nearby door and then move left, avoiding Dry Bones, to another door to be brought back to the beginning of the castle to try again. Once the lift reaches its peak, the player will find a Donut Lift to the right and must ride it down, jumping off to the right when able before the block falls into the abyss. After passing a Hot Foot, the player will have to jump up stairs lined with three Roto-discs, then fall down the next set of stairs avoiding the same Roto-discs. A 1-Up Mushroom can also be collected at the top of the stairs, next to the wall on the right. Next, the player has to jump across several Donut Lift platforms while avoiding Podoboos and falling in the lava below. At the end of this area, the path splits in four ways, with the second from the top path having a power-up and the bottom-most path leading back to the start of the castle. The other two paths lead to Bowser.
If the player takes the top path, they will have to jump over four Bowser Statues. Afterward, they must jump across Donut Lift platforms while avoiding Bowser's Fire Breath, along with avoiding one more Bowser Statue above. If the player takes the path second from the bottom, they will first have to avoid a sliding Thwomp and ride a Donut Lift downward to other platforms they have to jump across, while avoiding a Roto-disc. Then the player has to navigate Bowser Statues set up on sets of stairs, and a power-up is placed in the center of this room. After the Bowser Statues are platforms over lava the player has to jump across while avoiding Bowser's Fire Breath and one more Bowser Statue above. The doors at the ends of both of the paths will lead to Bowser's chamber, where the final fight takes place. The room that Bowser is fought in changes slightly depending on which path is taken; the path past the Thwomp leads to a version of the room with fewer bricks for Bowser to break through and fewer unbreakable blocks on each side, making the fight somewhat easier.
Bowser attacks by breathing fire at different heights, and the player has to either jump or crouch to avoid them. After blowing two or three fire balls, Bowser will jump into the air and attempt to land on the player. If Bowser lands on the bricks below him, he will destroy them and create a gap. To defeat Bowser, the player has to lure him into landing on the same section two or three times, depending on which version of the room the player lands in. If Bowser breaks into the pit below him, or is hit with 35 fireballs or at least three hammers, he will be defeated and Princess Toadstool will be rescued. Following this, the credits will roll and the curtains will close with an "The End" message. In the Japanese Famicom version, the screen will freeze on the image and the system will need to be reset. In all international NES versions, pressing will return to the title screen, and the player can start a new game with 28 Magic Wings. In the SNES and GBA versions, the game can return to the title screen by pressing
/
and will be given an option to save their progress.
Enemies[]
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Characters | Protagonists | Mario • Luigi |
Other characters | Kings • Princess Toadstool | |
Bosses | Boom Boom • Bowser • Koopalings (Larry Koopa • Iggy Koopa • Lemmy Koopa • Ludwig von Koopa • Morton Koopa • Roy Koopa • Wendy Koopa) | |
Enemies | Enemies | Angry Sun • Baby Cheep • Big Bertha • Blooper • Baby Blooper • Blooper Nanny • Bob-omb • Boo Buddy • Boomerang Bro • Boss Bass • Bullet Bill • Buster Beetle • Buzzy Beetle • Chain Chomp • Cheep-Cheep • Colossal Koopa Paratroopa • Dry Bones • Fiery Walking Piranha • Fire Bro • Fire Chomp • Fire Snake • Gargantuan Koopa Troopa • Goomba • Grand Goomba • Hammer Bro • Hanging Piranha Plant • Hot Foot • Jelectro • Koopa Paratroopa • Koopa Troopa • Kuribo's Goomba • Lakitu • Lava Lotus • Micro-Goomba • Missile Bill • Muncher • Nipper Plant • Para-Beetle • Para-Goomba • Pile Driver Micro-Goomba • Piranha Plant • Piranhacus Giganticus • Podoboo • Ptooie • Rocky Wrench • Scattering Blooper • Sledge Brother • Spike • Spiny Cheep-Cheep • Spiny • Spiny Egg • Stretch • Thwomp • Venus Fire Trap |
Items | Power-ups | Fire Flower • Frog Suit • Hammer Suit • Kuribo Shoe • Mushroom Coin* • Starman • Super Mushroom • Super Leaf • Tanooki Suit |
