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Galaxy Restores My Faith In Mario

The first time I laid eyes on Super Mario Galaxy in action was Friday afternoon. The only clips I have watched online were the early ones that simply showed him flying through space. There are two reasons for this. One, as one of the newer Kotaku writers, Nintendo wasn't really on my beat at E3 or GDC. Second, I really didn't want to know. I've written in the past that I was getting tired of Mario, and this was true. Super Mario Sunshine did absolutely nothing for me...hell, I didn't even play it until a year and a half ago. I guess I was positive after several sequels that nothing could come close to the perfection of Super Mario Bros. 3. Well I am happy to report that I was completely wrong. While it doesn't surpass what I still consider the masterpiece of the Mario world, Super Mario Galaxy is the best Mario title since the introduction of the Tanooki suit.


Another Chapter Begins

The princess gets kidnapped. She had to, really. Mario has always worked best when he's fighting to save a damsel in distress. This time around, however, the kidnapping is far more spectacular than ever before, involving Bowser, airships, and a flying saucer with a giant laser that cuts the Mushroom Castle away from the planet's surface and flies off into space with it in tow. It's up to one heroic Italian to save the day.

A series of events follows that finds Mario on the space platform of one Princess Rosalina, the Watcher of the Stars, who aids our hero in his quest to save Princess Peach. He travels from galaxy to galaxy, gathering the stars needed to power the platform's various areas, in turn unlocking more galaxies until no cluster of stars is left unturned.

A Fresh Coat

Part of the charm of the Super Mario series is the way each successive game integrates familiar settings, enemies, and themes in a new environment. I think one of the reasons I didn't like Sunshine as much was that it was so far removed from the traditional Mario world - something they had to do to incorporate the new gameplay elements. I guess that's what makes Super Mario Galaxy such a surprise for me. They've taken traditional Mario gameplay to a whole new level, yet they've still managed to incorporate enough of the old standards to make it feel more like I am coming home than traveling to strange, new worlds.

The graphics certainly help. The characters and enemies all look completely amazing, and the worlds themselves are crafted so they are like giant characters unto themselves. Far from the blocky 3D introduced in Super Mario 64, everything in Galaxy has soft, seamless curves. It's almost like you are playing an animated movie, which on the underpowered Wii is no mean feat. It could hold its own graphically to earlier PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles easily. No surprise, really. This is the game the Wii was created to play, and it shows in more than the graphics.

Wiimote Control

You know how you can tell a game is a good fit for the Wii? When you sit down to play it and never once think about how strange it is to be controlling it with a different controller in each hand. Take Zelda for instance. Even picking up the game and playing it now, a year after release, it still feels odd to me to control it with the Wiimote / nunchuck controller. Then look at a game like Zak and Wiki, where the controller makes perfect sense. Even having never laid a hand on the game before, never once playing Super Mario Galaxy did the oddness of the controls cross my mind. In fact, the only time I had any issue with control at all was during swimming levels, which just didn't translate well at all. Otherwise I was in perfect control even during the most precarious moments.

Controls are simple, for the most part. Move with the stick, A button jumps, Z button ground pounds, and shaking the Wiimote sends Mario spinning in order to attack enemies or add some extra air to his vertical leap. The Wiimote is used both to pick up the game's currency, star bits, which are amazingly plentiful, as well as to manipulate special objects in the world. There are blue stars that draw you towards them when you highlight them and hit a button, gum trees that can be pulled back to launch Mario through the air, and even spots where you use the Wiimote like a gun to shoot star bits at targets to reveal life-giving coins. Both in control and graphics, Super Mario Galaxy makes full use of everything the Wii has to offer.

Topsy-Turvy

The level design in SMG is nothing short of astounding. Other games in the past have toyed around with the tiny planet mechanic (Ratchet and Clank for instance), but none have done so well in tying the mechanic together to create worlds that turn you upside-down yet make complete sense at the same time. even when arriving on a completely new sort of construct, like a planetoid made of boxes whose sides disappear soon after you walk on them, it was easy to see what was expected of you. It all goes back to whole mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar point I made previously. If you know your Mario, Super Mario Galaxy just makes sense. Perhaps too much sense.

Mind you there are plenty of worlds that won't have you walking around planets. There are surfing challenges, Super Monkey Ball-inspired levels that have you balancing atop a glass sphere, and plenty of the traditional 3D Mario action you've known and loved since Super Mario 64.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

The main challenge in Super Mario Galaxy is found in the extra bits. Going through the game getting just the stars needed to go through the game is quite a simple task. The bosses pretty much come down to patterns and timing, and even the most imposing bosses, like a colossal robot bigger than the planet it is standing on, go down relatively simply. Once orbiting comets that act like level power-ups (super fast monsters, starting the level out with low health) come into play things can get a bit more difficult, but for the most part the game isn't too much of a challenge for your average Mario fan.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing though. A game lacking in challenge can still be enjoyable, and I've enjoyed every moment of SMG. I almost think making the game harder would have taken away from it somehow. You cannot appreciate how well crafted the title is if you're too busy spouting profanity at it every five minutes.

Clear Your Schedule

Super Mario Galaxy is tons of game for the money. There are 120 stars to find with only 60 necessary to complete the game, but you'll want to try and find all for a special treat, which in turn will drive you to do it all over again. There is even a two-player mode of sorts, where a friend can use the Wiimote to help you find star bits and manipulate the environment to keep Mario safe from harm - though it is much more fun to use the second Wiimote for evil rather than good.

The Best Of What's Around

Nintendo once again proves that realistic graphics and hi-tech consoles aren't what makes a fun video game experience. Super Mario Galaxy is a masterpiece that will be popping up on top games of all times lists for years to come. Wii owners? This is your reward for giving the goofy little system a chance. I'm sorry I ever doubted.

8:20 AM on Mon Nov 12 2007
By Mike Fahey
20,636 views
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