Finally, comet stars, on the other hand, can only be acquired when a special comet is passing by a galaxy. The comet’s passage has strange effects on the galaxy; it might speed up your enemies, limit your life to a single hit, force you to complete the level within a certain time limit, or even pit you against an evil Shadow Mario in a foot race. Most of these comets see you replaying one of the stars you’ve already acquired, so in a sense, this is the designers’ way of artificially extending the game length. However, the comets are strategically placed (one per major galaxy) such that each of the missions feels unique enough (and sometimes quite challenging). Besides, it beats Super Mario 64’s random 100-coin stars and Super Mario Sunshine’s countless blue coin scavenger hunts any day. (Later in the game you will revisit the levels one final time for another challenge, but it’s still much more exciting than any of the “filler” stars in 64 or Sunshine).
One property that is common to many 3-D platformers is their tendency to devolve into mere scavenger hunts—“collect-a-thons,” as they’re not-so-affectionately referred to (see: Star Fox Adventures, Super Mario Sunshine)—where the player searches seemingly endlessly for some widespread treasure in order to complete the game. The end result is a game that is fun to beat, but tedious to complete. Galaxy bravely dispatches this now-commonplace design shortcut and instead substitutes its comet challenges (which are, at least, unique and riveting) and a more limited (and cleverer) version of the 100-coin challenge. This makes for a game with very little filler and a strong sense of variety, all the way up until the very last star. Suffice it to say that, unlike with Super Mario 64, even most casual gamers will probably continue playing after collecting the requisite 60 stars and defeating Bowser. Few will probably make it all the way to 120, however, as gathering the last several stars is very challenging.
One final consideration that benefits Galaxy is a restoration of linearity throughout the game’s worlds. With the standardization of 3-D gaming came an unfair stigmatization of the idea of linearity in games; while it’s true that some games benefit heavily from nonlinear design, such an approach should not be unconditional. Most people equate modern 3-D platforming games with heavy exploration and nonlinearity, but that does not have to be the case—and Galaxy proves this. While it’s true that more exploration equals a lengthier play time, the emphasis on wandering around and keeping track of one’s steps doesn’t have to be a staple of the 3-D platformer. In a way that is somewhat more resemblant of two-dimensional Mario games, Galaxy’s design doesn’t allow for aimless wandering and “wrong” paths. It’s a game that celebrates its linearity by decorating the experience instead with the foundational elements of a great platformer. Even when you’re blasting around the galaxy from one launch star to the next, your previously-traveled paths are marked with a blue streak, a feature which takes the guesswork out of navigating the tangled networks of flight paths between the celestial bodies, and thus keeps the focus on action and platforming—the principles which made Mario a star to begin with.
Depth and Variety
The focus on these aforementioned foundational principles also includes an implied selection of new power-ups. Galaxy offers a number of interesting suits to help Mario on his quest, though none of them is anywhere nearly as widespread as, say, the ones found in Super Mario Bros. 3. Regardless, throughout the course of the game, Mario will don a Bee suit, tangle himself up inside of a spring, phase through walls as a ghost, walk on water while made of solid ice, spit fireballs, and… well, there’s one more suit as well that’s very cool (but terribly underutilized) that you’ll have to find for yourself. In similar fashion to Super Mario 64, normally when you find a power-up, you need to use it to progress—and all of the suits are timed as well, so you’ll have to use it quickly. Rarely are there any random supplemental power-ups, as seen in the older Mario games.
In addition to his power-ups, Mario will have to master many different styles of gameplay throughout his adventure. The sheer variety of activities in Galaxy is something that contributes greatly to its longevity. From one level to the next, you’ll nearly always encounter some sort of new idea or modification to the gameplay, whether it’s tackling two-dimensional gravity-based puzzles or platforming upside-down on a sinking tower. The gravity-based mechanics are twisted and squeezed in every conceivable way to produce a neverending supply of fresh ideas. Apart from these extraordinarily creative variations, there are even a few “mini-game” style levels during Mario’s adventure that have you using the Wii motion control to surf on the back of a manta ray, blow a bubble through a hazardous maze, or roll on a ball through a Monkey Ball-style obstacle course. Thanks to this rare assortment of truly diverse, top-notch gameplay permutations, Super Mario Galaxy stands with the select few action, adventure, and platforming titles that relentlessly tease the mind and arouse the senses, right up until the very end.