Mario’s always been known for his power-ups, and in Super Mario 64 they took the form of caps. Putting on a new hat will allow Mario to fly through the sky, turn invisible, or become metallic depending which one you find. They won’t be available immediately though, and need to be found and unlocked in secret courses within Peach’s Castle. Read on to learn where to find the Vanish Cap in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version of Mario 64!
How to unlock the Vanish Cap
If you need to slip through walls or avoid enemies, the Vanish Cap is for you. By wearing it, Mario will be invisible and intangible, though he’ll only be able to pass through metal cages and certain, specific walls. Unlike the Wing Cap, this one only lasts 20 seconds.
This Mario 64 power-up is unlocked by entering a secret stage and activating a Blue ! Switch. Once you’ve cleared Bowser in the Dark World, which requires a minimum of eight Power Stars, you can enter the castle basement and drain the moat by ground pounding a pair of pillars. Once you do, exit the newly-revealed door and dive into the hole in the moat.
Through there you’ll start the stage Vanish Cap Under the Moat. You’ll be able to earn a Star by collecting eight Red Coins, but to activate the Vanish Cap you only need to reach the end and hit the switch. Doing so will activate Blue ! Blocks and let you hide in plain sight with the Vanish Cap.
Courses where the Vanish Cap can be found:
- Big Boo’s Haunt
- Dire, Dire Docks
- Snowman’s Land
- Wet-Dry World
More Super Mario 3D All-Stars guides
Looking for more help with any of the games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars? Check out our other guides!
Super Mario 64 Guides
Super Mario Sunshine Guides
Super Mario Galaxy Guides
Written by Ricky Berg
When he isn’t writing for Nintendo Wire, Ricky’s anticipating the next Kirby, Fire Emblem, or if the stars ever align, Mother 3 to be released. Till then he’ll have the warm comfort of Super Smash Bros. to keep him going.
