Five reasons why ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ is (perhaps) the best platformer ever.
A few days ago our fellow guest Sacha Fuentes gave us his detailed impressions about the recently published ‘Super Mario Galaxy’, but now that I’ve also had the opportunity to travel from planetoid to planetoid controlling the mustachioed plumber, I would like to give a few notes on the title.
And it is that much has been said about the extraordinary notes it has received, which came to place it as the best valued game in history according to GameRankings, thus surpassing the legendary ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’. In the end, the large amount of analysis has put it in second place with 97.5%, one tenth below Link’s premiere on Nintendo 64.
This places it as the best platforms in history, surpassing, among others, the unforgettable ‘Super Mario 64’. But, is this adventure really worthy of such a qualifier? Well, in the modest opinion of the undersigned, yes. Naturally, such a statement must be accompanied by compelling reasons to support it, and that is why I am here. These are the five reasons why I consider ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ to be the best platform game ever:
1) Extraordinary level design
Without a doubt, it is the great strength of the game, and the one that differentiates it from the rest of its competitors, putting it one point above the rest. When I had only seen images and videos of the title, the biggest question that haunted me was whether this system of small levels, compared to the huge screens to explore that we found in its predecessors, was not going to mean a loss of depth. But quite the opposite!
Even the smallest of asteroids has infinite possibilities throughout its surface, and the fact of being able to rotate around them adds a new playable dimension that until now has not been seen in any title. The care and intelligence with which each one of them is designed is one real challenge after another, each one more fun.
2) In variety is taste
But of course, the fact that these stars were well designed would not do much good if, in the long run, they all ended up being the same. However, you can be sure that this is not something we have to worry about in the least, because each new planet, no matter how tiny, is a true exercise of creativity that is presented to us, to continue surprising us for many hours game that we carry.
From the inside of a gigantic glass capsule that perfectly reflects the light that surrounds it, to a planet whose floor is made of cake-making molds that do not stop moving, forcing us not to be able to stand for even a thousandth of a second to avoid falling into the empty, the crazy variety of situations that we will have to face has no equal.
3) Taking care of even the smallest detail
‘Super Mario Sunshine’ was already an extraordinarily detailed title, giving Delfino Island a multitude of minutiae that gave it a remarkable sense of life. However, that level of detail has been taken to the maximum with this essential Wii title, thereby marking the difference between a great game and a masterpiece.
Each planet in each galaxy has elements that clearly differentiate it from the rest, plaguing them with winks that will make you smile at the very least, and that in some cases will leave you speechless. Watching the sun set on a huge distant planet that acts as a wallpaper while we jump on the head of a random goomba is quite a sight.
4) A control as God intended
The bizarre design of some levels makes you think that it will be literally impossible to beat them when you first see them, no matter how well you do. However, Nintendo has designed a control of millimeter precision that does not show the slightest weak point, and that makes us put Mario exactly where we want, all seasoned with cameras that hardly fail even despite how difficult we get to put it on. going round and round a planet.
But not only that, but this control perfectly combines the classic gameplay of a good platform with the new Wii control. Many companies are making the mistake with the Wiimote of thinking that it is enough to replace the function of a button with a movement of the control to adapt a game to Wii, but that does not work. ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ is a demonstration of how things should be done with this controller.
5) The reinvention of the classic
In the end, the key is that, as much as these impressively original levels or these playable novelties surprise us, the feeling of playing a traditional ‘Mario’ does not disappear for a second. And I am not just referring to the use of the typical high-pitched voices and the gathering of stars, but to the charisma that emerges from each of the corners of this galaxy.
I probably can’t unseat ‘Super Mario 64’ in our hearts from a nostalgic point of view, but make no mistake that this ‘Galaxy’ outperforms the pioneer of third-dimensional platforms on practically every point. Without a doubt, a game for which a Wii is worth buying, and of course one that all its users should acquire.
Official site | Super mario galaxy
