Super Mario Galaxy Star Guide

The Kitchen

Beach Bowl Galaxy

Star #1
Sunken Treasure
Take a deep breath and get ready for your first taste of underwater Mario fun. The swimming controls can take some getting used to (down is up, like a flight sim, and A propels you forwards) but luckily our hairy hero has impressive lung capacity so you'll have plenty of time to get the hang of it. Grab all five star pieces (there's one in that clam, and another in the crate next to the penguin) then launch yourself onto dry land. Do a high jump to reach the question coin, then follow the musical notes, clobbering plants along the way. Stomp on the button to create a wooden walkway up to the next area, but beware - it vanishes after a frustratingly short time. You'll just have enough time to almost reach the end before it starts to flash, so leap for the solid ledge as soon as you're able. Then just repeat the process on the next button, wall jump up to the star and shatter the crystal with a couple of spins.

NOTE: You should now be able to visit the Library to read the first two chapters of Mama's storybook. New chapters will be added as you complete more levels, an ideal diversion for those who enjoy whimsical backstory. Or just sniggering at the phrase "riding the turquoise comet".

Star #2
Passing The Swim Test
A nice easy star, this one. Cross the wooden bridges to the large penguin, and enrol in the swimming school. Then just dive in and look for the penguin carrying the gold shell. Spin them, and you'll snatch the shell. Take it back to the instructor penguin for your star.

Star #3
The Secret Undersea Cavern
Go and talk the swimming instructor penguin again. You'll discover that swimming classes are cancelled - oh noes - because there's a cracked wall under the water. Don't smash it with a shell, he says. When was the last time you obeyed a penguin? Well, apart from the previous level. You know what to do - dive in, grab a shell and smash that wall down. You can't miss it, and there's even a chest containing an extra life in front of it. Pass through the cave, smash the crates and use the launch star to rocket up to the next section. There are two types of Thwomps here - the normal ones, that smash up and down on the spot, and rolling Thwomps. You'll notice the rolling ones have hollow insides, so it's a question of finding the right spot to stand where they'll pass over you without squashing you. Use the raised areas for a breather - the Thwomps can't roll over those - and make your way to the end of the pathway to smash the star out of the crystal. Feel free to ignore the extra life mushrooms, perched tantalisingly on the collapsing platforms along the way. You'll probably lose more lives getting them than you'd gain in return so, unless you're desperate or brave, save the 1Up hunting for the more chilled environs of the Observatory.

Star #4
Wall Kicking Up Waterfalls
This secret star can only found by going back into The Secret Undersea Cavern mission. Once there, grab a green shell from the seabed and carry it up to the top of the waterfall. There's a green pipe in the middle of the water, which you can return to later for some more wall-kicking fun to earn a bunch of star bits, but for now head round to the right hand side. Throw the green shell at the chest, and use the launch star to zip off to where the fourth power star awaits. There's a new creature here, and when it hits you with its beak, you're propelled high into the air. Useful. Get it to follow you over to where the question coin in hovering, and use the creature to reach it. You can now pick up an ice flower, giving Mario new abilities - including walking on water. The ice flower is time limited though, so you need to move fast for this part. Run across the water to the waterfalls opposite and wall kick your way up them. Use the launch star at the top, and repeat the process again. There are three tiers in all, and you'll only just have time to make it to the top before the ice flower runs out. The final area has spiky icebergs which will shatter your frozen walkways, so watch their movements, pick your moment and then grab the ice flower and create a path for the creature to follow you over to the small island on the opposite side. Let it smack you into the sky here, and you'll grab the star. Phew.

