Super Mario Galaxy Lives Up To All Expectations

As a child, I never owned a Wii console. Sure, I tried Wii Sports plus various premier games when visiting family and friends in the mid-to-late 2000s, yet I lacked owning the console myself, causing me to overlook numerous outstanding titles from Nintendo's beloved series.

Among those titles was Super Mario Galaxy, which, along with its sequel, was recently remastered and ported to Nintendo's hybrid system. The initial release got incorporated in 2020’s limited-edition collection Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I welcomed the opportunity to try viewed by fans as one of the best Mario games ever made. I became immediately engrossed, and I confidently state it lives up to nearly two decades of anticipation. However, I also recognized how happy I am movement-based inputs have largely remained from previous eras.

Initiating Galactic Exploration

Like any other Mario quest, Super Mario Galaxy opens as Bowser nabbing Princess Peach along with her castle. His fleet of pirate-like space ships carry her to the cosmos, throwing Mario out amongst the stars during the event. Mario meets adorable stellar beings called Luma plus Rosalina aboard her comet ship. She charges Mario with collecting stars to power her spacecraft enabling pursuit of Bowser, then players gain freedom to start discovering.

Super Mario Galaxy’s platforming is a joy, requiring only was playing through a couple levels to recognize how it’s held in such high regard. Players will notice similarities for those who tried a 3D Mario, while the gameplay remain accessible and intuitive in typical Nintendo fashion.

Gravity-Defying Gameplay

As astronomy fan, the backdrop is right up my alley, and it allows for Super Mario Galaxy to experiment with planetary forces. Spherical platforms allow Mario to circle repeatedly about them similar to Goku chasing after Bubbles in popular series. When structures approach, Mario can leap across getting captured via planetary attraction from adjacent structures. Different stages appear as discs, typically including rewards underneath, easily overlooked spots.

Rediscovering Classic Characters

What’s fun about experiencing this game following long gap involves recognizing familiar faces. I was unaware Rosalina first appeared within this title, or that she acted as the adoptive mother for Luma creatures. Before playing Super Mario Galaxy, to me she was just part of my regular Mario Kart World roster option. Similarly with Penguins, with whom I liked swimming in initial coastal stage.

Movement-Based Hurdles

The only real drag during this adventure today are the motion controls, employed for acquiring, directing, and launching cosmic pieces, vibrant items distributed throughout stages. Playing on handheld mode meant tilting and rotating the Switch around to aim, seeming somewhat awkward. Gyroscopic elements are prevalent in various navigation areas, where you have to aim the stellar pointer toward structures to pull Mario in their direction.

Levels that wholly require movement inputs are best played with independent remotes improving control, including the aquatic gliding mission during early game. I rarely become a fan of motion controls, and they haven’t aged especially well in Super Mario Galaxy. Thankfully, if you get enough stars from other levels, these motion control ones may be completely avoided. I tried the level featuring Mario maneuvering a massive orb through a track containing openings, then quickly abandoned after initial effort.

Classic Nintendo Magic

Apart from the clunky Wii-era input methods, there's virtually nothing to criticize in Super Mario Galaxy, while its cosmic stages offer pleasure to navigate. Although notable titles including later releases appeared subsequently, Super Mario Galaxy stays among the finest and most inventive Mario titles available.