After recently completing the first Mario Galaxy, I took full responsibility of playing it at the expo. Throughout both days there was a massive crowd around the game, implying it’ll be new and different to the previous game however after managing to play it at the last minute I found I could shorten this review to “more of the same” but that would make it seem like a bad thing, since it is still one of my favourite Mario games and so much has been improved.
First of the premise, which is the same as usual. Peach has yet again been captured by Bowser and you as the portly plumber have to go save her (I’d have given in by now and just let Bowser have her) by collecting stars from various levels (galaxies) and face several bosses along the way. So just like any other Mario game but that was to be expected.
Cloud Mario takes to the skies.
Now onto the new and improved stuff. Nintendo have really studied the previous game and improved what they can. Controls remain the same but are introduced with a friendly more familiar 2D style level. Level selection is done in an easier method than the old observatory similar to Super Mario 3, Co-Op is performed in the same way but provides help by snagging not only Star Bits the main player might’ve missed but also retrieve items, the camera has been improved and in a rare case for a game the camera will not need you to control it. Finally hints are present at what to do next and the option for additional help for the game is available should you need it.
All this makes the game much more accessible and fun to play, though that doesn’t mean it’s easy, far from it. All concepts introduced in the first game: gravity changes, comet challenges and even the bosses’ techniques have been improved, expanded and made more challenging. Completionists and experts also get extra challenges as you unlock more the more you complete. Playing a level as Luigi will open up developer speedruns and getting all 120 stars unlocks an extra challenge, expanding the game’s lifespan.
More playable characters are available this time around too. Luigi does not require you to play the whole game again to play as him and is available near the start. Mario’s trusty pet Yoshi also makes an appearance with unique abilities and classic tongue action to eat enemies and spit them right back at them. Speaking of abilities Mario has some new powers too: The Cloud Mushroom enables players to create up to three platforms by shaking the Wiimote. And the Rock Mushroom gives Mario the ability to roll up into a boulder and bowl down enemies.
So in short, another excellent Mario game with enough gameplay to last a long time. (Oh, and for you Mario 64 fans, there is a galaxy you might recognise in the game)
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