Topic: Games You Recently Beat?

I just finished my first playthrough of Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Switch).

The level design was great as always and the regular controls felt really good most of the time. The soundtrack was stellar (although I do prefer the Big Band style used in 3D World) was a constant joy to hear. The gravity mechanic was inconsistent in its execution, with sidescroller sections using it excellently while 3D sections usually just resulted with the controls being messed up, with one frequent example being going forward on a planet only for the gravity to invert, causing Mario to just move in circles for no reason. I also was not a fan of the diving and Spring Mario sections, as the controls could be extremely finicky. The whole system of Galaxies being divided into 3 mini levels felt odd to me, and I think it would have been much better if each Galaxy was simply a small sandbox where you can find the 3-4 Power Stars. After playing Donkey Kong Bananza, it's admittedly hard to go back to usual Mario system of collectibles being used exclusively to progress to the next level, but that is a fairly minor complaint.

That may have been a lot of complaints, but overall I think the game is pretty good.

Enjoyment Score: 4/5
Execution Score: 3/5

Overall Score: 7/10

@UpsideDownRowlet Nice mini-review. I recently went back to Galaxy and I agree with pretty much all of your points (esp. the gravity and spring mechanics...I would also expand this to include a lot of the motion control-based minigames). I do disagree about the level structure though. I think the level structure is something that sets it apart from Odyssey and is one thing that the fans particularly appreciate about the game.

@Buizel @UpsideDownRowlet
Yeah, as good as Odyssey’s and Bananza’s structure of “get every collectible in the vicinity until you don’t feel like it anymore” can be, there’s something to be said about a level having a set beginning and end and everything revolving around that. Without that sense of structure that the Galaxy games and 3D World especially has, I don’t think the platforming itself is nearly as good as some of the best levels in those games. It’s telling that the part everybody especially enjoys about Bananza is the part near the end when it stops being about tearing through the level and embraces a more traditional 3D platformer linear setup.

@Buizel @JakedaArbok Don't get me wrong, I love linear 3D platformers. Super Mario 3D World is my favorite Mario game and Kirby and the Forgotten Land is my favorite Switch game. Also, I'm not a big fan of Mario Odyssey, even though so many people love it. I also totally agree that Bananza was at its best when it embraced a more linear setup.

My problem with Super Mario Galaxy's levels is that many levels felt repetitive during early parts of the stage, as most Galaxy's had one area for all 3 levels to start at. Throw in Prankster Comets and Hungry Luma planets, and it feels like I'm needlessly going through the same area over and over again. I may have phrased it wrong by calling what I wanted a 'sandbox', but I think all 3 levels in a Galaxy should have been fused together rather than be distinct levels. Furthermore, the Power Stars should have been more like usual collectibles that don't end the level (something like the collectibles in newer 2D Marios and 3D Land/World). I can't think of a game that's a good analog for what I'm imagining, so sorry if it's difficult to understand.