Super Mario Galaxy: Difference between revisions

Upon its release, ''Super Mario Galaxy'' was met with critical acclaim and commercial success. It received various awards and accolades, including from the {{wp|Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences}}, the {{wp|Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association}}, and the {{wp|British Academy of Film and Television Arts}}. It has sold 12.8 million copies, making it the ninth-best-selling Wii game.<ref name=sales>{{cite|author=[[Nintendo|Nintendo Co., Ltd.]]|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/software/wii.html|title=IR Information : Financial Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Wii Software|publisher=Nintendo Co., Ltd|date=31 Mar. 2020|accessdate=6 Mar. 2021}}</ref> It was rereleased in 2011 under the [[Nintendo Selects]] branding for having sold so well. It is one of the few Wii titles to have been [[Reissue#Ports|ported]] to the {{wp|Nvidia Shield TV}} console in 2018. A port of the game with upscaled graphics was included in ''[[Super Mario 3D All-Stars]]'' alongside ''Super Mario 64'' and ''Super Mario Sunshine'' on September 18, [[List of games by date#2020|2020]], to correspond with the [[Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary|35th anniversary]] of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]]).<ref name=3DAS>{{cite|author=[[Nintendo of America]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_UcjEq2Dgk|title=Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct|publisher=YouTube|date=3 Sep. 2020}}</ref> After its original release, a dedicated sequel, ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', was developed and released for the Wii on May 22, [[List of games by date#2010|2010]].

Completing "[[The Fate of the Universe]]" after 120 Power Stars have been collected allows the player to replay the entire game as Mario's brother, [[Luigi]], who otherwise appears as a non-playable character that assists Mario. Luigi can jump higher than him but has worse traction, making him skid. He also runs slightly faster than Mario but takes longer to reach top speed. Luigi loses air faster while underwater and loses a chunk of air every time he spins underwater. [[Cosmic Luigi]], one of the rival characters, is more challenging than Cosmic Mario, and Luigi receives twenty [[1-Up Mushroom]]s from Princess Peach instead of Mario's usual five (although if Luigi's life counter is too high, he only receives five). Outside of these changes, the storyline is almost completely unchanged and even includes the original NPC Luigi, who will now react with confusion at seeing a copy of himself. When the player collect 120 Power Stars and replays "The Fate of the Universe", [[Grand Finale Galaxy]] becomes available for both Mario and Luigi, allowing the 121st Power Star to be collected by each of them.

|Phase through walls in Boo form

*"'''Boss galaxies'''" that each contain one mission. They feature linear obstacle courses that lead to a boss battle. Half of them involve [[Bowser Jr.]], either directly or as the inciter for another boss (such as [[Megaleg]] or [[King Kaliente]]) to face Mario. The other half feature [[Bowser]] himself. With the exception of the Garden, each dome contains one boss galaxy and it is always on the dome's outermost ring. These galaxies have the highest or second-highest Power Star threshold, and completing the mission in these galaxies is a criterion needed to unlock a subsequent dome and is required for game progression. The preview model in orbit resembles a bust of Bowser's head with glowing eyes. The boss galaxy in the Terrace is [[Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor]].

Certain galaxies can be accessed outside of the domes. With the exception of [[Gateway Galaxy]], these ones can also be categorized as mystery or boss galaxies. Most of them are unlocked by feeding [[Hungry Luma]]s a requested number of [[Star Bit]]s. These Lumas appear on the Comet Observatory once certain criteria are met within the dome galaxies (as seen in the chart below). There is a Hungry Luma associated with every dome, essentially functioning as an extra level for each one. A tiny house called the [[Gate (Super Mario Galaxy)|Gate]] rests on a grassy platform orbiting the observatory. It grants Mario access to Gateway Galaxy. This galaxy is the first level of the game, but it can only be revisited via the Gate once "[[King Kaliente's Spicy Return]]" is completed. Though it is not a dome, there is a Hungry Luma associated with it as well. A planetoid called the [[Planet of Trials]] orbits the observatory and has three galaxies of its own. It becomes reachable once all three of the secret [[Green Star|Green Power Star]]s have been collected. A Launch Star leading to [[Grand Finale Galaxy]] appears here after the player has collected 120 Power Stars as both [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]]. [[Bowser's Galaxy Reactor]] is only reachable by speaking to [[Rosalina]] after 60 Power Stars have been collected.

