Beyond Hell Valley

Super Mario Galaxy 2, fun game is it not? Of course it conforms to that old Nintendo mantra; ‘playable for all players.’ Do you recall ‘Shiverburn Galaxy’, a normal enough level? Have you ever tried looking up and to your left? It’s not the sort of thing one does when racing through a level to obtain a star, but just try it…You’ll see something…strange.

A trio of creatures, watching you…

Omnipresent, wherever you are on the stage, no matter which spot you choose, look up and to your left and they will always be there…watching. Examine the game files and you’ll see a strange title, ‘HellValleySkyTrees’, though clearly they are not any form of flora. Look further and you’ll find out the entire area they inhabit is deemed ‘BeyondHellValley’, these creatures lie beyond the ominously named valley…Does Mario reside within a form of hell? Constantly rescuing a repeatedly captured Princess? Are these creatures some form of demon, watching Mario repeat the same purgatorial task eternally…for pleasure? Soothsayers maybe, trying to warn Mario what will happen next? Perhaps his guardians, warning, watching.....waiting?