Super Mario Galaxy

"Mario Galaxy" redirects here. For the stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, see Mario Galaxy (stage).

This article is about the game known as "Super Mario Wii" in South Korea. For the game commonly referred to as "Super Mario Wii" in other regions, see New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Not to be confused with Super Galaxy.

Template:Infobox Super Mario Galaxy, known as Super Mario Wii in South Korea, is a 3D action-adventure platformer game for the Wii console, first released in November 2007. It is the third main Mario 3D platformer, and the follow-up to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. However, unlike the previous two 3D adventure installments for the Mario franchise, this game takes place in deep space. Most of the game's levels consist of many small planets and planetoids, while others have bigger planets. Upon release, Super Mario Galaxy received some of the highest review scores and appraisals of any Wii game to date, and of any game overall. Since its release, the game has sold nearly 13 million copies, making it the ninth best-selling Wii game, and earning a Nintendo Selects re-release.

A sequel to this game, Super Mario Galaxy 2, was released in May 2010. A port of the game is bundled in with Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the Nintendo Switch, released in September 2020, featuring the original game with upscaled graphics.

Story

From the instruction booklet

Every hundred years, a huge comet flies by in the skies above the Mushroom Kingdom. One year, that comet filled the entire sky, and from it fell a stream of shooting stars. The Toads scooped up the Star Bits and brought them to the castle, where they were reborn as a great Power Star. It was a happy time in the Mushroom Kingdom. Then one night Mario received a letter...

Dear Mario, I'll be waiting for you at the castle on the night of the Star Festival. There's something I'd like to give you. From Peach

With invitation in hand, Mario headed off to the castle just as the Star Festival was getting into full swing. Surrounded by Toads gleefully trying to catch falling Star Bits, Mario was looking forward to the night's festivities.

But then, something happened...

Castle Gardens, the beginning area.

Every hundred years, on the eve of the Star Festival, a comet passes over the Mushroom Kingdom and causes magical stars and stardust to fall to the planet below. Peach invites Mario to her castle to join in the festivities and receive a special gift. As Mario arrives in the Castle Gardens, Bowser suddenly attacks the Toads with his airships and freezes them in crystals. He "invites" Peach to the creation of his brand new galaxy and lifts the castle off the ground with a UFO to carry it to the center of the universe. Before Mario can reach Peach, Kamek casts a spell at him, sending him into space. A Luma, whom Peach was carrying before her abduction, flees to look for Mario before Kamek warps the castle away with another spell.

Peach's castle being lifted into space.

When Mario later wakes up on a small grassy planet, he meets the Lumas and eventually Rosalina, a mysterious woman who acts as the protector of the galaxies and the mother of the Lumas. She tells Mario that her ship, the Comet Observatory, had its Power Stars and Grand Stars stolen by Bowser. Without these, the Comet Observatory is unable to move through space. Rosalina asks him to rescue the Grand Stars in order to defeat Bowser. Mario also receives help from a Luma who grants him spinning powers. Mario and Luma complete missions from galaxies in opened domes in order to receive Power Stars. Once a mission is completed, Mario collects a Power Star and unlocks the next mission. There are normally five galaxies per dome, and once Mario has collected enough Power Stars, the next galaxy in the current dome would be an enemy base where either Bowser or Bowser Jr. would be using the power of one of the Grand Stars. His next mission would be to defeat Bowser or Bowser Jr. and rescue the next Grand Star. Rescuing the Grand Star unlocks the next dome. When enough Power Stars and Grand Stars are collected, the Comet Observatory takes Mario to the center of the universe.

Mario flying with Peach after rescuing her.

Once there, Mario defeats Bowser in his brand new galaxy, retrieves the last Grand Star, and rescues Peach. Just then, one of the planets of Bowser's near-complete galaxy undergoes a supernova and becomes a supermassive black hole which begins pulling in everything. The Lumas from the Comet Observatory, including the Luma who had accompanied Mario throughout his adventure, throw themselves into the black hole in order to neutralize it, and it soon evaporates in a massive explosion. Mario appears in front of Rosalina, who saves him from the cataclysm and tells him that this is not the end, but a new beginning for the universe, which repeats its cycle, albeit imperfectly.

Mario later awakens in the Mushroom Kingdom near Peach's Castle. He sees everyone he has met throughout his adventure celebrating, while Bowser and Peach lie next to him with no recollection of the past events. When he looks in the air, he notices the reconstructed galaxy, and exclaims "Welcome! Welcome new galaxy!" as the camera zooms out into space, revealing the reconstituted universe. If 120 Power Stars are collected, a special cut scene plays after the credits: Rosalina thanks the player and says "I will watch over you from beyond the stars." before flying off with the Comet Observatory. The Luma that accompanied Mario is shown to be alive, left behind by Rosalina inside a derelict Starshroom on a small planet. This alludes to the idea of how the universe repeats itself, as Rosalina will be reborn and find Luma searching for its mother some time in the future, and the events of Rosalina's storybook occur again.

Gameplay

Basic gameplay

Gameplay is somewhat different from the previous Mario titles, as rather than being played strictly in 2D or 3D, the game occasionally shifts from 3D to 2D and vice versa (although the core gameplay is largely in 3D); the game also utilizes sphere walking. Even with these changes, however, the gameplay heavily resembles Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, with a similar camera system and similar gameplay mechanics.

Basic controls

Pull Stars are used by pointing the Star Cursor at them and pressing .

The game has several innovations and additions to the basic 3D Mario game concept. Mario is controlled with the analog stick and can jump with the . The works just as the trigger did in Super Mario 64. The player uses it to make Mario crouch, do Backwards Somersaults, Side Somersaults, and Long Jumps. Mario can also Triple Jump by jumping with precise timing three times, each time jumping higher than before. The centers the camera behind Mario, while the can adjust the camera angle manually. By pressing , the player can enter a first person perspective.

The game also uses the motion-sensors of the Wii Remote. The pointer of the Remote appears as the Star Cursor on the screen. The Star Cursor is used to perform a variety of actions, such as using Pull Stars, manipulating Sling Pods, and collecting Star Bits. Shaking the Wii Remote or Nunchuk makes Mario perform a spin.

Mario's spin move can defeat enemies or activate machines.

By pressing , players can fire a Star Bit. When enemies are hit by a Star Bit, they are stunned and can be defeated with a touch, releasing Star Bits. Mario can also defeat most enemies by jumping on them, which creates a healing coin. Using the spin to defeat enemies is also possible. Spinning may also stop an enemy from attacking; if Bowser and Mario both spin at the same time, both moves get canceled. Also, if Mario or Luigi Long Jumps then lands on the ground and quickly does a spin, they will do a small pirouette. The player can use any of these tactics or only one of them during the entire game, as a specific tactic is never required to defeat a regular enemy. Only special enemies such as the Big Goomba in the Gateway Galaxy might require a spin. Several enemies are, however, much easier to defeat by shooting them than by jumping on them. As in Super Mario Sunshine, Mario can jump on NPCs to gain extra height or annoy them.

Swimming is fairly simple. Mario can change his direction by using the analog stick and can dive by pressing Z. Breaststrokes are possible by pressing A repeatedly while swimming forward. Mario must return to the surface or collect air bubbles periodically in order to refill his air supply. Failure to do so could result in losing a life.

Skating is a technique used when on ice. Mario merely needs to spin while walking, and he starts to skate.

There is also a move that is not explained in the instruction booklet. If the player, while airborne, both shakes the controller and presses (to spin and Ground Pound at the same time), they perform a special ground pound that homes in on nearby enemies. If there is no enemy nearby, Mario does a fancier ground pound. This move returns in the game's sequel, also unexplained in the packaged materials.

Co-Star Mode

Featured in Super Mario Galaxy is a multiplayer mode named Co-Star Mode. By simply connecting a second Wii Remote, another player can join in and assist the first player by controlling a second Star Cursor, and in doing so can accomplish a variety of different things, some of which the first player can do, but many of which the first player cannot do. When Co-Star Mode is active, "1P" appears below Player 1's Star Cursor, and "2P" appears below Player 2's Star Cursor to help differentiate between them. When Co-Star Mode is not in use, these indicators no longer appear beneath either player's Star Cursors, until such time as Co-Star Mode becomes active again. The second player can collect Star Bits and fire them at enemies to briefly stun them. When the second Star Cursor is pointed at Mario and is pressed, the second player can make Mario perform a Co-Star Super Jump. Combining both jump techniques can make Mario jump higher than when only controlled with one controller. This works in midair, but can only be done once before touching a horizontal surface.

Mario's life meter

Mario's life meter has been decreased to three total. Originally, Mario had a life meter with 8 units, similar to Super Mario 64, its DS remake and Super Mario Sunshine, but it was reduced to 3 in the final game, with the ability to extend it to a maximum of 6, via a Life Mushroom. There is no longer a separate health bar for underwater levels which decreases slowly. Instead, Mario has an air meter which decreases and hurts Mario's health when it hits zero. The Life Mushroom replenishes any lost health and adds a second health meter, making Mario's max health six. When Mario's health drops down to three again, the second health meter smashes and the effect of the Life Mushroom is lost.

New elements

Mario explores a 3D world with planets which have their own gravity. Several levels have arrows which Mario can turn around with a spin, changing the direction of the gravity. The Launch Star allows Mario to launch off of a planet and go flying to the next. There is little or no warning that a boss might be located on the next planet, and there is also little indication that Mario may be facing something terrible or something peaceful on where he is headed next, and there are also no loading times and screens. The game also contains side-scrolling levels reminiscent of New Super Mario Bros. with classic enemies such as Goombas and Piranha Plants. These side-scrolling levels may also contain directional gravity, allowing Mario to walk on the walls and ceiling.

"Super Luigi Galaxy"

Luigi about to race against Cosmic Luigi in the Freezeflame Galaxy in "Super Luigi Galaxy" mode.

Collecting all 120 Power Stars and defeating Bowser once more unlocks "Super Luigi Galaxy" mode, which replaces Mario with a playable version of Luigi and presents a few gameplay differences to reflect this change. Like in a number of previous Mario games, Luigi boasts higher jumps, but lower traction compared to Mario. Luigi is also faster than Mario, but takes longer to reach top speed. Luigi loses air faster while underwater and loses a chunk of air every time he spins underwater. Cosmic Luigi is more challenging than Cosmic Mario, and Luigi receives 20 1-Up Mushrooms from Peach's letter (although if Luigi's 1-Up counter grows too high, he only receives five). Outside of these changes, the storyline is almost completely unchanged, and even includes the original NPC Luigi. When players collect 120 Power Stars and defeat Bowser again in this mode, Grand Finale Galaxy becomes available for both Mario and Luigi, allowing the 121st Power Star to be collected.

This mode is referenced by Rosalina as "another world" players can access once they have defeated Bowser after collecting 120 Power Stars. In the Japanese version, she describes it as the world where Mario (or Luigi) may come across his alternate self who is not him.

Controls

• : Jump/swim
• : Fire Star Bit
• (shake): Spin
• : Move
• (grounded): Crouch
• (midair): Ground Pound
• : Center camera
• : Move camera
• : First-person view
• (shake midair) + : Homing Ground Pound

Note: Since the Nvidia Shield controller does not have motion controls, the spin is performed by pressing the X button, while the right analog stick is used to move the Star Cursor. In the case of Player 2, both analog sticks can be used to control the Star Cursor. The original tilt controls in the game is also replaced by the regular left analog stick control.

Locations

Setting

Key artwork of outer space as presented on the game's boxart.

Rosalina netting Star Bits as she rides in a starship.

Super Mario Galaxy is set in outer space. With the exception of Grand Finale Galaxy, which is Princess Peach's Castle Grounds in the Mushroom Kingdom, all levels – refered to as "galaxies" in this game – are staged on worlds far removed from Mario's home planet. This is the first entry in the series to explicitly include an outer space setting since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, and the first time it has been realized by the core Super Mario team at Nintendo EAD. A galaxy is an isolated cluster of small planets and other planetary bodies. Some are shaped like spheres, but many are not. Most planets have their own gravitational pull, which prevents Mario from falling down bottomless pits and enables him to return to his starting position if he just keeps moving forward. Mario's movement, physics, and trajectory bend organically around the planet's shape. Because they have their own pull, most planets can be directly traveled between just by jumping. Otherwise they can be reached via stellate objects called Launch Stars and Pull Stars. Not all planets have their own unique gravity: some are shaped like the more traditional courses of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine and the gravitational pull is below their mass, but this is conveyed through context.

The theme of space is communicated in various ways throughout Super Mario Galaxy. Many galaxies include distant asteroid belts or views of massive, unreachable planets orbiting suns that peak over their horizons. Depending on the distance from the game's camera, the light from a visible sun retracts, mimicking the behavior of real sunlight. The skyboxes of the galaxies feature nebulas, auroras, and starry skies. Three-dimensional objects – including Mario himself – exhibit a soft glow in certain positions as if struck by the light from distant stars. Black holes occur in place of bottomless pits in many galaxies. Super Mario Galaxy includes some motifs derivative of science fiction, such as humanoid robots, fortified battle facilities, UFOs, and starships. Much of the game's setting include whimsical, tranquil, and surreal elements comparable to those found in children's books. Locations are reached via a palace-like starship called the Comet Observatory, the game's hub world. It is overseen by a princess named Rosalina and is a nursery for spacefaring star children called Lumas. In lieu of aliens, the people found living in the galaxies include Star Bunnies, Honeybees, and Penguins. Star Bits, small collectibles that fall from the sky like shooting stars, resemble konpeitō candies and are eaten by the Lumas. There are planets and entire galaxies that look like dessert.

According to director Yoshiaki Koizumi, the inception for Super Mario Galaxy was to create a Super Mario game with spherical worlds. It was thought that these worlds would make it less likely for players to get disoriented or have to reposition the camera. These were issues he observed during the development of Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario Sunshine that prevented complete immersion. The decision to stage the game in outer space was made because the development team thought that the spherical worlds would most intuitively make sense as planets. In 2017, a figure was released by Nintendo that conveys that Super Mario Galaxy is structurally viewed as a different type of 3D Mario game from its immediate predecessors – the "sandbox-style" games Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Nintendo aligns it with the succeeding games Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario 3D Land, and Super Mario 3D World as a linear "course clear-style" game. However, many of the levels in Super Mario Galaxy are structured similarly to the ones in its predecessors, particularly in the robust six-mission galaxies and the large planets that do not have their own centers of gravity. These principals derive from hakoniwa, or "garden-in-box", and Koizumi cites it directly as an influence behind the worlds in Super Mario Galaxy.

