Super Mario Galaxy - An Impossible Masterpiece 

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Here it is. This is the video game that made child-me understand that video games are _art,_ and kickstarted my artistic journey. The bright colors, fun gameplay, and creativity drew me in, but the vastness of space, the soulful music, and the bittersweet story beats stayed with me forever.

I'm not ashamed to admit, I cried during the last section of this video, and once Gusty Garden kicked in, I just about lost it entirely. I've not once regretted finding your channel, it's one of the best things to ever happen to me. If you do continue to make content in the coming years, I hope it's always like this video.

When I was around 14-15, I was going through a period of crippling depression, I felt I couldn’t do anything right and was even contemplating suicide. My friend gave me his old wii games and this was one of them. This game saved my life as its moments of bliss kept me going day after day

This game soundtrack holds a special place in my heart. Me and my grandpa would listen to it on the way to school. It always reminds me of him.

A misconception about the Rosalina’s backstory is that it was snuck in by Koizumi behind Miyamoto’s back. That is false. What actually happened is Koizumi wrote the backstory in secret and then revealed it to Miyamoto later in Galaxy’s development. Miyamoto approved the backstory.

I think Super Mario Galaxy is one of the few games that has made me cry. The story is beautiful and with that emotional music that accompanies it, it’s a tear jerker.

To this day Galaxy is still up there as my favorite Mario game just everything about it from the orchestrated music, fun levels, space scenery and impact it had on me when I was a kid just makes it so unforgettable and will stick with me forever 🥹❤️

This game has had such a profound impact on me… the second the Storybook theme started playing at 46:30 I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and basically immediately broke out into tears.

There’s just something about the silent sadness that makes the game so memorable. There’s a moment on the tutorial planet where you zoom out and see the Galaxy, almost like a quiet exhale telling you that you’re truly alone in this vast space, but also that there’s no rush to explore. It’s telling you to take your time and explore the beautiful things surrounding you. It’s sad because you know you’re all alone in space, but sometimes that’s the kind of sadness we need.

This game will always have a special place in my heart, not just because it's the first game I owned for the Wii, but also because it introduced one of my favorite characters in the Mario franchise: Rosalina! Her story remains one of the most heartbreaking I've seen in any media.

Jacob Geller has brilliant video on Super Mario Galaxy 1. How the environment, music, and story make the game's narrative incredibly strong and unique. The fact that a game can place you in this never-ending, unfeeling cosmos; yet feel quiet and personal at the same time. As much as I love Galaxy 2, it felt more like a "product" than Galaxy 1. A product with a lot of heart and soul, but it never quite tugged at my heart like Galaxy 1.

41:15 This is the first time I’ve ever actually seen someone give this level the praise it deserves. Even as a kid, I was always coming back to this level purely for the atmosphere and the whole journey of it! The bit where you almost run out of breath was always fun, and I would sit there for minutes at the very end of the level. How they just cut out the music (which is an amazing track) at the end and just let you look at that beautiful sun is just so perfect. That feeling that I felt all those years ago at the end of the level: I still feel it. And I’m so glad you felt it, too.

27:13 he's not wrong, I swear this is legitimately the most difficult part of the entire game 💀

I grew up with Galaxy 2, and didn't play the original until 2021. So, without the rose-tinted glasses and some maturity under my belt, I would still say Super Mario Galaxy is one of the closest games we have to perfection. The only word I could think to describe it, is bliss.

My guy came back from Tears of the Kingdom to bless us with peak

Galaxy is one of the few games that can bring me to tears every time I even think about the story and the ending. It's just that good.

Man, anytime I’ve ever heard of anything related to Mario Galaxy, I can’t help myself but cry, this game came to me at, now that I’m much old enough to realize, a very lonely time in my life, and the story, gameplay and most importantly the soundtrack, THIS SOUNDTRACK. Wow. This game will forever Have the highest place in my heart, and for anyone who hasn’t played this game, please do, you shan’t regret it.

The more I hear about Miyamoto, the more I think the guy is more insane than he is genius. Nintendo is just an excellent collection of developers and programmers. This is even more true for me after Tears of the Kingdom.

