Slipsand Galaxy

Slipsand Galaxy
The Slipsand Galaxy
Galaxy Information
First appearance	Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)
Area	World 5
How to unlock	At least 40 Power Stars, and complete Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet and Follow Me, Bob-Omb
Number of Stars	6
Missions	Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole Sailing the Sandy Seas Squizzard's Daredevil Run Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Enemies	Cluckbooms Magikoopas Pokey Heads Rhomps
Cosmic Spirit	Yes
Bosses	Squizzard
Planets	Starting Planet Sandy Waterfall Planet Sand Slide Planet Squizzard's Sinkhole Planet Sandy Sea Planet

The Slipsand Galaxy is a galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, appearing in World 5. As its name implies, it involves sandy rivers as the main gimmick. Mario can get to this desert-themed Galaxy with 42 Power Stars in his possession, including the first Power Star from the Space Storm Galaxy. The boss of this galaxy is Squizzard, who is faced in the first mission.

Missions

Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole

The player starts on the long Starting Planet and has to follow the flow of the sand to reach the Launch Star at the end, avoiding fireballs and thorny flowers along the way. The Launch Star will send the player to the Sandy Fall Planet, which is made up of several opposing flows of sand and moving blocks. Crossing the sand path and avoiding the Cluckbooms, the player will come across a Fire Flower, which the player has to use in order to light a couple of torches and earn a 1-Up Mushroom. Avoiding getting crushed by two sets of blocks and using another block to get over a wall, the player will find a Launch Star that will send them to the Sand Slide Planet, that the player will immediately begin sliding down. Partway down, several Rhomps will begin catching up with the player and the player has to swerve between the gaps to avoid getting crushed. At the end, the slide will begin to get narrower and lead to the Launch Star leading to Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole, where Squizzard makes his lair. Moving slightly closer to the center will cause Squizzard to appear.

Squizzard attacks by hurling large balls of sand at the player. In order to damage Squizzard, the player needs to grab a Fire Flower from a floating bubble and use it to throw several fireballs into Squizzard's mouth when it opens. After taking damage, Squizzard will begin throwing large Spiked Balls, though they don't act any different from the large sand balls, except they are a bit better at blocking fireballs. After taking damage a second time, Squizzard will pull up cannons that will repeatedly fire Spiked Balls while Squizzard himself throws two large bombs. Damaging Squizzard a third time will defeat him and reward the player with the Power Star.

Sailing the Sandy Seas

The player again begins on the Starting Planet, though this time the sand is moving against the player, so they have to make use of several platforms to cross the sandstream. Going through a green Warp Pipe, the player will enter a gravity chamber where the gravity changes based on where the player moves up on the walls. Going through the orange Warp Pipe will take the player back to the starting planet in a different location, where the player has to use another platform to reach a Launch Star.

The Launch Star will take the player to an area filled with quicksand, which the player needs to use a Sand Bird to cross, which will begin moving when the player steps onto it. The Sand Bird will move in a straight path, and any obstacles it runs into will remove portions of the Sand Bird, though the blocks will return after a short time. The player needs to avoid falling through the broken segments of the Sand Bird by moving to avoid the obstacles. Magikoopas will start to appear partway through and their fireballs will also remove portions of the Sand Bird. Halfway through, the Sand Bird will start moving faster and moving through more cacti. Later, a Silver Chomp will fall and begin rolling toward the player, removing portions of the Sand Bird as it does. If the player can manage to avoid the obstacles and falling in quicksand, they can claim the Power Star at the end.

Squizzard's Daredevil Run (Daredevil Comet in Orbit)

This mission is set during the day as opposed to night in the original mission, and only takes place on Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole arena. Squizzard's tactics and method of defeating it are the same as the last fight, though if the player takes damage, they will have to start over. If the player can defeat Squizzard with the health limitations, they will be rewarded the Power Star.

Green Stars

All three Green Stars are located in Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole.