Galaxies

Main article: Galaxy

Top row: the exterior of the Terrace dome on the Comet Observatory (left) and a display of the galaxy selection screen map within it (right).
Bottom row: a figure of the Terrace's galaxies conveying their positioning from the Pull Star; how they are accessed; the correlations involving their distance from the Pull Star; and the three different types of galaxies within domes. These attributes generally are representative of all domes in the game.

In Super Mario Galaxy, levels are accessed inside of domes on the Comet Observatory. They are spatially distributed across the hub, similar to the access points for levels in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. However, with the exception of the Garden, each dome contains a set of five different galaxies instead of just one dedicated course. Domes are unlocked unilaterally as the player completes certain criteria. These make the domes homologous to the worlds of the 2D Super Mario games like Super Mario Bros. 3. However, as in its 3D predecessors, the player is not restricted to linear course progression in Super Mario Galaxy.

Each galaxy contains objectives referred to as missions. Completing a mission has Mario acquire one of the galaxy's Power Stars, the same tokens used in Super Mario 64 for unlocking levels. One mission correlates with one Power Star. The start of each mission has a brief cinematic preview of the galaxy that hints at the location of the Power Star, as was similarly done in Super Mario Sunshine. Once a specified number of Power Stars has been accumulated, a new galaxy becomes unlockable at the player's discretion. Only half of the Power Stars in the game are required for progression. The minimum number of Power Stars needed to access the game's final level is 60 in a game that contains 120 total. Consequently, a player who completes as many missions as possible within one dome may unlock all the galaxies within the next all at once when they enter it for the first time.

Every dome has a Pull Star at its center. Entering the Pull Star brings Mario to an interactive selection screen of all the dome's galaxies. The galaxies orbit around the Pull Star (the origin; see right). The display is directly comparable to models of solar systems, with each galaxy following a circular trajectory around the Pull Star. The distance of these orbital lines from the Pull Star has a positive correlation with the number of Power Stars required to unlock the galaxies and a negative correlation with the number of mission available within them. (i.e. The galaxies closest to the origin typically have the greatest number of missions and require the lowest number of Power Stars to unlock. The farthest ones contain the fewest and are the easiest to unlock.) Using the Terrace as an example, a dome contains three different types of galaxies:

• "Robust galaxies" that contain at least six missions. They either feature a high number of visitable planets or a small selection of large planets to explore. The missions build off of each other environmentally or narratively. (i.e. The events that occur in one mission foreshadow the events of the subsequent mission.) Two or more of the six missions typically involves a boss battle. Most domes contain two or three of these galaxies, and they are all listed together on the first page of the in-game Star List. They are the only galaxies orbited by Prankster Comets. The robust galaxies of the Terrace are Good Egg Galaxy and Honeyhive Galaxy.
• "Mystery galaxies" that each contain one mission. Before being unlocked, they are represented by course preview models shaped like ? Blocks. These galaxies are highly distinctive in theme and mission. Some of them entail minigames like Ray Surfing or Star Ball. Others are athletic obstacle courses. Mystery galaxies usually require completing a certain mission in another galaxy in addition to accumulating a specific number of Power Stars to unlock. Each dome contains one or two mystery galaxies. In the Terrace, they are Loopdeeloop Galaxy and Flipswitch Galaxy.
• "Boss galaxies" that each contain one mission. They feature linear obstacle courses that lead to a boss battle. Half of them involve Bowser Jr., either directly or as the inciter for another boss to go after Mario. The other half feature Bowser himself. With the exception of the Garden, each dome contains one boss galaxy and it is always on the outermost ring in the dome. Completing the mission in these galaxies is a criterion needed to unlock a subsequent dome and is required for game progression. They have the highest or second highest Power Star threshold. The preview model in orbit resembles a bust of Bowser’s head with glowing eyes. The boss galaxy in the Terrace is Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor.

File:SMG Screenshot Hungry Luma on the Comet Observatory.jpg

A Hungry Luma outside the Terrace, almost completely stuffed with Star Bits. Feeding it the requested number of Star Bits makes the Luma transform into a wholly new galaxy.

There are galaxies accessible outside of the domes. With the exception of Gateway Galaxy, these ones can also be categorized as mystery or boss galaxies. Most of them are unlocked by feeding Hungry Lumas a requested number of Star Bits. These Lumas appear on the Comet Observatory once certain criteria are met within the dome galaxies (see chart below). There is a Hungry Luma associated with every dome, essentially functioning as an extra level for each one. A tiny house called the Gate rests on a grassy platform orbiting the observatory. It grants Mario access to Gateway Galaxy. This galaxy is the first level of the game, but it can only be revisited via the Gate once "King Kaliente's Spicy Return" is completed. Though it is not a dome, there is a Hungry Luma associated with it as well. A planetoid called the Planet of Trials orbits the observatory and has three galaxies of its own. It becomes reachable once all three of the secret Green Stars have been collected. Grand Finale Galaxy is reached on the planetoid after meeting Bowser's Galaxy Generator is only reachable by speaking to Rosalina after 60 Power Stars have been collected.

Mario encounters Luigi in four galaxies: Good Egg Galaxy, Honeyhive Galaxy, Battlerock Galaxy, and Ghostly Galaxy. In Ghostly Galaxy, Luigi is at the end of the "Luigi and the Haunted Mansion" mission and will give Mario a Power Star when reached. After Luigi is rescued, he can be seen in the observatory and helps Mario collect Power Stars. When Luigi appears in subsequent galaxies, Mario receives a letter from him asking for help. A picture that hints at his location is included with each letter. Finding him within a galaxy awards Mario with a secret Power Star.

There are 42 dedicated galaxies in the game. Of this total 15 are robust galaxies, 20 are mystery galaxies, and 6 are boss galaxies. If the Comet Observatory, its library, and its individual domes are considered individual levels than the true total number is 50. Some galaxies have tiny otherworldly subareas reached via Warp Pipe that contain an interactive side objective. If each of these areas were to be considered levels as well, then the true number would be even higher. The chart below lists the galaxies of the game roughly as they are listed on the Star List. Each galaxy is given a brief description, an in-game screenshot, a list of all of their missions, and granular details. There is a legend at the bottom of the chart detailing what the symbols in it represent and how the galaxies are organized.