Galaxy was one of the first games I ever beat and it's one of the reasons why I have such a strong connection with my family, it made me aware of mortality at a very young age. Despite that, it remains my favorite game of all time, it planted the idea in my mind that the universe is so vast that anything could be possible, the game itself got me into game design and game development, and as I've grown older and I'm getting ready to move out in the near future, it made me appreciate all the bonds I've forged over the years. I want to move away from my home country, and the amount of things I have to do for it feels a little overwhelming at times, but there's something about Galaxy 1 that makes me want to go out and motivates me to go through with my goals. I hope I can make something just as impactful as this game one day.

Galaxy 1 is my favorite game of all time, and nothing will ever top it. The point you made at 52:47 is exactly why I credit this game for getting me into game development: it inspired me to bring this kind of joy to other people.

This game is just purely my childhood, brings me melancholy just hearing the soundtrack. Thanks for the video man.

Super Mario Galaxy is one of the first video games I ever played. It was also one of the first video games that had an emotional impact on me, I remember vividly when I first read Rosalina’s story and crying my eyes out. Back then I didn’t understand why I felt sad reading it due to…being 5, but recently I replayed Mario Galaxy (I’m 20 now) and again I cried my eyes out. This game was what showed me that video games could be more then just a fun pastime, they could bring out genuine emotion and have a real impact on you , that they’re works of art. To this day, even after having played hundreds of games of different types and genres, Super Mario Galaxy still sits near the top of the list as one of my favorite games of all-time!

Even though Galaxy's moveset is pretty limited and levels are pretty linear, there's a surprising amount of sequence breaks and skips you can pull off if you take advantage of the spin. My favorite chain of moves is a triple jump/long jump into a spin, then into a wall jump, then into one more spin to get on top of a platform that you were intended to get to in another way. That and the wonderful level design keep me coming back to this game time and time again.

This is my favorite game of all time. What a beautiful blend of otherworldly joy and surrealism this whole experience is, with an otherwise dismal loneliness feeling… inspiring. Drip Drop Galaxy is my personal favorite example of this- especially due to the music. I love all of the strange one-off anomalies such as tennis ball planets, asteroid belts laced with silk pods, and checkered cages around clumps of boundless antimatter. Galaxy 2 is an absolute delight, but it feels… TOO consistent to me for some reason. For Galaxy, it truly felt like cryptic visions in the dev’s heads that even they couldn’t fully rationalize adorned every corner of the universe. I’m working on a game that takes quite a bit from Galaxy, mostly this excitement of strange floating ecosystems in their own little zones of nothingness, so I thank you for giving me even more understanding behind what made this all click so much with child me in the first place!

Super Mario Galaxy has been my favorite game of all time since it’s release in 2007. I have replayed it countless times, and I cry multiple times every play through. This game has and continues to tug at my heart strings like no other.

The way I SOBBED just listening to you summarizing the Rosalina storybook :’) somehow that story never stops hitting

The Galaxy games are up there with my absolute favorite games of all time. Galaxy 1 has some of the most beautiful music I've heard in any media

I think Miyamoto did take out a pretty big chunk of the story though? Which honestly checks out given that some parts of the game are a bit confusing.

Greatest video game of all time. Hits every single mark you want for a video game right on the bullseye. It is beyond a video game. It is one of the greatest art forms. It is a true masterpiece!

Rosalina's atorybook ans the music accompanying it have never failed to make me tear up. Always loved this game but that particular part of it always hits close to home. Great video for a great game.

Gusty Garden Galaxy invokes so many emotions for me. Mario Galaxy is my first and forever favorite Mario game. The vast world, the absolutely incredible soundtrack, Rosalina’s heartbreaking story. It’s beautiful and fun and lonely all at the same time, and I love it.

I'm so glad that a friend of my mum brought me and my family a Wii cause if not I would never of experienced this masterpiece during my childhood, easily one of my favourite games of all time.

Now I'm just imagining Myamoto smoking, sitting in a barrel in a corner at Nintendo, rambling about trees while everyone tries to figure out what's he thinking about Modern-day Diogenes

Yeah, never expected a Mario game to include one of my favorite videogame stories that gets me choked up every time. Big help from the incredible music during Storytime too, of course.

