There are some opinions in the gaming world which seem to be a foregone conclusion.
“Ocarina of Time is the best Zelda game ever”. “Movie tie-in games are usually pants”. “Blowing into the cartridge will make it work this time”. Okay, that last one is just a fact.
It’s also true to say that the vast majority believe that Super Mario 64 is the best adventure featuring the mustached plumber. I just so happen to disagree.
The Nostalgia Kick
I’ve chosen now to break cover, what with the recent release of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I enjoyed it for what it was (mainly for all the video game references), but it was given something of a kicking by critics. It did, however, make me all dewy eyed and nostalgic as I remembered the pure joy of playing both Super Mario Galaxy games on the mighty Nintendo Wii.
In the 3D Mario release timeline, the first of these came after Super Mario Sunshine which turned out to be one of the most divisive entries in the series and remains so today. I loved it, but the GameCube years were a turbulent time for Nintendo, before the Wii came along with its swanky motion controls to save the day.
We’re in 2007, nearly a year later, and the hotly anticipated Super Mario Galaxy finally arrives on the Nintendo Wii. Immediately, the stakes are raised and the ambition of the project is revealed as Peach’s Castle is stolen and Mario bkastedy into outer space. He makes friends with a Luma, who doubles up as a handy way for Mario to get around.
Rosalina looks after the Lumas, but her starship, the Comet Observatory, needs powering up before it can properly pursue Bowser. This sets up the adventure for Mario, who visits all sorts of weird and wonderful planets to track down those Power Stars.
Defying Gravity: The Unique Physics of Planet-Hopping
Something which made Super Mario Galaxy feel unique was the use of gravity. Mario travels between planetoids via the launch stars (activated by a pleasing shake of the Wii remote) and once on them, is exposed to their gravity. The player can easily traverse the spherical objects as the camera confidently tracks them, whilst showing off the mind boggling creativity which gives every galaxy its unique identity.
I distinctly remember being blown away by the sheer number and diversity of the levels in Super Mario Galaxy, each boasting intuitive gameplay mechanics, world class level design and eye-poppingly beautiful visuals. It started from the very beginning, in the aptly named Gateway Galaxy. There was something rather magical seeing Mario confidently traverse outer space, dodging asteroids and spin attacking goombas, and yet it felt so natural to play.
Super Mario Galaxy excelled when it came to the gameplay too. It was relentlessly innovative. This was down to something as simple as how you got around each galaxy or Echoing the format of the previous games, pursuing each power star meant showing off the galaxy in a different way, with you speed running, chasing down bunnies and tackling boss characters.
For me, stand out moments included playing through the Gusty Garden Galaxy and Melty Molten Galaxy, as well as the various encounters with Bowser and Bowser Jr. Just talking about it makes me want to go and play through Super Mario Galaxy all over again.
Doubling Down
The game was so good, that Nintendo pulled something of a surprise out the bag for those of us cooing over it. This was in an era where Nintendo very, very rarely did direct sequels (and to be honest it’s not something that has happened often to this day). When they did, it usually resulted in fear and worry that the game would be of a poorer quality and that they were running out of ideas. In this case anyway, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
That’s right, somehow Nintendo managed to improve on the superb first entry, and that wasn’t just because Yoshi turned up to the party. Instead, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was bursting with ideas, creativity and sublime execution once again. It felt as if the Super Mario Galaxy project was so large, bursting with so many ideas, one game was simply not enough. The sequel took everything that worked in the first game and somehow managed to edge a little closer to perfection.
To make for a truly groundbreaking game, it requires every component to be elevated to the highest quality. When it came to the soundtrack, Super Mario Galaxy was the first game in the series to record its soundtrack with a full orchestra, and boy can you hear the difference. Each track is distinctly designed to punctuate every moment and complement the galaxies themselves. Pieces such as Gusty Garden Galaxy, Melty Molten Galaxy and Bowser’s Galaxy Generator are perfectly arranged to raise a smile, tap into that sense of adventure and take your breath away. They’re some of best pieces of video game music out there, and quite simply epic.
More Than Just Retro Respect
I truly love Super Mario 64 and have respect for how it pushed boundaries, but I connected with both Super Mario Galaxy games on a different level. It may sound daft, but I adored these games so much it made me slightly emotional. Not just any emotion, but the purest of joy that very few games elicit from me (not to this degree anyhow). Experiences like this are why I love gaming.
It may have been cheeky (I’m sure some of you will have other words) for Nintendo to re-release the games at pretty much full-price, but it means they are readily available, in a rather lovely bundle from the Nintendo eShop, playable on Switch, if you don’t own them for the Wii. I implore you to set aside some time to play them both after reading this article, then come back and tell me Super Mario 64 is better. I’ll be waiting.
