Super Mario Galaxy DS Prototype

Recently a friend of mine suggested this forum for me to browse. It's not too bad all things considered but jeez it's slow. Getting at most a post a day, the “active” threads plastered on the front page consist primarily of mindless yet charming drivel, the few noteworthy discussions, months if not years old, only achieving responses longer than a single word due to the topic’s image being pornography of one of the game’s characters.

Getting to the third quarter of topics the site considers still living and every post is now not only years old but the discussions still continue to rot my brain.

Except for one.

"Nintendo Gigaleak: Mario Galaxy DS"

Posted in the middle of 2020, the description states the following:

"While everybody else is trying to suck the dicks of those discordfags hoarding all the leaks, I got a little present for you guys. Enjoy! :)"

Attached to the post is a download for "galaxydsprototype.nds"

Of the three replies the first states the superiority of Sunshine, the second one replying to the first with ”fuck off cubie" while the third one calls the second an “underage.”

Seeing as I can’t fall back on the comments for confirmation on the veracity of the leak I download the file myself. Running it on an emulator the game black screens. The undying human spirit inside me to see what I expect to be at most a benign edit of an existing DS game, changing only the cover and game title, is not quenched by this setback. I load it onto my 3ds and boot up a flashcart instead. My expectations are initially confirmed when I enter the home menu and see Mario’s face as the game icon with the following text above:

Seeing that makes me chuckle.

I load the game up, see the Nintendo logo, and-

Holy shit it's real.

It's fucking real Jesus Christ it’s real I don't believe it but Jesus fucking Christ it's real it's actually real. Almost a decade and a half ago I thought it was real, then I thought it was fake but fucking hell the goddamn thing is working. I try to take native screenshots but it doesn’t work but who fucking cares IT’S REAL IT’S ACTUALLY REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Still on the title screen for the past couple of minutes and my enormous grin hasn’t faded yet. Even as I press A to start and pick singleplayer I still can’t believe this is happening, especially after that fake trailer got revealed to be a ruse so many years ago. Picking a Mario icon for my profile I quickly name it after myself, “Gaylord,” before diving into the game.

Waking up on a patch of flowers, I lift myself from the ground to notice my lush surroundings, the star creature typically guiding me through the game’s introduction nowhere to be found. Roaming the lifeless area, I stumble upon a castle structure, a Launch Star atop tempting me to travel into the abyss that lies ahead.

Sent flying into the game’s other tutorial planets I make my way through the common pests of goomba hordes that invade the area, the theme of interactable characters not being present remaining a constant even as I plunge myself into the final introductory planet’s innards.

A Grand Star lying in the middle of a menial contraception designed to store it, I disable the machinery and head towards the grandiose light. Grabbing onto it, I propel into the Comet Observatory. At its entrance I watch it illuminate the entire hub area rather than the expected sector leading to the first dome, the Terrace, on the left side.

Though both surprised and pleasantly delighted at this opportunity to explore all the game’s offerings from the get go, I choose to start off at the game’s first dome, The Terrace, making note of the different features and changes that pervade this prototype.

Now on a handheld, the game’s interface has been modified to suit the console. The top screen is used for displaying the character’s health bar, number of lives, current objective, and other minor pieces of information. The bottom screen is where most of the action happens, showing your character traversing through the game’s various galaxies, having to dodge enemies, collect items, jump from one platform to the next, the gameplay itself.

Critiques can be made regarding the interface’s rough presentation, particularly how squished everything looks being pushed to the side by the health bar, though it’s still serviceable, the amount of health now going up to eight rather than three being the main change one would immediately notice.

Likewise, for how the game plays and its various galaxies other distinctions can be made between the DS and Wii version, surprisingly predicted by that fake trailer from a decade and a half ago. Obviously there’s no Nintendo-On galaxy, also a couple years too late to take advantage of that fake Wii Points per Power Star promotion, but the video was right in the game utilizing the DS’ controls. Flicking the touchscreen causes Mario to spin which now attracts coins. Tapping on Star Bits, or “Star Shards” as a galaxy’s sign informed me, collects them. First person mode is now also a thing, pressing L + R to activate it.

