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weirdmarioenemies · 9 months

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I am still ranking the Super Mario Galaxies and none of you can stop me

Hello! Thanks for your patience. It's time to get back to ranking all of the Super Mario Galaxies. There is nothing to be afraid of. If you are afraid, we will look together.

I'm still ranking the A-tier galaxies this week, since there are a lot of them and I couldn't fit them all in the previous post. If you want to read the series from the start, look here, and also here's a link to the post with all the B-tiers, for completion's sake.

We have fifteen more galaxies to rank today, so prepare for liftoff! All rankings are under the cut!

35. Slipsand Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

We're starting off today with the other desert galaxy! The better desert galaxy. Yeah, you heard me! Dusty Dune Galaxy fans are in shambles, except I'm not sure if that's a Hot Take at all because I don't know what the general fan consensus on all the Super Mario Galaxies is anyhow.

If you may recall from my previous rankings, my general take on Dusty Dune Galaxy boiled down to "I like it, it has pretty consistently solid missions, but the theming is a bit generic for my liking." But as I stated, it's not that "desert" is a bad theme, just that I felt that Dusty Dune didn't do anything particularly interesting with that theme. While Slipsand Galaxy does still have a little bit of that desert mismatch I chided in my Dusty Dune review, I think the much stronger emphasis on a "desert ruins" theme ends up making it feel a lot stronger.

Heck, this might be one of the few times where a galaxy from the sequel wins points for atmosphere over the first game! I really, really love the skybox in this one, with threateningly huge towers looming over the horizon everywhere you look, with bits of space peeking out from in-between. Again, theming isn't everything, but it can contribute a lot more to a galaxy's experience than you might expect.

But to be fair, the missions in this galaxy are pretty great too! Stuff like the room where the gravity changes so you're always walking on the walls, the return of the Sand Bird (albeit a more compact version), the somewhat tricky sand slide with all the Rhomps, and the Squizzard boss fight all come together to make a galaxy that is as fun as it is stylish. A great galaxy all around!

34. Hightail Falls Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

This galaxy serves as the introduction of the Dash Pepper, and I think it's a pretty great time! The dash pepper gives you extreme speed in exchange for being really difficult to control, and I think this galaxy does a really good job showing that off. I think that once again, I love the optional challenges they put here, with more rewarding routes generally having more obstacles. Sure, you can just take the straight path, but then how are you supposed to gather all the coins you need for the Hungry Luma star?

The galaxy's obstacles also escalate really well, with the walls Yoshi has to climb gradually gaining more turns with more walls to bump into and knock you off clean. Generally there's enough ground to fall back on that it's not too unforgiving, but since you have to clear them to grab the star, the galaxy's making sure you know how to control this vehicle (dinosaur) that is speeding out of control!

As a side-note, I really love the Penguru easter egg on this galaxy. There's not really any rewards (besides a chat with our good friend Penguru) but it's a fun little bonus for anyone who knows where to look!

33. Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

You know, the E3 2009 trailer of this game showed a clip of the airships appearing out of the portals from a cool angle, and I so badly wanted to use that as the picture for this galaxy, but I wasn't able to find a high-quality picture of that, which is a shame.

Doesn't change the fact the galaxy is still pretty cool! This one's mostly an autoscroller, but I've never really minded autoscrollers personally, and this one is fun in how it makes you multitask, often having to mix platforming with dodging projectiles, all while needing to hold a Bullet Bill in Yoshi's mouth to break the glass cages in your way. And they break up the autoscrolling just often enough that it rarely feels like it drags to me, which I think helps this mission a lot.

And that boss fight! Even though I spent most of Megahammer's post talking about how it looks like it has boobs -- because it does and I stand by that, the boss fight is still really fun, making good usage of the Bullet Bill mechanics and multitasking utilized throughout the rest of the level.

It's one of the trickier bosses in the series (even if still not that hard, I don't know if any of the Galaxy bosses are), mostly due to how getting one hit from Megahammer throws you off your Yoshi, causing him to panic a bit. In hindsight, I don't know if the Daredevil run is really necessary here, a Time Attack mission might have been more unique. Or they could've given Megahammer a bra. I still stand by that part of my post, also. Hire me, Nintendo! Put my bad ideas in your games!

Either way, this is a pretty fun galaxy with a pretty great boss at the end! Thumbs up from me!

