Super Mario Galaxy (Switch)

Back in 2007, Nintendo released Super Mario Galaxy (Galaxy), an early release for their explosively popular Wii system and the third 3D platformer in the Super Mario series. During its lifetime, it sold nearly 13 million copies on its original platform and continues receiving critical praise, even against other modern Mario titles. Although I had heard about the game for nearly two decades, including comparisons made against other games like Sonic Lost World, I got hyped enough for the release of a 2026 film adaptation, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, that I decided I should finally play the game and express my thoughts on it as the first Mario game reviewed on this blog. Fortunately, I can confidently say that it lived up to the hype, though Mario’s journey through the stars wasn’t entirely a smooth one.

Before continuing, I want to firmly establish that this review is based on the Switch version of the game as presented in Super Mario 3D All-Stars (which I played through a physical copy) and played with a Switch Pro Controller (due to suspected JoyCon drift). As such, I will not make any comparisons with the original Wii release or the later Switch compilation re-release with Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The version used for this review.

On the night of the star Festival in the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach discovers a star-shaped creature, a Luma, and invites Mario to show it to him. On his way over to the castle, Bowser appears and abducts Peach, escaping into outer space while Mario is sent adrift. Mario later awakens on a small planet, where he’s introduced to Rosalina, who watches over the cosmos and the Lumas who reside in the Comet Observatory. Rosalina reveals that Bowser had attacked the observatory and stolen the Power Stars, its power source, enabling his plan. Mario must travel to the observable galaxies and locate the Power Stars, as well as recover Grand Stars from Bowser’s bases, so that the Comet Observatory can turn into a spaceship once more and travel to help him find and rescue Peach at the center of the universe.

For the most part, Galaxy has a minimal story, but it gets the job done. Mario and Bowser’s motivations are pretty clear and there’s a sense of catharsis when you manage to save Peach.

Beyond the main plot, however, there’s a bit more going on that helps add some depth to Mario’s journey. Each galaxy feels unique and there’s enough in the dialogue among NPCs to help them feel more alive and that they exist beyond Mario’s visits. While aboard the Comet Observatory, we get a good sense of Mario’s relationship with his brother Luigi, plus the Lumas and Toads roaming around either feel like their own characters or help flesh out the game’s setting. The real meat, however, is Rosalina’s storybook, which adds new Chapters as Mario collects more Power Stars. Although the game captures the more whimsical nature expected of the Super Mario series, the storybook, which chronicles Rosalina’s backstory without explicitly saying as such, introduces a surprising amount of emotional depth and nearly brought me to tears at least once. Fleshing out Rosalina this way helps elevate the game in a rather unique way that helped make it more memorable for me outside of the gameplay (enough that I bought a physical copy of the book).

Rosalina (right) adds some surprising emotional depth to the story.

As for the gameplay of Galaxy, I noticed right away that it was designed around using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck or, ideally, the Switch JoyCons. However, it did have standard controls through the switch Pro Controller, which I used for the entirety of my playthrough, with the ability to activate the gyroscope function and recenter its position with the R bumper. Game menus still required the gyroscope function. Since I played through the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, I could view the controls and Actions at any time with (-), which would also suspend the game. You can also quit at any time with (+), which will still save your progress.

Beyond the controls, Galaxy borrows and builds on the gameplay loop of Super Mario 64 (Mario 64). In this case, Mario can travel to different Domes around the Comet Observatory and visit each of their observable Galaxies. Each of those Galaxies lets Mario earn up to three Power Stars by completing different scenarios that use the same environments in new ways. Earning enough Powers Stars lets the Observatory discover new Galaxies (usually indicated by a number representing the distance from the Observatory) and, eventually, reveal the location of an enemy Base for a boss battle. Defeating each boss will earn Mario a Grand Star to help power the Observatory’s central Beacon, allowing further travel within the universe and unlocking the next Dome. Repeat this process until you can collect at least 60 Power Stars (out of a possible 121), allowing travel to the center of the universe for a final showdown with Bowser.

While generally more linear than other 3D Super Mario titles, Galaxy takes advantage of this setup for unique level layouts and gimmicks that continually keep the experience fresh. On his way towards a Power Star, Mario may jump between small planets or navigate obstacles with the power of Launch Stars and Sling Stars, which require spinning while in their range, or Pull Stars, which require aiming and grabbing with the gyroscope while controlling his momentum. Some Launch Stars activate after Mario collects five Star Bits by running around a planet and dodging enemies and other obstacles. During stretches where Mairo isn’t hopping between planets, he can also navigate through the environment with the classic triple jump and wall jump, as well as the Spin Jump or, in some Galaxies, swimming or flying. Many Galaxies require some careful precision while platforming, as a number of planets feature a black hole at the center that results in an instant Game Over if you can’t recover in time. Although different Galaxies involve different navigation gimmicks, I appreciated that the game at least tells you how that gimmick works, either through NPC dialogue or subtly through NPC movements.

Different Galaxies have their own gimmicks.

