Game Review #4
Super Mario Galaxy is a game that came out on the Nintendo Wii in 2007. Pretty much every Nintendo console since the Nintendo 64 had a 3d Mario on it and the Wii got Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy got very high praise when it first launched and even got a sequel. Is the high praise deserved? That is the question this review will set out to answer.
Right of the bat you can tell that this game looks very nice visually. The Wii may have been an underpowered console but Super Mario Galaxy still looked very pretty. Honestly I would argue that the graphics still hold up pretty well today. The game starts with the usual premise of Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach but with a twist. This happens during an event called the “Star Festival” and the way Bowser interrupts it is shown very well. Toads become frozen and stuff catches fire while Bowser attacks. Bowser explains that he wants to create his own Galaxy. We later learn that he is doing this by using the power of the stars he stole from Rosalina and the Lumas. These are both new characters and are great additions to the Mario cast. The Lumas are little star-like characters that have the potential to transform into almost anything even galaxies. Rosalina is a mysterious woman traveling with them and is referred to as their mother. They travel in a ship called the “Comet Observatory” which acts as the hub world for the game. The hub world while not huge is very fun to explore and feels very peaceful to be in. Your goal of the game is to collect the missing stars to repower the “Comet Observatory” so you can get to Bowser.
There are a lot of worlds called Galaxies that usually include multiple stars. Getting each star is different and unique. Mario controls very well and even has some new moves. With a shake of the Wii remote (or button press on the Nintendo Switch) Mario will do a spin attack that is very helpful for defeating enemies or interacting with objects. Some may not like the fact that this attack is tied to motion controls but it winds up feeling second nature and not annoying at all. It’s a fun attack to use that can help you on your adventure. You can also collect star bits with your cursor and shoot them at things. Star bits are used to buy items and unlock secret galaxies. This also works really well and doesn’t feel awkward. This game gets motion controls right. Collecting the stars is usually a linear path with some exploration added in. Some may not like this but I think they do a good job at giving you enough to explore while also keeping you on track to the star. The environments also help a lot with this because they are always so unique. You can go from a volcano to a beach like galaxy. Honestly I think the star missions are done better than in Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine (the two previous 3d Mario Games) because in Mario 64 and Sunshine there would be certain star missions were it would be painfully unclear were to find the star. Mario Galaxy never has this problem because it leads you to the star while also letting you explore. The new gravity mechanic is also very cool as you hop from planet to planet and even walk upside down. There are also some new power-ups for Mario and while they aren’t all winners some like the ice flower are really cool(no pun intended). You can walk on water with the ice flower and even climb up waterfalls. While the ice flower is probably the best power-up the worst is probably the spring mushroom because of it’s difficulty to control. I will say though I recently replayed the game and the spring mushroom really wasn’t that bad. Even without power ups though this game is full of new ideas like riding the wind with a dandelion or being shot into the air from a tornado. There are so many awesome ideas in this game that it would be impossible to talk about all of them. The only ideas that I would argue didn’t work well were some motion control levels. I know I said the game uses motion controls well but some levels require you to have a very delicate hand. One wrong move could kill you. These levels are optional though and to be honest they aren’t even that bad. They can even be fun once you get used to them.
Without saying too much this game also has some good story telling. That’s not to say the main story is that interesting but the ending sequence of the game along with the new characters add a lot. The best example of this story telling isn’t a big part of the game and can be completely missed if the player so chooses. As you get more stars you unlock chapters of Rosalina’s storybook. If you go to the library you can see her read the storybook to the Lumas as you unlock new chapters. As you go through the storybook you start to realize that this is most likely Rosalina's backstory. The entire backstory is told through a storybook with beautiful artwork. The story is not only interesting but is also genuinely emotional at times. I’ll admit I did get teary eyed at some points during the story. This may not be a major part of the game but it adds so much to the game and it’s something I wish more Mario games would do. The music during the storybook also sounds peaceful, sad or even both at once. Speaking of the music, this game has one of the best soundtracks of all time! So many of the songs are orchestrated and really give off the space vibe the game was going for. The music is super varied to. Some of the music is peaceful and serene while other songs are epic sounding. As I mentioned earlier some of the tracks are even sad. The songs in this game are just so magical and well written. It’s hard to explain any better why the soundtrack is so good so just listen to some of the songs.
This game has a lot going for it. From the well designed levels to the amazing music this game definitely leaves an impact. This game is not only extremely fun but also has small details like Rosalina’s storybook that really enhances the overall experience. In my opinion this is one of the best games of all time and it deserves all the praise it gets.
