Super Mario Galaxy Lives Up To the Hype
In my youth, I missed out on owning a Wii console. Sure, I tried Wii Sports along with several premier games while staying with family and friends in the mid-to-late 2000s, but I never had a Wii of my own, causing me to overlook several excellent installments in Nintendo’s iconic franchises.
A prime example was Super Mario Galaxy, which, along with its sequel, has been freshly updated and transferred to Switch consoles. The initial release got incorporated within the 2020 special compilation Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I welcomed the chance to experience what’s regarded as a top-tier Mario titles in history. I became immediately engrossed, while affirming that it lives up to about 18 years of excitement. However, I also recognized how happy I am movement-based inputs mostly stayed as historical features.
Starting the Space Journey
Following traditional Mario storyline, Super Mario Galaxy begins with Bowser nabbing Princess Peach including her home. His collection of cosmic vessels take her among the stars, throwing Mario out amongst the stars during the event. Mario encounters adorable stellar beings named Lumas as well as Rosalina atop her Comet Observatory. She tasks Mario with collecting stars to power her spacecraft so they can chase after Bowser, opening exploration opportunities to start discovering.
Super Mario Galaxy’s platforming provides delight, needing just completing a couple levels to realize why it’s held in such high regard. It’ll feel familiar among veterans of a 3D Mario, and the controls prove user-friendly and natural as Nintendo typically delivers.
Gravity-Defying Gameplay
As astronomy fan, the setting aligns with my preferences, and it allows for Super Mario Galaxy to have fun with planetary forces. Orbital stages let Mario to literally run circles surrounding them similar to Goku following Bubbles in popular series. When they’re close together, he can jump between them getting captured through gravitational force from adjacent structures. Other platforms appear as discs, and often feature collectibles below, in unexpected locations.
Rediscovering Classic Characters
What’s fun about experiencing this game following long gap includes knowing certain personalities. I had no idea Rosalina first appeared within this title, or that she acted as the adoptive mother of the Lumas. Earlier in my gaming, I only knew her as a standard member Mario Kart World roster option. Same with the Penguins, alongside whom I liked swimming in initial coastal stage.
Movement-Based Hurdles
The only real drag while experiencing Galaxy in 2025 concerns movement inputs, utilized during collecting, aiming, and shooting cosmic pieces, vibrant items scattered around levels. Playing on handheld mode meant tilting and rotating the console to aim, which feels a bit clunky. Gyroscopic elements appear frequently during various navigation areas, needing users to point the stellar pointer at platforms to attract Mario toward them.
Stages completely dependent on gyroscopic features work better when played using separate controllers for better precision, including the aquatic gliding mission during early game. I rarely become supportive of gyroscopic gameplay, while they didn't improve notably effectively within this title. Luckily, if you get enough stars via alternative missions, these motion control ones may be completely avoided. I tried the level where Mario has to navigate a large sphere across a path filled with gaps, then immediately quit after one attempt.
Classic Nintendo Magic
Aside from the cumbersome older input methods, there’s really nothing to criticize within this adventure, and its space-set levels provide enjoyment to navigate. Although notable titles including later releases appeared subsequently, Super Mario Galaxy remains one of the best and most inventive Mario games around.