Super Mario Galaxy

27.11.2007

The starting point of Mario’s latest adventure is the Comet Observatory of the mysterious Mama, who travels through space with the star children, the Luma, and discovers new galaxies. From here, the pudgy little plumber must travel to different galaxies and recover the Power Stars. These supply the Comet Observatory with the necessary power needed to track down Mario’s arch enemy, Bowser. Once again, he has kidnapped Princess Peach and her castle, not to some painting or some such place, but into the depths of space. This means that Mario has to rethink things, which he realizes shortly after his arrival. Gravity is one of the key elements of the game. It provides new, tricky jump moves, but also smaller puzzles, which will sometimes have you thinking laterally. If you reach a point where you can no longer move forward, Mario needs to circumnavigate the planet, which is still easy to do with the smaller celestial bodies. Mario then literally walks upside down. It looks strange, and for the first few minutes it feels strange to play this way. But you soon understand the principle behind the concept. Only some younger players might have difficulty in going around the planets. But don’t worry, more than half of all the planets you have to visit are large ones on which you cannot walk around. In these cases, Mario likes to catapult from surface to surface using a launch star, discovering new areas in the levels. The level designers were allowed free reign with their creativity because you only need to find between one and seven stars per level.

Mario travels to cheery flower worlds, icy snow levels, crosses rivers of lava or investigates a haunted house. The game is full of new experiences because the galaxies change with every new Power Star that you search for. As if that were not enough, Nintendo added cosmic comets to raise the stakes. These provide an added challenge and at the same time change (yet again) the level. If this comet is floating above a galaxy, anything can happen: Mario has to defeat his doppelganger, sometimes he has to defeat a boss enemy within a certain amount of time, sometimes he has only one life left, or opponents move noticeably faster. There is plenty of variety, particularly because Nintendo has integrated smaller mini games (riding a stingray or a swimming competition) into the game. Almost all these mini games rely heavily on the Wiimote without its being a nuisance. Young and old are perfectly tutored thanks to the text and picture explanations. It quickly begins to feel like the old Super Mario 64. You want to know what developers have in store for you in the next level, though now and again, a few old traditions were broken. Instead of coins, you must now collect Star Bits. The former are still present, but now they are merely used to heal Mario’s wounds. Furthermore, Star Bits can be collected by aiming the Wiimote at them. Therefore, you do not have to force Mario to run over every Star Bit. This saves time and nerves, especially if you keep falling into black holes while collecting them. Star Bits are also one of the Luma’s favorite foods, which is why you need to feed them to these little gourmets. You can also optionally use them (via the Wiimote) to stun your opponent. Thanks to the two-player function a friend can take care of this for you, but it is not really all that fun. It is better to take turns while playing, that way you will both have an opportunity to experience the wonderful gameplay. Another element that ventures away from tradition is the one regarding the opponents. We have known what the Gombas are up to all the time since Super Paper Mario. They have also managed to make it into outer space; many other types of opponents have not. Instead, you can now battle dung beetles and various other enemies. This does not hurt the game though, because recognizing old opponents provides you with a few “Aha” moments.

Most of your enemies can be defeated by using the classic jump move, but you can also use the spin attack, which is executed by shaking the Wiimote. Other than that, Mario’s athletic abilities seem as if they have improved, rather than having suffered any losses. Thus, for example, the wall kick is easier to perform than in the past two predecessors of the game. The transformations are only temporary in outer space, but create exciting and challenging puzzles, like when Mario has to ignite two pots with his fire flower, within a certain amount of time, so that he can open a door. Powering up into a ghost or bee is unusual, but very adorable, and thanks to his super cute appearance and recognizable trademarks like the moustache or cap, he will have a special place in your heart. Super Mario Galaxy’s graphics clearly demonstrate what the Japanese are capable of. Its picturesque worlds and bright colours, make it, without a doubt, the most beautiful Wii game. The music, which is partly orchestral, is the perfect complement. Sometimes it is fast, sometimes somber, or sometimes just a catchy little tune; the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack is never boring; especially since it includes old melodies that have been remixed and remastered. Aren’t we forgetting something, though? Maybe some criticisms? Of course, and there are some. The camera cannot always be adjusted manually and is a little shaky at some points. In addition to this, the level of difficulty up to the first 60 Power Stars is a little too easy for the traditional jump 'n' run game player. If you want to collect all 120 stars though, and experience possibly the biggest surprise since Super Mario went 3D, then you will have to put in a little effort. It is almost blasphemous to accuse this game of these things however. Nintendo has created the best Super Mario jump 'n' run game (or rather 3D skip 'n' run) that the video game world has seen thus far. All things considered, these two marginal, and barely noticeable, points of criticism, are hardly worth mentioning. Those of you who still need a reason to purchase a Wii have found it in the nearly perfect Super Mario Galaxy.