Galaxies
The Terrace
01. Good Egg Galaxy ×6 ×18 ×3				Missions		02. Honeyhive Galaxy ×6 ×7 ×2				Missions
				Dino Piranha	A Snack of Cosmic Proportions					Bee Mario Takes Flight	Trouble on the Tower
				King Kaliente's Battle Fleet	Dino Piranha Speed Run					Big Bad Bugaboom	Honeyhive Cosmic Mario Race
				Purple Coin Omelet	Luigi on the Roof					The Honeyhive's Purple Coins	Luigi in the Honeyhive Kingdom
A galaxy in low orbit of an earth-like planet. Each planet is highly distinctive, but most of them have grassy knolls and are shaped like food. It introduces the reoccurring Electrogoombas and King Kaliente. Unlock criterion: complete "Grand Star Rescue"						The Honeyhive Kingdom – a forested land inhabited by Honeybees. Its planets have large deciduous trees and clear bodies of water. Some areas are covered in honey. The kingdom is invaded by Mandibugs. Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars
03. Loopdeeloop Galaxy ×1 ×3				Mission		04. Flipswitch Galaxy ×1 ×1				Mission
				Surfing 101						Painting the Planet Yellow
A looping stretch of water. Penguins surf on the backs of rays here. Coach explains the basics. Unlock criterion: collect 5 Power Stars						Flipswitch Panels arranged like a cube around a black hole. Spike Traps move along suspended tracks over the panels. Unlock criterion: collect 7 Power Stars
05. Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor ×1 ×2 ×1				Mission		File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Sweet Sweet Galaxy ×1 ×3				Mission
				Megaleg's Moon						Rocky Road
A metal sphere with Bill Blasters and an artificial moon orbiting an earth-like planet. Bowser Jr.'s towering robot, Megaleg, resides on the moon. Unlock criterion: collect 8 Power Stars						An athletic, otherworldly course made of cakes, cookies, and other sweets. It has long stretches of continuously moving platforms with shapes cut out of them. Unlock criteria: collect 7 Power Stars and feed the Luma 400 Star Bits
The Fountain
06. Space Junk Galaxy ×6 ×15 ×2				Missions		07. Rolling Green Galaxy ×1 ×3				Mission
				Pull Star Path	Kamella's Airship Attack					Rolling in the Clouds
				Tarantox's Tangled Web	Pull Star Path Speed Run
				Purple Coin Spacewalk	Yoshi's Unexpected Appearance
A stretch of rocks and space debris. Large portions of the galaxy are navigated via Pull Stars and Sling Pods. Spoings and other spidery creatures occur here. A giant one traps members of the Toad Brigade. Unlock criteria: collect 9 Power Stars and complete "Megaleg's Moon"						Flat, grassy planets arranged similarly to a golf course. They can only be navigated by riding the Star Ball. Most planets have flower beds and groups of Goombas. Unlock criterion: collect 11 Power Stars
08. Battlerock Galaxy ×7 ×11 ×2				Missions		09. Hurry-Scurry Galaxy ×1 ×2				Mission
				Battlerock Barrage	Breaking into the Battlerock					Shrinking Satellite
				Topmaniac and the Topman Tribe	Topmaniac's Daredevil Run
				Purple Coins on the Battlerock	Battlerock's Garbage Dump
				Luigi under the Saucer
Battle facilities equipped with electric traps and artilleries. Cannons and Bill Blasters line the titular Battlerock and start firing when Mario is in close proximity. The galaxy is affiliated with the Topman Tribe. Unlock criterion: collect 12 Power Stars						Shrinking Tiles arranged into a planet shaped like a rhombicuboctahedron. A black hole is at the center of the planet. Notes cover the tiles. Collecting each one causes the black hole to collapse. Unlock criterion: collect 18 Power Stars
10. Bowser's Star Reactor ×1 ×4 ×1				Mission		File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Sling Pod Galaxy ×1 ×2				Mission
				The Fiery Stronghold						A Very Sticky Situation
A stone fortress orbiting a giant sun. It features a twisting path and gravity fields. Fire Bars and Thwomps obstruct the path. It feeds into a big staircase leading to Bowser. Unlock criterion: collect 15 Power Stars						A cluster of Fire Bars, Floating Mines, and Cannons above a black hole. The galaxy is navigated via Sling Pods. Unlock criteria: complete "Tarantox's Tangled Web" and feed the Luma 400 Star Bits
The Kitchen
11. Beach Bowl Galaxy ×6 ×5				Missions		12. Bubble Breeze Galaxy ×1 ×1				Mission
				Sunken Treasure	Passing the Swim Test					Through the Poison Swamp
				The Secret Undersea Cavern	Fast Foes on the Cyclone Stone
				Beachcombing for Purple Coins	Wall Jumping up Waterfalls
A beach galaxy inhabited by Penguins. Its largest planet is a hemisphere filled with water. The second is an obstacle course with Thwomps and Tox Boxes. A third, secret planet has waterfalls and Cataquacks. Unlock criteria: collect 16 Power Stars and complete "The Fiery Stronghold"						One giant planet covered in a poisonous bog. Areas are separated by stone columns. It can only be navigated via bubble. Floating Mines and rotating objects within the areas can pop the bubble. Unlock criterion: collect 19 Power Stars
13. Ghostly Galaxy ×6 ×12 ×2				Missions		14. Buoy Base Galaxy ×2 ×3				Missions
				Luigi and the Haunted Mansion	A Very Spooky Sprint					The Floating Fortress	The Secret of Buoy Base
				Beware of Bouldergeist	Bouldergeist's Daredevil Run
				Purple Coins in the Bone Pen	Matter Splatter Mansion
Haunted wastelands that orbit a dimly-lit sun. Its largest planet is a Boo Mansion that holds Luigi captive. The monster that captured him, Bouldergeist, resides in this galaxy. Unlock criterion: collect 20 Power Stars						Two planets filled with water. Its largest planet is a hemisphere that as a fortress at its center. It is equipped with rotating platforms, Water Shooters, and other hazards. The second is a sphere equipped with Ball Beamers. Unlock criteria: collect 30 Power Stars and complete "Sunken Treasure"
15. Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada ×1 ×5 ×1				Mission		File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Drip Drop Galaxy ×1 ×1				Mission
				Sinking the Airships						Giant Eel Outbreak
Bowser's airship fleet. Airships must be boarded to navigate the fleet, each one carrying enemies. A tracked platform brings Mario to Bowser Jr. A tiny planetoid can be visited that has a bouncy surface. Unlock criterion: collect 23 Power Stars						An ocean planet where Penguins swim. The birds are troubled by an outbreak of Gringills. A sunken airship and damaged Starshroom rest at the bottom of the ocean. Unlock criteria: complete "Sunken Treasure" and feed the Luma 600 Star Bits
The Bedroom
16. Gusty Garden Galaxy ×6 ×13 ×2				Missions		17. Freezeflame Galaxy ×6 ×5 ×1				Missions
				Bunnies in the Wind	The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows					The Frozen Peak of Baron Brrr	Freezeflame's Blistering Core
				Gusty Garden's Gravity Scramble	Major Burrows's Daredevil Run					Hot and Cold Collide	Frosty Cosmic Mario Race
				Purple Coins on the Puzzle Cube	The Golden Chomp					Purple Coins on the Summit	Conquering the Summit
Grassy, flowery planets above a sea of clouds. Floaty Fluffs grow here: they can be used to travel on gusts of wind to reach other planets. Star Bunnies live in Gusty Garden and grow crops. They are chased by Undergrunts. Unlock criteria: collect 24 Power Stars and complete "Sinking the Airships"						A galaxy of fire and ice. It features Freezy Peak, a snowy mountain with freezing water at its base, and a spherical molten planet in the midst of splitting in half. Stone platforms enable traversal between the hemispheres. Unlock criterion: collect 26 Power Stars
18. Dusty Dune Galaxy ×7 ×7				Missions		19. Honeyclimb Galaxy ×1 ×3				Mission
				Soaring on the Desert Winds	Blasting through the Sand					Scaling the Sticky Wall
				Sunbaked Sand Castle	Sandblast Speed Run
				Purple Coins in the Desert	Bullet Bill on Your Back
				Treasure of the Pyramid
Sandy planets under a desert sun. Shifting and rising sand makes platforms move rapidly or sink underground. One planet is a floating pyramid that can be entered, and some have quicksand. Unlock criterion: collect 29 Power Stars						Three giant slabs of honeycombs. The Bee Mushroom occurs here and the walls are clung to by Mandibugs. Unlock criterion: collect 42 Power Stars
20. Bowser's Dark Matter Plant ×1 ×5 ×1				Mission		File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Bigmouth Galaxy ×1 ×1				Mission
				Darkness on the Horizon						Bigmouth's Gold Bait
A dark world containing a trap-filled obstacle course. It features gravity fields and concentrations of dark matter. Most of it is on a two-dimensional plane. The course leads to Bowser. Unlock criterion: collect 33 Power Stars						A giant stone fish orbiting a massive ocean planet. The belly of the planet contains two lakes, whirlpools, beds of seaweed, and Boos. Penguru comes here when he wants to be alone. Unlock criteria: complete "Soaring on the Desert Winds" and feed the Luma 800 Star Bits
The Engine Room
21. Gold Leaf Galaxy ×6 ×8 ×1				Missions		22. Sea Slide Galaxy ×3 ×3				Missions
				Star Bunnies on the Hunt	Cataquack to the Skies					Going after Guppy	Faster Than a Speeding Penguin
				When It Rains, It Pours	Cosmic Mario Forest Race					The Silver Stars of Sea Slide	Underwater Cosmic Mario Race
				Purple Coins in the Woods	The Bell on the Big Tree					Purple Coins by the Seaside	Hurry, He's Hungry
An autumnal land inhabited by Honeybees. Its largest planet mirrors the Honeyhive Kingdom. Cataquacks live on the surrounding wooden planets. Unlock criteria: collect 34 Power Stars and complete "Darkness on the Horizon"						An ocean galaxy with Penguins. Its largest planet a cavernous sphere with a a looping stretch of water feeding through it. There is a teardrop-shaped planet with tidal pools at the galaxy's center. Unlock criterion: collect 36 Power Stars
23. Toy Time Galaxy ×7 ×11 ×1				Missions		24. Bonefin Galaxy ×1 ×2 ×1				Mission
				Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser	Mario Meets Mario					Kingfin's Fearsome Waters
				Bouncing Down Cake Lane	Fast Foes of Toy Time
				Luigi's Purple Coins	The Flipswitch Chain
A playroom galaxy. Its planets are shaped like wooden blocks, puzzle pieces, colored pencils, and model trains. Some areas resemble cakes and other sweets. The galaxy is maintained by Gearmos, some of which are trapped within a giant tin robot. Unlock criterion: collect 40 Power Stars						A desolate planet with spike-like mountains. Beneath the surface is an cavernous ocean with active hydrothermal vents. The undead shark Kingfin swims in these waters. An empty Starshroom orbits the planet. Unlock criteria: collect 55 Power Stars and complete "Giant Eel Outbreak"
25. Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor ×1 ×2 ×1				Mission		File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Sand Spiral Galaxy ×1 ×4				Mission
				King Kaliente's Spicy Return						Choosing a Favorite Snack
A lava planet that looks like a red giant. Green hexagonal platforms dot the planet's surface. They sink into the lava when stepped on. King Kaliente is in the northern pole of the planet. A rocky planetoid orbits the lava reactor. Unlock criterion: collect 45 Power Stars						A haunted galaxy. Its primary fixture is a giant barrel filled with Boos and spiraling quicksand. A glowing moon orbited by floating, rocky paths lies at the back of the barrel. Its starting planet is a damaged airship. Unlock criteria: complete "Luigi and the Haunted Mansion", "Faster Than a Speeding Penguin", and feed the Luma 1000 Star Bits
The Garden
26. Deep Dark Galaxy ×6 ×6 ×3				Missions		27. Dreadnought Galaxy ×6 ×15 ×2				Missions
				The Underground Ghost Ship	Bubble Blastoff					Infiltrating the Dreadnought	Dreadnought's Colossal Cannons
				Guppy and the Underground Lake	Ghost Ship Daredevil Run					Revenge of the Topman Tribe	Topman Tribe Speed Run
				Plunder the Purple Coins	Boo in a Box					Battlestation's Purple Coins	Dreadnought's Garbage Dump
A galaxy with uncanny planets. Its largest has a rocky beach with an underwater lake and a wrecked airship. Other planets include a deflatable replica of Gateway Galaxy and a hollow sphere containing a watermelon with billiard balls. Unlock criteria: collect 46 Power Stars and complete "King Kaliente's Spicy Return"						Topman battle facilities. Its largest planet is a battleship equipped with cannons. Its interior contains gravity fields. A large landing strip mounted with Ring Beamers and smaller planetoids surround the dreadnought. Some areas are obstructed by Eye Beamers. Unlock criterion: collect 48 Power Stars
28. Matter Splatter Galaxy ×1 ×4				Mission		29. Melty Molten Galaxy ×6 ×12 ×1				Missions
				Watch Your Step						The Sinking Lava Spire	Through the Meteor Storm
										Fiery Dino Piranha	Lava Spire Daredevil Run
										Red-Hot Purple Coins	Burning Tide
Stone ruins within a dark void. The ruins materialize and become tangible when struck by bouncing droplets of matter. Contact is accompanied by a flash of green light. Unlock criteria: collect 50 Power Stars and complete "Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser"						Severel sun-like planets undergoing extreme geothermal activity. Its starting planet experiences a volcanic eruption. Volcanic debris travels between lava pools and red dwarves at various sites. One planet has a sinking mountain called the Lava Spire, and another has a Star Ball path. Unlock criterion: collect 52 Power Stars
File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Snow Cap Galaxy ×1 ×2				Mission
				Star Bunnies in the Snow
A capsule-shaped planet covered in fluffy snow. The snow can be displaced with the Star Cursor. Star Bunnies occur here. The starting area is a planetoid resembling a glass orb. Unlock criterion: complete "The Sinking Lava Spire" and feed the Luma 1600 Star Bits
The Comet Observatory
30. Gateway Galaxy ×2 ×5				Missions		31. Bowser's Galaxy Reactor ×1 ×10 ×1				Mission
				Grand Star Rescue	Gateway's Purple Coins					The Fate of the Universe
The first course of the game. Its starting planet is an ethereal sphere covered in flowers and small cottages. This sphere orbits Mario's homeworld and is frequented by Rosalina. A hollow planetoid and artificial planets covered with Goombas appear in "Grand Star Rescue". Unlock criteria: complete the prologue (first visit); complete "King Kaliente's Spicy Return" (revisit)						Bowser's galaxy generator at the center of the universe. It contains a series of gravity-bending traps and a system of environment planets: one covered in lava; one in ice; and one in quicksand. It orbits a great sun. Unlock criteria: collect 60 Power Stars and complete "Darkness on the Horizon"
File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png Boo's Boneyard Galaxy ×1 ×2				Mission
				Racing the Spooky Speedster
A skull-shaped planet in a starless sky. Its interior is a network of interconnected caverns navigated by the Spooky Speedster. Humerus-shaped objects orbit the planet. Unlock criteria: complete "Gateway's Purple Coins" and feed the Luma 1200 Star Bits
Planet of Trials
Rolling Gizmo Galaxy ×1 ×4				Mission		Bubble Blast Galaxy ×1 ×2				Mission
				Gizmos, Gears, and Gadgets						The Electric Labyrinth
One of the Trial Galaxies. It can only be navigated via Star Ball and is similar to Rolling Green Galaxy, but it resembles a Rube Goldberg machine with many shifting platforms. Unlock criterion: collect all 3 Green Stars						Another Trial Galaxy, this one navigated via bubble. It is similar to Bubble Breeze Galaxy, but involves navigating a maze boardered by electric fields that destroy the bubble on impact. Unlock criterion: collect all 3 Green Stars
Loopdeeswoop Galaxy ×1 ×6				Mission		Grand Finale Galaxy ×1 ×1				Mission
				The Galaxy's Greatest Wave						The Star Festival
A Trial Galaxy similar to Loopdeeloop Galaxy, where Ray is surfed along a watery course. This course has sharper turns, spikes, and twists that makes it more challenging than its predecessor in the Terrace. Unlock criterion: collect all 3 Green Stars						Princess Peach's Castle Gardens in the Mushroom Kingdom. A small village of Toads and a large lake flank the road to the castle. The locals are in the midst of celebrating the centennial Star Festival. Unlock criteria: begin a new save file (first visit); collect 120 Power Stars as Luigi (revisit)
Level chart information and legend: Galaxies accessed from inside a dome are designated with a unique number. This number correlates with the galaxy's distance from its dome's origin, with smaller numbers being closer and larger numbers farther. It very roughly correlates with how galaxies are listed within the game's Star List. Galaxies accessed by feeding Hungry Lumas are not located within domes and are denoted by File:SMG2 Asset Sprite UI Hungry Luma.png. Trial Galaxies lack numerical designation because they are unlocked concurrently and can be accessed in any order. Three symbols convey attributes about each galaxy: denotes the total number of obtainable Power Stars; denotes the total number of reachable areas; and denotes the number of boss battles. The name of each mission is accompanied by a symbol that indicates what type of mission it is and the type of Power Star obtained. denotes a normal mission; denotes a Grand Star mission; denotes a Green Star mission; denotes a Red Star mission; denotes a Speedy Comet mission; denotes a Daredevil Comet mission; denotes a Cosmic Comet mission; denotes a Fast-Foe Comet mission; denotes a Purple Comet mission; and denotes an intramissionary Secret Star.

Prankster Comets

Main article: Prankster Comet

Prankster Comets are objects that interfere with a galaxy and give it an extra attribute. The 30 Comet Stars are obtained by completing special challenges in the robust galaxies, namely speed runs; "daredevil" runs (in which Mario is defeated if he takes a single hit); races against Cosmic Mario; and doubling the speed of enemies and obstacles. They only appear after the corresponding normal mission (e.g. Ghostly Galaxy's "Beware of Bouldergeist") is completed, sometimes immediately, and at other times, only after another galaxy's level is completed. Prankster Comets appear and disappear every other time a mission is completed. After a mission is completed while a Prankster Comet is active, all the Prankster Comets are removed until a second mission is beaten. In some cases, such as in Space Junk Galaxy, all normal missions within a galaxy have to be beaten first before a comet can appear. There are two Prankster Comets in each of the 15 robust galaxies: one of the comet types just described, plus a Purple Comet where Mario must collect 100 Purple Coins. These comets only begin to appear after "The Fate of the Universe" is completed at least once. Which and where Prankster Comets appear can be manipulated by feeding Comet Tico 20 Star Bits.

The Comet Observatory

Main article: Comet Observatory

The Comet Observatory as viewed from a circular platform by the Bedroom.

The Comet Observatory is the hub world in the game. It is a bridge between domes and serves as a place for the player to rest in between missions. It is a sprawling structure similar to a palace, with a tall middle spire and ornamental architecture. These attributes visually make it reminiscent of Princess Peach's Castle, the hub of Super Mario 64. The core of the observatory is a comet called the beacon that it is fueled by Power Stars. The beacon is what allows the Comet Observatory to travel through space, but it remains in orbit around Mario's home planet throughout most of the game. The observatory has two extraplanetary satellites: the Planet of Trials and a grassy platform that holds the Gate. The platform is directly anchored to the observatory via Warp Pads and can be considered a direct extension of it, unlike the Planet of Trials.

Including Gateway Galaxy, there are 9 galaxies directly accessed from the Comet Observatory. Six of these galaxies come from the Hungry Lumas affiliated with each dome. Unlike the hub worlds of Super Mario Galaxy's predecessors, there are no hidden Power Stars directly found on the observatory, though accessing the Planet of Trials, entering the Gate, and the arrival of Hungry Lumas are framed similarly. Five 1-Up Mushrooms are hidden in the observatory. Most of the observatory is obscured by darkness when Mario first arrives due to the abduction of its Power Stars and only the Terrace can be accessed. As Mario collects Power Stars, energy is restored to the observatory and new areas become lit to convey that they are now accessible. Warp Pads dot the Comet Observatory. They can be used to quickly reach adjacent locations on the hub. A Red Star appears above the Bedroom once Mario completes "Gateway's Purple Coins". Touching it transforms him into Flying Mario and allows him to soar through the skies of the observatory. There is nothing on the observatory that can harm Mario, and he will safely be transported back to solid ground if he falls of its edge.

Scene from the introductory cutscene that plays when Mario enters the library after a new chapter has been unlocked.

The Comet Observatory is a nursey ground for Lumas. They are cared for by Rosalina, who treats them as if they were her children. As light is restored to the observatory, more and more Lumas appear. It was built by Rosalina when she was a child with an apricot-colored Luma. Over time, as more Lumas arrived and needed care, she expanded its size. The Comet Observatory visits Mario's home world once every hundred years, which is celebrated in the Mushroom Kingdom as the Star Festival. When the beacon is at its maximum size, Rosalina can make the observatory fold into the shape of a rocket ship and soar through the sky like a comet. The domes are framed as an extension of the observatory that provide a view of the cosmos. Each one is themed around rooms in a house, such as the bedroom, kitchen, and so on. There are two dedicated locations similar in concept that are not domes on the observatory: the garage and the library. The garage is framed as an intergalactic repair shop that starships can dock to. This is where the Toad Brigade and Luigi establish themselves once "Bee Mario Takes Flight" and "Luigi and the Haunted Mansion", respectively, are completed.

The library is a closed off space behind the beacon that becomes accessible once "The Fiery Stronghold" is completed. Though entered like a dome, there are no galaxies here. It contains no collectibles or anything related to the rescue of Princess Peach. The are no tangible incentives for coming to the library, and the player is never forced to enter it. This is where Rosalina reads a storybook to the Lumas. New chapters become available as Mario accumulates Power Stars. The book details her personal backstory, the history of the Comet Observatory, Luma behavior, and provides insight into the past of the apricot-colored Luma that travels with Mario. This part of the game was created by Yoshiaki Koizumi and included at the discretion of Shigeru Miyamoto. Rosalina's Story is noted for its heartfelt and melancholy elements. The illustrations on the pages have been likened to The Little Prince.