• The Kitchen
• Ghostly Galaxy
• Bubble Breeze Galaxy
• The Bedroom
• Freezeflame Galaxy
• Dusty Dune Galaxy
• Honeyclimb Galaxy and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Ghostly Galaxy

Star #1
Luigi and the Haunted Mansion
Ooh. Spooky. Head towards the mansion, watching out for pumpkin-wearing Goombas (you need to spin them before you can kill them) and the rolling Chomp. Inside, hit the switch to turn the light on. The Boo ghosts only advance when you have your back to them, so trick them into the light to kill them. Grab the key from the second Boo and head into one of those weird gravity-warping rooms. You're looking for five launch star pieces, and they're not hard to see. Just be careful of the black holes in the floor and the blue flames. Use the launch star to swoop around to the other side of the mansion, where we first see Luigi. Poor, pathetic Luigi. Use the pull stars to grab the key, then head back inside for some fun. Get rid of the Boos, then look in the far corner for a question coin. This opens up the Boo Mario power, turning you into a ghost. You can hover and shake the Wiimote to pass through bars. Float up to the ceiling if you want to grab an easy bonus life, then go through the bars. Here's Luigi, but if you approach him as a ghost you'll only scare him. Pass through the bars on the other side, and let the swinging light turn you back into Mario again. Now trampoline over the wall and your stupid, stupid brother will give you a power star.

NOTE: Luigi now takes up residence in the Garage back at the Observatory. Talk to him and he'll seek out new stars in previously explored galaxies, which makes him a bit of an annoying smartarse but also quite essential for those chasing all 120 stars. He'll send you a picture of where he is, and you then have to figure out which of the galaxies he's in. The scamp.

Star #2
A Very Spooky Sprint
This can be a deeply annoying stage, and one that boasts uncharacteristically wonky level design for a Nintendo game. It's a race against a giant Boo, with Mario forced to swing from pull stars while his opponent glides through all the obstacles. And, oh my, obstacles there are. This is a race where split seconds count, so being buffeted about by giant spare ribs and stuck behind a revolving platform can leave you grinding your teeth into dust. And then there's a tight minefield at the end, though if you approach from the right you can bypass this almost entirely. Even more annoying, losing the race loses a life so while I'd recommend a few run throughs to familiarise yourself with the course, it's going to cost you. It helps if you let go just before you reach each pull star, allowing the momentum to carry Mario past it. This usually puts you in reach of stars further away and lets you build up a rhythm. There's also a launch star tucked away just after what I can only describe as the meat chicane, which will blast you past the skeleton roundabout but unless you latch hold and keep moving the second you land the camera angle can leave you with nothing to grab. Basically, there's no easy way of doing this, so just stock up on lives, take deep relaxing breaths and keep trying.

Star #3
Beware of Bouldergeist
Time to meet a new twist on an old enemy - the Bomb Boo. Head into the mansion and you'll see that, in true haunted house style, everything has moved around. Bomb Boos will spawn from the painting, and Mario can spin to grab them and twirl them around. The longer you spin, the wider their swing. You can also move, slowly, while swinging them. Use a Bomb Boo to clear the fireplace, then head to the launch star. You'll land at a side-on section with sling pods. Reach the launch star to whoosh around the other side, then collect the pull star pieces to move onwards. You'll reach a hollow planet with a bouncy centre and mines all over the surface. The trick is to bounce up to the launch star without hitting the mines. That done, you're ready to face Bouldergeist. Stock up on health or extra life from the Luma shop, then jump down. Bouldergeist takes several forms, but your method of attack remains constant. He'll throw rocks at you - grey, gold and black. All will hurt if they hit you, but gold ones turn into coins while black ones turn into Bomb Boos. Grab these, and spin them into Bouldergeist for MASSIVE DAMAGE. Keep doing this, and dodging his punches, slams and rocky eruptions, and you'll have another star for your collection.

Star #4
Matter Splatter Mansion
Another secret star, that can be found by returning to a previously conquered level. For this one, head back into A Very Spooky Sprint and spin into the sparkling rock outside the mansion - it's on the right when you land, you can't miss it. It'll turn into a launch star, so use it. You'll soon see what the trick is with this special level - the floor, walls and ceiling only exist when the roving spotlights are over them. You need to find just the right speed to stay in the middle of the solid area as it roams around. It's tricky at first - especially since you have to keep turning to face those bloody Boos to keep them from sneaking up on you - but it gets easier once you reach the piano room. This is also a checkpoint so you can give a small sigh of relief. You now have to start moving upwards, but resist the urge to wall kick - the walls won't be there in time! Just keep moving, and jumping, and grabbing the keys to open doors for bonus items as you go. When you reach the top, the star is behind one of the doors.

