This is the first Nintendo game I've ever played and finished, since I've always been a PC gamer but thanks to the incredible Dolphin emulator (and this great control scheme for the Xbox Series controller I was finally able to experience this amazing classic!
It's hard to put into the words the pure joy (and sometimes terror) one feels when running, jumping and spinning through the game's many creatively challenging levels. There isn't a single level that feels like it wasn't made with passion, even if the quality definitely varies from level to level. Still, even the weakest levels are great fun to play through if a little bit tedious at times.
I never did get completely used to the controls, perhaps because this is my first time playing a 3D platformer with fixed camera angles. I often found it difficult to jump precisely onto a surface, with only Mario's tiny shadow as an indicator of where I would land (often times I'd plummet into the cold void of space due to the smallest miscalculation). Also, while the spherical platforms are amazing innovations the larger spheres still felt disorienting several hours in and Mario felt very difficult to control in these areas. However, these are issues that I'm sure can be rectified by playing through the game a few more times and really getting used to the control scheme.
The story, which is sprinkled in throughout the game in the form of these lovely storybook pages (as well as longer cutscenes in the beginning and ending) was surprisingly thoughtful and touching. It makes use of the vastness and exciting (as well as terrifying) possibilities of space as an analogy for the excitement of venturing out into the world after growing up to find our place.
It's hard to put into the words the pure joy (and sometimes terror) one feels when running, jumping and spinning through the game's many creatively challenging levels. There isn't a single level that feels like it wasn't made with passion, even if the quality definitely varies from level to level. Still, even the weakest levels are great fun to play through if a little bit tedious at times.
I never did get completely used to the controls, perhaps because this is my first time playing a 3D platformer with fixed camera angles. I often found it difficult to jump precisely onto a surface, with only Mario's tiny shadow as an indicator of where I would land (often times I'd plummet into the cold void of space due to the smallest miscalculation). Also, while the spherical platforms are amazing innovations the larger spheres still felt disorienting several hours in and Mario felt very difficult to control in these areas. However, these are issues that I'm sure can be rectified by playing through the game a few more times and really getting used to the control scheme.
The story, which is sprinkled in throughout the game in the form of these lovely storybook pages (as well as longer cutscenes in the beginning and ending) was surprisingly thoughtful and touching. It makes use of the vastness and exciting (as well as terrifying) possibilities of space as an analogy for the excitement of venturing out into the world after growing up to find our place.