Super Mario Galaxy

For some, this was the next venture in a line of 3-D Mario titles; others were anticipating the true successor to Super Mario 64. One thing’s for certain, we all were excited. Mario is once more tasked with saving Princess Peach from King Bowser, but this time the quest puts the entire universe on the table. So was this the game we’ve all been waiting for?

Galaxy is instantly familiar, drawing a clear influence from past Mario titles while maintaining a powerful unique touch. Each themed galaxy has between one and six stages (each stage has a star) which can include hidden and ‘comet’ (extra challenge) bonuses. While most stages were quite linear, they still allow a varying degree of free-roaming. The linearity was by no means a bad thing, however. These stages, ranging in difficulty, were about the puzzles and getting from one obstacle to another to reach the end than searching an entire world for where to go next.

The free-roaming level select hub works just as Peach’s Castle or Isle Del Fino did previously, but in comparison is dull. Most of the levels accessible through the hub are standard adventure levels, however some are less traditional, forcing a new control style. The most intriguing of these was the use of the Wii remote in a pestle and mortar fashion to guide Mario through an obstacle course as he stood atop a big ball.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects is the lack of disgruntlement from playing. We’re faced with moments in some games when we just don’t feel like playing anymore because we ‘die’ too much. Spare lives are spent almost as quickly as they’re harvested - quite efficiently courtesy of the abundance of collectible star bits - in Galaxy, however, as a result these classic inconveniences aren’t actually that discouraging courtesy of interesting level design, well-placed spawn points, and the never-looming fear of a game over.

Frankly, at first this oddly controlled universe presented more hardship than thrill. Often I found myself craning my neck to deal with a difficult camera angle or to cope with running upside-down. Thankfully, these discomforts were short-lived and my noggin soon enjoyed a familiar upright stance. I could finally begin to really enjoy the game.

Bar the aforementioned temporary displeasures, the game controls are brilliant. The set of moves Mario can execute has been reduced to only necessary ones and a new do-all activated by flicking the remote. While uneasiness may precede using this seemingly gimmicky function, it is actually refined, fluent, and natural to use. The amount of perfection put into controlling Mario is incredible – not once is something a fault of the game. At times, there is the rare annoyance such as pulling off a side somersault which requires a painfully specific execution. What an awful complaint to make – the controls are too perfect. Super Mario Galaxy is a finely polished gem exhibiting a perfect balance of traditional and motion control on the Wii console.