The A-Z of Super Mario Galaxy 2

Tilting

Mario’s brilliant ball-rolling act returns. As with everything in Galaxy 2, Tokyo EAD assume you have a decent grasp of the ideas that are returning from the first game, letting them run riot with new design. Bounding down a giant ice lolly stick as saws slice past and Goombas squish below is a joy.

Tongue
Yoshi’s tongue has an alarming range. If you’re quick on the draw with the aiming reticule, his tongue will happily stretch the height of the screen to complete the action. Good for preventing last-minute death plunges, but we do worry about the tongue losing its shape.

U R MR GAY

Infamous goof. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that stars on the original logo highlighted these letters. In a recent logo redesign (adding a jolly Luma to the mix) it has since been rejigged to read ‘UR MIA Y’. Not half as snickersome.

Warp pads
As if levels weren’t already fat with joy, EAD Tokyo squeeze in extra fun with Star Trek-style teleportation pads. Materialising in self-contained arenas, Mario has ten seconds to kill surrounding enemies, which is surprisingly hard, even against common Goombas. They should go the whole Star Trek hog and force Mario to fight Luigi with those scythe things [that would be aLirpa, n00b – Sci-fi Ed].

Warp pipes
Not content with warp pads, comet coins, hungry Lumas and hidden stars, warp pipes also return with their walking-on-the-ceiling challenge rooms. We can honestly say that not one square inch of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is missing something fun.

Weee-oooh
Adorable noise made by Yoshi at the apex of a grappling hook swing. It’s the dino equivalent of ‘alley-oop!’

Weight
Who got physics? Mario got physics. Tiny flourishes bolster level design, such as the log bridges in Hightail Falls undulating under Mario’s feet. Another level adds gargantuan seesaws into the mix – Mario hotfoots it to one end of a planet to tilt the other towards his goal.

Whomp

Last time we saw 3D Whomp, in Mario 64, his face was a texture smeared onto a cuboid. EAD Tokyo now give him ornately carved eyebrows, thumbs, teeth and a butt stomp pad in his spine to help undo all that 3D handiwork with several pounds of plumber rear.

Wooden men

Where there’s wood, there are the wooden men. Puzzle Plank and Tall Trunk are both policed by Mario’s carved chums. Speaking in completely broken English, their speech echoes Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill (“It likes the fruit!”), which is a little unnerving.

Wooden wonders
Our favourite new galaxy is Puzzle Plank. Formed from giant pieces of lumber, the level is self-carving – saws trundle along, lopping bits off. While creating new routes for Mario, they also have a tendency to chop away the piece of the level he’s standing on. Run for it.

YIPPEE!

Crazily, after all this information, there are still loads of stuff to mention. The adorable animation as Mario butt-slams a Yoshi egg. The sight of Mario flying from his starship to the galaxy below. The insane banjo music. The incredible furry texture on Rollodillo’s behind. The incredible grassy texture on Starship Mario’s moustache. The sight of a plumber rolling on a giant ball, on another giant ball that’s punctured with giant paint-brushes.

Apr 23, 2010