Super Mario Galaxy 63 Entry 7 – Inside the Igloo

Apparently inside the igloo is where the ice itself becomes the problem.

Back Into Snowman’s Land Galaxy

No prizes for guessing where I’m heading for this entry.

Back into Snowman’s Land Galaxy I go, this time for Inside the Igloo.

Hopefully this version is a little different from the one back in Super Mario 64.

I remembered passing the igloo while climbing towards the giant snowman, so I had a feeling there would be a shine sprite hidden in there somewhere.

Would have been disappointed if there wasn’t.

Ice Mario Returns

Before heading inside, I grab the mushroom that gives Mario an extra three hits.

My theory was that the extra health would carry over into the igloo.

It doesn’t.

So already off to a strong start.

Inside the igloo introduces the next power-up for this hack: the Ice Flower.

Which means Ice Mario returns.

Inside the igloo, the frozen floor is basically lava unless I’m using the power-up, so staying Ice Mario becomes fairly important.

Snowballs and Comet Coins

Before long I’m rolling snowballs around to make them larger.

The idea is to push them into the frozen floor so they create paths I can safely cross.

The first Comet Coin takes a few attempts.

That one needs a triple jump into a spin, followed by a wall jump to actually reach it.

The second one isn’t quite as awkward, although I do mess up my timing with the Ice Flower power-up slightly.

Nothing to do with Mario suddenly deciding to show off his acrobatic skills of course.

That mistake does leave me sitting on one health though.

One Health Left

Thankfully, I manage to take that single remaining hit point all the way to the shine sprite.

I do briefly consider immediately going for the final shine sprite in this galaxy while I’m already here.

Then I remember how lucky this run felt at several points.

I decide not to push it.

The shine sprite is mine, and honestly, I’m happy enough taking the win.

The Run

This is how it actually went.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 6: Red Coins on The Summit

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Entry 8 →

5th Jun 2026 0

Super Mario Galaxy 63 Entry 6 – Red Coins On The Summit

Apparently even when I know where I’m going, I still somehow end up finding the wrong objective first.

Back Into Snowman’s Land Galaxy

Back into Snowman’s Land Galaxy I go for Red Coins On The Summit.

Full disclosure, I actually found this shine sprite completely by accident while recording The Big Snowman.

I took the wrong path and somehow ended up right beside the red coin challenge.

This was after doing a practice run specifically to make sure I knew where I was going for the previous shine sprite.

So apparently that worked out well.

Red Coins Return

It’s been a while since I last had to collect red coins.

The last proper red coin challenge I remember doing was back during the Super Mario 64 Randomizer.

Thankfully, I already have a rough idea where most of the coins are here.

There’s also a map nearby if I need it, but I already have a route planned out in my head.

The plan is basically to work my way up the mountain.

Or summit.

The shine sprite name says summit, so I’m counting it as a mountain.

The Hidden Comet Coin

There’s also a Comet Coin hidden here.

And by hidden, I mean properly hidden unless you move the camera around.

It’s floating up in the sky and the only realistic way to reach it is with the help of Cloud Mario.

Thankfully I’ve already had enough practice with the cloud power-up by now that getting to it isn’t too bad.

The Summit

Eight red coins later and the shine sprite appears almost exactly where I landed earlier.

Convenient for once.

I’m not too concerned about fall damage, so I long jump back down towards it and grab the shine sprite.

Honestly, this was a pretty fun shine sprite overall.

It reminded me a lot of the red coin missions back in Super Mario 64.

Maybe that’s just nostalgia talking.

Either way, I had fun with this one and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next shine sprite throws at me.

The Run

This is how it actually went.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 5: The Big Snowman

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Entry 7 →

29th May 2026 1

Super Mario Galaxy 63 Entry 5 – The Big Snowman

Apparently going left this time means snow, icy water, and more Comet Coin theories.

A New Galaxy

So Shifting Sand Land Galaxy is complete, which means it’s time to move on.

Seeing as I went right last time, I decide to go left and see what is waiting there.