Characters

Playable characters

Name	Description
Mario	The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and the game's protagonist. After being invited to celebrate the Star Festival at Peach's Castle, an abduction cuts the party short and leaves Mario isolated on another planet far from home. It is here that he meets an apricot-colored Luma and his caretaker - the mysterious Rosalina. With the Luma bestowing him with the power to travel through space, Mario strives to collect Power Stars, rescue Princess Peach, and stop Bowser from creating his galactic empire at the center of the universe. His movement options and overall feel are more directly comparable to Super Mario 64 than they are to the previous 3D Super Mario game.
Luigi	Mario's younger twin brother. He can be used to replay the game after collecting 120 Power Stars and completing "The Fate of the Universe" as Mario. He can jump higher and run faster than Mario, but at the cost of reduced traction and increased startup. This causes Luigi to skid as he moves, and increases the risk of him falling off of a platform or colliding with an obstacle. He otherwise appears as a supporting character who will go on quests to collect Power Stars for his brother. He will still fulfill this supporting role during Luigi's playthrough, leading to a situation where there are two of them. Luigi can be quite cowardly and is deathly afraid of ghosts.

Non-playable characters

With the exception of Princess Peach, Toads, and Penguins, all of the characters encountered by the player are completely new to the Mario series. Most characters are met in various galaxies, though Rosalina, the Toad Brigade, and the Lumas are found on the Comet Observatory.

Name	Description	Locations
Apricot Luma	Mario's traveling companion - a young Luma who resides under his cap. He grants Mario the ability to spin and travel through space. Before being kidnapped, Princess Peach was going to give this Luma to Mario as a gift during the Star Festival. It is implied that he is a reincarnation of the first Luma that Rosalina ever encountered.	All galaxies
Princess Peach	The ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. She was kidnapped by Bowser on the night of the Star Festival and taken to the center of the universe. The game follows Mario's quest to save her. She periodically sends letters of encouragement to Mario that contain 1-Up Mushrooms. She does so even during Luigi's playthrough. Rosalina refers to Peach as Mario's "special one".	Castle Gardens Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Rosalina	A mysterious woman who serves as the guardian of the cosmos. She travels through space via the Comet Observatory, a vessel she built for the Lumas. It was abruptly stopped and stripped of its power source, the Power Stars, by Bowser. Rosalina makes an arrangement with Mario where he collects Power Stars to restore power to the observatory. In return, she helps him stop Bowser and rescue Princess Peach. Her past is revealed to the player as they accumulate Power Stars via Rosalina's Storybook. The Lumas recognize Rosalina as their mother, who in return sees them as her family.	Comet Observatory Gateway Galaxy
Lumas	Star children that make their home in the Comet Observatory. Lumas appear in some galaxies to aide Mario, typically by transforming into Launch Stars. Lumas become celestial bodies when they grow up, and which ones they become is dependent on their color. Lumas eat Star Bits and squeal with delight when fed via the Star Cursor.	Comet Observatory Good Egg Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Bowser's Star Reactor Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Bowser's Dark Matter Plant Gateway Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Polari	An elderly Luma who serves as Rosalina's advisor. He appears within each dome of the observatory and grants access to the map when prompted. He teaches the player how to use the Star Cursor.	Comet Observatory
Hungry Lumas	Big, voracious Lumas. The ones on the Comet Observatory transform into galaxies when fed a specified number of Star Bits. When encountered in established galaxies within domes, they transform into planets. Visiting them triggers a hidden mission and its secret Power Star.	Comet Observatory Good Egg Galaxy Space Junk Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy
Lumalee	A big Luma that runs the Luma Shop. He typically proceeds a boss encounter and transforms into a Mushroom of choice in exchange for thirty Star Bits.	Battlerock Galaxy Ghostly Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Melty Molten Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy
Comet Tico	A big Luma that is knowledgeable about Prankster Comets. He provides details on these comets to the player when prompted. Alternatively, he can shift where a Prankster Comet appears in exchange for twenty Star Bits.	Comet Observatory
The Toad Brigade	A five-member team of Toads on a quest to help find Princess Peach. They travel through space in search of Power Stars on a starship called a Starshroom. The Lumas built it for them. There are three Toads other than the red-capped leader and purple-capped postman that are part of the Brigade. There is a knowledgeable Blue Toad who typically provides information on an area of interest; a Green Toad who wields a pickaxe and constructs cannons for Mario; and a very sleepy Yellow Toad.	Comet Observatory Honeyhive Galaxy Sweet Sweet Galaxy Space Junk Galaxy Hurry-Scurry Galaxy Bubble Breeze Galaxy Ghostly Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Freezeflame Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy Sand Spiral Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Toad Brigade Captain	The captain of the Toad Brigade. This Red Toad self-designated himself as the brigade captain and typically sends his teammates into dangerous situations without his direct involvement. According to the Blue Toad, the captain is the most cowardly member of the team.	All galaxies that feature the Toad Brigade
Mailtoad	A member of the Toad Brigade who runs a postal service for Mario on the Comet Observatory. He delivers mail from Princess Peach or Luigi. When out on missions with the brigade, he usually is equipped with a snorkel.	All galaxies that feature the Toad Brigade
Star Bunnies	Spacefaring rabbits that like to play. They award Mario a Power Star for catching them. The Star Bunnies of Gusty Garden Galaxy have a penchant for gardening and are hunted by Undergrunts. Some Star Bunnies are Lumas in disguise. Unlike them, the real rabbits often end their sentences with "boiyoing" or sport Toad-like vests.	Gateway Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Gusty Garden Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy Snow Cap Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Honeybees	Bee people that collect honey. They teach the player how to use their bee form. Most Honeybees are members of the Honeyhive Kingdom and are in the midst of a dispute with a society of stink bug-like Mandibugs. The bees of Gold Leaf Galaxy keep Cataquacks as pets.	Honeyhive Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Queen Bee	The ruler of the Honeyhive Kingdom. Her body can be clung to by the player. Queen Bee's gentle and calm disposition contrasts with her large size.	Honeyhive Galaxy
Boards	Talking boards that call out to Mario and teach him unique mechanics. Different individuals teach different things: Gil Board teaches Mario how to Wall Jump; Bill Board teaches him how to use the Star Ball; Phil Board teaches him how to use the Bubble; and Jill Board reminds him how to use his Boo form.	Honeyhive Galaxy Rolling Green Galaxy Bubble Breeze Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Boo's Boneyard Galaxy Rolling Gizmo Galaxy Bubble Blast Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Ray	The manta that Mario surfs on during the Ray Surfing minigame. Safely reaching the finish line within a specified time limit awards Mario with a Power Star.	Loopdeeloop Galaxy Loopdeeswoop Galaxy
Penguins	Carefree, flightless birds who love swimming. Some individuals share swimming techniques with Mario when prompted, while others try to play with him. Most penguins are young birds that are a little shorter than Mario, but the two adults in the game – Coach and Penguru – tower over him.	Loopdeeloop Galaxy Beach Bowl Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Drip Drop Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Loopdeeswoop Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Coach	A big penguin that teaches young birds how to swim. He has a kind and paternal disposition. Coach is the host of the Ray Surfing minigame and gives Mario a tutorial on how to move Ray.	Loopdeeloop Galaxy Beach Bowl Galaxy Loopdeeswoop Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Penguru	A knowledgeable, elderly penguin who likes to fish. While he oversees young penguins, he prefers spending time by himself.	Drip Drop Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Penguin Racers	A competitive, four-member swimming team of young penguins. While most penguins have blue plumage, each member of this team is a different color. They challenge Mario to a race when prompted. The team captain – a red penguin with yellow, brow-like feathers – awards Mario a Power Star for outswimming them.	Sea Slide Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
Gearmos	Maintenance robots with an obsession for orderliness. Many Gearmos can be found upkeeping battle stations affiliated with the malicious Topman Tribe, but they themselves are kind robots. The Gearmos of Toy Time Galaxy teach the player how to make the most out of their spring form. An overworked individual hosts the Bob-omb Blasting minigame. Another helps maintain the Comet Observatory's Engine Room.	Comet Observatory Battlerock Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy
The Spooky Speedster	A Big Boo in a helmet. He challenges Mario to race through open space when prompted. He begrudgingly gives Mario a Power Star if he reaches the finish line before him.	Ghostly Galaxy Boo's Boneyard Galaxy
Guppy	A fearsome orca whale who bullies the penguin racers. He only relents if Mario can pass through his eight-ring swim challenge, as well as award him a Power Star. Unlike most other characters, Guppy cannot be jumped on and – while not damaging – knockbacks Mario if approached.	Sea Slide Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy
Cosmic Mario	An entity that takes on the form of Mario and has all of the same abilities. It challenges him to a footrace to a Power Star. It only appears when a Cosmic Comet is in orbit during Mario's playthrough. Making contact with Cosmic Mario during the race makes it release Star Bits.	Honeyhive Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy
Cosmic Luigi	An entity that takes on the form of Luigi and has all of the same abilities. Mirroring Cosmic Mario, it only appears when a Cosmic Comet is in orbit during Luigi's playthrough. It is a more challenging opponent than Cosmic Mario.	Honeyhive Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy

Enemies and obstacles

The game has old enemies such as Goombas from Super Mario Bros. and Piranha Plants, enemies which make their 3D platformer debut such as Magikoopas and Dry Bones, as well as new enemies, which include the Electrogoombas and Mandibugs.

