In Super Mario Galaxy, each galaxy is visited by prankster comets, which alter the levels in their own ways. The purple comets always require you to collect 100 purple coins, either via a treasure hunt or by taking part in a timed challenge.

These challenges can pretty polarizing amongst fans, but even for those who enjoy the purple comets, most of the levels are a real challenge. This may be because the time limits are particularly strict, or because the environment itself is frustrating to navigate. Thankfully they're not required to beat the main game, but they are required for 100 percent completion.

10 Purple Coins By The Seaside (Sea Slide Galaxy)

Bee Mario standing on a cloud in Sea Slide Galaxy

This mission isn't timed, but it can take a very long time to find all the coins because you've got to hunt high and low for them, and the bee outfit can be very fiddly to use and slow you down accidentally.

Possibly the biggest point of contention is the fact that throughout this whole water level, not a single purple coin actually exists in the water. They're all above it on the clouds, which kind of defeats the point of putting them in a water level.

9 Plunder The Purple Coins (Deep Dark Galaxy)

Mario standing in the secret cave housing a pirate ship

The idea of a purple coin treasure hunt aboard a lost pirate ship sounds pretty cool, and this level isn't necessarily too challenging, but the fact that some coins are hidden in some obscure locations means that it can become pretty irritating to try and find them all.

Not helping matters is the fact that the pool at the beginning doesn't actually contain any coins, which, unless you know beforehand, is going to serve as a big waste of time.

8 Purple Coins In The Woods (Gold Leaf Galaxy)

Mario navigating Gold Leaf Galaxy's obstacle course for purple coins

This level requires you to navigate a wooden obstacle course and collect all the coins in less than three minutes and 30 seconds. Compared to some other levels, this is the most generous time limit, but the platforming still requires a lot of precision, and you can't afford to hang around.

Thankfully there are bees located at certain points to inform you if you somehow missed any coins, but by the time you've gone back and found them, you'll likely have run out of time anyway.

7 Purple Coin Spacewalk (Space Junk Galaxy)

Mario collecting purple coins in Space Junk Galaxy

There's perhaps some irony in Space Junk Galaxy simultaneously being one of the best galaxies in the game, whilst also having one of the harder purple coin stars. This level takes place in the final section of "Pull Star Path," where the path is technically invisible until you get close enough to the platforms.

The difficulty stems from the fact that you must collect all coins and then return to the beginning to collect the star in less than two minutes. Luckily, the coins indicate where the platforms may appear.

6 Purple Coins In The Desert (Dusty Dune Galaxy)

Mario on a platform surrounded by quicksand and purple coins nearby

Thankfully this mission isn't timed, but that doesn't make it that much easier. You've got to try and find all 100 coins in the section of Dusty Dune with the quicksand. If you die, you've got to do it all over again.

This seems straightforward, but some jumps can be unexpectedly fiddly to complete. There are also some camera issues whenever you invert to the other side of the planetoid, and there are few things more infuriating than walking into quicksand as a result of this happening.

5 Purple Coins On The Puzzle Cube (Super Mario Galaxy)

Mario standing near the fountain and some purple coins on the puzzle cube

Despite Gusty Garden Galaxy being one of the best 3D Mario levels, this star is more stressful than it needs to be. You have to find 100 of the 150 coins that are scattered across the hedge maze cube, and a lot of them are placed on thin paths where, if you lose your footing, you waste time trying to right yourself.

It can also be quite easy to lose your way back to the star because the camera tends to have trouble knowing which way to face.

4 Purple Coins On The Battlerock (Battlerock Galaxy)

A cannonball flying towards the screen whilst Mario follows a trail of purple coins

This level is an autoscroller, which means it's possible to miss some coins behind if you're not quick or accurate enough. If you reach the Gearmo at the end without all 100, Mario will lose a life.

This doesn't mean that missing a coin is an instant death sentence, because there's a sling star at the end that will send you back to the beginning of the level. However, it can be quite boring if you constantly have to go back because of one coin, and it's easy to miss some.

3 Luigi's Purple Coins (Toy Time Galaxy)

Mario standing on the beginning platform of Luigi's Purple Coins

This mission takes the "Mario Meets Mario" level and makes it even harder. You need to collect all of the coins and then return to the beginning platform to collect the star, and you have three minutes to do it all.

This may seem like a generous time limit, but the lava has been replaced with instant-death poison and the shrinking platforms make a return, so you need to quickly plan a route that doesn't inadvertently cut off your way back, and the added pressure from the timer just makes things that much harder.

2 Purple Coins In The Bone Pen (Ghostly Galaxy)

Using a pull star to navigate the bone pen in Ghostly Galaxy

This level is much harder than it needs to be because of a strict time limit and a fiddly control scheme. The gimmick is that you have to navigate a maze using pull stars, even though these are one of the sorer spots on Galaxy's otherwise fun motion controls.

This would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that you need to collect the coins and reach the star in the centre in under one minute. Even the addition of 50 extra coins doesn't help much.

1 Battlestation's Purple Coins (Dreadnought Galaxy)

Mario on a moving platform whilst a cannonball heads towards him in Dreadnought Galaxy

This star may be the most despised in Super Mario Galaxy. It's another autoscroller but with smaller platforms, more hazards and trickier timings. It's even trickier when playing as Luigi because his slippery traction is a massive hindrance.

What makes this level worse is that you may not even notice the sling star that sends you back to the beginning until it's too late. This is because it's somewhat hidden off to the side near the level's end, with many players not realising it was ever there.

Next: Every Main Super Mario Game In Chronological Order