Super Mario Galaxy 2 Gets a Surprise Update After 16 Years, Leaving Fans Puzzled

Sixteen years after its initial launch, Super Mario Galaxy 2 received an unexpected update on the Switch last night. Along with some bug fixes, it introduced a new storybook segment featuring Rosalina. Given the changes made to her backstory in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Nintendo’s messaging around it, fans were hoping this update would finally clarify a familial connection between Rosalina and another character from the original Wii game. However, after experiencing the new story, many players are left puzzled and debating its implications.

To access the storybook “Epilogue,” players need to clear any galaxy and earn a Power Star. If you’re short on time, you can catch the story online.

In the new segment, Rosalina has a vision of a new star being born and observes two shooting stars circling each other. As she watches, a young girl approaches her, urging her not to cry, explaining that her mother is waiting for her tears to dry. The girl expresses a desire to find her “special someone,” just like the two stars, and Rosalina responds, “The strongest force in all the universe is a heart that never gives up.”

While the content is minimal, the interaction between Rosalina and the young blonde girl feels reminiscent of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which established Rosalina and Princess Peach as sisters. However, opinions among fans vary.

Some are interpreting the young girl as a representation of a younger Rosalina, suggesting that the adult Rosalina is conversing with her inner child as she reflects on her past and dreams of finding her “special someone.” The shooting stars have also been viewed as symbols for Rosalina and Peach, given their color associations, although Peach is more closely linked to pink. A more likely interpretation is that they represent Lumas Lubba and Mari, who appear in the storybook.

Overall, the update feels somewhat inconsequential. It’s classic Nintendo to drop a vague update for a 16-year-old game that sparks a flurry of speculation. Nintendo veteran Shigeru Miyamoto has expressed a desire for future movies and games to feel more interconnected, hinting that the games might align more closely with the films’ worldbuilding. Fans are bracing for the possibility of Rosalina and Peach being officially recognized as sisters in future games, but for now, this Super Mario Galaxy 2 update doesn’t seem to establish that connection.

“I knew it was never gonna have anything to do with the movie, but it would have been REAL funny if it did and made them siblings in the games,” one Reddit user commented. “The discourse would have been the stuff of legend.”

Despite the hints, Rosalina has never been confirmed as related to Peach in the games. During the early development of the original Galaxy, Nintendo considered linking the characters, but that connection only materialized in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie.