Choosing a Favorite Snack
You unlock the Sand Spiral Galaxy after completing the mission “Faster Than a Speeding Penguin” in the Sea Slide Galaxy. Above the engine room, a Hungry Luma appears, which you have to feed with a total of 1,000 Star Bits. After landing in the new galaxy, you stand on the remains of a destroyed airship. Run the narrow path forward and watch out for the Magikoopa, who will attack you with magic bullets. Approach him as quickly as possible and eliminate him with a spin before he teleports to another place. Then jump over the electrical obstacles and follow the walkway until the Launch Star. This transports you to the entrance of a long, tubular planet through whose interior a dangerous stream of drifting sand flows. Once you have reached the platform at the entrance, you have to decide between two transformations: on the left is a spirit mushroom, on the right is a bee mushroom. Both allow you to cross the quicksand, but the obstacles and the necessary procedure differ significantly.
For the easier way, take the spirit mushroom on the left. As Boo Mario, you can permanently float over the deadly quicksand and do not have to land on the narrow platforms in the tunnel. Press the A button repeatedly to gain altitude and then move forward carefully. Pay particular attention to the moving light cones that are regularly directed from the ceiling to the sand. As soon as Boo Mario is hit by a ray of light, he loses his transformation and falls on the underlying surface. Since there is mostly quicksand there, such a mistake often ends with the loss of a life. Therefore, first observe the movement of the first cone of light, and only continue to float when it moves away from your trajectory. If possible, keep yourself in the middle between the light rays and only use additional upward movements if you get too close to the quicksand. In the tunnel there are also several Boos who are attracted by Boo Mario and follow him. Dodge them as laterally as possible and do not try to fly directly through their bodies. If a spirit blocks your path, you can briefly gain height and float over it. Through a spin, you as Boo Mario can also make yourself temporarily invisible and cross certain grids if one blocks your path.
On the right side of the tunnel you can alternatively collect the bee fungus. This path is a bit more challenging, but offers another way to overcome the dangerous sand stream. As Bee Mario, you first fly to the first narrow platform and land there before your flight energy is completely exhausted. Wait for the ad to refill and then fly to the next platform. Especially helpful are the vertical rods, which hang in several places above the sand. Hold on to them to regenerate your flight energy and prepare for the next stage. Further back, there is also a small honeycomb area where Bee Mario can stick and climb along. Unlike the ghost route, you do not have to pay attention to the light cones. For this, several water sprinklers block the way, whose water jets immediately turn you back into normal Mario. Observe the rhythm of the water fountains and, if possible, only fly further when a safe gap between the rays opens. Towards the end of the tunnel, you can also expect two bats that you can stun with Star Bits or deal with a high flight. If you lose the bee transformation and land on a safe platform, you can try to progress from there with ordinary jumps to the next section. Otherwise you have to return to the mushroom at the tunnel entrance.
Regardless of your chosen transformation, you can reach a small platform at the end of the tunnel with a Launch Star. There is also a checkpoint in this area, so that you do not have to fly through the entire quicksand tunnel again after a later crash. Activate the Launch Star and get transported to the last section of the galaxy. You land on a large, rotating construction of several stone platforms spiraling around a small shining moon. On its surface is already the sought-after Power Star. However, you cannot reach the moon directly from the outer starting point, but must first follow the narrowing platform path. All along the way are dangerous space mines that explode when touched. Immediately after your landing, you will find a rainbow star that makes Mario temporarily invulnerable. Take it with you and then walk left onto the first large stone platform.
As a Rainbow Mario, you can simply destroy the space mines by touch without being harmed. Therefore, use the short transformation to overcome several sections of the spiral as quickly as possible. The large platforms revolve around the moon and move partly faster than Mario himself. Therefore, runs as far as possible in its direction of movement and tries not to fight unnecessarily against the rotation. In several places, the path becomes narrower and leads over smaller stone areas separated by short gaps. Jump off here in time and make sure to land on the following platform as centrally as possible. Along the way, you’ll find more rainbow stars to renew your invulnerability. Collect it if possible before the current transformation ends. You can also pass the mines on the narrower platforms without greater danger. If you miss the next rainbow star, you do not have to run back. You can also continue the path as an ordinary Mario and avoid the mines with targeted jumps.
A shortcut is possible once an inner winding of the spiral moves close enough to your current platform. Instead of following the complete path, you can jump directly to the next inner stone surface with a long jump. For this purpose, hold the Z key while running and then press the jump key. At the highest point of the jump, you can gain some extra flight distance with a spin attack. However, only use this abbreviation if the target platform is clearly below you and is just turning into a favorable position. An inaccurate jump leads directly into space. With an active rainbow conversion, the regular path is usually safer because most mines can not harm you. If you are on the road without a rainbow star, on the other hand, you should first observe the mines and only jump further when they have enough distance to the platform edges.
On the innermost winding of the spiral you are already immediately next to the shining moon. You do not have to walk the path to its extreme end, but can get directly to the lunar surface from one of the nearby platforms with a well-designed jump. Wait until the platform passes as close as possible to the moon, and then jump in its direction. Once Mario gets close enough, gravity automatically pulls him to the surface. The moon itself is harmless, even if it shines brightly. So you don’t need a rainbow star to enter it. If your rainbow transformation is still active, you can also make the last jump. Since Mario moves particularly fast in the invulnerable state, you should not jump too close to the platform edge. Run to the Power Star on the moon and collect it. With this you have completed the only mission of the Sand Spiral Galaxy.