In the Loopdeeloop Galaxy, an unusual challenge awaits you: instead of jumping over planets or fighting Bowser’s minions, Mario climbs on the back of a giant manta ray and surfs a floating stretch of water through space. The galaxy is located on the terrace of the observatory and will be unlocked once you have collected a total of five Power Stars. Unlike the Good Egg Galaxy or the Honeyhive Galaxy, Loopdeeloop Galaxy has only one mission. For this you get to know a special movement control here, which will await you later in a much more difficult galaxy.
Surfing 101
Upon arrival, you will land on a small grassy island where several penguins are gathered. Colorful flags are everywhere and in the distance you already recognize a long stretch of water, which seems to wind through space without solid ground. First, go straight to the particularly large penguin coach who is waiting for a small raise at the end of the island. Talk to him and confirm that you want to try surfing. He tells you that the penguins here ride the waves on the back of a friendly manta ray. Since Mario does not yet know this special mode of transport, a short introduction begins.
The control of the manta ray
After the conversation, Mario sits on the back of the manta ray and must first complete several simple control exercises. On the Wii, you hold the Wii remote as horizontally as possible and direct it forward. To steer to the left, turn the remote control to the left; for a right turn, turn it in the other direction. It is important to actually turn the remote control clearly to the respective side and keep this attitude briefly. If you just move it for a moment and turn it back immediately, the game may not recognize the exercise as successful. Therefore, wait until the green check mark appears before proceeding with the next instruction.
You control the speed on the Wii with the A button. As long as you hold it down, the mantar ray accelerates. If you release the button, it will slow down. This is especially important because the ray has a relatively large turning circle and is difficult to control at high speed by tight corners. You can also let him jump through a quick shake of the Wii Remote. In the Nintendo Switch version, the control functions via the motion control or the left stick depending on the selected control type; with A you accelerate and with X you can jump. Regardless of the console, small, controlled steering movements are much more reliable than hectic back and forth steering.
Once you have successfully completed the individual control exercises, you can independently control the manta ochens over a short training course. This runs almost completely straight ahead and is accompanied by numerous colorful rings. Take the opportunity to get used to the acceleration and curve behavior. Press A only briefly at first and observe how fast the Ray starts driving. Then you can hold the button longer and carefully steer to the left or right. It is especially helpful to practice now how the ray behaves when you release the acceleration immediately before a turn. At the end of the training course you will reach through a large tunnel to the actual race course.
The race begins: three minutes
After leaving the tunnel, Mario reaches a vast stretch of water that winds in several curves and loops around a large planet. Right in front of you hovers a striking gold ring that marks the start and finish of the race at the same time. Shortly thereafter, a countdown of three seconds begins. Once it has expired, the timekeeping starts and you have to circle the entire course once. You have a maximum of three minutes. The penguin coach also shows a previous best time of 1:30 minutes. However, you do not have to undercut these for the Power Star. It is only important to reach the finish line within the actual time limit and not to fall off the water route on the way.
The first line section still runs comparatively straight. Hold the A button and accelerate first as long as you have enough space in front of you. The colorful rings and the numerous coins show you roughly the course of the route. Try to stay in the middle of the waterway if possible. Especially at the beginning, you can easily gain a few seconds by accelerating on the broad straights for a longer time. As soon as the first turns appear, you should release the pressure on the acceleration button. The ray maintains a part of its speed and is thus much easier to steer in the right direction.
Around the first part of the circuit, a 1-Up Mushroom also hovers above the water. If you can reach him safely, you should take him with you. He gives you an extra life and is very helpful on the first try. Since Mario immediately loses a life as soon as he falls from the waterway, several failed attempts can be compensated with the mushroom. However, you should not carry out a risky movement to the outer edge. If you steer too far to the outside when collecting and crash, the additional mushroom will not benefit you. If you repeat the race, you can collect the 1-Up Mushroom again.
Surely the tight corners
After the first wide waterways, the course gradually narrows and the curves follow one after the other much faster. Especially in the middle section you will notice that the control system reacts much more sensitively as soon as you are traveling at high speed. Therefore, release the acceleration button in time before a sharp turn and start steering a little bit before the actual bending. If you only steer strongly into the curve on the outer edge, it is often already too late and the mantar ray slides over the water surface.
