Prankster Comet
- “It seems that a Prankster Comet has appeared somewhere...Prankster Comets have very strange effects on galaxies...”
- —Rosalina, Super Mario Galaxy
Prankster Comets are special levels which appear in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2. They affect galaxies by changing the gameplay of the level.
Game appearances
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super 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 when Mario or Luigi collects his 13th Power Star. The missions can only be done if the player travels to a galaxy with a Prankster Comet in orbit. Prankster Comets only appear in galaxies 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 its level. No option is given to choose "normal" levels. However, Comet Tico, who is positioned near the Terrace, can shuffle the comets between available galaxies if fed 20 Star Bits by the player. Its actions either remove all 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 last checkpoint. 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.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Prankster Comets only appear once the player has collected a Comet Medal in a certain galaxy, as well as a certain number of those from other galaxies (and collected at least four Power Stars from World 3). In this game Prankster Comets with different effects are no longer considered different types of Comets. Galaxies under the influence of a Prankster Comet are given a generic symbol. Below, the Super Mario Galaxy 2 comets are grouped together based on the title of the mission they appear in. Comets are now yellow if they give Power Stars, while green if they give Green Power Stars. Traveling to a galaxy with a comet in orbit opens up 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 the Fluffy Bluff Galaxy and Boo Moon Galaxy do not have Prankster Comets.
Prankster Comets
| Icon | Name | Description | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
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Speedy Comet | It 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. Also, there are small changes in the galaxies. For example, Good Egg Galaxy's boulders are all replaced by Chomps. | Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
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Daredevil Comet | This comet cuts Mario or Luigi's maximum health down to only one hit point, as opposed to the usual three (or six with a Life Mushroom). Additionally, it removes all Life Mushrooms and even coins from the level so that the player cannot get them, and coins will not spawn from stomping enemies. | Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
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Cosmic Comet | This comet pits Mario in a race against Cosmic Mario in a predetermined course with a star at the end. Mario must beat his duplicate to the Star; if he fails, he loses a life. | Super Mario Galaxy |
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Fast-Foe Comet | This speeds up all enemies and obstacles in a stage. Mario must complete the stage while avoiding the accelerated enemies and obstacles. | Super Mario Galaxy |
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Purple Comet | Purple Coins are hidden throughout the galaxy, and Mario must retrieve at least 100 Purple Coins, sometimes within a time limit, to retrieve the Star. Some Purple Comet missions have more than 100 Coins, but Mario still only needs to collect 100 for the Star. | Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
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Clone Comet | This replaces the Cosmic Comet from Super Mario Galaxy. Multiple Cosmic Clones appear on a selected mission. The player needs to redo the whole or part of the mission while there are Cosmic Clones. | Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
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Romp Comet | This requires Mario to defeat a horde of 30 enemies within a time limit using a power-up. | Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
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Double Time Comet | The Double Time Comet makes the player redo a level, this time with the hazards moving faster. They replace Fast-Foe Comets from Super Mario Galaxy. | Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
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Green Comet | This makes Green Stars appear in various levels in most galaxies, 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. | Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | いたずらコメット (Super Mario Galaxy) Itazura Kometto いたずら彗星 (Super Mario Galaxy 2) Itazura Suisei |
Mischiefing Comet kometto from the English "comet" suisei being the native Japanese word for "comet" |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 淘气彗星 Táoqì Huìxīng |
Naughty Comet |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 搗蛋彗星 Dǎodàn Huìxīng |
Mischievous Comet |
| Dutch | Pretkomeet | Fun comet |
| French (American) | Comète blagueuse | Joker Comet |
| French (Europe) | Comète farceuse | Joker Comet |
| German | Schabernack-Komet | Mischief Comet |
| Italian | Cometa Burlona | Joker Comet |
| Korean | 장난꾸러기 혜성 Jangnankku-lugi Hyeoseong |
Joker Comet |
| Spanish | Cometa Pícaro | Naughty Comet |
Trivia
- When a Prankster Comet level is selected, a vignette covers the corners of the screen. In Super Mario Galaxy, the color of the border matches the comet's color. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, the vignette is always black (the same as the Daredevil Comet effect in Super 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 getting a star or losing a life become green.
- In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario and Luigi do not fall asleep while idle when a Daredevil Comet is active.
- The Speedy/Daredevil Comet music also plays toward the end of the missions Sunbaked Sand Castle in the Dusty Dune Galaxy and The Sinking Lava Spire in the Melty Molten Galaxy.
