GamesRelay

Name: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is what a sequel should always be. It remains true to its origins, yet builds and refines on them to create something new. At first glance, this game looks just the same as its predecessor, but from the foundations up, so much has been changed and redesigned.

Mario platformers are hardly known for their stellar plots, and nothing here will change that notion. It begins with an interesting storybook aesthetic, running two dimensionally across two pages of a book, with the page flipping as you reach its edge. As you do this, you meet up with another Luma that gives you a spin ability, and you make it to the Mushroom Castle Town. Bowser is seen rampaging through the place, now at a gigantic size. As he spots Mario, he shows him the captive Princess Peach in his hand, and informs him that she will now bake him cakes instead, before jumping into space. Not a plot that would make Dickens blush, but gameplay, thankfully, is what's paramount.

Rather than travelling across a hub world like every other 3D Mario platformer, this has regressed back into the linear World Map seen in the first titles. Spread across six worlds, there are an absolute tonne of galaxies to explore. Most have only three Stars to be found in each, rather than the five or more in the comparatively meagre number of galaxies in the first game. While there's many more levels, they do have a tendency to repeat in theme. For example, there are two Boo/Ghost House-themed galaxies, two beehive-themed galaxies and so on.

Gameplay is almost identical to the last Wii offering. You go from galaxy to galaxy, and within, from planet to planet, overcoming obstacles, enemies, puzzles and bosses in order to claim that scenario's Star. Gathering enough Stars will give you access to more galaxies, eventually reaching Bowser's Castle at the end with more difficult platforming segments and a tough boss. It's a formula that hasn't changed in decades, and in many ways, it doesn't need to.

There are new power-ups and level design elements. Cloud Mario gets the most use, with the ability to walk on clouds as well as spin to create a maximum of three cloud platforms for reaching new heights or filling wide gaps. Rock Mario is also interesting, giving the ability to transform into a large ball capable of killing enemies and destroying obstacles. The previous power-ups also return, such as the Bee Suit and the ubiquitous Fire Flower.

Yoshi also makes a return, although his presence in the game is quite minimal. Using the pointer, Yoshi can highlight enemies to be snatched by his tongue, with a maximum of three at once. With certain objects, such as Bullet Bills, Yoshi will keep them in his mouth and can be aimed with the pointer and fired back at enemies or formally impenetrable structures. Overall, Yoshi never becomes more than a novelty, only showing up in a handful of galaxies. Other features include a bird upon which you glide through levels, not by direct analog stick control, but by twisting the Wii Remote in your hand. It works surprisingly well, but can also be a strain on your wrist if you attempt it too often.

One brutal new design element includes platforms that move about whenever you execute a spin. It's quite simple initially, jumping from differently-coloured platform to platform, spinning in mid-air, but with devious combinations of moving laser-fences, rolling Chomps, irregular placement of platforms, and green tiles that disappear after being stepped on once, they become nightmarishly difficult by the end of the game.

Yet this statement is also true of the whole experience, particularly from the last three Worlds, the galaxies therein become uncharacteristically difficult. While all Mario games had their challenging segments, it's only been in individual hidden areas, and not as the basic requirements to pass almost half of the game. Yet this is a good thing, as the challenge is very welcome from a Wii game, and there are elements in place to prevent players from becoming stuck. If you die a certain amount of times on a difficult section, a Cosmic Guide will appear next to your checkpoint. By interacting with this guide, the game will take control of Mario and complete the level for you. However, this isn't a free pass, as the Star that will be received will be bronze, rather than gold, giving you the ability to continue but not to complete the galaxy.

In the more difficult areas, there's usually always a 1-up Mushroom that can be picked up and will be replenished when you retry after dying. This begs the question though, why have lives in the first place? Since your accumulated life total resets to four every time you turn off the game, and 1-ups are rewarded at any difficult occasion, why have them at all? Lives are doled out constantly as some arbitrary prize, as part of timed challenges or games of chance, that they become essentially useless. So few games have a life system in present times, allowing you to retry without penalty, and this really illustrates that, despite how much of Nintendo's design is both experimental and fresh, it is also mired in its own unnecessary tradition.

Within each level, there is also a Comet Coin. While some are in plain view and others are hidden deep, once a certain number are collected, comet's will fall in galaxies you have already visited. By returning, you are given the option to compete in a special challenge to earn that comet's Star. What this challenge is depends entirely on the level, such as taking on a boss with only one unit of health, or collecting a certain amount of purple coins in a time limit. These are always more challenging than the galaxy's normal goals, which, in a game already announced to be difficult, is no small feat. These add greatly to the longevity of a complete playthrough, having to find each and every coin and comet, and prove to be a great test in dexterity and, most notably, patience.

Graphics haven't really been improved at all, remaining at the same lush, colourful experience as before. Character models do exude a lot of detail and personality though, and the smattering of cut-scenes don't disappoint. Yet sound is the real winner here, with another extraordinary performances by the Mario Galaxy Orchestra. The tones the music hits are as varied as the levels themselves, ranging from minimalistic to majestic, getting you thrilled in the lead-up to a boss fight and to tread lightly through a delicate winter vista. All pieces are performed superbly, with a startling clarity of sound that so few other game compositions compete, and is a delight to listen to again and again, no matter how often you repeat the levels.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is mostly the same great game as before, with new features and a lot more levels. Considering how great the last game was, this is only a good thing, and the challenge and wonderful ideas are all squarely in the game's favour. Its only real fault is the lack of ambition seen in the resurgence of its old ideas, even if they are complemented with new ones. Where Mario will go from here, is anyone's guess, but here's hoping he leaves space behind, fully explored and enjoyed.