The Best 3D Mario Is Fading From Memory And Needs A Switch 2 Return

If there’s one thing you can count on Nintendo doing, it’s leveraging the company’s star characters and legacy properties. Recent Nintendo games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza squeeze as many references and nostalgia points as possible for long-time fans, all while still feeling fresh enough for new audiences.

So where’s Nintendo’s love for Super Mario Galaxy 2?

Despite getting perfect 10/10 scores and accolades from several outlets after its 2010 release, Nintendo seems keen to gaslight its fan base into thinking that there was only one Super Mario Galaxy game. Nintendo omitted Galaxy 2 in its 2020 compilation title Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and any nods to the game’s existence have been few and far between.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an absolute gem of a game, and it deserves a comeback more than any other installment in the platformer series. It’s a game that exudes joy and excitement, feelings that would certainly return for fans if it got a proper Nintendo Switch 2 remaster.

What Made Super Mario Galaxy 2 Special

With the right vision and direction, video game sequels are primed to improve on their predecessor by addressing feedback and using the previous title as a foundation. Ideally, this results in a massively improved game releasing not too long after the last one.

This was more than the case with Super Mario Galaxy 2, which arguably improves on the original 2007 Wii game in almost every way. From the start of the experience, Galaxy 2 feels like a streamlined experience designed to throw the player into the frenzy of fun as quickly as possible, barraging them with bold gameplay ideas and concepts.

The set-up of Galaxy 2 is essentially an abbreviated retelling of the first game, Evil Dead 2-style. The hub world of the first Galaxy is replaced with the simpler Starship Mario, which gives players access to a more traditional world map. And then, there’s the galaxies themselves.

Whereas the first Galaxy game eases players into mechanics such as Star Bits, the Tornado Spin, and planetoids, Galaxy 2 is relentless with its variety. From the first World, players are already introduced to a cloud power-up, a drilling tool (that would return in suit form in Super Mario Bros. Wonder more than a decade later), and brain-teasing blue and red panels that flip whenever Mario does a spin move.

Also reintroduced early on is Mario’s lovable companion Yoshi, and Galaxy 2 has the green dinosaur control better than ever. With pointer controls, Yoshi can eat up most objects and enemies, pull handles, and even grapple and swing on flowers, which feels extremely smooth and intuitive.

As players progress through Super Mario Galaxy 2, the game cranks up the pace with power-ups like Rock Mario, which lets you wreak havoc as a rolling boulder, and the Dash Pepper, which turns Yoshi into a speedster. It’s hard not to be impressed by the level of creativity and unpredictability when playing the game’s levels in quick succession — each galaxy feels like it could be the core of its own game.

Super Mario games that followed, especially Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Bros. Wonder — and even competing games like PlayStation’s Astro Bot — live by that same formula, introducing fun, new mechanics level after level, at an almost overwhelming degree, creating delight in its sheer unpredictability.

The Obvious Way To Bring Super Mario Galaxy 2 Back

The 40th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. on NES is sneaking up on us all, and our favorite platforming plumber deserves a big celebration this September. Nintendo should have massive plans for the milestone, which I’m sure includes new merchandise and perhaps some movie-related news.

On the video game side of things, there aren’t too many possibilities, considering how hard Nintendo went for the 35th anniversary in 2020. Maybe Super Mario Bros. Wonder could get a Switch 2 update and expansion, or perhaps Super Mario Bros. 35 will get a revival (with an extra five players, obviously).

But what about Super Mario 3D All-Stars? Despite the title’s delisting years prior, Nintendo gave the game a couple of Switch 2-related patches this year. Perhaps a re-release in the form of a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is due — give Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine some much-needed upgrades, and give fans the Super Mario Galaxy 2 remaster that is long overdue.

Call it “Super Mario 3D All-Stars — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Remastered” or whatever overly long title you want to slap on it. It’s time for a classic to be put on a pedestal with the rest of its kindred.