HellValleySkyTree

Name Origin

The explicit allusion to Hell in the name "Hell Valley" has caught many people off-guard. According to Gaming Myths Wiki, the filename "immediately raises some questions". Reportedly, it spawned rumors that Shiverburn Galaxy was originally meant to take place in Hell. In this case, the word "Hell" seems to describe a fiery setting, rather than the underworld itself. This is similar to the English term Coin Heaven, which merely describes bonus areas in the sky. Nintendo of Japan previously used "Hell" in Super Mario Galaxy, where Melty Molten Galaxy is named ヘルプロミネンスギャラクシー Hell Prominence Galaxy. Being an internal filename, BeyondHellValley is actually tamer than this case; the final name makes no reference to Hell in any localization. This suggests that the figures are not literally meant to be demonic, despite their disconcerting appearance.The word "Valley" refers to the one in the galaxy's sky model, which encompasses Shiverburn Galaxy. Thus, the course can be described as "BeyondHellValley", and the figures are part of the "BeyondHellValleySky".The most confounding piece is the word "Tree". Fans have speculated that this refers to the figures being placed like trees would be, being meant to look like trees from a distance, or actually being strange-looking trees. It may also be a technical term relating to the game's file structure. To do: Search the game's filenames for other instances of Tree.

Appears

Mario Galaxy.

Appearance

In Shiverburn Galaxy and part of the Grandmaster Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, several shadowy figures with hollow eyes can be seen standing on a cliff in the background. They belong to the galaxy's sky model, which simulates the sky by rendering at a fixed distance from the player. As a result, the figures cannot be reached in-game, and give the illusion of following the player character through the galaxy. The texture, internally named HellValleySkyTree, depicts two unique figures. It is used twice in the sky model with filename BeyondHellValleySky, referring to the internal name for Shiverburn Galaxy, BeyondHellValley. This means that four figures are present; the cliff geometry obscures the fourth one.