The Super Mario series has always been about one thing, one absolute factor, one simple element which has become synonymous with the name Nintendo and Mario: fun. From way back in his Goomba-stomping, flag-jumping, Bowser-bashing beginnings, leading up to his Raccoon-imbued flying power days or cape-wearing adventures and finally ending in his first steps into the realm of 3D, Mario has always been the supplier of great and truly memorable gaming moments. Though some games in the venerable franchise may have fallen a little short in certain aspects (I’m looking at you, Super Mario Sunshine), every game in the series has been a blast to play through, time and time again. The main reason for this is that every game in the series has been nothing short of amusing and has featured almost perfect control, as well as featuring an endearing cast of characters that seem to occupy magical, inventive worlds that cleanly draw you in like nothing else out there. For Mario’s newest venture, Super Mario Galaxy, these aspects are available in spades - fancy spades, at that.
Fancy, shiny spades!
Our modest story begins with our lovably plump Mario as he runs along at full speed to a celebratory event (or party, if you like) complete with jolly Toads scurrying about, comets falling and exploding in the starry night sky, and… wait, what’s that? Oh, Bowser.
Didn’t see that coming!
Surreal? Yes, I’d say so, but it is a Mario game! |
As usual, the King of the Koopas and his devout minions are here to capture the Princess, but this time they have an unlikely source for their dastardly deeds - space traversal. As Mario staggers across the once-grassy, now crater-filled meadows outside the castle - which are now aflame after Bowser’s airships have attacked - he makes his way slowly through the frightened throngs of subjects to his final goal. A few moments later, the Princess’ humble abode is lifted high up into the air, past the darkened clouds, and out into orbit. Though Mario has managed to follow his arch-rival into space with a few well-placed jumps, he’s blasted away by the nefarious Kamek as he tries to save his beloved and thus he falls, gliding slowly back to whence he came…
Fortunately for us, Mario is rescued by a group of star sprites called “Lumas”, who are guided by their “mama” - a galaxy-traversing young lady known as Rosalina (who actually bears a strong resemblance to that of our fair Princess). While traveling across the stars, their journey was interrupted as a strange force stopped her spaceship - the Comet Observatory (Galaxy’s main hub) - in its tracks, right next to Mario and the gang’s home planet. Once this happened, Bowser (he sure gets around, doesn’t he?) stole the ship’s “Power Stars” and “Grand Stars”, which are required to fuel the galactic space cruiser. Until they’re returned, the ship will be unable to move or even be able to generate that much needed power. Once you’ve proven your worth with a quick tutorial, you’re quickly given the task of locating and returning the aforementioned stars to Rosalina and her friends, which will slowly restore power to the craft and allow you to embark to the center of the universe to face Bowser in a final, galaxy-shaking confrontation. To do this, you’ll slowly unlock Domes - small observatories from which you can stare out into the stars and find galaxies to explore. Once you’re inside a Dome, a small star sprite will help guide you, showing you a map of the universe so you can keep track of your progress and see if there are any new galaxies to explore. You unlock galaxies by collecting more stars; the more you collect, the more galaxies will become available.
It’s-a my shell! You canna have it! |
Each Dome sports around five galaxies for you to traverse, each with very different terrain. Unlike Sunshine, where you’re mainly visiting different versions of the same resort, you’ll be exploring tons of different places, so you’re never stuck with any unimaginative worlds or ones that look the same as those you’ve already been to. There are the usual fire galaxies - complete with flowing lava and volcanoes, forest galaxies where you’ll converse with bees and even become one yourself, ice worlds where everything is frozen and you’ll have to avoid the freezing cold water, etc… pretty much par for the course, right? Well, not exactly. With Galaxy’s new gravity system, it pretty much throws the platforming world into chaos. It’s a good, entertaining kind of chaos though. For example, let’s say you’re about to fall off the edge of a platform you’ve been battling enemies on. Instead of plummeting to your death, you’ll float around to the other side, and possibly find some secrets while you’re there. Not every planet works like this though, as sometimes you’ll fall into a black hole if you stumble off the edge, which means game over for you. For those of you worried that you’ll just be wandering around tiny platforms and never exploring huge, expansive worlds, you shouldn’t be. First of all, the smaller areas in Galaxy are a blast to play, and the platforming in these segments - as in the rest of the game - is perfect. And there are also the aforementioned huge, expansive worlds to explore, which come more often than I thought they would. So in the end, you’ve got a fairly eclectic mix of ground to cover, which leads to the game’s amazing replay value and fun factor, as you’ll want to keep coming back to each galaxy, each area, even just to run around, something I haven’t done in a game since Super Mario 64 - quite a testament to Galaxy’s quality.