The painting in the room suggests a snow world, so naturally I assume I’m about to enter Cool, Cool, Mountain Galaxy.

Nope.

Instead, the painting leads to Snowman’s Land Galaxy, and the first shine sprite is The Big Snowman.

I kind of like the nod to the first star from Snowman’s Land back in Super Mario 64.

And honestly, this galaxy would probably look a bit strange without a giant snowman standing in the middle of it.

Comet Coins

The first Comet Coin is basically within jumping and spinning distance from the starting area.

There are crystals nearby that can be destroyed with a spin attack, and inside one of them is the coin, along with a mushroom that gives Mario an extra three hits.

I could have used that last entry.

The second Comet Coin is also nearby.

There’s a Fire Flower and two unlit torches, so I’m sure you can guess what the game expects me to do.

Mario had other ideas though.

Mainly falling into the icy water multiple times while I tried to light them.

The Climb

The path up towards the giant snowman is mostly uneventful.

I do meet a penguin who seems very impressed by a snow Goomba statue someone built nearby.

Naturally, I immediately try to destroy it.

No luck.

During practice runs, I convinced myself there was probably a Comet Coin hidden inside it somewhere, and honestly I’m still not fully convinced there isn’t.

I eventually reach the giant snowman and immediately prepare myself to get blown off the mountain.

Apparently this one is a lot friendlier than the original version.

Instead of trying to launch Mario into the distance, it’s perfectly happy letting me climb all the way to the top.

At this point I start wondering if this snowman is somehow related to Freezeezy Peak from Banjo-Kazooie.

Another brilliant game, by the way.

I grab the third Comet Coin on the way up and eventually reach the top of the snowman itself, which turns out to be the hat.

I do briefly consider jumping off the edge of the hat in case there’s a hidden Comet Coin sitting on the rim somewhere.

I decide against it.

My logic is simple enough: there are still three shine sprites and five Comet Coins left in this galaxy, so they must be spread across the other stars somewhere.

Probably.

I grab the shine sprite and celebrate a job well done.

The Run

This is how it actually went.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 4: The Gravity Scramble

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Entry 6 →

22nd May 2026 1

Super Mario Galaxy 63 Entry 4 – The Gravity Scramble

Gravity itself has apparently decided to become a problem now.

Back Into Shifting Sand Land Galaxy

One more shine sprite and one more Comet Coin left in Shifting Sand Land Galaxy, so I jump back into the painting and it is time for The Gravity Scramble.

Before I can properly start though, I need to collect five launch star pieces.

Two of them require the Fire Flower, as the only way to grab them is by lighting torches.

In my head, the plan was simple enough: grab both before the fire power ran out.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

So after wasting the first Fire Flower, I had to go back and grab another one before collecting the remaining launch star pieces.

After that little mess up, I get launched over towards a pipe, but before going in, there’s still one final Comet Coin sitting on top of a tree.

So I grab that first.

Shifting Sand Land Galaxy complete. At least I think it is. There could still be a hidden shine somewhere for all I know.

The Gravity Scramble

This is where the shine sprite name starts making sense.

Gravity changes depending on the direction of the arrows, which shift whenever Mario goes up or down slopes.

If I had really committed to the experience, I probably could have rotated the Steam Deck around to match the gravity direction.

I decided against that.

Mainly because things were already awkward enough.

During practice runs, Mario had developed a habit of landing directly on spikes.

Didn’t really matter where they were either.

He kept finding them.

You could argue that was user error.

I’m not entirely convinced.

Upside Down

The worst part comes once gravity flips upside down.

I have to jump between disappearing platforms while avoiding spikes below me.

The platforms follow a rhythm, but that didn’t stop Mario repeatedly finding ways to miss them and land directly on the spikes anyway.

Thankfully, this attempt goes a lot better than the practice runs and I eventually make it through to the next pipe.

The Final Stretch

The final area changes things again.

This time gravity is controlled by octagonal platforms. Depending on which way Mario is facing, gravity changes with him.

The final challenge involves long jumping between three octagons while spikes cover both the floor and ceiling.