32. Upside Dizzy Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

I mentioned in the last post how much I love these gravity walls, right? Well I love these gravity walls a lot. They're a fun mechanic that ties in nicely with this series' gravity mechanics, and make for fun 2D platforming segments! And while the first game had a few segments built around them, the sequel took the opportunity to build full galaxies around them, which I am more than happy about!

I consider the two galaxies that utilize them to this extent about equal in quality (take a wild guess now what #31 is gonna be) but for the sake of this list, I have to like one slightly less than the other, and unfortunately, after thinking it through, Upside Dizzy ended up losing out. Which is weird, given I usually prefer the later "harder" versions of missions... oh well!

But I mean, it's a tight race, because Upside Dizzy has a lot going for it. Having moving strips with different gravity from everything around them makes for some fun platforming challenges, and I really, really love the segment at the end where the gravity of the backdrop changes in time with the music, and you have to plan around it accordingly. I wonder if this galaxy would outdo Rightside Down if that bit was a bit longer, or the whole galaxy's gimmick? It probably would, but since it's not, at least we get to hear these galaxies' great music for a little longer.

And since this is the first galaxy we're talking about that largely highlights this gimmick, know that I'd love to see them bring it back in future titles! Unlike the Flip-Swap tiles and Beat Blocks, they were largely absent from the 3D place games (which makes sense, given well,) but they made a welcome comeback in a few places in Mario Odyssey, and all I'm saying is I wouldn't mind if they got used a bit in Super Mario Bros. Wonder as well...

31. Rightside Down Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

whoa. didn't see that one coming.

Jokes aside though, I like Rightside Down Galaxy about as much as Upside Dizzy Galaxy for pretty much the same reasons: I just love this gimmick a lot and I'm always happy to see a mission built around it!

And Rightside Down Galaxy uses this mechanic for a lot of fun platforming, though that's sort of to be expected for any galaxy that uses this mechanic. I especially love the bit pictured above, where you have to run through a long hallway of Thwomps with a gravity flip in the middle, though the bits where you have to jump between moving platforms in different gravity is pretty neat, and I really love the bits where you get to flip the gravity yourself, experiencing the level from a couple different perspectives. Maybe not as cool as the timed-to-the-beat iteration in Upside Dizzy, but still pretty cool.

Ultimately what gives Rightside Down the edge to me is I think it feels like it has a little more variety. Stuff like the Thwomps and Chomps, the Fire Flower segments, and the brief top-down segment all make for fun changes of pace throughout the level, making it feel like they're showing off a bit more of what can be done with this mechanic. Still, I consider these two really close, and I went back and forth on which is higher when making this list.

If there's one thing I think we can all agree on though, it's that the bonus missions where you have to destroy crates with a Fire Flower are kinda lame. Not as frustrating as the versions with the bombs from the first game, but also not as interesting. Given how little of these galaxies those missions take up though, I'm willing to let them slide when compared to the really fun main missions.

30. Buoy Base Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

As I've mentioned in many of the previous posts, most of the small, one-off galaxies from the first game are pretty forgettable and not especially fun, but there's a handful of exceptions, and Buoy Base is absolutely one of them, and I think the developers knew that too, because they put one of the game's three Green Stars in this one, and also gave it a top-notch soundtrack. And honestly, I think that was the right call. I don't know if Buoy Base is elaborate enough to sustain more than a couple missions, but it's definitely cool enough to deserve a little more love than most of the weird one-offs in this game.

While my gripes with these games' water physics aren't completely absent here, I do think luring the Torpedo Teds to destroying the weights can occasionally feel a little tedious, I think the platforming that follows more than makes up for it. I love how it feels to gradually climb up this tower while avoiding its numerous obstacles, particularly the part where you have to line up a Spring Topman right to get the height you need, that part is really nifty.

I also really love the part where you have to collect the Pull Star Chips around a bunch of moving platforms, given how they intersect each others' paths and often need good reflexes to navigate. Again, you kinda know Nintendo had a hit with this one with how much they'd revisit pieces of it elsewhere, with a similar segment to the top of the tower showing up in Melty Molten Galaxy, and a familiar-looking tower making an appearance in the sequel's Space Storm Galaxy.

Buoy Base Galaxy might not be one of the most elaborate galaxies in these games, but for the brief time you're there, it's sure to provide a very memorable experience.

29. Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

The last Bowser Jr. galaxy in the series is also going to be the last Bowser Jr. galaxy we review, on account of I Like It Quite A Lot! Talk about going out with a bang! Or... a boom.

