In Galaxy 2, you can see Nintendo toying with concepts that would later inspire the level design found in Super Mario 3D Land and 3D World, as well as the massive boss battles you encounter in Super Mario Odyssey. Not only does it stand the test of time on its own, it planted the seeds for the future of the Mario franchise.
Given all of the updates and changes made to Super Mario Galaxy 2, I think it’s important to consider the legacy of this game, and that it should be remembered as much more than just a sequel to one of the greatest 3D Mario games. The sequel also ditches the hub world mechanic found in previous 3D Mario games and implements a traditional map system like what you’d find in 2D Mario games such as Super Mario Bros.
Instead, you pilot a mobile planetoid in the shape of Mario’s head as you journey across the cosmos to save Princess Peach. There is no Comet Observatory to traverse the stars and the mysterious Rosalina is nowhere to be found (though she is hinted at from time to time). The opening is told through the pages of a story book, rather than a bombastic cinematic opening. Furthermore, the game is not narratively connected to its predecessor.
#Super mario galaxy vs super mario galaxy 2 series#
Instead of traversing a series of larger, planet-based levels that fans had become accustomed to in the first game, Galaxy 2 is chock-full of traditional 2D platforming – much more so than Galaxy. Though the title says 2, it’s less of a direct sequel and more of a reinvention. While Super Mario Galaxy 2 is visually and technically identical to its predecessor, in many ways it was a refocusing of the Galaxy formula. This cosmic game was so popular and beloved that Nintendo even re-released it as part of 2020’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection to celebrate the franchise’s 35th anniversary, but to the chagrin of fans, one 3D Mario game was notably missing from the collection – 2010’s Super Mario Galaxy 2. With its dazzling art direction, graphical fidelity, clever gravity-based platforming, and fully orchestrated music, Super Mario Galaxy launched the Mario franchise to new heights and proved that the Wii had more to offer than sports and party games. In that five year gap of time, many fans wondered what direction Nintendo would take their favorite mustachioed plumber, though I think it’s safe to say no one expected the masterpiece that was (and still is) Galaxy. It was Nintendo’s big holiday title for the Wii’s second anniversary, and the first mainline Mario game to hit shelves since Sunshine released on the GameCube in the Summer of 2002. Super Mario Galaxy first released on the Wii November 1st, 2007.
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