Overall, these changes are fine. Is there obviously some motion control-esc gimmicky garbage? Of course! This was made in the prime of Nintendo’s obsession with gimmicks after all, I’d be surprised if there weren't any touchscreen mechanics in this. Still, they’re fine because they’re executed in an alright manner given their expected addition and not because they’re actually amazing.

It’s occasionally uncomfortable flicking the screen to spin, I would prefer having an option to press jump again instead to do that. And yeah, more health is given to compensate for some of the oddities now present for playing on DS but it feels very much like a band-aid fix for issues that admittedly can’t be properly solved like making the game on a console that only has the d-pad for movement and is expected on some level to have the touchscreen be part of the game’s experience. At the end of the day though I still consider this to be a monumental feat considering it was made in 2006 and works on the DS, these are merely my observations as a man nostalgic of a bygone era, acutely aware of every miniscule flaw within yet still yearning to return in whatever capacity a prototype lost to time can provide.

There’s some other odd changes that I don’t know whether to categorize as purposeful game design or just an aspect of this being a prototype. Pausing doesn’t actually pause the game, only bringing up the menu, and the menu doesn’t let you return to the Comet Observatory, only existing to show you what galaxy and mission you’re in and how many Power Stars you’ve collected there. It’s probably just an aspect of this build being unfinished but then again if you told someone that in the Wii version your lives always reset every time you boot up the game they’d probably think that was a broken mechanic so who am I to decide.

A lot of the game’s galaxies are taken straight from the series’ first game (I guess it would be the other way around seeing as this was supposed to release beforehand) but there are a couple of changes as to what objectives there are, the way the areas are structured, as well as the inclusion of new galaxies.

Home Galaxy, an area non-existent in the Wii version, is a grassy area littered with various large eggs to the sides of the walls and flower patches scattered around. The objective, “collect 100 Star Shards,” though easy, is a fitting addition seeing as the planet is found in the Terrace.

Collecting the Power Star there and exiting back to the dome I’m ready to collect the other two there when an alarm goes off and the following notification appears on both my screens:

“????龜????? in orbit!”

The first half of the text itself is garbled with the notification flashing until I’m directed to an unnamed galaxy. With a few decaying trees spread about the galaxy is a colossal boulder, ash heaps and microscopically tiny grass patches littering its surface.

I give the poor presentation some slack due to the game being unfinished, taking the situation in stride, an opportunity to pave the way in the mesmerizing field of never-before-seen content in bing-bing-wahoo games and see what this prototype’s Prankster Comets are.

I make it on the planet, unexpectedly facing off Cosmic Luigi instead of the cosmic version of myself typical within these races. I look around, taking in the dying atmosphere and its eerily quiet nature as the race’s countdown begins.

Any hope of me winning the race is quickly dashed as two successive jumps from my opponent to an unknown shortcut puts me leagues behind. I barely manage to have him in my purview the entire time, dividing my attention between him and making sure I don’t fall into the void as I jump from one ledge to the next.

Rounding the corner to a straight path I catch my opponent on the other side. Dead in his tracks he stands next to a copy of me, compelling me to move forward and see what’s happening. Getting closer I notice some of the finer details of this look-alike, his faded overalls having inverted colors with his cap hiding his eyes.

As I finally get up-close to the two of them nothing changes. I jump for a bit, run circles around the two, even backwards jump past them. It’s only when I decide to jump on my impersonator that things change.

Knocked back a couple of steps, his body begins transforming, mutating into an incomprehensible mass, his limbs augmenting in unseemly shapes as his body rapidly fluctuates in size.

I recognize my queue to leave and start running back to the beginning when halfway through I feel a force pulling me back, hampering my movement and devouring the small bits of hope I had of escaping.

As I slowly drudge my way to the beginning of the race my lack of mobility starts to get me. Barely making one of my jumps back and recognizing the seemingly guaranteed probability I fail the next one I soon resort to searching for an alternative path, noticing one far below me. Leaping towards the void the path catches me, its slim space doing little to ease the situation. As I continue running forward debris begins falling from above, the downpour almost crushing me.

