The Galaxy games are some of the best, most creative 3D Platformers ever made. Having BOTH on the latest Nintendo Hardware (Switch or Switch 2) is therefore fantastic! Unless you still have your old Wii versions there are very few other reasons you’ll regret playing these 2 early Koizumi-Miyamoto classics.

Despite my love for all things Nintendo, and Mario more specifically, you might be surprised to know that the Wii was not a console I ever owned. And for that reason, the Super Mario Galaxy games were two of the few Mario games I had never played growing up. That partially changed in 2020 with the release of Super Mario 3D all-Stars for the Switch which included Galaxy 1. I absolutely loved the game, and like so many others, was completely bamboozled as to why Galaxy 2 hadn’t been included. So, as you can imagine when just a few months ago, as part of Mario’s 40th anniversary (and the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie) I was really excited to learn that I was finally going to get to play BOTH games. And, having managed to jump, fly and spin my way through both titles – I’m happy to report that, there are still may reasons many consider these games up-there with the greatest games ever made.

Two of guiding lights in the development of Galaxy and Galaxy 2 were Yoshiaki Koizumi and Shigeru Miyamoto

Now, while I’ll be tackling the collection of both games in this review (and given the high cost of buying these remastered games originally released over 15 years ago), the good news is you can buy each game individually. So, yes you can just buy Galaxy 2 if you already owned the 3D collection on the Switch. Now, that does mean you’ll miss out on the 4k resolution when docked and a few other tweaks here and there, but overall barring the slightly different level selection hubworld (Galaxy 2 is slightly more linear, Super Mario Bros. 3 set up) and the inclusion of Yoshi and and perhaps the odd power-up, everything that’s new in the Galaxy 1 in the combo version is also there in Galaxy 2, so my thoughts will generally apply to both.

Dazzling Discovery

So, why are this games so good? Well, first of all, it might be worth noting that two of guiding lights in the development of Galaxy and Galaxy 2 were Yoshiaki Koizumi and Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto (the father of Mario) had a big focus on gameplay above all else. Koizumi wanted to introduce more story elements. These two visions, plus a tech demo that featured the 3D gameplay around spherical objects, combined to create games (especially in the case of Galaxy) the brought all the fun elements of Mario’s movement to a new realm and evolved them, while also introducing new characters and a level of seriousness to the franchise that just hadn’t been there before. On top of all the amazing gameplay and deeper story, a full orchestra provided a stellar soundtrack just adding to the tone and grandeur of the game.

On top of all the amazing gameplay and deeper story, a full orchestra provided a stellar soundtrack just adding to the tone and grandeur of the games.

The basic story is that Bowser’s evil shenanigans this time have him kidnapping Peach and heading off into space. Here, he is granted a kind of cosmic power (related to the creation of stars). And while this might sound like traditional fare, the addition of the Lumas (creatures made up of the magic in stars themselves) and a melancholy Rosalina in search for her parents among the cosmos, not only provided a more interesting and touching narrative than we had seen before (and possibly since), it also created a perfect backdrop for the gameplay mechanic that sets Galaxy apart.

Epic Endeavour

As briefly mentioned above, Nintendo had apparently been been tinkering with a new idea using characters moving around spherical platforms in a 3D space fro some time. This had even been shown off during a GameCube demo at the Nintendo Space World trade show in 2000 codenamed Super Mario 128. It is this concept that shines in both Galaxy games. Rather than a fully explorable open-world – you have ‘galaxies’ that each feature a series of planets or moons. Each of these planetoids have their own gravity. Hence, running and jumping around feels completely unique. It takes a second or two to wrap your head around the movement (pun intended), but because each sphere pulls you gently towards the centre – you can literally run right around it. Once you have the jumping figured out you leap from one side to the other… occasionally even from one sphere to another. The technical marvels aside, it feels so unique and enjoyable to just move around. And adding a new Spin attack for Mario to stun enemies, even balances the fact that you don’t need to be hopping everywhere.

