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True Mario games don’t come around all that often. In 1996 we got Super Mario 64, In 2002 we got Super Mario Sunshine and later in 2007 the Wii will get Super Mario Galaxy. With history suggesting that each Nintendo home console only receives one true Mario game in its lifetime, there’s more than a little bit of pressure on Mario Galaxy’s shoulders.
Super Mario Galaxy feels much fresher and more innovative than Super Mario Sunshine – a title that promised so much but disappointed many upon its release. Many gamers expected something to significantly eclipse Mario 64, but take out Mario and you would have been left with just another adequate platformer.
In Galaxy Mario’s signature moves return, such as the triple jump, wall jump, backflip and more, along with some new ones. No longer does Mario punch enemies, he now swings his fists around in a circle, which is performed by quickly swinging either the Nunchuck or Wii-mote – not too dissimilar to how Link attacks in the Wii version of Twilight Princess.
Projectiles have returned with the use of stars that can be collected. As enemies are defeated, or even while wandering around, Mario will come across stars that can be picked up by moving the cursor with the remote over the star. To use them as family friendly bullets players simply place the cursor over a spot on the screen and press the B button to have a star shoot down from the sky to destroy an object or stun an enemy.
The Z button on the Nunchuck will make Mario duck, and feels very natural, especially to players who have had experience with Super Mario 64. This is something that is felt throughout the game, which should please long-time Nintendo and Mario fans.
Each level consists of several planets, or worlds, that players must travel between. Along the way Mario must find keys to open up the way to new planets. The unique hook is that planets have different gravity, some strong and some weak, which will affect the height of Mario’s jumps.
Perhaps this was due to my short time with the game, but there really is no sense of which direction is up or down, making for some confusing gameplay. Hopefully this is something that will feel more natural after a longer play session.
The graphics have improved since the last time we’ve seen Mario, which is apparent in some of the lighting and reflections that can be seen. A prime example are rock crystals that can be shattered. If the player positions Mario close to the rocks, his reflection can be seen. Lighting is also considerably more impressive than we’ve seen in any previous Mario titles, with this Wii game showing a genuine improvement over the GameCube’s Mario Sunshine.
The game, while featuring new gameplay elements and environments, still plays a lot like Mario games in the past. Pick up the controls and within minutes you can figure out most of the nuances of the control scheme. An example of this is the Bee level on show at E3. Donning a Bee suit, Mario takes on the abilities of a bee, as such he can fly and land on things that normal Mario can not. Get brushed by water and his delicate wings can’t take it, and gravity takes over.
The simple hovering gameplay is classic Mario and the size of this level also suggests that Galaxy won’t just be made up of small environments, as was feared by early footage of the game. We’ll have to wait until the end of the year to see if Galaxy really is as special as early impressions suggest, but it’d take a brave man to bet against Nintendo delivering the goods.
