Analysis

Super Mario Galaxy is one of the bestselling games exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Now, Mario and the Wii always seems to be taken lightly in both of their fields, but this game destroys expectation before you even begin to star the first level. If you ever played a Mario game before this one you would expect bright colors and uplifting music, but trust me when I say Super Mario Galaxy is dark game.

The Story begins as you (Mario) receives a letter from Princess Peach, "Dear Mario, I'll be waiting for you at the castle on the night of the Star Festival. There's something I'd like to give you. From Peach" You begin to walk through the town on your way towards the castle as you see local townspeople (The Toads) and shooting stars from the night sky crash on the earth, creating Star Bits. But, all goes to Hell once you reach the center of the town.

Browser's Airships come flying in as they shot fiery cannon balls at the town, leaving nothing but destruction and rubble. Not only cannon balls, the Airships also fires magical spells that when come in contact with the Toads freezes them in a prison of crystal. Fire and smoke surrounds Mario as he race for the castle. The Airships begin to surround the castle. Fear and disbelief consume the emotions of the Princess as she holds Mario's gift; a baby Luma (a star shaped being).

Bowser approaches Peach by the bow of the Airship, saying "Princess Peach! You are formally invited...to the creation of my new galaxy! This festival is over!" With lightning expelling from his hands, the sky becomes even darker as he summons a UFO. You see the reflection of the UFO in the eye of the princess, with a absolute feeling of hopelessness.

You now run to the castle as cannon balls are being shot at you, leaving only fire behind you. You cross the bridge for the castle as Peach screams "Help me!" over and over. You reach the castle steps, but UFO hovering over the castle fires lasers in a circle, making the castle the center. The castle shakes, making Peach and Mario trip. Four Airships strike the castle grounds with chains, ripping it out of the very earth. The castle floats higher and higher as it reaches space. Peach screams, "Mario!"

Before he can even stand up, Kamek (Bowser's Koopa Wizard) approaches Mario saying, "So long! Enjoy your flight!" Shooting an explosive spell at Mario, leaving him to float in space. Peach screams, "Mario!" one last time before the castle completely disappears by a cloud of explosive electricity, sending it to an unknown area of the universe.

Like I said, this is a dark game, and for the majority of the time it stays in this mood. Granted, Princess Peach has been kidnapped several times before, but you never actually see how she's kidnapped. And with this game it's very dark and devastating to see it firsthand. To witness something as tragic as this, it's not enough to call it a kidnapping, this is a full on terrorist attack.

Bowser's primary intent and purpose was to kidnap the Princess, as he always dose to follow the formula of the franchise. But, he adds insult to injury, as he destroys the town, imprisons the Toads, and takes the castle as well, giving you the most climactic introduction you might ever see; and for a children's game none the less.

Appearance in game-play is not the only thing that sets the mood, the music also plays a huge factor as it tells you how you should to feel when going through a level. And the first level music dose this perfectly, after experiencing one of the most tragic events in the Mario series.

Now, after you fall off the castle, Mario lands on a small planet inhabited by three Lumas that have taken on the shape of Star Bunnies. After catching the three Star Bunnies, you will meet Princess Rosalina (she watches over the Lumas, and she provides you the levels via her Observatory). She gives you the help of a Luma (granting you the spin ability).

To me, this does not count as the first level. The first level starts immediately after, when tone changes dramatically because of the change in music. And the feeling I got when listening to it was like no other. To describe what the music meant to me, it was saying "You are a hero now. There is no one else in the universe but you that could handle a task as epic as this. You are the last hope in all of the cosmos that can save the princess." To hear something like this, after seeing a tragedy that said all hope is lost, it gives you a feeling that there's still hope, and you are that hope.

This felling of hope is spread through the game very well, and is illustrated phenomenally with your final battle with Bowser, as hope intertwines with the feeling of satisfaction. Hearing the music as bowser fires his lethal attacks on to you, you realizes that this is what you have been training for. The time to end this nightmare is now. You'll finally get to defeat the Galactic Emperor, rescue the Princess, and make everything right with the world...no...the universe.

This game tells an amazing story from start to finish, but if you were to complete enough levels, you can go to the library (located at the observatory) and read Princess Rosalina's Storybook, reveling Rosalina's origin story. In itself, this book can stand on its own, giving you a sad but heartwarming story (it made me cry at the grown age of eighteen; did I mention this game is for children?), showing you who Rosalina truly is and what she's been through.

Realize that this is no other Mario, and that you will have a gaming experience like no other when you pick up the controller. Zero gravity game-play, stunning visual effects, beautifully orchestrated music, and a dynamic story line awaits you when you play Super Mario Galaxy.

Super Mario Galaxy. [Computer software]. (2007). Kyoto, Japan: Nintendo.

Koji, K. (2007). Egg Planet. On Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack. [CD].

Mahito, Y. (2007). Battle for The Grand Star. On Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack. [CD].

Intro - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHtIqeL2130
Egg Planet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhX1eG4RPW4
Battle for The Grand Star - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzjIaBy7GEQ
Rosalina's Storybook - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG9r4sR0ZIo