The level-design is just some of the most ingenuitive and fun anywhere.

Of course the Mario team didn’t stop there. Each planet has its own unique personality. Everything from the more traditional Ice and Fire planets, to puzzle moons where platforms flip from one side to another every time you jump, or where you ride a kind of gashapon capsule in a mini-golf-like obstacle course. It’s all just ridiculously creative. On top of that new Mario power-ups like the Bee, Rock and Boo bring even another layer to each area make it even more compelling. And Yoshi, in the second game even gets his own movement and powerups. It’s insanely stacked with one interesting mechanic on top of another. Of course, not all features are as fun as others; The Spring Mushroom for example, where you spring mostly uncontrollably, became the bane of my completionist tendencies when trying to collect some of the harder to reach stars. And returning to some levels two or three times to collect all the different stars, generally gives you a unique take on the same areas you’ve previously explored, but isn’t as fun in a few of the simpler planetoids (and was actually improved in Galaxy 2). However, these are tiny gripes. The level-design is just some of the most ingenuitive and fun anywhere. Even the boss fights are different enough and use the gravity and planetoid concepts well. The platforming is relatively welcoming to new players but can get really challenging for those wanting to collect everything. It’s all just simply fantastic.

Current Challenger

Now, for those of you returning to the games or wanting to know what the remastered features include and whether or not they’re all worth it, the good news is its also mostly positive on this front too. The games run super smoothly. On the Switch 2, this means 4K in docked and 1080 in handheld at 60 FPS. The textures are also updated and look really good especially in side by side comparisons to the originals (and even to the 3D All Stars) version. However, I should say as someone who didn’t have these images memorised – it’s good to go in remembering that these are still 2007 and 2010 games – and so the 3D graphic ‘look’ of those games is still here (so definitely not as refined as Odyssey). The games also feature a hovering Star Pointer to collect star bits. If you’re used to using the Wii Controller and Nunchuck – the new button presses and use of motion controls/left stick to control the pointer may take some getting used to – but I found it quite intuitive. Oh, and you can use mouse controls – but I don’t think you ever will. And on that note, while exploring a sphere takes a second or two to master, once you do – it’s great. However, once again it’s good to keep in mind that thes eolder games have camera controls that don’t quite feel as responsive as modern ones, and while it didn’t happen too often – a did find mario running around in tiny circles once or twice (and am relieved to report it was not due to a drifting joy-con).

There is also a 2-player mode – however, it is not much to write home about.

Rosalina’s story book has been updated (with new parts in Galaxy and a an actually book in Galaxy 2) – and while this is a small change, as the story has little more depth than other Mario games I appreciated the additions.  The best addition though, is that you can now access the Music from both games on command from the title screen. As mentioned these games’ OST is simply beautiful and this is great! There is also an Assist Mode (very similar to Odyssey) which bulks up your Life meter etc and makes this a bit more accessible for new players which is cool too. There is also a 2-player mode – however, much like Bananza (and even Odyssey) it is not much to write home about. The second player can only control a second star pointer an help jump and stun enemies. However, the 2P is a Luma which for some reason walks behind the main player and I again struggle to workout which character the 1P and 2P should take control of – which both having some quite difficult features to master. My wife and I therefore spent very little time in this mode for obvious reasons.

Enduring Enterprise

As you can see – playing Galaxy and Galaxy 2 feels like a must for 3D platforming fans. It was made by 2 of the most influential and skilled Mario developers ever and both games feel like historically significant titles. Yes, they’re heading to being 2 decades old. However, barring a few small complaints that just knocked them off a Masterpiece in my eyes (in a modern context), there’s no doubt in my mind that these are some of the best games ever made, period. So, if you can afford the high price and particularly if you’re a fan of Mario and the genre and you haven’t played Galaxy and 1+2 – this is definitely a combo you want to get your hands on.

REVIEW CODE PROVIDED BY: NINTENDO

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