A Super Guide Block is a type of block which appears in a few New Super Mario Bros. subseries installments. It first appears in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Description
A Super Guide Block is a green ! Block with a yellow exclamation mark. It appears in a level after Mario has lost multiple lives within it. Super Guide Blocks only appear in single-player, and they are specifically found at the start of a level or at a Checkpoint Flag if it has been activated. Mario can hit the Super Guide Block to activate Super Guide, in which Luigi appears, being controlled by the game itself to clear the level instead of the player. In each game it appears in, a Super Guide Block in a level results in a minor penalty affecting the stars of a save file.
The Super Guide Block is replaced by the Assist Block in Super Mario 3D Land, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario 3D World, except it instead provides a power-up item. The Cosmic Spirit from Super Mario Galaxy 2 also gives similar assistance along with providing a Bronze Power Star upon using her service.
In Super Mario series
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Super Guide Blocks are first seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, in this game, a Super Guide Block appears when Mario dies eight times in a level he hasn’t completed. A Super Guide Block makes a door bell sound to notify of its appearance. Using a Super Guide Block will call Luigi to show players how to complete the level, Luigi will only play through the level normally and he won’t go after every Star Coin or locate secret areas in a level, the use of Super Guide does not count toward actual completion of the level, and any collected items are not carried over. Levels cleared using Super Guide are marked as a solid red on the map in contrast to the flashing red on incomplete levels, to make the level’s marker blue, the level must be completed normally. Players should be very careful as if they see a Super Guide Block and save the game afterwards (even if they never used it) will prevent the player from ever getting sparkling stars on their savefile therefore preventing players from fully completing the game 100%, it’s recommended to restart the game if a Super Guide Block comes up for this reason.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Super Guide Blocks return in New Super Mario Bros. U (they are absent from New Super Luigi U) in this game, they are similar to their debut appearance and have the same function. Just as before, one appears in a level if Mario has lost a number of lives however this time, they show up if Mario has died five times in a row on a level he hasn’t completed. Like before, activating a Super Guide Block will bring in Luigi to show players how to complete the level however his help will only simply show players how complete the level, not where any Star Coins or secret areas are located. Players once again won’t keep any items Luigi collects, levels completed with Super Guide are marked as a solid red on the map to distinguish them from incomplete levels (which are flashing red on the map) but to also show the the level hasn’t been truly completed, the level must be completed normally to be marked as blue on the map, additionally, completing levels with Super Guide once again causes any save file's stars to stop shining, but unlike before, the player can now make the shine return by finishing the level again without using a Super Guide Block and simply seeing a Super Guide Block no longer prevents the shiny stars from ever appearing on a savefile.
In New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Super Guide Blocks retain the same role as in New Super Mario Bros. U. Whenever the player plays as Luigi in the New Super Mario Bros. U port or in the New Super Luigi U side, the Super Guide Block summons a computer-controlled Mario in place of Luigi, and it is colored red, after Mario's shirt.
