Ciph’s Cabinet - Super Mario Galaxy

Bi-Weekly Game Reviews

I’m cheating a little bit with this one, but look—I’ve played these games as far back as my earliest memories, they feel like two halves of a whole, and their recent ports bundle them together on the same cartridge. I feel justified in this.

You’re never too old for Mario, no matter what anyone says, something the Super Mario Galaxy duology perfectly exemplifies. Across 91 different galaxies and hundreds of missions, you’ll run, jump, fight, and fly through space with Mario and Luigi on a cosmic adventure genuinely more epic than many of the triple A “action-adventure” games that come out these days, if you ask me. The main plot? Sure it’s nothing special, still rescuing Princess Peach, but there are many fantastic stories to uncover along the way which more than make up for it. 

If you’re used to more modern 3D platformers like Super Mario Odyssey or Astro Bot, these two will, on the surface, feel much more linear. There's a clear point A to point B level structure that will see you travelling from planet to planet to complete missions and collect Power Stars. For more goal-oriented players, this is ideal, but the explorative and imaginative types aren’t left wanting either in my opinion. Running all around spherical planets, flipping gravity and running upside down, swimming through isolated water bubbles just… hovering there in space, the developers leverage their interstellar setting and years of tight platforming expertise to create extremely memorable setpieces and worlds to ponder over. I wouldn’t call these games challenging, but my curiosity, not to mention confidence, still results in me finding new ways to accidentally die all these years later—something of a reward in itself. 

Despite this linear appearance, I’d argue the Galaxy duology are still the most memorable adventures Mario has ever produced. Your Goombas, Koopas, and other recognisable faces are accounted for, but this is space, there are no rules. Planetoids simultaneously on fire and frozen over, kingdoms of bees and ancient technologies, beautiful gardens untouched by civilisation; every galaxy is full of character, and seemingly inconsequential design flourishes keep me fascinated and asking questions endlessly. All the flair every location has is backed up by one of the most gorgeous soundtracks ever put to public, pulling life from even the most empty corners of space. Everything comes together to create an adventure that feels both epic and deeply personal. 

Each game features 120 Power Stars in the main story, but you only need 60 in Galaxy and 70 in Galaxy 2 to beat each respective title. Running around in the hub-world and meeting all the new characters is fun enough, and I wouldn’t blame you if you’re just here to soak in the universe and never even roll credits! If you’re up for it though, collecting every star in each game yields their own rewards, with Galaxy 2 in particular featuring probably my favourite postgame in any non-RPG. 

Regardless of what kind of player you are, there’s something here for you in Super Mario Galaxy, so if you’re looking to scratch that platforming itch, or just enjoyed the movie, give this a shot!

Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are available on Wii. They are also available via the enhanced ports on Nintendo Switch, including Switch 2, either separately or together. 

Gameplay: 10/10

Writing: 8/10 

Aesthetics: 10/10