Super Mario Galaxy
Plot | The Game | Gameplay Video | Verdict|
System: Nintendo Wii Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo Genre: Platformer Players: 1 - 2 Release: JP Nov 1, 07 / US Nov 12, 07 EU Nov 16, 07 / AU Nov 29, 07 |
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Few video games are able to reach "Gold" awards from game reviewers. Few video games can ever reach the standard of classics such as Super Mario 64. Super Mario Galaxy however is just not 'a' game, it is 'thee' game.
We always expect great things from Nintendo in Mario games and its hard as a high level of expectation can sometimes undergrade a game. Fortunately, Super Mario Galaxy exceeded everyone's expectation and showed that the plumber can still move.
Plot
Mario awakens on a small planet with Lumas (stars that enable transportation between galaxies). Once Mario progresses through and receives his first 'grand star' he is transported to an Observatory ship. Rosalina the captain of the ship, informs him that Bowser has taken 'Power Stars' and 'Grand Stars'.
These stars are needed to reach other galaxies and these galaxies also have stars. The further the galaxy, the more stars that are required to reach it. Grand stars are required to power the ship and once all are collected, the ship will have enough power to reach the centre of the universe, where Bowser has Princess Peach. Bowser plans to rule the universe with Peach at his side.
The Game
Gameplay
Again, Mario has to collect Power Stars and rescue the damsel in distress, Peach from the evil clutches of Bowser. Think of Super Mario 64. The backflips, the somersaults, the stomp; Mario's regular moves make a welcome return.
The gravity element in the game is important and is something that will annoy every player at some point in the game. Each planet has its own 'gravitational' force and will determine the direction of Mario. In galaxies sometimes Mario will have to jump from one planet onto another. If he reaches the gravitational force of the other planet, he will reach the ground of the planet. This is a mechanic that works very well and is prodominent throughout the game.
Obviously the camera angles will change when Mario goes around a planet, for example if he goes underneath a planet he will appear upside down. Super Mario Galaxy has a new automated camera system, which works quite well in following Mario. On few occasions these camera angles screw up the directions and can confuse the player often leading them to commit suicide; by that I mean making Mario fall off the planet unintentionally into a swallowing black hole.
The player can however 'sometimes' move the camera angle behind Mario, or rotate the camera around Mario using the D-Pad on the remote. However, on most occassions this is not possible as a lot of the time the camera focuses on part of the action; this is so you have more involvement within the gameplay. For example there are some 2-D elements in the game where Mario must jump over a number of obstacles. The camera will stay in 2-D, even if the player wishes to change the angle.
Controls
There are new controls, which are utilised by the Wii Remote's sensor. When the remote is aimed at the television screen, a small star represents Player 1 and Player 2. Yes, you heard me right, two players can play in Super Mario Galaxy.
Located throughout the galaxies are 'Star Bits'; these are required to fill hungry Lumas. Each Luma requires different amount of star bits and can allow Mario to transport onto different areas of a galaxy. These star bits can also stun enemies if the 'B' button is pressed and explode explodables, if aimed correctly. If hit at spawn points, such as glowing crops, star bits or coins may appear. To collect star bits the player just uses the remote to move their star cursor over a Star bit. Mario then consumes the power which can be used later on.
This shoot and move Mario addition adds variation and excitement to the game. Player 1 can do everything possible, whereas Player 2 is only able to shoot and collect Star Bits to aid Mario and can also make him jump. If both players collaborate they can perform a Super Jump.
His new move (also used in Sunshine) allows Mario to spin and break obstacles. This is performed by a swing of the Wii remote and is the answer to a majority of puzzles. The shake of the remote is also used in instances where a 'Launch Star' is present, which shoots Mario onto a different area or planet.
In addition, aiming the Wii remote on screen and pressing "A" on 'Sling Stars' will allow Mario to transport in a bubble, between each of them onto different areas. A lot of the time, obstacles are between these sling stars, so if Mario makes contact his bubble pops and he plummets into a black hole.
Worlds
The observatory is basically the lobby of Super Mario Galaxy. Like Super Mario 64's Castle and rooms, the Observatory has several rooms each allowing Mario to travel to another galaxy. On these galaxies are Power Stars and like the other 3-D Mario platformers there are 120 Power Stars to collect in total.
Each room contains galaxies where Mario can travel to, provided he has enough Power Stars to reach them. These galaxies have different sceneries, puzzles and bosses. Like the other 3-D Mario games each Power Star has its own scenario; a kind of riddle, which gives a clue on how to get the Power Star. There are also secret stars to collect, which can be found by exploring the stage.
This is the first mini-boss of the game staged on a small planet. All bosses requires a different strategy to defeat them. Some may need to be attacked directly, whereas for others the player has to find out how to make the boss unintentionally hurt themselves, or use the environment to their advantage. Most mini-bosses require a standard of 3 hits to defeat. Challenging Bowser is the most enthralling boss to fight.
As you can see Mario's health is represented in the power meter in the top-right corner. The regular power meter is only 3. However, if Mario collects a certain power-up it can reach '6'. Power is restored through collecting coins. However, unlike previous Mario titles coins are harder to collect. They can only be found in some places or if Mario stomps on some enemies a coin is spawned. If Mario kills an enemy using his spin manouvre star bits will be spawned instead. It is easy to collect extra lives as only 50 star bits are required to gain an extra life, so there's no need to worry about seeing the 'Game Over' screen.
The level design in some of the levels are truly exceptional. There are certain levels which go outside the usual Mario level; for example, the Manta-Ray surfing level possibly influenced by Wave Race? This takes place on a track just made out of rough water, with no boundaries, so with one wrong move Mario will fall off. This challenging level is controlled by holding the remote horizontally and tilting it to move. 'A' is used to accelerate and speed up th direction of movement.