New enemies

Name	Description	Locations	Possible spoils
Ball Beamer (bolt)	Stationary enemies that discharge wide-ranging shockwaves. The shockwaves damage Mario on contact. The shockwaves are released in consistent three-part intervals that can be timed. The bolts can be unscrewed by spinning on top of them, which haults the discharge. It opens up the inside of the planet it sits on.	Buoy Base Galaxy	None
Ball Beamer (nut)	Ball Beamers with nuts. Some sit opposite bolted Ball Beamers on spherical planets. These variants cannot be tampered with.	Buoy Base Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy	Indestructible
Banekiti	Rare spring creatures. If Boo Mario collides with a Banekiti, he is bounced away. They do not cause damage.	Boo's Boneyard Galaxy	Indestructible
Bat	Winged creatures that roost from the roofs of caves. They drop and swoop down to strike Mario. They fly-in-place and cackle if they make a successful collision. Bats can be defeated with a spin or stomp.	Beach Bowl Galaxy Ghostly Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy	×1 ×3
Bomb Boo	Explosive Boos. Unlike normal Boos, Bomb Boos do not cower when faced by Mario. They charge directly towards him on sight. Spinning near a Bomb Boo causes Mario to grab onto its tongue and swing it in circles, like a lasso. It detonates if it is swung into an object or wall. If Mario does not release the Bomb Boo, it will closely pull in closer to him and explode in his face. Bomb Boos are conjured by Bouldergeist and can be used to destroy the boss's stone armor.	Ghostly Galaxy	None
Clampy	A giant clam that periodically opens and shuts its valves. Either Star Chips or coins can be found within them. Snapping shut with Mario inside damages him.	Beach Bowl Galaxy	Indestructible
Cluckboom	Red chickens that lay explosive eggs. They fly in a continuous set path, fluttering back-and-forth. They fall to the ground if shot at with Star Bits, which leaves them dazed and open to attack.	Dusty Dune Galaxy	×1 ×3
Crabber (red)	Aggressive, sidestepping crabs. Crabbers have hard shells that protect them from jumps and spins head-on, but their fleshy rears are exposed and can be struck. Red Crabbers directly move in to attack Mario, but are easier to defeat because they move slowly.	Dusty Dune Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy	×3
Crabber (turquoise)	Evasive, cowardly Crabbers that frantically scuttle away from Mario. They will bury themselves underground in an attempt to escape and resurface shortly after.	Dusty Dune Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy	×1
Electrogoomba	Goomba-like octopus creatures. They sidestep back-and-forth along a set back and keep their eyes locked onto Mario when he is nearby. If in close proximity, they attempt to strike him with the hair-like protrusion on their heads. Electrogoombas can be defeated by spinning them once or jumping on their heads.	Good Egg Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Toy Time Galaxy	×1 ×3
Eye Beamer	Mechanical eyes that are suspended in the air. They emit electrical beams from their pupils that damage Mario on impact. Some Eye Beamers move while others are stationary. The back of the Eye Beam is undamaging and flat: they can be used as platforms to traverse obstacles.	Dusty Dune Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	Indestructible
Fire Pressure	Mounted flamethrowers that periodically shoot streams of flame. The flames are expelled in set intervals that can be timed.	Bowser's Star Reactor Toy Time Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Bubble Blast Galaxy	Indestructible
Flipbug	Large beetles. If in close proximity, they will cowardly try to fly away from Mario before tiring out and falling to the ground, flailing helplessly. If spotted in his bee form, they will aggressively home-in and chase him down.	Honeyhive Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy	×1 ×3
Floating Mine (underwater)	Underwater mines with eyes that bob up-and-down on chains. They keep their eyes shut unless Mario is in close proximity. They regenerate after detonating.	Deep Dark Galaxy	None
Golden Chomp	A rolling Chomp made of gold. It can only be destroyed by Mario if he collides with it while in his rainbow form.	Gusty Garden Galaxy	×1
Goombeetle	Dwarf Goombas that wear metal helmets. The helmets protect them from being stomped. Spinning them causes them to fall upside down. They can be defeated in this state.	Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor Battlerock Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Bowser's Dark Matter Plant Dreadnought Galaxy	×1
Gringill	Giant eels that prey on Penguins. They are found nestled in caves and swimming in open waters with snapping jaws. The nestled individuals will snap at Mario if he approaches the mouth of their caves. Releasing a shell at them is they only way to defeat them.	Beach Bowl Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Drip Drop Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy	×7
Gringill (big)	Enormous Gringills found in underwater caves. They will bite Mario if he approaches the mouth of their caves.	Beach Bowl Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy	×1
Ice bat	White, alpine bats cloaked in an icy vapor. Making direct contact encases Mario in ice. They can only be damaged by fire.	Freezeflame Galaxy	×3
Ice Bubble	Floating ice enemies that freeze Mario on contact. Spinning near them neutralizes their icy cloud and forces them to the ground. This leaves them vulnerable to being kicked. Neutralized Ice Bubbles will propel themselves towards the nearest pool of freezing water to regenerate their cold aura.	Freezeflame Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy	×1
Jammyfish	Jellyfish-like creatures that idly swim in schools along a set path. They damage Mario on contact, but do not actively pursue him.	Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy	×1
Jellyfish	Great underwater medusae that electrocute Mario on contact. They idly pulsate in-place and emit a low, otherworldly sound. Jellyfish can be defeated by throwing two shells at them. The first strike turns them green, but their behavior is unchanged.	Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy	×1
Jump Beamer	Spring-like Topmen that discharge circular shockwaves. They can be used as springs after jumping on their head, allowing Mario to reach great heights.	Flipswitch Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	None
Jump Guarder	A large Topman that releases four Topminis out of its sides. After jumping on its head, it can be used as a spring to reach higher areas.	Buoy Base Galaxy	None
Lava Bubble (blue)	Floating drops of lava that propel themselves towards Mario. Lava Bubbles appear during the boss battle with King Kaliente. They can only be defeated by shooting them with a Star Bit and will otherwise burnout on their own.	Good Egg Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Melty Molten Galaxy	None
Li'l Cinder	Floating fire enemies that burn Mario on contact. Spinning near them will extinguish their flame and leave them vulnerable to being kicked. Extinguished Li'l Cinders will hop towards the nearest pool of lava to reignite.	Freezeflame Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy	×1
Mandibug	Large stink bug-like enemies that prey on Honeybees. They quickly charge towards Mario in a straight line after making visual contact, snapping at him with their mandibles. They can be defeated by Ground Pounding them on their backs, as indicated by the symbol on their abdomen. Mandibugs cower in fear if Mario stands on their back but eventually shake him off.	Honeyhive Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Honeyclimb Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy	×3
Mecha-Bowser	Mechanical Koopas that breath fire. They can only be defeated with a Ground Pound. Spinning them causes their heads to swing back and briefly delays their fire breath attack.	Toy Time Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	×1
Meteor	Fiery space rocks. Bowser shoots them out of his mouth to destroy the big staircase in Bowser's Star Reactor. They otherwise typically appear raining from the sky in volcanic galaxies.	Bowser's Star Reactor Honeyclimb Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Melty Molten Galaxy Gateway Galaxy	None
Mini Wanwan	Small Chomps that roll out of doghouses. Mini Wanwans cannot be damaged directly: they are only destroyed once all nearby Flipswitch Panels are activated.	Dreadnought Galaxy	×3
Monty	Bandana-wearing moles that reside in hatches and throw wrenches at Mario. They close and hide in the hatch if he approaches them. Montys can be stunned by Ground Pounding the earth near them or shooting them with a Star Bit. This leaves them vulnerable to attack.	Battlerock Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	×1 ×3
Octoguy	Small Electrogoombas that shuffle backwards from Mario when approached. They periodically stop to shoot a rock at him from their siphon. Octoguys are defeated with a spin or jump. They often appear in large groups.	Honeyhive Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Gold Leaf Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy	×1 ×3
Octopus	Large, stationary Electrogoombas that hide in barrels. They shoot coconuts and flaming rocks at Mario from their siphon. The coconuts can be deflected back at them if spun against. Octopuses are always found in pairs.	Good Egg Galaxy Space Junk Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Dreadnought Galaxy	None
Petapeta	Sandal-wearing sack creatures that turn invisible when moving. Petapetas are harmless, but can be defeated to recover a large number of Star Bits. Their movement can be tracked by following their footsteps.	Good Egg Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Gateway Galaxy	×20
Pokey (red)	A segmented cactus enemy. It shimmies back from Mario while attempting to slam its head into him. The Pokey can be defeated by destroying its body segments and then its head, or by stomping on its head from above. If reduced to just a head, it will attempt to flee.	Dusty Dune Galaxy	×7
Prickly plant	Idle plants with sharp, needle-like flowers. They damage Mario on contact. Destroying them without a power-up usually requires striking them with another object, such as a coconut or rubbery bulb plant.	Good Egg Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy Gateway Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor	×3 ×1
Prickly plant (airborne)	Giant prickly plants suspended in space. They have rotating, propeller-like leaves underneath their flowers.	Gusty Garden Galaxy	×7
Prickly plant (giant)	Massive prickly plants. Their behavior is shared with the normal-sized prickly plants.	Good Egg Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy	×7 ×1
Pumpkinhead Goomba	Slow-moving Goombas with jack o'lanterns covering their heads. They periodically leave blue flames that damage Mario on contact. Pumpkinhead Goombas can be defeated in one hit with a Ground Pound, or spinning them to destroy their pumpkin, turning them into a regular Goomba.	Ghostly Galaxy	×1 ×1
Ring Beamer	Domed machines covered in spikes that emit circular shockwaves. The shockwaves cause electrical damage. They cannot be damaged or halted by any means. Unlike Ball Beamers, attempting to jump on Ring Beamers damages him.	Toy Time Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	Indestructible
Sentry Beam	Stationary robots suspended above ground via a propeller. They shoot electric lasers from their maw. Sentry Beams are completely invincible, although standing on top of them will temporarily prevent it from firing. They follow Mario's position when he is close.	Battlerock Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Toy Time Galaxy	Indestructible
Skeletal Fish Guard	Undead sharks. They appear during the boss fight with Kingfin, who summons them from a hydrothermal vent as he accumulates damage. They home-in and charge at Mario when he comes in close proximity to them. They otherwise swim alongside Kingfin like remoras. They can be defeated by leading them to the water's surface or by striking them with a shell. The entire guard disappears once Kingfin is defeated.	Bonefin Galaxy	×7
Slurple	Leech-like enemies which latch onto Mario and gradually depletes his life meter. Slurples are easily disposed of with a spin.	Good Egg Galaxy Honeyhive Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy	×1
Spiky Topman	Top enemies that spin into Mario. Spiky Topmen do not directly harm him, but they can push him into hazards or off of a platform. The spike on their heads protects them from being stomped on and will damage him on contact. Spiky Topmen can only be defeated if into an electric rail or off the side of a platform.	Battlerock Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	×1
File:Prickly Piranha Plant Galaxy.png Spiny Piranha Plant	Giant Piranha Plants that forcefully slam their heads into the ground. They can be defeated by jumping on their heads, or stunned by spinning into them.	Good Egg Galaxy Beach Bowl Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy	×7 ×1
Spoing	Spiders that hop up-and-down in-place. To defeat Spoings, they can be stunned with a Star Bit and kicked, or simply jumped on. They will pause an gleefully laugh if they successfully strike Mario.	Space Junk Galaxy Ghostly Galaxy	×1 ×3
Sprangler	Spoings that hang from silk. They sway back-and-forth in an attempt to strike Mario. Spranglers become briefly incapacitated if spun into and can be kicked to defeat them. They otherwise can be jumped on.	Ghostly Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Sea Slide Galaxy	×1 ×3
Spring Topman	Green Topmen. Colliding with Mario causes him to spin out-of-control. Jumping on one's head leaves it stunned and exposes the spring underneath its head. It can be jumped on while in this state to reach great heights. Some Spring Topmen can produce single Topminis.	Buoy Base Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	None
Topmini	Tiny Topmen that can be defeated by spinning into them. Topminis are incapable of damaging Mario and can only push them around. There are dark voids continuously produce Topminis. They otherwise are produced by Spring Topmen and Jump Guarders.	Buoy Base Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	×1
Tweester	Miniature dust tornadoes that travel along a set path. They catch Mario in their gusts when they make contact, but this does not harm him. Mario is propelled high into the air like a taketombo rotor toy if he tries to spin. Some Tweesters carry jagged, rocky debris that does harm Mario if he makes contact.	Dusty Dune Galaxy	Indestructible
Undergrunt	Moles that prey on Star Bunnies. They lkeave trails of disturbed dirt as they burrow through the ground. They can be defeated by Ground Pounding the floor, forcing them to come to the surface where they can be spun. They wear spiked helmets that will damage Mario if he tries to jump on them. The helmets protrude from the ground as the Undergrunts burrow, enabling the player to track his movement.	Gusty Garden Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy	×3
Urchin (land)	Red Urchins only found on dry land. It will protract its spines and roll towards Mario if he approaches one. They are immune to spinning or being stomped. They can only be damaged by fire and lava. There is a box-like stone scultupre in Freezeflame Galaxy that continuously expels land Urchins.	Freezeflame Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy	×5
Water Shooter	Mounted nozzles that shoot large drops of water over great distances. Mario will be be trapped and carried within a drop if within its line of trajectory. He can become freed if he spins.	Honeyhive Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Sand Spiral Galaxy	Indestructible

Returning enemies

Name	Description	Locations	Possible spoils
Amp	Suspended, magnetic orbs with smiling faces. They discharge electricity and shock Mario on contact. They move in a fixed direction, typically in a circular pattern.	Buoy Base Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Bubble Blast Galaxy	Indestructible
Banzai Bill	Giant, slow-moving missiles with sharkmouths. Their line of trajectory is fixed in one direction, and they slowly rotate as they move.	Bowser's Galaxy Reactor	None
Big Amp	Large Amps. They are typically in pairs. Unlike normal-sized Amps, the big ones lack faces.	Space Junk Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy	Indestructible
Big Goomba	A gigantic Goomba. It can only be defeated with a spin and a kick.	Gateway Galaxy	×1
Blooper	White squids. They swim erratically when approached by Mario in an attempt to strike him. They can be defeated with a spin or a shell. Bloopers release a cloud of ink when defeated by the player.	Buoy Base Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy	×3
Bob-omb	Walking bombs that look like wind-up toys. There are two varieties: Bob-ombs that actively pursue Mario until they explode and legless bombs than can be picked up and thrown. The legless variety can be used to destroy cages, enemies, and trash in the Bob-omb Blasting minigame. Jumping on a walking Bob-omb causes its legs to recede into its body and become this second variant.	Battlerock Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Rolling Gizmo Galaxy	None
Bomp	Large, moving stones that shift in-and-out of crevices found on walls. They do not damage Mario directly, but they are positioned to push him off of platforms and solid ground. The tops of their bodies can be walked on.	Freezeflame Galaxy	Indestructible
Boo	Round ghosts with long tongues. They pursue Mario when his back is turned towards them. If Mario looks directly at a Boo, they sheepishly shield their their eyes and stop moving. Spinning them causes them to shift their position and forces them to phase through nearby walls, but they cannot be damaged this way. Boos are only weak to beacons of light – including the headlamp of the Toad Brigade Captain. A rival character called the Spooky Speedster is of this species, and Mario can transform into one via the Boo Mushroom. Normal Boos become infatuated with Mario if encountered in his Boo form. Some can be found underwater.	Ghostly Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy Sand Spiral Galaxy	×1 ×1
Boulder	Giant, rolling rocks. They are composed of cragged stones with a red gem in their center. Boulders roll around in circles or off the sides of platforms, damaging Mario on contact. Striking them in their red gem with a spin destroys them. There are cliffside caves that continuously release Boulders indefinitely in several galaxies.	Good Egg Galaxy Honeyhive Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy	×7
Bullet Bill	Angry-looking missiles that are fired from Bill Blasters. They normally fly in a straight line, but they will change course and directly target Mario if he is within their proximity. Mario can lure Bullet Biulls towards cages and fences in order to destroy them. Their eyes will flash with red light and their bodies will twirl when the lock onto Mario.	Good Egg Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor Battlerock Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Dreadnought Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor Bubble Blast Galaxy	None
Cannonball	Round ammunition shot from enemy cannons. They maintain a straight, horizontal trajectory and move relatively slowly. They burst when they make contact with Mario. A Cannonball can be taken out by shooting it with a Star Bit.	Battlerock Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Gusty Garden Galaxy Sling Pod Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy	None
Cataquack	Vaguely duck-like creatures that will toss Mario high into the air. This does not harm him. They will immediately charge towards Mario after making visual contact. They otherwise will idly pace in circles or sleep on the ground. Spinning them or performing a Ground Pound temporarily dazes them. They cannot swim and will drown if led into water.	Beach Bowl Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy	None
Cheep Cheep	Pudgy red fish. They hopelessly bounce around in a set trajectory. They can be defeated with a spin or a jump.	Deep Dark Galaxy	×1 ×3
File:ChompSMG.png Chomp	Toothy, metal monsters that roll in a set trajectory. The only way to defeat them is by running into them with a Rainbow Star. They bark like a dog when in close proximity. A cannon in Good Egg Galaxy expels smaller variants of Chomps.	Good Egg Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Ghostly Galaxy	×7
Dry Bones	Undead Koopa Troopas. They chase down and tackle Mario on sight. If stomped on, spun, or hit with a shell, Dry Bones crumble into a pile of bones, but regenerate after a few seconds. There are three ways to truly defeat Dry Bones: by luring a Bullet Bill into them; by running into them as Rainbow Mario; or by luring them into quicksand.	Dusty Dune Galaxy Bowser's Dark Matter Plant Bowser's Galaxy Reactor	×3
Floating Mine	Spiked bombs that are suspended in mid-air. They are usually fixed in one spot, but some move in vertical and horizontal trajectories in a few galaxies. Making contact with a mine causes it to explode in Mario's face, causing damage. They can be destroyed by shooting them with a Star Bit.	Battlerock Galaxy Bubble Breeze Galaxy Ghostly Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Sling Pod Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Sand Spiral Galaxy Bubble Blast Galaxy	None
Goomba	Shiitake-like creatures that chase down Mario when he is in their line of sight. Goombas can be defeated with a single jump. Spinning or shooting them with Star Bits causes them to flip over and spin like a top. They can be kicked or stomped on in this state.	Good Egg Galaxy Space Junk Galaxy Rolling Green Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Hurry-Scurry Galaxy Beach Bowl Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Gusty Garden Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Bowser's Dark Matter Plant Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Gateway Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Rolling Gizmo Galaxy	×1 ×3 ×1
Koopa Troopa (green)	Green-shelled turtles. They walk back-and-forth in a straight line. When jumped on, they retreat into their shells, allowing Mario to pick it up and use it as a Green Shell.	Space Junk Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Dusty Dune Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy	×1
Koopa Troopa (red)	A red-shelled Koopa Troopa that walks around in a circle. Jumping on it causes it to retract and gives Mario access to a Red Shell.	Sea Slide Galaxy	×1
Magikoopa	Robed koopas that can teleport. They conjure fireballs and toss them at Mario with their wand. Shooting one with a Star Bit does not leave it dazed, but it does it does stall to block the bit.	Space Junk Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Toy Time Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Matter Splatter Galaxy Sand Spiral Galaxy	×1
Micro Goomba	Diminutive and weak Goombas. Like normal-sized Goombas, they will charge towards Mario if he is near. They can can be defeated with a single spin.	Rolling Green Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Gateway Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Rolling Gizmo Galaxy	×1
Piranha Plant	Carnivorous plants that lunge out at Mario with snapping jaws if approached. They scoffingly laugh if they make a successful bite. Piranha Plants can be defeated with a spin or a stomp, and can be stunned by shooting a Star Bit at one. Sproutle Vines will grow where a Piranha Plant is defeated. They idly keep their heads raised skyward when unapproached.	Good Egg Galaxy Honeyhive Galaxy Beach Bowl Galaxy Gusty Garden Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy	×1 ×3 ×1
Pokey	Giant, immobile Pokeys. They will slam its head downward to strike Mario. Their bodies fall apart when struck by a coconut, causing their head to fall and be partially submerged in the surrounding sand. Stomping on their overturned head defeats them.	Good Egg Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy	×1
Pokey Head	Disembodied Pokeys. They are buried with only their flowers visible. When approached by Mario, they burst out of the ground and start hopping after them. A Pokey Head will gleefully bounce in-place if it successfully strikes Mario. They can be defeated in a single hit with a spin or stomp.	Gusty Garden Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy	×1 ×3
Spiny Cheep Cheep	Rare pufferfish enemies. They protract their spines and charge towards Mario on sight. They can only be found hidden within sunken treasure chests.	Drip Drop Galaxy	×7
Thwomp	Giant, grimacing stones. They hang suspended in mid-air but periodically slam down towards the ground with violent force. Crushing Mario completely depletes his life meter. The tops and sides of their bodies can be used as platforms and walls, respectively. A slightly smaller variant appears in Dreadnought Galaxy.	Bowser's Star Reactor Beach Bowl Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor	Indestructible
Torpedo Ted	Underwater missiles with smiley sharkmouths. Their eyes will flash red and they home-in on Mario when he is in close proximity. They can be lured towards glass cages to break them.	Buoy Base Galaxy Drip Drop Galaxy	None
Tox Box	Giant, solemn-looking boxes made out of stone. They roll around in set trajectories. One of their sides is open and can be safely stood under. All other sides will crush Mario. Tox Boxes are the same width of the paths they travel, thus making them very difficult to avoid.	Beach Bowl Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy	Indestructible
Urchin	Benthic creatures with protractible spines. They aggressively roll towards Mario when he is in close proximity. They can only be damaged by shells and fireballs.	Beach Bowl Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Freezeflame Galaxy Sea Slide Galaxy Drip Drop Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy	×5
Wiggler	Yellow caterpillars that amble along in set trajectories. If Mario performs a Ground Pound on nearby earth or directly spins a Wiggler, it will flip over. If the incapacitated Wigglers are not defeated after several seconds, they turn ferocious and upright themselves. Their speed is much greater in this state. They return to their original disposition after a few seconds. Wigglers can be defeated in a single hit by Ground Pounding them.	Honeyhive Galaxy Beach Bowl Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Gusty Garden Galaxy Gold Leaf Galaxy	×7

