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Ever since the original release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 back in 2010, many fans have been speculating as to whether Nintendo would eventually return for a third entry. This speculation arguably reached fever pitch when The Super Mario Galaxy Movie released earlier this year, yet there's not been a whiff of a new 3D Mario game in quite some time.
Thankfully, you can get a little taste of a new galactic adventure in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, available now on the Switch 2. Consisting of 10 worlds to explore, the last one takes place on the moon, of all places. And you know what that means... Yep, it's time to mess with gravity again.
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After you've discovered the stage's first creature (which is a ghost-like critter that merges with its pals to form entirely new creations), you'll come across what is essentially Raphael the Raven from Yoshi's Island. Instead of fighting it, however, Yoshi will hop onto its back to explore the stage.
And so begins a jaunt across a multitude of miniature planets, each with its own gravitational pull. What's more, you'll see a bunch of Star Bits shooting down from above, and the Raven will gobble these up with gusto if you happen to jump in their way.
It's a lovely little homage, but we're torn as to whether it's referencing Mario Galaxy or indeed the boss fight against Raphael in Yoshi's Island. Y'see, that one took place on a floating moon in space, and so aesthetically it's very similar to what you see in Mysterious Book.
We're just going to concede that it's paying homage to both. Yeah, that'll do. Anyway, here's a glimpse at a few cheeky screenshots we took:
If you're undecided on Mysterious Book, be sure to check out our review. We thought it was good, but its repetitive nature does drag it down somewhat, earning it a score of 6/10.