I’m sure you can guess what happened here.

Mario and gravity had another disagreement.

The spikes won multiple times.

I do lose a life here, but my next attempt goes much smoother than all the practice runs, so I decide to take the win while I have it.

The shine sprite is mine.

Shifting Sand Land Galaxy complete.

What Comes Next?

Still no sign of any prankster comets.

I honestly don’t know if they exist in this hack or not.

But considering how much Mario has already been struggling with gravity, I’m hoping this shine sprite doesn’t end up getting one later.

I’ve had enough problems with spikes for now.

The Run

This is how it actually went.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 3: Into the Pyramid

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Entry 5 → Coming Soon

14th May 2026 1

Super Mario Galaxy 63 – Entry 3: Into the Pyramid

Apparently leaving Bob-Omb Battlefield means the game immediately throws me into the desert.

Shifting Sand Land Galaxy

I say goodbye to Bob-Omb Battlefield Galaxy and try to follow what I remember about the original castle layout.

I head towards the door where I think either the secret slide or Whomp’s Fortress would normally be.

Instead, I’m greeted by Shifting Sand Land Galaxy.

So apparently we’re doing this.

There are only two shine sprites and four Comet Coins here. At least I think there are. Knowing this hack, there could easily be a hidden shine somewhere.

For now though, the goal is simple enough:

Shining Atop the Pyramid.

Comet Coins

The first Comet Coin is basically a long jump away.

There’s a platform with a large coin on it which drops star bits when collected. I use that as my launch point and long jump over what I’m assuming is quicksand.

I spin into the crystal, grab the coin, then use the star to get myself back up safely.

The second coin is a sneaky one.

It’s hidden on top of a tree, completely out of camera view.

That one needs Fire Mario.

I grab the Fire Flower, head over to a twister and spin into it, which launches me much higher than normal. Not high enough though. I still need a backflip into a spin jump to actually reach the coin.

Two down already.

The next section is more about rhythm than difficulty.

There are enemies moving across platforms that can flatten Mario if I mistime things, but they follow a pattern, so once I stop rushing it, they’re manageable enough.

Comet Coin number three is here as well.

Unfortunately, it’s floating over absolutely nothing.

So naturally it requires another backflip and spin jump combo.

Inside the Pyramid

With a shine name like Shining Atop the Pyramid, I expected to be climbing it.

Instead, I’m going inside it.

The camera shifts to a side-on angle, which immediately makes things more awkward. There are disappearing platforms, moving platforms and spikes, all moving to their own rhythm.

Thankfully it’s a rhythm I manage to keep up with.

Mostly.

Right near the end I mistime a jump and hit the spikes. For a second I genuinely think the run is over, but I manage to regain control of Mario before he walks straight off the platform.

Probably closer than it needed to be.

Still, the first shine sprite is mine.

The Next Shine

I originally planned on grabbing the second shine sprite while I was here.

In practice, that didn’t really happen.

I kept messing up one particular section and spent more time than I would have liked trying to fix my own mistakes.

Once I can get through it consistently without spending five minutes trying to recover from one bad jump, I’ll get the next recording done.

The Run

This is how it actually went.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 2: Bob-Omb Battlefield Galaxy Complete

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Entry 4 →

7th May 2026 1

Neo Mario Galaxy – Daredevil Edition Entry 2: Silver Stars Under Pressure

One hit resets everything. Sometimes you don’t even need that.

Back to Galactic Garden

With Dino Piranha down and only one more star available, I head back to Galactic Garden Galaxy and select the next objective: Silver Stars in Wuthering Heights.

The opening looks familiar. Same starting platform as before, but this time there are clouds to work with, along with the cloud power-up.

Cloud Mario again. Shake the remote, place a cloud, and keep moving before it disappears.

The first section isn’t too bad. The clouds are large enough that missing one doesn’t feel likely, and even if I do, I’ve got a cloud ready to save it.

Wind and Timing

The next section looks worse than it actually is.

There’s wind pushing clouds upward, sometimes shifting direction slightly, but nothing too unpredictable. The real problem is when it stops.

