I remember it being my most hotly-anticipated game of late-2007. I was in my final year of high school, and, despite it being uncool to own a Wii, was desperate for another title to add to my then-emaciated library. I didn’t sleep well the night before it arrived, as my anxiety and anticipation kept me up: would it be worth the wait, or would it be shovelware? A lot was riding on it given the Wii’s general reputation, and I was aware of that. So when the day came, I booted up the system and watched the fireworks fly.
A lot has changed since then, and I hadn’t gone back to the game. I enjoyed it immensely the first time, but life was constantly interfering. Not only had my library of games swelled, but I’d purchased two new consoles. I’d also graduated high school and university, which sucked up my time. And I’d moved on to films, and I became more engrossed in anime and animation. This doesn’t include my writing career, which I take great pleasure in. All of this kept getting in the way.
However, it was always on my mind, and with the pandemic freeing up time, I figured now was as good as ever to replay it. This time, though, I had a pair of adult eyes. My maturity, if all else, would let me assess if it held up. And so, after clearing some time on a Thursday evening, I slipped the game into my Wii U and booted it up.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Super Mario Galaxy begins with Mario getting invited to a Star Festival outside of Princess Peach’s castle. Everything is fine and dandy, until Bowser shows up to ruin the fun. Utilizing the power the festival bestows, he kidnaps Peach and decides to reshape the galaxy. Mario tries intervening, yet is thrust into space by one of Bowser’s goons. He’s recovered by a princess named Rosalina, and from there makes it his mission to fix everything.
In other words, it’s not a deep story. But Mario games never are, and they’re aware of this. Instead, it’s about the journey, as well as the gameplay mechanics. In this case, it’s the gravity-defying physics, something made extra special by utilizing the Wii remote’s motion-sensing capabilities.
I really do mean “gravity-defying”. The game literally has Mario navigating around planetoids and their gravitational pulls. Sometimes, it’s about planet hopping via launchpads. Other times, Mario’s thrown onto a spherical platform and must traverse it upside down. And then there are mazes where Mario moves depending on the arrows. It’s unconventional, but you have to think outside the box. It’s also really fun!
Super Mario Galaxy begins with Mario getting invited to a Star Festival outside of Princess Peach’s castle. Everything is fine and dandy, until Bowser shows up to ruin the fun. Utilizing the power the festival bestows, he kidnaps Peach and decides to reshape the galaxy. Mario tries intervening, yet is thrust into space by one of Bowser’s goons. He’s recovered by a princess named Rosalina, and from there makes it his mission to fix everything.
In other words, it’s not a deep story. But Mario games never are, and they’re aware of this. Instead, it’s about the journey, as well as the gameplay mechanics. In this case, it’s the gravity-defying physics, something made extra special by utilizing the Wii remote’s motion-sensing capabilities.
I really do mean “gravity-defying”. The game literally has Mario navigating around planetoids and their gravitational pulls. Sometimes, it’s about planet hopping via launchpads. Other times, Mario’s thrown onto a spherical platform and must traverse it upside down. And then there are mazes where Mario moves depending on the arrows. It’s unconventional, but you have to think outside the box. It’s also really fun!
Perhaps the biggest innovation is the waggle feature. Wii games were notorious for shaking the controller to stimulate movement, but Super Mario Galaxy does it right: flick your wrist gently, feel the vibration, listen for the jingle and watch Mario soar through the air on a predetermined trajectory. Assuming you don’t injure your hand, it’s exciting watching the game respond to your movements. It never gets old, either.
The enemies are also unique. You have ones from games past-Koopas, Goombas, Monty Moles-but also new ones. My favourite is the octopus-snouted creature who spits stuff at you, as it forces you to react before it does. Even the boss fights, which aren’t too difficult, are creative in their own rights, utilizing different strategies. Though, again, my favourite boss is the octopus-snouted giant who spits melons that you deflect back.
