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In my youth, I missed out on owning the popular Wii. Sure, I experienced Wii Sports plus various flagship titles during visits to loved ones and acquaintances in the mid-to-late 2000s, but I never had owning the console myself, meaning I missed out on numerous outstanding titles from Nintendo's beloved series.

One of those games featured Super Mario Galaxy, together with its follow-up, got modernized recently and ported to Nintendo's hybrid system. The original game was also included within the 2020 special compilation Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I welcomed the chance to play what’s regarded as among the finest Mario games ever made. I was quickly sucked in, and I confidently state it fulfills nearly two decades of hype. However, I also recognized how pleased I feel motion-sensing features have largely remained from previous eras.

The Cosmic Adventure Begins

Following traditional Mario quest, Super Mario Galaxy begins with Bowser kidnapping the princess along with her castle. His collection of spacecraft resembling pirates take her to the cosmos, throwing Mario through space in the process. Mario meets charming cosmic creatures named Lumas and meets Rosalina on her cosmic observatory. She assigns Mario with collecting stars to energize her spacecraft to follow the villain, opening exploration opportunities to start discovering.

Super Mario Galaxy’s platforming provides delight, requiring only completing a couple levels to recognize how it receives such praise. It’ll feel familiar for those who tried a 3D Mario, and the controls prove user-friendly and intuitive in typical Nintendo fashion.

Unique Movement Systems

As a space nerd, the backdrop is right up my alley, enabling Super Mario Galaxy to experiment with gravity. Spherical platforms allow Mario to circle repeatedly about them similar to Goku chasing after Bubbles in popular series. When structures approach, players can transfer and get snatched through gravitational force by neighboring objects. Additional areas are flat discs, typically including collectibles below, in unexpected locations.

Meeting Familiar Faces

The enjoyment from playing Super Mario Galaxy following long gap is having already met some of its characters. I was unaware Rosalina made her debut in this game, nor that she served as the caring guardian for Luma creatures. Before playing Super Mario Galaxy, to me she was just a frequent choice Mario Kart World roster option. Same with the Penguins, next to whom I appreciated aquatic sections during an early beach level.

Movement-Based Hurdles

The only real drag during this adventure in 2025 concerns movement inputs, utilized during acquiring, directing, and launching cosmic pieces, vibrant items distributed throughout stages. Operating in mobile format meant tilting and rotating the Switch around to direct, seeming somewhat awkward. Movement features feature heavily within various navigation areas, needing users to point the stellar pointer at surfaces to drag Mario to them.

Levels that wholly require movement inputs work better when played with the Joy-Cons detached improving control, such as the ray-riding stage during early game. I’ve never been supportive of gyroscopic gameplay, and they haven’t aged notably effectively throughout Galaxy. Thankfully, when acquiring adequate stars through different stages, these movement-based stages can be wholly skipped. I attempted the stage requiring Mario guiding a large sphere through a track containing openings, then immediately quit following single try.

Classic Nintendo Magic

Apart from the awkward motion-based input methods, there's hardly anything to complain about in Super Mario Galaxy, while its cosmic stages provide enjoyment to navigate. Even as standouts such as Odyssey launched later, Super Mario Galaxy stays among the finest and creative Mario adventures existing.