Super Mario Galaxy

Cosy up and snuggle down for tonight your adventure will take you out of this world as you explore Super Mario Galaxy.

You wake to find yourself suspended, weightless, near the surface of a vibrant green and grey planet. You observe that it consists of grey rocks festooned with lush grass and fragrant flowers whose yellow petals glow in the warmth and light of a blue sky. The air is filled with the sound of running water and a curious buzzing. You are amongst rocks and waterfalls.  Around you there are wooden structures and you notice planks attached like the rungs of a ladder leading up a rockface in front of you. Your way is blocked by a very angry looking, brown mushroom - known as a Goomba. You would rather not deal with it right now so you jump over it and land on the ladder. You ascend the ladder with ease through a passageway carved into the rocks. At the top you encounter a vine dangling within your reach. You grab a hold and swing high into the air. As you descend, you collect two gold coins. These reward you with what seem to be bits of coloured stars and you land safely on the grass.

Once again, your way forward is blocked by a large, fierce looking Goomba. This one you cannot avoid. You run forward and spin into it. It disappears in a puff of smoke and rewards you with three more coloured star fragments. You suddenly remember that these are Star Bits, and will be important for you to navigate the rest of the galaxy and the planets within. With renewed vigour and excitement, you climb the ladder.

At the top you encounter a strange looking item. It is a power-up that looks like a mushroom wearing a large, furry hat covered in brown and yellow stripes. You find the pattern vaguely familiar but before you can work out what it reminds you of, you run into it and find yourself transformed into… a bee! For a moment you hover in the air, marvelling at your transformation. You beat your wings rapidly and are amazed at their ability to propel you through the air. Their high-pitched buzzing delights you as you flit about testing your newfound manoeuvrability. Hovering above the ground you spy an outcrop of green, translucent crystals on the earth below. Flying into them, you discover you can still spin only now you leave a golden trail of honey in your wake. The crystals shatter into Star Bits and you quickly collect them all. You are pleased with your ability to fly and that you will no longer need to climb ladders.

Moving swiftly on you come across a flight of waterfalls that rise like steps ahead of you. In front of them is a golden lever with a flag attached. The flag has an image of Bowser on it, and you wonder if this is one of his traps. Cautiously, you grab hold of the lever and, beating your wings furiously, pull it towards you. Suddenly, with a flash of golden light, the flag turns to red with an image of Mario on it! You know what to do, and quickly race up the waterfall. You know every mushroom and leaf you encounter will burst into Star Bits. Having collecting them all, you find you are amongst the clouds. You are thrilled to discover that you can stand on the clouds and they renew your energy.

After more exploration and as you become more fluent with your bee wings, you approach another golden lever. This time you do not worry about the black Bowser flag and grab the lever without hesitating. However, the flag doesn’t change colour. Instead, the image of Bowser begins to smile. But there is no time to think about that now. You are already fast approaching a series of bright orange poles which you will need to climb. You do not have the energy to fly all the way to the top of them and there is nowhere to rest. To make things worse, some of the poles are being guarded by black soot monsters moving up and down. Utilising all your skills, you alternate between climbing the poles and flying around the soot monsters.  You arrive at the top of the level feeling a little curious. Why didn’t the soot monsters put up more of a fight? Before you have time to figure it out you are distracted with your next challenge.

Your way forward is blocked by plants that don’t at first appear harmful. Instead of flowers with petals, their coiled stems end in a green ball covered in small red cones. As you fly forward, they suddenly straighten their stem, closing the distance between you and them, and the red cones turn into vicious spikes. It takes lightning reactions and all your skill at flying to avoid them. After passing the last of the plants, you see a beautiful flower hovering in front of you. Above it is a gold coin. You bounce on the centre of the flower and are sprung into the air. With each bounce you gain more height until the coin is yours. There are many more flowers ahead and you bounce from one to another, until the last one sends you soaring up into the sky. High above you is a trail of leaves leading to a cloud. You are delighted to discover a Power Star just above your head. Transforming back into your own body, you launch yourself from the cloud and grab it.

To your surprise the Power Star doesn’t take you back to Rosalina in the Comet Observatory. Instead, you find yourself hurtling through space towards a much darker part of the galaxy. The light begins to fade, and the blue skies begin to turn black and empty. You know now that the Star Bits you’ve collected have helped propel you from this world to the next. You can just make out a few small stars, but they are a long way away. In the gloom you begin to see the outline of a strange, new planet. You recognise now that Bowser tricked you into collecting the Power Star, but you’re not worried as you’ve defeated him before.

You are standing in the ruins of a garden, surrounded by dead trees and broken walls, patrolled by Goomba guards. Beyond the garden is a large, grey mansion. The windows are all dark, but the front doors are open, and you can see a dimly lit hall inside. As you enter, a large white ghost appears at the top of the stairs and makes its way towards you. You are not afraid. Looking around you see a large blue lever to the right of the stairs. You pull it and the ceiling light switches on, sending a shaft of bright white light downwards, trapping the ghost. Suddenly, the ghost vanishes in a puff of smoke and is replaced by a large golden key. As you collect the key, a pair of doors at the top of the stairs open, inviting you in.

This room is one of the strangest you have ever seen. There seems to be no right way up. Windows containing swirling black holes are on every surface and there are Pumpkinhead Goombas walking on the walls and ceiling. You realise that you can walk anywhere you like and so you chase after them one by one, and spinning into each Goomba you dispose of them and collect the Star Bits they leave behind.

You leave the room to explore further and discover an enormous gold coin hovering above a small landing. You leap up and as you touch it you are instantly transformed into a ghost. Now you can pass through walls. It's not long before you come across the dungeons far below the ground and, in one of the cells, you discover Luigi! He immediately recognises you because you are wearing Mario's hat! He explains how he was trapped by Bowser and how he plans to trap you too. But Luigi has a secret. From his pocket he brings out a Power Star he’s been hiding. He offers you the star. You transform back to your old self and together you use the star to return to the Comet Observatory and Rosalina.

The Comet Observatory is warm and welcoming, and you soon forget Bowser’s nasty tricks. Rosalina thanks you for the Power Star and you discuss your adventure as Luigi excitedly describes how you found him.

You're tired now, and Rosalina can tell. She offers you a room,...