Super Mario Galaxy - 2007

Galaxy functions as an obvious throwback to abstracted game design. It is no accident the game takes place in space--Mario's simple gameplay style of jumping and running has reached the final frontier, which is, curiously, where it all began. The stars are like 'micro games' from the Warioware game series. They showcase an idea for a brief length of time then you move onto something else. In this style, and its interesting use of camera(the topsy-turvy nature of things), it manages to keep things moving at a brisk pace. This is a sugar rush game: there is nothing (substantial) to think about after everything is said and done. Design choices, which I hope to discuss, are of importance, but there are no themes explored(unless, of course, you are intrigued by the ending where Bowser and Mario party--maybe they realize a sequel is already in the works for their adventures to continue).

The highly abstracted nature of the game, explicated literally by the numerous 'black holes' and rabbits(think Alice, or The Matrix, whichever you would rather) compounds to tell the player a simple point: through your inhibitions to the wayside. Unlike a game like Gears of War which values its (offensive) context, Galaxy does not care. Due to this it dodges any questions pertaining to sexism, or lizard hatred. It also provides an interesting method to contextualize--in non-context, oddly--why random stages can mold and change at the drop of a hat. A fire/ice stage felt strange in Banjo Tooie, but here it fits right alongside giant asteroids and battle cruisers. The game does not care, and it wants you to feel the same way(seriously, Airships in space). Nostalgia, or the thrill to do cool things, is the driving force, and one mustn’t forget.

Galaxy feels like a spiritual successor to the incredible platformer Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for the GameCube. The other, much to my amusement, has literally no story(one might construe context, but it's never explicitly stated or even implied). It willfully moved between stages that made no sense: a cloud stage went underground, and a monkey race in a jungle then led to a stage in outer space--it didn't matter, in effect. Its primary goal was to provide old school gameplay with an updated mode of input(the bongos). Galaxy gladly--or, as some say, shoehorns--in the Wiimote into the mix of things, and criticizing it, on the face of it, would be wrong. This is to miss the game's legacy and how it wants to preserve lack of context, and the accompanying freedom it provides: it follows in the footsteps of previous Nintendo ventures. The trial galaxies, the 'secret highlight' of the game all have different modes of interaction with the environment. Again, this is not an accident by any means. This was a deliberate attempt to show how Mario(and by extension, what he represents) can still be relevant nowadays. He can change, but his abstracted fun(gaminess, if you will) is a necessity for his enjoyment.

Of importance, beyond the abstraction, is the non-linear nature of the game. Since the planets and stars are sometimes created for you, the game extols the virtues of discovery and creation. The boundaries of space are limitless, and Galaxy wants to infuse this with its gameplay. It holds true to its roots, but it allows them to fly freely; the results are, to say the least, satisfying.