I’ll never forget the experiences I had playing this game when it first came out. The level design and the music made me immersed in the game that is still one of my favorite games of all time. Each time I revisit it I find something new to appreciate about it and you talked about all of those details perfectly.

Space games have always had a special place in my heart. The music in space games are just unmatched. Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 will always be my #1 game of all time.

The first time I played Super Mario Galaxy, I borrowed it, and the guidebook, from a friend. About a week later I had to return the book and game to my friend and I knew that I had to buy it. So I scraped every penny that I had, at the time, and went to Target and bought it for $20. It was hands down the best $20 I ever spent. I spent HOURS exploring the game and between the guidebook and Chuggaaconry's Super Luigi Galaxy play-through, I memorized the game from front to back before even completing it. Between the level design and music, the game sucked me into the point where I would forget to pull a chicken out of the freezer for Mom, or lie about homework being done so I could go back and keep playing. The first time I discovered the story element, my older sister was watching me play. After the first two chapters of the story ended I wanted to go back and grab a few stars I knew that I had missed. My sister pried the controllers out of my hands so we could continue the story. Any time I woke up early or stayed up late into the night, I would tell her that I was playing and we would go back and forth completing levels and watching the story unfold. Nintendo released several games on the Wii that defined my childhood and helped develop me to be who I am today. Super Mario Galaxy was by FAR the game that made the most impact. I hope that when my children reach the age that I was, at the time, there is a game of a similar caliber that helps define who they will be in the future and that I will be wise enough to see it, and let them enjoy it so it becomes a fond memory of their childhood as Super Mario Galaxy was of mine. Thanks for this video Liam.

Literally just 100%ed this for the first time after not touching it for years. Thank you for this dude.

Every other mainline Mario game opens with some level of excitement. Fast music, bright colours, right into the action Galaxy however, it takes a step back. It says "hold on, look at this" and shows you the beauty that is the endless nature of space. The music is slow, quiet, contemplative; it makes you think Once you've had your fill, it then slowly brings you back to the explosive intro we are all used to That, among other things, is why this fame is a masterpiece

I really really hope we keep getting more Mario retrospectives because I love these and would love to see 3d land/3d world get covered this video is incredible :) awesome stuff

Mario Galaxy 2 is easily my favorite in the series. I never get tired of that game

listening 2 ur thing on the development, its kinda interesting, in a way, galaxy 1 vs 2 can almost be seen as "koizumi vs miyamotos visions for mario galaxy", one with its story providing so much of what makes the game great (while also kinda being a lil restrictive as a platformer), the other fully embracing the mechanics whilst having a much simpler story

I seriously don't know what I would do without Super Mario Galaxy. I can't imagine myself without it, because I can only imagine myself with it due to the fact that it's so impactful.

This was the game that got me through an existential crisis. Everything about it is just so beautiful, I honestly think I owe it my life. The ending, watching everything begin again, different this time, moved me so much it helped me out of that slump. I'm still scared what comes after this life, but this game brought me peace.

Galaxy 1 will always be one of my favorite games of all time. The atmosphere, story, music and level design is just amazing. Great video, as usual! Have a wonderful day. 🍄✨⭐🌔

Wow, truly a testament to how *solid* this game is, and to your incredible essaying, by just watching this video I was flooded with nostalgia and memories of my favorite mario game. This game is absolutely beautiful, and every SECOND is a fun one.

Hey Liam. I don’t know if you’re reading this but…I just so happened to have stumbled upon this video and I’m going to be honest with you…I don’t think I’ve ever seen your channel before until now and my goodness…am I ever more grateful to have witness it. See I want to take the time to say thank you. Thank you so much for this video. You’ve made me cry. I don’t know how you did it but everything you’ve just explained resonated with me as a whole when it comes to this beautiful masterpiece of a video game unlike anything else I’ve ever seen before. This game means so much to me. So so much. It essentially represents my childhood. Sometimes I’ve even tried to have myself question and realize as to why that was case because I always knew this game was really special. I just didn’t fully understood why. That’s where you came in with this unbelievably well crafted explanation as I had mentioned previously and honestly…I don’t know what to say except…thank you because it makes so much sense now.