Traps and obstacles

Name	Description	Locations
Black hole	Extremely dense voids with their own gravity. Mario will be pulled into black holes if he gets too close and will lose a life. They exist in the center of several planets and function similarly to bottomless pits.	All galaxies except: Loopdeeloop Galaxy Rolling Green Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Bubble Breeze Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Dusty Dune Galaxy Bonefin Galaxy Matter Splatter Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Rolling Gizmo Galaxy Loopdeeswoop Galaxy Grand Finale Galaxy Drip Drop Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy Snow Cap Galaxy
Mud	Dirt mixed with water. Mario's movement speed and jump height is greatly reduced when he is in mud. This puts him at potential risk if dangerous enemies are nearby.	Good Egg Galaxy
Honey	A sweet substance collected by Honeybees. Honey reduces Mario's movement the same way mud does.	Honeyhive Galaxy
Lava	Molten rock. Direct contact burns Mario and makes him bonce into the air with his hands on his rear. It is emitted by volcanos and makes up the surface of some celestial bodies, such as suns.	Bowser's Star Reactor Freezeflame Galaxy Bowser's Dark Matter Plant Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Freezing water	Ice water. It is too frigid to swim in: staying in the water for too long depletes Mario's life meter. Freezing water is readily differentiated from normal bodies of water when: the screen is briefly disrupted by a static-like visual effect when Mario enters it.	Freezeflame Galaxy
Poison swamp	Bubbly, sludge-like poison mixed with water. Mario becomes trapped in the poison when he makes contact and will rapidly start to sink and lose a life. There is no way for the player to escape.	Bubble Breeze Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy
Quicksand	Shifting sands. It functions identically to poison in that it will rapidly cause Mario to sink and he cannot escape its pull. Quicksand is usually denoted by signage that have skull-and-crossbones on them.	Dusty Dune Galaxy Sand Spiral Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Dark matter	A dangerous substance that with a swirling pattern on it. Mario's body visually disintegrates when he makes contact with dark matter and he loses a life.	Bowser's Dark Matter Plant
Tornadoes	A vortex of desert winds that moves back-and-forth along a set path. Making contact will trap Mario within its gusts, but this does not damage him. As with Tweesters, Mario is propelled high into the air if he tries to spin.	Dusty Dune Galaxy
Whirlpools	A swirling vortex of water. Contact pushes Mario and temporarily stuns him, but it does not cause damage.	Sea Slide Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy
Electric rails	Electrical barriers which shock Mario on contact. They emit either green or red electricity and move horizontally in some galaxies. Spiky Topmen can be damaged by spinning them into an electric rail.	Good Egg Galaxy Flipswitch Galaxy Battlerock Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy Sweet Sweet Galaxy Bubble Blast Galaxy
Spike Traps	Spiked platforms that slide along a set path, damaging Mario if they touch its sharp edges.	Good Egg Galaxy Flipswitch Galaxy Toy Time Galaxy
Electric spheres	Metal orbs that move in a circle, causing Mario electrical damage if touched.	Battlerock Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy
Fire Bars	Rotating bars of fireballs that burn Mario on contact.	Battlerock Galaxy Bowser's Star Reactor Toy Time Galaxy Deep Dark Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor Sling Pod Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Red dwarves	Small suns. Some dwarves can be found suspensed in space, while others can be found on the surface of planetoids. Making direct contact burns Mario.	Bowser's Star Reactor Freezeflame Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Brambles	Thick vines covered in thorns. Making contact damages Mario.	Gusty Garden Galaxy
Steam jets	Heated water vapor forced out of the ground. Making contact burns Mario.	Freezeflame Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Volcanic debris	Trailing clumps of molten rock that are shot out of lava. They move very slowly and burn Mario on contact.	Freezeflame Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Lava Geysers	Projected columns of molten rock that rise from pools of lava. Direct contact burns Mario. Lava Geysers rise and fall in set intervals that can be timed. A rise is always proceeded by rapid bubbling on the lava's surface.	Freezeflame Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy
Ice planet	A frigid planet covered in ice. The surface is so cold that direct contact causes Mario to leap as if he was burned and reduces his life meter.	Bowser's Galaxy Reactor
Bill Blasters	The cannons that shoot Bullet Bills. Stand alone blasters are covered in military camouflage. A blaster will not shoot more than one Bill at a time. Bill Blasters are mounted onto the surface of planets, integrated into the walls of terrain, and attached to the sides of Bowser's airships. Many Bill Blasters are built into the body of Megaleg. There are identical-looking blasters found underwater that shoot Torpedo Teds.	Good Egg Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor Battlerock Galaxy Buoy Base Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor Dreadnought Galaxy Melty Molten Galaxy Bowser's Galaxy Reactor Bubble Blast Galaxy
Burners	Rare Bill Blaster-like cannons. They charge up for a few seconds before creating a small explosion.	Good Egg Galaxy
Cannons	Mounted enemy artillery that shoot Cannonballs. They are built into the sides of terrain. They fire continuously in set intervals that can be timed.	Battlerock Galaxy Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada Gusty Garden Galaxy Sling Pod Galaxy Dreadnought Galaxy
Banzai Bill Cannons	Giant cannons that shoot Banzai Bills. Identical-looking cannons occur in Good Egg Galaxy that release Chomps.	Bowser's Galaxy Reactor

Bosses

Bosses
Dino Piranha	King Kaliente	Stink Bug Parent	Bugaboom
A Piranha Plant-like dinosaur with a clubbed tail. It charges down Mario when he is in its line of sight. Spinning into its club slingshots it towards its head, damaging it. Its charges more quickly after the first strike.	A giant octopus that dwells in lava. He shoots coconuts and flaming rocks at Mario from his siphon. Spinning into a coconut smacks it back towards him and damages him. He starts to parry these attacks as the fight progresses.	A Mandibug that carries its child on its back. Both can be defeated by performing a Ground Pound. Defeating the child enrages the parent and makes it harder to strike.	An enormous, winged Mandibug. It tries to bite Mario with its mandibles. Ground pounding its abdomen damages it. Bugaboom takes flight after being struck once and starts releasing explosive droppings as it flies.
Missions	Missions	Missions	Missions
Dino Piranha Dino Piranha Speed Run	King Kaliente's Battle Fleet King Kaliente's Spicy Return	Trouble on the Tower	Big Bad Bugaboom
Megaleg	Kamella	Tarantox	Topmaniac
A large mechanical being with a vague resemblance to a Snifit. Its legs are covered with gravitational panels that enable Mario to climb, but it fires Bullet Bills at him as he ascends. A Grand Star is caged on its head that can be broken with a lured Bill.	A boss themed after Magikoopas. She conjures fireballs, Green Shells, and other Magikoopas. Striking her with shells is the only way to damage her. She starts to teleport erratically as the fight progresses.	A giant spider-like boss that cocoons itself in silk. The green orbs covering its body are its weak points: Mario can use Sling Pods to launch himself at them to damage it. It spews acid after being hit once.	A large Topman with serrated edges. Jumping on his head makes the blades retract, enabling Mario to safely spin him into an electric rail.
Missions	Missions	Missions	Missions
Megaleg's Moon	Kamella's Airship Attack The Underground Ghost Ship Ghost Ship Daredevil Run	Tarantox's Tangled Web	Topmaniac and the Topman Tribe Topmaniac's Daredevil Run Revenge of the Topman Tribe Topman Tribe Speed Run
Bouldergeist	Major Burrows	Baron Brrr	Undergrunt Gunner
A large ghost composed of rocks. It launches rocks and erects stone spikes to damage Mario. Attacking it with Bomb Boos destroys its armor and leaves it vulnerable to attack. During the second phase, it constructs giant hands to attack Mario and protect its body.	A giant Undergrunt that is seen chasing a Star Bunny. He burrows towards Mario before bursting from the ground with swiping claws. Performing a Ground Pound when his head is exposed forces him to the surface and leaves him vulnerable to a spin attack.	A large Ice Bubbles with a crown. He fires ice balls that freeze Mario on contact. If close, he throws himself towards the ground and cause freezing shockwaves. Being close to the ground leaves him vulnerable to being spun. Doing so extinguishes his icy aura.	A cyan Undergrunt that operates a rotating cannon. The cannon fires drops of water in most encounters, but it shoots balls of electricity in Toy Time Galaxy that damage Mario. The glass-encased cockpit is the weak point.
Missions	Missions	Missions	Missions
Beware of Bouldergeist Bouldergeist's Daredevil Run	The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows Major Burrows's Daredevil Run	The Frozen Peak of Baron Brrr	When It Rains, It Pours Bouncing Down Cake Lane Bubble Blastoff
Kingfin	Bowser Jr.	Bowser	Fiery Dino Piranha
A massive, skeleton shark that is defended by a school of Skeletal Fish Guards. It is vulnerable to shells. As it swims, it destroys underwater pillars in its path. It does not actively pursue Mario, but it summons more Fish Guards as the battle progresses.	Bowser's bratty son. He captains a miniature airship that fires Bullet Bills and enflamed cannonballs at Mario. Magikoopas aide Bowser Jr. during the fight. Throwing shells at the airship damages it and eventually makes it sink. Bowser Jr. otherwise has a recurring story presence throughout the game.	The primary antagonist of Super Mario Galaxy and Mario's arch-nemesis. He launches himself skyward-and-back to produce seismic shockwaves and strike Mario. Luring him above a glass panel causes him to crash through and burn his tail on lava. This leaves him vulnerable to a spin attack. He can conjure stone armor and roll like a boulder. He otherwise uses attacks that mirror Mario's abilities, including the spin and Side Somersault.	A fast-moving Dino Piranha. Its clubbed tail periodically catches fire. The flames burn Mario and prevent him from spinning the club. After making a successful strike, Fiery Dino Piranha becomes faster; leaves walls of fire in its wake; and spews giant balls of fire. Defeating this boss without being damaged requires well-timed precision.
Missions	Missions	Missions	Missions
Kingfin's Fearsome Waters	Sinking the Airships	The Fiery Stronghold Darkness on the Horizon The Fate of the Universe	Fiery Dino Piranha

Items and objects

Throughout the game, Mario can use many new and returning items, many of which have unique properties.

