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In my youth, I never owned a Wii console. Admittedly, I played Wii Sports along with several flagship titles when visiting loved ones and acquaintances back in that era, yet I lacked owning the console myself, meaning I missed out on several excellent installments within classic Nintendo game lines.

One of those games featured Super Mario Galaxy, together with its follow-up, has been freshly updated and transferred to the Nintendo Switch. The first one got incorporated in 2020’s limited-edition collection Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I appreciated the opportunity to experience what’s regarded as one of the best Mario adventures created. I became immediately engrossed, and can definitely say it fulfills about 18 years of excitement. That said, it helped me understand how glad I am movement-based inputs generally persisted as historical features.

The Cosmic Adventure Begins

Following traditional Mario quest, Super Mario Galaxy begins with Bowser capturing the princess and her castle. His collection of cosmic vessels take her among the stars, launching Mario out amongst the stars in the process. Mario encounters star-like cuties named Lumas as well as Rosalina aboard her comet ship. She assigns Mario with collecting stellar objects to power the cosmic base enabling pursuit of Bowser, then players gain freedom to start discovering.

Galaxy's navigation system provides delight, and all it took experiencing a couple levels to realize why it maintains excellent reputation. It’ll feel familiar to anyone who’s played Mario's 3D adventures, while the gameplay remain accessible and intuitive in typical Nintendo fashion.

Gravity-Defying Gameplay

Being cosmic enthusiast, the setting aligns with my preferences, and it allows for Super Mario Galaxy to have fun with physics. Round structures enable Mario to circle repeatedly surrounding them similar to Goku following Bubbles on King Kai’s planet. When they’re close together, Mario can leap across being pulled through gravitational force of a nearby platform. Different stages appear as discs, and often feature goodies on the underside, in unexpected locations.

Meeting Familiar Faces

The enjoyment from engaging with Galaxy after nearly two decades includes knowing certain personalities. I didn't realize Rosalina made her debut within this title, nor that she served as the caring guardian of the Lumas. Before playing Super Mario Galaxy, to me she was just a frequent choice Mario Kart World character selection. Likewise for Penguins, alongside whom I appreciated aquatic sections in initial coastal stage.

Gyroscopic Limitations

The only real drag in playing Super Mario Galaxy in 2025 involves motion features, employed for collecting, aiming, and shooting star bits, colorful objects distributed throughout stages. Operating in mobile format meant tilting and rotating the Switch around to aim, proving slightly cumbersome. Movement features feature heavily within some platforming sections, requiring players to direct the star-shaped cursor toward structures to pull Mario in their direction.

Missions entirely needing movement inputs work better when played with independent remotes for better precision, such as the ray-riding stage during early game. I haven't typically been enthusiastic about movement inputs, and they remain especially well throughout Galaxy. Fortunately, if you get enough stars from other levels, these gyroscopic sections can be wholly skipped. I tested the mission requiring Mario guiding a giant ball around a course containing openings, then quickly abandoned following single try.

Enduring Gaming Quality

Aside from the clunky Wii-era input methods, there's virtually nothing to complain about within this adventure, while its cosmic stages provide enjoyment to explore. Even as standouts like Super Mario Odyssey launched later, Super Mario Galaxy continues as top-tier and innovative Mario titles available.