TheGold Leaf Galaxy currently being orbited by aCosmic Comet

“It seems that aPrankster Comet has appeared somewhere...Prankster Comets havevery strange effects ongalaxies.”

—Rosalina,Super Mario Galaxy

Prankster Comets are special missions that appear inSuper Mario Galaxy,Super Mario Galaxy 2, andSuper Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2. They affectgalaxies by changing the gameplay of the level. Prankster Comets resemble fireballs with tails, like real comets, hence their name.

InSuper Mario Galaxy, there are five different types of Prankster Comets, each one a different color: red, white, blue, yellow, or purple. They appear occasionally in the orbits of the 15 major galaxies, starting at the point whenMario orLuigi collects his thirteenthPower Star. The missions can be done only if the player travels to a galaxy with a Prankster Comet in orbit. Prankster Comets appear in galaxies only after a specific Power Star in any given galaxy is collected. Also, when a Prankster Comet is in orbit, the player is forced to choose the Prankster Comet's level. No option is given to choose "normal" levels until the Prankster Comet's completion. However,Comet Luma^[derived], who is positioned near theTerrace, can shuffle the comets between available galaxies if fed 20Star Bits by the player. Comet Luma's actions either remove all the comets from orbiting in galaxies, remove some of them, or make some appear.

By completing the event, the player receives a Power Star. While a Prankster Comet is in orbit of a galaxy, players need to completely restart the level each time they lose a life, instead of coming back at the lastcheckpoint. Once a Prankster Comet's Star has been collected, its Star becomes a selectable mission, only causing the comet to return to the corresponding galaxy at the player's request. All the Prankster Comets (except Purple Comets without time limits) also have their own music that plays during their missions. Prankster Comets give their levels a vignette whose color depends on what effects they have.

InSuper Mario Galaxy 2, Prankster Comets appear only once the player has collected aComet Medal in a certain galaxy, as well as a certain number of Comet Medals from other galaxies (and collected at least four Power Stars from World 3), and their levels have a black vignette, regardless of the effect. In this game, Prankster Comets with different effects are no longer considered different types of comets, and are not given unique names. Galaxies under the influence of a Prankster Comet are given a generic symbol. Below, theSuper Mario Galaxy 2 comets are grouped together based on the title of the mission they appear in. Comets are now yellow if they give regular Power Stars, while comets are green if they giveGreen Stars. Traveling to a galaxy with a comet in orbit opens the comet Star mission, although the player may have the option to select a normal mission, unlike in the first game. Also, a Prankster Comet is always in orbit around a galaxy once unlocked, unlike in the first game, where completing a mission can move the Prankster Comet to another galaxy. Certain galaxies such as theFluffy Bluff Galaxy andBoo Moon Galaxy do not have Prankster Comets.

Variations[edit]

Speedy Comet[edit]

Not to be confused withRed Comet.

Mario battlingDino Piranha with limited time

ASpeedy Comet requires the player to complete a level within a certain time limit, from four to six minutes; failing to do so results in the player losing a life. Some missions feature small changes alongside the time limit; for example, theGood Egg Galaxy'sRuby Rocks are all replaced byChomps.

Speedy Comets also appear inSuper Mario Galaxy 2. Unlike in the previous game, a Speedy Comet inSuper Mario Galaxy 2 can dramatically change the original level in addition to setting a time limit. For example, "Hightail Falls Speed Run" has damaged platforms andmeteors, and "Masterpiece Speed Run" has an entirely new planet not seen in the original Star mission as part of the level. Unlike in the first game, the timer disappears once the Power Star appears.

Galaxies marked with "+" next to their time limits in the table below haveClocks scattered throughout the missions; collecting one adds 10 seconds to the player's time limit.

Daredevil Comet[edit]

Mario battlingKamella with one unit of health

ADaredevil Comet cuts Mario or Luigi's maximum health down to only one hit point, as opposed to the usual three (or six with aLife Mushroom). Additionally, it removes all Life Mushrooms and coins from the level so that the player cannot gain more health or exploit aglitch to take damage without losing a life, and coins do not spawn fromstomping enemies. Taking any damage during a Daredevil Comet requires the player to start the mission over from the beginning.

