In 2020 for Mario’s 35th anniversary, Nintendo released Super Mario 3D All-Stars for a limited time. That time frame was a point of contention amongst fans as was the fact that the compilation did not include Super Mario Galaxy 2. Now, here we are on Marko’s 40th anniversary and even though the 3D All-Stars collection isn’t available again, you can now pick up Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 either standalone or together!
The first Super Mario Galaxy came out in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii. It was Mario’s first big adventure since Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube, and boy oh boy did the game deliver the goods. The space setting and gravity mechanics added a giant of fluidity to his moment that managed to stay true to Marko’s traditional precision platforming while also being free and liberating. To be able to long jump and circle around planetoids allowed for new kinds of challenges, all set to the series’ first orchestral soundtrack. It was also the introduction of Rosalina to the series, a princess who has become a staple and fan favorite ever since.
In 2010 Super Mario Galaxy 2 was released and represented something that was not “normal” for mainline Mario games at the time. Galaxy 2 was more of an expansion of the previous game as opposed to a reinvention with different ideas. This hasn’t really been done in the series since the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES and its Japanese only release of Super Mario Bros. 2. We would eventually get that game as The Lost Levels on the Super Nintendo. That makes Super Mario Galaxy 2 effectively its own “lost levels” kind of game except deeply expanded and made to be fun, not just difficult. Even though it is indeed a step up in difficulty from its predecessor.
The only contentious part of the release for people may be the price point. If you want to download the games separately, you can do so for $39.99 a piece on the Switch eshop right now. If you want a physical copy of the two games, it’ll run you $69.99. That’s a good amount of change either way, especially if You’re a physical collector who already has Super Mario Galaxy on the switch as part of the 3D All-Star pack. Now you’re effectively paying double to get one extra game.
At the very least you can console yourself by remembering that these games are pretty darn amazing.
