User:Nintendo101

Casual Nintendo historian. Otherwise an artist and a professional zoologist. Bio degree. I've had an account here since 2012.

I wrote the character sections for Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario Odyssey. I contributed much of the article for Super Mario Sunshine and am currently working on Super Mario Galaxy.

I have been a fan of Nintendo since a very young age. My first Mario games (and three of the first video games I ever owned) were Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Super Mario 64 DS, and Mario Kart DS. These games were good company for a young kid who moved around a lot and had difficulty keeping long-lasting friends.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I sequentially played some of my favorite games in the Super Mario series to 100% completion. This includes, in order, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. I will complete this marathon with Super Mario Odyssey. It's been really fun so far! These are great games, and I always wanted to marathon a series like this before but never had the time. It has been interesting to see where the series began and where it has ended up. The design philosophies, the characters, the art directions, world building, level design, narrative, etc. All good stuff. It might be fun to write something about it some day.

My favorite video game character is Yoshi.

Sandbox for current project

Setting

portal.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is set in outer space. Unlike its predecessor, no levels – referred to as "galaxies" in this game – take place on Mario's home planet. A galaxy is a cluster of small planetary bodies and other celestial objects that can be traveled between. As in the first Super Mario Galaxy, most planets have their own gravitational pull that prevents Mario from falling down pits and makes it less likely for the player to become lost. Not all planets have their own centers of gravity: some have layouts more comparable to the courses of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. There is a great emphasis on two-dimensional gameplay in Super Mario Galaxy 2, with entire galaxies exclusively or mostly taking place on a 2D plane. The presence of these types of levels derive from an intentional design choice to make the game simpler and more accessible to players daunted by three-dimensional platformers. Many galaxies focus on the integration of switches to change the mechanics of a galaxy as it is played, a concept loosely influenced by design choices made to differentiate The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask from its predecessor, Ocarina of Time. There are galaxies built around using switches to shift the gravitational plane from the floor to the ceiling; ones that slow down time; and ones that grant access to new areas.

Because Super Mario Galaxy 2 was built in the same engine as Super Mario Galaxy and inherited most of its assets, the games visually look very similar to each other. Super Mario Galaxy 2 has inherited many of the same visual cues to communicate that the game takes place in space in addition to establishing its own. Starship Mario, the spacefaring hub, flies by stars, asteroid belts, and black holes as Mario progresses. The outer space theme, though still present and explored in some different ways, is overall a little more muted in this game with the deemphasis on traversing 3D planets and integration of blue skyboxes over dark, starry ones. The game's core is whimsical.

Galaxies

Departure from proceeding 3D games - the hub is not a sprawling area with individual level access points - it is more like a home. On the Grand World Map, its a stand-in for Mario himself, similar to sprite icons in past games, moving from galaxy to galaxy

Simplified "world" layout comparable to those of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Yoshi's Island (rather unilateral: not as complex as Super Mario World or Super Mario Land 2)

Organization of levels becomes a little more complex with each world, but it always begins with a normal galaxy and ends with a boss castle galaxy; no worlds can be skipped over to reach the credits

Bonus "World S", similar in concept to Star Road or World 9 from NSMBW

Normal galaxies have two normal missions, a prankster comet, and two "needle in hay stack" styled Green Stars unlocked once all normal Power Stars have been collected