Four out of five Daredevil Comet missions have the player battle a previously fought boss, bringing them to the boss's planet at the start of the mission. "The Sinking Lava Spire", uniquely, requires the player to beat the entire mission, which does not feature a boss. Daredevil Comets themselves are white, though their icons are light grey and the vignette in their respective levels is black.

Daredevil Comets return inSuper Mario Galaxy 2. The first three are boss-only rematches, as inSuper Mario Galaxy, and the last three are full-level runs. "Boomsday Machine Daredevil Run" and "Mini-Planet Daredevil Run" notably featureCheckpoint Flags, relieving the player from clearing the mission from start to end in one go. Just like with a Speedy Comet, the original level can be changed when visited by a Daredevil Comet. The most significant instance of this occurs inBowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, where an entire planet is replaced by another.

The comet for "The Perfect Run" will appear only if the player has 9,999 Star Bits stored withBanktoad in theWii version, or on Starship Mario in theNintendo Switch version. Doing so the first time permanently sets on the flag to unlock the comet for all save file slots.

Cosmic Comet[edit]

Mario racingCosmic Mario in theSea Slide Galaxy

ACosmic Comet pits Mario in a race againstCosmic Mario in a predetermined course with aPower Star at the end. Mario must beat his duplicate to the Star; if he fails, he loses a life. If the player usesLuigi, they race against Cosmic Luigi instead. Unlike Cosmic Mario, Cosmic Luigilong-jumps frequently and takes advantage of some shortcuts that are available. Cosmic Comets appear only inSuper Mario Galaxy; they are replaced byCosmic Clone comets inSuper Mario Galaxy 2.

Fast-Foe Comet[edit]

Mario crossing theCyclone Stone in the Beach Bowl Galaxy

AFast-Foe Comet speeds up all enemies and obstacles in a stage. Mario must complete the stage while avoiding the accelerated enemies and obstacles.Tox Boxes,Thwomps, and moving platforms are the only objects affected. Fast-Foe Comets appear only inSuper Mario Galaxy; they are replaced by"Double Time" comets inSuper Mario Galaxy 2.

Purple Comet[edit]

"Purple Comet" redirects here. For the musical theme, seePurple Comet (theme).

Mario collects Purple Coins inTall Trunk Galaxy.

APurple Comet is available only after the player clearsBowser's Galaxy Reactor. When they strike a galaxy, Purple Comets scatterPurple Coins throughout the galaxy or a specific region of it, and Mario must retrieve 100 Purple Coins, sometimes within a time limit, to retrieve the Star. Some Purple Comet missions have more than 100 Purple Coins, but Mario still needs to collect only 100 for the Star. All 15 major galaxies are visited by Purple Comets. Timed Purple Comet missions, as well as theBattlerock Galaxy's andDreadnought Galaxy's Purple Comet missions, use aunique background music track, which is an arrangement of theGusty Garden Galaxy's track.

Purple Comets are also inSuper Mario Galaxy 2. Unlike inSuper Mario Galaxy, the player does not need to beat the game to unlock them. Instead, the player needs to obtain the galaxy'sComet Medal as well as complete "The Shadow Lining" in theCloudy Court Galaxy and "Purple Coin Shadow Vault" in thePuzzle Plank Galaxy.^[1] The mission inStarshine Beach Galaxy plays theHightail Falls Galaxy music, since theDash Pepper is needed to clear, even though the normal level has a Dash Pepper and using it does not change the music. The Purple Comet theme from the first game plays in the Flip-Swap Galaxy, the Puzzle Plank Galaxy, the Clockwork Ruins Galaxy, and Mario Squared Galaxy. Unlike in the first game, any Purple Coin missions with time limits have the timer disappear once 100 Purple Coins are collected.

