It’s a head-scratching responsibility, marked for a sequel super mario 64. I mean, how do you properly follow up on a game that more or less invented the 3D platformer genre?Many think it’s 2002 Super Mario Sunshine This can be done with simple deductive reasoning. This is the second 3D Mario platformer in the series, so it’s natural to make it a sequel to Super Mario 64, right? However, for many other Mario fans, while the quality of the game is undeniable, they find it a little…safe. soft.
Then, in 2007, came super mario galaxy.
This new Mario adventure isn’t just about traversing magical castles or tropical paradises. For the first time ever, the entire universe is Mario’s playground, and it’s clear that Nintendo is going all out with the most ambitious Mario game yet. Even before launch, gamers around the world were fascinated by how epic the next big step in 3D Mario games looked — and after it was released, it lived up to the hype. Fifteen years ago today, the true Super Mario 64 sequel finally arrived, reaching (and surpassing in many areas) the lofty heights of its predecessors.
Super Mario Galaxy has lost no time in showing players how magical it is. The game begins with Mario happily running down the starlit path, colorful candy-like projectiles falling from around him, to a familiar sight: the Peach Castle in Super Mario 64, looking more than ever Brilliant, lit up against the backdrop of a starry night. The game also doesn’t waste time introducing conflict. Yep, Bowser crashed the Mushroom Kingdom’s Tanabata again with a fleet of airships – and an unexpected addition: a damn spaceship!
Koopa King confidently announces that this time he will take his aspirations to the interstellar level, and demonstrates his intentions by tearing Peach’s castle from the ground with a laser beam and carrying it to the vast depths of outer space. Thankfully, Mario has managed to get to Shanghai Castle, but his attempt to save Peach is suddenly stopped by Magikoopa’s facial explosion, sending him flying into the unknown starry sky.
Mario regains consciousness, only to find himself on an asteroid somewhere in space. The only way he was able to understand what happened to him was to chase and capture three chubby star-shaped creatures named Lumas in the form of space bunnies. It’s here that players slowly sink into the game’s unique gravity-bending gameplay. The trek takes him to a mechanical base in Bowser, where he masterfully blends puzzle solving and typical run-and-hop Mario combat as he smashes a power star from a massive force field.
If you’ve played the first two 3D Mario games, you’ll grasp the controls quickly, if not immediately. Using the Wii Remote in games feels very intuitive, like a natural extension of Mario’s abilities. That’s no surprise for Nintendo and a game with an ever-popular mascot, isn’t it?
A simple flick of the controller will cause Mario to execute a spin that can either take out enemies or launch him from the aptly named “launch star,” which lets him soar through the skies and space with spectacular flair. Sometimes the motion controls can be used in more unstable situations like balancing on a ball or riding a giant manta ray, but luckily the parts are few and far between and don’t really detract from the polish Normal platform gameplay.
The game’s story unfolds in very typical Mario style, but with a cosmic twist: Mario must explore the universe, collecting enough power stars to fuel the spaceship piloted by the mysterious Princess Rosalina in search of Princess Peach. And smash Bowser’s plans for global domination.
While the aforementioned Super Mario Sunshine level metaphor is fairly safe, the entire game features a tropical twist, and Galaxy revels in its variety. Of the game’s 42 levels, referred to here as “galaxies” (the game uses a rather loose term that would make astronomers froth in their mouths), many of them are standard Mario tropes. You have your own grasslands, deserts, volcanoes, and more, but designed in a way that takes advantage of new gravity-based gameplay, giving them a fresh spin on their unique Galaxy aesthetic.
Where the game’s creativity really shines is in its more unconventional levels, especially those set against the glorious backdrop of space. Rolling through the stars with soft piano music playing in the background is an ethereal experience unlike any platformer I’ve played. Sadly, the decision to downplay the power of many of the “space” elements of the original game for the sequel and replace it with a blue sky makes Super Mario Galaxy 2 more grounded. This decision has resulted in Super Mario Galaxy having a unique, otherworldly vibe that we may never see in a Mario game again — at least to the same degree.
Another area of the game that has been praised by fans but condemned by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is the backstory of the Lumas princess Rosalina who helps Mario with his quests. Game director Yoshiaki Koizumi provides the character with a tragic backstory that can be unraveled in a series of storybooks accessible from the central world. Miyamoto is said to be so opposed to the idea of adding story elements to certain games that Koizumi often has to sneak them under his nose. Needless to say, any elements of the deeper story are banned from the sequel – another aspect of the original galaxy that makes it unique among Mario games.
How did I get so deep into this article without discussing the sheer majesty of the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack? True, a writer might write an entire article to gush about it, but notes speak louder than words. (Seriously, check out the Youtube video embedded below before reading on. I’ll wait.)
To fit a game of this size, Nintendo chose a full 40-piece orchestra to play some of its repertoire, a rarity in Nintendo games and many video games at the time. From the hauntingly beautiful Space Junk Galaxy to the grandeur of the now iconic Gusty Garden Galaxy, don’t be surprised if you notice a tear or two rolling down your cheek as you listen. Aside from a platformer soundtrack like Donkey Kong Country or Celeste, there are very few platformer soundtracks that thrill me with sheer musical quality alone, but Galaxy is definitely one of them.
The Super Mario video game series is one of the few games in the history of the industry where phrases like “special,” “eternal,” or “masterpiece” can be used, and you have to ask them which one they’re referring to game. Super Mario Galaxy is definitely one of them, if not at the very top of the list.
All the elements of Galaxy – the pitch-perfect platforming, superb gravity-defying gameplay, hauntingly beautiful atmosphere and inspiring orchestral soundtrack – come together in a way I don’t think any Mario game before or since can match together. Like the special comet that passes through the sky of the Mushroom Kingdom every 100 years, Super Mario Galaxy is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the star shines as brightly today as it did 15 years ago.