Also, try not to steer constantly between left and right. Once you have successfully taken a turn, you bring the remote control or the stick back to the neutral position as far as possible. As a result, the ray aligns itself again on the next straight line. Especially in the case of successive curves, this quiet control is decisive. An overly strong counter-impulse can cause you to make the first bend, but immediately afterwards fall into the void on the opposite side. Therefore, orient yourself as far as possible at the middle of the waterway and avoid abrupt changes of direction.
On some sections, small waves and gradients also lead over the route. The manta ray can gain speed for a short time or take off a little from the water. In such situations, you should steer as straight ahead as possible and not try to make a particularly strong change of direction during the jump. Instead, watch the landing site and steer more strongly once the ray has arrived safely on the water. Although the jump function can overcome individual obstacles and waves, it is not mandatory for the normal completion of this mission. Especially during the first successful run, it is usually safer to perform as few additional movements as possible.
The last section and the destination
In the last third of the race, several tighter corners and some small gradients await you again. Especially here you should not try to beat the best time on the last meters. If you have already safely got through the first two sections, it is completely enough to take the remaining curves in a controlled manner. Accelerate only on the clearly visible straight tracks and release A before each sharper bend. In this way, you can also complete the race with a comparatively careful driving style within the three minutes.
After the last major turn, you will recognize the large golden target ring again in the distance. Align the mantar ray as centrally as possible and accelerate on the last straight. Once Mario crosses the ring, the timing is stopped and the race is successfully completed. You do not have to collect all coins or all 1-Up Mushrooms of the track. Even a faster time than 1:30 minutes is not a requirement for the Power Star. The only decisive factor is that you reach the goal before the end of the three minutes without falling off the track on the way.
After the finish, Mario is automatically brought to a small winning planet. The great penguin coach is already waiting there and congratulates you on your successful ride. Next to him stands a podium with places one, two and three. The coach now lets your deserved Power Star appear on the highest podium. Jump onto the platform marked with a one and collect it. With this, you have completed the only mission of the Loopdeeloop Galaxy and can return to the observatory.
Tips if you keep crashing while surfing
The greatest difficulty of this mission is less the route itself than the unusual control of the manta ray. Especially on the Wii, it is easy that you turn the remote too much and thus accidentally control over the outer edge. If you crash several times in the same place, you should therefore not focus on the timekeeping at first. Rather, drive at low speed through the problematic corner and try to figure out how early you need to start steering. As soon as you know the route, you can accelerate more strongly on the broad straights again on the next attempt.
It is especially helpful not to hold the acceleration button permanently. Although you progress much faster on the straight sections, but with a tight curve, the ray can already get empty by a small steering movement. Therefore, release A for a short time before every stronger turn and only press the button again when you can clearly recognize the waterway in front of you. If the rays already travel very far on the outer edge, you should first carefully steer back to the center, instead of accelerating again immediately.
Also, pay attention to the colorful path markings and directional signs that are distributed along the route. They announce the next corners early and help you to adjust in time for the further course. Especially after a longer straight section, an immediately following bending can come as a surprise. As soon as you recognize the directional signs, you therefore reduce the speed and steer in the appropriate direction in a controlled manner.
If you fall off the water course, Mario loses a life and has to start the race again. This is annoying, but the mission can be repeated at any time. You can collect the 1-Up Mushroom at the beginning of the course again during a new attempt, so that you can replenish your life reserves at least partially. With a little practice, you will be able to assess the movement of the manta ray increasingly better. As soon as you can go through the tight corners without a crash, a time well under 1:30 minutes is possible. For our complete run, however, a single successful round is enough.
Loopdeeloop Galaxy Completely Complete
With victory in the race, you own the only Power Star of the Loopdeeloop Galaxy. There are no hidden Luigi stars, no additional Prankster Comets and no mission with 100 Purple Coins. You don’t have to return later unless you want to improve your own best time. However, another opportunity to surf awaits you much later on the exam planet. There is a second Manta route, which is significantly longer and more difficult than the practice course. The narrow paths and narrower curves there require much more precise control.
Once you have collected the Power Star, you can continue on the terrace of the observatory with the next galaxy. For as complete a run as possible, it is advisable to first collect the remaining accessible stars on the terrace before devoting yourself to the first large boss area of Bowser Jr. An overview of all galaxies and missions can be found in our Super Mario Galaxy – Complete Solution.