Mario also has a few options at his disposal for dealing with a variety of enemies. Apart from jumping or stomping on enemies, he has a spin attack that can also add an extra mid-air jump or break crystals around each level, freeing trapped NPCs or valuable items like Coins and Star Bits. What sets the spin attack apart, however, is that it has a brief cooldown represented by the Luma accompanying Mario returning to him afterwards. This cooldown alone introduces some element of depth to the combat through a “risk vs reward” mechanism that rewards good timing and an understanding of the attack’s range, especially when Mario encounters multiple enemies at once. Mastering the spin attack has some weight because Mario starts out with only 3 Life, which can only be replenished with Coins obtained within the environment or by stomping on certain enemies (either way, there’s a limited supply). Mushrooms also return in the form of the classic 1-Ups or grant a form that that a Galaxy is clearly designed around.

The other main mechanic is the introduction of Star Bits, which come in multiple colors and are found all throughout the game. It’s not that difficult to collect thousands of them through normal gameplay, either by running into them or touching them with the gyroscope function regardless of distance, which you’ll want due to their multiple functions. Collecting 50 of them will grant a 1-Up, which can help keep you in the game when they respawn along with Mario. During a level, you can fire them at enemies, as well as at certain yellow dots in the environment that will spawn a Coin. In some levels, you can use them as currency at a conveniently placed Luma store, where you can buy a 1-Up Mushroom or a Life Mushroom for 30 Star Bits. The last use is feeding them to Hungry Lumas, who will transform into either Launch/Sling Stars or even new Galaxies depending on where you found them.

Since most of the game is spent collecting Power Stars, it’s worth noting the numerous opportunities for grabbing them. More specifically, the 121 Power Star count comes from the existence of Hidden Power Stars that still count towards your total. Some are found through taking a different route in a level while others are found for completing other running challenges. After rescuing Luigi in Ghastly Galaxy, for instance, there’s a short side quest where he can locate three unique Power Stars, but collecting them requires finding him in certain spots in certain Galaxies, with only a photo to guide you. Three Green Power Stars also count as Hidden Power Stars and unlock Trial Galaxies for a unique challenge (I can’t comment on them here because I only found two Green Power Stars). Then there are Prankster Comets, which reward Power Stars for completing certain levels with a modifier based on the type of comet (basically a form of Challenge Mode):

• Speedy Comets require beating the level within a time limit.
•  Daredevil Comets require beating the level with low Life.
• Cosmic Comets make you race against a mirror of yourself.
• Fast Foe Comets increase enemy speed within the level.

With so many Power stars, it’s fortunate that the game lets you access a list of those that you have and haven’t collected within the available Galaxies (I noticed this after completing the fifth Dome).

Although Galaxy features satisfying gameplay and a decent level of challenge without feeling overly punishing, it is not without flaws. For example, while I didn’t mind the game’s generosity with 1-Ups (the Comet Observatory alone respawns a few between visits and Princess Peach can gift you 5 1-Ups via letter when you boot up the game), I found it annoying that each time I reloaded my save, I would start with four 1-Ups and an offer for five more form Peach no matter how many I had accumulated before. I understand that having too many at once would render any semblance of challenge non-existent, but it felt painful as someone who could only play in bursts and couldn’t necessarily tackle more difficult Galaxies right away. This intentional design choice also discouraged me from spending too much time collecting 1-Ups before quitting a session.

You'll be thankful for the Star Bits you've collected in times like these.

Galaxies do a good job at keeping things fresh with different gimmicks, but some require motion controls that I either had an unusually hard time grasping or felt awkward with the Switch Pro Controller. I’m sure that using JoyCons instead would have made a difference, but my worry over possible JoyCon drift at the time forced me to instead make do with more accessible Power Stars. A more consistent annoyance, however, was how Prankster Comets could get in the way of collecting more “Luigi Stars” or attempting some less difficult Power Stars unless I either tackled the challenge or waited for it to go away. I later noticed that you could move the Comet by talking to a certain Luma, but by then I had already found my personal game flow interrupted more than I would have liked. As for other navigation gimmicks, I personally found the swimming and flight controls awkward, especially when the latter messes with your camera angles. On that note, I did sometimes find myself fighting the camera, especially in places with fixed angles.

On the technical side, Galaxy still resembles an early Wii title, but the art style gives it both charm and longevity. As such, it still holds up pretty well in terms of graphics. It helps that menus and controls feel very responsive and that the gyroscope still accurately tracks your movements even when using a different control scheme. There’s also some amount of voice acting, though not much in terms of full lines, which feels in line with other Super Mario titles. What lines are there have good delivery, like Charles Martinet’s classic Mario voice or Mercedes Rose’s original take on Rosalina. Then there’s the music, which helps give each Galaxy a different personality through a combination of new material and remixes of classic tracks without leaning too heavily on nostalgia. The original tracks also have some memorable material, including the main menu music that captures a sense of both melancholy and adventure with the same tone. The Comet Observatory has different renditions of the same tune that sound like a waltz, which captures the spirit of the adventure pretty well and provides a good atmosphere for the player.

Whether or not you’re motivated by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Super Mario Galaxy provides a mostly fun time that’s, thankfully, very accessible for those who are curious (at the time of this writing, at least). A solid recommendation for anyone looking for a fun and creative, if mildly challenging, platformer.