First things first; I love this game. There really isn’t a mainline Mario I don’t have a great amount of affection for. But something’s missing here, compared to its predecessor.
Super Mario Galaxy is amazing. You all know it. Mario’s first adventure through space is universally (get it) adored, so in making a sequel (originally supposed to be dlc basically) there’s some pretty damn big expectations to live up to. Streamlining is the name of the game here, and Galaxy 2 sure does it, with all the good and bad that comes with it. The levels themselves have some of the best linear platforming that’s ever come out of Mario, and that seems to be enough for a lot of people, more power to ‘em. But again, the streamlining got rid of something I hold in high regard in the first game. Compared to the original, it doesn’t feel nearly as gorgeous or epic, in general less atmospheric. Starry Skies skyboxes are much less frequent, replaced with blue skies with white clouds. There are less beautiful orchestral pieces, replaced with… what feels like just plain orchestral Mario music (and sometimes just is, see Hightail Falls, Haunty Halls, the slide theme, etc.). This change in music is strongly reflected on the games title screens, giving off entirely different feelings, Galaxy 1’s being a feeling of drifting in space, looking at the beauty of the twinkling stars around you, while Galaxy 2’s is much more peppy and cheery, and feels more like a more generic “start to a Mario adventure” song. Sure, Galaxy 1 doesn’t keep this up the entire time, for example Toy Time Galaxy is an extremely silly level, but not much in Galaxy 2 compares to the feeling that levels like Space Junk Galaxy’s music and visual atmosphere together create.
Story took a hit as well, although it's not either game’s strong suit. Rosalina’s story book was a genuine surprise for so many, due to being a very emotional look into a character's backstory (pretty damn rare for a mario game, if you somehow didn’t know that). That’s why when Rosalina was basically ignored in Galaxy 2 in favor of Lubba, a character without much depth at all, it feels like something was taken. Speaking of these two support figures, the hub worlds they reside in also reflect what’s missing. I barely need to talk about The Comet Observatory hopefully, its music and scale perfectly describe itself (in addition I just genuinely have no idea how to talk about it because it’s a game location that means tons to me). In contrast, Starship Mario, while serving its function outside of being a gateway to the world map, doesn’t have much to offer outside of discussion with some NPC’s. It’s also simply a floating Mario head, which really just further cements how much more “Mario-like” Galaxy 2 is. (in addition having a mario head that doesn’t ask if it can have my computer is a sin)
This isn’t to say Galaxy 2 doesn’t have its atmospheric moments however, which I feel like really shine through in Cosmic Cove Galaxy (honorable mention to Slimy Spring, which I only didn’t choose because I have less to say about it). Cosmic Cove is my favorite level in Galaxy 2 because of its strong atmosphere, the music has made me tear up even while listening to it while writing this, the beautiful aurora-like sky, it’s gorgeous aquatic environment that even when frozen later I love skating over, and the couple penguins that live there as well making it feel like it has a native population. There are other music tracks as well that show that Galaxy 1 epicness in them as well, take Melty Monster as an example. It's intense, and perfectly builds up to a truly very grand musical climax. These examples and other moments within Galaxy 2 show that if they wanted, they could have kept that epic feel that Galaxy 1 captured so elegantly.
Galaxy 2 took what Galaxy 1 did and streamlined every part of it, the platforming and levels benefitting from it while the atmosphere of the game is harshly damaged. So in the end, is this trade-off worth it? It’s up to you to decide, of course, but personally? I don’t think so.
Super Mario Galaxy is amazing. You all know it. Mario’s first adventure through space is universally (get it) adored, so in making a sequel (originally supposed to be dlc basically) there’s some pretty damn big expectations to live up to. Streamlining is the name of the game here, and Galaxy 2 sure does it, with all the good and bad that comes with it. The levels themselves have some of the best linear platforming that’s ever come out of Mario, and that seems to be enough for a lot of people, more power to ‘em. But again, the streamlining got rid of something I hold in high regard in the first game. Compared to the original, it doesn’t feel nearly as gorgeous or epic, in general less atmospheric. Starry Skies skyboxes are much less frequent, replaced with blue skies with white clouds. There are less beautiful orchestral pieces, replaced with… what feels like just plain orchestral Mario music (and sometimes just is, see Hightail Falls, Haunty Halls, the slide theme, etc.). This change in music is strongly reflected on the games title screens, giving off entirely different feelings, Galaxy 1’s being a feeling of drifting in space, looking at the beauty of the twinkling stars around you, while Galaxy 2’s is much more peppy and cheery, and feels more like a more generic “start to a Mario adventure” song. Sure, Galaxy 1 doesn’t keep this up the entire time, for example Toy Time Galaxy is an extremely silly level, but not much in Galaxy 2 compares to the feeling that levels like Space Junk Galaxy’s music and visual atmosphere together create.
Story took a hit as well, although it's not either game’s strong suit. Rosalina’s story book was a genuine surprise for so many, due to being a very emotional look into a character's backstory (pretty damn rare for a mario game, if you somehow didn’t know that). That’s why when Rosalina was basically ignored in Galaxy 2 in favor of Lubba, a character without much depth at all, it feels like something was taken. Speaking of these two support figures, the hub worlds they reside in also reflect what’s missing. I barely need to talk about The Comet Observatory hopefully, its music and scale perfectly describe itself (in addition I just genuinely have no idea how to talk about it because it’s a game location that means tons to me). In contrast, Starship Mario, while serving its function outside of being a gateway to the world map, doesn’t have much to offer outside of discussion with some NPC’s. It’s also simply a floating Mario head, which really just further cements how much more “Mario-like” Galaxy 2 is. (in addition having a mario head that doesn’t ask if it can have my computer is a sin)
This isn’t to say Galaxy 2 doesn’t have its atmospheric moments however, which I feel like really shine through in Cosmic Cove Galaxy (honorable mention to Slimy Spring, which I only didn’t choose because I have less to say about it). Cosmic Cove is my favorite level in Galaxy 2 because of its strong atmosphere, the music has made me tear up even while listening to it while writing this, the beautiful aurora-like sky, it’s gorgeous aquatic environment that even when frozen later I love skating over, and the couple penguins that live there as well making it feel like it has a native population. There are other music tracks as well that show that Galaxy 1 epicness in them as well, take Melty Monster as an example. It's intense, and perfectly builds up to a truly very grand musical climax. These examples and other moments within Galaxy 2 show that if they wanted, they could have kept that epic feel that Galaxy 1 captured so elegantly.
Galaxy 2 took what Galaxy 1 did and streamlined every part of it, the platforming and levels benefitting from it while the atmosphere of the game is harshly damaged. So in the end, is this trade-off worth it? It’s up to you to decide, of course, but personally? I don’t think so.
3 Comments
@Jenny god I wish
Took the words right out of my mouth. This is exactly why I prefer Galaxy 1 over 2, although 2 is still a great game in its own right.
Jenny
1 year ago