November 13th, 2007 by JSnake
Who's the boss
The level design is excellent. They are huge and vary from an ominous fortress to a sprawling desert full of traps and mayhem. There is also a large amount of puzzles to be found, and they are indeed worthy of being called puzzles. From grabbing an ice flower to wall-jumping up waterfalls, tricking heat-seeking missiles and blowing up containers holding a star, the game is constantly making you think in new ways. Across the levels are also friendly characters may help you to perform new tricks in order to progress. The characters won't actually tell you how to do these tricks, but you can easily discover how. The Mario series is famous for its imaginative and huge levels, and Galaxy backs this up more so than any other game in the series.
The bosses are also great fun and range from a giant fire octopus to a huge, furry mole. Rest assured, they all have a unique pattern and always require a bit of thinking before you can take them down. The final boss in particular is one of the best boss fights in gaming history, but I won’t spoil any more than that.
Humming
Graphically Super Mario Galaxy is Wii's best, and truthfully one of the prettiest games ever crafted. Sure, it doesn't push as much polygons as XBOX 360/PS3 games and the textures aren't super high-res either. But Galaxy's art direction and use of colors has to be commended. From the beautiful water and lighting of the Beach Bowl galaxy, to the beautiful shaders used in the Melty Molten galaxy, the game is breathtakingly beautiful. It transcends the realm of just video game graphics and enters the realm of pure art.
One of Galaxy's greatest strengths (right next to its gameplay) is its beautiful, wonderful music. Like so much of the game, the music is downright astonishing. Quite a few of the melodies are orchestrated, and the tunes are lovingly crafted. From the triumphant trumpets of the Gusty Mountain galaxy to the ominous piano tunes of the Ghostly Galaxy, everything sounds wonderful and suits the settings very well. I would go so far as to say that Mario Galaxy has the best soundtrack of any game ever made. You will still be humming to Galaxy’s tunes while going to sleep.
Please don’t end
The game scores quite excellently in the replay-value department. There are 120 Power Stars to attain, and that feat will take quite a long time to accomplish. Add the addictive nature of the levels and an unlockable secret for collecting all 120 Power Stars, and you have a game that will last for quite a while. Good thing too, because you will never want Super Mario Galaxy to end.
Overall Super Mario Galaxy's gameplay is utterly fantastic. It is perhaps the finest game in the last decade. Everything about the game was lovingly crafted with no shortcuts taken. It is a wholly original game full of imagination and the kind of gameplay that will induce uncontrollable happiness. It is pure magic.
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