Super Mario Galaxy is the perfection of the 3D Mario formula even to this day for me. As a kid, this game left its mark on me that video games are more than entertainment, they can be art.
Super Mario Galaxy makes its scale known right from the start. The booming orchestral soundtrack greeting you at the title screen, a small fairytale like story being told, and then an iconic callback to Super Mario 64 with Peach giving Mario a letter. Not only does it hammer home how far Mario has come, but respects the origin of Mario's 3D debut, as they likely went back to Mario 64 to craft Galaxy, unlike the much more different Mario Sunshine. We get the opening sequence which is far more cinematic, with an orchestral score, some insane visuals, and a bit of action before Mario is blasted into the depths of space itself. That first moment when Mario wakes up in a field of flowers on an unknown planet stands out to me so much, when they pan out to the planet itself, it's magical.
The tutorial level introduces everything we need to know. Gravity mechanics, and the spin attack, as well as some collectibles, and other puzzle/collectible elements later levels will be using. It's perfect, it also does a nice job at showcasing how galaxies will be laid out, a cluster of planets and other platforms/debris you'll launch to so you can reach the area of interest to get a star. Similar structure to Mario 64 with having six stars per galaxy, but also has Sunshine's idea of each level altering the galaxy in unique ways each time to explore new parts of it. This not only fleshes out exploration of these beautiful galaxies, but keeps things fresh and interesting every mission almost. Minor boss battles will also be encountered, the larger bosses are reserved for their own specific galaxies.
Atmosphere in Mario Galaxy is profound. Capturing the haunting beauty of space is not easy, yet Mario Galaxy to me has my favorite interpretation of it. Space Junk Galaxy to me capture this haunting beauty I described absolutely perfectly. Space Junk feels very lonely, and the music permeates this feeling of loneliness, yet it's also got a tinge of curiosity. The way all the junk is floating through space undisturbed for a long time, almost perfectly preserved, makes you ask where it came from. The beauty is created from all of this, the music, atmosphere, and setting create a feeling of utter peace, and curiosity, which I find beautiful in a pure sense. Other levels like Beach Bowl Galaxy are so vibrant with upbeat music it makes me want to go to the beach, bask in the sun, and look up at the sky. Mario Galaxy is able to provoke so many strong emotions in me through the different galaxies, it's honestly incredible. Each Galaxy is like a work of art, and having the backdrop of empty space, stars, a sun or two, or even a swirling vortex of ghosts makes it more special than if it was just a skybox of some clouds, which are present but fit the worlds they're used in.
I've mentioned the vibrant colors already, but Mario Galaxy is a beautiful game. It's also got a refined polish in all aspects. Mario feels the best he ever has in Galaxy, just the right amount of weight and float to his jumps, the spin attack doubling as a correction for bad jumps or positioning is great, and feels impactful when attacking enemies as well. Mario even gives an energetic kick to most enemies you stun with the spin attack which is so satisfying. All the smaller details in Mario Galaxy feel so essential because without them, it would not flow nearly as good. The only true complaint I can give this game is some of the motion control gimmicks they use for certain levels. I can't even complain too much since the more harrowing challenges are rare, the game mostly just asks you to point and click pull-stars that have a generous amount of room for error. Enemy variety itself isn't strong, however unique enemies per galaxy fixes this issue and makes those galaxies feel even more unique. A fully orchestrated soundtrack that is also one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, my favorites being Battlerock Galaxy, Buoy Base, Beach Bowl, and Good Egg Galaxy. The only other complaint I could make are how all power-ups are temporary and mostly used for puzzles, rather than combat. Fire Flower has some offensive utility to it, but is still mostly used for puzzles. I don't mind this, since Mario 64 did the same thing, Galaxy has way more variety however, though maybe not as iconic.
Super Mario Galaxy is a masterpiece of a video game. I've played it every few years consistently since it came out on launch, and I always find something new about it I love. It's easily my favorite Mario game of all time as well, since everything just came together like lightning in a bottle for this particular experience. The music, graphics, controls, gameplay, all of it, just felt so perfect, and always will. You can get Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii, you can also play it through the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection on Switch. While a controversial game to some, Galaxy does look stunning in the port, they've also made some small changes such as mapping the spin to the "X" button, you also now use gyro controls instead of motion controls. Also, I forgot to mention this and didn't know where to put it in my review, but... Whenever you make progress in Super Mario Galaxy, you might get notified another chapter of a storybook is available. I implore you to see for yourself what the story is and to experience it for yourself. It might be the best writing Mario has ever seen in the mainline series.