There are 42 dedicated galaxies in the game. Of this total, 15 are robust galaxies, 20 are mystery galaxies, and 6 are boss galaxies. If the Comet Observatory, its [[Library (Super Mario Galaxy)|library]], and its domes are considered individual levels, then the true total number is 50. Some galaxies have tiny otherworldly subareas reached via [[Warp Pipe|pipes]] that contain an interactive side objective. If each of these areas were to be considered levels as well, then the true number is even higher. The chart below lists the galaxies of the game roughly as they are listed on the Star List. Each galaxy is given a brief description, an in-game screenshot, and a list of their missions. There is a legend at the bottom of the chart detailing what the symbols used in it represent.

|align=center|[[File:SMG Screenshot Bars.png|100x100px]][[File:SMG Screenshot Wall.png|100x100px]]<br> [[bars (Boo Mario)|Bars]] / Crystal

|Mario is transformed into a [[Boo]] when he touches the Boo Mushroom. Shaking {{button|wii|wiimote}} makes Boo Mario become intangible for five seconds, enabling him to phase through walls. Continuously pressing {{button|wii|A}} makes Boo Mario hover, and he can read signs written in "Booish". Enemy Boos become infatuated with Boo Mario and pursue him. Receiving damage or making contact with a light source makes Mario lose the power-up.

|Bowser's flying ships. Enemies patrol the decks. Some are equipped with cannons that fire hazardous projectiles.

===Out of bounds in Freezeflame Galaxy===

The game invokes feelings of isolation and sadness through its [[#Setting|outer space setting]]. Most [[galaxy|galaxies]] are enveloped by vast, dark skies pierced by stars and distant suns. There are story scenarios, [[mission]]s, locations, and musical queues interlaced in the game that intentionally draw attention away from its more vigorous, joyful elements to focus on the dispassionate coldness of space, amplifying [[Mario]]'s relative insignificance to a vast, endless universe. Video essayist Jacob Geller notes that these conditions give the player a moment to decompress after action-orientated gameplay and foster contemplativeness. Such conditions are interpreted as existentialistic and sad,<ref name=nitrorad/> but not despairing.<ref name=geller/><ref name=kim/><ref name=webb/> Grace Benfell of ''{{wp|GameSpot}}'' describes the evoked feeling as an "existential, joyful melancholy."<ref name=benfell/>

Benfell also comments on the the integration of [[Luma]]s in the game.<ref name=benfell/> The childlike creatures are predestined to become celestial bodies at the end of their life cycles. The objects Mario directly interacts with are implied (and sometimes even directly demonstrated) to have once been Lumas themselves, with [[Launch Star]]s having once been yellow Lumas, [[Pull Star]]s once blue ones, and so on. As a gameplay mechanic, [[Hungry Luma]]s permanently transform into wholly new planets and [[Galaxy|galaxies]] once fed a requested number of [[Star Bit]]s. These planets are instantaneously lush with flora and sometimes already bear communities of [[#Non-playable characters|people]] and [[#Enemies and obstacles|creatures]] living on them. As Benfell argues, this mechanic implies ''everything'' in the game, from whole worlds to animals to small objects, are "made" out of Lumas.<ref name=benfell/> This interpretation is confirmed directly in the game.<ref>{{cite|quote=The Luma that's been traveling with you may also grow up to become a star someday. Some Lumas become planets...some become comets...and a few become Power Stars.|author=[[Rosalina]] during "[[Gateway's Purple Coins]]"|title=''Super Mario Galaxy'' by [[Nintendo EAD Tokyo]]|format=North American Localization|publisher=[[Nintendo of America]]|date=12 Nov. 2007|accessdate=Retrieved 4 Jan. 2024}}</ref> The cycle of rebirth in Lumas likely derives from the {{wp|Stellar evolution|life cycle of real stars}} and the knowledge that the majority of {{wp|Chemical element#Origin of the elements|elements}}, including all the ones that make up living things, were created and distributed across the universe by dying stars.<ref>{{cite|author=Melina, Remy|url=https://www.livescience.com/32828-humans-really-made-stars.html|title=Are we really all made from stars?|publisher=Live Science|date=15 June 2023}}</ref> Benfell equates transformation with death, an often negative theme in art. However, she elaborates that it is in dying that new life comes to be, including newborn Lumas, so it is an essential component to how the universe functions in an {{wp|Entropy|entropic}} cycle of continuous rebirth.<ref name=benfell/>

