When Nintendo’s most well-known character Mario made his debut step into three dimensions on the N64, he was greeted with excitement in Japan and around the world, as each level of the game revealed a rich new world with different tasks and missions. The Gamecube’s Mario Sunshine, while producing great control and concepts, didn’t seem to deliver the sprawling compendium of different themed worlds like its N64 predecessor. Could the Nintendo Wii’s Mario Galaxy match and even excel the progress made by the Japanese franchise’s past games?
This story is on a much larger scale than most Mario stories. Instead of Bowser’s usual “kidnap Peach, rule Mushroom Kingdom” plan, he now wants to lord over an entire universe with Peach by his side. To do so, he disrupts the kingdom’s annual Star Festival by literally pulling the castle from its foundations and flinging it into space with the aid of his battle fleet. In a bid to rescue her, our hero Mario finds himself attacked by Bowser’s henchman and is also launched into space. Fortunately, he falls into the hands of Rosalina and the Lumas – little star creatures with a range of different powers – who have had their spaceship reduced to an observatory thanks to Bowser’s dirty work. As Mario and Rosalina have both been robbed by the same nemesis, they join forces to put the great fire breathing King Koopa out of commission once more. Thus begins Mario’s epic quest to find enough stars to power the observatory, save Peach and teach Bowser a lesson for meddling in outer space.
As for how the game plays, the first thing you will notice in Mario Galaxy is the music: beautifully orchestrated soundtracks to suit the mood of the game, whether it is celebratory or signalling impending doom. The game uses remixes of soundtracks from previous Mario games, such as Mario Bros 1 and 3 and Super Mario World. You will be surprised how different and refreshing they sound.
However, the focus of the game is the numerous planets scattered around each galaxy, each planet creatively made to the point where it looks ridiculous but still works perfectly. Despite some of these insanely shaped wonderlands, all planets use gravity to great effect, making it easy to navigate up the walls and walk upside down. Mario runs, jumps, swims (and other actions that you will find out later in the game) with great precision and fluidity at the touch or shake of the Wii-Remote and Nunchuck, utilising the new hardware with only a few flaws in the camera control.
Variety doesn’t end with the planet design either. The mission for each power star ranges from epic to downright crazy, with the mundane activity of collecting items thrown in as well. Similarly, the difficulty of the game can be so easy it’s like putting bread inside a toaster or so hard that it’ll have you tearing your hair out. You have to take the good with the bad in this game.
As well as the different planets, there’s also the odd passing comet that really tests your skills. These comets change the planet they pass, adding another element to that environment by making the foes move twice as fast, adding new collection missions or, with the aptly named “Daredevil” comet, forcing the player to complete a previous task with stupidly low health.
Collecting the grand total of stars can last quite a while, whether you wish to complete the game at a minimalist level, or to grab them all. Mario Galaxy seems more like an arrangement of mini quests rather than one big game, which can make it desirable for the casual and hardcore gamer. Even if you aren’t a Mario fan, this is a great title to try no matter what your gaming orientation.