Super Mario Galaxy makes its scale known right from the start. The booming orchestral soundtrack greeting you at the title screen, a small fairytale like story being told, and then an iconic callback to Super Mario 64 with Peach giving Mario a letter. Not only does it hammer home how far Mario has come, but respects the origin of Mario's 3D debut, as they likely went back to Mario 64 to craft Galaxy, unlike the much more different Mario Sunshine. We get the opening sequence which is far more cinematic, with an orchestral score, some insane visuals, and a bit of action before Mario is blasted into the depths of space itself. That first moment when Mario wakes up in a field of flowers on an unknown planet stands out to me so much, when they pan out to the planet itself, it's magical.
The tutorial level introduces everything we need to know. Gravity mechanics, and the spin attack, as well as some collectibles, and other puzzle/collectible elements later levels will be using. It's perfect, it also does a nice job at showcasing how galaxies will be laid out, a cluster of planets and other platforms/debris you'll launch to so you can reach the area of interest to get a star. Similar structure to Mario 64 with having six stars per galaxy, but also has Sunshine's idea of each level altering the galaxy in unique ways each time to explore new parts of it. This not only fleshes out exploration of these beautiful galaxies, but keeps things fresh and interesting every mission almost. Minor boss battles will also be encountered, the larger bosses are reserved for their own specific galaxies.
Atmosphere in Mario Galaxy is profound. Capturing the haunting beauty of space is not easy, yet Mario Galaxy to me has my favorite interpretation of it. Space Junk Galaxy to me capture this haunting beauty I described absolutely perfectly. Space Junk feels very lonely, and the music permeates this feeling of loneliness, yet it's also got a tinge of curiosity. The way all the junk is floating through space undisturbed for a long time, almost perfectly preserved, makes you ask where it came from. The beauty is created from all of this, the music, atmosphere, and setting create a feeling of utter peace, and curiosity, which I find beautiful in a pure sense. Other levels like Beach Bowl Galaxy are so vibrant with upbeat music it makes me want to go to the beach, bask in the sun, and look up at the sky. Mario Galaxy is able to provoke so many strong emotions in me through the different galaxies, it's honestly incredible. Each Galaxy is like a work of art, and having the backdrop of empty space, stars, a sun or two, or even a swirling vortex of ghosts makes it more special than if it was just a skybox of some clouds, which are present but fit the worlds they're used in.
I've mentioned the vibrant colors already, but Mario Galaxy is a beautiful game. It's also got a refined polish in all aspects. Mario feels the best he ever has in Galaxy, just the right amount of weight and float to his jumps, the spin attack doubling as a correction for bad jumps or positioning is great, and feels impactful when attacking enemies as well. Mario even gives an energetic kick to most enemies you stun with the spin attack which is so satisfying. All the smaller details in Mario Galaxy feel so essential because without them, it would not flow nearly as good. The only true complaint I can give this game is some of the motion control gimmicks they use for certain levels. I can't even complain too much since the more harrowing challenges are rare, the game mostly just asks you to point and click pull-stars that have a generous amount of room for error. Enemy variety itself isn't strong, however unique enemies per galaxy fixes this issue and makes those galaxies feel even more unique. A fully orchestrated soundtrack that is also one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, my favorites being Battlerock Galaxy, Buoy Base, Beach Bowl, and Good Egg Galaxy. The only other complaint I could make are how all power-ups are temporary and mostly used for puzzles, rather than combat. Fire Flower has some offensive utility to it, but is still mostly used for puzzles. I don't mind this, since Mario 64 did the same thing, Galaxy has way more variety however, though maybe not as iconic.
Super Mario Galaxy is a masterpiece of a video game. I've played it every few years consistently since it came out on launch, and I always find something new about it I love. It's easily my favorite Mario game of all time as well, since everything just came together like lightning in a bottle for this particular experience. The music, graphics, controls, gameplay, all of it, just felt so perfect, and always will. You can get Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii, you can also play it through the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection on Switch. While a controversial game to some, Galaxy does look stunning in the port, they've also made some small changes such as mapping the spin to the "X" button, you also now use gyro controls instead of motion controls. Also, I forgot to mention this and didn't know where to put it in my review, but... Whenever you make progress in Super Mario Galaxy, you might get notified another chapter of a storybook is available. I implore you to see for yourself what the story is and to experience it for yourself. It might be the best writing Mario has ever seen in the mainline series.