Star Ball
- Not to be confused with Star Sphere.
| Star Ball | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario Galaxy | |
| First appearance | Super Mario Galaxy (2007) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) |
- “Hey, it's me, Bill Board! If you want to ride on this Star Ball, listen up!”
- —Bill Board in the Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2
The Star Ball, originally known as the Rolling Ball,[1] is a large rideable sphere in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. It appears in the Rolling Green Galaxy, the Rolling Gizmo Galaxy, and the Melty Molten Galaxy during Through the Meteor Storm in Super Mario Galaxy. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, it is found in the Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy and the Rolling Coaster Galaxy. The Star Ball is visually similar to a Super Ball, complete with shards of glitter. In nearly all contexts, the Star Ball contains a Power Star. In the mission Purple Coins on the Rainbow Road, the Star Ball has a purple hue and instead contains a Purple Coin.
The player can control the Star Ball by first jumping on top of it, pointing 
straight up, and then tilting it in a direction while trying to move at a steady pace. Once Mario (or Luigi) is on the Star Ball, he cannot dismount it. Mario's objective is to ride the Star Ball into a divot marked by a yellow flag, which is similar to a golf hole. To get to the flag, Mario must bypass numerous obstacles, including narrow ledges and moving platforms. Any enemies in the path of the Star Ball are crushed. Additionally, the speed at which Mario rolls affects the speed and the pitch of the background music being played.
Once Mario rolls the Star Ball into the divot, the ball explodes, and the Power Star within is released. The Power Star moves itself to a flagpole found at the end of the course, where Mario must climb up in order to collect it. In Purple Coins on the Rainbow Road, the purple Star Ball releases one of the 100 Purple Coins needed to make a Power Star appear. This is the 110th coin, assuming the player successfully collected all of the other ones on the course.
Gallery[edit]
Model
Mario rolling in the Rolling Green Galaxy
Mario rolling in the Rolling Gizmo Galaxy
Mario about to roll in the Melty Molten Galaxy
Mario rolling in the Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy
Mario rolling in the Rolling Coaster Galaxy
The ball in the Rolling Coaster Galaxy containing a Purple Coin
Additional names[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
ObjectData/Tamakoro.arc | Tamakoro | Portmanteau of「玉」(tama, ball) and「コロコロ」(korokoro, onomatopoeia for rolling) |
| Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
StageData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | たまころ (Tamakoro) | Portmanteau of「玉」(tama, ball) and「コロコロ」(korokoro, onomatopoeia for rolling) |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | タマコロ[2][3] Tamakoro |
Portmanteau of「玉」(tama, ball) and「コロコロ」(korokoro, onomatopoeia for rolling) | |
| Chinese | 星星球[?] Xīngxīng Qiú |
Star Ball | |
| French | Boule Étoilée[?] | Starry Ball | |
| German | Sternenball[?] | Star Ball | |
| Italian | Astrosfera[?] | Astro Ball | |
| Spanish | Bola[?] | Ball |
Trivia[edit]
- Bandai produced Super Ball toys for Super Mario Galaxy, each one containing an item from the game. The one containing a Power Star incidentally makes the whole toy resemble the Star Ball. It is viewable here in the upper left.
- There are three themes used for riding on the Star Ball. The first one is used in the Rolling Green Galaxy, Rolling Gizmo Galaxy, and Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy; the second one is used in the second mission of the Melty Molten Galaxy; and the third one is an arranged version of the song "Slider," which plays in The Princess's Secret Slide, Tick Tock Clock, and Rainbow Ride in Super Mario 64, used in the Rolling Coaster Galaxy.
