Gah, my bleeding, nostalgic heart. It hurts to elevate a game that I’ve never even played above two titles that I absolutely adored: Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Still, as a comprehensive work, I couldn’t abide passing Galaxy.
64 was packed with hits, including the nostalgia overloading “Title Theme,” the jazzy trumpeteering on “Super Mario 64 Main Theme,” and the heavenly, smooth-accelerating aqua-groove “Dire Dire Docks.” Sunshine paints an overarching tropical motift hroughout, but still maintains distinction within the theme of each location. Buzzing seaside ports in “Ricco Harbor” are easily distinguishable from shimmering secret coves in “Noki Bay” and the fire-dance luau that is “Pianta Village.” Of course, how could I not mention the classic “Delfino Plaza” theme.
However, Galaxy is the title that finally matches the heroic status of the red-hat Italian plumber by complimenting his odyssey with a full orchestra. Going through the Galaxy soundtrack, I felt, that Mario’s accompanying music was no longer a hodgepodge of nostalgic environmental themes, but rather a sweeping symphonic journey. Different Galaxy levels have memorable themes, (highlights including Gusty Garden and Buoy Base), but this is the first Mario platformer where each boss has their own memorable battle theme. Plus, Galaxy also features the most epic Bowser Battle score yet, one that almost matches the intensity of God of War boss battles.