''Super Mario Galaxy'' was not the first video game to integrate spherical worlds that pan under the player character's feet. However, it is often the ''{{wp|de facto}}'' example of spherical world design, with games that touch upon similar concepts often likened to ''Super Mario Galaxy'', even if they were published before it. That being said, few games have even attempted to integrate the 3D spherical world design of ''Super Mario Galaxy''. From [[Nintendo]] themselves, ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' was the last game to incorporate those types of levels.<ref name=phillips/> In 2008, {{wp|Fantawild}} published a derivative {{wp|Counterfeit consumer good|knockoff}} for the Chinese market titled ''Duludubi Star'' that includes spherical worlds.<ref>{{cite|author=DidYouKnowGaming|date=29 Feb. 2020|title=China's Super Mario Galaxy Rip-Off - Region Locked ft. @ashens|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbKc7-sW1Ds|publisher=YouTube}}</ref> [[Rosalina]] was proposed as a new playable character in the earliest phases of ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U]]'', explicitly with the desire to replicate the {{wp|Game feel|feel}} of ''Super Mario Galaxy'' in her aerial movements.<ref>{{cite|author=djmurr and PushDustIn, translators|title="Image Transcriptions of Project Proposal for Smash for Wii U/3DS"|url=https://sourcegaming.info/2015/07/04/english-smash4-project-proposal-slides/|publisher=Source Gaming|date=4 Jul. 2015|accessdate=28 Apr. 2023}}</ref> The game has been cited as a source of inspiration for ''{{wp|Armillo}}'' (2014),<ref>{{cite|author=McFerran, Damien|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/01/developer_interview_fuzzy_wuzzy_games_talks_armillo_and_developing_for_the_wii_u_eshop|title=Developer Interview: Fuzzy Wuzzy Games Talks Armillo And Developing For The Wii U eShop|publisher=Nintendo Life|date=18 Jan. 2013|accessdate=6 Jul. 2023}}</ref> ''{{wp|Gravity Ghost}}'' (2015),<ref>{{cite|author=Hamilton, Kirk|title=A Fresh Look At ''Gravity Ghost'', The Little Indie ''Mario Galaxy'' That Could|url=https://kotaku.com/a-fresh-look-at-gravity-ghost-the-little-indie-mario-g-514116801|date=18 Jun. 2013|publisher=Kotaku}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Game Developer Staff|title=7 examples of great game physics that every developer should study|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-examples-of-great-game-physics-that-every-developer-should-study|date=20 Apr. 2016|publisher=Game Developer}}</ref> ''{{wp|Gears 5}}'' (2019),<ref>{{cite|author=Sinclair, Brendan|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/rod-fergusson-keynote|title=Making Gears of War click for more than the hardcore|publisher=GamesIndustry.biz|date=19 Nov. 2019|accessdate=28 Apr. 2023}}</ref> ''{{wp|Solar Ash}}'' (2021),<ref>{{cite|author=Wood, Austin|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/solar-ash-lives-up-to-its-dumb-elevator-pitch-of-super-mario-galaxy-meets-shadow-of-the-colossus/|title=Solar Ash lives up to its "dumb elevator pitch" of Super Mario Galaxy meets Shadow of the Colossus|publisher=GamesRadar+|date=15 Sept. 2021|accessdate=28 Apr. 2023}}</ref> and ''[[Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope]]'' (2022).<ref>{{cite|author=Deschamps, Marc|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/mario-rabbids-sparks-of-hope-david-soliani-interview-nintendo-switch/|title=Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Director David Soliani Reveals Inspirations, Nintendo's Limits, and More|publisher=ComicBook.com|date=27 Oct. 2022|accessdate=28 Apr. 2023}}</ref>

''Super Mario Galaxy'' was ported to the {{wp|Nvidia Shield TV}} microconsole and digitally distributed on March 22, 2018, exclusively in China.<ref name=shield/> It was the first of six Wii games to be made available on the Nvidia Shield TV. It remained available for download until late 2021, when all Wii games were removed from the Shield. The game was {{wp|Porting|ported}} to the console, enabling it to run at {{wp|1080p}}. Sprites and textures were upscaled to match the higher-definition display. Inputs have been modified for the more conventional Shield controller, which cannot track motion like the Wii Remote can (see [[#Controls|above]]). Unused assets present in the data of the Wii release were removed. The game was officially localized into Chinese (Simplified Chinese) by [[iQue]]. As the Shield does not support [[Mii]]s, they are not available for save file icons in this version of ''Super Mario Galaxy''.<ref name=brian>{{cite|author=Chinese Nintendo [@chinesenintendo]|url=https://twitter.com/chinesenintendo/status/977408083176509441|title=Super Mario Galaxy (Nvidia Shield) screenshots. Images provided by @brian02031|publisher=Twitter|date=24 Mar. 2018|accessdate=15 Mar. 2021}}</ref> The copyright information displays "© 2007-2008 Nintendo". It is unclear what 2008 means in this context, but it potentially refers to the year ''Super Mario Galaxy'' was planned for release on the iQue Wii before the console failed to make its way into the Chinese market.<ref name=brian/>

*''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'': "[[Luigi and the Haunted Mansion]]" spoofs and subverts this title, with Mario rescuing Luigi from a [[Bouldergeist|powerful ghost]].