Is Super Mario Galaxy a Masterpiece in Video Game History? | Part 1 of 2
A deep dive! Released in 2007 for the Wii, this game stands as a testament to the creative genius of Nintendo.
💡 Not a fan of Super Mario? I still recommend this article, as it offers unique insights into a game that’s become an iconic masterpiece in video game history.
Still not interested? No worries, my upcoming newsletters will explore many different games and genres. In the meantime, feel free to check out my recent articles if you haven’t already: Video Game Stories
With its imaginative gameplay, breathtaking visuals, and unforgettable music, Super Mario Galaxy has etched its place in the hearts and minds of millions at all stages and walks of life.
Before diving into our fascinating insights about the game, I would like to introduce Ana, my co-author of this article:
Hey Ana, can you tell our readers a little about your video gaming background, the first console you owned, the first game you played, and what type of games you prefer?
While I was never obsessed with video games enough to constantly play into the middle of the night, like my older brother, video games have always been a rich part of my life and featured in some of my most beautiful childhood memories.
I grew up playing single and multiplayer games with my very large family on the weekends and during lazy summer days.
The first console I remember having is the GameCube. My parents bought me and my siblings Spider-Man as our first game for that console, and we absolutely loved it. While the game would give you different objectives and plenty of criminals to fight in the city streets, I loved spending time just swinging around, running across buildings, and exploring the cityscape, even as the game told me I was headed in the wrong direction and my sister said she wanted the remote if I wasn’t going to play the game correctly! I just had so much fun exploring and learning the odds and ends of the game’s world.
I usually prefer games with fun levels and different challenges to keep me interested. I’ll occasionally pick up an open-world game with swords and mighty foes, like Skyrim, but I’ll spend more time on a diverse yet more organized game like Super Mario Galaxy.
Some of my favorite games have been cozy ones, though, like Animal Crossing, Cooking Mama, and MySims. They are the games I always gravitate to when I have a little more time and want to unwind.
When I first asked you about what video game you wanted to write about, you immediately told me it was Super Mario Galaxy. Can you tell our readers why?
I have always had so much love for this game. I was obsessed with it throughout my childhood and just picked it up again as an adult.
I can say with confidence that this game is just as breathtaking, joyful, pensive, and compelling as it was for me a decade ago.
I first got Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii when I was around 14 years old. I was so addicted to the game, it took up my entire summer one year that I remember fondly.
I would get up in the morning to play before everyone in my house woke up, then take breaks for meals, but otherwise I was seated in front of my big screen trying to get as many stars and exploring as much of the game’s universe as I could.
I flew through the game and was over the moon to find out that there was a Super Mario Galaxy 2, which I promptly bought.
What I remember more than beating levels and rescuing Princess Peach at the end is how much fun it was to discover new abilities like Fire Mario and Bee Mario, the satisfying sound of collecting Star Bits to feed to hungry Lumas in different worlds, and bonding with my sister when she picked up a Wii remote and gave me some help as Player 2.
The game encouraged me to figure out solutions to beating certain foes or getting to a different part of a world without getting tedious. I love that this game is one of the parts of my childhood that doesn’t lose it’s glimmer when I revisit.
You also told me that you bought the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection for the Nintendo Switch, so that means you are playing it again on the Switch, right?
That’s right. The game is just as much fun all these years later on a different console. It plays roughly the same as it did on the Wii, thanks to not needing many controls to exist and act in the game. Moving Mario and interacting with enemies and world environments still uses the standard cursor and a couple of buttons.
While playing on the switch feels a little different than the iconic Wii Remote and attached nunchuck, I got used to it right away. It was absolutely worth it to purchase All Stars to revisit all of Mario’s most memorable games on my modern gaming console.
This game is incredible for both first-time players and players who want to feel some gaming nostalgia. Other than the sentimental value, countless meticulous details in the game bring it to life and make it so enjoyable.
Thanks so much, Ana, for all those personal insights! Now, Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of Super Mario Galaxy:
Development Background
The development of Super Mario Galaxy began with a simple idea: what if Mario could explore space?
This concept originated during the creation of Super Mario 128, a tech demo for the Nintendo GameCube. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, wanted to let players experience the sensation of weightlessness and explore spherical worlds.