In each galaxy you explore, you’ll uncover several missions to complete. These missions work similarly to those found in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, so you should feel right at home; select the star/mission you’d like to play, meet the mission’s requirements, and pick up the star on your way out. You’ll have over 100 of these shiny sprites to collect in the game, but it definitely feels a lot larger than Mario’s previous outings, perhaps to the point of even eclipsing his 2D days. It also feels more varied than anything the series has previously brought to the table. As I mentioned above, you’ve got your expected themed worlds, but the galaxies in this game are extremely varied as well as being fairly numerous. Along with the standard fare, you’ve also got galaxies made out of food, toys, beaches, flying airships, floating comets, space junk, mountains, haunted houses, gardens, deserts; just about everything you can imagine. The platforming itself is simply brilliant; you’ll be hopping and bobbing your way across any number of varied areas, each with its own gravitational pull (as stated above). So, if you’re stuck, try looking up; there may be a planet just out of reach, but with a high triple jump, you could easily be pulled up (down?) to the planet above (below?). This lends a whole new dynamic to the Mario franchise, and one I quite enjoy. It never gets disorientating either, nor does it ever feel confusing.
This… THIS is what happens when you eat at Taco Bell! |
The controls for the game are, quite simply put, perfect. There was never a moment where I became frustrated, never one time in which I wanted to put the Wii Remote down. You move around with the Nunchuk’s analog stick, and jump using the A button on the Wii Remote. You can also use the Nunchuk’s Z and C buttons to ground-pound and center the camera, respectively. Speaking of which, one of my biggest fears going into this game was the camera. We all know that Sunshine had problems in this area, and the way Galaxy works, with the separate planets and gravity system (which can quite literally turn you on your head), the thought of a working camera during all of this seemed to be nigh impossible. But wouldn’t you know it, the developers pulled it off. I had absolutely no problems with the camera when playing the game. Not once. You can also shift the camera around with the control pad for a better view, though sometimes the camera is fixed. But don’t worry, like I said, the camera isn’t a problem at all, so fixed or not it will never get in your way.
One reason this is possible is through the result of brilliant level design. As wonderful and entertaining as the levels can be, you have to sit back and gasp in awe at how much thought must have gone into this game. With shifting platforms, collapsing floors, ever-changing gravity, tense enemy dodging, nail-biting last minute jumps - it all adds up to a truly breathtaking experience. It’s not very often that you have this sort of innovation in games, so it’s much appreciated. You’ll also have plenty of reasons to return to galaxies you’ve already played through; new “Power Star” missions open up all the time, and some require a lot of playtime and a lot of digging, so even though you thought you’d already completed that one galaxy, you’ll have to go back to it several times. And no, this process never gets tiresome; great level design, remember? You’ll also have to deal with “Comets” now and then, which affect the way a galaxy works. For example, the “Daredevil Comet” gives you only one life point - you usually have three - and the “Fast Foe Comet” speeds up your enemies. It doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re trying to dodge a ton of Thwomps, believe me, the game can become rather difficult. These Comets are their own missions, so they add even more depth to the game.
Another great aspect of the game is the boss fights. Yeah, I know, boss fights aren’t exactly Nintendo’s forte, but the ones found in Galaxy are a real treat. I’d say one third of the boss battles play out as they have in past Mario games - find the boss’s weak point, attack it around three times, boss goes into hyper mode, attack different/new weak spot about three times and so on. Funny enough, I usually hate this sort of thing, but in Galaxy, they actually work. The rest of the boss fights in the game play out a lot more uniquely, and oftentimes you’ll have to use your environment and some quick thinking to take down your fearsome foes. My favorite moment was my first fight with Bowser, where it took me a minute or two just to figure out what to do, and then several more minutes just to hit the guy. And no matter how they play out, each boss fight is memorable; some even resemble Super Mario Bros. 3 and Yoshi’s Island. In fact, a lot of things in this game remind me of those classic titles.
I guess I should speak a little about Galaxy’s power-ups now. I’m not sure about you, but New Super Mario Bros. was a bit lackluster for me in this respect. The items weren’t very original and some made the game control worse! But no need to worry about this fate befalling Galaxy - it’s got a pretty amazing line-up of powerful items to use. I won’t tell you about all of them, since that would spoil the surprise a bit, but I’ll give you info on two of them. First up is the “Ice Mario” power-up. This turns Mario into a frozen version of himself, giving you the power to freeze water. You can use this to walk over water (creating walkways as you do so), create platforms out of shooting fountains or even wall jump up waterfalls! The “Ice Mario” power-up’s alternative, “Fire Mario”, is exactly how it’s always been. You can still shoot fire out of your hands, but you do so by flicking the Wii Remote now; this doesn’t feel gimmicky at all and it works great (Oh, and you can fly again!).