The Boom Bunker brings back the gimmick from the Airship Armada in the first game, where you launch yourself out of cannons from planet to planet, but here I think it's executed a bit better. Having the targets to hit, where getting a bullseye gives a 1-Up, adds a bit of a fun optional challenge that always feels rewarding when you pull it off, even though 1-Ups are admittedly never in short demand in this game. I also love that they progressively make this more challenging, later adding mines to avoid, adding an element of timing alongside your aim. It's really neat!

I also really love that this galaxy starts off on a planet with Megahammer's remains, making you bring a Bullet Bill to unlock the first cannon. I appreciate the throwback to Megahammer's top surgery, even if it makes sense that Megahammer's remains would be in a completely different galaxy... Then again, Bowser Jr. made both of them, so it's probably just recycling. Bowser Jr. may be the son of an evil warlord, but even he cares for the environment, kids.

Enough talking about the previous boss though, let's talk about this boss, because it's also great! If you can make inferences from the previous posts, "Cloud Flower" and "Climb to the top of big tower" are both formulas I like a lot, and this boss has both of those things! Combine that with a solid sense of escalation where the tower gains more height, more guns, and more mobility, and it ends up making for a fun, hectic, and memorable final Bowser Jr. encounter!

28. Melty Monster Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

Melty Monster Galaxy is another of those galaxies that I feel kinda gets overshadowed by its Cooler Older Sibling, in this case being Melty Molten Galaxy. And like, that's completely fair, hardly any galaxies out there are capable of beating Melty Molten. Melty Monster never stood a chance in this fight. May as well throw in the towel.

Which to some extent, Melty Monster does, given that after its first mission it completely shifts focus and makes all the remaining missions about bowling as Rock Mario. But that's not necessarily a bad shift in focus, because bowling as Rock Mario is really, really fun, and this galaxy makes really good use of it. If you're gonna have a sudden jarring shift in focus, that's not a bad thing to make the jarring shift to.

And it's not like the first mission is bad at all, either! The segment where you have to use Pull Stars to avoid Magmaarghs (pictured above) is really dang fun, and I love that you gotta play around with Pull Star momentum a bit to reach the first Launch Star, it's the right move for a lategame galaxy like this one. Most of the remainder of the first mission involves timed platforming over lava waves, which is a pretty fun gimmick, and the final planet, surrounded by asteroids that occasionally get engulfed by an ocean of Magmaws, is really nifty too.

Basically: Melty Monster is kinda two galaxies stapled together, but it's two really good galaxies stapled together, so I don't find myself minding the sudden shift in focus all that much. It was never gonna beat Melty Molten, so it may as well see how well it can do at something else, and both the Chimp Bowling Challenge and the very long alley in the second mission make for a pretty memorable time, as well as where I always go to grind out Star Bits in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

27. Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

Congratulations to Bowser's Dark Matter Plant for being the best boss level that isn't a final boss level! That has to be some sort of worthwhile distinction, right?

The Dark Matter Plant is a really cool galaxy, introducing the Dark Matter which will instantly kill Mario when he touches it, so your goal is to Not Do That! Of course, as the level goes on, they only make that more difficult, such as when they start introducing stationary holes in reality, that the platforms underneath move around. It kind of reminds me of how the textures on clothes work in Chowder, for some reason.

Of course, the highlight of the level to me is, you guessed it, the gravity wall segment, which this time features green walls that push you right and gray walls that push you left, while you have to regularly adjust your positioning on a plus-shaped block, since each change in gravity will push you into the dark matter if you choose to stay still! It's a really creative application of the gravity walls, and a fun way to handle an autoscroller.

Combine that with the Dramatic Staircase returning from the Star Reactor and a solid Bowser fight to top it all off, and you end up creating a Bowser mission I won't forget any time soon!

26. Puzzle Plank Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

Puzzle Plank Galaxy! :D I'm not sure how many galaxies bring me this level of raw joy when I reach them in a playthrough. Like, I wouldn't really consider it one of the best galaxies, it's in 26th place for a reason, but dang it, this galaxy just makes me happy. The combination of the creative theming and the bopping music just gets me really excited whenever I reach it.

And it's a pretty fun galaxy, too! I love how it utilizes the Ground Pround to move wooden blocks into the right spot, and especially memorable is the part of the level where you have to dodge saws that are slowly cutting apart the ground you're walking on. It's a really fun and inspired platforming challenge, and fits the theming of this galaxy so, so well. I especially love that it ties into how you grab the Comet Medal for this galaxy!