Looking up amidst all the debris I notice Cosmic Luigi staring me down, racing me to the beginning. Now mere seconds from where I started, eagerly eyeing the Launch Star waiting for me, the clone’s minion pounces on me. Still being pulled back towards where I met my clone and now having to deal with Cosmic Luigi’s various attacks, I barely make it out with a single sliver of health left.

Back at the Comet Observatory, all traces of that wilted rocky galaxy have disappeared, my pulsating heart being the only piece of proof it ever existed.

To answer the million dollar question: Do I still think this game was made by Nintendo?

Maybe?

I mean look, yes, I do understand my latest experience had a couple of quirks to it to put it lightly. However, look at the game! Even if my experience ends right here, the amount of work required to do all of this, to program in and make art for everything, and then have it work relatively well on a console as limiting as the DS? It inherently makes something as expansive as this impossible to have been done by anybody other than Nintendo!

And sure, what of the fact that I had to outrun some sort of incoherent blob that initially looked like Mario, an Impasta if you will, and his buddy Cosmic Luigi? It may’ve been a tense experience initially but looking back it was spectacular! Facing a new obstacle that isn’t some five-second cakewalk in a game I love? It was more of a rush of adrenaline than anything, the feeling still lasting even as I’ve left that place.

Still, that doesn’t entirely explain everything. I mean probability wise yeah it’s nigh impossible that the Mario guys would even dare to put something like this in (even as a dev joke like Kawauoso’s genitals it’s still too much effort) but then again it’s nigh impossible I stumbled upon this game before its existence became publicly known. I feel like a metronome, my mind constantly switching between the child whose playground umors were all true to the pessimistic adult whose quick hits of nostalgia are now wearing off, doubts of the game’s authenticity crawling into my mind.

Nonetheless, the game’s questionable authenticity and extraordinary background only push me to investigate further and figure out its origins. I wish to leave no stone of this enigma unturned.

The loneliness of the Observatory comforting me like a blanket, I traverse the hub in its entirety as I continue to catch my breath. Following the shining lights plastered around and taking note of the various amenities and other changes such as the brighter beams making up for the light lost from the Lumas having disappeared, the Red Star at the Garage illuminates my eyes. A pensive look coming from the cased power-up’s eyes, I grab it and begin to fly.

In spite of my previous complaints of motion control gimmicks, the integration of the touch screen to guide your character’s direction while flying fits like a glove in Mario’s arsenal of movement options. Similar to the Wii game I find it a shame that the Red Star is only reserved for the Comet Observatory and a single mission for its unlocking, teaching you how to use the power-up, its smooth controls here signifying an even greater waste of potential. Even here they have to do a greater disservice to it, removing its second location above the Bedroom. Nonetheless, I cherish the Red Star’s moment here.

Regaining my composure, the next place I check out is Buoy Base Galaxy. Flying into the level I notice moss growing off the tower, a molding cake in the center of a cesspit of corroding steel, its cannonball decals having been picked off. Platforms are sprinkled around the center with Bullies, black balls with legs and horns that charge at you, now living there. With all these changes there’s only one I care about though.

The galaxy has no water!

It's a buoyless base, it's Base Galaxy now!

Besides that it’s a nice “cruise” through the galaxy. I collect 100 Star Shards, grab the Power Star, head out, and get smacked with another notification.

"????龜????? in orbit!"

Coincidentally it’s for Home Galaxy in spite of me being in a separate dome. I appreciate the opportunity but considering the notification is the exact same as before and some of these galaxies on my map have either been changed or are completely new I opt to ignore the notification for the time being and instead fly over to Peanut Galaxy.

There’s no false advertising here, it's a planet-sized peanut. You go there, dodge a couple of boulders, then follow a coin trail to a Power Star. It takes twenty seconds at most.