• The Kitchen
• Ghostly Galaxy
• Bubble Breeze Galaxy
• The Bedroom
• Freezeflame Galaxy
• Dusty Dune Galaxy
• Honeyclimb Galaxy and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Bubble Breeze Galaxy

Star #1
Through The Poison Swamp
Another mini-game galaxy, and quite a fun one. Jump into the bubbles and the use the Wiimote to gently blow Mario around the level. The fans are useful rather than hazardous, just be sure to counteract their effect by blowing from the opposite direction so you don't go speeding into a mine. The moving obstacles complicate things slightly, but provided you move Mario around with frequent gentle gusts rather than constant huffing you should net another star with no trouble.

Buoy Base Galaxy

Star #1
The Floating Fortress
Am I the only person who remembers Nebulus? Anyway, this one can be quite long-winded, and more than a little frustrating. Jump into the water and lure a torpedo into striking the large round weight in a cage. This frees the platforms you'll need, and sends them bobbing to the surface. Climb out, and to the left of the yellow flotation tanks you can wall kick your way onto the tower. Keep ascending, dodging Thwomps and bubbles, until you reach the cleaning robot. Spin the green valve to switch off the bubble blowing FLUDD look-alikes, and then use the Topman enemy to propel you to the next set of platforms, where a screw awaits. Spin the screw and you'll set the platforms in motion. Don't panic if you fall off - there's now a launch star next to the flotation devices which will return you to the cleaning robot. Navigate your way around the rotating platforms, collecting four pieces of a blue pull star along the way - and an extra life if you fancy. Defeat the enemy at the top for the last piece, then use the pull star to reach the sphere above. Leap over the red shockwaves, and make your way to the screw on top of this planet. Spin it down and the planet splits open. Now just dive down to the star and you're done.

BONUS: Green Power Star #1
The Secret of Buoy Base
There's another star lurking in this galaxy - a green power star that will get you on your way to unlocking the Trial Galaxies. It's quite easy to find as well. When you swim down underneath the Buoy Tower, you'll see a green pipe on the seabed enclosed in a cage. Lure a torpedo into smashing it, and drop through the pipe. You'll emerge on the underside of the galaxy. Now it's just a question of running across the pathway, avoiding the Bullet Bills and other hazards, then luring one of them into smashing the cage at the top. Bottom. Whatever. You've got a green power star. That's what matters.

Bowser Jr's Airship Armada

Grand Star #4
Sinking The Airships
Time to spank Bowser's kid once more. Defeat (or avoid) the enemies on each ship, jumping into the square black hole to activate the cannon. You're aiming for the flagpole - which can be tricky since it's possible to be a few pixels out and not notice. Luckily, there's a pull star at the top of each one, so you can grab onto that if you're going to overshoot. When you reach the ship with the Luma shop and Toad, cash in your star bits for more health (recommended) or an extra life and head over to the raft, squashing the Mandibug along the way. Spin the switch, and you're propelled in a straight line through an onslaught of cannonballs and dangling spiders. Jump over the cannonballs, and knock the spiders out of the way by shooting star bits, and you'll arrive at the end of the line. Launch star up to the top deck, and get ready for another boss fight. This one is fairly simple, but it can get hectic so keep your cool. You're lobbing green shells at Bowser Jr's airship again, but this time he'll retaliate with Bullet Bills and Magikoopas. Rather than dodging the Bullet Bills, you may find it easier to stomp the grating and drop down to the launch star for a few seconds while the air clears. Hit the airship three times, and he'll turn face on and start blasting waves of three fireballs at you. Hit the airship twice more and it'll explode, netting you the fourth Grand Star and access to the Bedroom.

BONUS: Drip Drop Galaxy
Feed the hungry Luma next to the Kitchen with 600 star bits to open this galaxy.

Star #1
Giant Eel Outbreak
You need to kill all three giant eels to earn the star here, so you'd better be good at swimming. There are plenty of coins and air bubbles to keep you alive, but there are also lots of hazards - including homing torpedoes and spiky anemones. Grab a shell (red, if you can find it, green will do just fine) and swim towards an eel. It's best to wait until you're really close, since their swimming trajectory can carry them out of your line of sight after firing. Once you've got all three, the star appears on the shipwreck. Feel free to swim around and stock up on coins and other goodies - but be aware that the chests which can be smashed with the shells can contain a nasty surprise!