1. Green Star 1: When Mario gets to the Sandy Waterfall planet's last platform, he should walk to the top of the sand waterfall and drop down into the star; if Mario misses, he will be devoured by a Black Hole at the centre.
2. Green Star 2: When Mario lands on the Sand Slide Planet, he must immediately move to the slide's far left (camera's point of vista).
3. Green Star 3: This one is located close to the end. Mario must move over to the far right (as seen by the camera) as he dodges the last rolling stone cylinder with a face.

Layout

Starting Planet

This planet is long, shaped somewhat like a stereotypical earthworm or a gummy worm. It has stone caps at each end, and its main feature is the sand river that flows from one of the planet's ends to the other, though which direction depends on the mission. In the first mission, the planet's river flows from south to north with fireballs and prickly plants, while in the second mission, the planet's sand river flows south, so platforms are added so Mario can proceed. Undead Skeletal Koopas can be found here. The planet's gravity is normal, so Mario can walk around it without falling off. The second mission has a warp-pipe that leads to an area with changing gravity.

Sandy Waterfall Planet

This planet is a fairly small square planet with a sand current that flows from the area where Mario needs to go to where he lands. Mario has to get through this section and has to be careful on his way to the end, as shifting squares of metal can push him off, causing him to be devoured by a Black Hole at the centre. The first side, where Mario lands, has a small climb with three squares of metal. Cluckbooms can be encountered on the second face (which has a winding stream), and their bombs move with the sand current. The Comet Medal is on a stationary stone platform in the current. Two torches that resemble urns and can be ignited via the Fire Flower appear on the third face, but their ignition is optional and provides just a 1-Up Mushroom. Up ahead is the last platform.

The first Green Star is located here; Mario can snag it if he falls off the platform at the end where the Launch Star to the next planet is located.

Sand Slide Planet

This planet is seen in the Galaxy icon. It has three parts: the giant pyramid which cannot be accessed, a stream of sand that slopes downward, and a small stone area at the end. Mario will have to avoid rolling stone cylinders on his way down; if one runs him over, it's an automatic life loss. The cylinders go down the slide faster than Mario does, so the camera will be pointed towards the pyramid to make their assault easier to dodge. The slide gets narrower closer to the end. Lumalee appears in the final area, where she has set up a shop northwest of the Launch Star (which is at the top of a curving staircase) on a platform at the end of a short stone bridge.

The last two Green Stars of this galaxy can be found here; their locations being close to the start of the slide for Green Star 2 and around where the last stone cylinder wave will be when Mario passes it on his way down for Green Star 3.

Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole

This is where Squizzard makes his lair. The planet is a bowl-shaped planet that is filled with sand. The sand moves at a fast speed towards the middle. The arena has a fence at the rim and there are some rocks here that can serve as platforms to avoid falling in, including one Mario lands on when he arrives. When Squizzard is defeated, the sand stops flowing. In the Daredevil Comet, Mario will start the mission in the same location that he landed in the first mission.

Underground Gravity Room

This area is visited during the second mission when Mario has advanced enough on the Starting Planet. If Mario walks on a curved surface, gravity changes to match which way he is oriented. Mario has to exploit this to get to the orange Warp Pipe, which leads to a stone ring on the Starting Planet just behind the ring where the Launch Star that leads to the Sandy Sea planet resides.

This area is most likely inside the large pyramid that is part of the Sand Slide Planet

Sandy Sea Planet

This planet is only visited during the second mission. It is a vast, wide open area filled with lethal Quicksand. Mario needs to ride on a sand platform shaped like a bird, but cactī will destroy parts of the ship as he rides on. At certain points in his journey, Mario will encounter Magikoopas, whose fireballs can destroy the ship. A single Silver Chomp appears near the end, attempting to knock him in.

Whether this planet is given normal gravity so Mario can walk all around it or has a single parallel gravity field is unknown due to his inability to leave the planet's top side (for which the quicksand sea and the platform's straight track to the end are culpable).