Nintendo of America, in a way, has put gamers to the test by announcing the return of Prankster Comets in the entire Super Mario Galaxy series and thus confirming once more that they are the best way to get Power Stars. The game’s official Twitter account has recently published “Oh, it is SO on”, which is just a reminder of how nostalgic and how annoying it was for Mario fans and a sign that those cosmic challenges are still as notable and as temper-frustration-inducing as ever.
To those who are not familiar with the Prankster Comet occurrences, they are to be regarded as the special events that follow after having made sufficient progress in the games where they have been interwoven into the storyline. They are the most and they also come with the craziest new rules. You might be racing against a cosmic doppelganger, trying to finish the level in a very short amount of time, or going through a stage where Mario becomes a featherweight. The player gets a very precious Power Star for winning, but the route to the point of giving is usually littered with broken controllers and crushed enthusiasts. This is classic Nintendo—make it hard but in a lovely and colorful way.
The gamers’ response was immediate and rough like the comets themselves. One of the players, Chazak Magen, very aptly expressed the common agony by saying, “Oh, it is ‘SO on’ until the Cosmic Clone Comet faces me and I realize that I have to outdo my shadow’s perfect run … ‘Prankster Comets’ is a savvy term for Nintendo’s mini-psychological warfare that pushes the limits of human patience. I am going to take the Star, but I am going to need three days of recovery and a strong cup of tea afterwards.” To be honest, I feel the same. We have all gone through it, staring at the monitor in disbelief after your ghost has made a flawless jump that you just messed up for the tenth time.
Nevertheless, it is certain that not everything was pain and suffering. There were plenty of positive comments about the game, especially Super Mario Galaxy 2, after the post. DarkFinnn called it the “greatest 3D Mario game ever!” and even praised the Prankster Comets for being a “smart method for increasing game time and challenge.” They are not wrong. The game designers of yesteryear, prior to the live-service games and infinite battle passes era, were keeping you engaged in this way—by cleverly redesigning existing content that felt new and challenging at the same time. The design philosophy still matches the taste of the present-day gamers.
However, it goes without saying that no Nintendo conversation is complete without the fans’ never-ending demand for remasterings and overall re-dos. The whole talk very quickly shifted from the appreciation of the current games to the demand of the new ones. “Please remake Mario Sunshine,” practically pleaded Albertfd1999, his want resonating with many in the thread. Another user, Dave19Brown83, even made a humorous observation, “Your wish for a remastered/remade game is not going to come true until you have defeated the Prankster Comets.” Perhaps harsh, but he might be right. Maybe this is Nintendo’s way of declaring a winner in the battle of what gets the green light.
Then come the issues of the price that never die. User G. Fitz voiced his opinion a common complaint: “Lower the price. Ridiculous games as old as they are priced so high smh 🤦♂️ Highway robbery.” Blubeans21 concurred and stated that they are “waiting for a reasonable price because 70$ is absolutely insane.” This is a constant problem in the gaming industry—the worth of timeless, polished experiences vs. the demand for lower prices for the older software. Nintendo is known for its first-party titles rarely going on sale, which is a marketing strategy that has its drawbacks but also preserves the appreciated value of the iconic IPs.
What? I have lost my train of thought! Ah, yes the chaos. The replies were super diverse. A user, DerrickofSun, told Nintendo about an account that was supposedly using artificial intelligence to generate illegal Zelda content, which is probably a huge diversion but still, that’s Twitter for you. Another user, TheShepDawg1, jokingly pitied the “intern who had to lose on purpose to Cosmic Mario just to make this video.” That’s a good point—someone had to be at Nintendo to play very well but in a bad way to make the challenge visible, which is a type of torture by itself.
And don’t forget about the random Link speedrunning clip that someone posted in the replies—it is just the internet. The entire thread is a beautiful, unfiltered representation of the gaming communities—great and partly crazy.
