The Lightning Switch is an anomalous switch that supposedly may appear following heavy personalization. It is typically reported to unlock a the Lightning Cap, an "upgraded" version of the Rainbow Cap. It may also act as a "power switch", changing the game world once pressed, such as unlocking areas previously blocked by electric doors. The cap typically appears in a small level known as Lightning Cap in the Thunderstorm, but can also appear on it's own, hidden in a larger level.
Lightning Cap[]
The Lightning Cap's blocks manifesting in Tick Tock Clock
The Lightning Cap supposedly gives Mario the ability to run along walls, defying gravity. Other than that, it acts much like a Koopa Shell or the Rainbow Cap, giving him invincibility to most enemies and making him run uncontrollably.
A commonly reported oddity is that the Lightning Cap is somehow weak to water, with it either dealing damage to the player similarly to running into an Amp or simply removing the cap. Levels using it typically contain water, likely as a way to hamper the cap's capabilities.
The cap is nearly always unstable in some fashion. The supposed wall climbing ability typically does not work, instead crashing the game. In the few occasions in which it reportedly works, Mario's model has been reported to disappear while running, leaving his position unknown and hard to gauge, making it very difficult to use the cap in this state.
Lightning Cap in the Thunderstorm[]
The level, Lightning Cap in the Thunderstorm typically involves the player using the cap to climb around the inside of large, rusty metallic structures, such as construction girders, giant metal pillars and partial ceilings. Lakes and other bodies of water may be present as stage hazards due to the Lightning Cap's weakness. The environment is that of a foggy grassland. At some point in the level is the Cap Switch, and a 8 red coins star as well as another star are also usually reported.
Reports[]
Report 1[]
The third floor was an octagonal room with starry night walls, and an indentation in the middle with a moon carpet. Through there were several doors, I decided to first ground pound the carpet.
I entered the castle's secret workshop, a small room lit by candles, with an orange color scheme. There was an omnipresent ticking sound, which I couldn't investigate where it came from, as the door was locked. The only area currently accessible was a painting of a question mark. A sign next to it read: "I've tried my best to to figure out the how Bowser's paintings work, but I couldn't figure out the "destination" part quite right. - Professor. E. Gadd". I jumped in, curious.
I arrived on a conveyor belt, where both the conveyor and obstacles would move randomly. Afterwards came a large, cylindrical chamber. There were "walkways" where metal boxes would be slowly dragged down by running water. If I stepped in the water, I'd rapidly slide down. The boxes were first red hot (at the top of the level) before they suddently cooled down on their way down, and when you reached that point you'd instead use a shell to avoid them. At the top of the chamber, there was an alcove containing a star. Instead of a ceiling, the chamber ended in a hole.
However, there was one detail that interested me. At the bottom of the chamber, there is an alcove. Normally, you can't access the alcove, since the lava down there would kill you first. However, there is a section where you have to push a box around, and can push it off the edge. The boxes fall surprisingly slow for something made of metal, so it should be possible to jump onto one while it is still falling. Thus, you'd be able to access the alcove without dying.
After a few tries, I succeeded. The alcove contained a hole, which warped me to something resembling a waterslide. At the end, I was dumped into what looked like a giant aquarium. I noticed that one of the walls was missing, so I swam to investigate. It turned out that the "aquarium" was actually a pond, with a wall in the middle, so that the building covers half of it's surface.
Immediately after walking out of the pond, I was struck by lightning. A text box appeared: "CAPTRON ALERT: LIGHTNING STRIKE DETECTED. ELECTRIC MODE ENABLED: Move along walls, but keep out of the water!". At first, it was hard to understand what had happened, but I had apparently been given a powerup that allowed me to walk on walls, but also turned me invisible and made me run uncontrollably. The level was based around avoiding the rain, and water in general. Thanks to the invisibility, it was hell to play. I remember there was one section with hatches that'd periodically open and close, spewing waterfalls down the wall. Midway through the level was the Lightning Switch, and at the end there was a star.
Report continued in the page Blasting Bullet Factory.
