Oh, come on. Super Mario Galaxy was never not going to be part of Wii’re Going Back. I went in completely blind. Back when it released, I definitely saw it in store. But I never looked too hard into it or read any reviews and the only thing close to a review I was given was a mate of mine telling me “oh, yeah, it’s alright“. That could either be the very definition of under-promise and over-deliver, or a straight up fumble. For whatever reason, I completely skipped over it despite owning a Nintendo Wii and spending my fair share of time with the console. I’ve never been a big 3D platformer kinda guy and to be up front, I was never a Super Mario 64 fan. I enjoyed Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day, both felt kinda similar but they resonated more with me than Mario’s first 3D outing. When I finally dug into Super Mario Galaxy all these years later, it felt like discovering a classic that somehow already felt like a childhood favourite. What surprised me most is how quickly I started enjoying myself. Within the first few levels, it became pretty obvious this wasn’t just a really good Mario game. It felt like one of the most imaginative video games I’ve ever played.
Super Mario Galaxy was released by Nintendo in 2007 and it marks the third 3D platformer in the series. I’ve played the first three Mario games to death, the story in these games always, uh… exists. Anyway, Super Mario Galaxy keeps things relatively simple but it’s packed full of heart. The Mushroom Kingdom is hosting the centennial Star Festival and a comet passing by is the main event. What begins as another trip to Peach’s castle descends into Bowser and his goons launching a full scale attack on the Kingdom. This quickly escalates into Bowser launching the entire kingdom into space and, as is tradition, kidnapping Princess Peach. Fresh off being launched across the universe, Mario encounters Rosalina and the mysterious Lumas aboard a starship called the Comet Observatory which has conveniently lost power. Mario sets out across the galaxy to recover the stolen power stars needed to restore the observatory’s power and take the fight to Bowser. Nintendo could’ve coasted along on the setting alone and it still would have been a great experience, but they clearly had bigger ambitions than just sending Mario into space. Rosalina in particular adds this layer of both melancholy and wonder that helps Super Mario Galaxy stand out in a way I was honestly not expecting.
There’s a lot going on mechanically in Super Mario Galaxy, but they’ve somehow managed to make it feel completely effortless. Gravity is the clear star(heh) of the show and it’s genuinely one of the most creative gameplay mechanics I’ve ever encountered. Every planetoid has its own gravitational pull which means you’re constantly walking up walls, running upside down or getting flung between orbs in the great void of space. Sounds a bit chaotic, but it always feels intuitive and the controls are solid enough that it never feels like the game is working against you. What really impresses me is how they build on it. Super Mario Galaxy never lets any single mechanic overstay its welcome. Each galaxy introduces something fresh, whether its ice skating, surfing or flying through obstacles as a bee. The ideas just keep coming right through to the end and not a single one of them feels like padding. Each level provides a clear sense of direction, this may sound like a pretty small detail but it makes a real difference. If at any point you’re unsure where to go next, there’s always a friendly face nearby to nudge you in the right direction without making you feel like an idiot. The level design is so confident and so varied that it borders on being obnoxious. You’re simply never stuck wandering aimlessly. The game clearly wants you to have fun. And you will.
The soundtrack for Super Mario Galaxy is… something else entirely. I normally don’t talk much at all about composers, but Mahito Yokota alongside Koji Kondo and the Mario Galaxy Orchestra produced something in a completely different league here. Every single track works incredibly well and feels entirely deliberate. With no blocks of silence to be found, the music perfectly shifts and surges in a way that always perfectly matches what the game is throwing at you and it becomes a seamless extension of the level design. Some tracks are so grand and joyful that you might even stop mid-jump just to take them in, but then the next galaxy hits you with something on the complete opposite end of the spectrum with an eerie, unsettling sci-fi tone that makes the whole level feel incredibly tense. The final battle with Bowser actually brings in a full choir, backed with more than enough orchestral drama to make you feel like you’re actually saving the whole universe rather than just rescuing Peach… again. What could be the most underrated part of the soundtrack is how effortlessly it blends the classic Mario sound with something genuinely new. You can still hear the rest of the series within, but Super Mario Galaxy manages to propel it into something larger and more cinematic than it’s ever been.
Super Mario Galaxy through Dolphin on the Steam Deck felt far more natural than I ever expected. It runs flawlessly and at a 3x upscale it looks unreal for something that released in 2007. Nintendo obviously had an eye for the art direction which punched well above what the Wii hardware had any right to produce and upscaling only makes that more obvious. The Wiimote and nunchuck under Dolphin feels identical to the original console and the motion controls are cleverly implemented without feeling gimmicky. Pointing to collect Star Bits or spin attacking with a simple flick of the wrist feels right in a way that a classic controller just wouldn’t. Boss battles are a great time too, each has a clear weak point to hunt down and the sheer spectacle of them is consistently impressive. Bowser obviously gets the most screen time, although by the third time through you’re running the same basic loop on him and it starts to feel a little stale. Very minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. What really hit me playing this one as an adult is just how complete it feels. Every single element feels entirely considered and deliberate. They weren’t just making another Mario game here, they came out swinging for something genuinely special. They fucking nailed it. If you haven’t played Super Mario Galaxy, do yourself a favour. It’s a deadset masterpiece.
“Oh, yeah, it’s alright.” Oh, yeah, fuck you. Super Mario Galaxy managed to be everything my mate failed to warn me it was. The story is simple and never really gets in the way. But it’s layered enough that it manages to stick with you and Rosalina’s presence works to elevate the whole thing, adding an emotional weight that you simply wouldn’t expect from the Mario franchise. Yeah, Sunshine has its moments, but not quite like this. The soundtrack is genuinely one of the greatest efforts ever committed to a video game. Through it all, there’s never a single moment where you’re bored, lost or wondering what to do next because Super Mario Galaxy always manages to have something waiting for you around the corner. Every galaxy, every level and every mechanic feels like Nintendo at the top of their game. It’s one of those rare games where nothing is wasted and the result is something that feels almost unfair in how good it is. Playing it for the first time now, as an adult with a fresh perspective, I can say this without hesitation: Super Mario Galaxy absolutely earns every single ounce of praise it has ever received. It’s simply pure, legitimate fun from the first level to the last and it just never seems to put a foot wrong. Nintendo weren’t just making a great Mario game. They were making a great game. And those crazy bastards pulled it off.
Verdict:
Two decades on, Super Mario Galaxy hits like it was made yesterday. The level design, mechanics, the soundtrack and its emotional core all combine into something that feels less like a video game and more of an argument for why the medium matters. Deadset masterpiece.
Deck Compatibility: 10/10
Overall Game Rating: 10/10 – Worth The Wait
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