This year is the 40th anniversary of everybody’s favorite video game plumber Mario so fans will likely be wanting something new to play to celebrate. While Nintendo doesn’t have a new 3D Mario ready (due to the Mario Odyssey team having worked on Donkey Kong Bananza) they are prepared with some older titles getting a face lift. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are two of the greatest 3D platformers of all time and Nintendo has just released a new Nintendo Switch version of both of them to help curb the appetite of Mario fans. Here is my review of these titles after playing them on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 can be bought separately or as a bundle and both are technically Nintendo Switch titles and not Nintendo Switch 2 titles. That said, both of them do have enhancements when played on the Nintendo Switch 2 which I’ll get into later in the review. This is actually the second time Super Mario Galaxy has been released on the Nintendo Switch as it was in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars Collection that released for a limited time a few years ago. If you played it back then there isn’t a ton of reasons to buy it again but this is the first time Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been playable since it first released on the Nintendo Wii.
Since both of these games released on Nintendo’s motion control console, one may be concerned about how they play on the Switch or Switch 2 but I’m happy to say they both play great. Whether playing in handheld mode, on the TV with the Joy-Cons, or on the TV with the Pro Controller I had a great experience each way. Pointing and using the gyro controls feels responsive and natural on the Switch 2 and being able to tap on the touch screen to collect star bits works great too when in handheld mode. Nintendo has also added some helpful new features like Assist Mode which grants extra health and helpful checkpoints. The only issues I encountered were some odd camera angle instances that were present in the originals as well. It’s a product of the time but thankfully they are just minor instances that didn’t affect my enjoyment much.
If you haven’t played these games you are getting two of the best designed platformers ever made. Having Mario be able to navigate around 3D spherical objects opened up all kinds of fun new design opportunities that even today feels pretty unique. There were all kinds of fun new costumes and power-ups to use too like Bee Mario which can glide and land on flowers, Rock Mario which lets you roll around, and Cloud Mario which lets you spawn clouds to use as platforms. The second game sees the introduction of Yoshi which brought even more fun powers with things Yoshi could eat to turn him into a floating blimp or make him faster.
When it comes to what Nintendo did to improve these games visually here is what you got. I played both of these on the Nintendo Switch 2 where they run at 4K resolution when played docked on the TV and at 1080p when played in handheld. I mostly played on the big screen and both games look very good. Not only has the resolution been improved but many textures have as well with some very noticeable improvements in some areas. That said, there are still other textures in places that don’t look good and quite a few shadows in areas don’t have great draw distance on them causing some very apparent pop-in. The cutscenes also look quite dated which was a bit of a bummer. Both games have still never looked better but when these are priced at $40 each I expect a bit more considering how much care we see other studios take with their remasters/remakes.
While I would’ve liked to see a new 3D Mario for this anniversary, getting to jump back into both Super Mario Galaxy titles was a nice way to celebrate it nonetheless. Despite their age both of these titles still stand out thanks to their timeless level design and cool mechanics. They’ve both never looked better and the controls have transitioned well to the Nintendo Switch regardless of which mode you play it in. When I compare it to some other remakes/remasters though I can’t help but feel more care could’ve been put into them both visually and in terms of maybe adding some kind of bonus content especially given the asking price.
*Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch. Review code provided by Nintendo for this review.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2
$69.99
Pros
- Still two of the best most well designed platformers
- Helpful new additions like Assist mode
- Graphics have gotten a nice touch up
- Controls well in every configuration
Cons
- Cutscenes and some textures look dated
- Camera gets wonky sometimes
- Very light on new content