• The Kitchen
• Ghostly Galaxy
• Bubble Breeze Galaxy
• The Bedroom
• Freezeflame Galaxy
• Dusty Dune Galaxy
• Honeyclimb Galaxy and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

The Bedroom

Star #1
Bunnies In The Wind
Do you like things that are twee? I mean, really really twee? Then you'll love this level, filled with bunny wabbits and fluffy floaty flower things. Spin near the pink flowers to release some - ahem Floaty Fluff then jump to grab it. You'll be carried along on the wind, and can get three altitude boosts by waggling the Wiimote. Basically just keep moving from planet to planet, either using Floaty Fluff or by killing piranha plants to release vines to spin along. There are plenty of opportunities to stock up on star bits, and it's always worth checking out the underside of each planet as well. When you reach the large purple piranha plant, move towards it then dodge its strike. While it's down, jump on its head to create a launch star. Zip over to the final planet where you're faced with the macho task of catching that silly ickle rabbit. Just keep chasing him - it's easy enough, since he'll wait for you to catch up. Punch him repeatedly in the throat to get the star. Or he may just give it to you. Feel free to imagine the throat-punching part.

Star #2
The Dirty Tricks Of Major Burrows
Great title, infuriating level. Getting rid of moles is the goal here, and you do this by pounding the ground close to where they're digging. They move fast though, so it's often best to head the opposite way and head them off. Once you've cleared the weird Wotsit shaped planet, you'll launch over to a series of apple planets. On the way, if you're quick, you can use the pull stars to stop off at the ring planet covered in thorny vines. There are loads of star bits here, and an extra life. Once you reach the apples, stomp the wooden stakes to create a worm bridge. Do this three times and make your way to the final planet before we meet Major Burrows. Stomp the stump here to get a health boost - you'll need it. Major Burrows is a supermole, and he's menacing a poor rabbit. As with his smaller brethren, you need to stomp the ground to make him pop out and then spin into him. Do this once and he gets mad and starts chasing you. Do it again and he gets really mad and speeds up. Do it a third time and you've got the star. Trouble is, with each round it takes more stomps to get him out of the soil, and Burrows moves faster than Mario so there's only so long you can keep a safe distance. Add in the spiked helmet that makes a mistimed stomp pretty much fatal, and a small planet that makes it hard to keep track of his location, and you've got a boss battle guaranteed to annoy.

Star #3
Gusty Garden's Gravity Scramble
This one starts out deceptively easy, before turning into a real headmasher. Set off, as before, using launch stars and vines to move from planet to planet. When you reach the long bobbly planet with rolling boulders, you'll notice a gold Chomp - remember this, we're coming back this way later. For now, keep moving and use the poles to collect the launch star shards. Gravity starts to get weird now, so it looks like to you can't jump from disc to disc, but you can. Leap from the top (or bottom) of the poles and the gravity will pull you across. Then it's time for the real nightmare stuff, as you ascend the yellow blocks. The key thing is that yellow panels are down. That is, they're the floor. Whenever you reach the big green arrows, spin them to flip gravity and tumble you to the next section. Things get hairier when cannonballs are introduced into the mix, but there's plenty of room to dodge in between them. There's even a fairly easy 1Up and health boost to be had, if you fancy it. Once you reach the end, jump across to the crystal and spin it twice to get the star.

BONUS: The Golden Chomp
This secret star is simple enough. Head back into Gusty Garden's Gravity Scramble. Remember that gold Chomp? That's our star. How do you get it? You need to hit all the question coins along the way. When flying on the Floaty Fluff, save your altitude boosts for when the Wiimote starts to rumble. This should give you the right height to hit the coins. The ones after that are hard to miss. Get them all and an invincibility power up will appear right over the next launch star - the one off the end of the vine. Get the power up, launch over to the Wotsit planet and steam through those spiky plants to the Chomp. Run into it while invincible and it'll shatter, giving you the star.

