Star Pointer: Difference between revisions

The '''Star Pointer''',<ref>''Super Mario Galaxy'' English instruction booklet, page 6.</ref> also called the '''pointer'''<ref>''Super Mario Galaxy'' English instruction booklet, page 6.</ref> or '''Cursor''',<ref>''Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Beginners'' DVD, Pointing at the Screen.</ref> is a cursor that appears on the screen in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''. Its position is controlled by the wireless motion sensitivity of the [[Wii#Wii Remote|Wii Remote]], so the player can move it around the screen by aiming the Wii Remote at different angles. In the ''[[Super Mario 3D All-Stars]]'' version, the Star Pointer is controlled via the [[Nintendo Switch#Joy-Con|Joy-Con]]/[[Nintendo Switch#Nintendo Switch Pro Controller|Nintendo Switch Pro Controller]]'s motion controls in TV and tabletop mode and the touchscreen in handheld mode. In the former mode, it can be activated/reset by pressing {{button|switch|R}}. The Star Pointer enables the player to perform a variety of actions, including collecting [[Star Bit]]s, shooting Star Bits at [[List of enemies|enemies]] to stun them, activating [[Pull Star]]s, and controlling [[Sling Pod]]s. The player is able to collect large numbers of Star Bits at once simply by moving the Star Pointer over them. When the Star Pointer is used to activate Pull Stars, it temporarily changes to a hand icon, and it changes back when there are no more Pull Stars to grab. It serves an important role in a few [[Galaxy|galaxies]] centered around the [[bubble]], including the [[Bubble Breeze Galaxy]] and the [[Bubble Blast Galaxy]]; after [[Mario]] (or [[Luigi]]) has entered a bubble, the Star Pointer acts as a wind blower to propel the bubble along.

In ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'', the Star Pointer has essentially the same functionality as it does in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', with some minor differences. For instance, the Star Pointer is replaced by a small red dot while the player rides [[Yoshi]]; while the player cannot shoot Star Bits as long as this dot is present, they can still collect Star Bits and point at enemies or [[Fruit (Yoshi food)|fruits]] that Yoshi can eat to produce Star Bits, as well as [[Flower (grapple)|flower]]s that he can grapple on with his tongue. Additionally, in ''Super Mario Galaxy 2''{{'}}s Co-Star Mode, the second player's orange Star Pointer is effectively used to control the [[Co-Star Luma]], which performs actions along with the Star Pointer where the Star Pointer itself would perform the actions in ''Super Mario Galaxy''{{'}}s Co-Star Mode. For instance, when holding an enemy back, instead of the player simply stopping the enemy's movement with the Star Pointer, the Co-Star Luma now flies to the location of the Star Pointer and visibly holds on to the enemy to stop its movement. The Star Pointer is slightly larger (and a different shade of orange) in this game than in ''Super Mario Galaxy''.