That’s when it starts to matter how many clouds I’ve got left.

There are also those spiky flower things around the area, which don’t help. There’s room to work with, but not enough to switch off completely.

I spot a mushroom along the way. Not sure if it’s needed or not, so I leave it for now. If it matters later, I’ll come back.

Silver Stars, No Margin

Then it’s onto collecting the five silver stars.

This is where Daredevil Edition really starts to show.

Normally, this wouldn’t be much of a problem. Here, every jump feels like it matters more than it should. One misjudged platform and it’s straight back to the beginning.

It doesn’t help that I can’t see where everything is until I’m close enough to it.

There’s also the stamp for this galaxy to grab. I use my last cloud to reach it.

I regret that decision almost immediately.

The next section needs wall jumps, and there’s barely anything to land on beyond a platform sitting at a right angle to the walls.

Somehow, it works. I avoid what felt like certain failure and grab the final silver star.

No reset. No second attempt. Just barely holding it together.

Of course, it appears back at the start of the area.

I also realise at this point that I could have used camera controls to make some of those blind jumps easier.

That would have helped.

Second Star Secured

I make it back to the start without undoing everything and collect the shine.

Second star done. First attempt.

The Run

This is how it actually went.

Back on the Ship

Back on Starship Mario, I head into the collection room and take a quick look at the cloud power-up again.

I’m not entirely sure how many stars are needed before Galactic Garden Galaxy is considered complete, but another thought comes up.

If I switch to Luigi, does Starship Mario become Starship Luigi?

Not sure yet, but it feels like something worth testing.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 1: One Hit Is All It Takes

Neo Mario Galaxy – Daredevil Edition Archive

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Dolphin Setup Guide

— How this is even running on Steam Deck.

Entry 3 →

5th May 2026 1

Super Mario Galaxy 63 – Entry 2: Bob-Omb Battlefield Galaxy Complete

Super Mario Galaxy 63 – Entry 2: Bob-Omb Battlefield Complete

Entry 1 got things started. Entry 2 is where things start to take shape, whether I’m ready for it or not.

Watch the Run

Back to the Battlefield

There were still three shine sprites and five star coins left in Bob-Omb Battlefield Galaxy, so it was time to go back in and actually finish the job.

First up was Silver Stars on the Island.

Getting there meant taking a different route. Instead of heading left like before, I went right and picked up the cloud power-up, the first time using it in this run. Three clouds per pickup, which is enough as long as you don’t waste them.

On the way, I climbed a tree and worked through a few cloud jumps to grab another coin, bringing the total up to four. Halfway there, which felt like progress at least.

Once on the island, it’s a straightforward job. Five silver stars, spread around the area. I left the one at the top of the tree until last, mainly because that’s where the shine appears.

No real surprises here. Just a case of getting it done properly this time.

Secret of the Battlefield

Next was Secret of the Battlefield.

The entrance is blocked by bars, so the only way in is to use a Bob-Omb. Nothing complicated there.

The secret area felt familiar in a different way. It reminded me of those moments in Super Mario Sunshine where FLUDD gets taken away and you’re left to deal with the basics again.

The spin is still available, which helps, but it mostly comes down to getting the platforming right.

There are two more star coins here. One is a simple backflip. The other needs three backflips onto rotating blocks. It sounds worse than it is once you get the timing down.

A bit of platforming later, and the shine is mine.

Run, Yoshi, Run

The final shine for this galaxy: Run, Yoshi, Run!

Before getting to Yoshi, there’s a Hungry Luma asking for 100 coins. Once that’s sorted, Yoshi finally shows up.

This turned into a good test for my control setup, especially where I’ve put the Wii Remote “B” button. Using the hot chillies to get Yoshi moving gave me a few chances to get used to it properly.

I picked up the final two coins along the way, bringing the total to eight.

The final section didn’t go quite as planned.

I had one attempt where everything went perfectly. No deaths, clean movement, straight through to the end. Then, just before grabbing the shine, I hit the wrong button and loaded a save state.

