When it comes to the iconic Super Mario Bros., it’s usually the enjoyable gameplay that takes center stage rather than the story or context. This isn’t surprising, as these areas can tend to be pretty nonsensical and bizarre.
This is especially the case with the Wii’s Super Mario Galaxy, which has recently seen a renaissance with the limited-time Super Mario 3D All-stars on Switch. While Galaxy has remained one of the most renowned 3D Mario titles, there are some strange and head-scratching elements. This celestial trip can be, well, rather “trippy” to say the least.
This list will explore 10 ways in which Mario’s interplanetary adventure doesn’t quite add up.
10 The Small Size Of Most Of The Worlds
The setting of Super Mario Galaxy is one that tends to feel odd and ambiguous, even moreso than the trippy Mushroom Kingdom. Rather than being a single large planet, Mario now finds himself exploring a multitude of galaxies, each of which has distinct planets that verge on microscopic in comparison.
How these tiny worlds can sustain life and all come with their own source of oxygen for Mario is anyone’s guess. And considering most of them are small enough for Mario to traverse in a matter of seconds, one would think these would be naught but bare, lifeless asteroids floating aimlessly through space.
What’s the story behind these minuscule planets? Was there some sort of massive planetary collision or explosion that fractured larger bodies - a big bang within a big bang, if you will?
9 Mario Apparently Getting Weaker After Previous Adventures
Super Mario Galaxy largely dials back the difficulty as compared to the more grueling Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. So with this context, it would make sense that Nintendo would also decrease Mario’s life meter.
But contextually, it’s strange that the seasoned hero would manage to get weaker from his prior, less-practiced stints in the 3D realm. Specifically, his life meter has dwindled from 8 units in the aforementioned games to just 3 (or 6 if a Life Mushroom powerup is obtained).
Apparently what doesn’t kill Mario doesn’t make him stronger, but rather, weaker…
8 The Seemingly Unlimited Powers Of Bowser
Any good villain should be powerful and ominous to an extent, but it just seems like Mario’s arch-rival is particularly omnipotent in this game. Not only is he able to swoop in with his fleet of Doomships which can apparently traverse the vacuum of space, but he proceeds to launch an attack that freezes the Toads into crystals.
On top of this, the goliath is able to somehow conjure his very own galaxy wrought with all sorts of hazards and lifeforms.
7 The Cumbersome Experience On Switch’s Handheld Mode
Shifting now from the game’s narrative context to its technical aspects - the experience of SMG on Switch - by way of Super Mario 3D All-Stars - can invoke a similar confusion at times…
The game certainly has a nice presentation with its high-res display and smoother frame rate. Yet, this is somewhat tainted by the cumbersome interface that plagues the game’s handheld mode.
Playing docked feels great with the solid Joy-con controls, but Nintendo forces players to swap from button-presses to touching the screen when gathering Star Bits near Mario. It’s a minor inconvenience really, but it’s enough to be jarring and irritating at times.
6 A Peculiar Toy Train In The Toy Time Galaxy
There’s no shortage of oddities when it comes to platforming games, especially in the case of the colorful Mario series. One major head-scratcher comes in the form of a strange, small toy train that rests in the Toy Time Galaxy. When it comes to the context of the galaxy, it certainly makes sense.
But it definitely invokes some wonder and confusion given the fact that this it’s fairly hidden and does nothing at all. Perhaps Nintendo had an initial plan with this train? Or it could merely be a little Easter egg tossed in by the developers for fun.
5 The Bizzare “Hungry Luma”
It doesn’t need to be said to those who have experienced the celestial trip of SMG that Lumas are pretty strange in and of themselves. But among these floating star-like creatures is a particularly odd manifestation known as the “Hungry Luma.”
This glutton not only consumes both Star Bits and coins (which is odd given he’s a semi-star himself), but he also morphs into a galaxy when doing so. Yeah, the level of weirdness is certainly sky-high with this one, even for the standards of a Mario title…
4 The Limited Use Of Mario’s Powers
One of the most iconic elements of the Mario series is his use of power-ups and abilities. But oddly, they’re somewhat minimally used in the first SMG game. Moreover, even the handful of power-ups that do exist come with a pretty narrow time limit before they fade away, and most are rather limited in their usefulness.
While there’s much to appreciate about SMG, many would agree that power-ups are not too high on the list. But hey, at least Nintendo had the sense to retain the classic Star and Fire Flower.
3 The Star Festival?
For such a miraculous, ethereal happening, it’s odd that we’ve never once heard of this major event which takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom. Granted, the “Star Festival” only takes place once every hundred years, so it’d be unlikely to have actually seen it in a previous game.
Still, any occurrence that rains down magical stars and stardust would seemingly make it into the conversation or documented lore in some form or another beforehand… Just what is the story behind this majestic comet which shows up just once every century?
2 An Eerie Alien Sighting
This bizarre Easter egg manages to make the aforementioned toy train look like child’s play. And while this technically occurs in the second SMG, it’s nonetheless part of the lore that extends to both games.
Super Mario Galaxy 2’s Shiverburn Galaxy shows a strange and ominous image in its distant background. Players looking in the distance will notice a few eerie alien-like figures looming overhead and staring at Mario. They cannot be reached in the game and are never explained.
As it happens, the revelation of Nintendo’s own name for the texture used was unearthed. It was tagged “HellValleySkyTree,” which only further spurs the imagination…
1 The Nature Of The Physics And Gravity
SMG’s unique physics can feel strange both mechanically and contextually. Not only does each of these small planets have their own gravitational pull, but they often vary and can even be manipulated at times. One has to wonder how each of these micro planets can each have contained gravitational fields, let alone gravity whose direction can be switched on the fly.
When Mario leaps in the air, it often feels plausible that he’ll leap right through this gravitational field and drift into space. But somehow, he always stays within this field, which pulls him back in. It’s a pretty bizarre sensation, and it’s one that’s proven somewhat polarizing - pun not intended.
Even more odd is the structure of the planets themselves, which range from spherical to flat.
NEXT: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Super Mario 64
