Super Mario Galaxy

Controls

One of the most important things for any Wii game though is the matter of how the game is controlled. The Wiimote and Nunchuck system is innovative and enjoyable sure, but very few games are able to make the control system feel natural and enjoyable to use.

Even the best of game ideas can result in awkward, flawed game experiences if the control system isn’t properly understood and mastered - Red Steel is unfortunately living proof of that.

It’s a good thing then that the control system in Super Mario Galaxy isn’t like those rubbish third-party games at all. Instead, it’s been gloriously tweaked to be both responsive and natural for gamers to pick up.

The standard controls are simple. In the left hand you hold the Nunchuck and use the control stick to move Mario around, navigating the game from a third person camera. You use the Z button on the Nunchuck to duck and the C button to reset the camera if you end up looking the wrong way – which can lead to some stomach churning moments on galaxies which use directional gravity.


The Wiimote is held in the right hand and controls pretty much everything else. The central A button is used for most primary actions, like jumping, flying as Bee Mario or grabbing hold of stars when you are floating through space. By using the A button in certain ways you can unleash some extra special moves for Mario, such as wall-kicks, triple jumps, backflips and ground pounds.

And yes, by ground pound I do mean the move which sees Mario jump in the air and smash to the ground on his bum. I could say ‘Arse-attack’, but ‘ground pound’ is what Miyamoto prefers to call it.

Other actions are controlled by pointing, moving and shaking the Wiimote, which functions as a reticule for Mario. Pressing the B trigger will throw a star bit to wherever the player is pointing with the Wiimote and is useful for stunning enemies, solving puzzles or feeding Lumas. Star bits can be found pretty much everywhere and exist as both a low-grade currency (i.e. coins and stars are worth more) and a form of ammunition.


By shaking the Wiimote Mario can perform a number of other actions – spin attacks for the most part, but it’s also used to launching Mario through star portals.

Some Wii games require players to shake the Wiimote so hard and so much that it can stop them reading some forum threads for a week, but thankfully Super Mario Galaxy isn’t one of those. To set off the spin attacks and such the Wiimote needs only be given one or two quick shakes and, if it’s an attack you don’t especially like, then it’s always possible to use a different and non-motion sensitive attack.

The control system never feels like it’s been forced into the game and it's good to see that Nintendo hasn’t tried to use the motion sensitive capabilities of the Wii for absolutely everything in the game. Instead, it has used them for just the parts of the game which really stand to benefit from the addition.