All of that progress, gone instantly.

That one was entirely on me.

At least it confirmed the button works.

The next attempt wasn’t as clean. A couple of deaths to the purple goo, which is instant if you touch it, but progress was saved so it wasn’t a complete reset.

This time, I actually got the shine without undoing it myself.

Galaxy Complete

With that, Bob-Omb Battlefield Galaxy is done.

Finishing it has opened up more areas in the castle. I’m not entirely sure where I’m heading next, but this first galaxy has done what it needed to do.

It’s tested the controls, introduced how this hack works, and made it clear that even familiar levels aren’t going to stay that way for long.

So far, this feels like a solid starting point.

Continue the Journey

← Entry 1: Run Begins

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Entry 3 →

30th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario Galaxy 63 – Entry 1: Run Begins

It turns out I wasn’t finished with Super Mario 64. I just needed it to get bigger.

Watch the Run

Not Done Yet

Apparently I’ve not had enough of Super Mario 64.

I could have easily gone back and started another randomizer run, but I knew I wanted something different. After getting modded versions of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 running on my Steam Deck, I had a new direction.

The starting point was obvious: Super Mario Galaxy 63.

A Different Kind of Familiar

Before going further, it’s worth noting that Super Mario Galaxy 63 is a reimagining of Super Mario 63:

Super Mario 63 Wiki

I had never played it. I didn’t even know it existed until I started looking into this hack. If I’m going to work through it properly, it makes sense to understand what inspired it.

Like its inspiration, this run replaces stars with shine sprites. There are also star coins to collect, which unlock bonus levels later on.

That’s enough context. Time to begin.

First Steps

I start in what looks like the Mushroom Kingdom, and I’m given control of Mario immediately.

This is useful. It gives me time to test the control setup properly. This run is not just about the hack itself, it’s also a test of how well this setup holds up before moving into other Galaxy mods.

Along the way, I run into some familiar faces from Galaxy 1 and 2. One of them brings back memories I didn’t ask for: the robot that used to task me with destroying boxes under a time limit. Those stars still linger somewhere in the back of my mind.

The area works well as a tutorial. I get to practice wall kicks, flips, and eventually spinning once I collect the Luma. I’ve mapped spin to a button this time, which already feels like the right decision on Steam Deck.

Back to the Castle

It doesn’t take long for Bowser to show up, kidnap Peach, and set things in motion. Some things don’t change.

There is a cannon just outside the castle, which immediately feels like an invitation I should probably ignore. Naturally, I don’t.

I jump in to see what’s on top of the castle. The plan is simple: launch, land, and have a look around. What actually happens is less controlled.

The aim is off, the angle is wrong, and instead of landing anywhere useful, I end up effectively trying to launch Mario into orbit.

It doesn’t help me, it doesn’t reveal anything useful, but it does confirm one thing early: this setup is going to be tested properly.

Entering the castle feels immediately familiar. That makes sense. I’ve spent more hours here than I can count.

There are locked doors, but one opens as I approach. Inside is a painting.

So yes, we’re doing this again.

Bob-Omb Battlefield, Again

The first world: Bob-Omb Battlefield Galaxy.

There are four shine sprites and eight star coins here, shown clearly on the selection screen. I decide to go left to right, starting with:

Top of the Summit

Inside, a Pink Bob-Omb lets me know that King Bob-Omb is no longer in charge. He’s been replaced by Dino Piranha.

That feels like a fair trade.

I collect my first star coin early, then two more on the way up. Three collected before reaching the summit is a good start.

Dino Piranha is exactly as I remember. No major changes, no surprises. Three hits later, and the first shine sprite is mine.

First Impressions

This feels like a solid introduction to the hack.

It’s familiar enough to settle into quickly, but different enough that I can’t rely entirely on memory. That balance is exactly what I was looking for.

I’m curious to see how other levels are reimagined in this format. There’s still more to uncover within the castle, and if this first step is anything to go by, this might turn into something worth sticking with.

Continue the Journey

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Entry 2 →

23rd Apr 2026 1