Cosmic Clone comet[edit]

Mario being chased by Cosmic Clones in the Chompworks Galaxy

Cosmic Clone comets^{[conjectural]} are exclusive toSuper Mario Galaxy 2, replacing the Cosmic Comets from the first game. MultipleCosmic Clones appear in a selected mission. The player needs to redo the whole or part of the mission while there are Cosmic Clones. The comets are fused with the missions "Purple Coin Shadow Vault" forPuzzle Plank Galaxy, "Luigi's Purple Coin Chaos" forMario Squared Galaxy, and "Green Star 2" forFlip-Out Galaxy. None of these comets appear until the player completes "The Shadow Lining" in the Cloudy Court Galaxy. The specific music for the Cosmic Clones theme does not play (except in the Cloudy Court Galaxy), even though the soundtrack stays the same. This music is also played in other stages such asStone Cyclone Galaxy.

"Romp" comet[edit]

Mario jumping on anOctoomba during Dark Octo-Army Romp

"Romp" comets,^{[conjectural]} exclusive toSuper Mario Galaxy 2, require the player to defeat a horde of 30 enemies within a time limit using a specific power-up. Their missions all feature the word "romp" in their title, and they often feature a fast-paced theme, such as the minigame theme.

"Double Time" comet[edit]

Mario andYoshi inTurning Turning Double Time

"Double Time" comets,^{[conjectural]} also exclusive toSuper Mario Galaxy 2, are similar to Fast-Foe Comets from the first game, except that instead of enemies, the stage's objects move faster. Despite both missions having the phrase "Double Time" the in their titles, objects actually move at four times the normal speed.

Green Comet[edit]

"Green Comet" redirects here. For the kart inMario Kart Tour, seeGreen Comet (kart).

Mario obtaining a Green Star inSky Station Galaxy

AGreen Comet makesGreen Stars appear in various levels in every galaxy except theGrandmaster Galaxy, usually in hidden or hard-to-reach places. There is one Green Star for every normal Power Star mission; galaxies with two missions have two Green Stars to find, and galaxies with three missions have three Green Stars to locate. In either case, Green Star levels are always named "Green Star 1" and "Green Star 2" (as well as "Green Star 3" for galaxies with six Power Stars total) as opposed to being named the same way as normal galaxy levels. Green Comets appear only inSuper Mario Galaxy 2. Unlike most Prankster Comets, Green Stars do not give their respective levels a vignette.

Gallery[edit]

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  Luigi approaching theGood Egg Galaxy, which is currently orbited by aSpeedy Comet

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  Luigi approaching theDeep Dark Galaxy, which is currently orbited by aDaredevil Comet

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  Luigi approaching theHoneyhive Galaxy, which is currently orbited by aCosmic Comet

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  Luigi approaching theBeach Bowl Galaxy, which is currently orbited by aFast-Foe Comet

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  Luigi approaching theSpace Junk Galaxy, which is currently orbited by aPurple Comet

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  Icon for an uncollected Prankster CometPower Star

Names in other languages[edit]

Prankster Comet[edit]

Speedy Comet (Super Mario Galaxy)[edit]

Daredevil Comet (Super Mario Galaxy)[edit]

Cosmic Comet (Super Mario Galaxy)[edit]

Fast-Foe Comet (Super Mario Galaxy)[edit]

Purple Comet (Super Mario Galaxy)[edit]

Notes[edit]

• When a Prankster Comet level is selected, a vignette covers the corners of the screen. InSuper Mario Galaxy, the color of the border matches the comet's color. InSuper Mario Galaxy 2, the vignette is always black (the same as the Daredevil Comet effect inSuper Mario Galaxy).
  • For Green Comets, there is no vignette at all, presumably to give the players more vision. Instead, the black border during the mission intro and the black fade-out circle after the player gets a Star or loses a life become green.
• InSuper Mario Galaxy 2, Mario and Luigi do not fall asleep while idle when a Daredevil Comet is active, with the exception of The Perfect Run.
• The Speedy/Daredevil Comet music also plays toward the ends of the missions "Sunbaked Sand Castle" in theDusty Dune Galaxy and "The Sinking Lava Spire" in theMelty Molten Galaxy.

References[edit]

• Cosmic objects
• Super Mario Galaxy objects
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 objects

• Articles with unsourced foreign names