Galaxies
World 1: The Great Space Journey Begins
01. Sky Station Galaxy ×6 ×9 ×2				Missions		02. Yoshi Star Galaxy ×6 ×8 ×2 ×1				Missions
				Peewee Piranha's Temper Tantrum ( ∙ )						Saddle Up with Yoshi ( ∙ ∙ )
				Storming the Sky Fleet ()						Spiny Control
				Peewee Piranha's Speed Run						Spiny Rainbow Romp
nihil Unlock criterion: complete the prologue						nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Peewee Piranha's Temper Tantrum"
03. Spin-Dig Galaxy ×6 ×7 ×2				Missions		04. Fluffy Bluff Galaxy ×6 ×4				Missions
				Digga-Leg's Planet ( ∙ )						Search for the Toad Brigade Captain ( ∙ ∙ )
				Silver Stars Down Deep ()						Every Planet Has Its Price
				Digga-Leg's Daredevil Run						The Chimp's Stomp Challenge
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 3 Power Stars and complete "Saddle Up with Yoshi"						nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Digga-Leg's Planet"
05. Flip-Swap Galaxy () ×4 ×1				Missions		06. Rightside Down Galaxy ×4 ×2				Missions
				Think Before You Shake ( ∙ )						Breaking the Laws of Gravity ( ∙ )
				Purple Coin Flip 'n' Sprint						The Great Crate Incinerator
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 3 Power Stars, complete "Saddle Up with Yoshi", and feed the Luma 300 Star Bits						nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Digga-Leg's Planet"
07. Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla ×4 ×2 ×2				Missions
				Gobblegut's Aching Belly ( ∙ )
				Fiery Flotilla Speed Run
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 7 Power Stars and complete a mission in Fluffy Bluff
World 2: Shooting Through the Stars
08. Puzzle Plank Galaxy ×6 ×6 ×2				Missions		09. Hightail Falls Galaxy ×6 ×7 ×3				Missions
				The Puzzling Picture Block ( ∙ ∙ )						Hot-Stepping Dash Pepper ( ∙ ∙ )
				Purple Coin Shadow Vault						Hightail Falls Speed Run
				Bugaboom's Back						Silver Stars in Hightail Falls
nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Gobblegut's Aching Belly"						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Puzzle Plank
10. Boulder Bowl Galaxy ×6 ×6 ×1				Missions		11. Cosmic Cove Galaxy ×6 ×4				Missions
				Rock and Rollodillo ( ∙ ∙ )						Twin Falls Hideaway ()
				Rolling Crabber Romp						Exploring the Cosmic Cavern ( ∙ )
				C'mere, Goomba						Catch That Star Bunny
nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Puzzle Plank						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Hightail Falls or Boulder Bowl
12. Wild Glide Galaxy ×4 ×1				Missions		13. Honeybloom Galaxy () ×4 ×2				Missions
				Fluzzard's First Flight ( ∙ )						Bumble Beginnings ( ∙ )
				Jungle Fluzzard Race						The Secret Wall Jump
nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Hightail Falls or Boulder Bowl						nihil Unlock criteria: complete a mission in Hightail Falls or Boulder Bowl and feed the Luma 700 Star Bits
14. Bowser's Lava Lair ×4 ×7 ×1				Missions
				Bowser's Big Lava Power Party ( ∙ )
				Lava Lair Speed Run
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 14 Power Stars and complete a mission in Cosmic Cove, Wild Glide, or Honeybloom
World 3: The Far Reaches of the Universe
15. Tall Trunk Galaxy ×6 ×5 ×1				Missions		16. Cloudy Court Galaxy ×6 ×5				Missions
				The Flotacious Blimp Fruit ( ∙ )						Head in the Clouds ( ∙ ∙ )
				Tall Trunk's Big Slide ()						The Shadow Lining
				Tall Trunk's Purple Coin Slide						Silver Stars in the Purple Pond
nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Bowser's Big Lava Power Party"						nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Bowser's Big Lava Power Party"
17. Haunty Halls Galaxy ×6 ×4 ×1				Missions		18. Freezy Flake Galaxy ×6 ×6 ×1				Missions
				A Glimmer of Bulb Berry ( ∙ )						Bowser on Ice ( ∙ )
				Sneaking Down the Creepy Corridor ()						Sorbetti's Chilly Reception ()
				Spooky Cosmic Clone Chase						The Chimp's Skating Challenge
nihil Unlock criteria: complete a mission in Tall Trunk or Freezy Flake						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Cloudy Court or Haunty Halls
19. Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy ×4 ×9				Missions		20. Beat Block Galaxy () ×4 ×3 ×1				Missions
				Silver Chomp Grudge Match ( ∙ )						Step to the Beep ( ∙ )
				Masterpiece Speed Run						Silver Stars in Double Time
nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Freezy Flake						nihil Unlock criterion: complete "A Glimmer of Bulb Berry" and feed the Luma 1000 Star Bits
21. Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet ×4 ×5 ×2 ×2				Missions
				Bowser Jr.'s Mighty Megahammer ( ∙ )
				Megahammer's Daredevil Bash
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 28 Power Stars and complete "Bowser's Big Lava Power Party"
World 4: The Many Mysteries of the Cosmos
22. Supermassive Galaxy ×6 ×5				Missions		23. Flipsville Galaxy ×6 ×8 ×1				Missions
				Huge Trouble with Big Wigglers ( ∙ ∙ )						Flip-Flopping in Flipsville ( ∙ ∙ )
				Big Wigglers Speed Run						Flipsville's New Digs
				In Full Bloom						Purple Coin Spin Speed Run
nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Bowser Jr.'s Mighty Megahammer"						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Supermassive or Sweet Mystery
24. Starshine Beach Galaxy ×6 ×2 ×2				Missions		25. Chompworks Galaxy ×6 ×5				Missions
				Surf, Sand, and Silver Stars ( ∙ )						Where the Chomps Are Made of Gold ( ∙ )
				Climbing the Cloudy Tower ()						Spring into the Chompworks ()
				Purple Coin Beach Dash						Cosmic Clones in the Chompworks
nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Flipsville or Honeyhop						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Flipsville or Honeyhop
26. Sweet Mystery Galaxy () ×4 ×2 ×2				Missions		27. Honeyhop Galaxy ×4 ×2				Missions
				Bulb Berry's Mysterious Glow ( ∙ )						The Sweetest Silver Stars ( ∙ )
				Bulb Berry's Purple Coin Glow						The Chimp's Score Challenge
nihil Unlock criteria: complete "Bowser Jr.'s Mighty Megahammer" and feed the Luma 1200 Star Bits						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Supermassive
28. Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet ×4 ×4 ×1				Missions
				Breaking into Bowser's Castle ( ∙ )
				Gravity Star Speed Run
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 40 Power Stars and complete a mission in Starshine Beach or Chompworks
World 5: Trial of the Galaxies
29. Space Storm Galaxy ×6 ×5				Missions		30. Slipsand Galaxy ×6 ×5 ×2				Missions
				Follow Me, Bob-omb						Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole
				To the Top of Topman's Tower						Sailing the Sandy Seas
				C'mere, Topman						Squizzard's Daredevil Run
nihil Unlock criterion: complete "Breaking into Bowser's Castle"						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Space Storm
31. Shiverburn Galaxy ×6 ×4 ×1				Missions		32. Boo Moon Galaxy ×6 ×5				Missions
				Prince Pikante's Peppery Mood						Silver Stars Pop-Up
				Octo-Army Icy Rainbow Romp						Haunting the Howling Tower
				The Chimp's Ultimate Skating Challenge						The Star in the Sinking Swamp
nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Space Storm						nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Space Storm
33. Upside Dizzy Galaxy ×4 ×2				Missions		34. Fleet Glide Galaxy () ×4 ×1				Missions
				A Walk on the Weird Side						Fluzzard's Wild Battlefield Glide
				Burning Upside Dizzy						Fastest Feathers in the Galaxy
nihil Unlock criterion: complete a mission in Space Storm						nihil Unlock criteria: complete a mission in Space Storm and feed the Luma 1500 Star Bits
35. Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker ×4 ×6 ×2				Missions
				Breaking into Bowser's Castle
				Gravity Star Speed Run
nihil Unlock criteria: collect 55 Power Stars and complete a mission in Space Storm

Prankster Comets

No galaxy has more than one non-green Prankster Comet

Starship Mario

Hub terraformed to look like Mario's head by Lubba

Rouge group of Lumas live on it, inc. Lubba and Baby Luma

As Mario progresses, power-ups are added to the engine room. Cloud Flower and Yoshi Egg become usable. Visual mark of progress.

Stowaways

Another mark of progress - NPCs permently board the ship once specific criteria are met (what are they? Just finishing certain missions or are they tied to Power Stars?)

The NPCs share tricks on level progression and actions: some allude to late-game secrets, or are marks of progress for the player

As the Starship becomes more lively, the music becomes more flourished and complex

(include mini list for NPCs, unlock criteria, and their quotes - no pictures. The pictures for characters are in the following section)

No Piantas :<