They’re so wiggly! |
Speaking of motion control, I’m sure you’re all wondering one thing at this point: does the Wii Remote functionality actually work? Why yes, yes it does. The simplest use comes with the Wii Remote’s speaker, which lends itself perfectly to this game, as the sounds coming out of it are not dynamic, and thusly don’t suffer much from the speaker’s lack of audio quality. As for the motion-sensing itself, you’ll use it on occasion. Some galaxies require the use of the Wii Remote, such as when you point and click on small blue Sling Stars to guide Mario through space, or when you use wind/air to slowly push Mario, who’s in a bubble, across dangerous areas filled with spike balls and bombs. Other times, you’ll point the Wii Remote upward and move it around like a classic joystiq to guide Mario around as he stands on a ball. These uses of the Wii Remote never feel forced, nor do they feel gimmicky. It’s a perfect blend of new gameplay and old. But the biggest use of the Wii Remote, one you’ll be using the most, is Mario’s spin attack, which you use by shaking the Wii Remote. This is used to stun enemies, activate switches, use stars to shoot across the galaxy to other planets (very fun), and even as a fourth jump. You can also point the Wii Remote at the screen and pick up star Bits. You’ll use these for various things, so I’ll just let you learn about them on your own.
The graphics in the game are, as expected, the best that the Wii has to offer for now. Many people (including myself) make negative remarks about the Wii’s abilities now and then (okay, all the time), but this game really shows what the system can do. The environments are vast, beautiful, and very colorful. The detail allowed with the art style amazes at times and the enemy and character models are simply gorgeous. I’m most impressed by Bowser, who, for the first time, made me shocked at how good a Wii game can look. Yeah, that doesn’t happen very often. The effects in the game are nice too; while underwater or next to heat sources, you’ll get some screen distortion and the particle effects are amazing. It’s the small touches that do it for me, such as the ridges in the stonework or the leaves blowing in the wind. The animations in the game are amazing, as well, giving the characters life they’ve never really had before. The music is just as good, and maybe even the best aspect of the game. And before you ask, yes, the music is orchestral (waits for happy fanboys to quiet down from their excitement). I really wanted this kind of score in Twilight Princess (waits for angry fanboys to stop yelling at him), though I’m extremely happy to see it now in Galaxy. Sure, no voice-overs are included, except for a few clips here and there when a character first speaks, but honestly, I don’t go into a Mario game expecting that sort of thing. Anyway, back to the music. Since it’s orchestral now, it’s a lot more moving, and I couldn’t help but let a small smile show every time I heard a classic tune, or when the amazing (amazing!) Bowser battle theme plays. I do love my chanting.
So, are there any problems with Galaxy or aspects that I didn’t like? Well, no. I tried very hard to find a flaw of any sort and there was nothing really game breaking. Any complaints I have with the game, well, they’re so minute that I can’t even remember them at this point. That or they just don’t exist. It’s rare to play through a perfect game or one that nears perfection, but Galaxy definitely fits that mold.
Hell, it’s broken it.
The Deeko Minute
- Perfect controls. Yeah, they’re perfect.
- Orchestral music is beautiful.
- Tons of varied environments to explore.
- That old Mario magic is back.
- A good looking Wii game? Thanks, can I have some more?
- Players: 1-2
- Difficulty: Medium
First up is NES favourite CASTLEVANIA II: Simon’s Quest (500 Wii Points): Grab your legendary whip, Vampire Killer, and roam freely through Transylvania on a quest to find the count’s missing body parts-these are the key to breaking an evil curse! Build experience the longer you play, buy weapons and items from merchants, or talk with villagers to get clues (some of which are false). Watch as day turns to night and then back again. Take a deep breath, steady your nerves, and help Simon end his curse and defeat the count once and for all!
Second up is SAMURAI-GHOST (600 Wii Points): Another classic action platformer featuring a samurai ghost from the depths of the underworld! In a past war, Kagekiyo managed to defeat the shogun Yoritomo and his clan. However, their evil spirits were not completely destroyed, and now, in the world known as Dark Side, they seek the time of their rebirth. In order to shatter those ambitions, Kagekiyo must make his way across even zones and head for “The Heart of the Darkside” where Yoritomo lies in wait! Use spirit weapons to power up your sword, or other items, such as candles to recover health, and defeat the endless hordes of enemies. Each zone is not only protected by a boss but also includes demons as well as real samurai from 12th-century Japan. Get ready for some intense one-on-one combat action!
Lastly, we have MAGICIAN LORD (900 Wii Points): Released in 1990 and regarded as one of the NEOGEO’s earliest signature games, this side-scrolling platformer mixes action with the mystical world of fantasy. A magician named Elta, last descendant of the famed Magician Lord, takes on an epic adventure to save the world from the evil Gul-Agieze. Elta must battle through eight stages, collecting the eight tomes of power that are key to defeating Gul-Agieze and his evil plans. By obtaining orbs in one of three colors (elements) that appear during the game, Elta’s offensive powers and jumping abilities can be strengthened. The effect varies considerably depending on the combination of elements, though, and Elta can transform into six different forms: Waterman, Dragon Warrior, Shinobi, Samurai, Raijin or Poseidon. Can you help Elta to become the new Magician Lord?
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, and often just stand in front of your troops waiting to die. But there is some realism in the fact that they often retreat and regroup when your own team force forwards and if you fall back they’ll take up the space and even run for cover.