Rings or zipper gates[1] are underwater objects that Mario and Luigi can interact with in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. They are colored orange and off-white, with red outer rims. When the player approaches a ring, a small whirlpool can be seen within the inside of the ring. Swimming through one will grant the player a brief speed boost. Rings can be found in the Sea Slide Galaxy, Deep Dark Galaxy, and Slimy Spring Galaxy, usually alongside Green Shells or Red Shells. Passing through a ring while riding a shell will make Mario or Luigi spin as he is boosted forward.
Sets of similar-looking rings appear in missions where the player must chase Guppy in the Sea Slide Galaxy and Deep Dark Galaxy. These do not provide a speed boost, but they instead serve as the main objective during Guppy's missions.
^Catherine Browne. Super Mario Galaxy 2: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Random House Inc. Archived in 2020 on the Internet Archive. ISBN 0307469077. Published 23 May 2010. Accessed 16 Jun 2022.