It's why I hate to admit it then that I think Puzzle Plank Galaxy is a bit underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I still love this thing to death, but culminating the first mission in a fight against the Mandibug Stack is... sure? Whatever? I dunno, Mandibug Stack is one of the least interesting fights in the game, and part of me feels I may have been less disappointed if putting the puzzle block together just gave you the star outright. And the secret mission being a Bugaboom rematch is like... I mean I love Bugaboom, it's a great fight, I'm glad it's here, but also this is a galaxy concept so fun and creative, that I wish the secret mission was dedicated to more original content, y'know?

Still, when my complaints about a galaxy boil down to "I desperately wish we got more of it," then I think you can probably figure that I really like what we did get here. It's just that I can't help but feel that in a timeline where some of the recycled content was replaced with more original content, it'd be hanging out with the S-tiers in next week's post.

Don't let my nitpicking undermine how much I like Puzzle Plank. I only moved it up the rankings while writing these reviews. That enthusiasm I feel when playing it goes a long way!

25. Boulder Bowl Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

More bowling! Yeah, I like Rock Mario. Not as much as Cloud Mario, but I like Rock Mario. Bowling is fun. There's something so enjoyable about curling up into a ball, and knocking anything that gets in your way into the stratosphere! (Figuratively. Very few of these planets have stratospheres, or even atmospheres at all...)

And I think the developers knew this, because for one part of this galaxy, they just fill a planet with as many Octoombas as they can and let you bowl them over. And like, when you only get down to a few left, it becomes more practical to just stomp on them, but where's the fun in that? You don't get to use Rock Mario much. Are you gonna deny the opportunity to try and roll into that Octoguy, miss, and throw yourself off the edge? Yeah, that's what I thought.

And I think that's the key to what makes Boulder Bowl Galaxy work so well, it feels like the developers really understand that when you're playing as Rock Mario, you want to have some reckless fun. You want to go on a rampage and take out everything in your path, even though you might not know where you're going. Not only does Boulder Bowl Galaxy show us how to use the Rock Mushroom and what it can do, but it also shows us why we should love the Rock Mushroom, which I think is what makes it really effective.

Oh yeah, it also has a boss fight. It's alright, but I think it'd be better to lean into that "roll over everything that dares stand in your way" mentality for this one. Still, it's not like it's making the galaxy any worse.

24. Battlerock Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

From one rock to another, up next we have the Battlerock Galaxy! Today's post is a big hit for all the Rock Fans out there. Unfortunately, no Rock Mushroom here because it didn't exist yet, but we can't have everything...

Still, Battlerock is a pretty great time. You could say... it's ROCK SOLID! I love most of the missions in this galaxy. The cannon autoscroller uses the gravity mechanics in really fun ways, having you switch to different sides of the UFO you're standing on to avoid the electric fences in your way. The second mission is also really fun -- all the Bob-ombs and cannons make it an absolute BLAST!

But the highlight has to be the third mission, being your first encounter with the Topman Tribe. The Topmen are really well-designed and unique enemies, and this level does a good job introducing them, capping off with a pretty fun boss fight at the end. And this mission has gravity walls! I honestly forgot that. Can't go wrong with gravity walls.

Of course, the reason I have to specify "most" instead of "all," is because I don't like that mission where you have to help the Gearmo blow up his garbage. Kinda frustrating, not especially fun. It's not enough to bump this galaxy down too much, but I may as well mention it.

Lots of the ideas introduced here get elaborated and improved upon in Dreadnought Galaxy, but hey, we'll get there when we get there. For now, let's just say Battlerock Galaxy makes some great first impressions.

23. Clockwork Ruins Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

And for our second Ruins-themed galaxy of this entry, we have Clockwork Ruins Galaxy, which... hey, wait a minute! Those are the same towers in the background we saw in Slipsand Galaxy! I knew these two galaxies shared the same music, but that's something I'd actually never noticed before. Is this Lore? Who constructed these impossibly huge, presumably ancient towers, and why come they show up in multiple galaxies? I mean, the actual explanation is they probably just wanted to save time by reusing assets for another galaxy with a similar theme, but let me have some fun about the Implications of these reused assets, okay?

Sorry for getting sidetracked there. Clockwork Ruins is a very cool and distinctive galaxy, partially due to its theming (taking the "desert" out of the "desert ruins" somehow makes it feel way more distinct than it should), but also due to its layouts and platforming challenges. They get a surprising amount of depth out of all the Rotating Platforms here, making for both interesting terrain to navigate, and later on, interesting obstacles! Especially the part at the end, where you have to ride on top of the rolling stones to grab the star with the right timing is particularly cool.

