Whether it is a twinkling star or a blinking eye, everything moves smoothly with a luxurious softness and lustre. Far apart from effusive realism, the brightest and prettiest colours melt on the screen atop a twilight tapestry, creating particular atmospheres and intensifying and deepening the image of the moment. It is as if the warmth of the franchise has been trapped and harnessed after a decade of inspiration.
Equally as impressive is how Galaxy endows the listener with acoustic pleasure. All twenty-eight tracks have been recorded by a live orchestra, comprised of fifty or so musicians. Each composition sounds epic in scale, as if it had been created from the heart and moulded by emotion. Whether classically re-mastered or something entirely new, the music always fits the atmosphere and follows Mario's rhythm perfectly.
Galaxy instantly sweeps you under its binding spell, but it gently strokes your senses introducing you lightly to the basics. Players will find themselves tilting their heads slightly as Mario runs in loops around the opening planet’s circular surface. It takes a little time to become accustomed to the spherical fields, where, in the absence of a Black Hole, gravity has no boundaries. But Galaxy welcomes this time and entices the player to play freely. And it is fun to just play and experiment with the physics whilst jumping, looping and spinning in the air. Not since Mario 64 has a videogame felt this fresh, for leaping over the side of a planet for the first time only to land upside-down on the reverse side is a generally gasp-worthy moment.
A Space Station called the Comet Observatory acts as the game’s central hub, displaying six themed areas which provide access to the various levels, known as Galaxies. Although not as homely as the castle grounds of Mario 64, there is never an absence of activity. Restoring power to this vessel is Mario’s goal, ultimately leading to the rescue of Princess Peach. There is a story here alongside arch-enemy Bowser‘s usual tricks, involving Princess Rosalina and the adorable star children called Lumas, but what matters is the gameplay and the sheer brilliance of its execution.
There are 120 stars spread across forty Galaxies in total and almost each one is its own ambitious adventure, with only the rare star acting as a cheap diversion. They start simply, but as the game progresses the challenges become bigger and bolder, requiring all sorts of skill leaping from floor to ceiling or wall to wall as platforms rotate and revolve, appear and disappear or collide and buckle into another, or slip and slide past each other. Rings of fire, streams of ice, electrical charges, chainless Chomps, Bullet-Bills and pounding Thwomps await, all the while Black Holes exert their own deadly gravitational pull, waiting for a misjudged jump or an unfortunate fall. But it is never unfair, never frustrating. Only half of the stars are required to witness the climactic finale, which is more toe-curlingly intense then all the other incredible boss battles, but you will find yourself wishing to conquer everything, every last secret star, just to savour the moment in fear of ending the magic.
The levels themselves are imaginative and inspirational, consisting of weird and wonderful asteroids, planetoids, and floating obscurities that arise as separate, independently recognisable shapes and structures that are unparalleled by anything we’ve seen before. There are large open environments (such as the Honeyhive Galaxy: home to the lovable Bee Suit, one of six powerups), but the majority of the platforms are formed by smaller and condensed structures requiring little exploration, relying purely on the player's wits to avoid death from beginning to end.
There are so many surprises that break all the normal rules; where flame and ice mix and intertwine, and where worlds fold, twist, warp and push high into the sky or stretch out in all directions. Like some magical dream, there is no way of telling what awaits. If executed with anything less then perfection the madness of it all would have been overwhelming, confusing any sense of direction. But everything functions organically together, allowing your mind to rest, content with merely taking in the sheer existence of it all.
Whilst other games have failed to measure up to the burden of Mario 64, where even Mario Sunshine could never adequately portray the soul of the series, Galaxy realised the real secret, a wispy delicate truth that floated in a breeze, remained locked away in simplicity. Strip Mario bare of any fiddly equipment and we are left with a character that jumps, somersaults, wall-kicks, swims and ice-skates relying purely on his agile and acrobatic, if plump, self.
The nunchunk controller is used to govern these movements, whilst the remote is used with wondrous effect. A swift shake of the wrist triggers a spin attack, sweeps up glistening Star Bits - the game's second currency alongside coins - and shoots Mario off from Sling Stars, launching him from one planetoid or platform to the next. Using the remote to blow bubbles, roll a ball, ride a manta ray, fire cannons or even shoot back Star Bits to immobilise enemies is instinctive and always feels natural.
To strengthen the controls' simplicity the camera system has been almost completely removed from the player, allowing the camera to shift, zoom and rotate as it so desires, instantly slipping from 2D-inspired platforming sections to swooping around the 3D environments. However, it does, once or twice, position itself awkwardly, either shadowing Mario behind a wall or object, or hindering the player’s judgment for a split second. But this is easily overlooked and once the player experiences the lightness and fluidity of the controls they will hardly look twice, helping to distance reality in all its physical form.
There also lies an optional two-player mode (called Co-Star) allowing simultaneous gameplay. Player One controls Mario and a star pointer whilst Player Two acts as a second pointer - helping or hindering Mario's actions. It's fun. It's simple. But most of all it allows intrigued observers to share an extraordinary experience.
Mario has not grown older, but younger with time: more slender, more supple, more graceful. It is as if the boundaries of the genre have become transparent, allowing a unique light to shine forth. Super Mario Galaxy will influence gaming perceptions, sure to replenish any lost passion. It will frequently hug your inner child, evoke tears of joy and tug at the heart. It is everything we have always desired, more than we could possibly have dreamed.
Score: 10/10