Super Mario Galaxy 2 has finally found a new home outside of Nintendo Wii.

With Nintendo’s recent phase of re-releasing their classic games from prior generations, it’s one of the few remaining stalwarts that just hadn’t had any sort of modern platform re-release, making it exceptionally expensive and rare.

And it was during one particular moment while playing that I realised something – I’d never played this before. For years, I’d convinced myself I had. While I knew I hadn’t owned it, I thought I’d borrowed from a friend and played through or rented it one time. Turns out, my mind’s been playing tricks on me all this time.

That’s absolutely wild, considering the original Super Mario Galaxy is one of my all-time favourite platformers. But it presented both a unique opportunity for this review, but also was an exciting delight for me because I got to experience this absolute gem for the very first time on Switch 2 in glorious looking 4K.

With my review of Super Mario Galaxy, I praised the visuals and the standard of control, but with Super Mario Galaxy 2, honestly, the standards are even higher. This game is all the more vibrant, refreshing, and it is full to the brim with creativity. I cannot quite believe how good and how much better it really is.

It’s also one hell of a challenge, how come nobody told me?

In all seriousness, it’s immense what Nintendo has been able to stuff into this sequel to make it feel just like its predecessor but also new, interesting and different. The big N even throws you right in at the deep end, putting you straight into the action right after the opening cut-scene and the first galaxy really presents some solid challenges that definitely made me sweat.

This shows they had so many more ideas they wanted to play with, from a giant puzzle box, to a side-scrolling, gravity infused platformer and then the bosses themselves each really test you in different ways, requiring correct positioning and timing, in addition to a bit of patience and skill.

But fundamentally, it’s the same as Super Mario Galaxy, in you’re collecting coins and star bits, as well as power stars at the end of each level, unlocking new planets to finally reach the Bowser family and restore balance to the galaxy. Though this time around your hub is your floating star station, which, sort of like before, gradually blossoms and blooms into something quite spectacular. Even if it is made in the shape of Mario’s head.

As you may know, SMG 2 is best-known for introducing Yoshi into the mix and this is both where the new game shines and dazzles, offering new ways to play, peppered throughout the game and done in a way that it’s not too much or too little. Though, using gyro, the new control scheme became a bit fiddly at times. Yoshi’s tongue requires you hold the cursor in place around the enemy or object you wish to latch onto, then you go around again and either consume or swing around. This did present me with a few fiddly moments and caused a few deaths when I couldn’t quite latch onto the right thing in heated moments, but it was also a combination of my own mistakes and learning the tricks of the trade.

Similarly to Super Mario Galaxy 1, I did also still have issues with control and camera at times, but nothing too extreme or upsetting that it dulled my enjoyment in any way. Far from it, in fact. And I do find myself in a bit of a sticky dilemna because, when I reviewed Super Mario Galaxy, I went in of the view it is one of my all-time favourite platformers. Now I’ve played Super Mario Galaxy 2, I’m inclined to think it is the better game, but I’m looking at it on a new platform and not as it was originally designed.

Regardless, I do appreciate the position I find myself in with this collection, because I can look at both games through different lenses and still appreciate each for what they are.

And ultimately, what Super Mario Galaxy 2 is is more the same. It tries new things with a winning formula, it gives players new characters and abilities to play around with and even new variations for Mario to mix up the gameplay, such as Cloud that lets you build three clouds at any one time and Drill Mario, which makes for some really clever level design as you look to move upwards and down through tunnels simultaneously.

While narratively the games aren’t massive departures, the structure of the game does feel different and SMG 2 is certainly the harder game, putting you against bosses time after time and really encouraging you to go off the beaten path to find hidden stars in challenging circumstances.

I actually love how direct Super Mario Galaxy 2 is compared to the original. It just gets to the meat of the game, going straight into the levels rather than trying to focus too much on story and in some ways, oddly feels like an enlarged expansion but developed into a full-blown sequel.

But the thing with both games that remains consistent is the wonder, enchantment and excitement you feel as you play. There always feels like there’s something new to explore and different to see, and for me personally, Super Mario Galaxy 2 surprised just as much as the predecessor, even playing it directly after and knowing much of SMG’s secrets.

And despite the need for motion control, Super Mario Galaxy 2 does also feel pretty good handheld, though it’s even trickier to manage Yoshi’s sections – and even some of the game’s trickier sections – when in the palm of your hands. For me, though, this feels at its best docked, in 4K, on Switch 2, really seeing the dazzling skies and sequences bright and vibrant.

Galaxy 2’s backgrounds are also more enriching and alive than Galaxy 1 with more cloud and star movement and things happening off in the distance. Enemies also feel more challenging out of the gate and you really feel the incremental development of that challenge as you move from level to level.

But the thing I found most incredible is no moment feels wasted. The game is generous in what it gives and shows you early, but equally it plays to its strengths and doesn’t feel the need to pad anything or slow down the action. In fact, it’s a game that constantly feels like it has new ideas to share and indeed it does, even though Galaxy 1 already was presenting the player with a lot of creativity.

It’s a true sequel in every sense of the word, but bigger, often times better and now on Switch 2, bolder and brighter than ever before. It feels like both a direct continuation and a new take at what’s been done before and it does a magnificent job of bringing the wider Mario cast into this vast, open-reaching galaxy and presents even more fun moments, cameos and sequences that are just as timeless as the first.

Having seen and felt that Galaxy 1 is still as good as the day I played it, I came away from Galaxy 2 all the more impressed at what was achieved all those years ago and was both annoyed at myself for taking all this time to play the game but also glad this was the first time I got to really experience it and understand how truly timeless this collection is.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an incredible followup that masterfully and expertly iterates and evolves what was done before and for that, makes the Switch 2 an even more natural home for the game, bar some control issues with the gyro with Yoshi and some of the other later moments.

And just a note on the music which is also some of the most wonderful and beautifully composed as I’ve ever heard. There’s something of a classic Sonic quality about it – the way each Zone just felt distinct and came alive in its own way, able to have an identity just through the sounds being made. I think Nintendo have done a remarkable job of that with Galaxy 2 (and 1, of course) and it really goes a long way to presenting the game in this wondrous way.

And while I wouldn’t have played it as originally intended, this version of the game also offers a brand new storybook mode which beautifully presents what story is there and does it in a fun, entertaining way as only Mario games can and will.

I have no idea where Nintendo take the plumber next for a new 3D adventure. Both of these games are absolute classics and Odyssey really took some of these ideas and ran with them even further, but it’s very clear to see how Mario was able to evolve from his 8 bit side-scrolling origins and place Nintendo as the benchmark for platforming quality. Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 are as enchanting and enriching as ever and really do present the magic of Mario as perhaps no other game in the series can or has.

Verdict

Super Mario Galaxy 2 somehow iterates upon what made its predecessor so great and arrives to the player with more fresh ideas, vast possibilities and an even greater challenge to test their skills. On Switch 2, it shines brighter than ever and at times, even rivals Super Mario Odyssey and Metroid Prime Remastered for quality, though gyro is tougher to get to grips with in this one, particularly when playing as Yoshi and prior control and camera issues do plague this as a bit as they did in the first. Still, Super Mario Galaxy 2 presents both the magic and wonder of the franchise moreso than perhaps any other Mario game has or ever will. 

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is out now on Nintendo Switch

Played on Nintendo Switch 2

Code kindly provided by Nintendo for review purposes