Going back to the central map at the Comet Observatory I check to see if Home Galaxy still has the notification only to find it, and the galaxy, gone. Double-checking at the Terrace confirms what I saw and leaves me peeved that this has occurred twice now.

I don’t know what to do! Last time I got completely outclassed by Cosmic Luigi and that Impasta, there’s no way I’d be able to beat him in a race. Even from the perspective of someone who wants to catalog all of this it’s the same notification as before, I doubt it’d be anything except for another cosmic race. My only concern so far is that none of these galaxies have come back but I’m hoping that’s merely the game’s punishment for failing to complete the mission, a penalty similar to how the Wii version would only let you play the Prankster Comet of whatever galaxy it landed on.

For now I decide to hop around a couple more galaxies that I know will give me more to take note of: Beach Bowl, Space Junk, Rolling Green, too many to count, jotting down every little change I see in one.

Beach Bowl is now in the middle of an aquatic race track, Sea Slide galaxy no longer existing as its own separate entity. I find the concept initially sweet until realizing how bloated the galaxy becomes, too much stuff condensed into one little area.

Space Junk Galaxy is now “Star Dust Galaxy.” Nothing else is different enough to particularly take note of although I swear a block here and a ship there are colored differently.

Rolling Green Galaxy is exactly the same. Though that sounds boring I find it fascinating that this galaxy in particular was one of the few to not have had a single change between the game’s versions. Of course this assumes that Mario Galaxy DS was developed by Nintendo but even then, interesting that whoever decided to make this kept that galaxy entirely intact.

Through every batch of notes I take and group of Power Stars I collect I get another notification pointing me towards a galaxy with the same Prankster Comet as before. I will eventually try to do another race but for now I’d prefer exploring other parts of this game and seeing what else it has in store. I’m starting to get concerned that none of these disappeared galaxies have reappeared again but hey, couldn’t it be said that the avoidance of these Prankster Comets is part of “exploring other parts of this game?” Seeing what happens when you continuously ignore them?

One particular galaxy, Chomp Saucer, has the icon flashing between black and orange, enticing me to fly there.

The objective is simple: defeat five Chain Chomps to get a Power Star. While jumping around their sporadic lunges at me and slamming down the wooden pegs that hold them I notice a seemingly deserted asteroid close by. It looks unreachable but once I don’t have a Chain Chomp trying to tear me in half I go into first person mode, the one time I get to use this useless feature, to see what’s there.

Cosmic Luigi stands atop the asteroid.

I lock eyes with him and notice him frantically turning tail and running to the other side of the asteroid. With only Cosmic Luigi spotted I get back to taking down the Chain Chomps, a gate opening by the galaxy’s edge once done so, revealing a Power Star.

Walking over to the gate ready to collect the Power Star I feel uneasy as a warning of my impending doom flashes on the screen.

"????龜????? in orbit!"

The floor beneath the gate gives way, then the Star and the structure holding it. Underneath it lies a black hole bright as the sun, the galaxy giving in to its pull.

I turn around, noticing that the rest of the galaxy is breaking apart into pieces. The sheer abruptness of this hastily confirms my doubts about the authenticity of this game, yet the dichotomy I set myself quickly crumbles as more of the floor gives in, revealing the rest of the black hole.

The ends of the black hole covered in sharp teeth, it becomes apparent that this all-consuming void is a monster hellbent on satisfying its appetite rather than a mindless placement from obtuse game design. Getting a glimpse at its red, pulsating flesh, it finally connects that this isn’t some random monster, it’s Impasta.

The same notification as before, being pulled back just like last time, he’s my confirmation that there’s no way Nintendo made this or that this is some fan’s passion project. All the expectations I had of this game have been obliterated in a second. My only concern now is getting out of here to continue my search for the truth about the game.

Desperately looking around I spot a Sling Star on the other side pointing at the asteroid. Jumping from piece to piece towards it the lack of stable ground doesn’t do me any favors. Right as I get used to it I notice Cosmic Luigi running towards me from the other side. I regret not realizing that the two come in pairs sooner.