Item	Function
? Coin	A large coin that can make a multitude of things appear, including coins, Star Bits, notes, a power-up, or even another ? Coin.
? Block	A block that releases other items, such as coins, Star Bits, or power-ups, when hit from the bottom.
1-Up Mushroom	Gives Mario an extra life.
Life Mushroom	A mushroom that gives Mario's Health Meter an additional three sections, bringing the total to six.
Banandelion	A dandelion-like plant that allows the player to launch off when they shake the Wii Remote enough.
Beacon	The star-like reactor that powers the Comet Observatory and grows as Mario collects Grand Stars.
Bob-omb Dispenser	A machine that consistently dispenses Bob-ombs for use by the player.
Bolt Lift	A set of rotating nuts that serve as a platform in industrial-themed galaxies.
Bowser Statue	Statues that release items when destroyed with Bullet Bills or Bomb Boos.
Brick Block	Blocks that sometimes release coins when destroyed.
Bubble	Air bubbles that refill Mario's air meter when collected underwater.
Cannon	Allows the player to aim and fire Mario to get to other planets.
Coconut	Balls that can be used as projectiles to attack enemies and bosses, particularly Pokeys.
Coin	Restore lost wedges of Mario's Health Meter. If 50 coins are collected, Mario gains an extra life.
Coin Block	Blocks identical in appearance to Brick Blocks. They release coins repeatedly when hit.
Crate	Often found in many different galaxies, these can be broken to release items or Goombas.
Crystal	A glassy crystal that can contain Star Bits, power-ups, or rarely, enemies and Toads.
Empty Block	Blocks that are found in galaxies or created after a Coin Block is used.
Flipswitch Panel	Floor tiles that trigger an event when Mario steps on all of them in an area.
Floaty Fluff	Flowers that Mario can hang onto to ride wind currents between areas.
Gold Shell	A special, rare shell that is either given to the Coach (in the Beach Bowl Galaxy) or used to open a chest (in the Bigmouth Galaxy). It gives a large speed boost when used underwater.
Gravity arrow	Switches that change the direction of gravity when flipped.
Gravity field	Colored walls that indicate the direction of gravity in an area.
Gravity spotlight	Spotlights that pull Mario in when he stands under them.
Green Shell	A green Koopa Shell that Mario can grab by touching it or spinning near it. The player can then throw it at enemies by shaking the Wii Remote. It gives a small speed boost underwater.
Ground-Pound Switch	Switches that are activated by a ground-pound event.
Key	Keys that unlock Key Doors when collected.
Key Door	Doors that are unlocked when Keys are collected.
Launch Star	A powerful item that quickly launches Mario to another planet when the player shakes the Wii Remote near it.
Lever Switch	Switches that reveal portions of the level required to progress.
Note	Colorful musical notes that only appear after Mario has touched a ? Coin, after which a short trail of them appears in the immediate vicinity. When they are collected quickly, a short tune plays in the background. Collecting all of them causes either a power-up, a 1-Up Mushroom or a Power Star to appear.
Pull Star	An item that pulls Mario towards it when the player positions the Star Cursor over it and presses the button.
Purple Coin	A special variety of coin that only appears in galaxies when a Purple Comet is in orbit around a galaxy.
Red Shell	A red Koopa Shell that Mario can grab by touching it or spinning near it. When Mario launches it, it homes in on any nearby enemies. It gives a larger boost than the Green Shell when used underwater.
Sling Pod	A stretchy device that functions similar to a Sling Star, moving Mario to another area nearby.
Sling Star	A smaller version of a Launch Star that flings Mario to another planet or area when the player shakes the Wii Remote near it.
File:SMG Asset Model Sproutle Vine.png Sproutle Vine	A curved vine that Mario can slide on to reach another area.
Star Ball	A ball that Mario must roll to the end of the stage to release the Power Star contained within it.
Star Bit	One of the most common items in the game, Star Bits can be found almost everywhere and can be collected with the Star Cursor. Sometimes, Mario has to feed Star Bits to Hungry Lumas to advance. If 50 Star Bits are collected, Mario earns an extra life.
Star Chip	Small fragments of a Launch Star, Sling Star, or Pull Star. When all five have been found, they reform into their respective star and allow the player to advance. Yellow Star Chips are much more common than blue ones.
Stump	Tree stumps that can be ground-pounded to release items or trigger events.
Trampoline	Springs that bounce the player high in the air to reach items or platforms.
Treasure chest	Chests containing items, Toads, or Power Stars. They are typically opened with Koopa Shells.
Warp Pad	Pads found on the Comet Observatory that carry Mario to hard-to-reach areas.
Warp Pipe	Pipes that transport the player between areas or inside planets.
Watermelon	Projectiles similar to coconuts that can be thrown to defeat enemies.

Power-ups

Mario regains his ability to attain different abilities via special mushrooms, flowers, and stars, similar to Super Mario 64, in which he could obtain the Wing Cap, the Vanish Cap, and the Metal Cap to gain new powers. In this game, Mario uses seven power-ups to gain new abilities.

Power-Up	Transformation	Function
Bee Mushroom	Bee Mario	Allows Mario to fly for a short time when the button is held. Also allows Mario to stick to Honeycomb Walls, and gives him the ability to walk on flowers and clouds.
Boo Mushroom	Boo Mario	A mushroom that gives Mario the power of intangibility, and also allows him to float in the air with button taps. The Wii Remote can be shaken to go through certain objects.
Fire Flower	Fire Mario	A power-up that allows Mario to throw fireballs at his enemies by shaking the Wii Remote.
Ice Flower	Ice Mario	A power-up that allows Mario to freeze water or lava in small hexagonal ice platforms and skate across them freely.
Rainbow Star	Rainbow Mario	A power-up that turns Mario into Rainbow Mario, thereby making him completely invincible for a short time. After running for a while with this power-up active, Mario's top speed increases.
Red Star	Flying Mario	A power-up that holds the power of the Red Luma. It allows Mario to fly for a limited time by spinning while in the air. The player can also hold to stop and change the direction while flying. It resembles the Wing Cap from Super Mario 64.
Spring Mushroom	Spring Mario	A power-up that transforms Mario into Spring Mario, allowing him to bounce extremely high by pressing with good timing.

Power Stars

Item	Function
Grand Star	A special type of Power Star that is needed to power the Comet Observatory. There are 7 total.
Green Power Star	A very rare Power Star that can only be found in three galaxies in the game. They are used to unlock the Trial Galaxies.
Power Star	A regular star that Mario must collect to power up the various parts of the Comet Observatory and ultimately reach Bowser at the center of the universe. There are 110 total (including The Star Festival).
Red Power Star	An extremely rare Power Star that is guarded by the Red Luma. There is only one found in the entire game.
Silver Star	A special star that is always found in sets of five in some galaxies. When Mario collects all five of them, they merge into a Power Star.

Letters

At various points in the game, the Mailtoad gives the player a letter, which is sent to the Wii Message Board.

Whenever Luigi needs to be rescued after initially saving him from the Ghostly Galaxy, the letter says the following:

Dear Mario,
Oh, no! It's horrible!
Luigi has gone missing!
What will we do?!

Mailtoad

After rescuing Luigi each of these times, the letter says the following:

Dear Mario,

Thank you for saving Luigi! Keep trying to rescue those Power Stars, and we'll do our best to help! ♪

Mailtoad

After getting the 121st and final Power Star from the Grand Finale Galaxy, the letter will say the following:

Dear (Mii's name),

Congratulations! We would like to send you a galaxy sized thanks for saving all the Power Stars and playing to the very end.

Until next time;

The Super Mario Galaxy staff

Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack

Main article: Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the game was released called the Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack. There is a one-disc edition and a two-disc Platinum edition. It was exclusive to Club Nintendo members in Japan and Europe. The one-disc version was also included in certain bundles of the Wii in 2010 that also contained Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Development

Super Mario Galaxy finds its roots in the Super Mario 128 demo. Yoshiaki Koizumi, the director of the demo, wanted the part where Mario moves freely around a saucer-shaped platform to be included in an actual game, but found that implementing the concept would be technically demanding. Shigeru Miyamoto remained interested in the concept, and after Donkey Kong Jungle Beat's completion, asked the newly formed EAD Tokyo if they wanted to make a high-profile game starring established Nintendo characters, which led to one of the staff member suggesting that they had the skillset to make a Mario game. Yoshiaki Koizumi felt that the Jungle Beat team had the ability to make spherical platforms work and said that he wanted to make the game for the Wii.

Koizumi then gathered several other members in order to create a prototype. The outer space theme was chosen due to him finding that most players would interpret spherical shapes as planets, and gravity was added. The prototype was shown to Nintendo after three months of development, which approved it.

Although Miyamoto was not working full time at EAD Tokyo, he frequently visited the studio to share ideas and oversee development. One of his suggestions was to include a delay between spinning instead of having Mario spin continuously by shaking the Wii Remote, so that the game would be more challenging and interesting to play. A setup was eventually created so that both the Kyoto and Tokyo offices could playtest the game.

The development team made heavy use of play-testers due to the studio's experience while developing Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. One of Koizumi's main concern were the camera angles and the motion sickness they caused. He thought camera-induced motion sickness was a problem with 3D action games, and found neither Super Mario Sunshine nor Donkey Kong Jungle Beat's solutions satisfying.

EAD Tokyo was pressured to finish the game close to the Wii's launch, as several executives were disappointed by Super Mario Sunshine not being a Nintendo GameCube launch title and thought that an earlier release could have helped the GameCube's commercial performance. However, EAD Tokyo decided that making a polished Mario game was more important.

Promotion

Main article: List of Super Mario Galaxy trading cards

Trading cards were released to celebrate the release of Super Mario Galaxy. These helped amplify the publicity of the game. Each booster pack would have two regular cards, one trivia card, one standee, and one FunTat.

Reception

Super Mario Galaxy has been met with universal acclaim, receiving a GameRankings score of 97.64% from 78 reviews, making it the highest rated game on the website, while scoring a 97/100 on Metacritic, as of March 2019 the sixth-highest score on the website.

Famitsu Magazine has given Super Mario Galaxy a score of 38/40. The Official Nintendo Magazine UK gave the game 97%. It was called the best game of the decade and praised for having excellent graphics, sound and gameplay as well as a mixture of new features and classic features. Australia's longest-running unofficial multi-format gaming magazine, Hyper, scored the game 97 out of 100, tied for the highest score ever given in the history of the magazine, running since 1993.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Wii	Aaron Linde, Destructoid	9.6/10	"To say that they've succeeded almost isn't enough; Super Mario Galaxy is so incredible that it improves upon flaws in Mario 64 that I hadn't even noticed until, y'know, Galaxy did it better. And though there's little in the way of "innovation" of the genre, it's the refinement of the genre that solidifies Galaxy as the most essential platforming experience yet created."
Wii	Edge	10/10	"Since the end of the N64 era, as Nintendo has explored new pastures and methodically tended old ones, it's been easy to forget the times when every major release from the company felt like this. It's a bravura piece of design that pulls off stunts no one else has even thought of."
Wii	Margaret Robertson, Eurogamer	10/10	"The great challenge in making a follow-up to Mario 64 was always that to do it justice, you'd have to make a game which is as much its own as Mario 64 was. That's no easy task when you also have to integrate the traditions of two decades of Mario games and the expectations of millions of fans. Sunshine, despite its dazzle, ultimately collapsed under that weight, becoming repetitive and sometimes cumbersome as it tried to find the balance. Where Galaxy matches Mario 64 is not quite in its quality of execution - alongside the brilliance of some stars are others which fall a bit flat, and there isn't the overall sense of implacable perfection that that game had - but in its confidence and originality. Another decade needs to go by before we'll know whether it will come to be as revered as 64 did. For now, all that matters is that the waiting is finally over."
Wii	Alex Navarro, GameSpot	9.5/10	"The stellar presentation and fantastic level designs combine to make Super Mario Galaxy the Wii's game to beat and one of Mario's greatest adventures yet."
Wii	Matt Casamassina, IGN	9.7/10	"Galaxy isn't quite perfect. There are some minor issues -- tiny blemishes, if you will, hiding on the backside of a supermodel. There's the auto-camera, which works exceptionally well most of the time, but every so often stumbles. And there's the overall difficulty -- a little too easy to 60 stars and to defeat bosses for my tastes. But even with these potential drawbacks, Nintendo's Tokyo studio has created a platformer that deserves its place among the very best and will surely be remembered in another decade as a classic."
Wii	Anthony Dickens, Nintendo Life	10/10	"Super Mario Galaxy is a fantastic game, a game that displays Nintendo's continuing ambition to explore the possibilities of a 3D platformer, something that no-one else has really managed to do. It's considerably better than Super Mario Sunshine on all accounts, with the new emphasis on gravity it becomes once again a game that requires skill and timing rather than just an exploratory mind. This will be an instant hit and surely go down as one of the best Mario games. A must have for all."
Wii	Tom Orry, VideoGamer	9/10	"In the hands of anyone who's been longing for a true sequel to Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy could well be the game of the year, but it's nowhere near as revolutionary as Mario 64."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		97
GameRankings		97.64%

Awards and recognition

Super Mario Galaxy received Game of the Year in 2007 from IGN, GameSpot, Kotaku, and Yahoo! Games. Australian magazine Hyper also named Super Mario Galaxy as Game of the Year in 2007 as voted by its readers.

In 2007, the game won an award for "Best Audio Design” from Edge. In February 2008, the game received the "Adventure Game of the Year" award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences at the Interactive Achievement Awards.

In 2009, the game won “Best Game” at the 5th British Academy Games Awards. That same year, Guinness World Records ranked Super Mario Galaxy 29th in their list of top 50 console games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.

The game placed 51st in the 200th Issue of GameInformer's "Top 200 Games of All Time". Nintendo Power ranked it as best Mario mainstream title in its May 2012 issue, as well as the third-best game ever released on a Nintendo console in its final issue.

Sales

Super Mario Galaxy has been a commercial success, selling 350,000 units in Japan within its first few weeks of sale. In the United States, the game sold 500,000 units within its first week of release, earning it the highest first-week sales for a Mario game in the country at the time.Super Mario Galaxy is the 8th best-selling game for the Wii, selling 12.72 million copies worldwide as of September 2017.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars description

• "It's the night of the Star Festival, and Star Bits are falling from the sky! As everyone celebrates, Bowser suddenly appears and lifts the castle—and Princess Peach—into space, leaving Mario stranded in orbit! It's here that Mario meets a curious star child, Luma, and a mysterious woman in blue...This game introduced new ways to control Mario, like pointing and shaking the Wii Remote, as he explores miniature planets with fun forms of gravity."

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Super Mario Galaxy media.

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario Galaxy.

