Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 Review – Gravity-Defying Excellence

Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 Review
The argument for these two games coming to the Switch was not obvious at first. We got a Switch version of Galaxy a couple of years ago already, albeit on a collection of other 3D Mario games. But, Galaxy 2 hasn’t been playable since the Wii. On top of that, call me crazy, but it feels like the motion controls have never been so precise. Either way, I had a lot of fun revisiting these two games.

Super Mario Galaxy is a triumph of design. Every level is doing something unique, something remarkable, or something cool. New mechanics, new enemies, all of it feels consistently fresh. It’s pretty rad. I’m less impressed with Galaxy 2, if only because it repeats a lot of ideas from the first game. It’s extremely apparent when you play them back-to-back. They’re both terrific games, to be sure. I’m just not sure you need to revisit both of them, at least not at the same time.

For anyone unfamiliar with the series, the Galaxy games follow Mario on his usual quest of princess retrieval and/or saving the known universe from extinction. The levels all play with gravity and perspective in cool ways, and each world is a complete ‘galaxy’ floating in the starlit void. These are the games that brought Rosalina into the larger Mario roster for every successive Kart, Party, and sports title afterward. While the plot beats are cute, it’s the action that really sells these games.

Up, Down, All Around
Gravity and perspective shifts are handled with near-perfect fluidity and ease. Your version of ‘up’ changes instantly and easily, with the controls following suit without a hitch. It’s a remarkable system that never gets old, largely thanks to the level design. New ideas are tossed your way with reckless abandon, but they never feel half-baked or poorly implemented. It seems like each galaxy has at least one or two totally new mechanics for you to learn.

I have started a playthrough of Mario Galaxy at least three times, but this is the first time I’ve successfully beaten the game. Part of this is a newfound well of patience, but the motion controls also feel better than I remember them being. To be fair, a lot of the challenge in Galaxy relies on traditional controls. But motion controls are a sizable chunk of the gameplay. And this time around, they felt snappier and more responsive than ever before. I don’t actually know if they’ve gotten better on the Switch. But they feel better on a fundamental level.

Conversely, though my overall experience with the controls has been exemplary, there was a minor glitch that popped up a handful of times. Once in a while, Mario would get locked into a circular running pattern. You just had to jump or duck to break out, and it never cost me a life. I’m unsure if it will even still be a problem by release day, but I thought it was worth noting.

Clean and Crisp Visuals
Both games also look fabulous compared to the original Wii release. You don’t realize how much things have improved until the game switches to a preset cutscene. Suddenly, the resolution drops and the colors get more muted. I’m not a serious visuals nut, but the difference is downright jarring. Nintendo did a bang-up job dragging these games onto the hi-def frontier.

The Mario Galaxy games need little in the way of mechanical polish. To that end, there aren’t many improvements besides the visual ones. Furthermore, the games don’t come with that much in the way of special features. There’s an assist mode for players wanting a more casual experience. The storybook has some new chapters. But aside from that, you’re getting a very similar experience compared to the original release.

This makes it difficult to isolate criticism of the new release from the original one. Yes, Galaxy 1 and 2 are incredible games. They’re crammed with terrific ideas, they push the boundaries of the whole Mario franchise, and they hold up beautifully. But all of that applies to the original games. What’s the upside to this release on the Switch?

A Long-Lost Galaxy To Explore
For the most part, it’s a combination of preservation and access. Especially with Galaxy 2. You just couldn’t play that game without a Wii until now. This collection succeeds because it properly preserves a couple of incredible games for a whole new audience. On top of that, the Joy-Cons ensure that new players get an authentic version of that original experience. Having these games be this crisp, while also having the controls feel so authentic, is something of a remarkable achievement.

Sometimes a remaster feels insufficient because the original release is still so polished. The Mario Galaxy games are over a decade old, but they don’t feel like it by any means. The mechanics, the level design, and the crisp visuals all feel brand new. Even the controls are nearly (but not quite) perfect, a real testament to Mario’s persistent technical staying power. I’d love a little more from a collection like this, but what’s being presented is still quality stuff. If you’ve never played Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, this is a pretty good time to start.

***A set of Nintendo Switch codes were provided by the publisher***

The Good

Improved visuals
Refined motion controls
Galaxy 2 returns

85

The Bad

Galaxy 1 pretty familiar
Motion controls not perfect, per se
Light on special features