Cosmic Luigi gets close and dives towards me, attempting to knock me into his master’s black hole as his afternoon snack. His vicinity and entourage of attacks are nerve-wracking, the black hole’s pull being a mere breeze of wind to him, but eventually I reach the Sling Star and travel to the asteroid.

Looking back, I see Chomp Saucer be completely swallowed, Impasta’s entire form taking its place. Seeing him quickly approach I rush all over the asteroid for any kind of escape, noticing a Launch Star at the bottom. By the skin of my teeth I rush into it and launch out of that galaxy before I can be swallowed whole.

Back at the map screen, Chomp Saucer Galaxy remains nothing more than a memory in my head.

My entire perception of this game’s origins have been shattered, leaving me ever more engrossed in this game’s riddles. I genuinely feel there’s no possible explanation to this game that doesn’t involve otherworldly events, leaving me feeling like a lunatic as I tie myself into knots over every little unexplainable quirk this game has. All that my brain has caught onto is that the game wants my main enemy to be Impasta, and to that I’ll happily oblige.

Yet the issue remains: what options do I have to defeat him? Going against his servant is already a herculean task let alone fighting the both of them. I’ll have to scour what galaxies remain to see if they have something I can use.

Tracking down some tangible advantage I can use like a power-up or an optimal set of platforms leaves me panicking as I hop from one galaxy to another as quickly as possible. Every time I return back to the map another "????龜????? in orbit!" notification shows up, reminding me of my time running out. One by one, every galaxy on the Observatory’s map begins to disappear. Even at the Comet Observatory galaxies disappear right as I’m looking at them.

The notification makes me aware of which areas I ought to avoid so that I don’t encounter Impasta and Cosmic Luigi again but either way he continues to make his presence known as I continue to look for something to give me that advantage I need. Sure, I’ve passed by a dozen different sets of power-ups or sets of coins I could use when fighting Impasta and Cosmic Luigi but none of them are good enough. I don’t know what’ll happen if the leviathan wins and I get consumed by him so when I do encounter him again I want to make sure I have the upper hand.

Arriving at the Engine Room it was apparent how almost half the galaxies in it have already disappeared. Traveling into Gold Leaf Galaxy, the autumn forests now mixed in with various honey walls and hives, I notice in the background another galaxy, Sand Spiral, slowly being swallowed by a black hole. Speeding through the various missions there I notice inch-by-inch the entire galaxy, a rotating barrel and spiral strapped together, disappearing from my purview, leaving in its wake a vast space of emptiness. By the time I get out, another galaxy from the dome, Bonefin, has disappeared.

Having only a handful of options left I quickly check each one before noticing a mission’s title that catches my eye.

“Megaleg Below the Fortress”

It’s for Starman Fortress, a galaxy I had initially dismissed due to my assumption that it was only a level where you climb to the top. The knowledge of a boss there however convinces me that the galaxy might just be the advantage I need.

A colossal brick-castle whose architecture made everything else I had seen pale in comparison. A waterfall from above leading down into a lake that surrounds half the fort’s edges adjacent to a mix of spring and winter plains. Cranes, cannons, and other appendages so high they almost feel as a part of the sky itself. Seeing a white flag slowly drifting amongst the current at the tippy top of the fortress, I set out to see where it leads to.

I make my first step conquering this behemoth by surfacing its pillars and diving myself across the waterfall, a yellow platform awaiting for me not far ahead. As I step onto its metallic surface it lifts me into the clouds, cannons firing down at me, some almost grazing my nose. The platform finishing its journey, I step onto a small patch of grass circling two buildings, the shorter one’s roof waving that coveted white flag. Jumping on the roof, I grab the staff and ascend to the flag itself, seeing a pipe protruding from the top of the second building. I jump off the flag, land on the pipe, and emerge on the other side at a mining operation, flood lights being my only source of illumination in this zone.

Megaleg is the boss of this district and my one hope of defeating Impasta and Cosmic Luigi. His appearance is different from what I had expected from the Wii version. Now sporting four instead of his typical three legs, his rougher, less-polished design combined with his now flat head and compact shape makes him more of a lifeless machine than before.

