Super Mario fans were given a huge surprise this month when Nintendo announced the release of Super Mario 3-D All-Stars—a compilation of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy—in celebration of Super Mario’s 35th anniversary. Gamers had been asking Nintendo to give the popular titles their own Nintendo Switch ports for years, and the time has finally come, along with all the nostalgia.
Of course, nostalgia can’t come without a bit of introspective humor. One of the more meme-worthy titles of the bunch is Galaxy, which sees Mario in an adventure in space. Here are just a few of the funniest Galaxy memes—spoilers ahead, though—beware!
10 The Year As Told By Super Mario Galaxy
At this rate, 2020 really seems like it belongs in Dreadnought’s Garbage Dump. In two separate galaxies in the game, there are trash-picking droids that need Mario’s help clearing out all the garbage in the dumps. The Italian hero uses a collection of small bombs to destroy the trash in bigger quantities.
After everything that 2020 has thrown at us, we wouldn’t be surprised if this happens on Earth. What if we’re already just part of another level in Super Mario Galaxy? Trippy.
9 Nice Try, Sonic
Nice try, Sega, but we know Sonic Colors had to be inspired by Super Mario Galaxy. As this meme reveals, the cover designs look suspiciously similar, like a copied homework assignment in grade school. Not to mention the fact that Sonic Colors also happens to take place in outer space, and that Sonic has to help an alien race known as Wisps. Those creatures remind us a little too much of Lumas. Of course, we can’t be too upset, because both Super Mario Galaxy and Sonic Colors were pretty great games.
8 Try Not To Cry, Cry A Lot
Nintendo really pulled at our heartstrings with the ending of Super Mario Galaxy. It’s certainly a step or two away from that classic “Princess Peach gets rescued and everyone in the kingdom celebrates with a parade” story. If you didn’t cry when those poor Lumas sacrificed themselves, you’ve got nerves of steel—and you’re also probably lying.
Rosalina assures Mario that dying stars are later reborn as new stars, so we can only hope for the best. However, if you managed to collect 120 stars by the end, she’ll give you the great news that the Lumas did, in fact, survive.
7 Guppy The Orca
Guppy is a giant orca who appears in the Sea Slide Galaxy and the Deep Dark Galaxy. He’s not so nice to Toads and penguins, but he’s a little less aggressive with Mario. He takes over bodies of water in the game, and the only way for Mario to win the water back is to swim through eight rings in limited time.
He gives Mario a few tips on swimming, like a tough-love buddy—and, yes, his face does look like that. All. The. Time. We aren’t really sure how we’re supposed to interpret it.
6 Why Lumas, Why?
Billie Eilish has nothing on what could be one of the saddest scenes in the entire Mario franchise. This meme depicts the moment before the Lumas throw themselves into the black hole in order to save everyone. The twinkling instrumental tune “A Wish” just makes the scene even sadder with its dreadful-sounding high notes. There’s a touch of a heroic theme song in there, but that doesn’t really make us feel better.
5 The Worst Level
Don’t get us wrong, the final level in Super Mario Galaxy isn’t exactly a walk in the park, but it’s certainly nothing compared to this nightmare of a level. In this Toy Time Galaxy mission, Mario must collect 100 out of 150 purple coins on a giant 8-bit Luigi structure.
There is a three-minute time limit, but the true difficulty comes from the fact that the platforms begin to disappear or rotate. You also have to start over if you die, so be careful. Jumping and spinning should come in handy here. If you beat the level in less than 100 tries, you’re probably magic.
4 We Want The Sequel
The trio of games Nintendo has given us is truly remarkable, but, alas, we still wish Super Mario Galaxy 2 had been included. Although there’s not a ton of difference between the first and second installments, fans still seemed to enjoy the sequel more for its creative level designs.
However, the story of the first game is so groundbreaking that it cannot be left behind. So, then, it seems only fair to bring both games to the Switch. We can only hope Nintendo decides to add a Super Mario Galaxy 2 port down the road.
3 A Cosmic Snack
Seriously, where did Nintendo come up with these galaxy names? The “Snack of Cosmic Proportions” level of the Good Egg Galaxy perfectly describes how we feel when we’re having a confident day. It also describes how we feel when we’re eating a really good snack. Collect 100 Star Bits in this level to feed a very, very hungry Luma.
2 Where No Plumber Has Gone Before
For a plumber, Mario has gone on quite a few wild adventures. When does he actually have time to be a plumber? Super Mario Galaxy was such a turning point in the franchise because it really did take the hero where he had never gone before: space.
Not only does he go to space, but he also manages to see the ending and recreation of an entire universe. Not bad at all for a plumber. Mario’s adventures here are undoubtedly some of the most popular in the franchise, so we can only hope to see more in the future.
1 Spring Mushrooms
How tough are ya? Tough enough to beat the game with a Spring Mushroom! The silver power-up was first introduced in the Galaxy games. It turns Mario into a spring so that he can bounce instead of run, which lets him reach higher locations. Many players find this to be the most challenging power-up in the series because it’s so hard to control. If Nintendo should grace us with a third installment, we hope they leave this power-up behind.
NEXT: 10 Hilarious Mario 64 Memes Only True Fans Understand