• 

  Mario and Luma

• 

  Bee Luigi

• 

  Airship

• 

  Mario, Peach, and Lumas

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  Luigi, Rosalina, Captain Toad and the Toad Brigade

Quotes

Main article: List of Super Mario Galaxy quotes

Bowser

• "Princess Peach! You are formally invited...to the creation of my new galaxy! Gwahahaha! This festival's over!"
• "BWAHAHAHA! You finally made it! Just in time for me to stomp you into space bits!"
• "WHAA--?! IT'S YOU! That's it, Mario! I'm gonna stomp you into space bits!"
• "Finally! You got here just in time to see the creation of my galaxy in the center of the universe! WATCH AND WEEP! From this galaxy, I'll rule a great galactic empire with Peach by my side. It will last forever! I will rule every pitiful corner of the universe. So, Mario, as you can see, I got big plans. And stomping you is at the top of my list!"
• "NOOOOO! My galaxy! My empire! This can't be happening..."

Queen Bee

• "And who might you be? A physician, we presume? No matter. We are in the most vexing predicament and require assistance. The most furious itchiness plagues our entire being! It must be stopped! Please find the source at once!"
• "Yes that's the ticket!"
• "Ah...that feels goooood!"
• "Ahoo hoo! That tickles!"
• "My thanks! You have shown much bravery, New Bee. We trust that we may rely on you in the future!"
• "The neighbors are causing trouble again. We would be most grateful for your assistance!"

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Super Mario Galaxy pre-release and unused content

Rosalina was intended to be related to Princess Peach, and Rosalina had a very similar appearance reflecting this. Bonefin Galaxy was intended to be much darker, as was Deep Dark Galaxy. These were changed in the interest of playability. Guppy was originally a dolphin, and a friendly character. Some art of the Sea Slide and Beach Bowl Galaxies suggests that they were conceived as a single galaxy, with beach bowl's main planet in the center of Sea Slide's ring. A piece of concept art labeled only "fortress" is captioned as a piece that is very memorable to the SMG development team, since it was one of the earliest drawings of Galaxy. Ironically, the planet shown in the art is nowhere in the final game.

Controversy

Super Mario Galaxy was the first Mario game to be officially localized to French for Quebec; that market had previously received Mario titles in English rather than French. This followed a deal between the Office québécois de la langue française and the video game industry to have every game available for that region in French by 2009. In the Quebec localization, NPCs (particularly the Lumas and the Toad Brigade) make heavy use of Joual accents and slang. This localization choice sparked a minor controversy, with representatives of the OQLF and the Union des artistes criticizing it for promoting poor literacy to children. A Nintendo representative responded that the localization was made with "localizing for the market" in mind, as the Quebec market made up 25% of sales for Nintendo of Canada at the time.

Following the negative reception to the localizations of Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (which featured a similarly Joual-heavy localization), later Canadian French localizations would be written in Standard French (with the exception of the similarly-localized Paper Mario: Sticker Star, as well as the Pokémon series which would simply retain its European French localizations and corresponding slang).

Glitches

Main article: List of Super Mario Galaxy glitches

Out of bounds in Freezeflame Galaxy

To perform this glitch the player should go to the Freezeflame Galaxy's mission Hot and Cold Collide. Mario should reach the second planet and triple-jump in the walkway between the sides of the planet. The player should use the slope-climbing glitch to reach the top of the planet. When the player walks on the planet, random textures of ice water will appear. The planet surface will also appear in the wrong spot or be invisible.

Bowser's Star Reactor death glitch

When the player enters Bowser's Star Reactor they must get to the end of the Loop Planet and get on the platform. If they do a long jump toward the Gravity Planet while the platform is moving, Mario will fall towards the gravity planet and die, tumbling as if he went into a black hole.

Staff

Main article: List of Super Mario Galaxy staff

A team of 100 individuals were involved in the development and publishing of Super Mario Galaxy, not counting those who merely localized the game for American and European audiences. The game's diverse staff ranged from Mario franchise veterans to newcomers.

Shigeru Miyamoto conceived the game and was its co-producer with Takao Shimizu. Yoshiaki Koizumi was the director and chief designer. The level design was directed by Koichi Hayashida, the programming by Naoki Koga, and the sound by Masafumi Kawamura. Characters original to the game were designed by a team of six people — Atsushi Mishima, Daisuke Watanabe, Rikuto Yoshida, Masanori Esaki, Kazuhiro Saito, and Takumi Ishii. Koji Kondo co-wrote the game's soundtrack with Mahito Yokota.

This is the first Super Mario game to feature Bowser's current voice actor, Kenny James.

The staff credits in the Nvidia Shield edition shows three people in charge of Chinese localization, as well as an "iQue testing group" for testing. It is possible that the game was fully translated for the iQue Wii release before the console was canceled.

References to other games

• Super Mario Bros. - Several sprites from this game appear here, including a planet in the Toy Time Galaxy, Mario sprites being in the background of a particular Bowser galaxy, and the background of the Flipswitch Galaxy which has scenery of the overworld and underground levels. Also, Toy Time Galaxy's music is a rearrangement of the overworld theme from this game. Several galaxies use a remix of a small portion of the underground theme from this game. Also, an arrangement of the underground theme is used for several galaxies, starting with Flipswitch Galaxy. Some of the musical notes are music from the game such as the underground theme and the underwater theme.
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - Luigi's higher jumping and lower traction returns.
• Super Mario Bros. 3 - Several music tracks from this game are rearranged here. Airships also return.
• Dr. Mario - A planet shaped like a giant Megavitamin cameos.
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Rainbow Mario's theme is an orchestral remix of Superstar Mario's theme from this game.
• Super Mario 64 - Tox Boxes and Bomps from this game return. The music of some Bowser galaxies are rearranged from Super Mario 64. In both games, after the credits and an ending screen is displayed, Mario would say "Thank you so much for playing my game!".
• Paper Mario - Both games begin with a letter being sent from Peach to Mario. Also, Bowser's way of kidnapping Peach (by lifting the entire castle into the sky) is reused here. They also have stories of baby stars.
• Luigi's Mansion - When the player first sees Luigi, he is trapped in a Ghost House. Mario freeing him is a direct spoof of Luigi's Mansion, as in Luigi's Mansion it was the direct opposite. Also, the music that is being played when a boss tower is unlocked sounds suspiciously like the Luigi's Mansion "Dark Room" theme.
• Super Mario Sunshine - Fire Pressures and Water Shooters, which appear in various galaxies, have a strong resemblance to F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzle. The goal in the Loopdeeloop Galaxy and the Loopdeeswoop Galaxy is also shaped in a Shine Sprite. Blue Cataquacks are present in two galaxies.
• Super Mario 64 DS - The Silver Stars from this game return in Super Mario Galaxy.
• Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - The flowers that Donkey Kong flings off of were reused in Super Mario Galaxy.
• Mario Party 7/Mario Party 8 - If a Dry Bones falls into quicksand in Dusty Dune Galaxy, the cry Dry Bones makes when it is "blown away" in these games can be heard.

References in later games

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Super Mario Galaxy appears listed in the game's Chronicles, despite of none of the actual contents were being used.
• Mario Kart Wii - Rosalina can be unlocked by having save data from Super Mario Galaxy. The Rainbow Road course is set in space and is full of Star Bits; a portion of its music is based on the Good Egg Galaxy's theme. Spiky Topmen were bosses in multiple online tournaments, and finally, the countdown sequence for starting a minigame returns as the official sequence for starting races and battles in this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The spike ball move used by Bowser in the last boss fight returns in this game.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - Both the Individual and Team versions of Dream Ski Jumping take place in the Good Egg Galaxy. A few music tracks from Super Mario Galaxy can be bought.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii - During the credits, Peach can be heard reading the letter she sends to Mario at the beginning of Super Mario Galaxy.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 - This is the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy with the engine reused, with many elements returning such as the reused voices, while others are new.
• Super Mario 3D Land - The haunted house theme and the arrangement of the Airship Theme are reused. Several other music tracks and voice clips from Super Mario Galaxy were reused for this game.
• Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games - Dream Spacewalk is heavily inspired by Super Mario Galaxy, featuring Dino Piranha as a boss in the Synchro Battle Galaxy, a location based on elements of the Good Egg Galaxy and Gateway Galaxy as well as the Sky Station Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy 2. The event also features sound effects from Super Mario Galaxy and uses the spin attack in combat. Dream Hurdles takes place in the Battlerock Galaxy. Rearrangements of several tracks appear in the game, including Dino Piranha's theme, the Battlerock Galaxy and the Purple Coins music. A Mii outfit based on Bee Mario can be unlocked in the game, and Mario's special dash has also been updated to resemble the spin attack.
• Mario Kart 7 - On the Rosalina's Ice World course, the Comet Observatory is visible in the background. Also, Queen Bee can be unlocked as a playable character in this game.
• Mario Party 9 - The Ground-Pound Switch icon appears on Wiggler's body segments and on Whomp's back. Also, the music of some Bowser Jr. minigames is a rearrangement of Bowser Jr.'s theme of this game.
• Mario Tennis Open - The Comet Observatory appears as an unlockable court. The music played is an arrangement of the original theme and the music for the special game Galaxy Rally is an arrangement of the Good Egg Galaxy theme. Also, in the title screen, the player can see the Comet Observatory in the background.
• Mario Party: Island Tour - Rocket Road is based on the Comet Observatory. Also, Rosalina and the Lumas appear on this board. The minigame Gyro for the Gold plays very similarly to the Star Ball.
• Super Mario 3D World/Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - There are secret underground rooms where the player can collect sequences of coins for a limited time and receive a prize if all coins are collected. In the promotional spread, a silhouette which appears to be the Comet Observatory can be seen in the stars behind Bowser's Highway. The Light Boxes' light can defeat ghosts like in this game. Rosalina's special ability is the spinning ability Mario uses. Super Galaxy, a stage based off of the Super Mario Galaxy games appears, and so do Octoombas and the Comet Observatory. The Comet Observatory theme (3rd version) plays in the World Crown map area, while an arrangement of Gusty Garden Galaxy's theme can be heard in Honeycomb Starway, Honeycomb Skyway, and Champion's Road. The overworld map of World Star has Star Bits in the background. Also, the Toad Brigade theme is reused on the Captain Toad levels. Also, sound effects from Super Mario Galaxy are reused.
• Mario Golf: World Tour - Mario's Star uses elements from Super Mario Galaxy such as Star Bits. The music used in Wiggler Park uses a rearrangement of Honeyhive Galaxy's music.
• Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - An image of a Luma can be seen from an airplane (from Galaxy Air airlines) at the Sunshine Airport course, as well as on the Star Cup trophy. Also, part of Cloudtop Cruise's music is an arrangement of Gusty Garden Galaxy's music.
• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - There is a stage based on this game and Super Mario Galaxy 2, with the Starship Mario and Airship appearing in the background of the main stage. Rosalina is playable in this game, and her moves use objects from Super Mario Galaxy, such as Star Bits and Launch Stars.
• Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition - Mario's Bee and Boo forms appear in this game as Helpers for the player's team, as well as Rosalina. Gusty Garden Galaxy's music is used for this game's credits.
• Super Mario Maker - The victory and death themes from Super Mario Galaxy are used when the Rosalina costume completes a level or loses a life, respectively.
• Mario Party: Star Rush - Gusty Garden Galaxy's theme appears as one of the songs in the Rhythm Recital mode for this game.
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Bee Mushrooms can be found on tubes of honey. Peach shouting for Mario from this game can be heard whenever she is defeated in battle.
• Super Mario Odyssey - A sprite of Rosalina can be found in the Dark Side and Darker Side. The jingle that plays when Mario collects a new power-up is reused for when the Odyssey is restored. Peach's call to Mario from this game is heard during the opening sequence after Mario is knocked off of Bowser's airship, but in a higher pitch. The regional coins in the Moon Kingdom are based on the shape of Star Bits.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - The Mario Galaxy stage returns in this game. Boo Mario, Luma, Hungry Luma, and Queen Bee appears as spirits using their artwork from Super Mario Galaxy.
• Super Mario Maker 2 - A sound effect that plays Gusty Garden Galaxy's theme is available.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Chinese (simplified)	超级马力欧银河 Chāojí Mǎlìōu Yínhé	Super Mario Galaxy
Chinese (traditional)	超级瑪利歐銀河 Chāojí Mǎlìōu Yínhé	Super Mario Galaxy
Korean	슈퍼 마리오 Wii 갤럭시 어드벤처 Syupeo Mario Wii Gaelleoksi Eodeubencheo	Super Mario Wii: Galaxy Adventure

Trivia

• Coincidently, the title "Super Mario Galaxy" was first mentioned in a fan letter written to Nintendo Power by Jimmy Peterford of Glen Cove, New York in December 1991. The letter detailed a fantasy game console called the "Raw Power System", which would come bundled with a game named "Super Mario Galaxy". In Peterford's words, would be "better known as Super Mario Bros. 24!"
• Shigeru Miyamoto described Super Mario Galaxy as "the true sequel to Super Mario 64" during the game's development.
• The developement team tried to follow loose guidance from Satoru Iwata by striving to make the game playable for anyone between ages "5 and 95".
• Due to a mix-up, an automated phone message sent to people those who preordered the game at GameStop stated Super Mario Galaxy is a Mature-rated game.
• The galaxy image in the Super Mario Galaxy title is an edited version of the photograph Robert Gendler took of the Andromeda Galaxy in 2005.
• The save data description is "Launch into a cosmic adventure!"
• Super Mario Galaxy is an established model in neurobiology for studies investigating how consistent engagement with interactive stimuli affects grey matter in elderly people.
• The Nvidia Shield version of Super Mario Galaxy showed copyright information "© 2007-2008 Nintendo". It was unknown what 2008 means in this context, but it possibly refers to the year Super Mario Galaxy was planned for release on the iQue Wii before the console failed to make its way into the Chinese market.
• Despite Super Mario Galaxy receiving an official Chinese (Simplified Chinese) release on the Nvidia Shield, localized by iQue, Super Mario 3D All-Stars does not include Chinese script in-game and only offers menu translation for the Chinese-speaking audience.
• The Nvidia Shield TV version lacks the option to use Miis as a save icon because the Nvidia Shield TV does not support Miis. This change is carried over to the 3D All-Stars version even though the Nintendo Switch has an integrated Mii Maker.

External links

• Japanese Website
• American Website
• European Website
• Korean Website
• Chinese Website (From Nvidia)
• Prologue Video (IGN)
• Super Mario Galaxy Reviews, Guide, Videos, Screenshots and more! (IGN)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Gamewise)