Map | Anchor • Hammer • Lakitu's Cloud • Music Box • P-Wing • Warp Whistle | |
Level | 1-Up Mushroom • Coin • Magic Ball • Magic Wand • Silver Coin | |
Worlds | World 1 | World 1-1 • World 1-2 • World 1-3 • World 1-4 • World 1-![]() ![]() |
World 2 | World 2-1 • World 2-2 • World 2-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 3 | World 3-1 • World 3-2 • World 3-3 • World 3-![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 4 | World 4-1 • World 4-2 • World 4-3 • World 4-![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 5 | World 5-1 • World 5-2 • World 5-3 • World 5-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 6 | World 6-1 • World 6-2 • World 6-3 • World 6-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 7 | World 7-1 • World 7-2 • World 7-3 • World 7-4 • World 7-5 • World 7-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
World 8 | World 8-![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Other locations | Other locations | Enemy Course • Panel (N-Mark Spade Panel · Spade Panel · Start Panel) • Toad House • Treasure Ship |
Forms | Forms | Small Mario • Super Mario • Fire Mario • Raccoon Mario • Frog Mario • Tanooki Mario (Statue Mario) • Hammer Mario • Invincible Mario |
Objects | Regular | ? Block • Big Block • Bolt Lift • Brick Block • Buzzy Beetle Shell • Card • Cloud Block • Cloud Lift • Coin Block • Coral • Directional Lift • Donut Lift • Empty Block • Flimsy Lift • Frozen Coin • Giant Green Shell • Giant Red Shell • Goal • Green Shell • Hidden Block • Ice Block • Jump Block • Lift • Magic Ball • Magic Door • Magic Note Block • Mega ? Block • P Warp Door • Quicksand • Red Shell • Rotary Lift • Semisolid Platform • Spiny Shell • Switch Block • Tank • Track • Treasure box • Vine • Warp Door • Warp Pipe • Wood Block |
Obstacles | Bowser Statue • Candy Ring • Cannon • Cannonball • Giant Cannonball • Lava • Pit • Rocket Engine • Roto-Disc • Spike • Tornado • Turtle Cannon | |
World-e-exclusive | Levels | 01: Classic World 1-1 • 02: Classic World 1-2 • 03: Classic World 1-3 • 04: Classic World 1-4 • 05: Classic World 2-2 • 01: Wild Ride in the Sky • 02: Slidin' the Slopes • 03: Vegetable Volley • 04: Doors o' Plenty • 05: Bombarded by Bob-ombs • 06: Magical Note Blocks • 07: The ol' Switcheroo • 08: Piped Full of Plants • 09: Swinging Bars of Doom • 10: Para Beetle Challenge • 11: A Musical Trek • 12: Armored Airship • 13: Ice Dungeon • 14: A Sky-High Adventure • 15: Sea to Sky • 16: It's a Shoe-In • 17: Slip Slidin' Away • 18: Ice Cubed • 19: Puzzling Pipe Maze • 20: A Towering Tour • 21: Castle Dash • 22: Rich with Ropes • 23: Vexing Doors • 24: Caped Escape • 25: Ground Work • 26: An Aqueous Adventure • 27: Bowser's Last Stand • 28: Koopaling Confusion • 29: Bowser's Airship 1 • 30: Bowser's Airship 2 • Airship's Revenge • No Time to Dawdle • Treacherous Halls |
Enemies and obstacles | Amazing Flyin' Hammer Brother • Big Boo • Bony Beetle • Bowser Statue (Super Mario World) • Bumpty • Chargin' Chuck • Fake Bowser (boss) • Falling spike • Fire-Bar • Flurry • Goomba (Super Mario World) • Hoopster • Hothead • Jumping Piranha Plant • Lil Sparky • Magikoopa • Monty Mole • Para-Goomba (Super Mario World) • Porcupo • Rip Van Fish • Spike Top • Thwimp • Wiggler | |
Items | 3-Up Moon • Advance Coin • Boomerang • Cape Feather • e-Coin • Poisonous Mushroom | |
Objects | ! Switch • Axe • Balance Lift • Bubble • Control Coin • Dotted-Line Block • Flagpole • Flipper • Giant Gate • Grass • Gray Brick Block • Key • Key Door • Power Meter Block • Rotating Block • Roulette Block • Seesaw • Snake Block • Soft sand • Springboard • Stretch Block • Triangular Block • Vanishing Block • Vegetable | |
Switch Cards | 1UP Kinoko ga 3UP Moon ni kawaru! • Blue Green Switch • Luigi Power Up! • Orange Switch • Sugu ni mantan! Power Meter!! • Teki Power Up! Tokuten x2!! • Timer yukkuri! | |
Minigames | Blue Mushroom House • Orange Mushroom House • Red Mushroom House | |
Other | Caped Mario • e-Coin Castle | |
Terms | Terms | Completion • Game Over • Extra life • P-Meter • Time limit • Unwinnable state |
Other | Other | Gallery (Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3) • Matching Game |