Super Mario Bros 3 was very clever at this: you had very memorable scenarios such as Sky World or Pipe World where each stage kept the overall theme but added different elements each time.
I would have liked to see each world hold an overall theme with levels expanding and evolving the overall concept as it is, the levels feel like a bit of a mishmash. This is both good and bad as you won't feel intimate with any of the levels like the good old days in Super Mario 64, but it does feel very true to the older Mario 2D games.īecause of this, the gameplay suits those with short attention spans fine, and the game is very easy to fire up for a few minutes at a time. The levels are bite-sized with only a couple of stars each, so generally you don't mess around on the same level for too long. Levels range from super fun and flowing levels (usually the Castle levels) that are great to speed through, to levels such as Chompworks Galaxy where you have to figure out the best way to clear paths for rolling chomps (I thought they could smash through anything once off their chain). Like the last game there are moments where the sheer insanity of the level design completely stops you in your tracks. Super Mario Galaxy was all about the game's insane sense of gravity and physics, and the sequel gets straight to the point of bending your sense of perception as the game changes from a 2D side-on playing field, to a top down perspective, to 3D and back again without skipping a beat. Fear not, though: besides the opening and closing scenes, the story is completely forgotten, letting you get down to business.
Okay, Mario has always been a bit twee, but Bowser wanting Peach to make him a cake really is taking the Mario. Galaxy 2 is one of the most direct sequels Mario has had, so will it still manage to be a breath of fresh air like Super Mario Bros 3? Or is it more of a remix like the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2? To tell this, you have to get past the cringe-inducing intro. Galaxy took platforming and turned it on its head.
Somehow, Mario always seems to reinvent himself while keeping true to the gameplay that made the franchise so popular. NZGamer is New Zealand's independent gaming website, Everyday 1000's of kiwi's log in to view the latest in news, reviews, and features from a New Zealand perspective.Īs a huge Mario fan from way back, I jumped at the chance to review the original Super Mario Galaxy.