Actually, this galaxy also has one of the best purple coin missions. The rotating platforms at the start of the mission make for interesting obstacles to navigate, given the mission has a time limit, but obviously not every part of the rotating walls can be accessed at all times, forcing the player to carefully plan their routes. I like it!

Not sure what else to say about this one besides "pretty fun and pretty distinctive". I like that planet where you ground pound the button, and what was previously the wall becomes the floor, but now it has more holes in it. That's pretty nifty.

22. Space Storm Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

I guess after a certain point, I worry about repeating myself in these posts. Like, how many times can I say "yeah, this is a galaxy with a cool aesthetic, great music, and really fun missions" over and over again before it gets tiring? I mean, that's basically what makes an A-tier galaxy to me. "Really dang good, doesn't quite go above and beyond, but one I'm always excited to play on."

But at risk of repeating myself: Space Storm Galaxy is a galaxy with a cool aesthetic, great music, and really fun missions. I think the gimmick of having to lore Bob-ombs through a glass wall to make an exit is pretty neat, and maybe a little underutilized? I think there's a lot of mileage you could get out of that. But it's not like I particularly mind, because the rest of the galaxy is still fun. I honestly really love that thin cylindrical rocket ship with the electrical fences at the start. Once again, good platforming challenge.

And while I know I've pooh-poohed galaxies with reused content a bit, I don't even mind the Buoy Base remake in this galaxy, partially because Buoy Base Galaxy is already great, partially because they changed the layout a bit so it's not a one-to-one remake, partially because the time slowing gimmick is done well here. I only have love for one galaxy that brings back an old planet and adds a time slowing gimmick to it in my heart!

Also, I don't know if this is just me, but is Space Storm meant to be the "hard version" of Sky Station Galaxy? World 5 of Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a lot of "sequel" galaxies, like Upside Dizzy, Fleet Glide, and Boo Moon (which we still have yet to see). I dunno, there's some similar-looking spaceships here, and the background goes from a sky on a cloudy day to a sky on a stormy day, feeling like a callback with a bit of a gloomier atmosphere. Either way, I dig it.

21. Good Egg Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

And wrapping up today's post we have... well, it's not the first galaxy because technically you go to Gateway Galaxy first, but it kinda feels like the first galaxy, because Gateway Galaxy is kinda more like a tutorial to me, and this is like, the first true mission of the game, though I think that's not really fair because the Gateway Galaxy is a fully fleshed-out mission with a star and everything? Ah, whatever. I'll just say it's the first galaxy you can access from the Observatory and call it a day.

And as the ostensibly first galaxy in the game, I really like this one! Compared to Gateway, it gives the player a lot more freedom to figure things out on their own, and play around with the game's mechanics. The first planet is pretty brilliant, it's small enough that players can quickly get on with the mission if they like, but large enough that there's a bit of room to explore, with the orange pipe to the music note room, and a tower with two paths up it, where only one gets used at a time.

As you probably know, I always appreciate having a little room to goof off, and I appreciate it here as much as anywhere else, if not more so! It's nice to highlight this sense of wonder and discovery so early on in the game, and honestly the balance between a more clear linear progression with a little wiggle room to goof off and have fun is something I've always appreciated about these games, particularly the first. While I still enjoy Sky Station Galaxy quite a bit, as a first mission, I felt it was always a bit weaker in that regard.

Good Egg Galaxy isn't especially thematically cohesive, it kinda just feels like the devs threw whatever ideas they could think of into this one, but I don't really mind that at all. As the first "proper" galaxy you get to visit, it mostly exists to acquaint the player with how the game works, and show off some of the things they can do here. They're gonna have a bunch of differently shaped planetoids, a 2D section with gravity walls (they're back!), show off all the game's motion control gimmicks, and throw in a couple fun boss fights, for good measure. It's important to make a good first impression, and Good Egg Galaxy understands that very well.

And that's it for the A-tiers! Lots of gravity walls this time, apparently, though I think I might have talked about all of them by now...

Hope you're still enjoying this series! I mean, you probably are if you've made it this far. Tune in next week, when we'll start covering the top-tiers... We're reaching the cream of the crop, everyone! Or at least, the cream of my crop. As always, you're free to disagree, I don't mind. Mostly.

Take care!

#mod hooligon #super mario galaxy #super mario galaxy 2

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