• The Kitchen
• Ghostly Galaxy
• Bubble Breeze Galaxy
• The Bedroom
• Freezeflame Galaxy
• Dusty Dune Galaxy
• Honeyclimb Galaxy and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Freezeflame Galaxy

Star #1
The Frozen Peak Of Baron Brr
What is it with Mario and catching small animals? Whatever the reason for his sinister fetish, you're chasing wildlife again - a penguin this time. Skate after him by swishing the Wiimote from side to side and you should nab him easily. Your reward is a launch star to the level proper.

Read the sign. Water cold. Hurt bad. Got that? It won't damage you instantly, but landing in the water and not jumping out again is a good way to lose health. Head over to the question coin and you'll get the ice flower. Remember, Ice Mario doesn't stay cold for long, so just like Wall Kicking Up Waterfalls, you need to move fast. Once you're iced up, you need to climb up and leap across those spurting valves up above. Get to the next plateau and you can take a breather. Ready to do it again? Use those shunting Thwomps to jump to the next level, then make your way across the floating platforms. Grab the ice flower and quickly get across to the back wall, over the backwards-and-forwards Thwomp, onto a launch star and onto two more leaky valves to reach the final area.

So this is Baron Brr. He lobs ice boulders at you, but is generally not a threat at long distance. Follow the platforms around to the left, and into the cave for an ice flower (you can go the other way for some coins, if you like). Once iced up, scoot round to the front and wall kick up to the Baron. He'll hit the ground, so jump over his shockwave (it won't hurt you, but can knock you off the edge) and spin into him while you're still Ice Mario. He'll shrink, so spin him again. Then jump down, get another ice flower and repeat. You need to follow this pattern three times (why is it always three?) and the star be yours.

Star #2
Freezeflame's Blistering Core
Out of the freezer and into the...fire? Well, why not? Free the launch star pieces from the crystals and swoosh into the inferno. When you land, ignore the fuzzball enemies for now - they're slow and rubbish anyway - and make for the right hand pathway. Clamber up the pole and follow the platforms until you see the question coin. This gets you another new (old) ability - Fire Mario. Frazzle those fuzzballs and use your flames to light the torch at the bottom. This is pretty much all you need to know to finish this level - get Fire Mario, light torches to open new areas. The last room can be tricky, as you need to use the floating platform to get close enough to the final pair of torches, but you can do it. You're special.

Star #3
Hot And Cold Collide
Much like Derek Smalls, you now find yourself somewhere between fire and ice. Make your way around the hot-cold donut to the final crystal, wherein lurks a launch star. Blast off and you've now got two rooms to navigate - a cold one and a hot one. The level of the icy water and lava goes up and down, so check the colour of the ground to see where the tide will stop. You need to spin the valve to open the door out of the ice room, run around into the fire room, spin the valve to open the next door, which then gives you the fire flower. Quickly run back into the ice room, to where you started, and light the two torches. Use the new launch star to zip over to the final stage. Here you need to use the Ice Mario power to walk across the lava platforms. It's easier than it looks, provided you don't get caught out when the power expires. Just peg it down the walkways, and grab the star at the end.

BONUS: Conquering The Summit
This one is fairly easy to explain, though it can be an epic trial to actually complete. You need to go back to the lake from the Baron Brr level, only this time when you get the ice flower you're going to continue across to the leaky valves with a 1Up on top. You'll need to triple jump up them to reach the ledge, and then launch yourself to the mountain. Use Fire Mario to melt the snowmen and kill the ice bats, watch out for the shunting Thwomps and rolling boulders, and just keep making your way round and up. Some of the timing required can be tricky, and there are several nasty leaps onto thin platforms, but once you reach the three-high Thwomps you're nearly at the end. Wait for them to retract and quickly wall kick up to the top for the star.

