Excavation
Nintendo have been busy wowing us with their 3D planets, but did you ever stop to wonder what was inside them (the planets, not Nintendo)? With Drill Mario you need wonder no more. Every planet is a present, every dig a thrill. They’re basically big, earthy Kinder Surprises, full of treats for you to discover, some of them deliciously coin-shaped. Mmm, coins.
Fat Luma
Appearing on the game’s box, this rotund Luma seems to be of some importance. Perhaps it’s because he’s the first of their starry kind to figure out how boxer shorts work. Expect him to play a key part in what little story gets through Miyamoto’s anti-narrative filter.
Flower Planet
This is just a little taste of the surprises in store. Zip Mario up to a barren rock in Supermassive Galaxy and every step he takes sprouts another flower. Sprout the whole sphere for a bonus star. Miyamoto’s gardening fetish probably played a part in the creation of this particular planet.
Flying
There’s no sign of a leather-clad flying Mario, but he does take flight thanks to this bird. It’s a dead ringer for the Helibird – last seen airlifting Donkey Kong in Jungle Beat – and we predict a spot of remote-tilting control. Look into the distance and you can even spot the red-and-yellow ring that Mario has to fly through. Lap it up: this is as close to Pilotwings as we’ll get in 2010.
Freeze switches
During Cosmic Cove’s Twin Falls Hideaway challenge, Mario finds a switch capable of refrigerating the entire planet. Cosmic Cove becomes two environments: an aquatic orb or a hardened ice sphere. You can go from swimming around under the sea to running around on top of it. When the level’s in its frozen form, Mario can wall-jump up two (formerly) cascading waterfalls to reach a star.
Fruit
You’re meant to eat five pieces a day. Yoshi eats an entire 7-11’s worth. Then he poops out coins. Jeez, we need to eat more fruit.
Galaxy 1.5
Galaxy 2 began as what Miyamoto describes as ‘Galaxy 1.5’ – Galaxy 1 with new stars added. Over time the team realised they had enough ideas to fill a whole game. Thus Galaxy 2 was born. That’s right: the game is so good, Nintendo couldn’t resist making it.
Giant cymbals
Galaxy 1 did giant apples; Galaxy 2 does giant percussion. If butt-stomping an instrument adds more notes to the soundtrack, we guarantee Galaxy will be getting a standing ovation.
Giant letters
As Mario flies from a volcanic launch star, you realise that, from above, seemingly incongruous structures are actually letters. We’ve spotted an M and R – we’re guessing there’s an A, I and O around somewhere. Unless Nintendo are brazenly going for another ‘U R MR GAY’ moment.
Gobbleguts
Giant dragon with an upset stomach used to a) beat Mario to the ground, and b) show off some snazzy new wobbling flesh tech. If you don’t swoon at his wobbling cheeks, you’re made of sterner stuff than us.
Grappling hooks
Yoshi can snag flowery hooks with his tongue in order to Indiana Jones over gaps and hoist himself to safety. The fact that you have to aim at them with the pointer adds an interesting dual control mechanic, not dissimilar to the one in LostWinds. Slightly more slobbery, perhaps.
Grip stars
Where game mechanics return from the first Galaxy – such as zero-g Mario dragging grip stars – Nintendo needn’t worry about newcomers and learning curves. They positively laugh in the face of learning curves. One grip star stage sees Mario negotiating mines, wind machines, electro balls and water squirters. And by ‘negotiating’ we mean ‘getting killed by’.