In a way I guess you could say Mario galaxy saved my life. Crazy how such a silly concept can bring you so much joy in times of darkness. Thank you Nintendo, and thank you for making this video about such a beautiful game.

"Mario Galaxy is a game about loneliness." Yeah, and not just loneliness. It's about what you do to deal with loneliness. Do you run and jump and reach to try to connect with your special one? Do you snatch and grab and and cling to things and force them to give you the attention you crave? Do you gather up those you can and guide them and help them know they don't always have to be alone?

This was the best single-player game I could've ever started with, and playing it more and more as I've grown up, the story and atmosphere has carried more and more weight.

Super Mario Galaxy feels like one of the most impactful pieces of media I've experienced in my life, for many reasons of course, but mainly I think about how Rosalina's storybook is one of the few things that causes me to cry, even knowing the conclusion already this does a great job explaining what it is to the extent that's possible, it reminded me of why I enjoyed it so much after many years of just remember there were some stars I had too much difficulty getting past ever since I beat the game as a kid

I grew up with the wii and both of the galaxy games have a place in my heart. Personally, everytime I open the wii I gravitate towards the second game. I can always find peace within myself everytime I play it.

The two Mario Galaxy games are by far my favourites. I remember playing both of them multiple times to completion with all the green stars as a child. It never ceased to be fun. Also, unlocking and playing as Luigi was great.

Mario Galaxy was one of the staples of my childhood. This game has everything: music, gameplay, fun narrative. It’s pretty much my perfect Mario game.

46:29 I was not expecting to be jumpscared by that song. It brought me to tears 😭

Every time someone mentions the emotional story of Mario Galaxy I think to myself “it wasn’t that special right? It probably only feels special because it’s something we aren’t used to in a Mario game” Then I hear Rosalina’s storybook and see the ending cutscene again and I remember just how amazing it is. It’s hard, I want to know more about the book and possibly even a game or movie based on the events of it and see how Rosalina became like an immortal omnipresent space goddess. But then I think about both it and Mario Galaxy 3 and think “do we need it?” It was all done so well is it really worth risking the legacy left behind for something that COULD better and enhance said legacy but at the same time could also be a big mistake and retrospectively ruin it. I know Koizumi can do it but I’m not sure if Miyamoto would let it. I just need a new emotional Mario game

This game is so aesthetically pleasing, I love the darker themes of the environments and the bright neon colors they contrast with! Also, everyone who plays this game must play it with socks on (and other Mario games, for extra coziness!) The Star Festival is my favorite part. 😊

Well, wasn't expecting to cry again with Rosa's story 👍🏻

I often wonder how the developers of the game would feel to know about how heroic they are to us and how impactful their work is

Few games will ever make space feel as lonely as mario galaxy, this was my childhood game, and i still play it to this day, awesome video dude ^~^

I don’t know how, but I always come to tears when someone reads the library story. It’s beautiful and I’m an emotion wreck lmao

This is my favorite 3D Mario game. It’s beautiful. Dunno what else to say

I remember when i lived with my grandma waking up, eating cereal and walking into my basement to play super mario galaxy when i was 5, i am still only a teenager now, yet i still find it so nostalgic and the game means so much to me, this video really brings back memories from living with my grandma, i miss her.

I remember playing this game when it launched in 2007. I was 7 years old. Im 23 now and i still have both my Wii and my copy of Mario Galaxy. Every playthrough is as wonderful as the first.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear the first song in the video as World 3 from Galaxy 2. One of my favorite tracks from the two games.

Super Mario Galaxy will forever be my favorite game of all time. I remember being 7 years old when this game came out. I was so hype even got the collectors edition Mario galaxy tree ornament. This game then was a masterpiece and as a 24 year old now it still is the same masterpiece that i grew up with. People can say they prefer 2 and that's fine but everything about Mario Galaxy 1 is something the gaming industry will never experience again. You had to be there.

I love both games, they are amazing, 1 with its story and GGG. I tend to like 2 more because of the small detail of the Luma appearing in 2 when playing with another player. Also as Liam had mentioned the Throwback stages ( get it ) especially Throwback galaxy ( The jazz composition is so majestic in that game ) it made me cry the first time I reached it. I wish people would mention multiplayer a little more but that's just my opinion.