Another example is the Super Monkey Ball influenced level, where Mario must stand on top of a ball that holds a Power Star and drive it through the twists and turns of a level, where at the end the ball is destroyed and the Power Star is revealed. This game is controlled by movement of the remote yet again. Moving the remote back slows down the movement of the ball and moving it forward speeds the ball. Pressing 'A' makes Mario and the ball jump. These levels are challenging and can sometimes by frustrating. These do have a lot of replay values and for the racing levels, times are recorded, so you can keep trying to better your own time.
As for ordinary levels, most consist of several planets where Mario travels from one to another in search of the power star. There are different sceneries of course, such as the typical grass level, the tropical, the desert, the fire, the ice and a few more. Each having there own different environments and enemies.
There are so many memorable moments in the game. In some levels music notes are created when Mario collects a big coin. If Mario goes through these notes your ears will receive nostalgic pleasure of a classic Mario tune and at the end Mario may receive an extra life as an example. Its also entertaining to swim through the sea using a shell. It feels a lot more fluid than the 64 version and its amazing to swing you remote and fire the shell.
There are alterations of these levels, such as having to collect 100 Purple Coins in order to collect a star, or having to beat a previous challenge within a time limit, or having to beat a boss with only 1 power. These are known as 'Comet' levels where a comet will pass a galaxy level randomly and you will have to complete a certain level again, under the circumstances mentioned beforehand. Unfortunately, the player will continuously have to pay a certain Luma to move the comet so that you can collect the star on a different level. This is an annoying procedure, but the comet levels are certainly worth playing as they have so much more challenge.
Throughout the game you'll see recognisable characters such as Goombas, Magikoopas, Moles, Koopas, Bob-ombs; there are so many to mention. You'll also meet friendly characters such as penguins and the hard to catch bunnies. The Toads have their own 'Toad's Brigade', where they build spaceships to battle with the Koopas, but most of the time they just leave our Mario to do the work as they are cowards.
Most fans will be delighted to see Mario's brother appear. Yes, Luigi makes a comeback and he actually has an active role. Throughout the game he will find a few power stars and somehow get captured. Luigi does kindly send a photo so you know where he is at the time, then Mario will have to go to the galaxy in the photo and rescue Luigi. There are quite a few different scenarios of how you can get power stars making the gameplay less unpredictable.
Throughout the game chapters of a book are unlocked, that can be read in the library, which is a room in the Observatory. This book shows how Rosalina went into space and how the Observatory was created. It explains a lot and doesn't coincide with the gameplay, but is there for those who want a better understanding of how everything was created.
Items
In Super Mario 64 there were the three caps; Wing, Metal and the Vanish Cap, each giving Mario a special ability. In Galaxy, there are so much more.
Powerups can be found in mushrooms. When Mario picks up the Bee Mushroom, it transforms him into Bee Mario which allows him to fly and stick to honeycombs. Another powerup is Boo Mario, which allows Mario and like the Vanish Cap allows him to go through walls. It also stops other Boos from chasing him, well kind of, as some female Boos have an attraction to Boos with moustaches. There is also Spring Mario, which allows Mario to jump to higher areas.
Other powerups include Fire and Ice Mario. Mario can finally shoot fireballs again by shaking the remote and can walk across water as Ice Mario; only for a limited time though, making the game more challenging. There is also Rainbow Mario, which acts like Starman from the 2-D series. Rainbow Mario is invincible and gradually gains speed, however it is only used for a limited time. There is also a special powerup which allows Mario to fly. These powerups are only available in places where they are needed for a certain task.
Music
The music in the game cannot be overlooked. In an attempt to show that Mario is not just a game for children, the usual cute music has been replaced with orchestral music. The orchestral soundtrack is amazing and the atmosphere it creates within each galaxy is phenomonal. The music often changes to suit the mood of the environment and the current episode taking place. This is of course evident in games such as Ocarina of Time. This adds more drama to the game and has been accepted well from all gamers.
Originally the game was supposed to have a latin theme, however Koji Kondo (music composer), didn't like the music presented by other composer, Mahito Yokota. Shigeru Miyamoto chose the orchestral sound over the Latin and Pop sounds, which was presented to him by Yokota. The orchestral sound works well and blends in with the gameplay nicely. Classic Mario tunes still appear but sound quite different. This is a step in a new direction for Mario Music and I think its the best music yet in the Mario series.
Gameplay Video
Verdict
Pros
- Gorgeous graphics that show the true potential of the Wii
- Beautiful music which blends with the atmospheric environment
- Fluid gameplay and controls
- A variety of stages make the game more entertaining and requires exploration
- Replay value; once completed you'll want to complete again
- Best game on the Nintendo Wii
Cons
- Camera angles can be rarely frustrating in 'only a few' situations
- A bit on the easy side
Final Comments
Great gameplay, fluid controls, immersive worlds, enchanting music and a game that redefines the genre, 3-D platformer. It brings something different and utilises the Wii's system very well. It is a mix of genres wrapped in a 3-D platformer, using shooting, racing and puzzle elements. Many games try to imitate classics such as Super Mario 64. Super Mario Galaxy has shown that it isn't just Super Mario 64 in space. It's so much more.
- Gameplay: 9 - Excluding the camera issues the gameplay is fluid and the level design is exceptional.
- Graphics: 10 - Stunning detailed colourful and vibrant graphics.
- Audio: 10 - Exhilerating.
- Lifespan: 9 - Bettering the time on races or wanting to complete the adventure again; this game never feels like a chore.