• The Kitchen
• Ghostly Galaxy
• Bubble Breeze Galaxy
• The Bedroom
• Freezeflame Galaxy
• Dusty Dune Galaxy
• Honeyclimb Galaxy and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Dusty Dune Galaxy

Star #1
Soaring On The Desert Winds
First thing to learn - tornados are a good thing in Super Mario Galaxy, so go ahead and jump in. You're aiming for the green pipe over to the right, so be patient and twiddle your thumbs in the maelstrom before wiggling that Wiimote and taking flight. The closer you are to your target, and the higher Mario is in the tornado, the less distance you'll have to fly and the less chance of falling short into the deadly quicksand. Inside the pipe is a straightforward 2D section, complicated only by the constant flow of sand pushing you backwards. When you emerge, swoop over to the tower and begin to climb using a combination of launch stars, tornados and a lot of wall kick. The wall kick section can be the most troublesome, but remember to use the jump and spin technique to gain a little extra height. When you reach the top, leg it across those retracting box platforms, then jump your way up the avalanche of sand, using the boxes for leverage where possible. Spin into the crystal twice to release the star.

Star #2
Blasting Through The Sands
This is a multipart epic of a level. Start off by defeating the cacti that spring out of the ground, and using the launch star to fly to the ring planet with boulders rolling around the edge. You need to run around to where you can leap to the launch star in the middle, so either find a spot between the boulders and keep moving, or make your way around underneath (there's a health boost nearby if you do this). You need to hit a second launch star mid-flight, and then land on a twisted loop of constantly moving sand. You just have to go with the flow, and there are five pull star pieces to be found here, so keep looping around until you have four. The fifth is inside the chest, which can be smashed with that handy shell. The next section requires you to jump over a stream of rocks tumbling towards you - you can choose the green or orange path, with green offering a bonus room along the way, while orange is a lot quicker. Reach the launch star and you're catapulted to the final part. This is a disc-shaped planet with numerous holes leading from one side to the other. There are smaller tornados here - some are helpful, others have rocks inside which will damage you. Even so, it's fairly obvious which way you have to go - just keep leaping and swapping sides when you can, using the safe mini-tornados for longer leaps if you need to, until you reach the three square blocks in the centre and a plunger on top. Stomp that plunger to ram those blocks through to the other side, where they conveniently rise up to the power star. Do they stay that way? Heck no. It's another timed dash, past the bad tornados, across the platforms back to the centre before the blocks swap sides again and leave the star out of reach. You won't have time to dawdle or deal with enemies, but if you keep moving you should reach the star just as the timer starts to speed up.

BONUS: Green Power Star #2
Treasure of the Pyramid
At the start of Blasting Through The Sands, run to the underside of the platform you land on after the first launch star. There's a hungry Luma, demanding 20 star bits. A small price to pay, so cough up. Presto - one pyramid planet. Fly on over and in you go. This is more of a puzzle section than a platformer. You're inside a sphere, with a movable ceiling and floor of sand. Step on the green band, and the empty area you're standing in begins to move. You need to keep pace with it, and find five silver stars. You'll need to move the sand up and down a few times to find them all, taking different routes through the wall maze, but it's not too hard and, unless you're daft and get trapped, there's little danger so you can keep trying as long as you need. Once you have all five, they turn into your second marvellous green power star. Only one more to go!

Star #3
Sunbaked Sand Castle
Ready for another lengthy challenge? Start out by hitting the plunger which will make blocks descend from the sky through the sand beneath you. Just stay out of their shadow and you'll be fine - though the daring can grab a 1Up and health boost as the blocks fall. Launch to the next planet, and more rising and falling fun. This time it's a tower that goes up or down out of the sand when you hit the alternate plungers. There are five launch star pieces to be found - one on the top (you can grab this before pressing anything) and one on each wall. One is in a chest, that needs a green shell to open. The others are simply floating close to the tower. Make it go up and down as many times as you need to grab them all. The next planet has a spiky plant that needs a coconut in the face before it'll turn into a launch star, while the planet after that boasts a giant cactus at the top and a launch star at the bottom. Launch to the nearby planet and kick some coconuts over. Then simply hoof one into the cactus, and jump on his head, for your next launch star. You've finally reached the Sand Castle of the title, arriving tantalisingly close to the power star. Of course, you can't just smash through and pick it up - you have to drop all the way down and make your way back to it from the inside. Smash the large crate to reveal the green pipe that will take you inside, where you'll notice you're upside down. Start making your way around the inside, and when you reach the 1Up the sand level above you (in other words, the floor) will start to fall (in other words, rise). It's now a mad dash around the topsy-turvy castle to avoid being squashed into the ceiling by the sand. Thankfully, it's not a long sequence, there are sections with lots of breathing space and you soon emerge inside the glass attic that you landed on before. Hey, what do you know? A power star.