Attempting to stall time until the brute and his buddy show up I run around like a headless chicken, desperately trying to dodge his erratic attacks so that he doesn’t crush me before taking down Impasta. His random attack patterns and swift movement across the bottom of Starman Fortress almost results in my death countless times, yet engaging in this goose chase (as the goose) eases my beliefs that I made the right choice putting my faith in this metallic menace.

After a dozen or so laps around Megaleg an alarm starts going off with "????龜????? in orbit!" popping up on screen. I know he’s here.

He arrives without Cosmic Luigi to support him. Existing as neither the copy of me or the galaxy eating goliath from my previous encounters, he stands tall, his legs as wide as colosseum pillars. His head melts into his body to reveal his true face on his chest, large pupilless eyes on his torso, he and Megaleg being of equal stature.

Immediately he attacks the mechanical construction, laying into it blow-after-blow with his fists as he uses his mouth to try and consume parts of its body, but the machine is quick to adapt, scurrying away to the edges of this zone. Now at a safe distance, Megaleg fires an entourage of Bullet Bills at Impasta. Consuming almost all of them, a couple end up hitting parts of his body, barely slowing down his movement as his tree trunk-esc legs edge ever closer to Megaleg. Another swarm of bullets unleashes on Impasta, he again devours most of them, missing one aimed at his eye. As the Bullet Bill makes contact he stumbles back, screaming out in anger before the rest of his body gives in and comes crashing down.

Watching on the sidelines I feel the need to intervene now that I know Impasta’s weakness, to hop into the fight and help Megaleg secure the victory even if he doesn’t consider me an ally. I take one step towards the action and spot on the other side of this mining operation now turned fight arena Cosmic Luigi hurrying towards Megaleg. The behemoth still lying on the floor, his attempts of getting up all stopped from Megaleg’s kicks or bullet swarms.

Getting quickly to work, Cosmic Luigi uses his nimbleness to mount Megaleg, effortlessly climbing on top of the machine. Though trying to get him off, Megaleg fails as one-by-one Cosmic Luigi begins to damage the machine's legs and cannons, long jumping off the machine once finished. Back on his feet, Impasta steadily moves over to the machine, vertical slits now showing on his once puppilless eyes with a tremendous grin. Opening his mouth wide-open, he grabs ahold of the now teetering machine and chows down on Megaleg, beginning with his legs.

Stunned in place, I watch from afar as my one hope for the end of this tireless titan is devoured before me. All of that work looking for a place where I could take him on, where I would have a fighting chance against him, evaporated in half a minute as soon as his buddy Cosmic Luigi arrived.

Megaleg’s existence now reduced to crumbs on the ground and my hope lost, the game creates a Power Star in the middle for me to leave, a “reward” for me completing the galaxy’s mission. It’s my one chance outta here so I sprint head-first towards it. No longer occupied with Megaleg, Impasta turns around to face me and Cosmic Luigi attempts to push me into his master's direction like last time. Considering how close I have to get to the two of them in order to escape, it's a miracle I’m able to grab the Power Star and get out with half my health still remaining.

Back at the Comet Observatory I feel butterflies in my stomach as I walk towards the map to see what options I have left. I knew going into Starman Fortress that I had only a handful of options left but there’s gotta be some other place I can still use to fight those savages at.

Looking at the map for what’s left and there’s… nothing

I feel my heart pumping now as I use the small amount of faith left in me to double check all the domes.

I rush to the Terrace - nothing.

The Fountain - none left.

The Kitchen - all gone.

The Bedroom - not one remains.

The Engine Room - empty.

The Garden - like the others.

Going back down to the map there truly is nothing left. With no galaxies remaining I panic thinking of where he could possibly be. Maybe he’s drifting off in the void? Maybe he’s content having consumed all galaxies here? Maybe he’s…

"????龜????? in orbit!"