Mario Galaxy, Breath of the Wild, Galaxy 2 and Tears of the Kingdom have so many parallels. This video has made it so evident

The ending made me tear up. It was very lovely. I have played the first game many times and on subsequent playthroughs I have tended to skip the story elements.. but man does it hit

Just realized he’s covered all three games in 3D All Stars.

i have this urge to time travel to the mario 128 event to tell a journalist or reporter 'this... what you're seeing, is not ready yet. only in the next generation will a masterpiece using this tech be released. it will be remembered as such for the next decades, and possibly longer.'

I really didn't think I had strong memories of Galaxy. It's not even my favorite Mario game, and I don't think about it often, but... I guess I forgot how much of an impact on me. When the storybook music started playing and you began telling Rosalina's story, especially around the end, tears started rolling down my cheek, and I don't really know why. It was like they belonged to someone else, like version of myself that I'd forgotten. Maybe the game means more to me than I thought...

Mario Galaxy reminds me of one piece of media above all else that I can't imagine didn't directly inspire it in some ways: The Little Prince

It's my favorite game ever made, by far, bar none. It came out right around when I turned 19, and I was battling a pretty vicious depression that was sapping me of my joy and energy. The fact that the game was such a beautiful meditation on sadness, loneliness, and loss really spoke to me. This was especially true because my first video game memory is of Super Mario Bros. 3 and I grew up with Mario games as my real bread and butter. It's hard to express what the fusion of music, gameplay, visual spectacle, and oddly melancholy tone (offset with typical Mario quirkiness and fun) does for me, but it's deeply therapeutic and meaningful. All from another game about a silly little plumber rescuing a helpless princess from a turtle dragon monster!

I was just watching your other mario retrospectives and when i saw the notifacation it felt unreal !!!

Babe, wake up. New liam triforce video is out

Galaxy 1 is my favourite game of all time over 2 partially due to the masterpiece that was Rosalina’s Storybook within this masterpiece of a game. I have never and will never love a game as much as the first galaxy ever.

Played through this game with my girlfriend when it came out and it blew our minds. Last year I beat it with my 6 year old and I have a video of him jumping up and down watching the credits roll. He is working on his own profile and now my 4 year old wants to watch me play through it. We listen to the calming selections from the sound track when the kids are having a bad night and when we're on road trips and it gets late. This game is part of my little family's culture. I know your videos take an incredible amount of time and work to make, I really appreciate that you chose Mario Galaxy to be the focus of one of them. Like other games that I would put in the "masterpiece" category, it's fun and well made and generally impressive on the surface, but with multiple play throughs and through analysis of caring and insightful people like you it can be enjoyed more and more throughout time. Great choice, and thanks for the video!

fantastic video as always , Liam , thank you very much !! galaxy will always hold a special place in my heart , such a spectacular experience !

I love the story in Mario Galaxy but I love the levels in Mario Galaxy 2

11:09 this backing up camera shot has stayed with me since I was a little kid, I’m not joking, THIS SPECIFIC SHOT always will give me the biggest rush of nostalgia. The sole planet, the giant blue light in the background which I always imagined as a colossal planet or galaxy, and that star. That enormous Mario star outline in the distance, probably light years away. I think about this a lot, maybe too much, but it’s just so meaningful to me and I have absolutely reason on why

Its so cool to me that not only does this video show me why im valid in having this be my favorite game of all time, but also show me a new perspective and make me realize I never actually finished reading through Rosalina's storybook. Everything from the telescope onward was new to me and makes this game have so much more of a heartfelt core that makes me love it even more. Amazing video, thank you for making this.

Such a fantastic and thoughtful retrospective! Thanks for covering the music and what feelings they illicit in depth. These games were the first time I understood the variety of things music can make you experience. I pursued a music degree pretty much because of these games and years later with a lot more knowledge of the music the games are still a delight and somehow are more impactful than they were years ago.

idk how you do it everytime but every video you make is beyond words please make more videos just seeing the games the grew up on being explained in words that i couldnt be explained in and honestly could make someone emotional its kinda poetic

The best game ever made, mario galaxy series is a masterpiece. Both mario galaxy 1 and 2 for me. SO nostalgic as well. I love super mario

Me and my now wife used to play this game together as children. For our anniversary I recreated the storybook that Rosalina reads to the Lumas. Mario Galaxy is one of the most fundamental elements of real magic that underpin our relationship. We both cry when we hear the music that plays during Rosalina's readings.

