Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2

Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch

Happy birthday, Mario! September 2025 marks the start of a year-long celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros on the NES, and Nintendo is kicking things off by re-releasing two of the greatest adventures in the multi-talented plumber’s history, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (bundled together as a physical release, or available individually or together digitally on Nintendo eShop). Unfortunately, bar making these undisputed classics easily available again for the first time in years, there’s little to shout about in this barebones re-issue.

Availability alone is noteworthy, though. The first Galaxy was briefly re-released on the original Nintendo Switch as part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection – itself marking Mario’s 35th anniversary back in 2020 – which bundled together the N64's Super Mario 64, the GameCube's Super Mario Sunshine, and the Wii's Super Mario Galaxy. However, it was only on sale for six months before being stripped from store shelves and eShop alike, and was controversial for omitting Galaxy 2. This re-release has no such time restriction in place and marks the first time both have permanently escaped from the now-obsolete Wii.

Thankfully, both games hold up, even if there’s considerable overlap that's more apparent playing them back-to-back.

That’s a big win for returning fans and newcomers alike, as it’s hard to overstate just how important these games are for the character and Nintendo as a whole. Despite being the series’ third 3D outing, Super Mario Galaxy was revolutionary, introducing a gravity-warping approach to the familiar platforming that saw Mario running around entire planetoids, often taking advantage of their respective gravity to leap between worlds. It worked perfectly with the Wii’s pioneering motion-tracking controls and proved so popular and successful that it resulted in Super Mario Galaxy 2 – to this day, the only 3D Mario game that’s a direct sequel, and the Wii the only console generation to house two main Mario entries.

Thankfully, both games hold up, even if there’s considerable overlap that's more apparent playing them back-to-back. The first game feels closer in spirit to Super Mario 64, diving into the same levels over and over to chase down Power Stars, while the second mixes things up with more linear progression but far more inventive challenges and fewer visits to the same levels. Both feature a host of new abilities and transformations to get to grips with too, with Galaxy introducing Bee Mario, Boo Mario, and Spring Mario, while Galaxy 2 debuts Cloud and Rock power-ups, all of which are ingeniously put to use in some of Nintendo’s most inventive worlds of all time. Galaxy 2 went further, reintroducing dinosaur buddy Yoshi. Ridden as a mount, his prehensile tongue can gobble up enemies or slingshot the pair around grapple points, while also benefitting from a few upgrades of his own, with Dash, Blimp, and Bulb forms offering unique skills to master.

While both games were built around the Wii’s Remote and Nunchuk inputs, the control schemes are smartly ported to the Joy-Cons for Switch or Switch 2, but both games are also fully playable with a 'regular' pad, such as the Switch 2 Pro Controller. In some ways, this is smoother – pressing Y to use Mario’s spin attack feels more reliable than shaking a Joy-Con – but it does introduce a few quirks. The pad’s own motion controls are still used to guide an onscreen cursor (used to collect Star Bits that enemies drop or to aim Yoshi’s tongue in Galaxy 2) which can take a little getting used to. Even once you’re accustomed to that in gameplay, though, it’s extremely annoying that menu screens in both titles still favour the cursor interface – it’s maddening when the slightest movement of the controller sees the cursor override whatever you’re trying to select with buttons.

Beyond adapting controls for the Switch, however, this is a disappointingly minimalist re-release. An Assist Mode, a lá Super Mario Odyssey, has been added, affording Mario extra health and providing guard rails against falling into black holes, while new ally Rosalina’s storybook brings extra content in the first game and is a brand new addition for the second. There’s also token support for Nintendo’s amiibo figures, with items dropped into the game after scanning compatible ones. Gameplay wise, that’s about it, and it's not much at all.

The package fares better on the visual front, at least. While this is far from a full-on remaster, both games offer improved textures and higher resolutions (both running in 720p handheld/1080p docked on Switch, and 1080p handheld/4K docked on Switch 2, considerable upgrades on the Wii originals), and even the odd cutscene that’s been re-rendered in higher definition. A welcome upgrade, but also one that feels like the bare minimum you’d expect.

The one shining light making this noteworthy as an anniversary project is that the full soundtrack to each game is included, playable from each title's respective menu screen. It’s not the easiest way to listen if you want to have the music playing in the background, but it’s nice that the full 154-track suite is here.

As games in and of themselves, both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 remain near-perfect outings for the multi-talented plumber, both still fully deserving of their original five-star review scores. However, as a package, especially one that ostensibly celebrates Mario’s momentous 40th anniversary, there’s not quite enough to cheer for.