IT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD
SUPER MARIO GLAXY 2007
WII • DESIGNER, PRODUCER
While
Super Mario Sunshine
tried to recapture the 3D brilliance of
Super Mario 64
, it was
Super Mario Galaxy
that really upped the ante for 3D platforming. The key concept here is that Mario mostly spends his time traversing micro-planets with their own gravitational pull, rather than traditional flat stages. Many worlds are comprised of chains of these planets, providing an element of linearity and focus that contrasts with the more open stages of previous 3D Mario games. It remains an astonishing platformer, full of creativity and clever suits for Mario that really take the genre in fresh and exciting directions. While the 2010 sequel improves on the original in several ways (including the introduction of Yoshi), it’s the sheer impact of the original that ensures its inclusion here. Super Mario Galaxy was re-released as part of Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the Switch in 2020.