One of the greatest games on the system, and a perfect example of why Nintendo is the king of creativity. The way this game utilizes gravity, the unique structures of each planet. the new power-ups, and the control of the game in general is truly great. Even the story of this game, which is usually light for this series, has depth and intrigue, especially with Rosalina.

If I had one complaint about this game, it would be the linearity of it all. This game wants to have the open-world feel of 64 or Sunshine, but I don't think that comes through properly. I get that this is a small nitpick overall but that goes to show just how spectacular this game is. This is a must-play for the system, hands down and deserves the recognition it gets.

True story - when I played through SMG back in 2007, I played it in the fashion of a completionist; not advancing forward until I got all the stars in a level. Unbeknownst to me, the final boss and ending of the game becomes available once you obtain a certain amount of stars. So I beat Bowser and I reach the end credits, and while I have technically beaten the game, I've also missed an entire half of it. Did 2007 me feel compelled enough to play through all the other levels?

No. I sold my copy of the game and moved on.

So the reason I'm giving this 3/5 is that, even though it was a long time ago and I don't remember SMG all that well, I do remember that I didn't like it enough to check out that whole other half that went unplayed.

Super Mario clearly is not for me.

I figured I should log this now coming off of the high that was getting the 120th Star and fighting Bowser a second time. In the simplest way possible, I love Super Mario Galaxy. It is a phenomenal game that has stuck with me since I first played it many many years ago. I've 100% the game many times with Mario, and only did it once with Luigi which was on 3D All Stars a few years ago. Here, I once again only did it with Mario but I plan on going back with Luigi again to keep that completed file on the Wii. I just want to spew my thoughts out now since I'm in the right mood to do so. Super Mario Galaxy is filled with many creative and fun levels that forever shaped my expectations for how Mario games should be like when I was a kid. Of course, I get a lot of enjoyment going back to other games like 64 or when I played some for the first time like 3D World, but none of them ignite the feeling of childhood wonder more than Galaxy does. The only other one that has done so for me is my personal favourite: Super Mario Odyssey. This game is one of the most ambitious Mario games, making use of the gravity and spin mechanics, having more of a fleshed out story that strikes emotional beats like the ending and storybook sequences, and being the most atmospheric of the bunch. Certain galaxies have such unique vibes or do amazing spins on what otherwise would be generic level themes. I think the best example would be Space Junk Galaxy, one of my personal favourites, which has such an empty feel to it that's accompanied with the visuals and especially the music, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard in a video game. Not only are the levels fun and atmospheric, but the boss battles are not only good, but great! Usually bosses aren't something to write home about in Mario games but here, the bosses are creative in character design and the mechanics added to beat them. Once again using Space Junk Galaxy as an example, the third level titled "Tarantox's Tangled Web" requires you to use the sling pods to damage and beat the boss, a gimmick they introduce and use in the level. They do this for so many levels and it keeps each galaxy from becoming stale. I think out of every galaxy listed, the only two I didn't like were Dusty Dune (due to it being a really annoying desert level, especially with the Purple Coin star), and Sea Slide Galaxy (mainly because of the Silver Stars and Purple Coins stars). Even then, those galaxies have at least something redeeming for them. It's such an immersive experience and even though I've played it so many times, it's not a game I can put down. Every single element of this game just works so well and it's not hard to understand why everyone loves this game so much. Overall, Super Mario Galaxy is a phenomenal game and truly is a work of art that I'll always keep coming back to time after time.

Super Mario Galaxy é um espetáculo. E mesmo agora, 17 anos depois do seu lançamento, o jogo se mantém como um dos melhores (se não o melhor) jogo da franquia Mario já lançados. O game é uma aula de game design, com mundos cheios de peculiaridades que exploram a física e os limites da jogabilidade ao extremo. A começar pela escolha dos mini planetas que te forçam a controlar o personagem em todas as direções testando a gravidade e suas possibilidades. Em alguns momentos isso nos coloca em alguma armadilha ou que nos dá novos caminhos a serem explorados. Os controles também são muito bem utilizados, principalmente nas fases onde o motion plus é necessário para termos o máximo de precisão ao usar o controle principal. Isso aqui me deixou muito impressionado, e me recordo bem da fase onde precisamos usar o controle na forma de manche para fazer com que o Mario vá para cada lado conforme inclinamos a mão. Tudo isso orquestrado com uma trilha que muda de velocidade conforme o personagem desliza pela tela.

Esse jogo também se destaca pela forma como toda fase possui alguma jogabilidade diferente, eles realmente se empenharam em construir uma experiência em que em nenhum momento nos parece repetitivo. O uso dos power ups também são bem interessantes, apesar de que são em sua maioria pontuais e necessários para se concluir as fases. Mas isso não é algo ruim, acho que é até um ponto forte por conseguirem trazer elementos dos jogos clássicos para esse novo formato sem forçar a sua utilização.

E o mais incrível de tudo é que escrevo isso tendo concluído o jogo recentemente. Não consigo imaginar o impacto que foi essa obra lá em 2007.