Barely visible through the notification now plastered on both my screens I see at the other side of the Observatory, right by where the Bedroom is, the two of them. Impasta looks exactly like he did during our last encounter, leaping up in the air away from the Observatory.

Becoming a disfigured, mutating blob of red, I watch as this convulsing mass takes up more and more of the screen. Once Impasta’s transformation ends his mouth itself is larger than the Observatory. His eyes now the size of the Observatory’s domes, I can see his eyes peering in my direction. Staring in awe I am slowly pulled into his mouth’s black hole as he eats his final meal, the Comet Observatory itself.

I’m jittery watching Impasta take huge chunks of the Observatory one bite at a time. What am I supposed to do? My one hope, Megaleg, is dead. There’s no possibility of coins or an advantageous position to be in here, not as though that’d solve anything against this goliath. All I have is the knowledge that Impasta’s vulnerable in his eyes, that he and Cosmic Luigi are like bread and butter, and that there’s nothing in the Comet Observatory that could possibly help me.

Except....

I look to the Garage.

The Red Star’s still here!

One step towards it and Cosmic Luigi comes long jumping towards me, swiftly moving from one chunk of the Observatory to another. As I pass the front of the Terrace he’s already reached the dome’s back and is five steps away from crushing my skull with a vigorous jump to the cranium.

I barely shatter the Red Star’s case in time and grab it when Cosmic Luigi starts thrashing me with a collection of kicks and spins. I need to start flying, but every time I start floating Cosmic Luigi kicks me back down to the ground. A couple of these attacks, though leaving me with three hit points, consider my head a platform to be used to jump on top of the Terrace, lighting an idea in my head.

With few options left I look towards the Bedroom and Fountain, their areas now consisting of chunks of rock equivalent to food scraps, and run towards them. Moving straight towards Impasta I see behind me Cosmic Luigi waiting atop the Terrace. I take the moving platforms in the middle of the Observatory towards the masses of scattered rock and see Cosmic Luigi, now jumping off the Terrace, aiming his boots towards me.

In a desperate plea to rid myself of this plague’s symbiotic buddy I jump off the moving platforms towards the scattered bits of what once was the Fountain, barely missing my jump, setting my bait in the process. My maneuver pays off when Cosmic Lugi attempts to use my fall into the void as a way to boost himself towards his master, only to be met with me flying upwards and him falling into the cosmos.

Disappearing from my sight and leaving as much of a trace as the first galaxy I encountered him on I hear an enraged cry emerge from Impasta, his hunger only worsening as a result.

Now face-to-face with Impasta and no longer having to deal with one of the two tumors on my back I fly right towards his left eye and pierce it head-on, the force immediately pushing me back to the Garage. The chaos stops briefly, Impasta roaring out in agony, before he continues again.

The Engine, Garden, and Kitchen now obliterated, I get back up and rise to the creature’s eye level again, his black hole a constant disruption to my flight pattern. With a bit of proper navigation I get right up to him again and strike another one of his eyes with another head-butt. For a brief moment the havoc stops again, I’m pushed back to the Garage a second time, and that wretched freak cries out once more in desperation.

Now that the Terrace and almost all of the Garage are wiped out I know this is my final chance to take him down.

I lift myself up into the air one last time.

I soar towards this abomination one last time.

I launch my body, head-first, into his eyeball one last time.

Not forced away from him like the previous times I get a front-row seat to his demise. He has no ear-deafening scream or final attack as his death throe, just a sudden change into the form I first encountered him as, falling down into the vast emptiness of space.

I initially am elated having defeated this leviathan but as I look around my emotions promptly dissipate. I’ve finally conquered this brute and yet he’s already taken the Comet Observatory and everything else with him. I stand alone in this galaxy as I wait for the Red Star power-up to dissipate and see what my fate is. It eventually wears off, my character falls into the void, I’m shown my life bar going down by one and…

The game black screens. Restarting my system I boot the game up, get back to the save select screen, pick my old save and see my 3ds crash again. Picking a new save leads to the same fate. Even when I redownload the game I can’t revisit the world.

Though I can't go back I still wonder about that galaxy's fate.