This game also has interesting side-gimmicks. Whether it’s tilting the Wii controller to surf on a manta ray, or swaying it back-and-forth to guide a ball toward its destination, these are the most challenging levels. In some instances, they even make you to grit your teeth and pray that Mario doesn’t fall to his doom. I can’t begin to tell you how often that’s happened to me, or how many close calls I’ve had.
The enemies are also unique. You have ones from games past-Koopas, Goombas, Monty Moles-but also new ones. My favourite is the octopus-snouted creature who spits stuff at you, as it forces you to react before it does. Even the boss fights, which aren’t too difficult, are creative in their own rights, utilizing different strategies. Though, again, my favourite boss is the octopus-snouted giant who spits melons that you deflect back.
This game also has interesting side-gimmicks. Whether it’s tilting the Wii controller to surf on a manta ray, or swaying it back-and-forth to guide a ball toward its destination, these are the most challenging levels. In some instances, they even make you to grit your teeth and pray that Mario doesn’t fall to his doom. I can’t begin to tell you how often that’s happened to me, or how many close calls I’ve had.
That’s another aspect I don’t think gets talked about enough: its difficulty curve. I know I’m not the best judge, I find all games hard, but the level of challenge is understated. There were plenty of times where I miscalculated or got overconfident, often to my dismay. This was especially apparent when I had to replay an already difficult level without getting hit. It took me two days.
Fortunately, the score helped bring down my mood. Past Wii games, like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, were criticized for not taking advantage of the Wii’s sound chip, and Nintendo listened with Super Mario Galaxy. The game’s bursting to the brim with orchestrations, and they’re all memorable. My favourite is Gusty Garden Galaxy, which you can listen to here. Nintendo didn’t need to do this, they’d have moved numbers anyway, but they did! Bless them for that!
If I have any complaints, aside from being overly-generous with 1-Ups, it’s that the swimming mechanics are horrendous, even with the Koopa shells making it easier to navigate. That, and the game has too much post-story content. I know the latter’s appealing to completionists, but 242 Stars, half of them repeats with Luigi, is too much. Especially when you only need 60 for the final Bowser battle. I know that makes me a “casual shill”, but it’s true.
Fortunately, the score helped bring down my mood. Past Wii games, like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, were criticized for not taking advantage of the Wii’s sound chip, and Nintendo listened with Super Mario Galaxy. The game’s bursting to the brim with orchestrations, and they’re all memorable. My favourite is Gusty Garden Galaxy, which you can listen to here. Nintendo didn’t need to do this, they’d have moved numbers anyway, but they did! Bless them for that!
If I have any complaints, aside from being overly-generous with 1-Ups, it’s that the swimming mechanics are horrendous, even with the Koopa shells making it easier to navigate. That, and the game has too much post-story content. I know the latter’s appealing to completionists, but 242 Stars, half of them repeats with Luigi, is too much. Especially when you only need 60 for the final Bowser battle. I know that makes me a “casual shill”, but it’s true.
I’m aware that a sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, debuted a few years later. Despite really enjoying it, especially with its additions, (Yoshi, anyone?) it felt like an expansion of what this did. Plus, its final confrontation with Bowser was shockingly underwhelming. (Seriously, what was that?!) I know some people prefer its enhanced difficulty, but I’m not one of them. (Though, again, I appreciate the return of Yoshi.)
I was pleasantly surprised by this game upon revisiting it. It’s not as exciting as when I was 17, but it’s also aged nicely. There’s next to no crust on it too, unlike some of the older Mario games. It’s not to everyone’s liking, and it could’ve sutilizedtood some inclusions that its sequel has, but it’s worthy of the title of “classic” anyway. Happy almost 15th birthday, Super Mario Galaxy! May you continue delighting gamers for another 15!
I was pleasantly surprised by this game upon revisiting it. It’s not as exciting as when I was 17, but it’s also aged nicely. There’s next to no crust on it too, unlike some of the older Mario games. It’s not to everyone’s liking, and it could’ve sutilizedtood some inclusions that its sequel has, but it’s worthy of the title of “classic” anyway. Happy almost 15th birthday, Super Mario Galaxy! May you continue delighting gamers for another 15!
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