Super Mario Galaxy was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi, who aimed to capture a sense of wonder and discovery. The game went through several stages to perfect the unique gravity mechanics that let players walk on all sides of planets. This innovation set Galaxy apart from other platformers, introducing gameplay dynamics that challenged traditional platforming ideas.
This feature of the game was one of the coolest and most frustrating things I’ve ever experienced while playing. It was the first time I had seen an avatar able to defy gravity and traverse a landscape in every kind of direction.
While it was awesome to witness, I remember that the added detail of changing orientations was something I had to factor when fighting a boss of a world to get a star.
I distinctly remember fighting the Dino Piranha in Good Egg Galaxy as one of my first levels, and chasing it around the planet while turning upside down and sideways.
I found after I beat the Dino Piranha and flew back to the home ship, I had to correct the way I was holding my head - I had tilted it sideways while looking at the screen as I moved around the planet. I thought it was so funny that I was so into the game and moved my head like that without noticing. It would not be the last time I did that throughout the game, either!
Game Controls
Super Mario Galaxy was the first Mario Jump and Run game not to be played with classic controllers only; the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller added a new dimension to the exploration of such a game.
The point-and-shake motion allows players to move Mario through spherical planets, enhancing the feeling of weightlessness and allowing players to more immersively interact with the environment.
In Space | The Opening
From the very start, Super Mario Galaxy offers players a moment of lighthearted comedy, where Mario’s comical run sets the stage for a journey unlike any other.
Part of the fun is his wild dash to Princess Peach, giving players a touch of dramatic irony since we know that no matter how soon he gets through the village and to the castle doors, he still won’t be able to save her before she’s taken in some way.
Even as Mario runs to Princess Peach, we soon see some of the chaos that will unleash throughout the entirety of the game - Toads are screaming and running in the street, some frozen in large crystals, some lying on the cobblestones, some directing Mario to get to the castle as Bowser’s warships descend, throwing fire to the city streets.
This is a sharp contrast to just a few moments before the armada arrived, when Star Bits were glittering everywhere from their journey through the cosmos and a festive joy lingered in the air.
But the real action begins when Peach’s entire castle is dramatically levitated by a UFO and whisked away through a wormhole, while Bowser blasts Mario off the castle grounds, leaving him spiraling into the vast vacuum of space.
This opening also adds a sense of urgency that contrasts with the player’s urge to explore. I remember when I first ran through the opening, I wanted to explore around; I wanted to break the Toads out of their crystal prisons, collect the Star Bits that were falling, and get my bearings.
I wanted to do this even though there were fireballs raining from Bowsers armada and the ground shook with their advance on the castle. This push and pull will be a consistent theme throughout as players have to balance their explorative desires with the task at hand.
It’s a whimsical and outlandish beginning that only the Mario series could pull off, setting the tone for an adventure where anything is possible.
A Symphony of Creativity
As the first of its kind to boast such a theme and landscape, the game bursts with creativity that almost feels magical against the backdrop of a universe waiting to be discovered.
Each galaxy presents new mechanics, imaginative level design, and surprising challenges. From walking on inverted platforms to racing through asteroid fields, the game never stops offering fresh experiences.
The game's soundtrack is a major highlight. Picture yourself soaring through space with orchestral music playing in the background, creating an epic and fantastical feel. The iconic music that plays as Mario is blasted from his home-base Comet Observatory to each galaxy makes the player feel like they’re on a life-or-death mission, which technically, they are.
The soundtrack doesn’t stop once he lands in each galaxy, either. Many galaxies have their own unique theme songs that add to Mario’s adventure as he goes hunting for the star on each planet. The Gusty Garden Galaxy theme, in particular, is often compared to a symphonic masterpiece, bringing emotional depth to the adventure.
Composed by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo, this was the first time a Mario game used a live orchestra, adding a grand sense of scale that matched the game's vastness.
The choice to use a live orchestra for Super Mario Galaxy's soundtrack was a daring move by Nintendo. Previous Mario games used synthesized music, but the team believed that a full orchestra would elevate the experience.
The result was a soundtrack that perfectly matched the gameplay and became celebrated by fans.
Even before I began playing again as an adult, I could sing the main theme song that plays as Mario flies between galaxies on command. That song lived in my memory for years and years after finishing the game!
… to be continued!
Thanks for reading! This was just the first part, as this post/newsletter would’ve gotten too long otherwise.
I will send out and publish part two of this Super Mario Galaxy deep dive within the next weeks.
Keep playing,
Michael
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