Comparision between the two Galaxy games: Gameplay: SMG2 Galaxies: SMG2 Power-ups: SMG2 Story: SMG (with one bonus-point for storybook) Difficulty: SMG2 Replayability: SMG2 Stage settings: SMG2 (way more creative variations) Atmosphere: SMG Music: Actually a tie but giving it to SMG since it invented most of it Final Reward: SMG2 Legacy: SMG Graphics: Tie Structure: SMG2 GOAT: SMG2 (SMG 5,5 - SMG2 9,5)

Enjoyable as always Liam. Thank you for the dedication to these!

Those cutscenes with Luma's theme, bith at the beginning, book, and ending always makes me cry.

One of my favorite things of this game is how is so linear yet since you're in space they manage to make it feel open world

Hell yeah new video and about one of the best mario games ever. I remember my first time playing it as a kid and being so amazed by its worlds. I loved the beach worlds so much I used to just swim around and mess with the penguins there’s just a certain vibe to this game that feels so cozy to me now. Good memories of having my dad help me with some of the bowser fights I’m glad I got to grow up with a game like this.

*Now do 2D Metroid Retrospective...please.*

another idea they really only used once was defeating an enemy for a key. It's only used in the tutorial level and then forgotten until Super Mario Galaxy 2

41:42 glad someone put some love to this scene here, whenever I finish galaxy 2 I always end my saves at that level, it's so calming and peaceful probably my favorite spot in the galaxy games

It's my childhood game. I love it so much.

I’ve been looking forward to this, my favorite game of all time

man, i've been feeling really lonely these days, so your interpretation of the story hit me like a truck. I might have been needing to hear that.

As a kid I first experienced this game by watching my Dad play it after I got home from school. The brilliant storytelling never really stuck with me as I was 3 when it came out, but as I played it throughout my childhood it started to make sense to me. Losing my great-grandma when I was 8, who was my best friend, put me in a spiral of depression. Rosalina's story of loss and acceptance threw me when I played it again last year. This game doesn't just survive on nostalgia, it still holds up as a great game, and I still enjoy playing it. Looking back at my childhood and how much I love this game, I can't help but cry. The memories it brought me, the emotion behind the loss in Rosalina's story, the warmth behind how childlike the Luma's are... It all collects into a masterpiece. I love how much Nintendo references Galaxy nowadays. With Rosalina and Lumas being characters in games like Rabbids and Super Mario 3D World, it's fun to see characters from your childhood live on in the childhoods of the current generation. While I don't play Rosalina in games like Mario Kart or smash, she always has a place in my heart as one of the most beautiful, poetic characters nintendo has put out. Her character is a symbol of loss, getting over that loss and becoming a better person because of it. It feels as if her entire character design is to teach the player that it's okay to cry, to mourn, to miss someone... But it also hammers the idea of acceptance into the minds of every player. Yes, you'll feel lonely. Yes, you'll lose people. Yes, nothing truly lasts forever. But the beauty of what you have in the moment is amazing. Mario Galaxy is more than just a game, it's a poetic journey in which you explore the ideas of loss and loneliness, only to come out the other side stronger than you were before. This game made my childhood. And I hope that Galaxy 1 & 2 live on in the hearts and minds of those who played it. And to my great-grandma, Sybil. Playing this game as an adult, experiencing the same journey of loss, loneliness and acceptance... It's made me realise that those 3 things are not all life has to offer. Levels like Gusty Garden Galaxy are prime examples of how joy, colour and life are what come after. I'll never forget the Joy you brought me, the loneliness that came with losing you, and the joy that came after as I remember you. In conclusion, this game helped me out of depression at multiple stages of life, and I will never, ever forget it.

still have this game for my original white wii. dont think i ever beat it but the memories it holds within me will never be forgot