Top 10 Super Mario Galaxy Galaxies

The first level you’ll explore in Super Mario Galaxy is the Good Egg Galaxy. Given its name due to the insanely large Yoshi Egg, this Galaxy does an exquisite job of introducing the player to all the mechanics and quirks of Super Mario Galaxy. You’ll be using Pull Stars, Sling Stars, Launch Stars, feeding Hungry Lumas – all whilst getting to grips with the gravity mechanics! There’s another great boss here too as you’re pitted up against Dino Piranha, and I really love the late-game Purple Coin mission that has you using a copious amount of Launch Stars to seek out different paths across all of the planets. However, being an opening level, the character of the Galaxy isn’t pushed too hard. It’s a relatively safe difficulty and aesthetic that eases the player in – so although this Galaxy is fantastic it’s outshone by other Galaxies in the game.

Boo’s got his grubby little mitts in all sorts of places. With his own mansion in Super Mario 64 and a Hotel/Casino in Super Mario Sunshine, it’s no surprise that he’d have a Galaxy as well. The Ghostly Galaxy runs with the typical Mario haunted theme, and if you think that’d feel weird in space, well you’d strangely be wrong. In fact, it works pretty well here – there’s something about the vastness and darkness created by the lack of light in space that makes the Ghostly Galaxy feel more isolated, derelict and paranormal. The main part of the Galaxy is the central mansion, which has different rooms for you to explore. One of these includes a locked up Luigi that you need to rescue – even if you’re playing as Luigi?! This Galaxy also introduces the Boo Mario power-up, which frankly, is underused in the game. The Bouldergeist boss is probably my favourite in the game too – so I love that there are two missions that he’s a part of!

In my Top 10 Mario 64 Levels blog, I placed Shifting Sand Land at number 5, so in the interest of consistency (and well just because it worked out that way), here’s Dusty Dune Galaxy. The sand-themed world of Galaxy, Dusty Dune Galaxy has a lot going on! It’s up there as one of the Galaxies with the most planets in a single level, which includes several planets that use the sand to speed Mario up. There’s one planet where you’re given the choice to proceed left or right, offering a nice bit of variation each time you revisit the Galaxy. I particularly like the Maze Planet where you’re required to use both sides of the disc-shaped plain to reach the star. Mario has to ground-pound a switch on one side, then traverse back through the hole in the disc, dodge some tornadoes, just so he can jump his way to the star (whilst avoiding quicksand!). The slight downside to this planet is because there are several “disc-shaped” Planets and Speedy Sand planets, it can feel a bit samey in places, but there’s enough variety here to make it one of the stand out Galaxies.

With more flowers and plants than your average British garden, the Gusty Garden Galaxy is a picturesque, floral Galaxy situated in the cloud tops. This Galaxy is the king of the planets, with a total of 20 for you to explore across all of the available missions. Aesthetic and design aside, what I really love about this Galaxy is the opening. You start on a small planet with a noticeable gust of wind whooshing past you – the initial glance leaves you wondering how to exit the small planet and spinning Mario next to the three flowers gives you your answer. The flowers leap into the air and Mario can grab these to ride the current of wind. You’ll use this method for the first few planets and I love the originality here, mixing it up from the Launch Stars. It’s just a shame it’s not used again in a different Galaxy, but I guess that’s what makes Gusty Garden Galaxy so special for me. All of the planets in this Galaxy pack a punch – from three floating apples connected by a Caterpillar, to a Puzzle-Cube planet full of tricks and secrets, the Gusty Garden Galaxy makes for a fantastic 3D Mario level.

For me, the best level in Super Mario Galaxy is the Melty Molten Galaxy. As the name suggests, this one completely removes the Ice sections of Freezeflame Galaxy and focuses on pure, unadulterated heat. Acting as the traditional “final level” this Galaxy turns up the difficulty too – not only are you always surrounded by dangerous molten lava, but you’ll also be dodging geysers, steam jets, fireballs and Li’l Cinders. The opening section of the level really pushes your platforming prowess as it puts forth some of the most intricate set-pieces within the game. However, clear this section unscathed and you’re rewarded when you use the volcano Launch Star, watching this erupt behind Mario as he hurdles through space, not even looking back at the explosion – Hollywood-style. It’s a great cinematic that really shows off the beauty of Galaxy’s graphics and style. The Lava Spire Daredevil Run star is often considered the hardest in Galaxy, making you take on the difficult opening section with only one hit point. There’s also a great nod-back to the first Galaxy (the Good Egg Galaxy) with the boss fight Fiery Dino Piranha (basically, a version of the boss where you’re timing your attacks based on whether his tail is aflame or not!). With Galaxy being a relatively easy game, it’s great to get a more difficult and complex level that still showcases the wonders seen throughout Super Mario Galaxy – and it’s for those reasons why I love Melty Molten Galaxy.