Star #4
Bullet Bill On Your Back
This is another secret star, hidden in a previous stage. Head back into Sunbaked Sand Castle and, when you get to the small planet with the spiky plant, find the wooden stump and stomp it. Stump. Stomp. A short sequence of musical notes will appear, which you have to run over before they sink into the sand. Do this, and a new launch star appears. You've now got a Bullet Bill cannon and two plungers. Much like the tower from Sunbaked Sand Castle, the plungers make a tower rise and fall, with the cannon on top. You can only attract the attention of a Bullet Bill while the tower is lowered, but the cage containing the star only appears when it's raised. So get a Bullet Bill to chase you, start the tower raising, then run around and around it trying to keep the bullet from hitting anything until the cage emerges. Then it's just a question of hiding behind it and letting silly old Bill do your dirty work. The star, of course, flies to the top of the tower so you'll need to lower it again to pick it up.

• The Kitchen
• Ghostly Galaxy
• Bubble Breeze Galaxy
• The Bedroom
• Freezeflame Galaxy
• Dusty Dune Galaxy
• Honeyclimb Galaxy and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Honeyclimb Galaxy

Star #1
Scaling The Sticky Wall
The clue's in the name, really. Grab the Bee Mario power up and start climbing. Fly to the next sticky bit, remembering that you can only buzz about for a short time, and use crouch (Z) to land when your shadow is over a safe spot. Things get trickier with falling fireballs and Mandibugs, but it's not too hard. There are three sections, with a launch star at the end of the first two, and that precious power star at the end of the third.

Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Grand Star #5
Darkness On The Horizon
This level can make Portal look like Bubsy 3D, so hang on to your cute red hat. The thing to watch out for here is dark matter - the wibbly wobbly stuff (scientific term) that looks like evil water. Touch it and you're vaporised. Dark matter tends to stay static while moving platforms pass through it, so the trick is to stay with the platform but jump over the patches of dark matter. After navigating those perils, it's on to an absolute mindsmash of a 2D section. The arrows tell you which way the gravity is going to go, so think ahead and position Mario on the moving platforms so that he doesn't fall off into the surrounding dark matter. Once you escape that nightmare, you just need to free the trapped Luma to make a staircase up to your next confrontation with Bowser.

Disappointingly, this boss battle is basically a redux of your first encounter. Same glass planet, same tactics. Get Bowser to smash into the blue windows to set his arse on fire, then spin attack him as he runs around, then spin him again as he skids about like a lemon. Making things more tricky are an absolutely insane amount of attacks from Bowser himself - including multiple fireballs that will circle the planet and come back at you, and rapid fire shockwaves that can be avoided by jumping over them, or by standing on the raised green discs. He's also a dab hand at reversing direction if he sees you coming when he's on fire, so you need to act fast if you don't want him to recover. Even so, it's not that much harder than the first time - you still only have to clobber him three times (with a double clobber at the end) so this shouldn't give you too much trouble.

BONUS: Bigmouth Galaxy Feed the hungry Luma next to the Bedroom with 800 star bits to open this galaxy.

Star #1
Bigmouth's Gold Bait
You obviously want to open that golden chest. It's so shiny and mysterious. Dive into the water and spin to smash a hole in the wall. Swim on through and start foraging for launch star pieces in the seaweed at the bottom, keeping an eye out for jellyfish and that eel. Once you have it, propel yourself into the upside-down pool directly above where the golden shell awaits. Grab it, and return to the wall. A whole bunch of Boos has spawned while you've been diving, but luckily these shells come equipped with a light. Shine it on them to clear a path, and earn some coins along the way. Throw the shell at the chest, and out pops Toad - that silly tinker - with a power star for you.

• The Kitchen
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