Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2

The simplest way to review Super Mario Galaxy 2 is to ask the reader if they played and enjoyed the first Super Mario Galaxy because technically, graphically, and thematically, they are the same game. Players still take the role of the timeless plumber and zip through the ever-expanding cosmos looking for stars with smiley faces. If Nintendo had released a new planet every couple of weeks after the release of the first game, we’d basically have the same thing only now on a disc. If this at all sounds like negative criticism, that could not be further from the truth. The first game was marvelous. The second game is marvelous plus one.

In case anyone reading has not played the first Super Mario Galaxy, for one, shame on you, and two, let me sum up the idea. Basically, Nintendo ran out of earthly ideas for our mustached hero and decided to throw him out into an area that could never limit their creativity and ingenuity. In doing so, they’ve been able to do things with the franchise that really no one else can do. They mess with gravity, light, and science in general in ways that leave jaws dropped and eyes alight with child-like pleasure. Even if these games weren’t set within the Mario landscape, they’d still be excellent and original in their own right because of these new conventions.

But what does the sequel do different to merit another fifty dollar price tag? More than enough. Even if it kept all the same crazy suits and even if it revisited levels seen in the first game, it would still be worth it. For one, Nintendo has a knack for making a level look completely different despite being completely the same. However, this sequel doesn’t reuse worlds and while it does use the same suits, it also adds new suits, a couple of which are some of the best in the entire Mario series. Its new worlds are every bit as fresh and vibrant as the old ones, and like the space that they inhabit, seem limitless.

I’ll start with the new suits. Mario can now turn into a Cloud-Shaper, a rolling rock (much more flavorful than the beer of the same name), and can drill through an entire planet with something that isn’t a suit, but basically functions as one. His old suits return, so players wanting to be a ghost, a spring, or a bee, or any of the series’ standby suits need not fear missing out. The new suits are not only incredibly fun to use, but are integrated perfectly within the worlds where they are available. The rolling rock suit basically turns Mario into a pinball, and several of the worlds that see its use are fundamentally nothing more than large pinball tables. Fortunately, they are not nearly as repetitive or boring as pinball itself. The cloud suit seems simple enough, it allows Mario to make three cloud platforms to stand on wherever he pleases, but combined with his prodigious jumping abilities, it makes for possibly his most versatile non-flight suit to date. It’s also very cute.

Super Galaxy 2 changes the formula somewhat in ridding Mario of the home world area he saw in the first game that functioned as a hub for travel, something the series introduced with Super Mario 64. Instead, he nets himself a ship, charmingly shaped like his face, that functions in a similar manner and allows him to travel down preset lines similar to something one might see in Super Mario World or Super Mario 3. Personally, I preferred the hub world because I just prefer hub worlds. They make me feel like I have some place to return to. The ship does fulfill that function, in all honesty, but a ship is not a home in the real world, and it doesn’t feel like one here.

Also missing from the game is a story. Mario games in general usually don’t hit us with deep narratives, but the tale told in the first game was actually quite touching, and the lack of any effort at all to tell a similar story does make it feel a little emptier. I don’t want it to seem like I need an engaging novel when I play a Mario game. In fact, most people would probably argue against such a thing because it flies in the face of every Mario game ever released. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Rosa’s poignant storybook from the first game and would certainly have voted for it, or something like it, in the sequel.

Fortunately, where the game loses something, something is also gained, and the addition of Yoshi to the galaxy is a wonderful gift indeed. Our dinosaur steed returns in triumph early in the game, and while he isn’t actually in most of the levels, we get him enough not to be saturated with his charm. He also brings his own bag of new tricks in a throwback to Super Mario World. Eating certain berries scattered around levels allows him to do things that are zany and fun enough to raise the spirits of even the lowest of the low. Blue berries allow him to puff up like a balloon and float, while a release of air sees propulsion identical to any hot air cousin. Red peppers, on the other hand, send the cuddly lizard screaming across the screen in true panic fashion, and controlling him in these instances is an effort in concentration because the dude can move. Light berries let Yoshi reveal hidden paths or simply light up dark areas. Naturally these abilities are limited, but extremely fun (the red pepper in particular would be fun to use in a completely empty room with absolutely no goal in mind other than mindless speeding).

Luigi also makes an appearance in Super Galaxy 2, and unlike his cameo in the first game, is actually playable before collecting every last collectible that space has to offer (which is an epic total of 242 stars out there to nab!). In what can only be described as pathetic, the green-capped underling can often be found at the start of levels begging to be included in the fun, and should players choose to use him they will find an identical play style but with a cornier look. Luigi runs around as though he is constantly about to fall, and while he never does, his visual style is similar to the grace and effectiveness of drunk boxing. His addition is purely cosmetic as well because using him in levels doesn’t gain the player any benefit beyond the entertainment value that he brings. And while the game never allows Mario and Luigi to fight crime together, there is some co-op fun to be had that goes beyond the simple star bit collection of the first title. Anyone using the second Wiimote controls Mario’s under-the-cap friend Luma and is able to collect coins, star bits, air bubbles and even enemies. A Wiimote waggle makes this even more effective, providing a timely stun to baddies when need. This type of co-op in a single player game is actually quite well done because it doesn’t hinder or significantly help whoever is in control, yet gives any watchers a chance to jump into the action.

That’s really all that is new about Super Mario Galaxy 2. It follows the similar pattern of past Mario games with wacky levels followed by a Bowser-like castle. Mario feels the same in regards to his movement and jumping. He still interacts with very few human beings, instead having what I suppose we could call conversations with stars, sparkly-eared rabbits, and living bombs. As sequels go, this really is as sequel-y as one could hope for. It keeps things visually simple and at the same time absolutely gorgeous. It doesn’t change up any formulas or disjoint a player in any way. It does what the previous game did, and it’s so well done and complete that any lack of creativity or innovation (aside from the genius they bring to every new level) over that last title is easily forgiven because it allows us more time in one of the best Mario universes to date. There’s a reason this game has been so well received by players and critics alike. It is arguably the best game on the Wii and provides a triumphant challenge to any first or third party developer proclaiming that Mario is still the king, and if you want to topple his throne, you have a vertical mountain to climb. Good luck!

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Wii
	Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Genre: Adventure/Platformer Release Date: May 23, 2025 MSRP: $49.99 ESRB Rating: T for Teen

Doin’ It RIGHT: - Tried and true Nintendo quality. - Yoshi in space. - Possibly the finest game crafted for the Wii.	Doin’ It RONG: -If you didn’t enjoy the first one, you probably won’t like this. - Not in HD (not Mario’s fault, but I’m a stickler).
FINAL SCORE: 9.5 / 10