The first Galaxy game was a masterpiece. Fun, epic, and with a great deal more heart and depth than the average main-series game, it was a joy to play. This game doesn't exactly live up.
Technically, the game is fine. A few of the gameplay issues from last time (Comet missions being the only option when the galaxy has a Prankster Comet, Comets moving around randomly, first-person camera not turning 360 degrees, etc.) have been fixed, and the game controls just as smoothly and naturally as before- even when very out-of-practice, it's incredibly easy to slip back into it and master levels like you never stopped playing.
But that's not the problem. It's the story and mood. I like the implication that this world is the reborn universe that resulted from the last game, and the recurrent touches (identical planets, similar bosses, gameplay mirrors) are a nice way to say "the universe remembered some things from its previous incarnation, but not all of them correctly", but the overall tone is very light. There are more blue-sky backgrounds than starry nighttime ones. And the story itself is much weaker, going back to the Excuse Plot formula- Bowser wants cake, Mario saves Peach. Overall, it's trying much harder to be a Mario game, with a lighter and wackier aesthetic that's decent for any game but Galaxy's successor. I wanted epic, serious, and heartfelt elements.
The other main issue is the postgame. While in the previous game, collecting all of the Stars gave you Luigi to do it again and your reward is a nice easy epilogue level, here, Green Stars are hidden in earlier levels and unlock a Brutal Bonus Level. I don't want that. At least by repeating the game with added challenge you could remember what you loved about it and your sense of accomplishment is fed, but with this? Explore levels again and again. The challenge level is minimal and the harder Green Stars aren't fair tests of skill, especially since each one boots you out of the level when collected, even though there are usually two which are both loaded in the same level. I get no satisfaction from collecting them, and I feel no need to finish the game. The first one kept me motivated to get all 242 Power Stars. This one? I couldn't care less.
So there are genuinely good and fun parts of this game, but it looks better on its own than in comparison to its predecessor.
A good game...just not like the first.
The first Galaxy game was a masterpiece. Fun, epic, and with a great deal more heart and depth than the average main-series game, it was a joy to play. This game doesn't exactly live up.
Technically, the game is fine. A few of the gameplay issues from last time (Comet missions being the only option when the galaxy has a Prankster Comet, Comets moving around randomly, first-person camera not turning 360 degrees, etc.) have been fixed, and the game controls just as smoothly and naturally as before- even when very out-of-practice, it's incredibly easy to slip back into it and master levels like you never stopped playing.
But that's not the problem. It's the story and mood. I like the implication that this world is the reborn universe that resulted from the last game, and the recurrent touches (identical planets, similar bosses, gameplay mirrors) are a nice way to say "the universe remembered some things from its previous incarnation, but not all of them correctly", but the overall tone is very light. There are more blue-sky backgrounds than starry nighttime ones. And the story itself is much weaker, going back to the Excuse Plot formula- Bowser wants cake, Mario saves Peach. Overall, it's trying much harder to be a Mario game, with a lighter and wackier aesthetic that's decent for any game but Galaxy's successor. I wanted epic, serious, and heartfelt elements.
The other main issue is the postgame. While in the previous game, collecting all of the Stars gave you Luigi to do it again and your reward is a nice easy epilogue level, here, Green Stars are hidden in earlier levels and unlock a Brutal Bonus Level. I don't want that. At least by repeating the game with added challenge you could remember what you loved about it and your sense of accomplishment is fed, but with this? Explore levels again and again. The challenge level is minimal and the harder Green Stars aren't fair tests of skill, especially since each one boots you out of the level when collected, even though there are usually two which are both loaded in the same level. I get no satisfaction from collecting them, and I feel no need to finish the game. The first one kept me motivated to get all 242 Power Stars. This one? I couldn't care less.
So there are genuinely good and fun parts of this game, but it looks better on its own than in comparison to its predecessor.