The Final Star

It was time. No sense putting it off any longer. I had 119 stars, and the final one was waiting for me in Bowser in the Sky. One last red coin hunt before the end.

When I jumped into the course I expected the randomizer to throw me somewhere near the end, but instead I spawned close to the beginning. That turned out to be perfect, because it meant I could search the entire level properly from start to finish instead of rushing through it.

I took my time, stopping every so often to move the camera around and make sure nothing was hiding just out of view. Hazy Maze Cave had already taught me that stars and coins could be sitting right in front of me without me noticing if I wasn’t careful.

I also had to fight the instinct to take the shortcuts I would normally use in this level. In the original game I know this course well enough to rush through it, but this wasn’t the original anymore, and I had a feeling if I skipped ahead too quickly I’d leave a coin behind.

120 Stars

The final three coins were waiting near the location where the red coin star appears, right beside the pipe that leads to the final battle. Once I collected them, the star appeared exactly where I hoped it would.

One jump later, and that was it.

All 120 stars of this randomizer seed collected.

Only one thing remained.

The Final Battle

The fight with Bowser didn’t go perfectly at first. I managed to throw him into one bomb, but nerves or bad luck got the better of me after that. I got caught by his fire, stunned, and even managed to fall off the platform. Round one went to him.

The second attempt felt different. I was calmer, more focused. The first throw landed, then the second, and suddenly I was holding him for the final spin.

As I turned Mario around with Bowser in his hands, I couldn’t help but think that this really was the final throw of the run.

It was.

Three clean throws later, Bowser was defeated and the randomizer seed was finished.

The Credits Roll

The familiar cutscene played out, and when the camera showed the castle roof, Yoshi was there waiting, proving that all 120 stars had been collected.

I let the credits roll without skipping. Watching the game show each of the locations again, one after another, reminded me just how much ground this run had covered. Every level, every detour, every moment where I thought I might have made the seed impossible.

And that music… the same credits music I’ve heard so many times over the years still feels exactly the same as it did the first time I heard it.

All that was left was the final line.

Thank you so much for-a playing my game.

And thank you for all the memories you have given me, Mario.

Continue the Journey

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